Chufi

We went to Del Rey and got their macarons (EUR 6,95 for 5), and they were excellent! They only started making them in March of this year and they seem to be a big hit - at least that's what the girl in the shop told me Pics can be seen here on my blog. The Del Rey store is only 5 minutes walk from the train station which can come in handy if you want to take macarons on the train!

I´m very excited.. we just booked plane tickets to Phoenix for September! The southwest has long been on my wishlist of places to travel to and now it looks like it´s really happening. Yes I know that September is a long time away. But what can I say, I really love the planning part of a trip. Our last big trip to the Pacific Northwest was planned mostly around eGullet recommendations (of the “if you get to town X, keep on driving in the direction of Y, just a little further than you might think, for the best icecream in the state” kind) and so yet again, I come to eGullet for tips and info about where to go and what to eat. While I do expect this trip to be a little more scenery and hiking- and a little less food-oriented than the previous trip (which featured Seattle, Vancouver and Portland) we still want to eat well! Here´s the very rough plan so far: From Phoenix, head north in the direction of Flagstaff, Zion and Bryce. Then east to Moab, south to Durango, Santa Fe, go as far south as Silver City if we make it, then back to Phoenix. I haven´t visited this forum much but I´ll be sure to browse the appropriate threads for recommendations in these areas, but anything new and interesting anyone has to add would be very welcome.

I have had entire menus spinning around in my head all morning, and each time I find out I´m missing just one out of eight As for the cheese: as much as I love goat´s cheese, all kinds - the old and pungent as much as the soft and mild - I´ve never had a sweet goat´s cheese dish that I really iked - and I tried a few. So I won´t attempt goat´s cheese for dessert I guess. I love the buckwheat ´tabbouleh´idea. Maybe I could serve it in little gem lettuce leaves. Maybe with some smoked duckbreast?

I really like the idea of using the rhubarb in a savoury dish. Smoking buckwheat sounds pretty terrifying! rhubarb and fennel is something I never would have thought of. Thanks guys keep them coming, this is going to be a real challenge!

I guess the obvious thing to put on the griddle would be slices of eggplant. How not to do the obvious.. I´m thinking of many starters, but there does not seem to be anything on this list that translates into a main course. Except potatoes. I know she loves gratin...

I don´t know. Is it? the alternative title was: should I smoke my rhubarb?

Susan and Daniel dinners on the same page, what a treat here´s something from a while back that was really really good, unexpectedly: Swiss chard-barley ´risotto´(I think it´s called orzotto when you make it with barley?) topped with panfried chorizo. And this is from last week. It is the season for white asparagus again and this is the very best way to eat them: asparagus, new potatoes, good ham, eggs, a sprinkling of salt/pepper/numetg/parsley, loads of melted butter: I had more than 2.. I think I had about 10 for dinner that night

Next week is another get together of my dinner club (me, husband, 2 friends: I shop and cook, they pay ). It´s the first one in our new apartment and we´re also (belatedly) celebrating my birthday and my friend´s birthday. I asked my friend for 4 keywords (ingredients, preparations, anything) and told her I would also think of 4 keywords, and that all 8 of them would be incorporated into the menu. Ha, as you can guess, I need some help! here are the ´clues´: hers: Buckwheat Griddle Pecans Eggplant and mine: Rhubarb Smoking (not cigarettes, but my little stove top Cameron smoker) Goats cheese Potato There can be meat or fish in this dinner, but I´d prefer it if meat was not the main attraction. So far, the only things I´ve come up with are buckwheat blini for a starter, and individual rhubarb pies made with a pecan crust for dessert. Ideas needed

you mean this one? That was, indeed, amazing.

no it´s not over! I´ve been eating a lot of it, but mostly for breakfast: rhubarb compote with granola and turkish yoghurt, I can´t think of a nicer way to start the day! yes, rhubarb and coconut is lovely isn´t it? I´ve been playing with the idea of a coconut ricepudding with rhubarb compote.

One of my favorite uses for walnut oil is in a salad with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. I also use it when making hummus, together with olive oil and sesame oil.

thanks. That looks like a great shop to visit, wether he has macarons or not.. btw I found some info online that Del Rey is now selling macarons, although I could not find it on their own website, so I´ll be sure to pay them a visit.

I´m going to Antwerp this weekend. I have a whole eating plan mapped out (frites, jenever, and some more sophisticated options ), but what I would really like to know is: are there patissiers in Antwerp who are making macarons? Any info greatly appreciated!

I'm adding this picture just to show how versatile and adaptable Dorie's recipies are. For my birthday party, I baked a variety of goodies, among them 2 from Dorie's book: the tribute to Katherine Hepburn brownies and the raspberry/white chocolate blondies. There were a couple of platters of cookies to feed about 24 guests. I made the brownies in muffin tins and to one batch I added salted peanuts, to the other, hazelnuts and chopped white chocolate. I made the blondies without the meringue topping because I needed to freeze them - I´ve made them before with the meringue, but I think I actually prefer them without. I sprinkled them with some coarsely ground almonds. Everything froze really well, I just took them all from the freezer on the morning of my birthday, stress-free entertaining!! (also on the plate are coconut macaroons and my mom´s Dutch ginger pastries)

I´ve just caught up - had a very busy weekend because it was my birthday, too! So happy birthday and thank you for a great blog!

Here's a link to a previous thread about this subject, it has lots of great tips!

OK guys I'm so sorry not to have reported back sooner! Moving is hard work you know Here are some updated pics of what the kitchen looks like now that I've taken possession. These are action shots taken just this evening in the midst of cooking dinner, so I did not clean up for you, but you get to see what it really looks like.. The 'newest' thing about my new kitchen is that now, my study/office/place to work/ whatever you call it, is actually right in the kitchen. I wasn´t too sure how I would feel about this beforehand, but I LOVE it! Right now I´m typing away while dinner is on the stove, I can move between laptop and countertop in 3 easy steps. It´s my ultimate, favorite space. megan, the floorboards are diagonal because the apartment is in a round tower, and is actually like a quarter of a pie, this makes for a very interesting lay-out. Now what did I cook? The first week I made only very quick one-pot-one-bowl dinners like pasta carbonara, stirfries etc. Then on the first weekend we were here I made a sort of braised curry, loosely based on a recipe from Molly Stevens All About Braising. It was wonderful to have the aromas waft through the house while we were unpacking boxes. We´ve had quite a few dinnerparties, casual supper-get-togethers, etc. so far. It´s been a true joy cooking in this kitchen. This weekend is my birthday and I´ll be cooking for 24... the ultimate kitchen test! edited to add: we´re planning to add a little bar area/extra counterspace right where the trashcan now stands. It will be a great place to hang out with a drink, to have breakfast, and simply to enjoy the view.

My Dutch peanutbutter has the added oil (not the oil floating on top, but the oil to keep it homogenized), but not the sugar Lisa2k mentions. Even more confused now!

Today I made miniature versions of that same tart, and added some raspberries to the rhubarb. Oh my were these good!!

hey, you´re doing great! There was a Czech intern in my office a couple of years ago. I think she brought a whole suitcase of Becherovka to give away as presents, unfortunately no one in the office liked the stuff much, except for me I LOVED it, so I got to take home all the bottles! We have bag and tag your own groceries in lots of supermarkets here too. The thing is that even within the same chain, some places weigh at the register and some are bag and tag, so you never know what to do!

Ok. here's my question: I'm in Europe, and for years have been baffled by the natural/ not natural peanutbutter issue. I´ve always baked recipes caling for pb with the regular pb that I always have in the house, simply ignoring the fact that it might or might not be the right kind. But now I want to know! What does it mean? The label on my Dutch pb lists as ingredients: peanuts 93 %, vegetable oil, salt.

Enjoy those leftovers Kim! sometimes I think that leftovers are the best part of a party - and that´s what a blog is, a party! thanks for inviting us, it was great.

there's another great bibimbap thread here!

btw I made a very nice little rhubarb tart this weekend. I made a simple pate brisee, pressed it into a losse bottomed tin. Sprinkled the crust with 2 tablespoons of semolina, then filled the shell (raw) with sliced raw rhubarb. Sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with gingersyrup, then baked until the shell was nice and brown and the rhubarb had cooked down (this took longer than I exepcted, about 40 minutes?) The juices of the rhubarb are thickened by the semolina. Lovely served warm with vanilla ice cream

Is this the one you mean? 75 gram sugar 3 eggs, separated 75 grams butter, melted and slightly cooled 75 grams flour pinch salt grated zest of half an orange 200 grams rhubarb, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons brown sugar small springformtin (18 cm), buttered, floured and sprinkled with sugar mix the eggyolks with the sugar, add the butter, then the flour & salt & orangezest. Beat the eggwhites until stiff. Fold into the batter. Pour into the tin, then sprinkle the rhubarb on top, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake for ca. 40 minutes at 180 C.