SobaAddict70

The chicken above was a 4 lb. chicken from USGM, prepared via a Thomas Keller recipe which you can view here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348 ; there are a few differences -- I didn't truss it and I cooked it at a lower temperature than TK calls for (e.g., 375 F as opposed to 450 F). I also ditched the butter and the mustard. we had a REALLY rich dinner at Gramercy Tavern on Sunday, and I was going for something comparatively lighter. The leftovers will make a fine salade parisienne tonight, along with some vegetables in the fridge that have to be used before they turn. More later.

Thanks. Garlic broth: 2 cloves heirloom garlic, thinly sliced and 4 ramp stalks, minced, fried in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the garlic turns a pale gold. add 2 cups water, along with julienned ramp leaves and torn spinach leaves. simmer for 10 minutes. taste for salt and pepper. stir in the juice of half a lemon, if desired. ladle broth into soup bowls, then serve. you can add a poached egg if you like (which will make it more substantial), or garnish with cooked English peas or morel mushrooms.

Sautéed chicken livers with port and shallots, and mesclun salad Garlic broth, with ramps and spinach Roast chicken; spinach with garlic, anchovy and lemon

Welcome back, Scotty.

It was a chef's tasting -- so while there were some selections from the regular menu, there were others that weren't, like for instance the sunchoke/bok choy combination. We were satisfied with everything, although I thought the weakest course was the pasta (the gnocchi). I didn't sample much of what my partner ate, although based on what I had, I'd say his meat entrée was the better of the two. I am a sucker for perfectly cooked chicken, and his was spot on. Very reasonable for 2 people, given the quality of the food, the presentation, etc.: $321, not including tip. GT remains one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. Chef Anthony has an extremely refined, Japanese-influenced sensibility. I adore his cooking, and I love how he's transformed the restaurant in the time that he's been there. I eagerly look forward to more.

Ramp custard, trout roe, pickled mushroom Beef tartare, pine nuts, capers, pickled mushrooms Txakoli, Txomin Etxaniz, 2012, Spain Fluke tartare, salmon roe, radish Smoked trout, cipollini purée, pickled onions Halibut, spinach, ramps, shiitake mushrooms, mushroom broth Roasted Jerusalem artichokes, baby bok choy, cauliflower purée, almond Roasted carrots, cumin seed, pistachio Gnocchi, sweet potato chips, creamed spinach Spaghetti, squid, green chickpeas Duck breast, wheat berries, turnips Seared chicken breast, radicchio, potato purée Pinot Noir, 2011 Belle Pente, Yamhill County, Williamette Valley, Oregon Pear sorbet, pear cake, linden flower custard, caramel sauce, brown sugar meringue Blood orange panna cotta, Cara Cara orange granita, tapioca Assorted pastries Clockwise from top left: coconut white chocolate pound cake, mint chocolate "Oreo" cookie, dark chocolate cake with powdered sugar, milk with straw, chocolate chip cookie, raspberry jam cookie, gingersnap shortbread, fig rugelach. Mignardises You might say that it was a night to remember.

Curried chickpeas with coconut and spinach, served with spicy tomato chutney, raita and garlic pickle Just something I threw together. I wanted to introduce my boyfriend to homemade Indian food since all of his previous experiences have been at restaurants. Homemade tends to be lighter and fresher (e.g., not as much ghee, sour cream or coconut milk). The chickpeas were soaked last night for 8 hours, then drained and simmered in lightly salted water on medium-low heat, partly covered, for an hour. Curry contains ghee, black mustard seed, dried curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, sliced onion, black cumin seed, cardamom pods, chickpeas, dried coconut, Greenmarket spinach, sea salt, turmeric and a little of the chickpea cooking liquid. The chutney and pickle were store-bought. The raita is just cumin seed and panch phoron toasted in some ghee, then stirred into unflavored yogurt, seasoned to taste with sea salt.

Today: chicken, eggs, salad greens, potatoes, apples, spinach, herbs.

Leeks sautéed in butter, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Ramps sautéed in butter and olive oil, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Bacon pr0n. Toasted bread, with fromage blanc, ramps and bacon. Baked eggs, with cream, leeks and cheese.

#1 is probably the phrase "Are you still working on that?", which if I had the ability to do so, I would immediately eliminate from every language on Earth, past, present and future.

It may be that perhaps you're not looking in the right place. http://www.southernfoodways.org/remembering-darryl-evans/ comes to mind, for example.

Oh, that's quite nice, Plantes. today: chocolate croissant raisin bagel, cream cheese Earl Grey tea, milk and sugar no pic, sorry.

Thanks, basquecook. I'm jonesing for Greenmarket asparagus right now...well, maybe this weekend there will be. Been a long winter... Crudités plate -- celery sticks, carrot sticks, steamed heirloom potatoes, raw French breakfast radishes, hard-cooked farm egg w/anchovy; chive mayonnaise, lemon vinaigrette. Chickweed, sorrel and mint salad; hazelnut vinaigrette Spaghetti, with squid, ramps and toasted herbed breadcrumbs

In any event, that is the name which is readily evidenced should you happen to google them. Also known as English breakfast radishes, but that name isn't as common. As an aside, I was always puzzled by the trio of radishes, butter and salt on a plate until fairly recently.

I'm sure Mitch was joking; that was my impression, in any event. As for the radishes, that's what they're called. I suppose I have could said "heirloom radishes", but I thought I'd provide a little more information by providing the name they're usually known by. Moving on... My experience with making the mayonnaise for the oeufs mayo from "My Paris Kitchen" was so successful that it's become my default recipe for mayonnaise, and I've started to branch out. This is probably a not a revelation to many of you who have been making your own mayonnaise either by hand or by machine, but for someone like me who only rarely makes his own which is then promptly consumed, it's bordering on practically obsession. I made a batch of chive mayonnaise (basically the same recipe that David gives for the tarragon version, but I substituted 1 tablespoon of minced chives and 1/2 tablespoon each finely chopped Italian parsley and celery leaves); this is what accompanied the radish plate and will also appear as one of the sauces for the crudités plate tonight. One of the items I bought from USGM was chickweed which will most likely be the "green" for the salad course. It's an adaptation of a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe; the original calls for chickweed tossed with a vinaigrette of hazelnut oil, lemon juice, sea salt and black pepper. The proportion of oil to acid is 2:1; if made correctly, it highlights the faint sweetness of the chickweed while providing a nutty background flavor and a slight acidity by the lemon juice. I have some leftover sorrel which will also appear in the salad. Typically, sorrel is used to accompany fish, but I'm trying to find creative uses for it in order to expand my horizons; it's what happens when you cook seasonally; and anyway, I like a good challenge. The main will be a pasta, featuring squid, ramps and toasted breadcrumbs. More later.

Saturday from USGM: chickweed, chicken, squid, herbs, bread, fromage blanc, sorrel, salad greens, French breakfast radishes, plum jam, tomato chutney from the corner store: frozen peas ============= Today from Fairway: lemons, capers, mixed pitted olives, spaghetti, celery from a wine store: I might get a Basque white or a dry red. Not sure yet. Maybe a bottle of rosé.

I'm left-handed. While I don't have any experience cooking professionally, I've never had any of the issues you've mentioned. Maybe the real issue is that the people you've hired weren't very skilled, not because of their handedness.

We didn't notice any. (I should mention that dinner pictured above was for two people.) There was a hint of a lemony flavor, which is all that was needed. Not much "liquid" either. The pic doesn't show but there were some solid leaves left. ps. the radishes -- were also served with sea salt, unsalted butter and farm bread. pps. you'll see more later tonight.

French breakfast radishes, chive mayonnaise Mâche, sucrine and herb salad, shallot vinaigrette. Salad: mâche, sucrine, baby mesclun, sorrel, mint leaves, parsley leaves, oregano leaves Vinaigrette: mince some shallots, then sprinkle a pinch of salt on them and macerate in: 1 tablespoon red wine, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, for 5 minutes. Whisk in 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and taste for black pepper. Use as needed. Roast chicken with sorrel stuffing (stuffed the chicken with sorrel leaves, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper); broccoli rabe, with anchovy, garlic and red wine vinegar

By the way, thank you Franci. That looks neato.

Not really all that strange. http://www.playingwithfireandwater.com/foodplay/2011/04/egg-yolk-cheese.html for example. It occurs to me that David Chang at Momofuku Noodle Bar has featured miso-cured egg yolk on his menu on occasion. He uses white miso and the curing time is only 24 hours.

Shel -- if you're able to get water chestnut powder (also marketed as water chestnut flour), that also works. It's what my Mom used whenever she made it; I'll have to find out her recipe.

Saturday: herbs, mache, salad greens, squid, chicken, fromage blanc, bread, plum jam, spicy tomato chutney

Ditalini e piselli ("ditalini with peas") It's one of those recipes where "less is more", because it's nothing but onion, parsley, olive oil, salt, pepper and peas, augmented by a little pasta cooking water, and of course, the pasta. Sauté chopped onion in a little olive oil; season with sea salt and black pepper. Keep the heat on medium; add a little water every so often to prevent the onions from browning. Then add finely minced Italian parsley and either fresh, frozen or canned peas. I used frozen peas b/c that's what I had on hand. Cook until peas are heated through. Add pasta to the pan; if pasta seems too dry, moisten with a tablespoon or two of pasta cooking water. Cook pasta 1-2 more minutes; taste for salt and pepper, then plate and serve immediately. You can garnish with grated cheese if you like, but it's wonderful all by itself.

I also want to point out that Italian food (as Franci knows, but I was waiting for her to reply) is a collection of regional styles. Grated cheese isn't necessarily an automatic add-on to pasta, but there are exceptions to the rule. Besides fish/cheese, another dubious combination is mushrooms/cheese, but then you have dishes like insalata di funghi which some people garnish with shaved Parm-Reg cheese. When it comes to pasta, I have seen the technique of using fried breadcrumbs in place of cheese, particularly with southern Italian/Sicilian preps. I want to say that there might be a food historical reason (like for instance, why fresh pasta seems to be more common in the north while dried is more prevalent in the south; why you frequently see dishes that feature cream/butter/dairy in the north as opposed to olive oil in the south) but I don't have the necessary sourcebooks on hand that would provide the proofs I need and so, don't fully feel comfortable making such an assertion.