fou de Bassan

hzrt8w, You've come to the rescue again! Now I know what I'm making for dinner this weekend! Off to buy oysters on Friday

Chufi, I've done duck breast for 14 but 20 sounds like too much ! For a slightly smaller group you might do as I did and half cook them in advance and finish in a HOT oven. If you make a sauce it will caramelize in the oven. Although something like this might be frowned upon here the average eater seems to like it. You know, I really like the idea of a 'best of' from your husband's favorites. He will feel special!

I agree with John. Americans have embraced the hot dogs to a degree that in the seventies there was a commercial which named them as one of the four undeniably American things. The others being baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. I know people with such loyalty to hot dogs brands that no other brand ever darkens their doorsteps. Not even in times of crisis. If ever you are in Chicago, check out the dogs they sell there.

Like jsolomon I would choose Thomas Jefferson and Julia Child. But since their invitations are already in the mail I'd love to invite Napoleon and Paula Wolfert.

Chufi, Would you consider duck breast? Sliced thinly it plates so beautifully. Or mussles? There's no advance prep you could do, but they do cook quickly. You could have a side of braised witlof(endive) as a side. And Pontormo's suggestion of paella or a fish stew sounds good too. Whatever you cook will be delightful. I'm sure of it.

Thanks so much for the vicarious taqueria visit. I was salivating all over my computer! I'm so pleased you're blogging.

nice site, love the slowly filling beer glass (dial up)

That looks sooo good! What beer were you drinking with that?

Wonderful writing! Happy birthday, may you have many more. The first cassoulet I made was to use up the leftovers from the holidays. I suddenly understood so much.

I had this done as a teen and the only thing that kept weight on was Ensure. As nasty as it tastes you might want to have some around just in case. Oh, and don't try to puree clam chowder, big mistake. Also, when the wires come off the jaw muscles will have weakened, so stick to soft foods for the first week progressing to the harder to chew stuff. I craved hamburgers and was reduced to tears when I couldn't chew one.

tug, Check out www.virtualweberbullet.com and look under meat charts. They have side-by-side comaprisons of meat cuts from a few countries. It includes beef, lamb and pork.

I made your Christmas pudding today, even though it was hot as heck, and am a convert! Not the preachy kind but the quiet kind. My husband was thoroughly surprised and subsequently delighted. So, thank you from a far corner of the world. I will make it again in colder weather and tell everybody who it's from.

helen, Thanks for the photos, the explanations and the miracles you turn out of your kitchen! (Un)fortunately my son has seen these photos and we are going to try our hand at bean jam making Can we use a food mill with the fine blade? I understand your table now! I think I might grow attached if we had one here, literally. Thanks again for blogging

My stomach is growling now, thanks. I have to go find artichokes. First English pudding, now artichokes.

Helenjp, You may not think your box is anything special but I think it's elegant. My son ended up making udon noodles cooked in a miso broth with an egg poached on top, then futo maki with beef as a nod to his fish hating sister and a compressed sushi with salmon, and a shredded daikon/carrot salad. We finished with persimmons and vanilla ice cream. He folded little origami for everyone's place. Can you tell us something about the structure of japanese meals? And, is there a season of greater cold and one of lesser cold? How do the foods vary in each season? Great photos!

Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful experiences! Your words are nicer than a photo and you've inspired me to make a pudding. Quite a feat, let me say, since I'm not a huge fan.

Melissa, I urge you to go for the iPod and a docking system for the kitchen\dining room. We did this and haven't looked back. We ended up with the Bose deck which came with a remote control that is gunk proof. This means we can keep the remote in the kitchen and change music without moving a step. Congrats on the progress!

helenjp, This will be a very interesting tag blog! My son(9) has had something of an obsession with Japanese culture and food since he was about six. In fact, tonight is his night to plan dinner and it is mostly Japanese. For the sake of comparison, I would love to see pictures of both kitchens. And I'm intrigued the warm table and looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for blogging this week, you certainly have a busy life! I'm looking forward to seeing the latke dinner photos as my latkes either burn or never go beyond a nasty pale.

Thanks for all the information! Piazzola, may I ask where you get your bulk flour? We use between 6 and 10 kilos a month so I'd be buying much less than you do. THanks for taking the time to answer. Tonight, rack of lamb from Excell!

I played it safe and ended up a respected grape grower with 110 gold pieces. I might give it another go.

We stopped by Excell Meats today and you were spot on. Great place and Frank is sooo nice, thanks for the recs. Also went to La Parisienne and picked up a few things for snacks. The smell in there is wonderful! Now, anyone know where to buy great flour? Preferably organic? The bread we've been making with flour from Safeway just isn't what we want.

Chufi's butter braised beef and the entire Pierre Herme choclate desserts thread. If I only had the nerve to post there.

misgabi, Firstly, take heart. Even those of us within reach of fabulousness don't get to take advantage of it as often as we'd like. What with cricket and gymnastics and homework, Saturday Mornings just aren't what they used to be. Before moving to Melbourne we lived in the middle of nowhere. With a little effort we found farmers who were committed to raising exceptional food. The economist who quit city life to raise free range cattle and organic fruits and veggies. The Amish family who supplied us with lamb and pork. We invested in a freezer and in them and we were rewarded with some of the freshest, best food I've ever cooked. Supplemented with periodic internet buying, we ate extermely well. So, check out your local farmers, you might be pleasantly surprised. And if you are ever in Melbourne give us a yell.

chef robin, I dream of going into a restaurant and letting the chef and sommelier choose. Chefs seem to work so hard to express their vision and personality that it is a shame not to let you do just do that. It is then that we see the link between the dishes. Like a symphony is a collection of movements, so is the connection of the dishes to form a coherent whole. This is the essence of culinary art. Hopefully we'll be seeing you soon. Given the conjunction of Saturn and Mars with babysitters. Kathryn (fou de Bassan)