LindaK

The meal looks lovely, and a leisurely lunch with friends is the best of all. Are those wines local? I'd be interested in learning more about the wines of your area. I'm with rotuts, cheese lovers around the world are living vicariously through you.

The recipe (for 2 loaves) called for 1/3 cup (125 g) coarse-grained polenta w/ up to 5 cups (625 g) flour. The polenta was soaked before using it--the recipe calls for adding the yeast to warm cream with a bit of sugar, then after it begins to froth, adding the polenta and letting the mixture sit for a while before proceeding with the recipe.

Welcome to the forums, Choc Doc. Over in the discussion topic about David's book The Perfect Scoop, there are questions about his caramel ice cream recipe, some members had similar trouble with it, though the ratios are different (and it doesn't have any butter). Here's the ingredient list in the book: 1 c (200 g) sugar 2 c (500 g) milk 1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 c (250 g) heavy cream 5 large egg yolks 1/2 tsp vanilla extract looks like in the blog recipe that the butter replaces a cup of milk, and there's more sugar. Still, you might pick up some tips by reading through that discussion.

Here's a variation to consider: polenta brioche. I saw it in a cookbook on Venetian cuisine. It's a standard rich brioche recipe with a small amount of coarse-ground polenta added for flavor and texture. Think of it as the most luxurious corn bread you'll ever make. The real reason I made it, though, is because the cookbook recommended it for a brioche bread pudding. Once I had that thought in my head, there was nothing to do but make one so I didn't spend all day thinking about it. So half the loaf was sliced for toast and jam. The next day, I cut the remaining brioche into fingers and layered them with berries in a small souffle dish. Soaked everything with eggs, cream, and a bit of vanilla and cinammon for good measure. It puffed up beautifully and the berries bubbled. Because it was so rich, it was plenty for two. Because the polenta cuts through the sweetness of the bread, it would be really good in a savory bread pudding too. I'm thinking about mushrooms...

Dave, thanks for sharing your quartier de la belle France. Much envy here, especially around the cheeses and good restaurants tucked away in small towns. I made your celeriac soup last night. It was just the thing to use up the celeriac I'd bought on impulse. I didn't have any cream but added a bit of creme fraiche. Easy and delicious. Merci!

A recent TJ's find has been the Stone Ground White Grits. They're not something I see very often around here in the Northeast except as an over-priced specialty item. And they're good! Lots of flavor and texture. Great to have in the pantry.

David, I hope you were able to salvage the foie experiment into something tasty to eat, even if it wasn't very pretty. This could be a very expensive cook-off for you. Thanks for taking one for the team! I'll admit to not being a big fan of gel textures. Just a personal preference, that's all. But that pea dish is calling to me, it looks beautiful and the flavors sound amazing.

Brilliant! A couple of questions: - re: the rising, do you leave any expansion room within the tube, or doyou let the dough rise to fill it? - how do you check for doneness? the bread really browns within the silpat, no need to finish it outside the tube? I love the gutter guard idea.

If it was 100F here I would not have made this, that’s for sure. Blue Dolphin, I’m with you on the “most hated childhood meal.” I remember being served something like that as a kid (without the peas) and it was awful. Overcooked salt cod gets tough and if it sits around too long the cream sauce would become fishy-tasting. Not good. Which is why, if I have any tips for a simple dish like this, they’d be all about not overcooking the fish or letting it dry out. Since the salt cod is pre-cooked before being added to the gratin, I bring it to a simmer then immediately remove it from the heat, letting it sit for about 5 minutes before draining it and then pulling it into large flakes. It should be barely cooked. It also helps that this particular recipe pre-cooks the potatoes, which helps keep the gratin moist and minimizes oven time. Other members have recommended salt cod gratins, maybe they have some tips too.

Fall weather has arrived in New England, which might explain the serious craving for salt cod I’ve had recently. Last night, I made a gratin de morue from Patricia Wells’ Bistro Cooking—salt cod between layers of potatoes cooked in herb-infused milk, all enriched with egg yolk and crème fraiche, plus a little garlic. Oh my. Worth it alone for the aroma that fills the kitchen as it cooks. When making a small recipe, I often use these individual gratin dishes. Practical and pretty. Bon appetit!

There's quite a long discussion here of the Montignac Method, if anyone is inclined to bump it up with their recent experiences.

Playing off a favorite fall combo of apple pie w/ a slice of cheddar cheese. I'd try a tart w/ a puff pastry base topped with a light smear of dijon and honey, thinly sliced tart apples, and some sharp cheddar.

I've never, ever heard of cake/flower nails. I can easily imagine how such a thing would help heat conduction. But how do you use them, exactly? I love stumbling across something completely new, even when it makes me feel completely ignorant.

Lately I've been enjoying the beers from local Notch Brewing Company, most recently Squirrel Brew, created for a local fundraiser and named in honor of an albino squirrel in my neighborhood. Notch specializes in Session beer, ie. low-alcohol beer. A nice option for those days when you want a beer or two with lunch but don't want a mid-day nap. Most importantly, delicous.

FrogPrincesse, any photo of the cavatelli cutter? I'm trying to imagine how it works. Ditto Chris's interest in the pasta rack. It holds a lot more than my current one.

M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf. Published in 1942, reflecting the latter years of the Depression in the U.S. and the food rationing that accompanied the second World War. As is always true with her books, the recipes often take a back seat to the stories of how to live life well through food, even in difficult times. Highly recommended.

Not for steaks, but I this time of year I always make a compound butter with the tarragon from my garden and freeze it in small quantities. During the depressing depths of winter, my favorite way to use it is under the skin of a whole chicken before baking, with the flavored juices for basting. Superb! Simpler is to throw a chunk into some cooked rice or mashed potatoes. Either way, the hit of a fresh summer herb during winter cheers me up. As the summer comes to a close, I'd be interested in ideas for other herbs and uses.

My expectations of a potluck depend entirely on the crowd. I have my annual community garden potluck this afternoon, which is consistently a culinary disaster, but I go because I like the people and it's always good for a beer, a few laughs and neighborhood debates. I always bring something good, but keep it simple. Actually it's an opportunity to try something new. Even if I'm disappointed, what I bring will always be better than most other offerings. On the other hand, I have friends who are accomplished home or professional cooks, but our potlucks are the only way to manage a home-cooked dinner together amidst the obligations of kids, family and work. For these, I usually check in with the host re: best course offering and take the time to do something special if possible. Whichever, life is short, have fun.

Eat Your Books and Evernote. And a folder of ripped pages from the NYT magazine or other publications. Whatever's easiest at the time.

I heard the NPR story this morning and thought that his point about the outliers was mostly about how to identify fake reviews that were planted there by hotel and restaurant owners. They were reporting on academic research that did a cross-comparison of hundreds of thousands of reviews on Expedia and Trip Advisor. The conclusion was that a glowing review by someone who's offered no other reviews, when the majority say otherwise, is suspect as a fake review. Especially the case on a site that lets people post anonymously. TripAdvisor, which doesn't require registration to post, had significantly more outlier reviews than Expedia, which does require registration. I don't look at those sites often, but had pretty much reached the same conclusion on my own. The report: Promotional Reviews: An Empirical Investigation of Online Review Manipulation

The pesto freezes very well too, just leave out the cheese and add it after the pesto is defrosted. I also freeze some in an ice cube tray for those times when you just want a small amount. A spoonful in a bowl of vegetable soup during the dead of winter always cheers me up.

As my basic brioche, I’ve adopted a recipe from Linda Dannenberg’s Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie. The book includes several brioche recipes, I like the one from Ganachaud. The idea and technique for the marbled loaf comes from Nick Malgieri’s The Modern Baker. They are delicious!

Exactly. I cut them into 2 inch slices and gave them a final rise, then added the topping before baking The topping recipe I followed, from Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook, was a slurry of beaten egg, sugar, and sliced almonds, and the proportions made a topping that was too runny, I had to sop up the excess after I'd heaped some on each pastry. Next time I'll make it thicker (maybe adding some almond meal?). But don't skip the topping, it balances the slightly bitter candied oranges beautifully.

Whatever the recipe, I always toast the couscous in a dry pan before cooking, it lends a little flavor and color. I like it as a side with anything off the grilll, particularly lamb or kabobs of any sort.

I got up earlier than usual this morning to bake something good for breakfast. Craqueline: brioche filled with chopped candied oranges, topped with a crunchy-yet-tender almond crust. Very good.