LindaK

Thanks, John, for all your work and for letting many of us live vicariously through your Paris posts. They're always thoughful and witty. Encore!

My hood is by Prestige, sold by the folks who make BlueStar ranges (which I also have). It's excellent at moving air and at the lower levels the noise level is reasonably quiet. It's louder at top speed, no question, but I rarely need to crank it for long. I live in a condo, so an external roof mount blower wasn't an option. It's not in < $1,000 price range, but I thought I'd add another vote in favor of the filterless hoods. So easy to clean, just pop out the baffles and throw them in the DW.

I make small appetizer meatballs with ground lamb, seasoned with a little allspice and cumin, fresh mint, some dried currants--plus the usual bread/egg binder ratio. Serve with a bowl of yogurt mixed with more fresh mint and lemon juice for dipping w/ toothpicks. I'm also a fan of baking them on a sheet pan, much less mess. High heat, as Chris mentioned, don't crowd them, and give them a shake/turn halfway through. The small meatballs cook fast, so taste one after 5 minutes to see how they're doing. Usually they need a couple of minutes more.

How can we find out more about the NY events? Le Fooding has a website that gives info on their events (in French). As of today, the website notes that the NYC Le Fooding is scheduled but that the official website for the event is still under construction. Presumably it will go live at some point--and maybe in English? In the meantime, you can check out the culinary lineup of their summer events in France to get an idea of they operate.

This cookbook was an impulse purchase recently, based on the enthusiasm of its eG fans. I'm looking forward to reading thru this entire thread, but for now let me just say that I am addicted to the French Yogurt Cake recipe. Addicted, really. I made it the first time to use up some leftover yogurt and now there's no going back. I made my third one a few days ago, just for myself. Midweek, no guests scheduled. That might be a first, I don't have a big sweet tooth and baking isn't my favorite thing. For anyone interested, the second time I made it I followed Dorie's suggestion of using it as a base for strawberry shortcake for the lunch I cooked for my parents on Mothers Day, and it was a huge hit.

If you don't frequent the France regional forum, you may not know about Le Fooding. Top chefs cooking in informal, public venues...I've never been but it always sounded like fun. You can find the eG thread here Well, it's coming to NYC, as reported recently in the NYT. Has anyone been to any of the Paris Fooding events?

Le Fooding comes to NYC in September 2009. From France, A Lesson in Loving Food

the most addictive dip/spread I've had in a long time was Anna Sortun's recipe for Whipped Feta with Sweet and Hot Peppers. It's in her cookbook Spice. Simple--good French feta and roasted red peppers, but it's the smoked Spanish paprika and spicier Aleppo pepper seasoning that makes people fight over the last bit. Good with veggies or pita chips. I'm also partial to bean dips. Hummus of course, but recently improvised a white bean dip with roasted garlic and rosemary that was very yummy.

I included a dosposal in my recent kitchen reno after years of being without one, and I am glad to have one again. Living in an urban area without composting opportunities, it pained me to put food scraps in a plastic bag headed for the landfill. To some of the objections above: interesting point about water usage, I will try to be careful. As to the issues about grease, that is indeed a problem for city sewer systems but not related to disposals, people without disposals do that all the time. Unfortunately. My disposal is an Insinkerator also, it's smooth and powerful, pretty quiet for a disposal.

Let me enthusiastically recommend my friend Alberto Cabre of Tentempie Catering. He's classically trained but also offers a repetoire of creative Spanish and Latin dishes. He caters events from small dinner parties to large weddings. I really love his food, from the fancy passed hors d'oevres to the three types of paella he offered last summer at a wedding of 200 guests (people were fighting for the last of the squid ink paella, amazing). No web site yet, but you can email him at: tentempieboston@gmail.com.

I was wondering about everyone's mental/physical health the day after. This nicely answers that question. Bravo.

Yeah - with a simmer burner, it seems that a different grate would be called for. I use some tiny pots - like a 1.5 qt saucier and a stainless 2 cup measuring cup for melting and heating. I like the look of the BS grates in general, but it would be nice if the simmer burner had a grate with more bars and smaller openings to support tiny pans. In principle, I agree, though I regularly use a tiny 1 cup pan to melt butter on my BS. You just have to position it carefully. An extra half-inch or more on the grate lengths would make it foolproof.

A very clear and thoughtful synthesis of this thread, thank you. Now that spring has arrived and I can admire the pea shoots coming up in my community garden plot...now that my friends without plots are counting the days until their first CSA delivery...now that my favorite area farmer tells me that after only two years their foray into raising meat has been successful beyond their wildest dreams...now that the city of Boston is planning a year-round farmers market...all this in a dense urban area, easily accessible by walking, bike, or public transit...now that all this is at my fingertips, I compare the local food scene to the void it was when I moved here 10 years ago, and I say WOW, thank you Alice and Michael and everyone else. Just please don't make me feel guilty about my choices in January, when spring is far away and the nearest local vegetable is even further, or if I lose my job in the next round of layoffs that I know is coming.

Dare I wade into this debate? The temptation to respond to earlier comments is great but I'll simply say this: I can't stand listening to her, in any media. So I read her cookbooks instead. Skim past the lifestyle lectures and get down to the good culinary advice and recipes.

thanks jsmeeker, that's a helpful description. Too many tweets, not enough time.

When I saw this thread, I assumed that it was prompted by today's NYT article on the subject. But, no, as usual, eG was ahead of the crowd. I have a more basic question: for those of you already on board, what makes following a twitter thread (is that the right word?) worth it? At the risk of sounding anti-new technology, do I really want/need more messages beeping at me during the course of a day? I can't keep up with my emails or my podcast subscriptions as it is. The NYT article makes a good case for how twitter can be useful. But for everyone who recommends a twitter thread, can you tell us more about what you like about it and why it's worth subscribing.

Holy #@*! Johnny D. I have long admired the Deathmatch dinners that you've pulled together before. But this one looks to be a work of art. I love the theme. I think. The booklet photos are a little scary, though beautifully composed. And the food lineup...please tell us more. I'm curious about your music throwdown, as well. How well did did the soundtrack accompany the food? That could be a whole new cooking thread.

Family keeps giving me silcone brushes as gifts and I loathe them, they are so clumsy. Natural bristle all the way, even with the shedding. I'll try the art store for my next round.

It's funny. I LOATHE anything heavily flavored of anise--licorice, Pernod, etc.--UGH. Which always makes me wary of fennel. Then I have it in a salad and it's great. I have to work hard to remember that I like fennel. As a variation on the suggestion above w/ parmesan, I like the same mixture tossed with very young, nutty arugula. Heaven as a side to grilled fish in the summer.

mmm. mousseline... Alternatively, since you won't have access to an oven, if you want something hot, what about some type of savory dumpling, poached then served in a broth. Then there are vegetable alternatives. A really good baba ganouj (sp?) is very light and fluffy, tasting more of creamy eggplant than tahini. There's an addictive Turkish meze in Ana Sortun's cookbook Spice, Whipped Feta with Sweet and Hot Peppers. The name says it all. It's meant as an appetizer, not an entree, but oh my, it is good. And salty and fluffy.

what ?? I missed your original post but I feel your pain. When I moved to Boston 10 years ago, I sorely missed the year-round market in St. Louis, MO, the Soulard Farmers Market, that I left behind. The network of neighborhood farmers markets we have in Boston is great. but when they shut down in November, there is a void. The good news is that there are plans afoot for the kind of year-round farmers market that we need. There's long been grass-roots support, but the real news is that the city has identified a site for the market that's adjacent to the Rose Kennedy Greenway (atop the old "big dig" for those who know Boston). It's a great location, central, and on public transit. If you're reading this and live in Boston, please let your state and local elected officials know that you support it. Read more: Boston Globe article Public Market web site This organization has a great annual fundraising dinner hosted by local chefs that support the project.

Budget considerations aside, the fun of cooking on vacation is to seek out local products that you can't get at home. I'd be asking people where to buy great local seafood or other products. Then keep it simple with whatever equipment you have. I don't pretend to know Florida well, but the highlights of past trips include stone crab claws and grouper. Maybe the regional dining/cooking thread has some ideas.

A good broiler is one of my priorities, too. Is yours an infrared? I've been assuming that's the best available for a non-commercial range. What is a "dual ring" ? There was a little discussion on another thread about the Blue Star range series (the new non-commercial brand name of what used to be Garland). On paper, it's still tops on my list, but I've yet to see one in person. Up to 22,000 BTUs. I once had an old Garland, still the best range I've ever used, so I'm very intrigued. Not cheap, but less than Wolf or Viking. So three and a half year later, I can report that I finally had the courage (and money) to do my major kitchen renovation and that the star of the kitchen is indeed the 36" Blue Star. Love the 22,000 BTU star burners. Love the 140 BTU simmer burner. Love the infrared broiler. Am learning to love the convection oven, that's taking a little practice. It's been about six months now and I'm still pinching myself.

I only recently discovered pimenton, and for a while was adding it to everything, it's so delicious. My favorite local emporium carries La Chinata so that's the only brand I've tried. A lovely balance of sweet smokey flavor.

This thread was bumped up at the perfect moment for me, just as I was eying a couple of cookie recipes that call for chopped candied orange peel. Since I don't have a microwave, I went ahead and followed the directions in Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan's Desserts by Pierre Herme, really the same multi-blanch, sugar syrup steep technique that folks here recommend. Though I didn't do it, that recipe calls for adding several whole spices to the sugar syrup, which would probably be lovely if you plan on serving them simply sugared or dipped in chocolate. After letting them drip dry for a while, I gave them some time in a very low oven with the convection fan turned on. They look and taste great, sweet with just a hint of bitterness in the zest. So I still have some questions. - the Herme/Greenspan book notes that the peels can be stored in the syrup and used without drying them. When would you use the candied peel in syrup? I would think that adding them to most recipes would add too much moisture. I plan on using the dried peels in my cookies. - When you use candied peel in baked goods, do you skip the final sugaring? I'm assuming yes, that the sugaring is for eating the peels or using them as a garnish. - How long do the dried peels last? And how are they best stored? thanks for the discussion thread, everyone, I probably would have bought some vastly overpriced and less flavorful candied peel for these cookie recipes.