Daniel

That basque cake really is so pretty.. I am definately putting that cookbook on my short list..

If i decide to bake them and they come out anywhere as good as yours or Patricks, I will happily cross that bridge when I come to it..

I cant..I cant..I will honestly say, the two look completely different, yet no better then one another.. Sitting here looking at the photos, would I rather have a photo or the pastry???

Patrick is a P I M P when it comes to baking so, if he says they are good, I cant wait to try them..Spaghetti those are awesome pictures too.. Awesome..

Yeh, my warnings normally have a two year shelf life...

Pan, When I saw you reviewing this place, I knew it was going to be bad news.. This place is a sub-par restaurant... And even after a year, it still suckers the likes of you for a meal.. What magical powers does this place have??? And what cant they find a spell for good food.

Alinka, awesome, awesome, awesome... Tonight we had a bunch of people over.. I have never cooked for this amount before, let alone try to do a non-buffet style.. We used Frank Stitts book as a guide.. We made three hors devours for when people arrived.. A salad, a main, a cheese course, and dessert.. Its really difficult making 7 full course dinners for people, especially in a New York Apartment.. How many people keep 40 plates, knifes, spoons, bowls, glasses around....Thank g-d for helpful guests doing dishes.. First we cured pork tenderloin in a brine for two days.. Served it on top of bacon fat whipped yams...The pork was so cured, it really took on a different form.. Pork is really something that never stops suprising me.. There are just endless things that can be done with it.. Served with cilantro on top.. It was amazing, sorry, this is the first of many bad pictures.. I once again got to use my thermometer.. Took the tenderloin out at 140 and it was perfect.. We also made figs, halved, with a walnut presses into the center, then wrapped in serano ham..Grilled, then served with a heavy cream and lemon dipping sauce.. Awesome!!!! Was an over kill with the dressing.. But I served it on the side, and I like to over kill.. Before grilling: After grilling: I was so happy with the first two times I made these, the last time adding caviar, I had to make them for my guests.. Yucan potato pancakes fried in duck fat, topped with creme fraiche, chives and caviar.. I fried them in a pan 10 at a time.. I made about 56-64 of each h'd'vr.. Everything was eaten, not a single left over .. Besides desserts.. Kept on forgetting photos.. We served a frisee salad.. I added meat from a smoked chubb fish.. They are tiny little white fish, often served on bagels or gotten at a jewish/eastern european morning fish guy.. Schaller and Weber double smoked bacon, a poached egg out of my 4 at a time egg poacher, with a sherry shallot vingraette. One of the better salads I have had.. I am proud because this was our creation and its always better when you are not just following a recipe... Thats a lot of salad: More then two of me eat in a year I dont have a pretty picture of the salad with the poached egg.. But imagine this with a poached egg placed right where i made space for it.. I just needed to show the beautiful double smoked bacon from Schaller and Weber.. Fat Guy told me about it and it truly is awesome.. For the main course we had....... teriyaki glazed tofu with pine nuts.. We steamed and then... Just kidding we had lamb foot.. Lamb shanks braised in white wine, marjoram,thyme, garlic, chicken stock.. With parm gritz.. This was the one dish that was effected by making such large quantities.. I didnt have time to let the braising liquid reduce.. Everyone enjoyed it, it was my least favorite, about a 6.5....Sorry for the ugly photo... Went to the Union Square Market yesterday... There is always the cheese guy on the south east side.. I bought a bunch of different raw milk cheeses.. Have a fig jam and honey.. Shitty photo number 3 or 4? With the cheese course we served a couple of ports.. The 10 yr old tawny was the best.. Darker and richer then the 20 yr old.. Dessert was my favorite course.. The pressure was off, and we made a bunch of solid things.. Bourbon Panna Cotta: A really mature dessert.. Wasnt over flavored, very subtle..If you dont know what a Panna Cotta is, its basically heavy cream mixed with gelatin.. Making it a heavy cream jello.. We had Frank's bourbon chocolate custard with the marshmallow brownie I made the other night mixed in.. Best ice cream/custard??? This ice cream my mother would love.. It was the icey type of ice cream.. Not the super creamy but a icey.. The bourbon taste was really strong.. I put a half a bottle of jack daniels into myself.. And at least a 1/3 cup into the ice cream.... The brownie went well.. The Suzy's Cake from Pierre Herme book.. Such an awesome cake.. It was like a brownie/cake hybrid.. This cake tasted more chocolate then the chocolate bars I used to make this cake.. It was pure heaven.. Added with my ice cream, its heaven for when people die in heaven.. When my girl let me try the batter.. I thought it was the frosting... This cake was like baking a frosting.... Burnt caramel truffles.. Awesome night.. It would have been just as good if we ordered pizza, just to spend time with people is the real fun..

Wow.. What lucky guests.. I am in the middle of having seven people over for dinner tonight and its getting down to crunch time.. Oy veh.. That duck looks fantastic!!

Here are the razor clams with garlic and lemon doc and parsley

Gorgeous pictures miss foodie, those clams look outrageous.. .. No pictures came out clear.. I think i got steam on the lense from shooting chocolate in the double boiler.. Tonight we had homemade pizza 00 flour, with parsley pesto and serrano ham.. Next we had stuffed clams.. For main we had pampano in parchment paper on top of onions fried in butter, lemon slices, and topped with parsley and chives.. Boiled red potatoes.. Very good.. Had some brownies from last night, adding the rest to a burboun chocolate ice cream for tomorrows dessert..

Started with yucon potato pancakes fried in duck fat with creme fraiche, plank fish eggs, and onion in the kitchen.. Lovely.. We were still hanging out in the kitchen so I threw on razor clams.. Fried in garlic olive oil for a couple of minutes. Served with lemon.. Made lion of pork with a lot of garlic and rosemary.. Browned, then cooked for 40 minutes.. Used my electronic thermometer for the first time.. The alarm went off when the meats center hit 140. How awesome... Let the pork rest and made a pan sauce with shallots and some red wine.. Great dish.. Served with blue cheese and duck fat grits.. From Chocolate Obsession I made the rocky road brownies.. Really good.. Marshmallow and walnut placed in the batter.. Close up

Happy happy anniversary, Happy happy anniversary, to you, to you, to you... What a great bunch of meals you had with family, and what a fun year it was knowing you.. I actually was planning on eating eggs with ham steak for breakfast tomorrow.. But didnt pick up the steak.. Where are your photos, I thought we were getting pictures from the new camera????

That kitty litter thing is just wrong.. As someone who has two cats, I am no stranger to the task of cleaning their box.. I am revolted by this photo...

32nd Street Jacks World now has the cookbooks out upstairs..

Hey great Amy, looking forward to seeing your photos.. That chicken looked great..

Dinner number two I guess.. I have all these ducks and all this free time.. I was reading The Whole Beast a couple of hours ago when I was inspired to make a salad.. I fried half and grilled half of a duck breast, made chips in the same pan using the duck fat.. Then making a salad of parsley,cilantro,mint, a little chopped butter lettuce, and shallots.. WIth a sherry vinegraette using the fat from the pan.. It was the best thing I ever made.. A salad with duck fried chips, what could be better.

Very interesting, yesterday I was making duck soup.. I stopped to talk to my doorman to ask him if he wanted to dinner as I normally do.. I told him I was having duck soup.. He then asked how I was preparing it and after I told him I was using vanilla he scoffed and started to tell me how they cook duck and chicken soup in Poland.. And part of his recipe included mixing the blood with flour and vinegar to thicken the soup.. It was interesting that he complained he couldnt get blood here at most places.. It made me think of this topic..

Beautiful dinners Susan. But now you made me feel bad for not editing my huge photos.. One of these days I will learn how to mess with the pictures.. Tonight I am home alone with the five year old.. We just had duck breasts with yucon potato pancakes fried in duck fat creme fraiche and green onion.. She ended up eating both pieces of cake I bought.. One oreo cake, and a caramel apple pie..

I have been told not to eat raw vegetables in certain countries.. China in particular because unclean water passes through thin skin.. While fruits with hard or tough outsides are ok to eat raw? Is this true?

About 5.59 in Manhattan..

Percyn, That looks awesome...

I would tell you that I am enjoying the book a lot..Its layed out well and the recipes are really exciting. I have recently gone on a Book Binge and went from having two baking books to about 25 cook books in the last two weeks or so.. Its getting really dangerous with my impulse buys as I get adjusted to shopping on the internet.. But this is one of my favorites..

Made ducks soup with vanilla,marin and soy..From The Cook's Book.. It was a delicious dish, the mirin and vanilla really went well with each other, ..On top is mint, scallions and hot peppers.. I was the only one with the peppers.. I cooked the skin down for the fat and ended up with these little guys..

Jacks World is selling Bittersweet,Cocolat, Salty Spicey Sour Sweet book and many other cookbooks at 4.99... I cant believe it.. Saw it today.. It has to be a limited supply so hurry..110 w. 32nd (btwn 6&7) and 45 w. 45th (btwn 5&6)

Tonight we cooked the bagels we were letting rest in the fridge.. Boiled then baked.. Fresh onion bagels.. So good and crunchy.. The mixer broke last night so I had to make bagels the way the Pilgrims did when they came over on the Pinta or the Nina Simone or whatever.. I am still a little sore.. Along with bagels we had Sturgeon Peppered mackeral, onions, and cream cheese.. A couple of chubs.. Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.. With a tall glass of OJ it was a fun dinner.. Sturgeon, onion, cream cheese.. Chub, pepper, cream cheese..