SobaAddict70

A Venusberg Of Gustatory Temptations (William Grimes) (from today's DIGEST update. You may have to scroll down for the relevant link.) Anyone want a serving of "moralistic hedonism"? Soba

GAH!!! Soba

that's easy. most stinky cheeses. (some mild blue cheese is an exception, not the rule) Soba

This thread reminds me of the worst meals in someone's home thread. I'm not sure which is more hideous...the tang pie or the following gem: Soba

There's a Creole specialty in New Orleans, where they stuff the artichokes with a seasoned shrimp and rice mixture -- each leaf gets a bit of stuffing and the center gets the remainder. Maybe Brooks will weigh in on this thread. Can't remember what it's called though. As for me, I love them prepared any number of ways: Sliced cooked artichoke hearts, tossed with mandarin orange segments, ruby grapefruit segments and sliced kumquats; dressed with EVOO, cracked black pepper, and chopped parsley. Thinly shaved artichoke hearts, baked in a gratin with thinly sliced potatoes, leeks, cream, Parm-Reg and chervil; Thinly shaved artichoke hearts, tossed with fennel, mushrooms, EVOO, and shaved white truffle; Grilled baby artichokes, with lemon EVOO and fleur de sel. Soba

Y'all are making this shit up. Soba

And to that description of good food writing, I'd add: Alice Waters Madeline Kamman Marian Burros El Gordo (aka Steven Shaw ) James Beard Julia Child Amanda Hesser Diana Kennedy David Leite Some of the above are favorites of mine, some are well-known and all of them are outstanding when it comes to food writing. If you're looking for an exhaustive list of good food writers, I'm not sure you're going to get it. However, my point is that good food writers are out there...if only you knew where to look and who to look for. I don't get the sense as you say, that there's a dearth of good food writing in the U.S.; rather, it's more of a sense that you made a blanket statement in order to provoke conversation -- in that regard, you certainly succeeded. Soba

Ooooo, tripe. Yum. Soba

Ooooo yes, please pim and marlena. heheh Looking forward to the report of both. Will they let you take pix of the place? I was thinking that the Michelin place might be a bit restrictive when it comes to photos. Soba

Wow, wonderful pix, pim. Glad to see my translation wasn't too far off the mark on some things. So, what's next? And, who's next? Isn't Mardi Gras upcoming? (*looks around for Mr. Mayhaw*) Soba

Well schneich, they say that there IS more than one way to skin a cat, or in this case, to make onion confit. I prefer the slow-cooked version as probably many folks here on eG, but to each his own. The version I usually go by as given in St. Alice's cookbook, Chez Panisse Vegetables, takes about 90 minutes. She does, as I do, add a bit of cassis towards the end. Fifi: Try using it as a topping for bruschetta, or with gnocchi. Soba

I usually make this sauce with fresh berries, but frozen (as in your case) could work just as well: coarsely chopped berries finely minced scallions coarsely chopped brined green peppercorns raspberry or blackberry vinegar sugar chopped tarragon fleur de sel Mix ingredients together and macerate for at least an hour to an hour and a half prior to service. Wonderful with fish, chicken or pork chops. ------ You could also try making a blackberry coulis. Add a splash of liqueur, such as cassis, if you want. Soba

heheh Soba

Maybe we can get him for an eGullet Q&A. Soba

Bagna cauda, literally "hot bath" is a Piedmontese dish that usually consists of a garlicky sauce used to dip sliced vegetables, chunks of meat or seafood, or pieces of bread. You can also use it to sauce pasta such as spaghetti or linguini, or as Susan suggests, for scrambled eggs the day after. Traditionally, bagna cauda is made with equal proportions of unsalted butter to EVOO, along with garlic, anchovies, and either shaved white or black truffles. I prefer to use oil-packed anchovies to the usual salt-packed kind. I also briefly soak the garlic in a little milk to mellow the flavor slightly. You want to keep the bagna cauda warmed throughout the meal. Fondue pots work fairly well. For such a simple sauce, there are innumerable variations. One version calls for a splash of white truffle oil added prior to service. This is one dish where less is more. Soba

Welcome to eGullet, Yong. I take it that the same thing is served to everyone, irrespective of rank? You mention that you were an officer -- I'm assuming what was served in the regular army must be the same -- or somewhat worse. Soba

NYTimes Weekend Report Friday, 13 February 2004 -- Sunday, 15 February 2004 A. Dining In/Dining Out and the Sunday Magazine The End Of An Era, Part 1: Gage and Tollner [1879 - 2004] (Glenn Collins and William Yardley) The End Of An Era, Part 2: Lutèce [1961 - 2004] (Eric Asimov) Riingo (Sam Sifton) Click here to discuss this article or contribute your experiences. Cooking With The Times: The Food Of Morocco Trans-Atlantic Cuisine (Jason Epstein) Recipes in today's issue: 1. Braised Duck With Olives 2. Magret de Canard With Colonel Hawker Sauce B. Travel Choice Tables In Chicago (Dennis Ray Wheaton) C. Elsewhere in the Times... Parmalat Update (Bloomberg News) No Cocktails For You! (Associated Press) More Testing For Mad Cow (Alicia Ault) Coupe Style (David Colman) Hearth's Newest Cocktail (William L. Hamilton) Click here for a discussion of this article. Have a good week, folks. Soba

hm, I've never seen wasabi in a squeeze bottle... dinner (at 4 am btw, since I'm on an inverted schedule w/ my bum heel) was cottage cheese, topped with curried green beans (blanched green beans, then fried in ghee with the addition of a pinch of black mustard seeds, asafoetida and a bit of turmeric). I can cook now! Yay is me. Still taking it easy though. Apple cider and soy milk. Fruit bowl for dessert. Off to have breakfast now. (It's almost 8 pm here. heheh) Soba

Duck cracklings work well too, as far as toppings are concerned. You can thank El Gordo for that one as well. Soba

Did I mention that in order to join the Navy, I had to gain 5 lbs. in 2 months? I was 6'1" and 133 when I weighed in the first time. Keep in mind I was 17 at the time. (I'm 33 now, and not a helluva lot heavier either. ) Back then, I didn't know what I know now as far as weight gain was concerned. I pretty much ate everything in sight -- and added a couple of cans of baby food formula each day. The day of the weigh in, my recruitment officer told me to drink a GALLON of water in order to be able to make it past the weigh in. I was in agony for 4 hours b/c I was told among other things "that you had better not take a piss or else you'd be toast". I had gotten to the center at 9 am and didn't get weighed until shortly past 1 pm. Needless to say, I made the weigh-in, whereupon I immediately dashed for the bathroom. Meals at boot camp -- at the RTC I went to (RTC stands for "Recruitment Training Center", which is the really fancy name for "boot camp"; there used to be three Navy RTCs, now there are two. Can't remember whether it was Great Lakes or SD that got shut down), your entire company goes at the same time. Keep in mind that there are 100 guys, +/- a few in a company, and 10 companies in a division or class. It's never a solo experience...you get treated to the full range of the human experience, as far as etiquette is concerned. I'm talking about watching people eat with their mouths open. (A really vivid memory, that one. ) As I said, my recollection has more or less faded, except for the mind-numbingly boring breakfasts. It was the first time I had seen hot sauce put on scrambled eggs. Come to think of it, Frosted Flakes and Sugar Snaps were also a regular staple. Soba

Let me try my hand at translation: (full disclosure: Latin 3 years in high school, 2 years of college Spanish ; and my French sucks.) Marinated salmon? with minted tabbouleh salad? Something of Saint Joseph (Jacques)? something salad with truffles? cremini risotto? Something (forcemeat) of foie gras, accompanied with fruit compote, and a reduction of meat juices and port wine? (I must be mangling the language, remind me to stop. ) Last thing involved chocolate and sorbet. I should know what "coulis de vin epice" means but can't figure it out. Not bad for what basically amounts to something approx. $70. Sounds like lunch at Le Cirque 2000. Ediot: Oh, and I didn't think to look at the pictures. This was a cold translation just peeking at the menu. Soba

Yeah, well midtown Manhattan isn't exactly Astoria, Queens, ya know. Soba

Not to throw the thread off track, but lassi is really simple to make: just yogurt, milk, ice cubes and sugar. Add your choice of flavorings or leave it alone. Use salt in place of sugar (less though, b/c you want it lightly salted). Mango puree, rose water, pureed banana, or just a pinch of cumin -- it's all good. Toss in a blender, pulse (crush the ice as you're pulsing), pour and drink. Soba

Riingo (Sam Sifton) (from this weekend's DIGEST update. Scroll down for the relevant link.) Chef Johan Svensson, formerly of Aquavit, Bond Street and Nobu (London), offers an intriguing fusion of Japanese and Swedish influences, wrapped up in a neat New York package. Soba

I prefer water in almost any form: bottled, sparkling, flat, tap water. Most of the time, I drink either Poland Spring, Evian, Pellegrino, Lurisia or Deer Park (in order of preference). Sometimes its tonic water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Sometimes its iced tea, either iced green tea or iced blueberry tea, or the usual plain unsweetened kind. Sometimes, it's lassi. Rarely is it fizzy pop, and then only either Sprite or ginger ale. Woodburner -- definitely a thing of beauty. Soba