LindaK

Scallop and Onion Tartes Fines, (pp. 168-169) I made these tarts last night as part of a light dinner. They were delicious and very rich—thanks to the caramelized onion, pancetta and puff pastry. Quick and easy to put together at the last minute. I cooked the onion and pancetta in advance, so all it took was browning the pastry rounds, topping them with ingredients, and giving them a few minutes in the oven for everything to warm. I plated them with a small side salad and followed with the cauliflower soup sans cream mentioned above, topped with some tapenade croutons. Very elegant with little effort. Don’t you love French cooking?

Garbanzos con bacalao --Chickpea stew with salt cod Like every other traditional recipe, there are lots of variations out there. I used one that I found on José Andrés’s web site: here This was not a great success. Too much pimentón, I wonder if the recipe should read teaspoons rather than tablespoons. But I like the concept, and it came together quickly—thanks to having pre-soaked salt cod in the freezer—so I’ll play around with the combination again. If anyone has a good recipe for this, please share.

Me too! I don't care for sweetened cereal like frosted flakes, but mushy raisin bran is the best. As someone who has tested many of them over the years, the one that takes the longest to turn to mush is shredded wheat. But it too succumbs, thankfully.

Trader Joe's Thai Lime & Chili Peanuts. Keep them away from me, please, I can't stop...

Chris, that's a very interesting question, I'm glad you asked. Paula Wolfert wrote that the toasting step would make it easier to pull the salt cod into strips. And it's true that the quick broil cooked the fish a bit--the outside layer began to flake, so that later, after soaking, it was easy to pinch a section of the cod and peel it off into neat pieces. However, there was something else going on. I watched it carefully while it was under the broiler (how quickly can salt cod burn? I did not want to find out) and noticed a slightly frothy layer forming a light crust on top--that's what was browning. I investigated--meaning, I plucked off a small piece of the "crust" and took a taste--and ran for the water bottle. Pure salt. The heat was pulling the residual moisture from the fish, which brought salt with it. It was so unexpected that I took a picture. A bad picture, but you can see that the nice smooth surface of the fish looks all lumpy and bumpy: That's all salt. As soon as I put it into a bowl of water to soak, it completely dissolved and looked like a smooth piece of fish again. The result was that the desalting process was much faster than usual. When I tasted the soaked fish after 24 hrs, it was ready to use. In fact maybe it had soaked too long. I had wondered at the recipes I'd seen for remojón that called for a soak of only a few hours or overnight. Depending on the saltiness of your fish, that now makes sense. Keep in mind that I had rinsed the exterior salt from the cod (and patted it dry) before putting it under the broiler. That salty crust clearly came from the interior of the fish. Now, you still need the soak to reconstitute the dried cod, since it isn't going to be poached. But this toasting step seems crucial for using salt cod in this "ceviche" style.

Last night’s dinner was remojón, a Spanish salad of oranges and salt cod that I first discovered in Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Cooking. It’s a specialty of the Andalusia and the basic recipe is very simple: orange supremes, salt cod, vinaigrette of sherry vinegar and olive oil, black olives. Most recipes add hard boiled eggs to make a more substantial meal. The method of cooking the cod is entirely new to me: the unsalted cod is toasted under a hot broiler until lightly browned, then it is soaked. Later, it’s flaked and tossed with the vinaigrette and the oranges, then allowed to marinate—almost like a ceviche. The combination of sweet-savory-salty flavors is delicious, though I am not sure I got the balance exactly right on this first try (a bit too much vinaigrette). Instead of oranges, I used tangelos, as Paula suggested, which are a little more tart. I will make this again—together, the bright, juicy citrus and rich fish really hit the spot in the middle of winter. You need some good bread to mop up the lovely juices. I put together an olive fougasse, one of the few breads I know how to make. Chris, the greens in the fritters above are just parsley and cilantro. They do contribute flavor, not just pretty color.

Back again, with 3 lbs of salt cod waiting for inspiration. Over the past weeks, I’ve been reading, trying to learn more about the use of salt cod outside of my comfort zone of fritters and brandade. Information is scattered. One of the few books I’ve found with extensive information and recipes on salt cod is Coleman Andrew’s Catalan Cuisine, recommended above. It has a rice dish that looks fabulous—except that you don’t soak the cod before cooking with it. Hmm. Does anyone have experience with that technique? I would love other reading suggestions, especially about Caribbean cuisine, which looks fascinating—lots of greens, legumes, and scotch bonnet chilies. But in the meantime, last night I made a small batch of the salt cod and shrimp fritters, mostly because I’m trying to take advantage of Maine shrimp before the season ends. They are so sweet, they actually dominate the flavor here, but in a good way. This time I took a picture. I'll be more adventurous with the next post.

One of these days I'll visit Hong Kong. And when I do, I'm going wherever you've been--I want those meals! The egg tarts sound fabulous. Thanks for the great reporting.

Kathy, I'm glad you liked them. I'm going to steal your idea of using the recipe for a burger, esp. with dhardy123's suggestion for adding feta--I'm thinking as a topping--when summer finally arrives and I can fire up the grill. Imagine this lamb burger on a toasted bun, with crispy lettuce and a slice of great tomato...thanks for the suggestion! I'm intrigued by slkinsey's suggestion for adding yogurt to the meatball mixture. I'd guess it not only adds flavor but keeps the meat tender. Must try.

I had to share this article from my neighborhood newspaper. Parents using food and cooking to teach science to their children. Sous vide, no less. But who needs a Sous Vide Supreme when you could use a compost pile? Science + compost = cake

There's a discussion of Robuchon's method for french fries here

Save the veal for something else! I don’t see the two meats working well together. Over in the Meatballs topic, I mentioned that I love my lamb meatballs, but didn’t provide a real recipe. As best I can approximate, I’d say: Per lb of ground lamb: ¼ cup minced onion 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 Tbsp olive oil 3 Tbsp fresh mint, finely cut ½ teaspoon salt large pinch allspice pinch cinnamon small pinch cayenne pepper ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs 1 large egg, beaten 2 tablespoons dried currants Dipping sauce: 1 cup Greek yogurt Fresh mint, finely cut, to taste Juice of ½ lemon Salt to taste Preparation: saute onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat until soft but not brown. Cool. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing thoroughly but gently. Let mixture rest for at least 1 hr. Form into small meatballs, and place 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Cooking: preheat oven to 450F. Bake meatballs in top third of oven for 8-10 minutes, shaking or turning meatballs at halfway point. Don’t overcook. Serve warm with yogurt dipping sauce on the side. the various spices all work well with the lamb but it's the fresh mint that really makes them special. In the same topic, Fat Guy posted a recipe w/ a video link that I have not tried but that looks interesting: here

This a challenging and exciting way of thinking about what "modernist cuisine" means. I will probably be the last member of the eG volunteer team to buy a Sous Vide Supreme, but this makes intuitive sense to me and totally bursts the intimidation bubble. Who knew that a homemade block of velveeta would be the key?

Chris, is there any discussion of using different types of flour when making pasta? When I want a firmer pasta, I use durum/semolina flour rather than the '00' flour. The dough is definitely stiffer and is harder to knead. If you've ever used it before, I'd be curious as to whether the use of the xantham gum gives you the same effect--or how it differs.

This is an interesting question. Sometimes, a recipe includes an ingredient that I'm looking to play with or use (especially now with eatyourbooks.com around). More often, it's the prose or an evocative story that preceeds the recipe, and I feel compelled to make the recipe in an attempt to better understand the experience--or simply to live vicariously. Good food writing seduces me more readily than a list of ingredients.

I love using beet greens in a simple pasta, w/ garlic, red pepper, and a sprinkling of parm cheese. They make an excellent filling for tortellini, if I'm feeling ambitious. However, I've yet to find a way to keep the stem color from the greens of red beets from bleeding when cooking them.

Beautiful! I've got to give a heads up to one of my nephews about your blog. He spent January-June last year in Auckland and thoroughly enjoyed New Zealand, especially his visits to the South Island and Wellington--with the food being one of the highlights. He's still pining for the quality and diversity of the food that was readily available to him, even on a college student budget.

My default vinaigrette uses a bit of dijon mustard as an emulsifier, equal parts sherry vinegar and fresh lemon juice for the acid, and good olive oil. S+P always, sometimes garlic. Rarely anything more. I like to layer flavors in the salad, not so much in the vinaigrette.

Same here. Though I find it a little intimidating to start a new article, it's shockingly easy to add something to an article that's already begun. Browse what's there, if you read an article that strikes you as lacking a detail or fact that you know, just add it. It's a stress-free way to get started.

At least in the states, I find the Muir Glen brand at Whole Foods. They're a little pricy for canned tomatoes but the quality is good. When they go on sale I pick up a lot.

They can't compete with the homemade product, but you can find fire-roasted canned tomatoes by Muir Glen (sometimes I see them at Trader Joe's too). The mild smokiness adds an extra dimension to a red sauce that I like, and is especially welcome when I'm not adding any meat.

Ok, I do need to read this book. The reviews have been good, too. I love the series but don't remember the meals at all, except for the memorable scene at high table in "Gaudy Night." What is the cookbook like?

Agreed. Just remembered...besides Kingfish Hall, the other place I actually like near Fanueil Hall that is open on Sunday is Hillstone (used to Houston's). It's part of a chain, but the food is good. Small selection of well-made sandwiches, salads, and soups--and always several excellent vegetable side dishes, and they'll let you sub the veg side for the french fries (but the fries are good). http://www.hillstone.com/hillstone/ Also remembered, Sel de la Terre has an adjacent boulangerie where they sell their breads but also sandwiches, etc. Not sure if there is seating, it might just be take-out. In the summer you can sit outside but not in February.

That's a good suggestion. Truth is, you're in a lousy area for Sunday dining, especially for something simple and healthy--most places in that neighborhood cater to the Mon-Fri financial and govt employees who work nearby and so close on weekends. You could walk a couple of blocks down State Street to the waterfront and check out Sel de la Terre or Legal Seafoods at Long Wharf, or walk a few more minutes to the North End for Italian restos galore or Neptune Oyster Bar if you're feeling flush.

How? What? Sounds interesting. In the Netherlands I bought a couple of cones of broken Syrup Waffle bits. Wish I'd bought more. I'm thinking crispy pizelles(?) would be good try corn bread croutons. yum! In the sweet category, crumbled amaretti cookies are great with ice cream.