fou de Bassan

Winegeek, CHu Chai on St. Denis. We eat there every time we go back home to visit. Maybe it's walking on St. Denis, or being back home, but when we eat there we get happy.

Malawry, While the girls might not appreciate it now, you are giving them a gift that will last them the rest of their lives, if they choose to use it....the ability to recognize good food that has been carefully and lovingly prepared. Great blog! Fou

I have a few suggestions for eastern Wisconsin. PM me and I can give you the contact information. Good Luck. Fou

I really enjoy chopping like so many others here. Also making gnocchi and kneading bread dough. But the thing I Like most is sharpening knives. I really have to focus on maintaining that angle.

guppymo, I'm enjoying your posts immensely. Please don't stop taking pictures. They serve as a great guide for those of us who cook Vienamese food occasionally but aren't sure about doneness and presentation. Thank you.

Fantastic pics! I love the fish sequence, that was well done. One question, what were the green stalks with the grey/black morel shaped heads? Well two, what do you do with them? OK three, are those sago worms as creamy as they look?

Thanks so much for the visit! How did you gain access? Would non-commercial buyers be welcome as spectators? Those tides are pretty amazing and so are the fishermen. I really appreciate seafood after seeing what they go through to obtain it.

Yippee! I love lamb and have lots in the freezer . I'll be picking a recipe from 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi. Everything I've made from this book has been really good. Looking forward to this one.

I'm glad you were able to find a local farm. That's how we get all of our meat. If eggs are available you really should try them. There is a huge difference between farm eggs and supermarket eggs. BTW I don't know if you use the innards, but we have to ask the farmer to include them with the rest of the chicken. Apparently some people are grossed out by them and so it was assumed that everyone was.

As I was reading your blog I couldn't help but wonder about water. In America we have a pretty plentiful supply but you are now in a dry place and you were previously in Australia. Has the way you use water, especially for cooking and food prep., changed at all?

Beautiful rolls guppymo! And again, glad you're here. Keep posting, and the forums get better and better.

My list would be short but quite bad. My mother hates to cook. Always has. When I was a child her one specialty was to fry hot dogs and\or bologna in bacon grease and call it lunch. I learned quickly to make pb&j. It was that or hop on my bike and ride to the club for a taco or club sandwich. Occasionally, a pang of guilt would pinch her chest and and she would empty a packet of lipton onion soup mix onto some unsuspecting roast and then bung the whole foil wrapped package in the oven until it resembled a hunk of burnt rubber. That was pretty much the taste as well. As a small child I thought mothers didn't cook. I thought they played tennis.

Highchef, We've eaten only free range birds for the past 10 years. They are worth the extra cost. My husband was a sceptic until I did side by side roast chickens. There is a true textural difference in the meat and the dark meat is much better tasting than the store bought birds. Concerning stock, any chemical junk will tend to concentrate in the bone marrow and I find a free range stock tastes better, although I know this is a subjective term, and looks darker. Typically, free range birds are older and leaner with a different muscle structure than caged birds. If you are roasting you want to take this into account. In conclusion, I would rather not eat chicken if it isn,t free range. The grocery store birds taste like wet cardboard.

This is great! I am looking forward to more marvelous food pics. Thanks for taking this on.

I vote Indian. There are some white kormas with nuts that I've been wanting to try but never took the time. Thanks Chris for starting this.

Yay! I love the tutorials. Since I'm from Virginia I grew up eating blue crabs by the bushel. We didn't drive a spike through their heads- just put them in a really big pot with water vinegar and LOTS of Old Bay. God, I miss those days

Welcome Curly sue! Next time try roasting your chicken with rosemary or tarragon. If you can get it, Old Bay Seasoning is one of the nicest things to sprinkle on your chicken before and after cooking.

MCH, very cool site! I now have the soundtrack for my next Gumbo makin' Thanks

Questions. Can you grow figs in spite of your lack of sun?(love the trees) Have you developed that nervous tick that you get when someone puts a backpack or car keys on your beautifully cleaned countertops? Are you gonna splurge for the Tapmaster? Do tell.

Gosh, I've never won anything before(blushing) That was fun

Or(guessing wildly now) Thai basil seed? Too black for ajwain. Stumped.

Tiny black mustard?

Very nice cassoulet! And don't worry about leftovers, they have a way of disappearing faster than you'd think possible.

While eating breakfast this morning I thought of you and your kitchen. What a strange thing, I don't know you- yet I was hoping everyone would show up on time this morning for the demolition. Well, good luck. fou

Patti, That's just mouthwateringly beautiful! fou