JasonZ

You forgot to add "if a restauranteur, charge double for the oblong plate, small portion, squiggled sauce version" ... Very nicely done, Ah Leung ... and very creative as well as traditional!

If you have a whole duck/chicken, you may want to take a tip from the Chinese, whose classic recipe for Peking Duck calls for making a small hole and passing a needle or small hollow tube into the neck, then insufflating. This forces the skin away from the subcutaneous tissue. You can then remove the head and the rest of the bird and you have the neck skin separated from the neck meat. If you want to be really showy, on one episode of Iron Chef America, Ming Tsai used an air compressor and needle to separate the duck skin in about 5 seconds -- but he was playing to the crowd.

There may be one in "The Spice and Spirit of Jewish Cooking", Chabad's masterwork of Eastern Jewish recipes. I'll see if I can find it ... and if not, I think I know someone in Brooklyn who can give me the "real deal" ...

Definitely a foot and sock ... let's not go anywhere else!

We'll look forward to your return and any report you care to share with us then ...

In Tokyo, you are likely to find people who can speak English ... outside of Tokyo is another story. Certainly, the more Japanese you know, the better off you will be. I'd suggest contacting the Japanese National Toursim Office (JNTO) in your country, for information on general travel, customs, and special offers they have for inter-city train tickets and other "deals". They have special offers for the US and EU that must be purchased before you arrive in Japan. Re Kyoto, by all means, get a guide. The city is so full of wonderful gardens, museums, shrines, that having someone help you prioritize and get to the various sites is imperative. Money well spent. Also, while you're in Kyoto, spend a half-day in Narra. Not for anything culinary, but to see the history of Japan's first capital. World's oldest wooden building, largest Buddha, largest religious statue..... Enjoy!!

Will you include chanko under your nabe dishes? If not, please include ...

From a previous dumpling thread: Vegetarian Fillling

Ah Leung is one of my most respected mentors on the China Forum -- I've sent him a pm, so let's see what advice he can provide. I recall seeing his illustrated recipe for dumplings, but not one for soup dumplings. In the dumpling thread, there have been some amazing illustrations for folding, especially pleated dumplings ... I'll see if I can find the particular posting -- I know soup dumplings are not pleated and in fact it probably wouldn't hold the soup very well, but it is an astounding post ...

Will they be happy with my kosher version? ← Absolutely ... while the Chinese don't follow the same definition of "vegetarian" as Jews (see Eileen Fei-Lo's Chinese Chicken Cookbook, in which she reminsces about her grandmother, a devout Buddhist -- Buddhism apparently considers oysters as permissible in their vegetarian cuisine ...), they will certainly appreciate an unusual taste and will add it as a dish to a broader menu of items. In addition, those of us who follow a vegetarian cuisine, whether based on ethical or religious grounds, will definitely appreciate another wonderful addition to what we can enjoy. Finally, remember that the typical Chinese meal is much more based on vegetables and rice (and much less on meat, whether land or sea based) than ours is -- we focus on the meat in quantity, while classic Chinese uses the meat as a highlight with other products. One of the sad things about the rapidly increasing wealth of China today is that it is accompanied by Western-like changes in the proportion of meat protein they consume and is now making China the most rapidly growing country for the diseases of the developed West ... heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer ... To stay on thread, I'm going to try to create a Hunan-Sichuan style dumpling. Since Hunan has a classical soup (Hot and Sour) and Sichuan has a classical dish that could serve as a filling (Mapo Dofu), and there are vegetarian versions of both (Fuschia Dunlop in Land of Plenty gives the classic version of Mapo Dofu, but suggests replacing the pork with mushrooms for a veg version; and I have used the strong mushroom broth recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Soups in place of chicken stock), I think I can create a "Strange Taste" Hunan Sichuan soup dumpling ... will give you updates on progress ...

If you're going more Ethiopian or Japanese, ignore this post, but if you'd like to go Italian or Fusion for a nice meal (not your "splurge"), try the Lidia Bastianich restaurants (my favorite is Felidia's, upper East Side) or the less formal J-G VonGerichten restaurants (my favorite is JoJo's, also UES) ... let both know when making the reservation and you'll be amazed ... at prices and value far better than Per Se, which is definitely a splurge (assuming you can get a reservation on short notice). I'd have to second all the chinese, japanese recommendations. If you want to try something a littel unusual (and very inexpensive, aroung $10-20 per person), try Menchanko-Tei, perhaps for lunch rather than dinner. There are at least 2 of them in Manhattan, one around Lexington and 45th, and one on 55th between 5th and 6th. "Chanko" is a one pot stew, famous for being the major portion of the diet of Sumo wrestlers. They have both meat laden versions and vegetarian versions, and the base stew can be augmented by a large list of add-ons. Also, they have an extensive list of sakes, if you haven't been exposed to the variety of styles and tastes. I used to alternate between chanko and sushi for lunch when I lived/worked in the city. Enjoy!!

Hi Diane (phlox): Wonderful story, flowing prose ... and almost poetry. What a wonderful piece to read in the morning! My daughter is in Pittsburgh, Shadyside to be exact, although she is spending more time in Squirrel Hill with friends. She's into ballet, which often seems incompatible with fine food and especially bread, but I remember taking her to Paris a few years ago and watching with pride and delight as she discovered real croissants and especially pain du chocolate for breakfast ... I will email this article to her, hoping it will brighter her day as well ... and hopefully we're going back to Paris this summer, so she can re-sample and reminisce ... And, Dave the Cook, thanks for editing this piece, for leaving it as Diane wrote it, and for raising the question of crust, both gastronomically and entymologically. English is a poor language, compared to Italian or Chinese, for describing food textures and tastes. We call fresh, cold lettuce "crisp", we describe a seared steak as having a "crisp crust", and yes, non-stale potato chips are "crisp", as are pommes frit (French fries all too often and limp and non-crisp!!) ... but I don't want my steak to snap like a potato chip. I think of the texture of crust on bread as analogous to the mouth feel (tooth feel?) of "al dente" pasta ... it provides a resistance to tooth and fingers (when tearing bread), it has a different flavor (and sometimes different ingredients) from the interior, and it protects the interior, allowing it to develop its crumb and delicacy. How to describe an ideal baguette crust in one or only a few words? resilient, resistant, smooth and inviting ... if really done right, promising and seductive ... amazing for such a "simple" food ...

Google "Food and Allergy Network" or "FAAN". This is a non-profit foundation, especially supported by Ming Tsai, the Boston-based fusion chef and TVFN personality, who happens to be the father of a child with significant food allergies. You may also want to go to Recipezaar, which has specific community forums (and recipes) for various special diets, including gluten-, soy-, peanut-free ... Finally, as an FYI, Ming Tsai will be on CBS Sunday Morning tomorrow (Oct 22) discussing food allergies and children ... Good luck!!

I'd second Carmine's for Creole and Khajuraho for Indian in the vicinity -- best Indian food on the Main Line. For Chinese, if you want to stay in Ardmore and if you like hot and spicy ... go to Hu-Nan, right on Lancaster Avenue, just a few doors down from the Municipal Bldg/Police Station. The chef/owners are Betty and E-ni Foo, Betty is sister-in-law to Susanna Foo, whose very famous Asian fusion restaurant is downtown. Betty's style is more traditional, family style and having grown up in Hunan, she is authentic to the bone ... you are in for an absolute treat. Best hot and sour soup in the city; marvelous mapo dofu (they will make you a vegetarian version if you ask, it's not on the menu). Reservations possible, but not needed. Open for lunch as well as dinner. they've been in Ardmore for 30 years, a real part of the community. If you want Asian fusion cuisine, I'd go to YangMing, at the intersection of Conestoga Rd. and Haverford Ave. Michael Wei, the owner, also has CinCin (Germantown; Asian fusion), Nectar (Berwyn; contemporary American), and another restaurant I can't recall under his wing ... and the quality in each is superb. This is a little more formal than Hu-nan, but neither tie nor jacket is needed. For the 2005 Book and the Cook, YangMing hosted Grace Young ("Breath of a Wok"), the IACP winning cook book; in 2001, CinCin hosted Nina Simonds, so you really can't go wrong with a Michael Wei restaurant. For Japanese, either Ginza or Fuji Mountain. I prefer Ginza for the quality and variety of sushi, but if you're really a sushi fan, go downtown ... Yes, they do take reservations and they do have traditionally cooked food. Good luck and enjoy Ardmore!!!

I shopped at Penzy's first store in Milwaukee, when they did as much trade in tea and coffee as they did in herbs and spices. Even then the aromas were tantalizing ... then came mail-order, then the web ... and in between, I would stop at their Norwalk CT store (on the way to Boston) ... ... wonderful (and dangerous to the wallet) to have a store so close ...

Ah Leung, I can't comment on West Coast grocery food, but the Shaw's and Stop & Shop in Boston have acceptable sushi and potstickers. On an irregular basis, I've seen chicken chow mein, but I haven't seen more complex chinese dishes, e.g., sesame Chicken, orange Chicken, General Tso's chicken. I wonder if with the spread of sous vide systems, the chains will start pre-cooking and prepping high-quality, authentic cuisine for rapid prep to the consumer .. or even to sell with final warming at home ... Regards, Jason

Not certain, but call First Oriental Market, Washington St between 5th and 6th ... that would be my best source.

Judith: Looks like a wonderful pasta ... but is it a thick hollow spiral? That's what the photo looks like ... How do you make it?

Yeah, his knives didn't get good reviews from America's Test Kitchen. ← True, but that's because ceramic knives have a completely different weight and balance than steel knives... so, for example, if you expect the weight of the knife to help in cutting something ... isn't gonna happen. People either hate or love ceramics. Also, ceramic knives can't be sharpened at home -- have to send them into the factory (but only needed every 3-5 years) and ceramic blades are brittle -- if dropped on the blade, they can crack or chip ... on the other hand, they are incredibly sharp ... almost as good as my Mac knife ...

Hope this hasn't been posted before, but Techne seems to have some good links to other info sources, as follows: Vendor home page:Techne Sous Vide cooking Photos from recent NYC demo/course:G. Pralus at Bouley Test Kitchens Legal/Regulatory Environment in NYC:as of May 2006 "Everything You Need to Know": Commercial Backgrounder

My daughter is allergic to peanuts .... not mildly, but severely-- she carries an epinephrine injector in her purse and has a MedicAlert bracelet. I love Chinese cuisine. My cooking at home is done with canola oil for high smoke point cooking (e.g., stir frying) and usually olive oil for lower heat cooking. The stir fries come out with adequate wok hai (for stir frying, I use a propane cooker and a hand hammered cast iron wok, so I'm generating 65,000 BTU at the wok surface, not the 20-30,000 of a typical home kitchen gas stove). With other cooking styles (braising, steaming, etc.), the oil doesn't impart a significant flavor. I can tell the difference in certain dishes -- my favorite Hunan restaurant uses peanut oil and when they make Mapo Dofu and when I make it at home, the sauce in the restaurant version has a nutty flavor I just can't duplicate ...

I'm not certain I understand the question -- I thought ALL grill pans have ridges, to create the "grill marks" in the food being cooked. For pannini, I would imagine that a pan without ridges would apply heat uniformly to the entire surface of the bread being heated, while a ridged pan would vary that ... it should be a very slight difference -- I can't imagine that a cheese wouldn't melt in a ridged pan, but would in a flat pan ... Also, if you're using a very soft bread and a ridged pan and a press or weight, you might indent the sandwich surface somewhat in a grilled pan but not in a flat pan. Again, shouldn't matter much ... Enameled vs unenameled seasoned? Cost ... both have surfaces that must be treated gently -- scratching the enamel is permanent, while cast iron can always be re-seasoned.

I have a pretty complete Le Cruset collection (courtesy of living in the UK and shopping in France every other weekend for 2 years), but I also have a number of Lodge pans, both enameled and straight cast iron. You can get a pre-seasoned Lodge cast iron grill pan (I'd go round rather than square, Lodge Logic 11" grill pan) and to make pannini, go with either a foil-wrapped brick (not very elegant, but very price competitive!) , or their cast iron grill press (Round or Rectangular) ... The major advantage to an enameled pan, assuming the cooking surface is enameled as well, is that it requires no seasoning ...

Agree ... marvelous photos ... How easy is it to get duck gizzard? I've seen whole duck and duck legs/thighs, but not gizzard ...

Ah Leung ... the pictures themselves look good enough to eat!!