janeer

I find that good fruit pies disappear the fastest. It's like people aren't used to them. Madelines.

Some lovely photos here; very pretty beetroot consomme! I keep coming back to most ridiculously simple but divine thing I made all year: green chile. Two ingredients--pork butt and chiles--no recipe, just the pork, the stock from the pork, the chiles I had on hand (roasted Hatch from the freezer, fresh poblanos, fresh serranos). Oh yes, there was 1 clove of garlic and maybe a T of flour to thicken. Amazing depth and surprising complexity of flavor, richness, perfect balance. Through it together as an afterthought while making tamales with the rest of the pork.

A little different, but here is my recipe for pasta with lentils if the combination appeals to you.

There is also BU: http://www.bu.edu/foodandwine/

Thanks for this info. I've had locally produced raw milk cheeses--the kind that are really local to a village--taken from me at customs. I had pretty much given up.

those are gorgeous

Another eggnog thread today with some interesting recipes.

I'm with Janet on this. I've lived alone much of my adult life. I cook for myself every night; I've never really thought of it as a different category of cooking; I cook pretty much everything, every type of cuisine, just in smaller amounts. Sometimes I make enough for a second/leftover meal, but certainly not always or even often unless I'm really busy and want to not have to cook next day.

Alas, gone are the days when you could smuggle in a few local cheeses--truly the one thing that you can't get anywhere else, sometimes even the next town over. I have often brought back honeys that I have never seen/tasted anywhere else; look at farmers' markets. And I always, in Italy, buy some good vin santo; it is very hard to get here outside of a major city, and very pricey.

way behind this year and have made only pistachio brown sugar biscotti, hazelnut poppyseed, and cherry-pistachio icebox cookies (can't have too many pistachios). Must find a way to make my favorite shortbread cookie with caraway and currants. And maybe some pecan-crusted thumbprints with apricot jam. Not a huge fan of chocolate cookies. Well, except for Maida Heatter's Craters.

Good heavens, is that one of the those "small business" "burden" exemptions??

Since ice cream is not the greatest thing to bring to a potluck, how about trying to smoke a cake? Chocolate, probably. Then frost it afterward for a nice sweet/smokey contrast.

In today's NYT, more evidence of a widespread "bait and switch."

a pot of soil? sand? I hate refrigerating ginger, I will try this

Actually, no, because your recommendations were spot-on, including the alert about the prep--real Indian cooking takes time (and ingredients/spices, which I would recommend would be a nice accompaniment to the gift). I do have a book that I really like with the totally misleading/marketing name of "Best-ever Curry Cookbook" by Mridula Baljekar, but in addition to covering the regions of India, and breads, relishes, rice dishes, etc, it covers Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.

It is date season here in the desert and I have become obsessed with them, particularly eating them with dark chocolate. I am not much of a candy maker, but hope Kerry or others might have a suggestion for making a simple, unadorned date truffle or something else with chocolate (even a cake) that might make a nice gift. I have access to about 6 or 7 varieties of freshly harvested fruit, from my favority caramel-y "Golds" to the giant medjool. Thanks.

This method from Julia Child and Company is sensational. I disagree that the cracklings are too fatty if cooked right, I think the whole ensemble is perfection. For years and years I made this on New Year's, I highly recommend it.

That sounds awfully interesting to me.

How long something will technically last (shelf life) is different from how long it will be at peak freshness. Frankly, I only like a chocolate chip cookies freshly made. I freeze ALL cookies immediately, and think many are improved with a little time in the freezer. For giving mixed cookies, which will vary in their peak quality from a day or two to a week or so, I would say to freeze if not eating in a day or two and remove an hour before serving. A tin of mixed homemade cookies is a great gift.

I have no idea what the Yarmouth version is, but here in America we are big gingerbread (cake) eaters and it sounds like you are looking for something similar. It is usually baked, may be iced, most often served with custard or whipped cream (and in my family, also chocolate sauce). A steamed pudding (like a plum or Christmas pudding but ginger) is quite different, although great. Here are a few typical recipes to look at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/favorite-old-fashioned-gingerbread/ http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gingerbread-recipe My own favorite uses some whole wheat flour and dry mustard. I like it very moist and very strong and spicy. Hope this is of some use.

agree: you could use frozen uncooked shells for the stock (wouldn't keep them too long) but fresh lobster, cooking at least one or two in the shell and adding that broth and shells to the stock and the tender meat for garnish. I am not a fan of buying cooked lobster meat.

I don't know why but when I read the description I immediately thought that they might use a commercial/prepared pie filling. I too would like to see a photo, cut open.

Spectacular as always, Baron; you do your restaurant proud. Congratulations on reaching the finals and let us know how it all comes out. Exciting for you.

add some hot spices to it and serve it over cheese with crackers

I do expect most of the brands to be purchased...But it is amazing to think of Hostess gone. Wonder Bread? Everyone knows, instantly, what that means, that's how iconic it was back in the day. I have not eaten any of their products in probably 45 years, but I will stop and pick up a few Snowballs or filled cupcakes or lemon pies or butterscotch crumpets (loved those) in tribute on my way home tonight