M. Lucia

Here's the article: Staying Svelte, a la francaise

Well, I have to take an opposition to that southern belle nonsense. Who cares how long it takes me to get ready. But then again, I grew up in the north with southern family. But more importantly, I love grits (along with aspic, cast iron, country ham, collards, cornbread dressing, pralines, etc.), and have them often for breakfast. With butter. Cheese grits are great too, and you can sub them for polenta to serve with mushrooms.

Yes Rachel, that's right. Just make sure to have melted butter or oil in the pan before adding the rice. That will help make the crust. The traditional thing is candied orange peel, but you could certainly try some orange zest. There are many, many types of polow. Sabzi polow (with herbs) often accompanies fish. Loubiya polow has green beans, tomato, and lamb. Chufi, that technique with the egg sounds wonderful. It can be difficult to get a good crust (I still am working on it myself) and that sounds like a nice user-friendly version. I have to say I don't know anything about Phillipino cuisine, so it was great to hear about the calo-calo. I love finding overlaps of similar dishes in different cultures.

So, I'm reading a cookbook review in the LA Times, and I come upon: " I don't feel I need a lecture on cooking with quality ingredients or on eating fruits and vegetables in season. (Last week I bought some cherries from Chile at Costco, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.) " hmmm.... Also, in reference to the above post, I believe the apple sellers at New York's USQ Greenmarket but their apples in cold storage; there are apples for sale at the market year round, so draw your own conclusions.

Also, if anyone has ever had experience with polows, please share it here. If you've ever eaten it or if you've tried making it. :-)

Sweet potatoes stuffed with cumin sauteed pears, cranberries, and pecans. Mache salad. Coconut cupcake. last night of freedom before classes start again...

I learned how to make this amazing rice dish from a friend who is married to an Iranian. I wanted to post it here so it could get a wider audience. Polow is an Iranian method of preparing rice. Basically, basmati rice is cooked until partway done. Then the rice is layered in a skillet with butter and any fillings and set to "steam." The rice creates a crunchy, flavorful, delectable crust on the bottom known as ta-dig. The whole dish is flipped out of the skillet with the burnished crust up, and served. There are many types of fillings, and you can also make polow plain, with just rice. Here is my version of a celebratory dish: Jeweled Rice (Morasa Polow) 2 cups basmati rice 6 tbl butter pinch saffron 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup golden raisins or chopped medjool dates 1/4 cup chopped blanched almonds 1/4 cup chopped pistachios a bit of candied orange peel, chopped cooked, shredded chicken Prepare the chicken to your liking. Cook the rice in boiling water for 10-12 mins, it will still be firm. Drain. Meanwhile, soak the dried fruits in warm water to plump them. Melt 3 tbl of the butter in a non-stick skillet. Layer half the rice to cover the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle on some of the dried fruit, almonds, pistachios, orange peel. Layer in all of the chicken. Mix the saffron with about half a cup of water and pour over the chicken. Top with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining dried fruit, nuts, and peel on top and press into the rice. Dot with the remaining 3 tbl butter. Cover the pan and cook on the lowest possible heat for 20-30 minutes. The rice should have formed a nice crisp crust, dark but not burned. Flip the polow out onto a serving platter and enjoy! Getting the crust (ta-dig) takes a bit of practice. Cook as slowly as possible and have faith. If a few bits burn, its ok, there will still be plenty of good crust. It is a delicacy to be offered to guests first. I make this dish often and it always elicits raves. I have included the chicken version here because that is how I was taught to make it. However, I often make it without the meat, using just a bit of dried fruit and nuts, and use it as an accompaniement to something else. If you do make it with chicken, I would suggest poaching chicken breasts and then using the poaching liquid to combine with the saffron and pour over the rice. I urge you to try this, even a simplified version with plain rice, or with only some fruit/nuts, and I hope you will discover how good it is.

I assume this is the recipe from Cook's Illustrated? I just got my new issue and saw they had a quickened version. My grandmother made a Lemon Loaf Cake that was like a pound cake but lighter, and was made by whisking the eggs with the sugar and using melted butter. I love lemon bars, and there is also lemon meringue pie and lemon souffles.

I am not sure about the crackers you describe, but I adapted this recipe from Gourmet. Anise Seed Flatbreads 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 cups ap flour 2 1/2 tsp bkg powder 1/2 tsp bkg soda 2 tsp sea salt 6 tbl cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks 2/3 cup buttermilk 1 egg white anise seeds Combine the flours, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut in the butter so the mixture resembles a course meal. Add the buttermilk so that the mixture just comes together. Divide the mixture into 4 parts. Roll the mixture out into a rectangle. I like to roll these as thinly as possible. Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the seeds. Roll over the seeds with the rolling pin to adhere. Cut the flatbreads and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. I am sure you could experiment with different toppings. Glad you discovered the fun of making crackers, parmesan cheese crisps are good too. Let us now how it turns out.

Sauerkraut is the same word we use in English, and choucroute is recognized as well. It's cold, and I was out at the Syrian food place where I picked up some dried favas, so I made a big bowl of foul. Had with a Montepullciano, a side of broccoli and some lavash. Coconut cupcake to finish.

Wonderful, Andie. Thanks you for sharing. My mom used to make something she called mushroom duxelles. It was mushrooms stuffed with a crimini, shallot, herb, white wine mixture, long cooked. The mixture was similar to what andie showed but much more chunky. Then she mixed it with some breadcrumbs, topped with some cheese and put them under the broiler (or something like that). I am wondering if duxelles sometimes comes in a more chunky version, or if this was just some sort of appropriation of the term?

Sorry for being unclear, I was referring to an earlier post about how tagines are served. Although the couscous is cooked separately (not in a tagine dish), I have always had the tagine (stew) served over couscous. I love dates, and I have never heard of the dates you mention. We always considered "red" dates from Jordan and khalasah dates the best.

The freezer method helped me, so give it a try. I don't like that steaming thing either.

I really, truly love salads. It may be odd to profess love for what many call "rabbit food," but there are just so many combinations and potential for different flavors. Here are some suggestions that I hope will help. Fattoush (arabic salad with toasted bread) Two Hearts Salad (artichoke hearts and hearts of palm, for 3 hearts you can add sliced celery) Snow peas, halved grapes, and feta cheese Shredded steamed beats in a yogurt and mint sauce Herbed Black-eyed Pea Salad (purslane, parsley, blackeyed peas, pomegranate seeds, ground walnuts, lemon juice, olive oil) Then there are grain salads like those with bulghur or couscous.

Wow, I've learned so much from this thread. Moughrabbiyeh is indeed the large Lebanese version of couscous, and the name is also synonymous with a particular dish involving baby onions and chicken or lamb (it is one of my favorites and Ihope it is what FoodMan was referring to). Annisa Helou writes that "the grains made from flour and salted water are the size of small beads, about 1/4 inch in diameter." My experience is that you can substitute Israeli couscous for moghrabbiyeh, though the Israeli version may be a tad smaller. I have some I got at Kalustyan's, you can see their list of couscous types here Maftoul is indeed the Palestinian/Jordanian version of large couscous, you can see it here. In my experience, a tagine/dish involving couscous encorporates meat and spices, the couscous is not served seperately. I have also had sweet couscous made with fruit, spices, and sugar. I also found Clifford Wright's site about couscous. I was first introduced to couscous by a friend at camp who called it "the amazing chia pet food" because of the way it puffed up. I have enjoyed different types of couscous for years, but never considered making it myself. Now I'm inspired! Thanks so much, and I look forward to learning more.

A couple weeks ago I was craving macarons (one of my favorite confections) and decided to try my hand at making them, after months of trepidation. I reread this thread and others and collected lots of recipes and advice. The results were great! I had a few that were too dry and hollow, but most were beautiful (if anything, I had too much foot) and got even better after the filled macarons were a couple days old. Crisp yet chewy, very elegant. I did one batch that I left to dry for about 20 mins and one that I put right in the oven after piping. The ones that I let dry were the set that had some dry/hollow ones, so I don't think I'd do that again with this recipe (I know jgarner had dif. results but she also had a dif. recipe). I ground the almonds myself with some of the sugar. So here was my recipe (thanks to all the contributers to this thread!): 1 1/4 cup (200 g, 5 oz) powdered sugar 1 cup (110 g, 4 oz) ground almonds 1/4 cup (57 g, 2 oz) granulated sugar 3 whites, left to dry uncovered overnight Preheat the oven to 325. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Whisk together the ground almonds with the powdered sugar in a bowl. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until glossy. Fold the almond mixture into the whites. This is alarming, so don't be surprised when the whites deflate. It will seem like the mixture is too dry, but just keep folding until the mixture comes together. It should "flow like magma." Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe rounds onto the baking sheets. The rounds should be about 3-4 cm in diameter, they will spread a bit during baking. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. After 10 mins, feet should have formed. Do not let the tops color. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the paper (if they are stuck, try popping them in the freezer for a minute). Let cool completely and fill. I had a bit of trouble getting them off the parchment and will try using silpats next time. I filled them with ganache because that's what I had on hand. These were so great and satisfying to make. I'll be experimenting with flavors and fillings soon.

At home, we always sit caty-corner, so I guess that's somewhere in between. At restaurants, always across from each other. Although sometimes, when we're tired of talking to each other and just grabbing something local, we might bring our books. I love reading at dinner.

Cinnamon toast. This still is the breakfast treat in my house. Take 12 grain bread and top with butter. Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar. Bake in the toaster oven until bubbling. My family has a love of toast. As a child I was always teased about my "gourmet" lunches, which weren't so fancy but fitted my picky eating habbits. Looking back, I can't believe my single working mother did it. Caesar salads, bulghur pilafs, hummus and veggies, peach iced tea. BLT's (the only sandwich I would eat) with each component packed in sep. bags so it wouldn't get soggy. Other treats included bean dip with fritos as a movie night appetizer. Whenever we went on road trips, I would always get a Little Debbie oatmeal cream pie when we stopped for gas.

Well, I certainly don't have any expert knowledge, but I do have the following observation. One day I was having particular trouble with making a caramel recipe and burned it twice. So the third time I cooked it really slowly. Very slow. It didn't burn and came out the proper hue, but then as it cooled I noticed it was much more firm than usual. Maybe someone can explain why, but for now I'll keep cooking at medium or medium/high.

I have to agree that eating seasonally holds a certain nostalgia for me. One summer on the eastern shore of maryland I ate these amazing baby lima beans for weeks, accompanied by sweet white corn and tomatoes. I can't have limas without thinking about those hot summer suppers on the porch. Eating seasonally just seems to make sense. In winter I crave potatoes and brussel sprouts and there is nothing like fresh peas and articokes in spring. And if I want cherries in December I'll buy them, season or not. But usually I'm too busy enjoying chestnuts or figs or mache in their seasons. Looking at seasonality has also taught me a lot about cooking. Foods that come to market at the same time often compliment each other, even when they are not things you might normally think of pairing. My classic example is butternut squash and apple, another might be apricots and pistachios. This isn't always true, but I have learned a lot by just going to the market, picking out what looks good, and then seeing what I can come up with for dinner. If you have ever lived in much of the third world, something being fresh takes on a whole new meaning. Limited distribution and preservation means you have to eat seasonally and locally and you will notice the difference. You want orange juice, there it is, squeezed on site, ice cream just churned, fresh almonds cracked from their green shells. The shorter the season, the more I anticipate certain foods. Rhubarb, nectarines, kumquats. There is a certain thrill to pomegranates in winter and late summer tomatoes. Delicate figs, as soon as I would spot the first place selling them in their short season I would have to stop and buy a box full. They were so good, we would eat them until we got sick. So, I'm not against eating out of season, I choose my produce on what is good and flavorful. These days, the way groceries are it just might be cherries in December, so eat and enjoy. But I try and shop at farmers markets and I find that my senses, emotions, and tastes tend to lead me to eating seasonally naturally.

I have to agree with the peas thing, because of the short life of peas, frozen is usually better. I cannot, however, concur on frozen corn, mainly because it is usually some yellow corn that has lost its sweetness. I buy frozen edamame too. I think frozen berries can be a good option too because so many of the berries out there now are tough and tasteless. But as for frozen veggies, I would say pimarily peas, though if you want to get into modes of preservation, I think canned tomatoes are pretty great. I even read once that canning actually boosts nutrients in some foods(?). Oh yeah, and about brussels; I buy the baby brussel sprouts at the grocery. They are pricy, but they are the best sprouts you ever had.

I was just reading in the Pat Conroy cookbook about how growing up, he considered Smithfield ham the gold standard growing up. There was some great quote about how around here when someone dies, the pigs start getting nervous (referring to all the food people bring to the bereaved family).

Benne wafers. Or bazarak (middle eastern sesame cookie). They are also great sprinkled on top of llots of things. Persian naan comes to mind, and they have worked wonders for the appearance of fast food buns. Also on the outside of multigrain bread.

umm, chestnut ravioli, i love anything chestnut The kitchen is being renovated (a renovation initated by the landlord, not myself) and the fridge decided to go at the same time. This actually turned out well b/c the guys were there to fix it, but such a pain. Anyways, I cooked at a friends the other night. We started with Lillet and boerenkaas cheese. Then I made sole en papillote (so easy, with ceremonial presentation), accompanied by artichoke bottoms filled with fava beans and almonds in a dill-lemon sauce (recipe from Claudia Roden, also very elegant). Served with some whole wheat epi I rescued from the freezer and Fat Bastard chardonnay. Gingerbread ice cream for dessert. Tonight I grabbed this bottle of Voluntas Uva di Troia (Sicily) to go with my braised pork and creamed spinach (I love that stuff), it has quite a bite to it. Will be followed by a slice of almond tart also rescued from the freezer.

I broke the eggs into the flour and mixed them with a fork. I encorporated the rest of the flour with my hands, though there was some leftover flour that didn't encorporate. I kneaded for about ten minutes, until smooth.