SobaAddict70

Clockwise from top left: a small bowl containing sherry vinegar and honey (subbed instead of the maple syrup), heirloom parsley leaves (from USGM), a mixture of cinnamon and allspice and a bowl containing celery and chopped hazelnuts (with skins). Not shown at extreme left is a pot of boiling water containing a handful of dried cranberries that were being plumped. Roasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad (page 62 of "Jerusalem") The salad takes about 35 minutes to make, including prep. Roast some cauliflower, prep the celery and hazelnuts, pick off some parsley leaves, make the dressing; once the cauliflower is done, combine with the celery, parsley leaves, hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds (I subbed dried cranberries that were plumped in boiling water), spices and the dressing; mix well; taste for salt and pepper, then serve.

Simple grazing dinner tonight. Roasted cauliflower and hazelnut salad (page 62 of "Jerusalem") The salad takes about 35 minutes to make, including prep. Roast some cauliflower, prep the celery and hazelnuts, pick off some parsley leaves, make the dressing; once the cauliflower is done, combine with the celery, parsley leaves, hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds (I subbed dried cranberries that were plumped in boiling water), spices and the dressing; mix well; taste for salt and pepper, then serve. Arctic char, Castelvetrano olive tapenade Made a batch of rose vinegar that turned out quite well. 3 tablespoons organic, pesticide-free edible rose petals 1 cup white wine vinegar, brought to a simmer in a saucepan Combine rose petals and white wine vinegar in a sterilized glass jar. Seal. Place jar in a cool, dark place. Steep rose petals in vinegar for 6 weeks, then strain and use as desired. It has a gorgeous color, a lovely bouquet and just the faintest hint of a rose-like flavor.

I remember that article. It was a "thing" on social media when it came out. I'm not against "deliciousness", just everything-and-the-kitchen-sink syndrome.

"gourmand" also carries a pejorative connotation depending on context, to me. It's not a preferred term of mine. I would rather just refer to people by their names than call them something that may not necessarily describe them. Much safer.

That's a broad assumption that very likely doesn't bear out in reality. You're forgetting that in many places, tips are pooled and divided amongst all FOH workers. So that includes busboys (who don't receive tips), or if it's your stereotypical diner or Olive Garden, it might also include things like the cashier and other FOH staff. So your effective $13.38 per hour is even less when you take those factors into account. And that's assuming that management is above-board, not like slimeballs who steal or skim off tips. You're also not considering things like lack of health insurance and the amount of sexual harassment restaurant workers regularly endure. Those ARE factors that must be included because they impact a server's performance and job morale, and further determine an employer's bottom line. I linked to the report above. Did you even bother to read it? Most likely not, but why should I be surprised? Yes, $2.13/hour + tips using your napkin math means that American restaurant workers are living in the lap of luxury. Okay.

They may be there because they have no other choice. If they leave that job, in this economy, where would they go? Are you even aware of what it is you're saying? $2.13 per hour + tips is less than minimum wage. It's legalized slavery. Let's be blunt and call a spade a spade.

I'm transferring the contents to another jar tonight. It's an experiment; if successful, I might start adding sugar in the future.

$2.13 per hour + tips is "enough money to stay in that job". Okay.

http://billmoyers.com/episode/all-work-and-no-pay/

Lamb's quarters (wild spinach) Greens on toast, with fromage blanc, pipelchuma and lime juice There's slow-cooked onion in olive oil, until the onions are golden brown, then I added chopped garlic and blanched lamb's quarters , then cooked that until the greens were warmed through, then seasoned to taste with sea salt, black pepper, a touch of pipelchuma and lime juice. Then topped toasted Italian bread spread with fromage blanc with the cooked greens, then drizzled with olive oil. Spaghetti con vongole, with fried breadcrumbs and bottarga

That's interesting because I usually don't.

Preserved limes This is a variation on the recipe Ottolenghi gives on page 303 for preserved lemons. 4 limes, quartered 4 tablespoons sea salt 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme 1/2 cup lime juice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil This will sit in a cupboard for one week and be gently shaken each day, then transferred to the fridge for three more weeks. I picked up a tip on the inclusion of sugar from a friend last night; it makes the brining liquid more palatable if one were to use it in savory things like a tagine or a vinaigrette.

today: fava beans, cherry tomatoes, green beans, lamb's quarters, herbs, ricotta cheese, summer squash

Probably was made in jest; it would require you to get to NYC at an ungodly hour and get in line; waiting in line is our City's unofficial sport, didn't you know? Ramps are only available in the spring for about 8 weeks, but well worth it after months of root vegetables.

I read about that. They opened again a week later with an A rating, I think.

I still haven't had a cronut, mostly because I like sleeping. We should just name it "rapunzel" (after the mythical vegetable of the same name).

I object to the term because it's infantile in my opinion. So I don't use it. I'm not bothered if someone calls me one, that's on them.

I don't believe it was I who said that "foodie" was a horrible word but liuzhou. However, I do agree with Liuzhou that it's not my preferred term, although probably not for the reasons he has. My perspective is that it's a rather infantile pejorative that doesn't begin to describe any of the people on this forum, including you. I try not to use it in my dealings with other people. You'll notice that in almost about every comment on this thread that I've made, I've enclosed the term in quotes. Here is a discussion on Chowhound that explores why some people feel that way, for instance. That's not germane to this thread however. Text-only communication has its shortcomings. I apologize if I perceived things wrongly, however I can only say that it still reads to me as "sarcastic". That being said, this is a really trivial issue that shouldn't color your perspective of eGullet and its membership. I've already moved on. I would suggest that it WAS NOT obvious in the least, otherwise the question would not have been asked. Do you see a pattern here? "rather mainstream American non-haute cuisine" is a terribly broad category. It would be as if I had said I loathe "Asian food". Do I mean Chinese? Japanese? Thai? Indian? Malaysian? "Thanksgiving food" is slightly better using the example you provided, but that's still a little broad, because (1) not everyone eats the same thing even though that's the gold standard and (2) it's only one meal a year. Unless you mean that your friend cooks those dishes on a regular basis. "pasta-based dishes" can be anything from American to Asian to European and all points in between. However the rest of that comment suggests Italian or something along those lines. I think the difficulty that many of us are having is because there has not been much specificity that would enable us to provide you with more relevant/more helpful suggestions.

One of the recipes that Marcella Hazan provides in "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" has you slice strawberries and macerate them in a mixture of freshly squeezed orange juice and a scant teaspoon of sugar. It doesn't have to be citrus in this instance, keeping in mind your comment above, but that's an idea. The resulting liquid once you're able to serve the salad satisfies the need for a dressing and keeps things "light".

I might have to steal that. Thanks, Heidi.

You posed a question to the forum and we engaged you in a conversation. It's not offensive. I was pointing out that you had answered you weren't aware of local cooking classes, then proceeded to show that in fact, there were. A simple Google search indicates that. This is true, but as I said in my edited post above, telepathy is not one of my innate abilities, nor is reading comprehension apparently. That being said, cooking classes are one way you can expand your depth and breadth of knowledge about the wide world of food. That was why cdh asked that question presumably. People do educate themselves for various reasons even though the focus of whatever it is they're studying or learning about will never be used in their day-to-day lives. Were you? Your reply to me comes across to me as sarcastic, so I simply responded in kind. I can't read minds, remember? I don't see any hostility here. It's too early in the day for that kind of thing anyway, and besides, I haven't drunk my coffee yet.

Well, actually, you had said you were unaware of any cooking classes that were held locally in response to something cdh asked. (Would you like me to quote you?) I provided those links to show that there were cooking classes held in your immediate vicinity, at supermarkets and by private companies. The specifics aren't particularly relevant as far as I'm concerned since you hadn't provided any additional information that was germane to your situation. Regrettably, telepathy is not one of my magical powers. (FYI, there is a link to the Eventbrite site on the Whole Foods' page, but it's not clearly marked. Furthermore, you can clearly see what events are offered and decide on your own whether you want to join: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/whole-foods-market-princeton-5568680797 ) And now that you mention it, since you're unsure as to whether you want to learn how to cook, all of that is moot. Thanks for your input.

I just googled "Princeton cooking classes nj" and these were the first three links: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/princeton http://www.williams-sonoma.com/stores/us/nj/princeton-market-fair/ http://ezekielstable.com/ Hope those are of some help to you.

There are "foodie"/gourmet versions of all of these dishes. Mashed potatoes for example can be colcannon (an Irish dish with potatoes with cabbage (and/or leeks) and lots of butter), stamppot (the Dutch version of colcannon), pure di patate (Italian, puréed potatoes with butter and cream, occasionally Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese). The haute cuisine version of mashed potatoes could be something like purée blanche -- contains potatoes and things like parsnips and celeriac, or pommes dauphine (basically mashed potatoes mixed with choux pastry and deep-fried). I've lived in NYC for 25+ years. The City's changed a lot in the interim -- from a dystopian post-apocalyptic war zone with abandoned buildings (anyone who's lived in the East Village in the late '80s might identify with that description) to a playground for the 1%. It's not for everyone, and it's hardly boring. But I hear you. News to me. Liuzhou can tell you more, but a couple of things... * China has approx. 25% of the world's population and 10% of the planet's arable land. Their society has learned to squeeze every available edible bit out of anything imaginable and put it to good use. * Cheese/dairy has not, historically, been a part of the Chinese diet in the same way that it is for many other Western cultures for many reasons -- like for instance, that arable land bit. This Wiki article goes into more detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_cuisine . To understand why a culture eats the way it does, you might have to look into its past.

I do like fish balls, but the ones I'm familiar with are Chinese. They're not fried either (or more precisely, the ones I'm thinking of aren't typically fried, but are eaten in soup). The type of food I usually cook doesn't involve meat or fish most of the time, and when they do, they're usually not the focus of the meal.