Chufi

I'm really going to try to contribute something again this month.. I'm planning a trip to Italy for September (allthough not to Abruzzo!) so I need to get in the mood!

iirc, there was raspberry, lychee and rose. Like a fairytale...

Wonderful trip report! that pizza sure looks fantastic. no need to apologize. The smile on your face whenever you're next to the word 'chocolate'or 'bakery' is a lovely thing to see

well, what can I say.. that was a perfect day I got to spend in Paris with Shaya, her husband and 2 kids (who are just as adorable as anyone who has seen their pics on the Dinner thread might guess!) I'd say that lunch at le Comptoir and then getting pastries at Pierre Herme is a wonderful combo. I thought it was pretty funny that Shaya and I both ordered the same items from the extensive menu.. I guess that means we're in food-sync The beef cheek dish was wonderful. I'm not sure about the cracklings, but I do remember there was some lemonzest there as well, which worked beautifully with the rich sauce. At Herme, I bought a 'tarte infinitement vanille' which I devoured on the train back home, and a box of macarons which were savored at home with my husband and some friends. Never having tasted a macaron in my life, I wasn't sure they'd live up to the hype, but they did. I hope Shaya doesn't mind I add them to this thread..

Hey, the rhubarb topic should not slip to the second page! here's custard, topped with rhubarb compote and meringue. In the oven till the meringue was cooked, then cooled again.

Ann, welcome back! Those brownies look gorgeous. You should contribute them to the brownie bake-off in the pastry forum! We had sheep for dinner. I don't know if there's an elegant english word for this meat! Sheep steak sounds weird.. But that's what it was, and delicious, tender, flavorfull meat it was too. With a garlic/red wine gravy, endives braised with rosemary and bacon, and sweet potato pancakes. Custard/rhubarb/meringue for dessert!

this picture is absolutely perfect and belongs in a book! The lines, the movement, the color. The little bits of shallot and grains of mustard. Beautiful. Wendy how did you fry the egg and so that it became browned all over?

Nobody needs to be jealous anymore, because today in Amsterdam it's grey and damp, so it's back to the kitchentable for dinner. I'm pretty sure I had Shaya's picture of that bowl of soup with sauteed oystermushrooms somewhere in my unconscious when I went shopping today, because I bought oystermushrooms, which I never do! Ostrich steak with oyster mushrooms, shallots and bacon Pea & chive mash

Thanks for taking the time to write this report. Travel reports are among my favorite eGullet posts. And I'm taking notes, because I'm going to Paris for the weekend soon, and like you, I love to plan Can't wait to read more

Who's next?

ludja what a wonderful French feast! Thanks for reminding me that I still have the salmon rillettes on my wishlist. And the gateau basque looks wonderful. Nishla there is something about your food that really strikes a chord with me, it's always interesting and inspiring and delicious! That soup looks simply stunning. Our dinner tonight was nothing remarkable, just a bowl of pasta with tomatosauce, with some olive oil & vinegar tossed arugula on top. But it was remarkable, because it was the first Balcony Dinner of the season! So that's what I wanted to share with you all

wonderful report Bryan. Thanks for taking the time to do it. just a general question about this course.. I always wonder about it when I see a picture like this.. how do you know what you are supposed to eat first? I'm thinking it can make a great difference.. I think in El Bulli reports I've seen it mentioned that diners are instruced 'how' to eat a dish.. were you instructed how to eat this table full of goodies?

Howard, welcome, looking forward to your contributions to this thread! Keep them coming!

markk that beet/radish/apple salad looks so good and so pretty! Would also work great with pork I think? it's not omnipresent, I've only seen it at one marketstall so far, it's just omnipresent in my house because I love it so much

Dutch, born & bred No weekend without rhubarb, this time of year. Rhubarb almond crumble, warm from the oven, with spoonfuls of cold homemade custard. I was hoping for leftovers for this mornings breakfast, but my guests ate it all yesterday

I made the veal polpettone with ricotta yesterday. While they were good, or even great, they were not as enchanting as I would have hoped after reading the recipe introduction. The meatballs are not fried, but braised/poached in a tomato-y braising liquid. They come out very fragile and soft, almost too soft textured for my liking. The braising liquid that you end up with is very thin. Because I was working ahaed, I reduced the liquid by half to make a more substantial sauce, and reheated balls & sauce in the oven at dinner time.

We had some friends over for a simple dinner last night.. started in the kitchen with prosecco, goats cheese, various nuts & nibbles. Then we had the Giant Meatballs from Molly Stevens All about braising, they were served with lemony spinach, roasted carrots and roasted rosemary potatoes No March dinner is complete without rhubarb Rhubarb almond crumble with cold custard

SHOW OFF!!! ok seriously can I rent him?? dayne made dinner tonight while I shoe shopped ← Wendy, looks like Shaya is not the only one showing off can I rent Dayne to cook for me while I go shopping? Seriously, Shaya, what a comeback after your vacation! Thanks for sharing those pics with us!

Wholegrain bread, good butter, Gouda cheese, glass of milk. = lunch, almost every day.

favorite sunday breakfast softboiled egg 1 piece of toast, buttered a couple of slices of Gouda 1 glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. The egg must be boiled to perfection, ofcourse, and must be warm, not lukewarm or hot, but warm. The toast must be hot so the butter melts instantly when I spread it. Then thin slices of cheese go on half of the piece of toast. Alternating spoonfuls of egg (sprinkled with fleur the sel) with bites of plain toast and toast with cheese.

Abra, yes, the bacon is smoked. This type of bacon is called 'ontbijtspek', meaning breakfastbacon. Thin slices, fried, with an egg fried on top, is favorite breakfast/brunchfood. You're welcome to come to dinner any time! "a bird without the 'party' or "celebration'"? This might be the phrase in French for a plucked bird or else it may collogquially imply a plucked bird. ← Thanks Ludja, that's very interesting. I have recipe somewhere but can't find it right now, for an Italian dish which is called 'mock game birds', where slices of veal are stuffed with breadcrumbs etc and braised, their shape resembles, as you say, the small bird. The bird without the party, that sounds SO Dutch

about the soft white sugar, there was some discussion here. I don;t think it exists in the US. Just substitute fine sugar. I used a 23 cm. square tin. Yes, you have alternate layers of plain and spiced batter. I had each layer under the grill for about 3 minutes. You have to watch it like a hawk all the time! Then when all the batter is used up, turn off the grill, heat the regular oven and bake the whole thing for another 15 minutes. You're supposed to keep it overnight but we already had numerous slices. It's also supposed to freeze well...

I made spekkoek / kueh lapis legit or whatever you want to call it today. See here for discussion about this delicious pastry

Because I believe that research should be made more fun with tastetesting, I made spekkoek today. I looked at 6 different recipes and then made one up. I used 16 yolks, 8 whites, 400 grams butter, 200 grams soft white sugar and 150 grams flour for the batter. The spice mix had cinnamon, cloves, corianderseed, nutmeg, cardamom, staranise and a tiny bit of pepper. I'm pretty happy with the result. It wasn't as much work as I thought (it's a LOT of work, just not as much as I thought ). Notes: next time I shold use more spices. I like it spicier. Although it's possible that after the recommended overnight rest, the spiciness will develop. It's not as compact as it should be - some airbubbles and holes. Not sure how to prevent those though. And maybe next time I'll use a smaller tin or make more batter, so the layers can be stacked higher. Anyway, spekkoek, kue lapis, food for thought about the spiceroutes and Dutch bakers in Indonesia, but also delicious!

Shalmanese, it's in RecipeGullet (search for mongolian ) I haven't posted here in a while. Many not-so-noteworthy dinners, and a couple of good dinners that were safe old favorites. Yesterdays dinner was good! Dutch 'slavink' (beef/pork wrapped in bacon), details here with mustard/parsley mash and braised cabbage. Lovely comfortfood. edited to add: Bruce beat me to it (and he even added the proper link )