MarkIsCooking

Boo - My family has a place in Rindge, not far from Peterborough. Here's a tip: Pearl's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. It's just a few minutes from the downtown area of Peterborough and my wife and I were shocked at how strong a job they did. We've only eaten their once, but it was truly wonderful. If you try it, let me know how it goes. -Mark-

Thanks for the link. That’s kind of my feeling about that area's restaurant scene. I lived in Acton 12 years ago and I can't remember anything outstanding in the area. We've been in Arlington for the past 3 years and have indulged in Cambridge and Boston's restaurants! Last year I went to Number 5 Strawberry Hill in Acton, which sells itself as a high-end French restaurant and it was a real letdown with a hefty price tag. I'm kind of bummed that Aigo closed... Moncef started L'Espalier. ← If you're willing to drive, but want something easier than going all the way downtown, give Lumiere a try in West Newton. If he still makes his scallop and truffle dish, that is a sure bet.

I would love to hear about your experiences with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). I just recently started reading about this and found this site very helpful. Local Harvest --> http://www.localharvest.org/about.jsp [url/] Here's the essence as I understand it. There are over 1000 CSA's across the US. Each sells a 'share' for a given season or year. Each share entitles you to an amount of produce for a period of time. Most farms harvest the produce and you stop by at designated times to get your stuff. Some items or some entire farms require labor on your part. It seems that many of these farms are organic and you get the benefit of getting produce (that you don't have time or space to grow) just hours or a few days after harvest, instead of stuff that has been trucked a thosand miles and treated to last longer than nature intended. Produce that isn't picked up by shareholders is donated to the homeless or others in need. The farmer is assured of making some money because the sum of what the shareholders pay provides a profit. The risk of weather is shifted from farmer to shareholders because you pay the same for your share whether it's a bumper crop or a lean harvest. This seems to me like a wonderful way to support small farmers, get healthier/fresher food and have excess go to people who need it. I realize you likely need to supplement with stuff from the grocery produce department, but this strikes me as something great to do. Do any of you have experience with CSA's that you'd be willing to share?

The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard is one of my favorites. It's a fabulous combination of great recipes AND real education in the way she presents master recipes and the variations of them. Check it out!

I'm hoping this group has tons of ideas for creatively using the ISI Whipper I got for the holidays. Do you have a great savory foam recipes? Any interesting twists on sweet ones? Any thoughts on a low fat foam using coconut milk????

Thanks! I found it. Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Looks very interesting.

Hello all: Newbury College is in Brookline, MA, near my home. I've been strongly considering entering their culinary arts program. Since I have a family, I really need something close by, so schools further away won't work for me. Do you have any info about the quality of this school? its teaching staff? its credentials? how people in the restaurant industry feel about graduates from there? Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!

I'll add to the list: Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard

Thanks for the suggestions! I am following up on all of them! -Mark-

I'm a middle-aged guy who has been a cooking enthusiastic and avid home cook for many years. I've done a few short stints in professional kitchens and loved it! [Call me crazy.] I sold most of my business interests last year and I'd really love to find a part-time or on-call job at a professional upper-scale restaurant in the Boston/Boston-west area. I realize that restaurants tend toward culinary school students and people with experience. It seems to me, though, that somebody may find some value in a more mature, exceptionally dependable person who is doing the work as a pure passion. Any ideas for finding the right connection to make this happen? Is what I'm looking for just too off-beat to find? Especially looking for comments from people who work in pro kitchens. Thanks!

Most online sites seem very consumer oriented, meaning mediocre quality at high prices. I'm looking for great sources of very high quality stuff online / mail order. I don't need fancy pictures; just the best stuff at a fair price. Please share!

I'm in NH and fresh blueberries are in their glory. Does anybody have any real killer recipes for using blueberries (cake, muffins, etc.)? Thanks!

PL is an awesome steakhouse, but I think there are several that are of that calipher. If the whole Atkins thing keeps up, we could end up with even more!

I don't have much experience with homemade BBQ sauce, but I just tried a recipe I got from Emeril via www.foodtv.com and it was awesome. Lots of ingredients including ketchup, jalepeno, paprika, cayenne, onion, brown sugar, salt, pepper and more. Anybody used unusual ingredients in their BBQ sauce that produced an awesome result?