megwoo

Thanks alexw! Yes, this helps alleviate my worries. Thanks for the tips, I can't wait to start experimenting. P.S. Fennel veloute sounds great!

You're my hero. Seriously.

WOW. I'm so impressed and inspired by these ideas. Have you already seen this post on Chocolate Coated Bacon? It sounds like it's not such a great combo... http://karagitz.blogspot.com/2005/09/choco...d-bacon_28.html I've been wanting to make bacon ice cream for a while now, although I wasn't able to find a recipe online. I was thinking of making a brown sugar ice cream and then just stirring in crisp bacon bits (homemade) near the end of freezing. Can't wait to hear what you decide on for your bacon dessert!

I make quick (and inexpensive) cucumber appetizers topped with bay shrimp, crème fraîche and dill: 1/2 pound bay shrimp, rinsed and patted dry 1-2 tablespoons dill, chopped 4 tablespoons crème fraîche Sometimes I'm really lazy and instead of making cups I just slice the cucumber into rounds and place a mound of filling on top. Very easy, delicious and pretty.

I just ordered a Foodsaver Pro III vacuum sealer and am excited to try out some sous vide recipes. However. I'm am terribly paranoid about Botulism, as the oxygen depleted and lukewarm environment is a perfect breeding ground. Can anyone suggest some "starter" recipes that don't have very long cooking times--or higher temps? Also, I don't have a circulating water bath (yet), so is it possible to make something on the stovetop or oven that doesn't require a perfectly constant temperature? Someone mentioned something about duck confit earlier, but I couldn't find the recipe... Thanks for your help!

My favorite Dim Sum place in Seattle is Sun Ya. I think it's worlds better than Honey Court. Sun Ya has great hum bow, sticky rice and amazing roasted/bbq'd meats (like char sieu)--the roast crispy pork is incredible. Oh and if you go, order the Garlic Spareribs from the kitchen (not available on the carts). More here, if interested: http://iheartbacon.com/index.php?id=32 http://www.seattlest.com/archives/2005/05/..._ya_seafood.php Oh, one more tip: try and sit at the bank of tables furthest from the windows. This will put you right next to the kitchen where you can snag the freshest dim sum, plus specials that sell out after only a few tables.

This may be old news by now, but I just saw this about the new location for Boat Street: http://uptownseattle.blogspot.com/2005/08/...n-for-real.html Interesting location...

Okay, I just emailed Vij's and Vikram said that he's coming to Seattle in September to look at spaces for a new Vij's and will decide after that trip. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Agreed. If they left Wild Ginger out of the equation, everything would be great. But anything to get a Vij's down here would be great. I want my lamb popsicles!

I love iceberg lettuce salads. My favorite one was actually at Morton's of all places. It was a nice crisp wedge topped with thin blue cheese dressing, cubed hard-boiled egg and ANCHOVIES. It's an amazing combination.

I heard a rumor that Vij's (from Canada) is looking at spaces in Seattle and partnering up with the Wild Ginger people. Does anyone know the scoop? I'm dying to know!!!

I tried Tamarind Tree for the first time about three months ago and loved it. The service was outstanding. I went back a few weeks ago for the 7-courses of beef and had a waitress in training. The service was awful! But I can't say that it would stop me from coming back--I'd just make sure to go when I'm not in a hurry. I did a review (with pics) on Seattlest: http://www.seattlest.com/archives/2005/05/...marind_tree.php

Ooops, I forgot, here's my review... http://www.seattlest.com/archives/2005/08/...lack_bottle.php

tsquare, Thanks so much for the heads-up about this place. I went last night and loved it!

wow. sounds good! i'm going to check it out next week. thanks for the heads up and info!! m

Okay, this isn't exactly nearby... but it's Sonoma Foie Gras, Grade 'B' at $39.95/lb. http://www.exoticmeats.com/store/product_i...products_id=293 Plus you can get WILD BOAR BACON (the best bacon on the planet, IMHO).

Before my first visit to Cafe Besalu I though quiche was crap. They changed my mind: http://www.iheartbacon.com/index.php?id=76

Sounds interesting. The website looks like it's just a place holder right now... Did you eat there? Can you tell me more about the food? Thanks!

I just bought a Le Creuset Doufeu off of eBay. It was something like $130, brand new. http://www.lecreuset.com/usa/products/guid...category_id=140 It's the smaller, 7 1/4 quart model, but to me it seemed gigantic! Like, I could fit a whole chicken in it--and then some. It barely fits in my small, apartment-sized stove. I can't even tell you how much I love it. It's so beautiful and unusual, but more than that, it makes incredible slow braises. I roasted a pork shoulder roast and it came out so tender that it fell apart when I touched it with my fork. Recipe and more pics, if anyone's interested! http://www.iheartbacon.com/index.php?id=271

Anzu, Thanks for the back-up! A naked wild boar may be just the ticket... Adam, a body bag??!! That's just a little too creepy for me. I was thinking I'd buy an $8 inflatable kiddie pool and take the pig for a swim in the brine. I haven't ever brined a whole pig, but I have brined pork chops before and they were delicious. The meat still had a nice texture, so it wasn't like ham, but it was very juicy and flavorful. Although, I wonder if you could over-brine and it would end up tasting like ham... That would be bad, so that's a good thing for me to consider. Chezcherie, it never even crossed my mind to inject it! I've never done that before... can you give me some details? Like, what do you use to inject the marinade? It sounds very interesting. Thanks!

okay, you've sold me on the no marinade, just a brine. that picture is great! why do they call it a pig picking? because everyone picks at it after it's done? i haven't heard that term over here in seattle... thanks for the input!

Yeah, that's a really good point. Maybe I should just do it naked and dress it up with sauce after it's cooked. Last year I did a Cuban marinade that didn't have much flavor--but the citrus in the marinade did weird things to the meat. I'm using the same technique as I did last year: http://iheartbacon.com/index.php?id=12 So the pig will be butterflied, but maybe I'll just stick with making slits in the meat side and stuffing it with garlic. Or would you even bother with that? How do you feel about brines? Thanks for the feedback... I really appreciate it! P.S. Please tell me more about wood chunks... what kind of wood? I did get applewood chips, but those will only last an hour tops!

Okay, I'll admit it. I love tater tots on certain occasions. I eat them with a sprinkle of truffle salt and they are sublime!

Hi All, I'm hosting a pig roast in a few weeks and need help with marinade ideas. The plan is to roast a whole, wild boar (about 50 lbs) and then chop it up and serve it in banh mi sandwiches. I'd like a Vietnamese style marinade, but the trick is I'm looking for one that doesn't contain sugar. I'm worried that roasting the pig for 7 hours with a sugared marinade will cause it to burn (if you don't think I need to worry about that, tell me that too, please). So anyways, I did a trial marinade on some ribs last week but it was really boring (which is weird because it sounded good, but it was practically flavorless--maybe my proportions were off?): 2 stalks lemon grass 1/2 yellow onion 3 cloves garlic 2 T fish sauce (nam pla) 2 T soy sauce 1 T tablespoons rice vinegar pinch of 5-spice Any ideas will be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks!

I once had a delicious cabrales blue cheese flan served with crackers. I don't have a recipe, BUT I saw a similar cheese flan recipe in the French Laundry cookbook. It looks a little labor intensive, but good.