LindaK

Harvest and Upstairs in the Square (both in Cambridge) can accomodate private parties of that size, though the rooms are more attached or adjacent to the main dining areas than they are separate rooms. I've attended or hosted private parties or bridal showers in both. It's not completely private but I liked being part of the crowd and general ambiance. Food at both are excellent, with good vegetarian options.

I have one, received as a gift some years ago. It didn't come with any instructions but it wasn't hard to figure out with the name "doufeu." I've never played with the water/ice and have just used it as a large dutch oven for either stove top or oven. I like the integrated iron handles on the lid, no need to worry whether they're oven proof. Plus, mine is a nice bright blue color, definitely looks great on the stove or table. It does weigh a ton, though. No complaints, I love LC.

I'm also un-learning a number of bad habits to bring costs down. In addition to my ordinary indulgences as a single person who used to eat out often with other single friends, I spent much of the last 6 months in the midst of a major kitchen renovation with the requisite high carry-out or restaurant food budget. I might not feel so constrained if the bank account labeled "kitchen" wasn't empty, but that's another matter. All the more reason to entertain at home. Strategies so far: - say no thanks to invitations from friends for group dining at high end restaurants. I am happy for the friends that can still afford to do this. I enjoy their company otherwise and know I am missing good meals and good company. But between the folks who order the expensive entrees and the inevitable multiple bottles of wine, I can't afford my share of the bill. I've explained to those close to me, made excuses to others. - don't overbuy so that food goes to waste. This will be a greater challenge for me during the summer, when I tend to go a little crazy at the farmers market after a winter of produce shipped from who knows where. - Grow your own food when you can. Even a little patch of herbs such as parsley and chives can save you a few dollars a week. Me, I need to make better use of my community garden plot. I was good at this when the plot was a block from my house. It's a little further away now and I've gotten lazy. - buy everyday wine at Trader Joes instead of my favorite wine shop. I have apologized to the owner, who has been very good to me as a relatively low-budget customer. But he gets it. I'll be back for important occasions or when I win the lottery or when things change. surprisingly high cost savings. - entertaining can be simple. I'd always splurged on the best fish, cuts of meat, etc. for guests. but the truth is, dinner is mostly an excuse to get together. No need to break the bank on entertaining. Potluck is the new black.

Let me also add my thanks, Chris, for organizing the gathering. Good food and good conversation both. Definitely worthy of the annual event it seems to have become! The flounder was indeed the star of the meal but everything was delicious--though somehow I missed the taro root fritters you mention here, and I love taro root.

Envy, pure and simple, describes my feelings at the moment. I want some Chef X abuse! Some years ago, I took some week-long classes at the Ecole de Ritz Escoffier in Paris. I learned a lot but also was surprised at how much I already knew. A very good experience. But those were organized around topics/recipes so while the fundamentals were there they were not front and center as in your class. My favorite was a course on fish, but there was never (much to my disappointment) a dedicated class on fish boning techniques. Please keep posting, and enjoy!

I totally agree. Mastering the Art Volume I especially is a great reference book, even if I'm not following the recipes precisely (though you often will). For recipes for some of the simpler, classic dishes in the French repetoire, I often use Patricia Wells' Bistro Cooking. No hard-to-find ingredients there, and the recipes are all very straightforward. Her most recent book, Vegetable Harvest , reflects a lighter, more contemporary interpretation of French cooking. My experience cooking from it is limited but successful.

huh. Who knew there was something to learn about tongs? I need to find me some of those gravity tongs. I use the OXO style, which are better than the ring style, but not by much imho. I find both to be a pain. I'm not an addict like some people here but they are certainly indespensible in the right circumstances. Tonight, for example, I sauted a big pot of kale w/ olive oil and garlic--with tongs, of course. How else to grab bunches of unwieldy raw kale and turn it over in a hot pan, get the leaves coated with a bit of oil, so that it cooks down uniformly?

By an "island range" do you mean a cooktop? They do have cooktops. Otherwise, I'm not sure I understand what you're looking for.

I recently purchased a 36" Blue Star, and couldn't be happier. Six burners, 2 @ 22K BTU, 3 @15K BTU, and a simmer burner that goes down to 130 BTU. A big convection oven that holds full size commercial baking sheets. http://www.bluestarcooking.com/ Much depends on your budget. As soon as you upgrade to a 36" things get expensive.

It's not noisy, some hum when it cycles on, which is infrequently. My last refrigerator, a relatively inexpensive Amana, was all most as silent as my Bosch dishwasher. The ice maker in the Jenn Air is momentarily noticable when it dumps a batch of ice in the bin. But I don't go through much ice, so except after a party, I forget about it. I was very happy with the Amana, by the way, which is manufactured by the same company that makes Jenn Air, one of the reasons I went with Jenn Air for the new one. Perhaps we're comparing apples to oranges. Most of the 36" french door models available in my market didn't come in the the basic textured white finish that I had in my previous single door fridge. That size/style was almost exclusively in stainless. The price difference I mentioned was between the stainless Jenn Air and the white "floating glass" Jenn Air. I'm glad you were able to get a repair. Appliances are expensive, no matter what you buy.

He offers more in What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science: This is the Maillard reaction working at a temperature where it is clear that caramelization can't happen. Perfect example. It's still not clear to me how to translate all this info into instructions for consistantly browning onions to that melting, sweet, browned stage. Based on this description, I'd assume uncovered (despite my recent failure), but the slow cooker methodology would be covered, right? Salt or no salt? Is it more about time rather than method? I need to find these Einstein books, I've never even heard of them.

I have a strong preference for the bottom freezer refrigerators. I open the fridge more than the freezer, and hate having to crouch down to search for veggies in the bins. Having the refrigerator section all at eye level is great. I'm on my second such model and would never go back. My current fridge is 36", one of the french door models, and I've had it only a few months. I like it. The reason I purchased this style, rather than the single door model, was because of its location in my newly renovated kitchen. It opens into a corridor across from an island, the corridor being only 40" wide. I was afraid that opening a single 36" door in such a relatively narrow area would feel cramped and awkward. I'm sure I made the right call, it's very comfortable opening the doors while standing directly in front of the fridge, no need to worry about which way the door will swing open. So if your kitchen space is tight, I would definitely recommend a french door model. Otherwise, it's simply a matter of personal taste. My renovation let me fit a 36" fridge into my layout. My intention also had been to buy a white refrigerator, I'm not a big stainless fan. But I was shocked to find that most 36" models come in stainless only. I did find that Kitchenaid and Jenn Air carried 36" white models, but that they were surprisingly more expensive than the stainless. My favorite of the two was the Jenn Air "floating glass" series. Some friends have the white floating glass fridge and dishwasher in their kitchen, and it's really lovely. In the end, I decided that the premium for a white fridge wasn't worth it, given my budget, and went with the Jenn Air stainless. I'm really happy with it, despite the "fingerprint" issue of stainless appliances that I'd been trying to avoid. The vegetable bin holds a good size cabbage, no problem.

I baked a lemon tart yesterday, my first pastry dough item in my new oven and I tried it with the convection on. I would concur with your point. The bottom of the tart was not as well-cooked as it should have been, still okay though, while the side crust and filling were perfect. Next time I will try it non-convection. And how soon one forgets--I also roasted a chicken last night, and was proud of myself for remembering to turn on the convection to pre-heat. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn it off, and can vouch for Dave being correct about how the fan blows the fat around! It cleaned up easily this morning. I think the trick will be to keep up with the cleaning, and not let it build up.

thanks for the post. I had the same question last week, when a big pot of onions just refused to carmelize, though after 30+ minutes they were cooked to near melting. I couldn't recall having had this problem before and tried hard to figure out what I had done differently this time. I tried raising the heat at the end, but the only carmelization I got was on the sugars that were clinging to the pan. Rightly or wrongly, I decided that I'd used too small a pan for such a large batch of onions, and added salt too early, so that they ended up steaming rather than carmelizing.

holy cow, jackal10, that is one impressive menu and carte de vin. thanks for the photos.

I'm glad the search function brought up this thread! I'm also new to the convection oven and have been trying to figure out how (if at all) I should adapt my baking and cooking times and techniques. Dave, your description is very helpful. I noticed the "hot spot" issue early in my Christmas cookie baking, and found if I was really loading up the oven that a mid-bake rotation made a difference. Is that is a standard practice with baked goods in a convection oven? Any other tips? I also appreciate the tips about preheating and flying animal fats. My oven is not self-cleaning (one of the drawbacks of a Blue Star, I'm afraid, which is a gas oven). I will think twice before using the convection feature with a messy roast.

I listen to The Splendid Table podcast and heard that recipe too. Unfortunately, my bad experience with braised shoulder also came from a Splendid Table recipe, Close-Roasted Pork with Ancho Chili. The recipe actually comes from a cookbook that I own, The Improvisational Cook, by Sally Schneider. It was the podcast that got me to try it. It sounded delicious and foolproof. Unfortunately, it was terrible. Tough, tough, tough, even after 6 hours of cooking (of a slightly larger roast than called for in the recipe). Weinoo's recipe also calls for braising the meat in cubes, as does yours. Maybe that makes a difference. Mine was a whole boneless shoulder. Despite my recipe failure, I was lucky. My plan had been to use the pork as the basis of a casual buffet dinner for friends and their kids who were coming over to help decorate my Christmas tree. It may be the only time I've even been grateful for a blizzard. As the wind whipped and the snow fell--with more than a foot projected--we cancelled the party. The pork shoulder was already in the oven. At least, I thought, I'd have great leftovers. Not. Well, if nothing else the experience reminded to be careful about planning dinner parties around new recipes (or at least new techniques) before testing them first.

Perhaps because it is 0 degrees F here, I am dreaming of warmer climates. Lately I've been reading Paula Wolfert and Ana Sortun for ideas for Moroccan and Turkish cuisine. So while I don't have a recipe to share, I do think duck would lend itself well to those flavors. heidih mentioned b'stilla. I recently purchased some pomegranate molasses, and think that it could be the basis of a delicious spicy-sweet glaze for a roast duck. And though my thoughts of accompaniments are likely too casual for what you have in mind, I'd consider a potato gratin sans cheese or a puree of cauliflower of some sort. Please report back on what you eventually decide to make.

I tried a braise of a pork shoulder recently, and it gave up a lot of liquid too. And mine was an organic cut from Whole Paycheck. So I wouldn't blame your piece of pork. I wasn't terribly happy with the braise technique for the shoulder. Next time I think I'll listen to folks here and roast it uncovered.

One of my most well-received summer desserts was an ice cream cake of sorts, a jelly-roll style cake with ice cream instead of whipped creme, served with raspberry sauce: Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe in The Cake Bible for "Cocoa Souffle Roll," filled with softened vanilla ice cream (store-bought), sprinkled with fresh raspberries, rolled and frozen. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before service, but for neat slices, slice while still firm. To plate, spoon some raspberry sauce on a dessert plate, top with a slice of the roulade, garnish with a few fresh berries. Not revolutionary, but delicious nonetheless. Not a crumb left. I think I need to make it again this summer.

Thanks Nakji. That is an impressive list. There's more snow in the forecast for tonight/tomorrow. I see a lot of eG reading and soupmaking happening at my house.

Yes! yesyesyes! I haven't made this soup in ages, thanks for putting it back on my radar. This and that New York Times article LindaK mentioned on asian chicken soups has put me in the mood for a big bowl of fragrant soup. Are there any threads, cook-offs, etc. that would teach me (and others) how to use ingredients such as lemongrass, fish sauce, etc. and other staples of SE asian cuisine? I'm entirely comfortable improvising within the range of western cuisines, and entirely ignorant about how to do the same within those of asia. And soups, more than anything else IMO, are about improvising. Where to start??

I'm glad lala raised this topic. Hopefully your local unemployment office will have given you info on how to apply. If not, ask. There's a reason it's sometimes referred to as a "safety net" program. There are times in all of our lives when we need safety nets of sorts.

One of my new years' resolutions is to make more soup. So far, I've only managed a simple but tasty carrot-apple-ginger soup. The best part is that I have a quart in my freezer for one of those evenings when it's cold and I'm too tired and hungry to do anything but heat up soup with some bread and cheese. Today's NYT piece by Mark Bittman on Soups from Southeast Asia has me salivating. These are my next soups.

Concrete is pretty hard. So far I haven't broken anything but it will happen someday, I imagine. What about soapstone? It's relatively "soft" compared to granite, quartz, etc. All dark colors, though. Nothing is perfect. I had your same list, it almost made me crazy. Especially considering the price point of most countertop materials. Once you decide against laminate, "affordable" becomes as relative as "attractive." edited to add that concrete can be very sustainable, depending on your fabricator. For example, the aggregate (stone) in my concrete countertop is a mix of recycled marble and recycled glass chips. Many stages of the production process can also be done with sustainable processes. Definitely worth inquiring about if you go that route.