janeer

well, if you're showing a Porsche, and you have a cooler, you might serve cold poached salmon with a lemon and fresh pea mayonnaise, and a potato salad with caper vinaigrette. And champagne. Some cheese and fruit for dessert.

Agree. One of my worst investments was silicon canelle molds. Back to the copper.

lovely as always, and seasonal, too.

Mine is an ancient no-name. Just says "Stainless Steel. Made in USA." I've had it forever. Might've even been my mother's.

Sorry, I have to disagree. I've tried to bake with unripe pears (inadvertently), and the bad news is, they don't soften enough during cooking. Not enough to be toothsome, anyway. Also, since they are not sweet, they don't taste that good. I've baked with Bosc and Anjou pears. Bartlett pears, when ripe, tend to be very soft. My test is to eat a ripe pear. If it's sweet, chewable, but still firm and sliceable (not mushy), it's good to go. For a pear cobbler, any ripe pear should be fine. Believe what the recipe says, and buy the best pears at the market. Pears need to be ripe, agreed. Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc in that order. I would not use Comice, as they are too juicy, best for eating.

You are a tireless salt cod advocate, LindaK; we appreciate it.

I have nothing to add to the butterfly, marinate, grill, don't tell people who "don't like" lamb advice. I marinate mine in a bottle of red wine, etc (I think the recipe is on this forum somewhere). It is invariably great. Can serve with all kinds of things, from apricot pilaf to potato salad, depending on the season.

Can you narrow a little? China? porcelain? Style: classic, contemporary? Home, commercial? I personally am a porcelain fan.

I have electric in my little cottage, but my girlfriend has a huge commercial range hooked up to propane in her summer house; I have cooked on it many times and it is fine; she thinks it is not quite as hot as her one at home (natural gas).

and to my mind, the best foraging of all (aside from the shellfish) is end of summer, for rose hips along the edge of the shore.

they look great to me. Make a deep depression. I lightly sautee the onions. Cover if needed

My idea of a guilty pleasure is a half-pound, perfectly grilled, rare hamburger with onion, mayo, and ketchup with handcut fries from a top steak house. Followed by a big piece of NY cheescake. Calories, fat, and carbs

This would be ridiculous, if it weren't such a good idea...

I've had a Benriner for maybe 15 yrs, I use it only occasionally because I prefer knives but I do use it for garnishes

This looks just like my old Calphalon anodized circular grill. maybe I'll try that. Meanwhile, Chris, where are you? Do you like your steel?

This reminded me of something I used to make a lot many years ago, from the wonderful Fine Preserving from Catherine Plagemann. These preserved orange slices were sensational with all kinds of poultry, meat, cheese; I don't see why you couldn't make them with mandarins. Try your library for a copy.

and btw, there is actually no substitute, in my experience, for real jonnycake cornmeal, but it may not matter too much for this purpose; it's most important when you are making pure, 100% conrmeal jonnycakes.

I do use coffee cans, and my many antique pudding molds. But I also recommend small "mini" aluminum bread pans; use just as you would a pudding basin, covering with a cloth (and foil, with an elastic band or string to keep it in place during steaming).

Overall, right on. But I take exception to the "FOH are fair game." Seriously? A good waitstaff can go a long way to making the kitchen look good--or smoothing things over when it's stressed. It should be a relationship.

Oh, the Ginger Chews are pretty darn good. I'd be happy to send you some! It'd be pretty easy to pop a bag in the mail. Thank you for the welcome! I've been surfing the site for over a year and thought this might be the best group to help. Fingers crossed... Seriously, be careful what you offer. I've never had a "ginger chew." But love ginger. And chewy things. And candy. Me too, please!

I grew up on the East Coast and we had London Broil once a week. It was top round, never flank or skirt, both of which were rarely seen and, when seen, very expensive (as they are now). The top round was marinated in a highly seasoned Italian vinaigrette, grilled medium rare or rare, and looked like the sirloin cap above when sliced against the grain.

Fairfield county CT? If so, lots of pig farms. Just google.

Ha. Well, here I am. Boston Brown Bread should be made with graham flour, white (jonnycake) cornmeal, rye, molasses. Raisins (I soak in whisky) became traditional in more modern versions, but at one point were a luxury, as are walnuts, which I like, but are not as traditional as just raisins. Steaming in cans gives the traditional shape; you can also steam in a pudding mold. Here is a recipe.

Agree. It's seasonless, and perfect, and even when someone has never made one before, you can tell them how and you get what you want.

I have never met a man who did not go for chocolate cream pie. I think it reminds them of their mothers...