rjwong

Hallie, Putting on my librarian hat, I compiled a list from the responses to your request: La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange Escoffier cook book (or Guide culinaire) Larousse gastronomique Mastering the art of French cooking (2 vols.) Paul Bocuse's French cooking I was reading through the intro of my book, Le Cordon Bleu at home, and it mentioned a book that was hailed as "the most comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date book on French cooking and gastronomy ever written." That book is: L'art culinaire moderne (or The great book of French cookery) by Henri-Paul Pellaprat If your husband can get any of these cookbooks for you for Christmas, you're doing well. Edited to add: Hallie, did you post this question in the France forum as well? I didn't check yet.

Abra, I'm up, even though I should be going to sleep soon after this. For some reason, I was thinking of a beef bourguignon. Probably because I'm going to make one soon. It's well-balanced by itself with the beef and the vegetables (just double Julia Child's recipe). It's a dish you can make ahead of time. And it's not that daring, is it?

To give you some idea what's included in a Chinese banquet, here are a couple of links to help you. MOE in LA: Chinese Dinner: When I made arrangements for this member-organized event (MOE), I selected the menu instead of choosing one of the restaurant's pre-determined banquet menus. The dinner menu I created was ... uhh ... less cost-prohibitive. Of all the items I selected, the winter melon soup was the most expensive at $48 (per table, not per individual), and, by concensus, the best part of the dinner. With tax, tip and leftovers, the dinner cost about $35 per person. Menu from Empress Pavilion: Empress Pavilion is one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in LA's downtown Chinatown. Their dining area is huge. It can accommodate at least 600 people. An expensive Chinese banquet tends to include more seafood dishes, like shark's fin soup, abalone, sea cucumber, steamed whole fish, etc. Mind you, there are other non-seafood selections like Peking duck and whole suckling pig. I usually attend these Chinese banquets during special occasions, like Chinese New Year, Chinese weddings, family reunions, etc. Traditionally, it's the Chinese patriarchs that take care of the cost of the banquet. Paying for dinners Chinese-style is another topic ...

Those came from a package called "Mixed baby squash" that I bought from Trader Joe's.

My apologies, lizard. Based on the website, it did appear "alive." Perhaps, Brooke or someone should update their webpage about their final closure.

LA Times Food Section -- November 30, 2005 Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, try clicking this link here, enter the URL address of the LA Times and proceed accordingly. Some content is in the premium section called www.calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee. Our brilliant blues / by Regina Schrambling Creamy, rich and intense, the new American farmstead blue cheeses are uniquely linked to the land. David Gremmels and Cary Bryant became the owners of Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon by accident. Since that time three years ago, these artisanal cheese makers are now churning out blues that hold up against or even surpass the European classics. Includes three recipes: Apple-wild rice salad with blue cheese and Calvados dressing; Roasted green beans with blue cheese; Grilled steaks with blue cheese and cranberry confit; and the side article, “Blue cheese in an American vein” A bowl of Mexican soup / by Barbara Hansen The origins of tortilla soup may be a mystery, but its intriguing flavor has long made it a California favorite. Tortilla soup can be called “a sort of soul food soup,” as Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy puts it. There are many variations to making this soup. However, to Kennedy, the soup ought to include epazote. "A tortilla soup without epazote is not worth eating, to my mind. But I'm a purist," she says. Includes three recipes: Café Verde tortilla soup; Black bean tortilla soup; Sopa de bolitas de tortilla (tortilla ball soup) With reds and whites so sweet / by Leslie Brenner Stilton and Port — they go together like, well, like Roquefort and Sauternes. They're the Astaire and Rogers of food and wine pairings. They're both fabulous on their own, but put them together, and they swing. Mind you, buying Port or Sauternes could break the bank. Amazingly, ... tasting American blue cheeses with stickies — sweet dessert wines — from around the world turned up some fabulous unexpected matches. Includes the side article, “Dessert wines to go with the blues” Chewy chocolate cookies that will shake your world / by Barbara Hansen These delectable chocolate cookies have a perfect go-with-coffee texture somewhere between chewy and crumbly that gives them an amusing fault-line top crust and a slightly softer inside ... Assistant food editor Susan LaTempa found them at the Grand Casino French Bakery in Culver City. Spicy, and watch those tentacles / by Linda Burum Octopus is the specialty at My Secret Recipe, where fiery sauces and fresh vegetables add balance to the delicacy. My Secret Recipe on W. 3rd St. in Koreatown helps satisfy that Korean passion for octopus, cooked in a variety of ways with nakzi (pronounced NAK gee) and its more diminutive shorter-legged relative chukumi (choo koo mee), far more tender than their larger rubbery relatives. Cuisine célèbre, right next door / by S. Irene Virbila Bistro Provence is given a 2* rating. Chef-owner Miki Zivkovic, former executive chef of Pinot Bistro, has opened up a French bistro in Burbank, in a strip mall. Surprised? Virbila responded to her Francophile friends, “Cut with the snobbism. It's good. You'll see." WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2003 Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay: Stellenbosch, South Africa; about $15; supple and elegant; goes with grilled fish and seafood, roast chicken, seafood risotto. With its silken texture, lively acidity and beguiling aroma of white peaches and citrus, ... it's inexpensive enough to lay in a supply and declare it the house white. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Vietnamese comfort food in a hip space / by S. Irene Virbila Critic's notebook on Indochine Vien in Atwater Village. With a simple and concise menu, late night hours and low prices, this Vietnamese cafe serving spring rolls, pho noodles, and banh mi sandwiches didn't expect these kinds of crowds so soon after two weeks. But somehow the word was out. And the young and the hungry from Atwater Village, Glendale, Los Feliz and Silver Lake were out in search of something good — and inexpensive. Pho, and beyond / by Leslie Komaiko Los Angeles and Orange County are home to the largest Vietnamese population in the United States. No wonder we're blessed with so many good Vietnamese restaurants. Includes five places: Pho 97 on N. Broadway, downtown L.A.; Crustacean on Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Pho 999 on Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys; Gingergrass on Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake; Red Moon Café on National Blvd., West L.A.

lizard, I just checked the link you put up and read the following: It looks like news of Amuse Cafe's death are a bit false ... FYI Brooke also has a very popular bar/restaurant called Beechwood.

My fellow eG Specialist, think about it, LCP.

cg, I'm finding this foodblog very educational. And I'll admit it: I'm failing the vegetable quizzes miserably. As you continue this foodblog, would you not only give the answers but also some recipe suggestions, please? Simple recipe suggestions, just like your "hurry up" dinner tonight. Thank you for blogging in the same time zone that I'm in (the Left Coast, that is).

Ruth, you just need to come out more. What new LA restaurants are you planning to try in the next six months or so? Mario Batali & Nancy Silverton's new restaurant(s)? The first 3 chefs you mentioned I haven't tried yet. They are on my list, particularly Michael Cimarusti. I'm glad you mentioned Kazuto Matsusaka. When I read Russ Parson's article on him, Kazuto must have gone through much. I enjoyed eating at his new restaurant, Beacon. I like his approach to fusion cuisine without the gimmicks. Have you eaten at Beacon yet? I really like Water Grill, now under David LeFevre. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to eat there under Michael Cimarusti. That's why I'm very interested in his new place, Providence. Ruth, I noticed that you like ethnic restaurants. Is that one of LA's culinary strengths that you wish that New York had, at that level?

You would think that after forty-plus years, I would have cooked a turkey already. Well, here it goes ... I roasted my first turkey last weekend! Instead of driving up north from Los Angeles and fighting the traffic, I decided to have Thanksgiving dinner in Southern California with my immediate family members who live down here as well. And because my SIL had to work on Thursday & Friday, Thanksgiving dinner was on Saturday. The week before, I bought a 17-pound Foster Farms turkey at Costco, and that was the smallest one I could find. When I got that bird home, I tried to fit it into the Granite Ware roaster that I had. It didn't fit. So, I checked in the LA Times Food Section to find a couple of places where I can buy a bigger-sized roaster. Everyone else had the same idea. Mind you, there were several smaller-sized Granite Ware roasters available, but not the bigger sizes. By the time Wednesday night rolled around, I decided to go back to Costco and see what roasters they had left. There were two roasters left. It wasn't the plain old Granite Ware roaster that the LA Times Food Section mentioned. As it said on the box, it was a heavy gauge hard anodized aluminum roasting pan ... 13 x 16 x 3.75 in. ... easily accommodates a 25 lb. turkey. And the price was great: $29.99! It's Friday night, the day before my Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey has been resting in the refrigerator for over a week. It should be defrosted by now, ehh? I took out the turkey from the frig to wash it and pat it dry. I found the neck that was hiding inside the turkey cavity. And yes, I did remember to take out the giblet bag that was hiding inside the other end of the turkey. After the rinsing & drying, I covered the turkey and placed it back in the frig for Saturday morning. It's just after 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday, and I don't do mornings. Somehow, I managed to get up and started the preparations for roasting the turkey. I seasoned the turkey, both inside and out. Then, I did my best to rub the butter onto the turkey. Do you know how hard it is to apply room-temperature butter on a refrigerated turkey? After that mess, I stuffed the turkey cavity with a couple of carrots cut lengthwise, a few long stalks of celery, and one whole onion cut in half. I tied up the turkey with a long piece of string. It's hard to tie it tight when you don't have an extra hand! To try and keep the breast as moist as possible, I took Marlene's advice & placed bacon strips over the breast. And on top of that, I covered the entire turkey with a cheesecloth that was soaked with olive oil the night before. While all this was going on, I pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's the turkey, sitting on the rack inside the roasting pan, seasoned, buttered, baconed, and covered with an olive oil-soaked cheesecloth, all set and ready to go into the oven: And the time is 9:07 a.m., Los Angeles time. After 30-45 minutes, I turned the oven temperature down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. After about three hours, it was time to take the turkey's temperature. I inserted the pocket test thermometer into the turkey breast, as indicated on one of the pages in the William Sonoma booklet that a co-worker let me look at. I basted the bird about a couple of times. By about 3:00 p.m., I turned the oven off and let the turkey rest inside the oven for a moment. Preparing myself physically and mentally, I lifted the roasting pan on the stovetop. Hey! We're talking a 17-pound turkey and a rather sturdy roasting pan here, with very hot drippings inside! I slowly took off the cheesecloth and the bacon from the turkey but left the string intact. Afterwards, I first wrapped the turkey with several pieces of foil. Then I wrapped the entire roasting pan with foil. I placed the roasting pan into a big, heavy box, ready for transport from my apartment to my brother's house, about a 30-45 minute drive without traffic. The turkey arrived at my brother's house safe and sound. I brought the box into the kitchen, and the carving board was ready to be used. Here is my first turkey, before the carving: This was also my first time carving a turkey. My brother guided me through the process. His instructions were similiar to the ones I was reading in the LA Times. That was reassuring. With seven of us eating, I carved one-half of the turkey and placed the meat onto the platter: Dinner went well! We all brought other dishes and enjoyed eating them. As for the turkey, my first turkey? Pretty good. Everyone liked it. That means a lot to me. My family, we like to eat good food. I took the rest of the turkey back to my apartment. I carved the other half, divided the meat into three packages of dark meat and four packages of white meat. I split the turkey carcass in half, foiled each half and bagged them into the freezer, along with all the packages of turkey meat. My brother was pleased with my first turkey. As I was leaving his house, he asked me, “So what's next? A rib roast?”

Lucy, la poète, merci beaucoups! I really enjoyed reading your foodblog. It's as though you have that gift of "mise."

Kit, is it possible to replicate these in Southern California? Adam, how big are these rings? Are these rings for uniformity? And I suppose it must be yeast, not baking soda, not baking powder, ehh? Consider me ignorant.

Greetings from sunny Southern California, Ruth Reichl! I've been living in the LA area since 1983 & currently work in downtown Los Angeles. I am seeing many positive changes in LA, including signs of a nightlife in downtown LA, if you can believe that. Now that it's been over ten years since you lived on the Left Coast, I would like to hear your perceptions & observations of the LA dining scene 2005, particularly downtown LA. Thank you for coming to eGullet!

Chris, I'm glad you'll take my suggestions, despite my youth and inexperience. I'm making another batch of naw mai fon for my Thanksgiving dinner today.

I've been thinking about this, just a bit mind you, and I'm coming to this conclusion: [sARCASM]Kris, it's all your fault. Apparently, the hostess didn't know that you are a member of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. If she had known that about you, she would have asked YOU to do the filling for her, instead of some unknown guest. You would have done an excellent job, of course, because you are an eGullet member (not to mention being part of the management team). Everyone (well, almost everyone, but you get the idea), everyone would have enjoyed the pumpkin pie without incident. And you wouldn't have started this discussion thread and I wouldn't be writing this post ...[/sARCASM] I think that I've been thinking about this too much ...

Chris, why did you steam the lop yook by itself? Steam out the fat (and the flavor) and replace it with oyster sauce? I would think that you would want to keep the flavor of the lop yook in the naw mai fon, especially homemade lop yook.

I hope, for her sake, that it wasn't some despicable prank on her part. torakris, how did she respond? Did she apologize?

I don't mean freeze the lop yook until it's completely frozen. I meant put it in the freezer and get the lop yook in a semi-frozen state so I can dice it into very small pieces. It's the similiar idea of freezing flank steak so that you can slice it into very thin pieces. For naw mai fon, I want to cut the lop yook BEFORE cooking. I don't want to cook the flavor out. I want the flavor of the lop yook mixing with all the other ingredients.

Since you asked, you can use it, along with other ingredients, in making Chinese Sticky Rice (Naw Mai Fon). There is a photo of the Chinese bacon (lop yook) next to the Chinese sausage (lop cheung) for comparison. BTW, how hard was it to cut the lop yook? Sometimes, I have to freeze it a little bit so it's firmer to cut up.

LA Times Food Section -- November 23, 2005 THE ESSENTIAL THANKSGIVING: PART TWO Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, try clicking this link here, enter the URL address of the LA Times and proceed accordingly. Some content is in the premium section called www.calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee. Near the bottom of last week's digest (16 November 2005) are some discussion threads about Thanksgiving. Video How-to: Carve a turkey with Mélisse Chef Josiah Citrin Really, no need to panic / by Leslie Brenner Too much to do? At least the green vegetables will be a snap. Blanch them, then forget about them till the very last minute. Includes a recipe for Meyer lemon green beans and the side article, “Variations” Let that wine genie out of the bottle / by Corie Brown YOU'VE wandered the aisles of wine shops, imagining what would really delight your guests; you've sought out the most delicious possibilities your budget will allow. But there is still one more thing you can do that will almost invariably enhance whatever wine you have decided to serve at Thanksgiving dinner: Decant it. Includes the side article, “Knowing how and when to pour” The final flourish / by Russ Parsons With the right knife and a few sharp moves, carving a turkey is easier than you think. Includes the side article, “The tool: carving knife” A taste of the first feast / by Charles Perry THE oldest dish on the Thanksgiving table is succotash, a Native American combination of corn and beans that is likely to have been served at the first Thanksgiving. Includes a recipe for succotash and the side article, “The tool: paring knife” A little crunch, a touch of crisp and--wow / by Charles Perry Celery sticks meet Marcona almonds when you add smart touches to the time-honored relish tray. You're a few keystrokes away from T-Day tips Online: See a companion video to today's carving story by Russ Parsons featuring Mélisse chef Josiah Citrin, right, who demonstrates how to carve a turkey. ...Go to www.latimes.com/thanksgiving The tool: decanter / by Leslie Brenner When looking for a decanter, any clear glass or crystal vessel with a wide enough, easy-pouring mouth will do. *********************************************************** Gentlemen, stop your Lamborghinis / by S. Irene Virbila Mastro's Ocean Club Fish House in Newport Beach is given a ½* (half a star) rating. The people behind Mastro's steakhouses has opened a seafood house and there's never a slow night. That's 475 reservations on the weekends and close to 300 on weeknights. No head chef here, just line cooks. And for those who hanker for a Rat Pack moment ... and don't care that much how it tastes, well, Mastro's Ocean Club will treat you like the Chairman of the Board. WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2004 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc: Marlborough, New Zealand; about $12; lively and crisp; goes with roast birds, steamed shellfish, raw oysters and clams, seared scallops, grilled shrimp. The price couldn't be better. Drink up. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Crème de la crème of chain-store puffs / by S. Irene Virbila Critic's notebook on Beard Papa Sweets Café at the Hollywood & Highland Center. This voluminous Japanese-based chain makes freshly baked puffs that are hand-filled to order with custard that's fresh every couple of hours. This may be the new Krispy Kreme. Sugar rush / by Leslie Komaiko If you're going to indulge in something sweet, and 'tis the season, make it worthwhile. Includes five places: Auntie Em's Kitchen on Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock; Leda's Bake Shop on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Apple Pan on W. Pico Blvd., West L.A.; Urth Caffé on S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; Amandine on Wilshire Blvd., West L.A.

Ah Leung, I've been thinking why Chinese restaurants serve the Lemon Chicken dish so sweet? Isn't it more a reflection of the customer's taste, and not necessarily the cook's abilities? I don't think it's economics: How much does lemons cost?

Although indicted in Dec. 2004, Leonard Pickell, former president of the James Beard Foundation, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Jan. 2005 and was sentenced 1 to 3 years in prison in NY State later in June 2005. BTW, any news about the JBF since the Beard Awards? In terms of what's "most important," I think in terms of what will have the most impact, not necessarily what's the most popular at that particular moment. Mind you, in terms of what will have the most influence on history. And yes, zilla369, it is hard to nail down what's "most important." I don't have the ability to predict the future.

Yes there is, Pan. Come on over! Let's meet in FRONT of the restaurant. Thanksgiving for me will be on Sat. My SIL has to work on Thanksgiving & Fri. So, I have Thursday off. I might find a nice restaurant that's open on that day and eat one of their non-turkey options, since turkey will be served on Sat. (and beyond).

My family used to go over to my aunt & uncle's place for Thanksgiving. It would be part-American and part-Chinese. There would be the turkey, the ham, the cranberries, etc. Then there would be the Chinese sticky rice and some Chinese vegetables. Sometimes, my aunt's SIL would bring some sushi rolls. My cousin would bring 2-3 homemade pies. Someone would make almond jello. So, Thanksgiving dinner would be a combination of different things. In LA's downtown Chinatown, all the Chinese delis and dim sum places are going to be packed on Thanksgiving morning. Fathers will bring along their kids to pick up dim sum items to take back to the house and snack on them, so that the cooks can cook undistrubed! Besides, Thanksgiving is another day to make some more money!! Aiya.