Abra

I always forget to look at this thread, but I'm sure glad I did tonight. My gag reflex needed the workout! Kris, I have thought before that you should get a prize for the best regrettable food shots, but now I'm thinking that Grub is giving you a lot of competition. But just so you won't think I'm a total jerk, I offer you a bite of a Sog of Pears, Stilton, and Pine Nuts. Supposed to have been a tart, ended up being a sog. And that's putting it politely.

Thank you, Johnnyd! The more I looked at your recipe, the more I liked it. I made it as written, only halving the rum and broth, and using a sliced whole orange instead of the OJ. I guess that wasn't really as written, huh? I did it in the oven for about 5 hours, then took out the onions and oranges and simmered it on the stovetop until the juices evaporated and it glazed and crisped. Here it is served with beans, avocado, and a little cake made from dead-ripe plaintain. So delicious! I got the idea for the plaintain cake from your use of a banana. That's sure a nice combo, and one I'll continue to use.

Sounds delicious, John. I'm supposed to be smoking a butt today, but if it really rains as threatened, I might just make it your way.

Derek, I'm so glad you made it to Harvest Vine and Union. The bar at HV is one of the best seats in town. Those are two lovely places, and you made it to them both. I'm looking forward to hearing your reports.

Hurray for Jeff and Kurtis!!

Chris, upthread I show my curing chamber, a little mini-greenhouse with a muffin fan for circulation, a top that opens for air flow, and a pan of salted water, into which I'm imagining dropping frozen gel packs in the event that the garage gets too warm. So far I've hung my pancetta in there and had it come out perfectly, my guanciale is in its 4th week and looking great, and I have a newish lamb prosciutto in there too. I'm very happy with it, although the minute I get some sausages ready to hang I'm going to wish it were bigger. I've got everything for sausage except casings - how dumb is that? I'm doing a Niman order on Monday, so hopefully I'll be in the sausage business next week.

I made a wonderful tabbouleh-type dish last night using my preserved lemons. What a great little flavor hit they added, mixed with fresh-from-my-garden parsley, lime mint, and chives. I'm really glad to have made them while the Meyers were still around.

I didn't have time to get a picture, but if you've been eyeing the recipe in HSSS that's green tapioca with sweet corn kernels and coconut cream, make it! It's wonderful, and I got lots of praise from my Thai neighbor for the dish. One thing she's taught me, though, that I never see in recipes, is to very lightly salt the coconut cream on top of sweet puddings. Makes worlds of difference.

Oh good, it didn't close without me! Sorry to have gone missing the last day or so, but I see that your brownies look quite excellent. It's been a charming blog, with the whole Queensday thing being my very favorite part. We're all so looking forward to seeing you soon!

Thank you, that was very educational! Because, of that list of techniques I've only done 2 - refrigeration, and a thin sharp knife. Well, I'll admit to banging on the table occasionally, but I've never banged the actual dessert. No, that's not true, I've banged cake batter before putting it in the oven. But is that what you mean? Acetate and a leveler might help me, actually. Although I felt like I was turning pro when I got a cake decorating turntable. And that beautiful translucent caramel? I have to admit to lurking a lot with your gorgeous photos.

Those puffs look just fine, and the rest of the dinner is making my stomach growl loudly. I even called my husband in to say "see how pretty Klary looks at her birthday party."

Has your party started, or do you still have time to make more dessert?

Four weeks now since I ordered the rifi, and still nothing. I think this time they really mean the 12-16 weeks thing, alas.

If it's not too late, I like to use fennel stalks and fronds in smoked turkey stock.

gfron1, that is a beautiful flower! Will you tell us more about how you made it?

I think Queensday sounds like a total blast, minus the littered post-party streets, of course. I can't wait to see your pictures. I'm not a pastry person, but here's what I know about cutting neat bars. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment, buttering the pan before and after the parchment is placed. Bake your brownies, or whatever. Let cool in the pan. Turn the whole pan out onto a cutting surface and carefully peel off the parchment. With a long, sharp knife, trim away any crispy edges. Eat them all up yourself. Get a ruler and set it alongside your brownie sheet. Mark off the places you want to cut. Get your knife hot, under running water, then dry it, and make your first cut immediately while it's still warm. If you're lucky, you can get two cuts before you have to rinse and reheat the knife. I often do this step with a bench knife, since it's easier to cut straight down. That's really all I know about it - measure carefully and cut with a hot knife. Now, maybe some real pastry person wil jump in with an even better method, but if not, this one will give you pretty nice neat squares. Uhm, does Dennis shop too? That's a lot of hauling, all your food up five flights, every time you go shopping. And now I realize that I don't know what you do in your office day - anything to do with food?

I made the white chocolate leaves, but the flowers are gumpaste. The tart was actually very good, despite all its limiting factors.

Thanks, Dave. It's spelled kha chai on the jar, but it is a gingery root, so that's probably a transliteration issue. I'll Google with your spelling and see what pops up.

Wickedly beautiful peperone! That dark, cordovan color is utterly enticing.

Tonight, for my son's birthday, it's going to be He wanted very little dairy for himself, gluten-free for one guest, and no nuts for another. Grrr! This is a lemon chess tart on a gluten-free gingersnap crust. Patrick, your layers are always so perfectly level. How the heck do you do that? And that translucent caramel?

Too funny that you're on that billboard, looking so cool! In fact, everyone seems very fashionably dressed. Will you show us some more people, so we can get a feel for spring attire? Preferably show them eating, of course! We can easily teach you to cut bar cookies or cakes into squares, if you want. I used to be terrible at it myself, but there are a few rules, and if you follow them, it's almost guaranteed to work out perfectly.

Oh dear, sorry to be late for such an important date. Happy Birthday, Klary! I too like to make my birthday last forever, and I can't wait to share yours with you.

OMG, you all are making the most beautiful sausages! Ron, talk more about what was wrong with those casings. The sausages looked lovely to me, more artisanal for their irregularity. Ok, pork belly skin R me now - what a great bunch of suggestions. I just had Thai pigs feet for dinner, which made me wonder about what other parts of the pig are underappreciated.

Bite! Beautiful sausages, Dave. Last pork belly I didn't use the skin, because I wasn't sure about it having been cured. All of these uses you guys are mentioning would work with cured skin? Or would you remove the skin before curing if you were going to use a pound of it in one dish?

I recently had a deep-fried fish in a sauce of kha chai, red curry, and coconut milk. Absolutely scrumptious! So now I've got a big jar of kha chai slivers (no fresh to be had here) and I'm looking for some other sorts of deliciousness to create with it. What's your favorite?