LindaK

Good morning, Chris. I can't believe you have time for blogging with all the cooking that you're doing. Those onions look fantastic, I need to look up that recipe. A question for folks who keep little bits of things--like your pancetta--in your freezer. How do you keep track of it? Do you keep a list? I forget what I have until I stumble across it a year later. I hope the weather forecast doesn't complicate your week too much. I just got back from my own snow food run--the family members who were supposed to be flying home later today or tomorrow have already had their flights cancelled so will be staying a least an extra day. And snow shoveling can work up quite an appetite!

Vegetable gratins make substantial main courses. In winter, think potatoes, butternut squash, maybe some greens, all under a lovely bechamel toped with some cheese. It would make a fine side for non-vegetarian guests too.

Only do this if there are reasons you can't cook the truffle straight away. Don't deliberately store truffles in rice to infuse the flavor. Truffles should be used as soon as humanely possible. Thanks for the clarification. I've read that "tip" many times, it always sounded like such a good idea. I'll remember if I'm ever fortunate enough to have a truffle of my very own.

If you decide to go with risotto, I've read that burying the truffle in the Arborio rice a few days in advance infuses the rice with the truffle flavor--another way to get more out your truffle. Not that I've ever had my hands on one, but if I did, I'd be trying make the most of it.

My limited experience with Smithfield hams is that they tend to be very salty when cooked (still delicious, with biscuits or hush puppies). When sliced super thin, it is much more like prosciutto, though the flavor is different, between the hickory smoke and I believe NC pigs feed on peanuts. Lucky you! That looks like a lot of ham, though. I wonder how well it keeps, once you've baked it or cut into it.

Do you make it with fresh or salted cod? If the latter, it sounds like like a Portuguese dish I've had before--fabulous. I've tried a couple of these recently, and have been really impressed. The cab franc grape is more assertive than the traditional rosé champagne using pinot noir but it's a great match with food and an excellent value. I will look for that label, thanks for the recommendation.

Chris, I am in envy of your winter farmers market. We don't have one in Boston--no empty real estate here that doesn't cost a fortune to lease. So as of last weekend, my farmer sources are gone until spring. And to rub it in, I see Silverbrook Farms, one of my regulars (sets up just outside my office twice a week May-Dec). Excellent microgreens, eggs, jams, and various produce. Does it run all winter?

Mig, I can't vouch from personal experience, but my parents (in their 70s) really like the series of "1-2-3" cookbooks by Rozanne Gold, a Bon Appetit contributor. These books are based on the premise that all you need is 3 ingredients + pantry staples. You can see the whole line-up on Amazon here. Like your mother, they also like to stick with standard American fare, simply prepared. These books seem to have enough recipes of that genre to make them happy, and they simply ignore the others--though I have offered to stock their pantry with the more "exotic" ingredients. They own "Cooking 1-2-3" and the "Low Carb 1-2-3" and use them both often. I can't remember if there are photos. As for 2010 releases, she's gotten some good reviews for her new cookbook, Radically Simple, which goes beyond the 3 ingredient formula but also sounds relatively straightforward--though maybe beyond the standard American fare your parents (and mine) are comfortable with.

Nikkib, your reports aren't at all lazy. Keep them coming, please, they are fascinating and the food looks delicious.

Actually, the advice recently is that most people who get poor results from their dishwasher use too much dishwashing detergent and unnecessarily pre-rinse dishes. Check out this New York Times article on the subject here. Since reading this, I've cut back significantly on the amount of detergent I use with my dishwasher and can say that the results are at least as good, usually better, than before. No more cloudy glassware.

HC- It sounds lovely. Good to know about. I wonder about the crab cakes...where do they get their crab? I've never had any luck finding a decent crab cake this far north.

My family includes a few dishes from my mother's Swedish heritage in our Christmas food line-up. The favorite is a Swedish coffee bread, a brioche-like dough flavored with cardamom. My mother's version is braided with apples. It's delicious, not too sweet and perfect with coffee on Christmas morning.

Mel, how much cooking can you do in advance? is transporting food a problem? that might help with the selection issue and, of course, making it easier for you on NYE.

kefalograveria...I know it's a Greek cheese but I've never tasted it. Can you describe it? How does it compliment the feta, which is what most of us seem to use in spanakopita? I like your suggestion for doubling up the phyllo sheets, thanks for the tip.

Sounds perfect for winter. Did you serve it alone or with something like cake or ice cream? My efforts to correct my fizzy version were not successful, so I strained out the fruit and saved the liquid, it's sitting in the fridge now. It's also delicious. I'm thinking I might use it to poach some pears--a cheater's rumptof? Next summer I'll do better.

We're clam country up here. And having lived in the DC/Baltimore area for years, I know to show respect and deference to true crab culture. Still, you can find crab meat--not the fresh crabs--here if you're willing to pay. As for the cookbook, the sections on making clam/shellfish/fish stocks and broths have been really helpful. I grew up around here, so it would never occur to me to use a recipe for clam chowder. But I have enjoyed the Double Haddock Chowder and Parsnip Chowder recipes. Do not overlook the side recipes in the book, the corn and clam fritters especially. When I think about them, I dream of a proper deep fryer.

I have my copy of Jasper White's 50 Chowders open to the Crab "Meatball" Chowder recipe. It had not caught my eye before, but your beautiful photo has me seriously hungry. It looks perfect for a winter dinner with friends. New England is not crab territory, but I'll find some.

Just in time for holiday baking, my kitchen timer has died. My previous timer did not have a multiple time-keeping feature nor the "count down" feature that Fat Guy mentions up-topic--both would be nice but are not deal breakers for me. I've looked in a few local stores and all I see is the OXO. The choices on Amazon are overwhelming. Any updated recommendations? An added bonus would be something nicely designed. I will admit that I bought my previous timer because it was elegant. The fact that it functioned well for 10 years was a nice surprise. Hey, I have to look at it every day, why not?

Mustard Bâtons, p. 15 Is this the easiest recipe in the book? Maybe. But that doesn’t make them less tasty. If you keep frozen puff pastry on hand, this takes only a few minutes to put together, less time than it takes to bake them. Do follow Dorie’s advice to use a strong mustard. I used a seriously hot Dijon, but something about the puff pastry (the butter?) mellows it considerably.

Thanks for blogging! It's been fun to follow, and I really admire your adventurous approach to your gluten-free challenges, I'm learning a lot. But mostly I want to say thanks for sharing your gnocchi-rolling technique. I've never really gotten the hang of it, but the fork-skewer combo looks like something that might work for me.

Lucky you! There's a current debate on the merits of the first two restaurants on your list in this topic: Le Chateaubriand vs. La Regalade as well as some additional suggestions in the Paris Restaurants between €35 - 50 topic.

That's an ambitious (and delicious) menu. It does seem to me, though, that you have a lot happening in your oven all at once, which could be problematic for getting everything on the table at the same time. Maybe don't roast the broccoli and move it to the top of the stove? As for prep, you should be able to get the stuffing ingredients and the broccoli prepped the night before. Only the potatoes would need to be cut up last minute.

I've enjoyed cooking from Jasper White's 50 Chowders: One Pot Meals - Clam, Corn, & Beyond . It's not new but I only picked it up this past summer. I couldn't resist buying a used copy of the edited volume Soups and One Pot Meals: The 100 Best Recipes from Around the World. Though I have yet to cook from it, the recipes and photos make for great reading. Not just the standards, it includes recipes from Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Laos, Monacco, and other cuisines that I might otherwise not have on my bookshelves.

Chris, the las pous recipe looks to me like a heavy version of polenta (never mind if you fry it in goose fat! yum, but...). If the general idea appeals but you want lighter, go to Paula's recipe for oven baked polenta, which I got from her Slow Mediterranean Kitchen cookbook. It's been my go-to recipe ever since I tried it--not only the best polenta I've ever made, but easiest. If you want something a little more fancy, then I've had good luck by making a firm version in advance, spreading it on a baking sheet, chilling it, and cutting it into diamonds (or whatever shape), and last minute brushing them with butter and baking--they fluff up inside, get crisp outside, and are great as a base for daube. I don't cook Christmas dinner, but I am thinking about a menu for my Christmas tree decorating get-together. Must make discerning adults and kids happy, serve 12+ with little last-minute fuss. Always Christmas cookies for dessert, but the general menu is still open. Last year I made a portuguese pork and clam stew--with the polenta. Fantastic. This year I am craving brandade, but am not sure if that will work with kids. Maybe as an appetizer only.

For the soup dumplings, there are a few recommendations here: As an alternative, over here in a topic about cheap eats is a loud wonton soup recommendation: http://egullet.org/p1735882