M. Lucia

All I can say is thank you.

for baklava and middle eastern sweets: Rafaat Hallab for petit fours: Divine Delights to boil your own peanuts: Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts I'm lucky to be in New York, with lots of things available, but I would also add Murrays Cheese and Penzeys Spices. And this pasta place on Spring Street you could order from, can't remember the name.

I love the dessert sampler idea. To weigh in on the low calorie desserts: I made Pierre Herme's Chocolate Mousse using splenda and skim milk for a friend who has some eating issues, and it was great. My friend loved it and was amazed that it had so few calories. When I want something light I make apricot souffles. They are basically dried apricot and sugar (cooked and pureed) with egg whites. Whisper light but very flavorful and goes well with a nice liquer-based sauce. From Cooking Light: I love their Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe. It is the homey, cake on top, pudding on the bottom type thing. It is very sweet, but one of the reasons I like it is that it is easy to make and satisfying (with some ice cream). I have made several other things from them but none stick out as favorites. I did enjoy a blueberry-cornmeal cake and their lemonade layer cake. Hope this helps.

I have made this shortbread twice since I originally asked about this, and no spreading! I found a little book in the library all about shortbread, and it also had the same proportions listed in my original recipe, with the same baking temp. Also, the proportions given in the recipe were almost exactly the same as the proportions culinary bear gave me. The book also noted traditional Scottish shortbread does include 1/2 cup rice flour (1/4 pt of the flour) and is baked in mold. So I went back and made the same recipe again being more accurate with my measuring. I also baked the dough from frozen. The first time I baked it in mini tart pans in case there was spreading, but there wasn't! Even the nice little fork pricks remained. However, my only complaint was that the cookies had a slightly floury aftertaste, and not enough buttery crunch. I baked the second batch slightly longer, so that they were barely beginning to brown, and these were much better! Nice lemony flavor and crunch. The next time I make them I make them I will try adding the rice flour, but the recipe is good as is! For reference here's the proportions: 2 cups flour, pinch salt, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 sticks butter, 1 tbl lemon juice, lemon zest, drop of vanilla extract, 1 tbl poppy seeds Bake from frozen. Bake at 325 degrees for about 25-30 mins. Thanks for the help everyone!

Just to clarify, the baking powder is included in case White Lily wasn't available (which was preferred). My grandmother and mom always called these "baking powder biscuits." Slightly different, but still good! Please let us know how it turns out.

My mom made sure I could make a good biscuit long before I was attempting cakes or souffles. White Lily is certainly available in New York. I know Citarella and Dean and Deluca carry it, and I am sure many other groceries depending on where you live. Williams Sonoma also carries it. However, I have made decent biscuits using King Arthur's all purpose flour and with cake flour, though White Lily is preferred. And you don't need fancy tools either. The key is technique: you want to make sure you handle the dough as little as possible. I use half crisco and half butter. I mainly do this by feel, but here is my general recipe: 2 cups flour pinch salt 3 tsp baking powder (omit is using self-rising flour) 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tbl cold butter 3 tbl lard/shortening 2/3 to 3/4 cup buttermilk Sift together dry ingredients. Using two knives, cut in the chilled butter and lard. Stir in the buttermilk in a few swift strokes, so the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 7 times. You want to get some good folds in to make layers in your biscuits but you don't want to overwork the dough. Pat or roll the dough out. Cut biscuits using biscuit cutter. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 mins. If you use White Lily flour you can make the recipe as listed (omitting the baking powder). If you use an all purpose flour you may need more buttermilk to make the dough the proper consistency. Hope this helps!

Congatulations on all the business! Your hard work is paying off and you are educating a wider clientele. It is so encouraging to see someone stick to their guns, making good products with quality ingredients, and succeed.

I also love the French press, that is after I discovered the trick of pressing really slowly. Like wringing out a delicate sweater, someone once told me. I was wondering, I know there are large amounts of Arab/African immigrants. How have they affected the cuisine and the produce that is available? As for the tripe, I would assume it wasn't soaked unless it was displayed in some soaking liquid at the store. You can just rinse it until the water runs clear. Can't say I know much about cooking tripe, but the seven hour cooking time seems excessive. I have seen several recipes that involve simmering it for an hour or two, for example with some garlic, tomatoes, carrots, onions, etc. (or if you had pigs feet you could make the Mexican stew menudo)

That halvah concoction sounds wonderful, and the gingerbread too! (I wish somewhere would sell those) The smell coming from Moishe's is just too much- the neighbors were actually talking about it, and I heard people on the street who were walking in the sleet to "find that smell." That's how you know Purim's coming! I haven't tried the soft hamantaschen yet because it didn't look like it would equal my love of those big buttery ones I adore, but maybe tomorrow.

Wanted to add this article on Smithfield hams from the New York Times: Americana, Salted, Smoked, and Sliced Thin That photo of thinly sliced ham is just how I like it. I was recently in S.C. where I had a lovely breakfast of biscuits and Smithfield ham. (I am not as much a fan of the thick "ham steak" versions.)

Oh yes, and just checking my French, fond de volaille - fond blanc - chicken stock, right?

Lucy, I remember discovering your first food blog when I came to EGullet, and how I was drawn in by the simple elegance of your lifestyle as it was reflected in your writing and your photographs. Since then, whenever I see your name, those initial images and dishes float back to me with a warm rememberance, like memories of a trip I never got to take. You have already started this week with a captivating eloquence. We must consider ourselves lucky to have such people in our lives, the ones that we keep special candles for to light when they come to dinner because they love the smell. They are not guests, for they melt into our daily lives with the ease of true friends, and we know that we can be as comfortable in their homes as they are in ours. Thank you for blogging again, and for your generosity in sharing your experience with us. I wanted to note a story I heard somewhere about aperitifs. A young American woman was meeting a friend at a cafe in Paris for dinner. Arriving early, she was seated and when the waiter asked if she would like a drink, she ordered a glass of wine. It was delievered rather haughtily and soon her friend arrived. Oh no, you didn't order wine did you, her friend exclaimed. She explained that it was customary to have aperitifs first, and wine was only drunk with the meal. The young woman, having learned her lesson, has been enjoying kirs and other such concoctions ever since. I look forward to the cooking, the pictures, the words, and of course the cheese!

My intial thought was that, of course, mac and cheese has breadcrumbs. In my house that crispy crunchy topping was always the most coveted part. However, when I consulted with my (Tennesseean) mom, she said that when she said that in her experience traditional southern mac and cheese did not have breadcrumbs. It was something she picked up while in Baltimore (shhh). Now that I think about it, most of my southern mac and cheese memories involve a homogenous creamy concoction, breadcrumb free. Of course, a lot of these memories involve southern restaurants and cafeterias where the mac and cheese may have been made in big quantities (which I enjoyed as part of a veggie combo plate involving collards and glazed carrots and cornbread). Eitherway, my southern family, when making mac and cheese at home, loves us some buttery crumbs.

Just made some dulce de leche yesterday, I was impatient and only boiled it for about 3 hours, so it wasn't quite as dark as I like it, but still really good. I usually swirl the can before I boil it to mix up anything that settled. It always comes out smooth for me- I've never had any chunkiness.

After a weeks worth of over indulgence in the low country (think shrimp and grits, jumbalaya, lots of caramel cake and pie), I came back to New York and cooked, yep, Collards! Long simmered with vinegar and ham hock, and served over grits cakes with red peppers. Dessert will be homemade brownies.

Just wanted to note that Andie's recipe is the same as the one linked above. I love red velvet cake, and I also agree its easy to over bake and have it dry out.

Off for S.C. vacation tomorrow, if I ever manage to email this paper by its midnight deadline!!! Took a break to make whole wheat cavatappi in butternut squash sauce, toppped with ricotta salata. Also made chocolate stuffed figs, as I anticpate computer-screen snacking for the rest of the evening.

I know it's Scottish, not Irish, but I made the Ecclefechan Tart from Bon Appetit and it was great. Perhaps the Irish make something similar? Scottish Desserts

Wanted Japanese (and a break from writing/studying!), so I made a kinda sushi bowl: Rice with 1 scrambled egg, topped with shredded nori and sashimi tuna, drizzle of soy sauce. Lemon-ginger tea and chocolate covered almonds for dessert.

I have used Vialone Nano and think it's great, so velvety. But -don't be mad- I have also made excellent risotto (albeit a little different) using local South Carolina short grain rice. I am actually headed to S.C. on Friday and was just thinking about that rice...

I agree, Magnolia's cupcakes are nasty: dry insipid cake, the buttercream is ok. There are however, lots of good cupcakes in New York. I have had Sugar Sweet Sunchine's specimens, but it was at the end of a long evening, so all I remember is that they were better than Magnolia's. My local bakery, Ciao for Now, makes great ones, as does Kudo Beans. I generally find the oversized cupcakes better because the cake is moister (the little ones are always dry). But the best cupcake I've had in New York was actually in Brooklyn: a random place on Atlantic Ave called something like Downtown Cafe/Bakery.

Thought you guys might want to know this thread was referenced on101 Cookbooks.

My friend walked into rehearsal with an Entenmann's Danish Raspberry Twist box. We used to get these once in a blue moon when I was a child and I loved them, haven't had one in years. Needless to say, I was one of several people who attacked said box, and it was nostalgically delicious - tender crumb, jam, frosting, the joy of sugar. Oh yeah, and this was a "light" version, though I didn't look at the nutrition info, I was too busy with my sticky fingers.

Wow, there is quite a lot of good cooking going on in this thread! Beautiful photos from Bilrus, Susan, and Chufi; Behemoth's cooking up a storm, great ducks and burgers and crazy curry. I just made some soba noodles topped with sauteed baby bok choy, cremini mushrooms, and tofu, with a white miso-soy sauce. Off to get some ice cream for dessert.

Perfect souffles! I love souffles like this because they really let the natural flavors shine through. I do something similar with apricot puree when I want a clean light (redemptive) dessert. Despite their reputation, I think souffles can be quite user friendly and are satisfying and light, and I make both sweet and savory ones often.