Abra

I had been thinking "only Lucy would come up with this one" but I see I'm sadly out of step. The imagery in this thread is just really special. Photos please!

Shaya, that's a gorgeous pear cake. Elie, I haven't done the Sarlat potatoes yet, but I've made the Quercy potatoes several times and they're really good. Here's the dessert from a recent French dinner Madeleines from Dax and Roast Figs in the Style of the Pyrenees. A very nice little dessert, with some miniature persimmons.

Thanks for reporting on the pineapple sage flower syrup, eje. I was ready to run outside and get some started myself. I recently infused some (kaffir) lime leaves and star anise into 100 proof vodka, then made a cocktail with a good ginger ale and a splash of prosecco. Not killer, but pretty darn good, and served before an Asian food dinner, people drank it right up with no problems.

Sandy, never having been to Philadelphia, I want to ask about the demographics. Is it all as multi-ethnic as your gayborhood seems to be? There's an impressive cross-section of Americans pictured so far. Nice butcher shop too!

Happy Birthday, Sandy. Nice to be taken care of by your buds, and it sounds like you might actually get an on-key rendition of the birthday song, too. I didn't know you sing - me too, with our local Chorale. Singing and cooking have a lot in common, don't you think?

Escolar is really delicious, and you shouldn't hesitate to eat it. But here's the rule: no more than a 5 oz serving! Personally, I like to serve 3-4 ounces of it along with some other fish, so that you get the deliciousness without the gastrointestinal effects, which come from eating too much of the escolar's indigestible oils.

Utterly awesome, Arne! I wish we'd been there, and you sure pushed my buttons with the epoisses (on a warm plate, brilliant!) the pruneaux d'Agen, those jewel-like marrons glaces, the gorgeous pastries and chocolates, and those fantastic chateaux. I haven't been to either the Dordogne or Burgundy, and now I need to go. And whatever juju caused you to lose weight on that trip, with all that luscious food, could you please post it here? Or just PM me some!

The saucisson sec is my least-favorite recipe from the book so far. It looked beautiful, with the hand-diced fat, but it tasted only of pork. I actually thought it was a boring flavor, but a lovely texture. I think the acidic flavor you're describing must come from using one of the fermenting agents. I haven't tried that yet myself, but I know lots of other people have.

Ron, I made the tasso as written, and found that while I had a good ham/smoked pork sort of thing, it didn't deliver the tasso flavor I was expecting. It needs to be spiced up, in my opinion.

We tried Serious Pie last night and seriously liked it. We had the foraged mushroom and truffle cheese pizza, and the cherry bomb pepper with sweet fennel sausage pizza. Both were delicious. We didn't have a starter, but the people next to us had a salad served in a big bowl with two plates, a very nice touch. My corked glass of dolcetto was replaced immediately. My husband's request for a Coke (which they don't have - no cola in the house!) was met with an offer by our server to run over to Dahlia Lounge to get one, which he did. It's not inexpensive - two pizzas,one glass of wine, one Coke, was $42 before the tip, so it's not in the "pizza joint" category at all. Tom Douglas was in the dining room chatting with guests, the room was warm and welcoming despite the rain outdoors, the pizza was excellent, and we're looking forward to going back.

Ah, the walking tour would suit me to a t, but not, alas, my vehicle-preferring husband. And while walking I'd gladly try a walnut beer, followed in short order by a chestnut beer. Uh, I'll skip the truffle beer, thanks anyway. Now, prune beer sounds good...hey, it's 9:00 a.m., is it time for beer?

Mousse Pimenton Croquembouche Dulce de leche Tzatziki Quenelle Clafoutis Saucisson sec Pfeffernusse Calissons

Hurray, you're back, and it sounds and looks like you had a fantastic time. I'm eagerly waiting the next installments.

That's genuinely awe-inspiring, Eden. And to do it on $7.33 per person -I just totally prostrate myself at your feet!

Lorna, we use Caffe Vita del Sol beans. Another good one for the moka pot is Peet's Major Dickason's.

jbehmoaras - I'd say that your duck needs to hang for another 10 days or so. It's hard to tell becasue it's so shiny, but when I do it the fat is much more of an ivory color and the duck is a lot less red. You can also tell with the knife - if it's really dry, it doesn't offer much drag to the knife. Of course, if you've got a real slicer, all bets on that tip are off. dansch - here's a little ditty i found for you on the milk question "Milk-protein derived extenders are used widely in processed meat products. These include nonfat dry milk, dried whey, and buttermilk solids and are added to improve binding qualities, flavor, cooking yields and slicing characteristics. They also help to stabilize meat emulsion products such as bologna and frankfurters." So says U of Connecticut Extension.

Francois, it's fine to re-use the fat from making confit, so long as you've filtered it so it's absolutely clear, and kept the temperature very low while you were simmering the duck. I always save mine - it should be pure white to pale ivory colored. If's it's brown, toss it. The jellied duck juices you get after making confit are fabulous too. Somewhere here I read the neatest trick. Pour the fat and juice through a filter into a jar, screw the lid on tight, then put it in the fridge upside down. After it chills, turn the jar right side up and you'll have all the duck jello at the top, right under the lid, for easy removal and use.

Here you go. Fundraiser calendar announcement. Anyone can link to anything, don't need no managers. I hadn't heard about Tina, but that is a really tough break for her, and I'm so glad that eG is rallying around her!

Wow, I thought the Fertile Crescent was a lot more interesting than the winner. Maybe less "wedding cakey" but definitely fabulous.

I always have several Boca and Morningstar Farms items, and Amy's Tamale Pie. I'm not vegetarian, but I like to eat like one sometimes. Trader Joe's potstickers. All-butter puff pastry. Other than that, it's big hunks of meat for charcuterie projects, Trader Joe's fabulous frozen corn kernels, and stuff I put up myself. Oh, and banana leaves. My husband usually has ice cream in the frreezer, and Pepperidge Farm apple turnovers.

Now I can't wait for my next opportunity to serve olives, saying sweetly to my guests "these will keep the vapors from mounting to your head." Perhaps he meant that because of the olive oil, the effects of the wine would be reduced? That artichoke escapade was certainly taking one for the team!

Malarkey, try that Mondavi recipe. It's really different and good. It's not especially Mondavi promoting Alaska prawns, I don't think I've ever seen spot prawns labeled any other way. I'm in the Seattle area, and if they are fished anywhere but Alaska, it's news to me.

Eden, I use MasterCook all the time to "expand" recipes and it works great. The only thing I find is that it's really good to go easy on the spices when making large multiples of recipes. Salt and spices do not always expand in a linear way, so I've learned to start with about half and taste/add until it's right.

Wow, 1 oz of cinnamon is a lot of cinnamon! What the heck is must? You know, as long as I've known you, I had no idea you were so deep into this stuff. It's utterly amazing.

Annie, what are you waiting for?