pam claughton

Does the pork sausage in the stuffed mushrooms count? Pam

I'm making the Boeuf Bourguignon tonight from my new Les Halles cookbook, and would love any suggestions for a red wine to use in the dish. The recipe just suggests a red burgundy, and while I love red wine, I am not familiar with burgundies. The only red I have in the house right now is a Bonnie Doon Syrah, which I doubt is appropriate, so I'm planning to head out soon and get something else, and really appreciate any ideas people may have. Thank you! Pam

sort of a de-tox. Starting Monday, Jan 3rd. Am cutting out dairy completely...sadly. Was just diagnosed lactose intolerant, and as much as I LOVE cheese, cream, butter, all that good stuff, it doesn't like me anymore. :( Though I did try out some lactaid pills for the first time last night and they seemed to work. There was absolutely No Way I was going to miss out on my friend's old family recipe of lobster newburg, that was all big chunks of sweet, fresh lobster tails, in a thick, decadent cream sauce, served in toast cups. I liked the sauce so much I took extra and dipped my filet mignon into it. Well, if I was going to be bad.... Yes, so Monday, it's done with dairy, out with high fat, loading up on lean proteins, and los of veggies....oh and I need to start that exercise thing again. Am going to try the Eat Less, Exercise More diet. My chef friend, says it's really quite effective. Will also be cutting back on the daily glass (es) of wine, at least during the week. But the caffeine stays. Am looking to lose weight, especially the ten pounds I've gained since I started working from home. Pam

I should probably add that the puff pastry recipe above, is from this years Best REcipes 2004-2005 cookbook, and was one of the year's top ten recipes. It's not my invention. Pam

Yes!!!! I have a super easy suggestion that was a big hit X-Mas Eve. Takes just seconds to make. Spread some Fig Spread (got mine at whole foods), over the puff pastry, sprinkle about 4 slices of proscuitto, chopped fine, over the surface. Dot with chunks of goat cheese, and a dusting of fresh, chopped thyme. Follow instructions for baking, slice and enjoy. It's a GREAT flavor combo, and so easy. Pam

This meal sounds amazing! Any chance you'd share or direct me to your recipe for the beef? Especially the maytag Sabayon? Pam

I had this same question a few weeks back regarding a brisket. I'd bought it on a Sunday then forgot it was in there until Thursday and didn't know if I had to toss it, or if it was ok. Called my brother in-law, who sells meat, and he told me it would probably be fine, and that they've even used meat up to a week past the use by date, his grandfather, who started the business, would pour salt all over the piece of beef, rub it in, then wash it off, reasoning that any bad smells/stuff would be scraped off by the salt. It worked. Beef was fine.

The bite of medium rare filet that was coated in spices and tons of minced garlic that had a hint of carmelized sweetness from slow roasting the beef. and the carrots, that had been sauteed in apple cider instead of water. and of course loads of butter.

If you really had no avocados, then I'd opt for a little sour cream. I've had guac made with sour cream and it has a nice flavor, so it wouldn't kill your guac, and should cut the lime a little. You could also add a bit more onion, that might distract from the lime too, and chopped onion enhances the flavor.

Strange combination that works. Tonight I enjoyed leftovers, had the lobster/shrimp pie Christmas Eve, yesterday with filet mignon, and tonight with one of my gifts, a Coppola Merlot, which is delicous, and actually tastes quite good with the lobster dish. It's a mix of fresh lobster meat, shrimp, ritz and royal lunch crushed crackers, cream, parsley, and butter. So good. Pam Oh, Dessert is a 5 Star Bar from Lake Champlain chocolates. I read about these in Steve Almonds great food book, Candy Freak. Actually, I think it was his essay in Best Food Writing 2004, from the book, that had me drooling, so when I saw these bars in my local Whole Foods I snapped them up. This one is a chunky rich mix of dark chocolate, praline, pecans and cherries.

Okay, which recipes did you try for the first time over the holidays that worked so well that you'll not only make again, but will DEFINITELY make next year? I had two, One, thanks to Dejah, who posted to my Killer Appetizer thread with an amazing suggestion for Spicy Beef Cigars, a spiced beef mixture rolled like a cigar in phyllo dough, and baked. These were a huge hit. As was the Puff Pastry with fig spread, chopped proscuitto, fresh thyme and goat cheese, baked quickly, and was a snap to make. Recipe from new Cookbook, the 2004-2005 best recipes (actually came from Whole Foods). I made another app from the book, an Amanda Hesser New York Times cheese ball, with a meditteranean flair, using toasted cumin and coriander, fresh mint, cream cheese, goat cheese, romano cheese, lemon zest, and rolled in chopped pistachio nuts. I liked it, but it was very different, and not the crowd's favorite cheese ball. VERY time consuming to make, so this one got a thumbs down. :) Pam

I'm in too. Have the Les Halles and have never attempted cassoulet before, so should be fun. Pam

Now the family knows to get me cookbooks, so I scored this year! Two Johnson and Wales Master Class books, Thomas Keller's Bouchon, Bourdain's new Les Halles cookbook, and The Year's Best Recipe, 2004-2005. Got this one early and made two appetizers, the Amanda Hesser cheeseball, which was VERY time consuming, and was barely touched. Not a big hit... but the other one, huge hit, and ridiculously simple, recipe actually from Whole Foods, uses their Fig Spread, on Puff Pastry, with chopped proscuitto, fresh thyme and goat cheese. This disappeared in minutes. Made the same thing on flour tortillas the next day, and they gobbled that up too, a bit lighter than the puff pastry, and just as good. Pam

I like to add a dash of habenero pepper sauce, diced sweet yellow or orange bell peppers, and some diced mango. Just enough breadcrumbs to hold it together, one egg yolk, splash of lemon, and dash of old bay. Saute in butter... Pam

Dejah, These sound really good, thanks! Tracy, I've made crab rangoons like this without frying, and they come out excellent. You can pan saute them, just fold a little diferently, more like a square or burrito, so there are flat sides, and saute up. If you use a spicy chile oil, they come even better! Pam

I'm hoping this crowd might have a new 'to die for' appetizer recipe? I'm looking for something new to make this X-mas eve. What's the one recipe that you always HAVE to make, that people don't let you in the door without? Or a new one you've tried that you will put at the top of the list? I'll share mine, it's ugly as hell, but taste is out of this world. It's also an easy make ahead, you can make the mushroom/blue cheese saute mix the night before, and then just spread it on baquette slices and bake the next day. If you can find them, I sometimes like to use the little mini toasts, about one inch square, kind of like Melbas...but thin sliced, toasted baquettes or ficelles are great too. Crostini with Mushrooms, Blue Cheese and Proscuitto Super fast and easy as well. Have made with Gorgonzola and Maytag blue, both are delicious. When I spread and bake, I sprinkle a little parmesan on the top. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107462 **edited to add this note, the recipe calls for bread slices 1/2 inch thick. I would suggest as thin as possible, 1/4 at most because this is very filling and rich, it just works better it seems. Also, you can substitute Fat Free half and half for the heavy cream. Normally, I'd NEVER suggest that, but one year it's all we had, and the result was better, it cut the richness and brought out the flavor more. But, either way is excellent. Pam

I will never forget this, my mother and I were completely floored when my sister, a freshman in college decided she needed to learn to cook, and in all seriousness, grabbed a pencil and paper, turned to us, and asked, "Ok, what is the recipe for a B.L.T." Pam

Most servers expect to tip out to their support folks, the bus and bar, and depending on the structure, possibly a runner or hostess, but no, never the kitchen. The tip reflects service. The bill reflects the food. The chef/cooks are paid salary. Servers are not. I think the biggest gripe though is not in tipping out, it is in pooling, sharing tips with other servers. I waited tables for years, and the only time I ever pooled was in a tiny restaurant where there were just two of us on and we worked as a team. I would not pool otherwise. People who are excellent servers provide better service, turns their tables faster, or sell more and get a larger check, and thus a larger tip. It is not remotely fair for them to have to give up a penny of the money that they have earned. Imagine if you were a teacher with twenty years experience, and a salary 3 or 4 times that of a first year teacher. How would you feel if a new policy was adopted that all teachers regardless of experience would make the same low pay? You'd say that is not fair. It is no different with servers. Just my two cents. I hate to see people taken advantage of, and that is what pooling does.

Oh, Abe and Louie's is sooooo good! They have the best steaks and prime rib, and if you do go there, you have to save room for the chocolate cake. The first time I went, we noticed at least a half dozen tables around us ordering the cake, so figured it must be good. It is to die for. Several layers high, thick, rich, dense, and fudgy, loaded with chocolate frosting. One piece is good for 2 to 3 people. Very good place, less stuffy than some of the other high end steak houses.

I think the secret is not knowing what they're eating! When I was little my dad used to buy bags of lobster bodies at the fish market, and then pick apart and eat every scrap inside. He had me convinced that the green tomalley was delicious. I loved it, 'till I got older and found out what it really was. My niece shocked the whole family a few years ago on Christmas Eve when she ate everything that was passed to her from the raw bar. Oysters, littlenecks, shrimp, even sushi, she ate it all and asked for more. She was four.

I'd make a little lobster pie/casserole to go along w/the filets. Just chop the lobster meat into good sized chunks. If you have a pound of lobster, we use the following amounts, you can adjust accordingly. 1 pound lobster meat 1 stick butter 1 sleeve ritz crackers lemon and sherry to taste Melt half the butter and toss with the crumbs. Melt a tab of butter and toss with lobster in dish. put crumb mix on top, and mix ina bit w/lobster. Cut rest of butter into slivers and dot over the top. Give a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of sherry. Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley. This really complements the lobster and has so much flavor, rich and decadent. Goes very well w/filet. Have had this combo many, many times. Enjoy! Pam ← Some how Lobster and Ritz crackers don't compute for me. Maybe that fake crab stuff. But not lobster. ← Don't knock it until you try it! This is how the majority of the seafood stuffings in my neck of the woods, Cape Cod, and Boston are made, and we only deal with Fresh Lobster, so we're extra picky. Oh, and we'd never bother with fake crab. Pam ← I long for fresh lobster with a bottle of Long Island Chardonay at Montauk Point. But that's all, I long for there so I live here and have little Lobster, but we have crab. ← My brother lives out west, in Seattle, and I must admit, Dungeoness Crab is just as sweet and delicious as our lobster. :) Pam

I'd make a little lobster pie/casserole to go along w/the filets. Just chop the lobster meat into good sized chunks. If you have a pound of lobster, we use the following amounts, you can adjust accordingly. 1 pound lobster meat 1 stick butter 1 sleeve ritz crackers lemon and sherry to taste Melt half the butter and toss with the crumbs. Melt a tab of butter and toss with lobster in dish. put crumb mix on top, and mix ina bit w/lobster. Cut rest of butter into slivers and dot over the top. Give a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of sherry. Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley. This really complements the lobster and has so much flavor, rich and decadent. Goes very well w/filet. Have had this combo many, many times. Enjoy! Pam ← Some how Lobster and Ritz crackers don't compute for me. Maybe that fake crab stuff. But not lobster. ← Don't knock it until you try it! This is how the majority of the seafood stuffings in my neck of the woods, Cape Cod, and Boston are made, and we only deal with Fresh Lobster, so we're extra picky. Oh, and we'd never bother with fake crab. Pam

I'd make a little lobster pie/casserole to go along w/the filets. Just chop the lobster meat into good sized chunks. If you have a pound of lobster, we use the following amounts, you can adjust accordingly. 1 pound lobster meat 1 stick butter 1 sleeve ritz crackers lemon and sherry to taste Melt half the butter and toss with the crumbs. Melt a tab of butter and toss with lobster in dish. put crumb mix on top, and mix ina bit w/lobster. Cut rest of butter into slivers and dot over the top. Give a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of sherry. Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a little parsley. This really complements the lobster and has so much flavor, rich and decadent. Goes very well w/filet. Have had this combo many, many times. Enjoy! Pam

We're in a bit of a deep freeze right now. Coldest we've had yet! Hopefully it will warm up a bit by the time you get here. I do agree with you on Legal's. I don't go out of my way to go there, usually end up there when someone else is in charge. Just went a week ago, and had the stuffed lobster, so it was still on my mind. If you want an old Boston feeling Seafood restaurant, the absolute best Best Stuffed Lobster in the city is at Jimmy's, down by the World Trade Center. All the waiters are mostly older men that have worked there for a million years. It has a very old school, step back in time feel to it. Pam

If I'm in the mood for a real breakfast treat, I'll do an omelet, and had a great combo recently at a friends house, leftover chopped ham, spinach, tomato, mushroom, a little cheddar, and a lot of cream cheese. The cream cheese almost creates a sauce, and is delicious! The one we made was in a big pan, with six eggs, so it served 3-4 people, when you cut into wedges. Or 2 very hungry people.