the_cow_whisperer

Great idea! I'm in. I have a vague suspicion that the Les Halles cookbook might be under the tree.

I'm from the U.P. Pasties recipes are more of a guideline than an actual rule (apologies to Pirates of the Caribbean). They key to a good pasty is FAT and lots of it. Add extra suet to the filling. Make the crust with LARD, not vegetable shortening. If you think you have enough fat in it, you don't. If you eat it and have terrible heartburn afterwards, you'd done it just right ;-) As for the filling I echo handmc's thought - any root vegetables such as parsnips, rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, and onions are nice with coarsely ground pork/beef and lots of pepper and salt. There was a guy in Lansing, MI a few years ago that made them with duck fat and produced a pretty good product.

There's a weird shaggy dog type story my mother used to tell about preparing Lutefisk. Soak fish in Lye for 5 days. Soak fish in water, changing water twice each day for 4 days. Put fish on plank, and roast for 2 hours. Pipe potatoes around plank, roast for 30 more minutes. Throw away the fish and eat the plank :-) Dried salted cod makes sense as a dish prepared before refrigeration; the Italians have a similar product Baccalà. It doesn't seem to get the bad rap that Lutefisk does. In all seriousness, where can one get dried salted cod? My mother let the Lutefish tradition die with her mother so I was never exposed to it. Might be nice to try.

Been gone from the forum for a while. We did some shopping so theme ingredient is.... Sevruga Caviar. Here's the result of a 5 course dinner I made for my honey: Salmon Tartar Cornet with Red Onion Creme' Fraiche (From the French Laundry Cookbook) with some added caviar on top. Fingerling Potato with Creme Fraiche and Caviar from Amuse-Bouche Back to the FL with Oysters and Pearls And the FL with Seared Scallop over mushrooms that have been poached with asparagus puree - FL again, but with added shaved truffle. Finally fillet with Bearnaise. Moet and Chandon with the first three, Mason SB 2003 with the Scallop, and Valley of the Moon Zin for the last. I hope I'm not being sacrilegious, but after many trials of caviar over the years, and then the above experience, I just don't get it. I can appreciate the color and that it's expensive, but there does not seem to add a great depth nor complement of flavor unless it's eaten alone. What am I missing here?

Original creation for a portion of a multi-course meal: Seared Sea Bass with Shitakes, Ginger Soy Gastrique and Leek Hay served with a 2002 Mason SB Followed by recipe from Wine Country Living with Valley of the Moon Zin

Awesome! I love Oregon Pinot Noirs. Most of them are pretty expensive here, and except for special occasions, I like to spend under $20.00 a bottle. Tonight's Pinot Noir was Beaulieu Vineyard, on sale $2.00 off the regular price, making it about $8.00... Pretty good for an "everyday" Pinot Noir. Some of our favorites are King Estate and Argyle (Willamette Valley) from Oregon, and David Bruce, Cambria, Sanford, Chalone, and Robert Mondavi from California. Today when I went wine shopping I bought a Pinot Noir from New Zealand, and I'm looking forward to that probably later this week. I am looking forward to hearing about your Willamette Valley wine shopping! Please do report back. ← What do people think of Adelsheim Pinot Noir (Oregon)? It's become our favorite.

Following in the short rib thread, I made short rib ravioli tonight with rosemary butter sauce and sauce gribiche as an appetizer. Everybody ate up! I noticed the ravioli by itself was a bit heavy and the sauce gribiche cut it quite well. Served with Cotes du Rhone. This idea actually came from the chef at Monarch Restaurant in St. Louis.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everybody! Thanks! The recipe is from the French Laundry Cookbook. Beyond being a great coffee table book (the photography is wonderful), the recipes are "not simplified for the home cook" but the level of detail in the directions is enough to turn out high-end cooking. If people haven't tried the recipes, jump right in! Swisskaese and SusanFL, I'm curious how you're making your pomegranate chicken - is is all a glaze or is there a marinade,as well, to infuse flavor into the meat?

It's great to see what everyone's making and the elaborate and attractive platings of food - and at home. I'm new here, so "what's for dinner" is actually from this summer. My wife and I planted over 30 varieties of tomatoes (most heirloom varieties). Sooooo, we were inspired by the FL Cookbook to make Salad of Haricots Verts, Tomato Tartare, and Chive Oil: One would not have thought that green beans in whipped cream would be good, but the combination was absolutely wonderful - the very essense of tomato with all the tastes of summer.