cupcake

I was looking for some ideas for my tarragon infusion that I just set up and came across this. http://www.subrosaspirits.com/recipes.html It's getting cold here in Chicago, and my tarragon this year (I am an avid balcony herb gardener, despite my challenging north light and shade from the balcony above) was lush and gorgeous. I have (had! it's all sitting on my counter in vodka) tons left and if we go below freezing, it's all over, so tarragon infusion it is! Mint has not survived the cold to date-- I see that the company in the link above uses tarragon with a touch of mint (infused separately) and fennel fronds that steep for only 4 hours. Maybe next year.... For anyone with herb infusions, how long do you let it age after you stain it? The Schnapps site says a few months. I guess I will just have to force myself to sample it as it goes along. Have not found that other ingredients take that long, but for whatever reason, this is my first foray into herbs. Cynthia

The "Hell's Kitchen star complimentary knife skills demo" poster at a Williams Sonoma drew me inexorably in like a moth to a flame. So we had info on selecting knives followed by a demo of how to cut veggies. Please allow me to enlighten you with some helpful tips: (1) Bolsters-- They will be obsolete shortly, they just get in the way, so a thin blade with no bolster is the best for virtually all applications. (2) Paring knives-- Use a peeler! No reason whatsoever to own one. (3) Proper way to use a santoku-- Come down from several feet, slamming the knife down on the board. If you can't use a rocking motion with your knife, this is the best alternative. (4) How to cut an onion-- Halve it, remove peel. Cut twice horizontally. Then slice down. Look! Perfect dice! (5) Question from crowd: how do you zest a lemon? Well, you take your chef's knife, and you run it around your lemon, taking off varying degrees of zest, pith, and fruit (and, quite possibly, your fingers). Voila! (6) Another question from crowd: How do you crush garlic into a paste? It's too time consuming to use your knife; use a garlic press. (7) Helpful safety tip-- Use a "cutting glove" (some sort of chain mail looking thing) to prevent accidents. I could go on, but I don't want to overwhelm you! I can't deny it, it was mesmerizing. I am by no means a professional, but oh my. Other than my also definitely not a professional spouse jabbing me in the ribs during the demo, it was great! Had to google the person in question; he left early on in his season, and I admit it, I have to catch a rerun. Again, I am by no means an expert, but it was all I could do not to grab the knife. Not sure what the highlight is, there were too many good contenders, but I think I have to go with the onion or the lemon. Enjoy! You'll have to excuse me, I need to surf the Williams Sonoma site for a knife with no bolster so I can practice!!!

OK, I think I have pretty much talked myself out of the 30" DCS all gas range due to the aluminum alloy cooktop. I have huge issues due to my 1885 building (8 unit city condo) in terms of space and where the gas is (gas is in a solid brick wall, interesting angles in said brick wall due to former dumbwaiter that prevent any realistic reconfiguration as to where the range would go, etc.) so really, my only viable options are the DCS or Dacor. And let us recall that I can't vent. Ideally, I obviously would, but I just can't. It's not even a matter of cost, although that's a consideration -- there is no way to do it to code due to dimensions of the back stairs. The good news is that I saw the Viking recirculating hood live this weekend, and it is a HUGE improvement over my current situation (microhood). Everything's relative. I would have preferred the DSC (all burners simmer, overall better functionality) but I am very leery of the cooktop surface. And really, I am limited by my venting situation anyway, gas location aside. So I would love any thoughts on the DCS range surface. Might anyone have one?? I (well, my husband!) is used to removing the grates every night and wiping things down as we currently have a white Dacor Preference (porcelain surface, cast iron grates). The potential for scratching and staining for the DCS is really bothering me. The only thing that is standing btwn me and the DCS is the cooktop surface. I will not be happy if it stains or scratches. It sounds like it will, making the less functional Dacor Epicure (which is a good step up from my Dacor Preference and may well be a good match for me given my venting situation) a better choice. I'm about to pull the plug and am torn: better features and alloy cooktop, or not as great features (but likely fine given my venting) Dacor and black porcelain top? I truly would love any additional thoughts from anyone who had a DCS or similar finish cooktop. Cynthia

My efforts to select a range and hood continue.... I am very seriously considering the DCS 30" all gas range, RGT-305SSN. Does anyone have any thoughts re how challenging it is to clean the top? It's brushed and apparently made of some sort of aluminum alloy (per the DCS rep, who unsurprisingly says it's a piece of cake to clean). My husband very graciously leaves me to cook and does all the clean-up, and I will feel really guilty if he ends up whipping out the barkeeper's friend (or whatever's recommended) constantly. I've never used anything that did not have a porcelainized top. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Cynthia

Thank you! I have the long-ago discontinued Dacor Preference 30" all gas slide-in -- 15,000 + 12,500 + 9,500 + 9,500. Due to where my gas is and the fact that it's in a brick wall, I am contemplating the Dacor Epicure, which is 18,000 + 15,000 + 9,5000 + 9,5000. So this is actually quite encouraging as my current set-up (microhood) does virtually nothing as far as grease and smoke. I am looking for tolerable, not great, given my limitations. Other info: I have 11 foot ceilings, so I am hopeful that something moving heat up (heat rises and all that) has to be an improvement. While a new range would have a higher output, so far, what makes the kitchen unbearable in the summer is the oven, and I don't think anything I can do can change that. I have two huge windows on one side of my kitchen, live in Chicago, and love it when it's cold since I can open the windows. If I continue my practice of really only using two burners (which admittedly will have a greater BTU output), am I living in a dream world when I think that during most of the year, I will view this as an improvement? The new range will give me a total of 5,500 more for the burners I actually tend to use, and theoretically, I will not have both cranked all the way up at the same time. I'm massively second guessing myself here since I have not been able to find anyone who's even remotely positive about the recirculating hood concept. I know it's not ideal, but the thought of something with less BTUs than what I have (which is what I will end up with if I don't get a professional range) makes me really unhappy. BUT then I read how much people dislike the recirculating hood and envision myself in a kitchen that everyday is the temp I currently get in the summer when I make pizza. So I'm not being very articulate here, but I guess what my question comes down to is if you compare my current Dacor Preference with the Dacor Epicure plus a good recirculating hood, will I be miserable except in the dead of winter with all the windows open? I have never used anything with higher BTUs than what I have, so can't tell if the increase is no big deal or a lot. I'd love any thoughts, esp since the only feedback I have gotten from friends is advice to under no circumstances get rid of my microwave... Cynthia

We currently have a Dacor 30" all gas/convection oven slide-in range that's about 13 years old. We have a microwave/hood that basically does nothing as far as ventilation goes. We live in an 1885 home with no chance of venting outside. We need to replace our range. Dacor does not make the quasi-professional type we have that can safely go under a microwave hood. I really love my range, and to get the features I would like, it appears I need to get a professional range (DCS, Dacor, Viking, etc.). This means we cannot have a microwave hood, which is not a problem as far as losing the microwave. We were told that the Viking wall hood with the recirculating conversion kit would work. Does anyone have any experience with a recirculating hood and the BTUs of a professional range in our small kitchen? Our current set up makes the kitchen very warm in the spring/summer. Also, I have read that the professional ranges are not that insulated-- if we are looking at Viking or Dacor, will it be even hotter than it is now? What we are contemplating now is removing the cabinet over our microwave hood and swapping it out for a shorter cabinet (to gain enough clearance btwn the hood and the range), and then swapping the microwave for a recirculating hood and getting a professional range. Any advice or thoughts would be very welcome. Cynthia & Jim

I'd love to see your final menu!! Also, I saw you present at Epcot's Food & Wine festival in 2005, if I'm not mistaken, and enjoyed it a lot.

No Remy wine at Costco. From what I saw before, I thought it was going to have a Gusteau label, which would have been subtle yet appealing, at least to me. Yes, the movie may not be 100% accurate, but the pure love of cooking as an end to itself is so appealing. And who knows how much more appealing it would have been with some Gusteau's burgundy? Unfortunately, we'll never know.

I, too, have followed your career and been inspired by your creativity and drive. You are in my thoughts and prayers as you face this battle. I wish you nothing but the very, very best.

My first post after years of lurking! Loved this movie and the ending was just perfect. Re Remy not tasting, I wonder if it is because he is a you know what (umm, a r-a-t.) Aside from the "spoons down!" part at the end where humans weren't cooking and he did taste, he checked everything out using his sense of smell. Not that it matters since he's using a separate spoon, but it's a theory! What a great movie, and such a triumph of spirit and an expression of the joy of what it means to create something for the pleasure of making something good. I'm interested to see what kind of marketing they end up with for this movie since that seems to be a marker of success. I saw that they have produce and wine tie-ins, which seems better than action figures (although they also seem to have your basic Disney Store type of merchandise), but I admit I am not exactly the action figure demographic. Looking forward to the DVD and pulling for the movie to be a big success! C.