rosebud

I knew about shellfish allergies, even allergies which only involve bivalves, but I didn't realize there was a "fish" allergy until I met someone who had that. She simply never ate in Chinese restaurants because of the ubiquity of "fish sauces" used in that cuisine. In view of that, where does personal responsibility come into play here?

Well, isn't it interesting how a simple question can send folks off into different directions. . . but, then, we ARE talking food here. So, let me tell you about my introduction to crab. It was in San Francisco in the 1950's when we lived on a little Army base at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge across the Bay from SF. My mother bought live Dungeness crabs at Fishermen's Wharf and brought them home and steamed them. Served with melted butter. What a revelation! I LOVED them. Later, when I lived in Monterey, I would order "cracked" crab and you order either a half or whole one, depending on how hungry you were. One of my favorite restaurants had french-fried crab legs. I was starving when I ordered that , at the the recommendation of my dining partner, and thought they were simply sublime. Imagine my surprise when I moved to this part of the world and kept hearing about the wonderous nature of the Maryland crab and was served these tiny things which had been cooked in the this very spicy mixture. The effort it took to extract the meat was very annoying . Anybody know where I can find live Dungeness crabs around here? You will have a life-long admirer for that information. So, I have come up with a method of sorts. When I find crab meat on sale at the Safeway, I make 6 crab cakes out of a pound (and Boy! do I hate having to sift through all that to find the cartilage--the first time I made them I simply didn't believe that this step was necessary and served my future parents-in-law crab cakes that required the spitting out of cartilage ). I will cook four of them for DH and myself for dinner and with the other two I go to Whole Paycheck and get the boned trout and stuff each with the remaining crab mixture. Pierre Franey has a lovey recipe for what he calls "ginger butter sauce." It is actually a beurre blanc made with fresh ginger and, after all is strained, has fresh, chopped tomato in it. This is a summer dish, obviously. I saute the fish and then take off the head, tail and skin and pour the sauce over them. I'll have you know that my late FIL declared it the best fish he had eaten in his life! (and this was a man who didn't hand out those kinds of compliments easily). But even this can't compare to a freshly steamed Dungeness crab. It costs too much to fly to SF just to eat crab, however. Favorite foods really have to do with memory, do they not?

Bilrus picked up on the fact that I wrote this same thing on another site. I was just desperate. This silly business came up out of the blue and at the last minute. You will NOT be surprised to learn that the whole evening went bust when the conventioneers decided to attend some evening program and eat at the hotel. Boss is leaving in the morning, so BIL and GF will have dinner as planned tomorrow--minus the crab cakes. I thank everyone who responded so quickly--am I wrong in thinking that we have all been in the same spot with the out-of-towners? DH and I generally cook our own food at home and don't spend too many evenings eating out, so that I am not as immediately familiar with what's out there as many of you. I'm so very grateful that I have this resource for help. I had completely forgotten about the seafood at the Prime Rib. I think the only time I every ate there was on election day in 1976, when one of my neighbors (who worked across the street from me) took me there for lunch. Because it was election day, no alcohol was served, but I had the best Crab Imperial I had even eaten that day. I learned the lesson that if you want really good seafood, go to a steakhouse. This proved true in El Paso when I was forced to go to that fake "Australian" steakhouse chain and had some perfectly acceptable grilled salmon. Oh, and should I mention the scallops at Ray's the Steaks Thanks again to all who responded. You people are just DELICIOUS Barbara

I dunno. A swell little restaurant that's one of the hottest tickets in town with a clearly defined seating policy. I want to go back, and if the limit is 90 minutes, then so be it. I'll take it with deepest gratitude. We have, on rare occasion, spent more for a meal, but not for one as good.

My BIL is at the Washington Hilton with his GF and GF's boss. We are planning on going out to dinner tonight. Just found out that Boss wants crab cakes! Who has good ones in the Dupont Circle or Adams Morgan area? Pesce? Johnny's Half Shell! Need advice ASAP. Thanks.

I was only given those sugar eggs with a sort of "diorama" in the middle of them once or twice when I was a kid. I couldn't figure out how to keep them pristine permanently and wasn't interested in eating what was essentially pure sugar. Then, when I moved to this neighborhood many, many moons ago, there was a famous catering place here which made chocolate Easter eggs. Oh my, those were special. The place has long since closed and I miss those eggs still. At my age, I'm not interested in the chocolate goodies. So, figuring out a "traditional" Easter meal for my DH and I has always been a problem. I never had the Cadbury cream eggs when I was a kid so, after viewing all those TV ads for them, I bought one for myself. ICK!!! Pure sugar and lousy chocolate. Something only a kid would love.

Ducky: Your question reminded me of the time when my family lived in Germany in the 1960s. We went on a trip to Denmark and my mother wanted a wheel of cheese at some famous market. She got the smelliest, worst-tasting cheese in the world--but we didn't know that at the time. We stored it in the little supply room in the basement where we kept our chest freezer. I don't know what this cheese was, but it was so awful-tasting that it ruined everything we put it in. We couldn't get rid of it before it "spoiled," which it never actually did. 55 degrees for that lovely parmagiano sounds just about right, but, then, I've never been given such a lovely thing. I would keep it well wrapped, to keep from drying out.

Kanishka: The "old" convention center is no more. It was imploded at 7 am on a Saturday morning a few weeks back. There was much publicity about this, but the explosion still woke me up and I thought the city was being bombed by terrorists. (And I don't live in that part of the city!) However, I was too sleepy to stay awake and thought, "OK, I'm dead." My husband thought this was a hoot. I was suprised, however, to see that it wasn't entirely destroyed when I was on a bus that way a couple of weeks ago. Some of the facade on H Street is still standing. Why???? Completely off-topic: I remember that, during the FIRST Barry Administration, when the whole subject of a convention center came up that the controversy was how much to spend on it. $150 million would have given us a MUCH bigger place, but the sentiment at that time was that it was too much money to spend. So, the smaller, and , as it turned out, completely inadequate $99 million would do. FYI for all the newbies who have moved into town since then.

cjsadler: Still haven't figured out the quote thing. Sigh. No, the Harris Teeter thing isn't QUITE a done deal; but, after living in the neighborhood for 30 years (!), this seems to be one of those deals everybody wants. The usual suspects are worried about traffic and every effort will be made to (mostly) satisfy the closest neighbors. The way new apartment buildings are going up around the Citadel, a new store in that location is really needed. And, don't forget, there used to be a very popular skating rink in there a long time ago. It seems that most of the ANC members want this, too. That counts for something and they aren't up for reelection until 2006. This is supposed to happen by then. All in all, reason to be optimistic.

I have two words to whisper into Mr. Safeway's ear: Harris Teeter. We are getting a new one in the old Citadel building on Kalorama Road. I'm just hoping the competition will spur the Ghetto Safeway to clean up its act. Sorry, can't help on the noodles.

I've never been one for fancy cocktails; however, Mrs. Busboy let me have a sip of her Espresso Martini and I had to order one for myself. The funny thing was how very different my reaction was from that of Babka. She thought it was just AWFUL and I thought it was the best-tasting thing ever. Go figure. 'Course, I'm still trying to figure out whoever dreamed up such a lovely thing, much less came up with a recipe. So, the rest of you can think of squash soup or lamb when you think of Firefly: I'll go there for an Espresso Martini.

WOW! Reading this thread has really been an eye-opener. I didn't realize that so many people hated bananas! Who knew? I have a husband who, besides hating peanut butter as a kid, also doesn't recognize coconut as a food. I long ago decided that I couldn't eat anything I disected in Biology class. Which means I won't eat frogs. (I don't care if they taste like chicken: I will happily eat chicken.) Nor will I eat perch. Any other fish is fine, as long as it isn't called "perch." No insects, amphibians or reptiles. Which means no escargot. Those of you who love them may have my share.

My only "beef" with last night's dinner was that I only got one of those incredible scallops. I'd go back just to eat those. Craig ordered the key lime pie to share with me. This morning he said, "Maybe I should have ordered the strawberries and cream instead." "Why?" I asked. "Because I ate the strawberry that came on the pie before you could get to it, and it tasted LIKE A REAL STRAWBERRY!"

Let us not forget that she went on a rampage about grocery stores which CHILLED their tomatoes!!!! I kid you not Now, when you go to your average grocery story, do you find TOMATOES in the refrigerated section? I think NOT. It is really impossible to empirically determine what this woman did for American produce. Are there innumerable reasons why we adore this woman? She changed everything in this beloved land and she learned all of this in FRANCE

Julia Child went to France after the war (her new husband was with the Foreign Service) and promptly fell in love with French cuisine. She went to Le Cordon Bleu and then met two French women and started a cooking school geared toward the Americans (GIs and others) who flocked to France after the war. She was particularly interested in the classic food and techniques used in French cooking. She got the idea of writing a cookbook directed at Americans with the ingredients they could find in the states. The outcome was the first volume of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." It got noticed immediately and became a best-seller. In a case of the "stars coming into alignment" this was also around the time Public Television got started. Her cooking show "The French Chef" was one of the first televised cooking shows and certainly the most famous. She gave rise to all the others who came after her and taught Americans how to cook. It's that simple. She took the fear and mystery out of cooking good food. She was never as dogmatic as Madeleine Kamman and the only thing she insisted on was proper technique where it mattered (whisking egg whites, browning and braising, etc.). Those of us who grew up watching her and who frequently refer to her cookbooks know just how much she contributed to our being foodies and also know how much we owe her everytime we go into our kitchens to prepare food for people we love.

Julia Child (who else?) came up with a gratinee of potatoes that I make for a crowd for special occasions--most recently this past Christmas. For 6 people (or more) Several TB soft butter 2 to 3 cups thinly sliced onions 12 10 16 medium "boiling" potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Swiss cheese (Gruyere?) 2 to 3 cups chicken stock Preheat oven to 450. Melt 2 Tbs butter in a saute pan and saute the onions slowly. Butter a baking dish and spread a 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom. Seasoned lightly with S&P and top with half the onions (which are not fully cooked at this point), then top with 1/3 of the cheese. Continue with 2 more layers of potatoes, onions, and cheese, ending with the last of the cheese. Dot with 2 TB butter and pour in enough chicken stock to come only halfway up the potatoes. Bring pan to simmer on top of the stove and the place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Ideally the liquid will have been almost entirely absorbed when the potatoes are tender; if not, remove dish from oven and draw out excess liquid with a bulb baster. Boil the excess down rapidly in a sauce pan until thickened, pour it back into the dish and return to the oven for a few minutes to finish baking. (FYI: I always have excess liquid and that's a good thing because reducing this down makes the most flavorsome addition. This is one of the few potato recipes where the leftovers taste just fine after being in the refrigerator). I just think this tastes better than potatoes cooked in milk. (This came from Julia Child's Menu Cookbook, which is a compilation of Julia & Company and Julia and More Company. My favorite Aunt gave it to me for Christmas many years ago and she has enjoyed a number of things from this book. )

I don't have madelaine pans and no space to store them; however, I do have those cast-iron corn stick pans (used to make corn shaped corn bread). Will these work?

Another vote for Pepin's Complete Techniques and MAFC.

Just threw together a salad with vinegar, EVOO, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, pepper. Peeled a naval orange and sliced the wedges into the bowl, sliced up an avocado and thinly sliced a some red onion. Placed all that on a bed a romaine (all of this was on sale this week at the Safeway). Got a "this salad is rather exciting from my DH." One of my favorite salads calls for sliced Belgian Endive, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice and EVOO, with crumbled bacon and Stilton (or gorgonzola). Quite, quite nice. And all the work is cooking the bacon.

It is ridiculously warm here in DC for this time in January. However, the cold front that has hit many of you is on its way. The temps are going to drop like a rock overnight and the frigid (for us) weather will be here. Being a somewhat organized soul (only when it comes to food), I laid in some supplies, including the ingredients to make a batch of beouf bourginione (sp?), thanks to thread on braising here. We will have to eat it without letting it sit overnight in the fridge (it is much too warm to have the oven on that long today), but I will make enough to serve us and most of the people in this building. Can you say "Leftovers?"

It's so hard to pick just one. I have become reknown around here for my cheesecakes. I also make a fabulous tiramisu, a cesar salad (no matter how much I make, it all disappears), and lately Masitas de Puerco. The list goes on.

This is fascinating! Thanks for posting and contributing to the etiquette thread. It sort of proves the "Everything You Know is Wrong" rule.

bleudauvergne: I knew someone like that, too. Among other things, he developed a wide-spead reputation for gross eating habits. Then I met his mother at a party. I learned where he picked up those habits. What can you do with a middle-aged adult, particularly someone who isn't a great friend and isn't part of your family? Fortunately, he moved out of town, so the "Let's have dinner!" invites stopped coming (along with the increasingly creative reasons why that wouldn't be convenient ). The one thing I have noticed lately is that someone (especially a man) with exquisite manners is appreciated for that by nearly everyone and earns untold Brownie points. This is a lesson for anyone's kids to learn. They can raise their status in many areas just by this alone.

I've never heard of having pork on New Year's Day. Just Black-eyed peas (my mother is from Georgia). As a coincidence, I cooked some Masitas de Puerco for a New Year's Eve dinner for a some of my neighbors: one from Puerto Rico, one from Venezuela, one from Argentina. My Puerto Rican neighbor called her family today and told them that she had just eaten the best Masitas of her life and they were made by and AMERICAN woman I learned everything I needed to know about the whole process from the thread on "Carnitas" here on EG. They are cooked exactly the same way, but using different spices and flavorings. One surprising discovery: my neighborhood (Adams Morgan in DC) used to be the host of several Cuban restaurants where one could get Masitas and fried plantains. I have never cooked a plantain in my life and asked my Venezuelan friend if she could prepare them. She gave me a long litany of problems involving plantains. Then, she discovered FROZEN fried plantains in a store up the street and went ahead and bought them. They were PERFECT. So, I now have a ready of supply of plantains. This is one of those "Who Knew?" moments. Did I cook Black-Eyed Peas today? No, I did not. It was my husband's turn to cook and he is enarmorded of stir-fried things. But, I sure learned something new, and valuable, this year.

Fifi: I have found them to just be big chickens. I cooked one for a crowd a couple of Christmases ago. It was juicier than a turkey, but that's not saying much.