Suzanne F

Smarmatron, if we're even out together, you can pass your portion of foie gras and glass of Sauternes or Mombazillac right over to me. Honey mustard, gah. Orange sauce on roast duck, gah. Maple sugar on bacon, yum. Bastilla with a gamey bird, almonds, and, sugar, yum. Have you haters considered that there are ways of doing it that work (foie + Sauternes) and ways that don't (meatballs in chili-sauce-grape-jelly)? Pulling off the balance of flavors is very tricky. Maybe you've just had examples of off-balance, poorly executed?

Owing to their colonial heritage, some African recipes call for "1 Prince Albert can of sugar" or "1 Bass bottle of oil." A restaurant I used to work in had recipes calling for so many "crab" of something. This was the container that our crabmeat came in. Finally: in my family, instead of a sprinkle or a pinch of salt, we give a "shit" -- a variation on the Yiddish "schutt" so I was told.

Louisa, I could just about taste those ravioli! Mmmmmmmmmm. Maybe I'll have to reconsider my opinion that the French cannot do pasta. What did the private dining room look like?

You can also cut it in slivers, stir-fry with meat/chicken, lily buds, and maybe some tree ears (all in slivers) and use it to stuff pancakes for moo shu. I had some Szechuan pickled veg in my fridge for years, in a jar with vinegar. I wouldn't advise keeping it that long (it loses flavor), but that kind of preserved vegetable is just that: preserved.

I'm curious: what's the purpose of the milk/cream in the rajas?

Oooh, Aquitaine, that Ragu sounds fabulous! Thanks for the hint. I still have one -- what are they called -- head? stalk? left to cook. That dish has so many of our favorite vegetables. And the other one sounds pretty good, too. Are the hazelnuts toasted and crushed?

Funny you should ask; I'm making them again tonight for dinner. I got them at Manhattan Fruit Exchange, in Chelsea Market. I also saw them in Fairway about 2 weeks ago. And while still I haven't been up there, my guess is you can find them on Arthur Avenue.

I've never tried any of the others, but I second the mention of American Flatbread. Not bad at all (which is the highest praise I can bring myself to give a product like that. )

Late dinner after co-op board meeting: finally knocked off the last of the pork-tropical veg stew, with a couple of boiled ripe plantains added to round it out. mixed salad with balsamic vinaigrette La Crema 2000 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: drinkable, but not very good at all. Will probably cook with most of the rest of the bottles. Margaret: LOVE the avatar!

Oho, Ben, so you only read Esquire for the recipes? Aren't basil and mint related? Or am I just thinking of Thai basil which tastes somewhat minty? That would give you a chance to Thai one on. Sorry. Couldn't resist. Even though I know I should have.

First, thanks so much for joining us! I really want to love your duck recipes, but they are problematic. Some of us have had trouble with your Crisped-Braised Duck. Why do you think that might be? Is it the difference in the ducks we've used? Our cooking utensils? Technique? Help, please.

Andrew, that's a good point. I've read the article over several times, and love the basic premise, but am still a bit confused about "boiling." Not about cooking the bones several times -- that's the classic remouillage -- but about the rate at which they should be cooked. I too learned that a slow simmer will result in a clearer liquid. Nina P: would you please explain? Did you really mean boil bubble bubble BUBBLE bubble BUBBLEBUBBLEBUBBLEBUBBLE?

This ties in perfectly with the new piece on Bone Soup in TDG. Have a look, if you haven't already.

You could just make a creme Chantilly -- lightly sweetened whipped cream with a bit of vanilla added.

Was that a glance in the mirror? Man, those hot cheetos are HOT!!!!!

We went back to YSD last Friday night -- this time ordered according to some of the eGullet recommendations: braised beef with noodles in soup, and the roast chicken. Both were delicious (and the leftover chicken was great in fried rice at home last night). BUT: after we finished eating, I had that unmistakably unpleasant feeling of having ingested MSG. Anyone else notice that from the food there? If so, can one ask them to leave it out? We'll still go back, but I'd rather not go through that fuzziness and discomfort again.

Me too. Ugh, who wants to get traffic fumes? And have people cursing you for taking up the sidewalk? And welcome, Cleo!

I usually ask for my burgers very very very rare. That way at least I'll get it just rare. But they got mine right at Blue Smoke (well, actually downstairs in the jazz club). That is one good burger.

Make an open-face sandwich with the grated radish on top of a thick layer of duck or goose fat on sour rye bread.

I think black chicken is traditionally used to make a restorative soup. Haven't tried it, though. But following some of Nina Simonds's suggestions in A Spoonful of Ginger, I'd just use water plus shaoxing wine, lots of sliced ginger, and scallions.

HWOE and I hit Chelsea Market* today, and so dinner was: skin-on tail-cut of Artic char, sauteed in clarified butter Jasmine rice cooked according to Seductions of Rice Nuked asparagus spears, sauced with reduced half-and-half plus whole grain mustard, butter, and yuzu juice mixed salad with white wine/white balsamic vinaigrette Macari Brut (sparkling wine, North Fork of Long Island, NY) *So I'll probably make some pasta dough soon. Also, found polenta with buckwheat (?!)

Oh, yeah! There was a piece in TDG by Dave the Cook about Lodge preseasoned cast iron. Made me sorry I didn't pop for it when I bought a 12" skillet.

I think a subscription to Fine Cooking would be just the thing. I love it, too -- I learn something every month! And the passion IS there, I think. I also second the vintage Joy of Cooking, full of good recipes for solid dishes, and the answer to just about every basic question. (I have one from 1975.)

Oh, there was definitely a window onto the corridor. Around where garde manger was, maybe a little further back. Maybe it got wiped out in a kitchen renovation, which I think happened since I was there. I haven't been back in a couple of years. And I can concede that you could be right about the knife, NOW. It's just that when we had to prep the lobsters during service because we had run out (think 2 complete full-house turns on a Saturday night ), there was no time for niceties. Just rip 'em apart and get them ready to go! Although I don't remember doing it during normal prep, either. But anything is possible. I mean, who ever expected Chef to get married, such a gorgeous man :drool:! Anyway, I just wanted to make the point that lobsters are nothing to be squeamish about. Although I did think if was awfully sweet when the sushi assistant at Match Uptown used to apologize to his lobsters before he plunged them into the pot.

Gee, that's not what I remember (5-month externship, 1996). No knife. All we did was twist them apart -- first the claws, then the tail from the body. Tail got skewered with a cheap fork after removal, to keep it straight. And of course the tomalley and coral were carefully poured out and saved. It was fun to have to do it during service, since people would walk past a window into the kitchen on their way to the restrooms. Right past the garde manger area with the storage for portioned fish. (I'm sorry if anyone thinks I'm a monster for saying that, but it WAS fun to see the look of horror on ladies' faces as they saw Sonia [the tournant] and me tearing those babies apart.)