janeer

I am looking for some coupes to give as a wedding present, elegant ones like the one with the rim on the right of the first picture; know a source?

I do; in fact, in my family we have taken to stretching the meal out over about 6 hrs so that we can have several courses without becoming totally catatonic by eating them all in a row. We are fond of finger food in our family. So we start with a variety of small things: soup in a pitcher that can be poured into little cups and sipped; something deep-fried, like a fritter made with a fine American cheddar and Virginia ham or mini crab cake balls;spiced hand-cracked nuts; any other little morsels, five or six total, varying year to year. Then a break of a few hours, during which people might go out for a walk, play games, whatever. Then some sort of lovely salad, served from a buffet style while people talk. Then the turkey and fixings. Then another break. Then pie, pie, pie and coffee in the living room. Everything strictly American. Including the tons of champagne (methode champanoise) and wine.

I beg to differ with most responses. It's none of their business. I have eaten out many times, including at very high end restaurants, when one person did not eat, usually because they had a huge lunch, or had to leave a bit early, etc. I eat out alone myself quite a bit: one diner, what's the difference as long as you don't have a table for 4? If anyone so much as glanced sideways at my party if one wasn't eating, I'd have a word with the owner. You do not owe them a call. But I agree with the advice to rebook when your girlfriend is well so it's a treat for both.

I have a very large family and our "usual" is 20-35 people. My personal preference is to divide into two dishes, not so much for cooking time (equal depth is equal time,for the most part, with a bit more thrown in), but because I can put one dish on either side of the table (or on two tables, as is sometimes needed); also, it's possible for some rich dishes to keep one in the oven, staying warm, to be brought out for seconds when needed (I sometimes stagger the cooking times, putting the second dish in later). And sometimes you end up with one untouched dish, instead of two half-eaten dishes, that can be put in the freezer or fridge for a few days or brought to the neighbor's next day. Of course, you need lots of dishes for this; I have accumulated them of necessity.

And you didn't remove them before cooking because...?

Do you know the origins of this dish (your colleague's nationality)? Caribbean/Jamaican?

As a lover of both zin and port I will have to look for this. Glad to see this topic pop up at this time of year; I think zin is the only proper wine to have with turkey on Thanksgiving.

I think the season has passed. In AZ, it is late August, and there are several festivals and classes; I think they also have them in Europe where prickly pear cactus grow. Yes, the nopal is the main cactus, but there are several other varieties of paddle-type cacti that can be used, as I understand it.

That is an absolutely beautiful banquet! Lucky friends!

Aside from the occasional coupling, I don't really have a problem. Water at a rolling boil when you add the pasta? stir it? It's hard not to love no matter what. My favorite: with buttered/browned cauliflower and breadcrumbs.

I am sorry I was not able to participate in the actual cook-off. I make Bolognese frequently, esp in winter, but have been so busy I can barely fix myself an egg. I add whole milk after reducing the wine, and do two or three reductions of the meat in milk before adding the tomato and simmering. I don't use cream.

Then I must be confused. I thought puff pastry is synonymous with pate a choux and that the gougeres are made with pate a choux. Good heavens, yes, you are confused. No relation.

I was OK with this, sort of, until I read that you omitted cream (dairy), added basil and oregano, and added Wondra. We're not in Bologna land anymore.

Having just eaten a homemade burger for my dinner, grass-fed beef and homemade toasted roll included (one of my favorite work-night dinners), I sympathize with the bad burger--but honestly? Sounds like a franchise who is cutting corners and not doing what corporate wants. I'd report 'em.

I was just about to post a link to this article. I too buy local honey--and frequently bring honey back from travels--but I think the magnitude of the problem documented in the article should not go un-noted, whether it affects us personally or not. One wonders, what else?

Do you mean sopes? I love sopes.

It's fine. In fact, the classic Shaker lemon pie, which is almost nothing BUT whole sliced lemons, is delicious--tart but not bitter. Here is a recipe.

In Rhode Island, my house backed onto a large farm. I would always go out and glean whatever potatoes were left after the harvest.

The Bemelman's Bar or St Regis Bar? Or the classic Four Seasons--not intimate exactly, but manly and powerful and evocative of the 60s.

Funny to read this, because that is my experience with doughnuts in New England. Butler's in Westport, MA (now closed) used to be open until the doughnuts "were gone." This was particularly true of their cream doughnut; you really had to get their when they opened if you hoped to get any. But it was true generally, and sometimes that place was shut down by 11 a.m.

Me too; that's how a great a return it offered from the start. And I've had my fee waived too.

This could get into a different discussion but over the years I've noticed that there are people who seem to have no palate--and I think it partly genetic/natural, not just developed or a factor of exposure. Some people have wonderful palates, others none. I used to have neighbors who had no palate whatsoever. All food was the same to them--eat to live, not live to eat. I learned not to bother for them, because they COULD NOT taste the difference. Really.

Yes. I do pay $79 a year for Amazon Prime as well. My ROI is huge. I love ordering something for $5 and getting it shipped for free in 2 days guaranteed. Something has to be very, very unique for me to pay for shipping.

Chicken feet are excellent for a stock with lots of gelatin. Love them. My grandmother always used them in stock, and so do I. And she was Pennsylvania German, not Asian or Italian (who also love their fresh-killed chickens).

not sure I understand what you mean by stock instead of broth. I always use stock. and the mushroom soaking liquid as Emily said. If you don't have white wine, a tiny bit of marsala or sherry would not be out of order. A tiny bit.