LindaK

Gazing at a box of blueberries while drinking my morning coffee led to a vioklent craving for blueberry pancakes. Had to have them, immediately. This is my lazy version, using boxed multigrain mix from Trader Joe's. A little messy, but so good.

Harvard's posted the Science & Cooking Public Lectures schedule for Fall 2011: http://seas.harvard.edu/cooking No advanced tickets (except for Ferran Adria) so get in line early!

A St. Louis thing, too. Until I lived there, I'd never heard of Gooey Butter Cake but it can be found across the city. Delicious so long as you're not worried about calories or cholesterol. I still make it from time to time, it's always a hit. NYT recipe: Having my Cake and Eating it too, Melissa Clark

The barrel-shaped flour sifters I've used before have all had squeeze handles. I never found those to work very well--very slow output so that my hand would cramp by the time I'd gotten all the flour I needed. I've never seen a crank model. Aren't they awkward to use, since they must require both hands?

Mjx, lucky you! Me, still dreaming of a lunch in Paris a few years ago: a perfect omelet filled to bursting with sauteed chanterelles. Good bread and a glass of sancerre. That's what I'd cook.

This is one of my favorites, too. Another comes from French chef Roger Vergé. Very simple but an excellent side dish/base with fish or poultry: boil/steam a pound of new potatoes. Peel while hot. Mash coarsely with a fork, adding some good olive oil along the way. Finally add slivers of pitted niçoise olives, mix gently. taste for salt, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

If you haven't read it, Mark Bittman offered some interesting recipes for "ice pops" in last Sunday's New York Time magazine: Fruity, Savory, Creamy, Boozy

I've got some serious sieve envy! Looks like I'll be buying more than another set of nested sieves... A few of you have mentioned reinforced mesh. How do you identify that on a product? I don't think I've ever seen one labeled as such--or is that the standard in a restaurant suppply store? For longevity, it sounds like it's worth seeking out. I'm surprised (but not displeased) that no one seems to be recommending the tamis/drum sieves that I've seen mentioned elsewhere, such as Tamis/Drum Sieve for purees and sauces. They're pricey and don't look like they'd be useful for everyday cooking--though I could be wrong. Then there's Modernist Cuisine, which recommends laboratory sieves. Not cheap.

It’s time to replace my sieves—again. Mine get heavy use as strainers, sifters, and colanders. That means I go through a set every year or so. I broke another one last night and I’m wondering whether this time I should look for something beyond the set of standard, nested sieves that I ordinarily buy. What do you own? What do you really use? Is it time for me to invest in a drum sieve? I already own a few specialty items, such as a chinois and food mill. I don't mind spending the money if I'll actually use something.

This is going to be fun! I visited KC only a few times during my years in St. Louis, and I expect I'll regret that by the end of your week.

How about habaneros? very fruity and floral, but of course kick-ass hot. One solution: last year over in the "Cooking from 'Fiesta at Rick's'" topic, I made this fantastic Yucatecan Ceviche recipe, which used habanero chile in the marinade. The genius of the marinade was this: you added a halved, de-seeded habanero to the citrus juice for a short time and then discarded the pepper, using only the juice in the marinade. Result: all the flavor and complexity of the habanero with only some of the heat (your choice how long you let it steep). Perhaps the same technique could be used for sorbet or ice cream.

It's been a while since I lived in DC, so I can't offer any current suggestions. But I would strongly second Busboy's suggestion to try one of the many Ethiopian restaurants in town. If you're staying near Union Station, you're only a few metro stops from Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan, both good areas for food.

I use EYB sporadically but always find some surprises when I do. Recently I noticed that they are beginning to index food magazines and blogs so that you can "add" them to your library along with your books. That means that a search will include online recipes from your favorite sites and blogs. The selection is still slim, it's still under development, but it seems like a smart idea.

For what you're describing, I use the "pulse" button. Cut each veg into a few rough chucks first. If the veggies are of different densities (carrots=hard, onions=soft) I'll pulse them separately, or add them in sequence hard --> soft.

Everything looks delicious. PanCan, I don't know that I've ever seen plantain flour, I'll need to look for it. The dough looks tender and flaky, hard to believe there's no fat in it. The crawfish pie is an inspiration and makes clear that savory pies don't have to be individual pies. Though I have not made one for a while, here's a pic of a slice of b'stilla, which comes from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. A phyllo dough filled with a creamy, savory-spiced chicken. Very good: Visiting friends over the weekend, I had the chance to browse several Brazilian cookbooks, which were full of recipes for doughs and fillings for empadinhas. All very new to me. I took notes and if i can read my scribble, I'll give some a try.

Jonathan, welcome to eGullet! I can only add a couple of new suggestions: arugula grows quickly from seed and does well in pots and windowboxes. Snip when young for your salads or pasta. nasturtiums are lovely edible flowering plants that also look beautiful on your deck. the peppery flowers are great additions to salads. Local farmers markets are still selling starter plants.

Here's a question: a colleague from work is moving to the Triangle area in a few weeks, he and his fiance are starting grad school at Duke and UNC. I'd love to give them a going-away gift of a restaurant gift certificate to introduce them to the cuisine of their new home. Any suggestions from what you've shown us? I was thinking BBQ (neither have been out of the northeast before) but wonder if you'd suggest something else. Thanks so much for the tour, it's been great fun.

Hi Elise, Great start! I knew I'd enjoy this blog when I saw the cookbook lineup. It will be fun to see how French and So. Cal food cultures mix. Though I will say, it's hard for those of us in the northeast not to be consumed by envy when we see your farmers markets.

I'm with you completely, though with childhood memories of Swedish pancakes for dinner I would add lingonberry jam. It used to be hard to find, but now I can buy it at Ikea. One question: flannel cakes. I've never heard of them. What are they?

I'd love to know more about plantain dough. Never heard of it before but it sounds marvelous. Recipe?

Host Note: Rules of the Game Great idea. For this to work, everyone will need to follow a few basic rules: Use the forums for posting information and follow-up Q&A about products. Use the PM system for all aspects of the exchange: requests for products, how much you want, cost of shipping, addresses, payment methods, etc. To avoid misunderstandings, we ask that anyone posting about product availability/requests provide the following info: - specific information about the product you’re offering/requesting - the cost per unit - the quantity available/requested - a reminder that all aspects of the exchange must transpire on the PM system Finally, please post an update when don’t want additional inquiries.

Hurray, it's that time of year again! I picked up a small bag at the farmer's market today: and used them for a risotto. The arborio rice absorbed the flavor beautifully. A bit of parmesan and pecorino cheeses softened it just enough. Very tasty.

That's what I love! edited to add: NC is indeed a beautiful state, including some of my favorite beaches, the Outer Banks.

Laurie, thanks for blogging in the midst of such a crazy schedule. Looking forward to hearing about your local favorite eateries--esp. bbq. Maybe because I first tasted the real stuff in east Carolina, that style bbq is my personal favorite. And of course, please share photos and stories about your kitchen gadgets!

That's fascinating. Could you try and describe how you differentiate between the smell of baked goods cooking and baked goods done? I fear I'd be too eager too soon to declare them done if I relied on smell alone Here's the best analogy I can come up with: think of toasting a piece of bread. It smells like warm bread, then toast, then burnt toast. When you get that hint of "toast" in a baked good, it's time to check it, regardless of what the timer says. Works for me, anyway.