Carrot Top

Hmm. I stand corrected, too, in following stream of consciousness use of words in repetition of another person's use...right smack into the wrong word! If it was the Dialectic Society their purpose would be to arrive at the truth through exchange of logical arguments...no? They would be discussing at length whether there actually was a thing such as a Flexitarian rather than just saying that is the common name being used for the thing. But here is another question: Has anyone in this food and word-wise group ever previously heard of this word in general use?

How funny... I got so excited by the idea of nusstorte that I didn't realize Redsugar had posted a recipe earlier in the post. Well...now it is doubly on my mind. Let us know if nusstorte was 'it', for if not, it is on with the hunt!

Oh, those Time-Life books are keepers alright. I'd buy 'em if I saw them in a second-hand store at a decent price, particularly if it was the entire set. You can justify it by calling it a 'collector's item'. Better than spending money on beanie babies, no?

Hmmm. Lalitha...I am curious about two things. First of all, the dream. The dream! How can you just say you had a dream and then not tell us about it!!!! Tell us the story of the dream, if you still remember it.... Second, I am also curious as to what it is that is leading you into such fascination with the subject of sauces. Is it the 'building process' which the article you shared described...or is it something else... Your love for this shows and it is absolutely simply marvellous.

Ah, Food Tutor, you are making me laugh tonight with these posts. I like the idea of slapping someone for you...indeed if you ever decide this should be a full-time job and want to hire someone, call me. Sounds like great fun...travelling the world slapping jerks in the face... Some people go out to eat for the sole purpose of being exasperating and rude. The mayo guy clearly was one of these. Allergies or no allergies, these people are sent to plague others. Best thing to do is to think how ridiculous they would look if they were sitting there complaining in their underwear (which obviously would be ugly and full of holes and yucky, non?)...and give them a stunning smile. They'll never know what hit them.

reesek, I'm pretty sure that the fellows that expressed those feelings about sharing the table were joking. If you notice their other posts, they uh, sort of have a tendency towards humor...and this subject, this particular word, certainly leads one right into the land of silliness, doesn't it? That the humor was addressed in this way might be understood if one takes a look at the other side of the coin. Many non-vegetarians have been treated time and again to a 'holier-than-thou' attitude from vegetarians. Even different sorts of vegetarians are treated in this manner by each other sometimes...guess it is just human nature. Love that line of yours... 'roving band of flesh dabblers'... maybe it should be you working for the Dialectic people rather than whoever is now...

I am tempted to respond that it might have something to do with dragons....

Perhaps you might need a Shabbatz Goy to clean up the delicious leftovers afterwards? I work for food.

Count me in on that notion.

Well, okay, NulloModo...I will pass this recipe on but not without warning that once you make and eat a nusstorte you are destined to lust for nusstorte at any odd time for the rest of your life. Here... Austrian Walnut Torte Preheat oven to 350 F. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8 large eggs, separated 3/4 C plus 2T granulated sugar 1 1/4 C walnuts 2 T breadcrumbs (preferably fresh) 1 1/2 T strong-brewed coffee 1 1/2 T rum 1.Line bottoms of three buttered (9" round) cake pans with wax paper or parchment. Butter paper and dust with flour, shake out excess. 2. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat egg yolks with 3/4 C granulated sugar till mix is doubled in volume and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted (about five minutes). 3. In food processor pulse walnuts with remaining 2T granulated sugar till ground fine...but not to a paste. 4. To yolk mixture, fold in walnut mixture, bread crumbs, coffee, and rum. 5. In a separate bowl beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Whisk a large spoonful into yolk mix then fold in remaining whites gently. 6. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or till sides pull away from pans and top springs back when pressed gently. 7. Cool in pans ten minutes then invert to remove gently. 8. Cool completely and fill. ----------------------------------------------------------------- There are many ways to fill and frost a nusstorte. You can fill it with preserves, buttercream, fruit, or whipped cream. My favorites are raspberry or apricot preserves or sometimes well-drained chopped sour cherries blended into whipped cream. Again, frosting is up for grabs, too. Usually I opt for a flavored whipped cream (vanilla, coffee, mocha) as I feel the lightness enhances the torte.... ........................................................................... Go to it, now! Let us know what happens, if it happens....

Add my thanks to the list, Danielle. I am impressed by the gorgeous tasty food you manage to make with a little one underfoot, and am also happy to have experienced a football game/tailgate scenario without so much as entering a grocery store or donning a warm jacket!

Next thing you know, we'll have a group called the Flexitarian Flexiversalists. Wonder what they would eat. Wonder what they would worry about eating. Wonder how bad they would feel if they ate something, uh, evil...oh, I mean wrong.

Flexitarian? Sounds like a cute name for a pair of orthotic shoes, to me....

Is that a song title? Sounds great.

It sounds like a nusstorte simply topped with the toppings you descibe, probably a regional specialty. There are recipes for nusstortes (made without flour or with very minimal amounts) in Viennese cookbooks...they are made with ground walnuts, almonds, or more rarely, hazelnuts. The cake itself is so delicious that you don't want a dense buttercream. Sometimes these are filled with cherry or raspberry preserves and covered with a vanilla flavored whipped cream. Great cake, a classic.

This reminds me of a story told in another thread where the discussion was about the (sorry, guys, gotta use that word) castration of young male lambs. The method I had been instructed to use, when thinking of raising a flock, by the ag coop guy, was to tie a certain part up tight with a rubber band. This method was topped by a guy who was raised on a lamb farm...he said the farmhands used to do the job by a different method...cut open and suck out. I didn't dare ask if they swallowed them.... Isn't this a lovely thread?

Once worked on a project for a new 'cafe' with an inexperienced owner. She was designing the FOH 'look' herself and had decided that the bathrooms needed a poetic touch. She chose the lines of inspirational verse that seemed right (I can not remember what they were now, but do remember that if I was trying to read them while in the bathroom it would either make me laugh or cry...) then directed the painter to artistically scribe them on the walls. Instead of writing the words in a usual sort of pattern in one simple space on the wall, the painter chose to demonstrate artistic merit by painting the words in huge letters, all around the room in a circle. I thought this would be particularly dangerous in the mens room after a glass of wine or two...was imagining the fascination with which the guys would follow the wonderful words round the walls, following each word along with a stream of pee... Ah, well. It was, painted over, the lot of it, before opening.

Thanks for providing the idea for tonight's entertainment, Fifi. Just picked up some chicken feet (all of a sudden they seem to be selling them everywhere, though I haven't seen them in years...maybe the local organic free-range chicken guy has thought to do this?) for stock... My kids will love this 'creative toy idea'. So will the cats, I am sure!

If it's not, it should be. Looks kinda like one besides sounding like one. Wonder what its 'powers' would be. Maybe enticing humans or other pokemon into thinking it was delicious then snapping them shut in its huge shell....

I'm curious...a bit of time has passed, and I wonder if you got an answer from the client as to what her idea of 'hip/urban' vs. 'suburban' food really was...? Also curious as to how you are shaping the menu to meet those expectations, if you've gotten that far yet. It sounds like a fun though possibly frustrating project!

Nice touch, Lucy. I do that too. It allows for an anticipation of hospitality, which is such a vital part of a wonderful meal's experience, even in the everyday way of things. To me, if you ignore or abhor leftovers, you are setting about trying to re-create the wheel each day. Life itself is a continuum of follow-ups from one day to the next...we cannot just throw away yesterday (hah! even though sometimes we may want to! ), so why do it with the food we eat? Leftovers are to the cook what a previously created paint-color is to the artist...interesting, already custom-prepared to taste, and quick to hand. What can't you make with them? Salads of meat and vegetables; crepes filled with chicken, seafood, sauces, topped with grated cheeses; hearty or gentle soups from bones, meat, herbs; baked pasta dishes; eggs of any sort baked or poached and topped...as I go on here it really makes me wonder how one ever manages to find time to start cooking from scratch!

Great answers to this question. All these books have big personalities, don't they....! Here is my list (shortened a bit so as not to rant on...) -'Larousse Gastronomique 1971 edition' (have never seen a better edition so far in mild perusals of newer ones). This was my first real serious cooking tome, and I actually read it from A to Z. Yes, a love affair with an encyclopedia. Takes all kinds, huh?! -MFK Fisher 'The Art of Eating'. What can compare? I've read this book many times over the years, in different locales. My favorite reading of it was in a small chilly apartment in the 9th arrondissement of Paris where I moved with my small dog and no particular intention except to ruin my bank account, one April years ago.... Last year I read 'A Life in Letters', the autobiography of MFK...and although I still love her writings, I wish I had 'kept them straight up' and had not read the underneath of her real life...it sort of sullied the experience somehow (that sounds pretensious but is not meant to be!). -'Food' By Waverly Root. What a mix of history, reality, and knowledge put together with beautiful drawings! -'Auberge of the Flowering Hearth' by Roy Andries de Goot. Great story.... -'Better than Store Bought' by Witty/Colchie. Simple recipes on how to make many things from scratch including cured meats and fresh cheeses. -Evan Jones 'American Food', a fascinating book on the history of American food with some mesmerizingly wonderful recipes such as 'Fried Chicken with Waffles, Ham, and Maple-Cream Sauce' mmmmmmm. -'The Golden Lemon' by Tobias/Morris. Cookbook with a steady stream of great recipes that all include lemon as an ingredient. Can't wait to hunt up some of your listed favorites to take a taste!

My family happens to be two children who seem to require feeding on a two hour schedule yet who do not become overweight so I can not use any excuse not to keep feeding them. It can be sort of wearing, sometimes, though certainly a pleasure I would not give up for anything! So when they are away...for the most part, aside from some excursions into cooking things only I like to eat which end up being enough for twenty people somehow and then have to be eaten endlessly into the future...I'm with bloviatrix...eat out! It's a good opportunity to sit in a restaurant and not worry whether they have anything the kids will like or whether the drink will be spilled...and a chance to actually eat quietly without the constant required spouting of Mom-stuff such as 'your elbow is in the sauce'; 'barbecue sauce does not belong in your hair'; 'I don't care who started kicking who first both of you stop it or you'll both be in for a bigger kick from me'....you know, the general relaxation of a family meal....

It is true that the Brits have a way with a turn of the phrase that is fascinating to Americans...and also true that they have one of the most wide-spread great, lighthearted, odd, senses of humor of any nationality in general that I've ever met! I once came across a list of 'The Best Languages to Insult In' and remember among the top winner was Arabic. You can say some vile things in that language that we don't even have concepts for! I vaguely remember some Balkan languages coming in near the top, too... One wonders if the intensity of insult available in the native tongue is in any way related to the quality of the food available to the natives...

It would be my guess that they stay slim in Paris because they love to talk, to argue, to 'discute'. Do that with enough vigor and the calories just run away...