fou de Bassan

I've been using my rifian clay pot for just over a year now and still love it. We've recently moved to a much drier climate and over the past 6 months the conical lid has developed what looks like crazing. This is an unglazed pot so I was wondering if something is wrong. Since the first curing I haven't done anything but cook in it. The base of the pot is lovely, the top looks kind of flaky though. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance. Kathryn

What a lovely place you live in. How wonderful that you have sculpture out in the open. And 5 fridges?? cool.

Military brat, yes. Smug? Almost never. We went through the same coffee problem for a staffroom and finally settled on a brand of coffee bags my husband deemed acceptable( he's a coffee freak). I'll see if I can find a box and pm you the brand. The pods were apparently too complicated, hmmm.

Very cool, Chad! I used your tutorial and found it to be very helpful. I'm looking forward to the book. Congratulations,btw.

What a lovely blog! I've wanted to visit S.A. for a while and this ups the temptation considerably. Earlier than 5 am is always known as O' Dark Hundred, or in your case O' Dark Thirty, in our household. Sorry you lost the Cricket.

juice & greek yoghurt

I disagree with the Cook's article. The Australian lamb we've had has been better than the American lamb we've eaten. In general, I'd say the quality of meat in Australia is better than that in America. In fact, when we lived in the States we stopped eating meat until we could find farm raised animals locally. While it may sound drastic, it made us think about what we put in our mouths and how we felt about taste. If I had my druthers though, I'd eat NZ spring lamb as I really do love the taste. That's what it's all about, for me, anyway.

henry, oh dear, my dial up is gasping trying to keep up with the photos! Looks like I'll be visiting friends with better connections just to check in on your blog. Great start, btw.

I love the cocktail shaker on the top shelf, beautiful! (at least I think that's what it is) Thanks for taking the time to blog.

What a beautiful dinner, Chufi! Congratulations! Enjoy your well earned country weekend.

Megan, your photos are fantastic! I'm enjoying the tour of New York, but the clincher for me in this fab blog was the hot chocolate photo There's drool everywhere now.

Another vote for the Handmade Loaf. We have enjoyed the breads we've made so far and will continue to dip into it. It is also a very good read. And a second for his website as well.

megan, I'm so glad you are blogging! You have such a relaxed way of writing and drawing people in. Anything, anything from NY would be wonderful!

Here are the table and chairs of our dreams. We had the table made for us when we married and we found the chairs not so long ago. Both are extremely comfortable and the Ghost chairs compliment the cherry of the table.

egg nets... They aren't pretty. I've been cooking from David Thompson's awesome Thai food, but I can't seem to achieve the elegant results he does. They taste delicious anyway.

PCL, Interesting. I would have thought Aussies would eat more offal than they do, due to the influence of the many peoples who have migrated here. I guess they don't like the squirmy bits. I didn't like them either until I met my husband. My WASP background hadn't prepared me for all the parts of an animal the French eat. They convinced me to try all sorts of inner bits and I was really surprised to find I liked 'em. fou

Would egg nets qualify? Yes, the eggs are beaten but then made into nets and wrapped around a filling. So the stuff in them isn't an inclusion but a separate part. Thanks

Oh! And welcome to eGullet and Melbourne!

timtune, Good luck with the flour search! Although, you may find a natural foods store that stocks some. We have tried every brand of supermarket flour we could find for comparison and have settled on Lauke Wallaby baking flour. We are in the 'burbs so are somewhat limited but you might have access to a local baker who might help you out. Also, check out the newbie necessities thread. These kind aussies have been a huge help!

hz, I think you might get good results with a falafel mold. This site has them for 8.00 US. www.lebaneseproducts.com Or you could go to a middle eastern market if you have one close by and check them out first. Kathryn

Bridie, I think you should trust the book for now. I have several church cookbooks with recipes just like this and they produce reliably comforting buns of the type your minister would like. I bake these for extended family and they love them. Now, after you try these, go for something with a tad less yeast and longer rising times. Good luck and happy baking.

I wondered the same thing as fifi. Could it be the pressure? I couldn't tell just how large the jets were though and so can't say there. Is it just for searing with smaller skillets that's your main problem? Would a flame tamer used even with full flame work for larger items?

I loved the link for the newspaper. I was born in Minot * . We weren't there for long, just a few years, but I remember the cold and snow still. Coincidently, I had a flat tire in Charleston this past summer on our massive road trip. And we had sandwiches & Cokes, to keep this blog about food Your birthday bakapalooza looks amazing! Happy blogging *Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason

Darcie, Oh how I wish I hadn't missed the start of your blog. We share the same birthday! The day and the year and I was born in North Dakota! Very cool, to meet you. Your pictures are great and you have me in a bagel making mood now, although it's far too hot here. Looking forward to seeing your choice for the cake. BTW, doesn't everyone make their own cake? I'd like to second Zucchini Mama's suggestion for candied blood orange peel with chocolate if it's not too late. Happy Birthday!!!

What lovely pics! It looks like such a refreshing meal. Sub par food for us but a great day at the beach dolphin watching.