russ parsons

i think that is a very interesting thought. i've got two more possibilities, one practical, one aesthetic: 1) it's easier to maintain a big pot of water at a boil for blanching than to have to constantly be refilling the steamer (sounds paradoxical, but since a steamer potis always at least half basket and headspace for cooking, it makes sense to me). 2) Western cuisine came relatively recently to the idea of fresh, vibrant flavors. things have always been "cooked." in fact, look at some old chef books and they blanch the vegetables in stock. not a bad idea, but just a very different flavor. i remember a food anthropologist crediting the asian emphasis on steaming (and wok-frying and other quick-cooking methods) to a shortage of fuel for long-burning fires. don't know what the citations are, but "sounds true." edit for recipe: if those are really good little potatoes, here's what you do: steam (or boil) them until they're tender, then toss them in a bowl with some room temperature (not cold, not melted) butter and some fleur de sel. thyme will be great. the butter melts slightly, but forms a kind of napping sauce on the potatoes. unbelievable.

fortunately, the world of cooking is broad enough that we don't have to choose between techniques. they both work essentially the same (moist, constant heat at about the same temperature), except that in boiling there is an exchange of liquids (and therefore flavors) between the thing being cooked and the liquid it is being cooked in. That doesn't happen with steam (except with very minor exceptions). steam things when you want the flavor of the ingredient to be as vibrant and pure as possible. boil things when you want the flavor mellowed or enhanced by other flavors. use them both.

i'm not sure what the situation is in the uk, but in the us, we can buy it occasionally (especially online at italian specialty places like ferrari). i've tried making it. the cooking isn't so difficult but finding mustard oil is. it's an incredibly piercing oil that in italy is sold in pharmacies. i've never seen it sold in the us. some recipes call for mustard seed, but i don't think that would give the same result.

you're way too good for us holly.

we've had subzeros in the test kitchen for decades. all i can say is, if you want one, buy one, but be sure you put the repair number on your speed dial and you may want to take out a second credit card just for that. i was talking to a guy who does high-end refrigerator/freezer repairs a couple of months ago and he said he'd be out of business if it weren't for sub-zeros. i've got a kenmore elite at my house ... about 10 years old now and i have not done one thing to it. amazingly reliable.

at the risk of being immodest, the los angeles times did an entire section on cooking with lard in 1994, the point being its nutritional superiority to butter. and yes, it is almost impossible to find lard worth cooking thhese days.

there may be a bit of a cultural difference here. in the us, staff writers and reporters are usually forbidden from writing op-eds. it sounds paradoxical on the surface--why wouldn't you want the people who cover the topics on a daily basis contributing their expertise. but since op-eds are usually arguments in favor or opposed to topics (as opposed to analyses, which are more balanced), the general theory in the us is that reporters are supposed to be neutral relayers of fact and to write an op-ed would be to step out of that role in a way which could influence future coverage.

i use pretty flimsy stainless steel bowls in graduated sizes. i'm sure they will wear out, eventually, and i'll replace them. but so far it's been about 20 years with nothing but a few dings.

check carefully. in japanese markets they have a product that sounds just like this and it is a kind of semi-salted sardine. i don't remember what the name is, but you can tell because it is slightly shriveled and no longer pristine. with sardines, it's all about freshness.

i'm not sure whether it works the same on the east coast, but in southern california i buy fresh sardines all the time at my local Japanese markets. dirt cheap, too, like $1 to $2 a pound.

years ago i went through a whole series of experiments making clafoutis. here is the recipe i came up with. it is dead easy. the batter can be made in advance and refrigerated, then given a stir before baking. i made mine with apricots since it was early spring, but it will work equally well with other types of fruit. APRICOT-ALMOND CLAFOUTIS Sugar 3 eggs 3/4 cup whipping cream 3/4 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 cup flour 8 apricots, about, cut in half and pitted 1/3 cup slivered almonds * * In blender or food processor, blend 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, cream, milk and almond extract until smooth. Sift flour over mixture and pulse just to mix. Set batter aside to stand 10 minutes. * Arrange apricots, cut-side down, in heavily buttered and sugared 9-inch glass pie plate. When batter has rested, pour batter over apricots. Sprinkle with almonds and another 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar. * Bake at 400 degrees until puffed and brown, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately. * Makes 6 to 8 servings.

that's exactly the one! is that the one in a former barn, with a big fire when you first walk in, and lots of yummy things cooked on the open fire, like peppers, and sausage, and cheese? Marlena ←

again, a) i think we're much more in agreement than not; and b) the discussion on this thread is much more clearly focused than the original article (and where it is not, i'm afraid, mostly stems from the clumsiness of that piece). as to your point, that is certainly true, but saying that some people who buy frog hollow peaches (peaches .... uhmmmm) do so with an air of moral superiority is far from the same as saying the only reason people buy frog hollow peaches is for that stink ... that's the argument julie seemed to be making. that and the artificially broad-brush painting of whole foods and farmers markets as the same thing. i mean, that's really beyond comprehension, unless your only exposure to farmers markets are the few "landmark" markets in each city (say, you've only been to union square, ferry plaza, santa monica or dupont circle). i'm very sensitive to this, because i've been writing about farmers markets for 20 years and i am convinced that they have the potential to be a revolutionary economic tool for transforming modern agriculture (or at least a small, niche part of it). in general, i think our attitudes toward food are hopelessly convoluted, but that's probably another whole thread.

taking the two quotes in order: busboy, that may be true where you live, i don't know. but i live in long beach and at my friday farmers market, at least half the shoppers are cambodian/filipino/se asian immigrants who are certainly not likely to be confused with your typical whole foods shoppers. at the farmers market in artesia, they are mainly indian. there are farmers markets in almost every neighborhood in los angeles and for every santa monica wednesday market that has the very best established farmers selling to a pretty spendy crowd (though they do take wic), there is another market with smaller farmers selling at lower prices (fun fact: half of all the farmers market farmers in fresno county are hmong). but even if that is so, it is still beside the point. so what if the customers were all suv-driving yuppies? the fact is that there is no barrier to going to farmers markets. they don't check your W2 when you go in. all it takes is the energy and interest to shop there. granted, that is not something that everyone shares. fine. but again, this "elitist" crap is just that. why does nobody ever accuse the longshoreman who lives down the street from me who buys lakers season tickets (easily $50 a game) of being elitist?

please don't misunderstand me. i'm not one of those people who shake their fingers at folks who buy convenience food and urge them to follow my one true path to gourmet happiness. i'm just pointing out that there are lots of discretionary purchases people make. they make all kinds of choices about where their money is going. and i do feel that i have some slight expertise about this as i don't live in brentwood but in a very working class neighborhood (formerly working class and under ... i guess that's what's meant by "transitional"). i do see how my neighbors spend their money. big screen tvs and satellite dishes are very big in my neighborhood. in fact, i've got one of the crappier cars in the area. that's fine. but let's not pretend that an extra $1.50 a pound for a really great peach is a forbidden pleasure for them. edit for more thoughts: as for busboy's points, i think we're on the same page mostly. i am so tight i squeak when i walk, even when it comes to buying food. i certainly don't shop at "gourmet" stores very often, though i do try to make a farmers market every week. most of my shopping is done at my supermarket (for staples) and trader joe's (god save'm, for most everything else--and there are all kinds of people buying better food there). i'm very fortunate to live in southern california, so when i buy fish, more than likely, i'm going to my japanese market and it's going to be amazing mackerel or sardines for $1 to $2 a pound. I get my pork butt at top valu for $2 a pound and it's great. i do go the extra money for a rocky every once in a while because since zacky farms was bought out, commercial chicken has gone down the toilet. so i only eat chicken a couple times a month. it's all about choices.

i look at it from the opposite side. again, i live in a very mixed neighborhood (economically, ethnically, almost any way you choose to look at it), and i do the bulk of my shopping at the neighborhood supermarket where, by my guestimation, at least half the customers are on assistance. i see what they are buying and what i am buying and almost always they are spending more on food than i am. this, of course, is their choice and different people have different priorities. that's what diversity really means. if they choose spend their shopping dollars on "prestigious" processed foods, that is their call. but at the same time, i resent being called elitist because i make different choices.

i think this thread is much more coherent (even though we disagree) than the original piece. and of course you can make the elitist argument about food shopping. but i think what needs to be pointed out is that with food shopping--even at a place like whole foods--the buy-in for an "elite" product is so much less than in any other field. ok, yeah, the peaches are $3 as opposed to $1.50. Well, sorry, that's $1.50 more to have a product that delivers value (this is assuming it does, which, of course, means careful shopping). I mean, come on, we're not talking Mercedes and Kias here. I can almost guarantee that almost any family at any income level could go to a farmers market and pick up ingredients they can afford for a good dinner. the qualifier is whether they believe that it something we would consider delicious is worth it to them to go to the effort. how can something be called elitist when anyone can afford it? caviar, certainly, but peaches?

i didn't mean to rag on whole foods. they've been absolutely brilliant at what they've done, which is make grocery shopping an enjoyable experience with a real social component. and while all of their food is not always the very, very best, much of the stuff they carry is very good--certainly much better than most other stores. they're like the barnes and noble of food retailing. i visited a musician friend in austin this spring and the first place he took me was the new whole foods and he seemed to know everyone in the place; and this is NOT a foodie. I was referring to the question of at whom julie's snarkiness might be directed (is it economic or social?). fat guy's point is right, though in fairness i've never seen material from whole foods claiming that they were trying to do the local seasonal thing. they are focusing on organic and in that i disagree. i know too many farmers who are extremely responsible about using chemicals and grow terrific produce and i've had too much mediocre produce grown by the more spiritually responsible to buy into the whole "pure organic" ethos. edit: i think it's instructive to remember what julie's blog and her whole character in the blog were about: defiantly anti-foodie and proletariat. it was funny in the blog but in a think piece, perhaps not quite thoughtful enough.

there were a couple of things that bugged me about the column. first, once again someone conflates organic with eating seasonally. they aren't the same thing at all, though they are sometimes parallel. and then to assume that this necessarily dictates higher prices. even though organic produce should always be higher than standard (the yield is so much less; farmers gotta eat, too), they are not that much higher and they are still lower than most processed foods. you can double that or even square that if you're talking just about eating food that's in season. i think what she was trying to point out was the elitism of folks who shop at whole foods/whatever and then say they're doing it out of "philosophical" reasons rather than as a normal consumer choice. and this is very un-PC, but i also have to say, i live in a "transitional" neighborhood (or as much as anything in southern california is these days), and my neighborhood grocery store leans heavily toward WIC shoppers. as a natural snoop, i'm always looking in other people's grocery baskets to see what they're cooking. and when folks are buying already fried chicken, potato chips, count chocula, a case of coke and a pint of haagen-dasz, well, they probably could have afforded to pick up a free-range chicken.

i'm late to this thread, but is there still the little restaurant just up the hill from assisi called le stalle, or something like that? it was a grill place and insanely popular. but i really loved it. very rustic stuff, quail and cacciocavalo and bucatini (not all togther). i remember one hairy walk up the hill in fall when wild pig season was starting--rifle shots all around us the whole way.

welcome to the party anissa! it's a good book. i can't wait until the temps get below 90 so i can cook from it.

nope, some things do take syrup, particularly citrus and especially if you want to capture the full flavor (much of which is in the peel) meyer lemon granita 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest (about 5 lemons) 1 cup Meyer lemon juice 1. Heat the water and sugar just until clear, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and remove from heat. Let the syrup steep for at least 30 minutes. 2. Stir in the lemon juice. Strain the mixture into a shallow 9-by-12-inch glass baking dish. 3. Freeze the mixture for an hour. Remove from the freezer and stir with a fork, breaking up any chunks of ice. Return it to the freezer. Repeat 4 or 5 times over the next 2 to 3 hours. Each time, the ice will be a little less liquid and will stick together more. When it is firm enough to hold a shape, it is done. 4. Try not to let the ice freeze solid. If it does, chop it into small pieces in the dish and grind it in the food processor. (The result will be lighter and fluffier and the flavor will not be as intense.)

all you sorbet/granita makers: have you tried making them without sugar syrup? Just puree the fruit with some sugar and freeze. i learned this trick from a chef visiting from sicily; the flavors are very clean and direct.

a year or two ago, or maybe a little longer, sherry yard did a recipe for us where she pitted the peaches, leaving them whole, then poached them in a simple syrup. she made some kind of cinnamon crumb combination, rolled the peaches in that and then, iirc, baked them. great dish and one of the few that really plays with the peach's shape. it may be available online someplace.

i'm playing with different ice creams for a story and a failed test reminded me of a couple of guidelines: 1) there is such a thing as too much fat, and it's not that much, really--when you start to develop that waxy feeling in the back of your mouth (around 18% butterfat, i find); 2) all flavorings need to be WAY heightened to counteract the effect of the chilling. a base with a subtle, elegant flavor will taste like absolutely nothing when frozen.