Suzanne F

Remember "Tattingers?" Nathan Lane's sitcom? Emeril's sitcom? "Three's Company?" (note to the management: we need a :gack: smiley). Belmont -- the article said that NBC isn't putting ANY $$$$ into this project -- it's all to be funded by product placement and sponsors. Can't you just see Rocco saying, "Wait, you know what this Nabisco ® -saltine -crusted, Doxsee ® canned oyster dish needs to be perfect? A sauce with Hellman's ® Mayonnaise and Heinz ® India Relish , and a wedge of Sunkist ® lemon!"

On NBC? Broadcast? The bleeps will overpower everything else on the soundtrack! And is this to be 1 hour per week for six weeks? Don't you wish YOU could build and open a new restaurant in only 6 weeks? edit: great minds think alike, Belmont.

I agree. (It's not just you.) Thanks for bringing up that point. What if you try using one of those barbecue-clickety-butane-flame-thingies (have I described it sufficiently?) The thing I use in lieu of pilot lights when my electronic ignition fails on the stove. When I finally make the drink, that's what I'll try.

It has been for many years. Full disclosure: I am a consultant to Hormel (among other companies), and I have worked on the Dinty Moore brand. I was impressed with what I saw at the Austin MN. facility where they cook the stew. Based on my dealings with them, I wil say that Hormel is a company that has integrity and high standards. No one is claiming a tinned product is equal or better to scracth made. But the product is (surprisingly) good tasting. My "uh-oh" was political, not culinary. (Confession: I've tried to duplicate the flavor at home, but never could.) I still remember the strike against Hormel, and how it tore families apart and ruined people's lives (on both sides of the line). I didn't want to go into that too much, since I've already mouthed off on "morality." But if that situation has healed, and the production is really top-notch -- what the hell, I eventually started eating grapes again. Wilfrid -- I did say "No browning" but maybe that got lost in the ... unmentionables.

Isn't Dinty Moore now a brand name owned by Hormel? Uh-oh.

Um, you probably DON'T want to make an "authentic" "Irish stew" -- at least, not if you want to impress anyone. All it has is lamb (actually, mutton), sliced onions, sliced potatoes, water, and salt & pepper. The proportions for 8 portions are: about 3 lbs meat to 5 lbs potatoes to 5 large onions. No browning; just layer potatoes, meat, onion, potatoes, meat, onion, etc. seasoning each layer. Add about 2 cups of water. Cover tightly. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for about 2 to 3 hours, shaking the pan occasionally to keep the potatoes from sticking. Mmmm, yum Take La Niña's (sort of) advice -- just make a regular lamb stew with all those other good-tasting things in it. Unless, of course, you're entertaining a real stickler for authenticity.

I have the CIA book. Current (7th) and previous (6th) editions, both. Trust me. Get the Pepin book. I'll explain later.

Cut it up. Braise it with the usual aromatics plus a little smoked paprika and some wild mushrooms, and add some sherry to the braising liquid. Remove the pieces when they're cooked. Skim any fat off the juices. Reduce if necessary, and/or add ground almonds to thicken. Before serving, add some whole pitted green olives and the chopped giblets to the sauce. Serve with saffron rice.

Dave, that sounds like a good reason. Maybe using a heat-diffuser would help? I'll try that the next time I use it. BTW, my fish cakes were delicious! Leftover grilled halibut steak mixed with leftover mashed Yukon Golds, extra Caribbean-type spices, and some homemade mayonnaise. Double-crusted with panko. Yum.

Savory: Osso Buco. Made pretty much the way Marcella Hazan describes, except that I sometimes add a few anchovies or a little fish sauce instead of salt. Sweet: Iced Almond Milk. Ridiculously easy, but people go nuts (sorry). Mix 1 liter of Italian Almond milk with 250 grams of sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Place in ice-cream maker. Freeze. Serve. I sometimes add a little vanilla extract, orange-flower water, and grated lemon zest, which makes it a bit more Sicilian and interesting.

What a great suggestion! But would it have to be a practical, or could we keep it theoritical? 'Cause otherwise we'd all need to cook the same dish to start out. Not that that's undoable, but how long would we have to wrangle about what it should be? Maybe start with a menu picked at random from the dinner thread, and spin off new menus from there?

Get the Pepin. Get the Pepin. Get the Pepin. Trust me. Get the Pepin.

I used panko to armor-plate my fish cakes tonight: flour, egg, panko, egg, panko. Worked beautifully: no grease absorption, deep copper color, held in all the cake (fish + mashed potatoes + spices + mayonnaise) which under other circumstances would break through the coating. Well, actually it did break through on the baby one -- all of a sudden there was a slow geyser of goo coming out a fissure in the top. But the adult ones held up fine. Not much taste to the panko, though. Big deal; they have other virtues.

Fat Guy -- or anyone else, for that matter: have you had the burger at Le Zinc? Very good meat, not too tightly packed, large and juicy, cooked as requested, with cheddar and applewood-smoked bacon, served on a good onion roll, with mediocre cole slaw and excellent fries. Opinions? (I admit I love it; but I've never had a burger at City Hall down the street.)

Did you find any long-lost "treasures?"

Marlene -- I forget what the final F stands for, but I just realized that's a great way to slim down. Sure beats using the NordicTrak!

Welcome, Busboy! Quite an auspicious debut.

Jim, I thought everybody cooked that way. Then again, maybe not if the Dinner thread is to be believed. What a shame restaurants can't do that (Mrs. Blaskovic of the NYC Health Department said one re-heat and then it's garrrrbage). All I know is, I can't make beef braciole if I haven't first made meatloaf to mash up for the filling. And to make the meatloaf, I need to have made stuffed veal breast, to have excess mushroom stuffing. And for the veal, I needed to make ... well, you get the idea. Margaret P, you are SO right!

Oh, Maggie, in our heart of hearts, we already know. Dave, thanks for asking: I'm doing fish cakes in it tonight, so that should take it a big step further. I was kind of worried because there are little -- and not so little -- pits in the seasoning. But they seem to be fiilling in. At any rate, no rust has appeared. It just isn't black and beautiful yet, sigh. Patience!

Once again, eGullet was well ahead of the curve, as defined by the New York Times! Season here and scroll down to the last item, "So That Catfish Doesn't Have to Wait."

John, I always ask for -- and will only eat -- my hotdogs "well-done." I think it helps a lot where they are cooked on those roller-thingies. Just about every place I get them (the papaya places, Nathan's, the stands at The Garden) will have some nicely blistered ones at the back. The hotdogs are Nathan's in Coney Island are probably nothing like they used to be, but the experience of eating there is fun, and the fries are tasty.

You the boss.

I volunteer to make and bring the Velvet Falarnum Syrup (from a full liter of rum ), if others will bring the rest of the ingredients. Then those who hit Beacon before can comment on the subtle differences. Or we can go up to Beacon after to do the comparison. How's that sound?

Helena: one word of warning: twice in a row my OpenTable reservation didn't quite make it through to JS. The JS manager said they've been having connectivity problems. So you might do better to reserve by phone. Unless you want the points, in which case you may have to tell OT that you did, in fact, go. OT has been very nice about it for me. FG: maybe we just have a higher threshhold for chipotle, and so would have liked more. The pulled pork, though -- YES, or rather NO! They should have offered a vinegar/black pepper sauce with it, the way it was chopped.

If you want to serve a pasta course, I've got a recipe for a walnut/zucchini sauce that's quite tasty -- doesn't even need cheese, although it makes a nice addition: To sauce 1 pound of spaghetti: 1 cup oil (half and half olive and something mild; you might even add a little walnut oil if you have it) 2 cups toasted walnuts 1/4 cup chopped onion (any kind works) 1 clove garlic (more if you like) 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chervil, or 2 teaspoons dried (if you don't have any, that's okay) 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste (especially if no cheese) 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley 1 cup cooked, sliced zucchini (1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan -- I've made it without and it's still good) Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and heat until just below a boil. Pour over pasta and mix. Serve. (Add cheese separately if desired) edit to add question: do the "vegetarian" guests eat anchovies (the Caesar has them)?