Abra

Cali, the recipe doesn't show up unless one pays CI, something I'll never, ever do agin in this lifetime so much have I had hassles with CI. But rant aside, if you do make them well ahead, freeze, and try one test thaw in advance of Thanksgiving, please do let me know how they turn out. That would be really interesting, if it works well, as I'll have my hands full all day before the meal.

I'm an experienced bread baker, but here's a thing I've never tried. I think the absolutely best rolls for Thanksgiving are these Buttery Pan Rolls. But this year, in my kitchen in France, I only have one oven and not enough time or counter space to make these at the last minute, as I usually do. Could I form and butter the rolls, wrap tightly, and freeze? Then let them thaw and rise before baking? How much time do you think the thaw/rise would take? I'm guessing about 4 hours. I know, baking bread in France is totally coals to Newcastle, but I'm having a dozen people for their first Thanksgiving, and these rolls are so typically American and so not French.

Thanks for the report, Viva. I'm dying to hear more about the grimolles, since I haven't yet dared to make it. Did you eat the cabbage? Could you taste it in the apples? Do tell!

I often make pulled pork in the oven. Be sure to start with a shoulder or butt, NOT a loin. You can rub it if you wish - I do - but it's not essential. I put a good splash of apple cider vinegar in a Dutch oven, put the pork in, cover tightly, then roast low and slow until it's at least 190°. If I have time I do it overnight at 225°, but I've also had good results around 300° for about 6 hours. Pull and mix with sauce.

Paul, I'm going to do your turkey recipe, if I can get a turkey here that will fit into my stockpot. It's a beautiful recipe. That said, let me suggest that you stay in the French tradition for a before-dinner bite. The most normal drink to serve with that menu (here in France, that is) would be a glass of Champagne or a kir, either royale or still. And to nibble, just a couple of bites per person. To limit how much people nibble, it's easier to have little composed appetizers. A chilled marinated shrimp on a skewer, a little toast with foie gras and fig jam, maybe a few olives. Last year was our first Thanksgiving in France. This year will be a bit different, as our guests will be the members and spouses of the French rock group my husband plays with. I think none of them has ever done Thanksgiving, and there will be more people than we can have seated at the table, and it'll be all music and confusion. I only have one small oven and not much fridge space for make-aheads, so I'm working on a pared down but still perfectly representative American menu. Luckily I get a few extra days, as we'll go to an American friend's house on actual Thanksgiving, then have the gang here on the Sunday after.

Ok, your second link shows me the recipe, although with the first link I see only the photo. I still do think freezing the cake layers would help. And for the trimmings, don't forget how good pain d'epices is with foie gras!

Eden, I don't see a recipe on that site, although the picture gives me the desire to try it myself. Was your pain d'épices frozen when you layered it? Personally I'd freeze the cake slices, add one layer of ice cream, refreeze, do another layer, and so on. I think that would prevent the sinking-in effect.

If you happen to be anywhere near Le Vigan, make sure to plan a meal at Le Jardin on rue du Four. I say plan because if you drop in you'll have what looked to be a lovely French meal, but if you plan and call ahead, you can sample the delicious flavors of Burkina Faso. A full report with pictures is here.

Here in France we recently saw an item on a pizza menu translated as Salmonella Pizza. I wanted to be kind and explain to them the difference between salmon and salmonella but I was laughing too hard. And ordering something else, of course.

We've been spending a lot of time lately in Lyon and have kind of fallen for bouchon-type food. Recently we ate at Le Garet, and I really recommend it for anyone wanting the bouchon experience. But be sure to be very hungry when you go, and be sure to reserve in advance. It's a small place, and gets packed. For, as I recall, the 23 Euro menu, I started with the Salade de Cochonailles, which is a salad in name only. A tray with 5 huge bowls comes to the table and stays there. You help yourself to sausages, a tripe salad, salade de museau, calf's foot, and lentils, each one delicious. That was the starter. Then I had a lovely pike quenelle, with a nicely fishy sauce instead of the very creamy sauce we've encountered elsewhere. The cheese course of cervelle de canut or St. Marcellin is a treat. The owner encouraged us to get one of each, and we were really glad he did, since each was an excellent example of it's type. Then, stuffed beyond belief, I had the cassis sorbet for dessert, which comes to the table with a bottle of marc de Bourgogne. You pour the marc over the sorbet and keep pouring, if you wish, as the bottle will stay with you. It's pretty remarkable.

I made the Ragout of Veal with Orange today. That's a totally delicious dish! Because of my schedule, I left it in the sauce in a warm oven for an hour before serving, which worked perfectly. Don't hesitate to make this in advance, and definitely don't leave out the orange peel slivers. It's a great bridge season dish, warming and filling, but with a freshness from the orange and lemon that is inviting even when it's not the dead of winter. By the way, I used a kilo of veal and left all the other ingredients as written and there was plenty of excellent sauce.

Today someone I don't know posted a comment on my blog asking if I could mail him some canned tripe from France. He says he lives in Little Rock and can't find anywhere to go to eat tripe, especially à la mode de Caen. A) canned tripe isn't very good, and B) there must be an easier way for a guy to get some tripe! Can anyone help him out?

I still remember the field trip my 6th grade class made to the Mother's Cookie factory. It was fascinating, and was probably the beginning of my interest in food production. That, and a trip to the Tillamook Cheese factory. It's been decades since I had a Mother's product, but I hate to see institutions vanish into modernity and/or bankruptcy.

That yaksik looks delicious, and chestnuts are everywhere here right now. For those of you that have eaten it, how does the Seattle Times recipe, linked to in the Wiki article, look to you? Is there any reason not to use fresh jujubes for this?

It looks like you had a wonderful trip! Where to next?

I have a couple of carefully-hoarded cans in my cupboard right now, in fact, thanks to our last guests from the US who were kind enough to bring them in their luggage. Chiles en nogada, I love that dish.

Just to second gfron1 - I know of two people who have lost their jobs because of what they wrote about their employers on this board. It pays to be discreet.

Devlin, try Jaymes' recipe. It's moist and delicious.

Oh, those margarita mornings. Your hangover remedy cracks me up.

My best suggestion, as a person who's writing about food in a foreign country, is to go where you speak the language. If you want an in-depth look into women's lives, which I think is an excellent idea, you'll do a lot better if you can talk with them directly.

Inari sushi is usually a triangular pocket of thin sweet tofu stuffed with rice, so maybe this was a variant?

I think the Mesa Mirage Bakery is my favorite part of your trip so far. Bake a loaf and before you know it, you've got a bakery.

It's so funny to see you in that landscape! Where's your bike?

Thank you, paulraphael, that looks awesome! I'm contemplating the use of veal in a stuffing. I've never heard of using it, but it actually sounds quite French, so my guests here might grok it. I have the same food safety concerns about the D'Artagnan recipe, but they're very reputable, she's the daughter of a famous chef, and so on, so I'd probably take that part on faith. My free, unsolicited advice for the day - get a stainless steel stockpot!

I made a vinaigrette with about 2 parts Savora to one part olive oil, one part cider vinegar, and served that over arugula with some lovage and chives tossed in. As an accompaniment to aligot it was awesome. I think it's a particularly good match to arugula, and I'll be trying that again in other incarnations.