Bella S.F.

Had the day off yesterday for Asian New Year. As we finished one meal I was planning or starting on the other. (Do you ever drive anyone crazy talking about the next meal while still eating one?) For breakfast bagels, chive cream cheese, sliced sweet purple onion, sliced cucumber, and really good Canadian wild smoked salmon. Lunch, had leftover oven roasted potato wedges. I cut them up, made a hash in a big cast iron skillet with the potatoes, onion wedges, and slices of orange cranberry sausage. Dinner was a pot of chicken chili with a really flavorful broth with Monterey Jack cheese melted through at the end. (It is not like cheese melted in a soup; it becomes one with the broth. Throw some sliced scallions and diced avocado on top. Yum! None of the meals celebrated Asian New Year, I just realized. I will have to do something about that this weekend.

I am itching to braise something and I think that this weekend will be the time. Question... we are staying somewhere where the stove and oven are electric. I have never used an electric oven. Do I need to change anything... temps, time alloted... ???

Made K.J.'s Pork Roast. Used a 6 pound pork butt. At 4 1/2 hours it is meltingly tender. Yum! I have a beautiful picture. How do I get it here? Help please. Thanks.

Thanks! I look forward to trying that. What kind of chilis do you like to use?

Living close to the Mission in San Francisco, we are able to get really good fresh chorizo from Mexico. Hoewever, sometimes it has just too much fat and chunks of who-knows-what. I know that the fat is great,, and really flavors whatever you are making, but sometimes, enough is enough. I would like to be able to have great spice but also control what is going in. Does anyone make their own? Ideas please. Thanks!

ludja, I really like creme fraiche as well as gruyere cheese. Hope that this is not a silly question. Do you also add the cream and milk that fifi says that she uses? We just happen to have a nice chunk of Gruyere in the frig. ummmm. Thanks in advance.

Which of his books is the recipe in?

Damn, see how well, I'm doing, I thought that I previewed, edited, and then posted. I feel like a jerk. Sorry for the two posts. I can now also ask... can anyone tell me about Jeffrey Steingarten's Gratin Dauphinoise mentioned? I also heard people talking about them at a Christmas Eve party, but they didn't know how they were made. Is it much different from the traditional recipes?

Great thread. I gave up (easily and happily) that "never thought I'd be warm again" feeling 17 years ago with a one-way plane ticket to San Francisco, but I sure remember and ... oh, it is great to cook at those times. fifi, I love the idea of your pork roast, and can't wait to make it this weekend. My mom died a week ago Friday, and I want to make something comforting. That sounds like it will be just that. I have a question about the fresh picnic. I have tried to ask a number of times, but in my four or five year life as a Gulleteer has had me need to rejoin because ... why does my mouth runneth over? Anyway, I used to make fresh (and smoked) picnics back east. I have never seen them out here. Could that just be something regional? (For example, I used to use light cream, here they have heavy cream or half and half. and the California roast I could get there I have never seen here. So... should I just buy a pork butt to make the recipe? I know I could go to a good butcher and find out but you're here now, so-to-speak. Thanks!

Great thread. I gave up (easily and happily) that "never thought I'd be warm again" feeling 17 years ago with a one-way plane ticket to San Francisco, but I sure remember and ... oh, it is great to cook at those times. fifi, I love the idea of your pork roast, and can't wait to make it this weekend. My mom died a week ago Friday, and I want to make something comforting. That is the first thing that grabbed my interest. I have a question about the fresh picnic. I have tried to ask a number of times, but my four or five year life as a Gulleteer has had me need to rejoin because I keep messing up signing on and ... why does my mouth runneth over? Anyway, I used to make fresh (and smoked) picnics back east. I have never seen them out here. Could that just be something regional? (For example, I used to use light cream, here they have heavy cream or half and half. and the California roast I could get there I have never seen here. So... should I just buy a pork butt to make the recipe? I know I could go to a good butcher and find out but you're here now, so to speak.