Carrot Top

'Artisan Baking' by Maggie Gletzer is a beautiful volume filled with an interesting variety and assortment of loaves, some of which you will not easily find elsewhere. It also has ratings for the recipes from 'easy' to difficult'. Great book!

← You've got to be spitting mad to write a line like that. Fantastic imagery!

Sorry, but I can not resist answering this one. Will try to keep 'food' in the subject line. Pigs usually end up eating sh**! beans, be grateful you didn't marry him! For every cloud there is a silver lining...

Do you have (food-related) books that you've become so enamoured of that they have held your interest and remained on your shelves for twenty or more years? Divulge their titles, do, so we all can know....

Never heard of a single really good server that liked this idea. Generally they will leave the place for greener pastures where they can operate on the concept of working for a 'bonus' based upon their performance...which is what a traditional 'tip' is. This tip pooling system allows restaurant owners the ability to give lower salaries to many of their workers...based on the idea that 'you will get more from the tip pool...if we all do well operationally...we will all do well financially'. It is assumptive that teamwork is in place, cross-training is in place, and everyone helps everyone else. Hah. It is true that some smaller (usually family owned) restaurants could not make ends meet if they had to account for higher salaries rather than rely on this system. It is also true that unless you know who is controlling and distributing the tip pool and that the information is posted daily as to who is receiving what...you might be surprised to find that even the owners make themselves part of the distribution.

Everyone in this world certainly deserves the chance to become succesful, through whatever means they can beg borrow (no I won't say steal for that is wrong, really) or create. But in the 'becoming successful' at supposedly being a chef through television performance rather than the unfortunate slaving that is a part of any real excellence at anything...can't say I think it possible. A chef must know his/her kitchen, foods, staff, purveyors, on and on endlessly. One of the reasons it is likely that someone like Emeril has done better with the performance of his restaurants is that he did put the time and effort into learning every little tid-bit of information he could about every detail. This takes time. If you get a chance to watch the documentaries of how Emeril puts together a new restaurant project and how Jamie did, you will see a difference. Was this difference made manifest or created by the producers of the shows? I don't know, even that is possible, I imagine. 'Slaving' if it is smart slaving, has its very real benefits. Could be that the 'jump' for Jamie Oliver was so fast that he didn't have the time to be solid on some facts of the full-course meal of operating a restaurant, and entrusted many of the details to people who did not perform well, based on what we are hearing. Yeah, his face and personality got him noticed in the first place...and certainly I would be unhappy too if I paid a pretty penny for the sort of dining experience related. Time will tell if he is a quick enough learner to make the next basket....

It is not a good thing to read of desserts at breakfast time for then you want to EAT THEM

I can't speak for how Jamie Oliver is as a chef for honestly (yes, marlena, this might surprise you) that 'cute' appeal never appealed to me at all and I could never tolerate sitting through an entire half hour of it on TV. Same thing with the books. I don't buy a cookbook because of the face on the cover. But he has done well for himself, so nevertheless I say kudos to him. We all have to use 'what we've got' to make it in this world... The restaurant, though it has his name on it, should not be 'blamed' on him though. He is a chef, not a manager, not a businessperson. Sounds like he needs better partners and better support systems. I feel badly when I read these reports, for this business is magnificently difficult, both professionally and personally.

Poor 'ole West Virginia. I do feel the need to defend it... Not a native, but lived there for four years. It is like a beautiful woman who wears a long loose dress of an unappealing style. And to top it off, she is not rich nor usually terribly well educated. But the charms are there...they are secret and they are not shown easily to 'outsiders'. West Virginia has some of the most gorgeous countryside in the entire world, and you can find decent places and even excellent places to dine. But they are never easily accessible nor even well-touted to the casual traveller... It is a place that is not terribly interested in PR or in visitors! As a state, that may not make them look too great to outsiders, but in a rather old-fashioned way...they only want to answer to themselves.

Personally I adore fennel in any of the varieties of boulliabaisse-like soups or stews. It adds a rich unctousness, a lightly sweet perfume that makes you want to keep on eating and eating... Ha, ha! I actually just started salivating when I wrote that! Saffron...for me is a 'take it or leave it' sort of thing. The expense is bothersome and often I've found it stale at the time of purhcase...

For you non-believers, this can be true. I never drove a car till I was 30 years old, 'cause God knows they can be a time and money consuming liability in Manhattan! Upon learning, I still neglected to learn (till later) how to drive standard transmission and ended up taking a road trip, uh huh, through East Germany and its environs in 1989 with a fellow that did have that skill. A person is REALLY dependent when they can not drive a car. Be nice, Daniel. And remember that ladies need to use the restrooms more often... Edited because I missed the LAST PAGE of posts. Duh. Well...hope it went well!

Make that ten fig newtons, please. I really thought that was going to be the name of this thread..."Do you only eat just one?" No, no, no...!

You might get some additional responses if you de-lurk over in the Europe forum under 'France'... What great fun you will have, with either choice. Enjoy!

You are right, Fifi (as you so often are)...I do love this story! But are you certain, now, thinking back on it...that it wasn't Mayhaw Man in an albatoss suit posing as one of those birds...trying to see if you had any pickled okra in your picnic basket...

Good question. I don't think it can be separated. Part of the intent of the original question was to attempt to define what would make a meal 'the greatest' for people, and to find a common thread of context if there was one. I'm curious about this both in a professional and personal sense, having been responsible for preparing the context and the meal itself many many times, and usually aiming (if not too tired) to have 'this one' be 'the best one'. There were negligible mentions of dining solo throughout the discussion... This could be due to the fact that many people just plain do not enjoy it, or it could be that the consensus of the contributors was so strongly weighed towards the idea of companionship as a vital part of the meal that some people who feel otherwise, would not post for fear of being the 'odd duck'. Companionship, locale, fresh air and physical exercise, and hospitality, (the feeling of being exceptionally well taken care of), were all mentioned as part of these 'best meal' experiences. And touches of serendipity, too. Besides, of course, the technique, knowledge, and skills of the chef. It was also interesting to me to see that there were no writings of real hunger...the sort that gnaws the belly...in any of these writings. (You know, they say hunger is the best sauce...) Again, either this is a very lucky group or else nobody is mentioning it due to it being different than the norm. These are all fascinating to me to read and thank you all for sharing!

Not so much to 'counter', exactly...for if one is in a situation where there is that 'ambiance', created by having other people around, that is absolutely wonderful. It was a real question, though, that I was asking, although I phrased it flippantly. I'm pretty sure that I am not the only person in the world that... did not grow up surrounded by loving family whose influence would leave a legacy of wonderful food memories, and am also quite sure that I am not the only person who has lived a somewhat isolated life at times due to a variety of circumstances that can affect people. Many people at different times in their lives are alone for many reasons. Some of these could be: having to geographically relocate often, health problems, personal crises such as divorce.... Just putting my two cents in, that's all, for something I really feel, that the best meal of one's life actually could be experienced solo...and just wondering if anyone else had had the same experience and was willing to share their experience.

Hmmm. Well, you know...I've realized for some time now that I am definitely odd...but am I the only person who has truly enjoyed a meal in solitude...communing only with the tastes?! Ouch. It might be that during the meals that I have enjoyed in company with friends or family my intent to ensure that either the food or the ambiance or whatever was just so 'right' (gosh, I dunno who put me in charge...it's always been a mystery...) that that particular attitude disallowed that the best meals were in company. Certainly the atmosphere is fuller with people around...but just to taste and enjoy...for me solo can be better. And not having to get dressed up and sit in odd chairs that are sometimes uncomfortable is better too. Fussy, huh? But at least I'm a cheap date it seems!

Mmm. Liverwurst and beets, yes...Scandanavian. Very healthy too! Add a couple of shots of aquavit and that will keep you warm all winter...

Yes they serve them, but they haven't yet learned how to make them. So true. One might say that about their burgers, too, though... (Sorry to slide off-thread, this was too good a chance to resist! )

moreso, probably. Oh please stop making me laugh. It is interrupting my lunch....

Oy. The great thing about eGullet is that it offers forums (and blogs) for everyone...there are forums about celebrity chefs, celebrities who are not chefs but who apparently eat and have to pay for it, home cooks, 'foodies', and even forums on gourmet or not-so-gourmet dogs. eGullet is here for us to discuss and describe and learn about food through our highly individual lives. Danielle's life at this moment is particulary interesting to me not through her child, or because of her child... but because of the fact that a very young child is (by the neccesity of the fact that it needs care, can not feed or take care of itself yet) almost a living part of the person who has charge of taking care of it. As they say, it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it. Someone did it for each one of us, or we would not be here to play on the computer. Some people have shared wonderful stories of their childhood foods and the love that was served up along with it...this is that action, seen in 'real time'. Dylan will have stories for eGullet in the future. And as Alice Toklas said 'What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander, but it is not neccesarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey, or the Guinea hen.' Thanks for taking the time to do this blog this week, Danielle. Those photos are making me hungry!

You must have done a good job, to have him calling for cooking advice! There were so many hilarious mispronounciations of things that I have already forgotten...and my children are only (only?) ten and twelve years old....but the one phrase that sticks in my mind is one my son used for several years. When announcing that he was hungry, he would add...'Mom, I want something Hot and Tasty and something Cold and Sweet!' (Sounded like he was on his way to creating his own fast food restaurant with the motto ready-made....) He still likes that combo. Food's gotta be hot and tasty and drink's gotta be cold and sweet or disappointment is lurking....

I remember reading that you are currently in charge of putting these products into standardized recipe forms...the first question I have is, are you intending to translate this recipe into either weight definitions or larger measure definitions i.e. quarts, etc. instead of cups...? Those are some heavy duty production quantities. Do you refrigerate the batter after mixing and scoop as needed for daily production...or scoop and freeze...or is that actually the daily production level? My first instinct is to aim for checking the levels of leavening. The more you batch it, the more this needs adjustment. But it has been a long time since I've done even close to that level of production of a muffin, so maybe I can give you a reference that could save you some time. (Unless, of course, the right person happens to log onto eGullet and sort it all out, which is entirely possible! ) The Culinary Institute of America has a website which not only has links to a free online standardized recipe costing program that can be downloaded which may include similar recipes in bulk quantities, but also a catalog of the professional courses they offer, which include baking. The instructors are quite interested and helpful, I've found, in this program...if you are motivated enough to call and ask the administrator who the 'right person to ask' would be, you likely could get a good answer from that instructor. The website is ciaprochef.com Good luck!

Mmm. Both wonderful vegetables...you are lucky to find them! I seem to have Italian food on my mind in thinking of them. I remember an excellent pasta dish eaten in Florence many years ago...baby artichokes lightly browned and tossed together in a sauce that included chopped tomatoes and onions, served over spagetti....and then another, fava beans 'guanciale' cooked with bits of bacon cooked till crisp, then add chopped onions and fava beans...a bit of white wine...yum. Another recipe is coming to mind...fava beans and baby artichokes blanched then tossed together with sauteed morels or other wild mushrooms...a bit of fresh mint perhaps or even some chopped sauteed fennel bulb...with a risotto Milanese... a lovely meal!

Sounds like it will be a fun week for us all to read, Danielle. Please, in the midst of all the wonderful food and tastes, don't leave out the parts where the very real and demanding care of your beautiful and charming daughter intereferes...it will make all us other mothers smile with rememberance and understanding!