Smithy

At last, the California nectarines are coming into their own! Considering the weather in the San Joaquin Valley this year, I'm surprised and very pleased that any of the crop has survived. What's even better is that the "tree ripe" fruit finally is. I'm wallowing in good, sweet, tart nectarines while I can!

I guess I have two "kitchen firsts" to tell. Even though they aren't recent, they're "Aha" moments that vastly expanded my repertoire. I was a devoted fan of the Lynne Rosetto Kasper's radio show "The Splendid Table" from its inception. I learned about ingredients and cooking techniques, and probably gained 15 pounds during the first couple of years of the broadcast. One day she was explaining to a caller why Alfredo Sauce is not generally made in advance, separately from the pasta it's supposed to coat, much less purchased in a jar or packet. She said something like "You want to know the ... sexy ... Roman way of making it?" and she laughed that delicious laugh of hers, then described melting a stick of butter around the drained noodles, stirring in a cup of cream, then handfuls of grated Parmesan as you tossed and stirred until it coated the pasta and came to the right consistency. Lordy, that sounded good. I tried it. Then I started adding things: gently cooked asparagus or broccoli. Prosciutto or some other cured meat, or maybe chunks of chicken. Herbs at the end, as a garnish, with more Parmesan grated over the top. If you drop by as a surprise guest, you're still likely to get a version of that. The other kitchen "aha" for me was learning how to braise. I took the eGCI course The Truth About Braising and participated in all the experiments and discussions that week. By the end of it I had a pretty good grip on braising, from meat cut to temperature to cooking vessel and dealing with the juices. I wowed my family that holiday season, and for many after, with luxury dinners like braised beef ribs with a rich gravy over potatoes, served along with a good choice of vegetables and desserts and fresh bread. My family was especially impressed because I hadn't even known how to make macaroni and cheese from a box when I went away to college! 😀

I bought a braid of Giant Russian Red a couple of years ago and used it all winter, finally using the last in March or April. Loved the stuff. It kept well.

This is a very monochromatic meal until serving time, but delicious and easy enough that it's worth commemorating: Cauliflower Shawarma. The original recipe came from Melissa Clark in the New York Times (this gift link should work) although the Seattle Times reran it last spring and I posted about it here. The basic recipe calls for tossing chunks of cauliflower and red onion in a marinade of olive oil with cumin, paprika, ground coriander, salt and pepper, then roasting them on a sheet pan until turning soft and brown. The first time I tried it, I added whole chicken thighs that had been similarly marinated. This time, I cut boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks, gave them the same marinade treatment and added them during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, stirring a couple of times to ensure that the chicken was done but not overdone. It can all be served in a pita pocket or wrap, with cucumber, tahina sauce and herbs added. I put it all into bowls instead. Now that I review The Times' version I see that they added bits of tomato to the finished dish. Tomatoes would have been a nice addition, both for visuals and flavor. With or without tomatoes, this is a keeper recipe, and I'm touting it again as I have in the past.

I don't know whether you were including me in the "I can't wait" note, but here are my notes, based on tonight's tastings: 1. I think both versions are delicious! 2. @heidih's version is deeper in flavor, less heavy on the tongue, and perhaps more delightful because the flavors are very different than my normal conception of broccoli salad. The upshot: I don't plan to abandon my mayo-based version, because I still like it. However, I'm adding Heidi's version to my salad repertoire. It's a lovely, fresh take on broccoli salad and an excellent change from the old standard!

I split the batch of broccoli salad, dressed some in my usual way and the rest according to @heidih's plan, barring the fact that the broccoli wasn't roasted. Both batches are resting quietly and settling in. I must say that the batch without mayonnaise looks more attractive to me: the mayo-dressed batch looks washed out, doesn't it? I'll post tasting notes later.

Fun with egg bites in the Instant Pot. As I noted in this post, one of @JAZ's cookbooks gives excellent advice for timing and proportions. I wanted more filling than I had last time around, so used chopped broccoli, crumbled crisp bacon, chopped sun-dried tomatoes that were coated with olive oil, and finely grated cheddar cheese along with half-and-half and eggs. I was more careful to really whip the eggs and cream before adding the rest of the ingredients. Here it all is before stirring: There was a bit more than would fit into a single IP egg bite container, but not nearly enough for two such containers. I put the remainder in a ramekin topped with a silicone lid, and parked that atop the egg bite tray. 8 minutes on high pressure, then 5 minutes, natural release, then quick release. I was happier with the overall flavor and texture; the flavors were better mixed than on my first attempt. I was concerned that it had been a tactical error not to butter the ramekin, but the egg came out all right. I have to admit that I'd prefer the egg bites to be flatter -- more cylindrical and less hemispherical -- but I think that's mostly an aesthetic thing. The bites pop right out of the tray, and it's easy to use.

Funny that you should mention this now. I'm on a salad tear in general, and for the first time in several months decided to make a broccoli salad. Here it is so far, sans dressing: broccoli, toasted walnuts, crumbled bacon, and barberries (NOT raisins, nor cranberries). Like @heidih, I don't like cheese in mine. I just now remembered that I usually add chopped red onion; since I'd forgotten it, I may leave it out. My usual dressing is the mayonnaise type with red wine vinegar, half and half (because we have no milk) and a touch of sugar. I don't like much sugar in mine; for my tastes, it easily can get too sweet. Since mine isn't dressed yet, I may set some aside to try Heidi's version, although my broccoli hasn't been roasted. Hers sounds really good too!

@ElsieD, is it the same model being discussed here? If not, a link to more model information would be helpful.

That would be the least interesting flavor of the three for me also, as I'm not crazy about milk chocolate vs. the dark chocolates. However, I thiknk the pattern / picture on this one is the most distinct; it's charming!

What a fun time for her, and an interesting list! I recognized a few, not many; shows how much I still have to learn! Thanks for posting.

Big ol' dinner salad last night. We used to do this at least once a week, but got out of the habit for some reason. I've been doing more salads lately, and decided to do this for dinner. I have a sous vide tri-tip that I was going to sear and add, but ran out of steam...so it was salami to the rescue for the meat portion. The greens are a mix of baby spinach, baby spring greens and baby arugula -- all purchased in clamshells at a preposterous price, but convenient and tasty. Before tossing, and after. We have different dressing preferences, so it wasn't dressed until serving. I made too much anyway, so it's as well the entire batch wasn't dressed. The leftovers are in a container, and the only thing amiss will be soggy croutons.

Those look beautiful! Please be sure to report the difference in texture, moistness and taste, if any, between the brisket that took 20 hours at 200F and the brisket that took 12 hours at 225.

I think it was last fall that this topic inspired me to buy sardines. It's been a long time since I've done so, probably because the last few times I tried to feed sardines to someone I ended up eating them all myself. This time, eating them all myself hasn't seemed a difficulty. I opened the tin last night and added a couple of filets to my dinner salad. Just now I did the same for a lunch salad. Anyone who claims sardines are "fishy" hasn't had good ones. These are good: firm, meaty, not bony that I can tell. The bottom photos shows what's left after today's lunch. I think I got these at Walmart, of all places.

@liuzhou, thanks for the taste test and report. That paper-cut picture is exquisite. I hope you'll find a good place or home for it!

I don't associate "bitter" with "milk chocolate" as a rule, but that may simply show my lack of experience. I'm very fond of "bittersweet chocolate" and "semisweet chocolate" but I consider them to be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate.

Beautiful (and expensive, no doubt) packaging - and interesting flavor combinations. I suspect that "roasted pine nuts with bitter milk chocolate" lost something in the translation, but it sounds lilke something I'd like to try.

Wow. That is...tempting.

Is there any chance this "high pitch sound" is a simple 60-cycle hum from being plugged in? Our Keurig coffeemaker has such a hum any time it's plugged in, even though it's turned off. My husband can't hear it, but it annoys me enough that I leave the darned coffeemaker unplugged except when in use.

That's pretty close to what my best friends do. One dinner (chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and a salad), then the rest of the meat gets pulled off and put into containers to be used in other meals. The skin and bones all go into the broth pot. I think they've said 5 meals also, all told.

@KennethT, that's a great story and a heckofa good hotel! I loved your suggested renaming: "unobtanium". 😄

Word has come down that @marlena spieler, an early and prolific contributor to the forums, passed away earlier this month. I didn't know her personally, but remember reading her posts in my first years here. If you'd like to revisit her contributions, please visit her profile for an easy search. Marlena was a talented food writer who went on to help others write their books, and judging from the Facebook posts about her she was immensely entertaining. Three posts written in her memory follow; they were accompanied with photos but I'm not going to try to include them. From eG member @Carolyn Tillie: From Amy Sherman: I'll finish with this note from her daughter, Leah: Rest in peace, Marlena.

My husband says when he was a boy he loved carrots and would yank them out of the garden plot, barely swipe the dirt off, and scarf them down until his mother took him to task for it. He stopped (a miracle, that) but she kept yelling at him about the stolen carrots. Then one day she spotted their dog stealing carrots from the garden! She was gracious enough to apologize to her son for the wrongful accusation.

That sounds very familiar. I had a hotpot like that, but the best I did with it was Cup-a-Soup or whatever that stuff was called. My best friend sneaked an electric skillet into her dorm room, and thanks to her we had lasagna more than once.

Remind us please about this side dish? My searches under @Mmmpomps' name don't turn up anything that looks like this. Also, how do you do your potato salad? I'm on a potato salad binge right now. It might be time to revive the Potato Salad Cook-Off!