Suzanne F

This is good news indeed! She is such a doll, and so helpful.

Mayo? Sour Cream?? :shock: SUGAR????? :shock: Folks, we're talking GUACAMOLE here. Maybe more garlic, more cilantro, more tomato, more onion; definitely more chile!

Pan, I had no idea you were such a geek! Seriously, thanks for the report. It's always good to hear about stuff I've not yet had at places I like.

I love Julia's recipe for Bourgignon...I'd do this as well.. ← This could be the basis for a world-wide eG Pot Luck, whatever dish is chosen! All participants make some version of the dish, then get together to taste one against the other. For those not in traveling distance from anyone else, hmmm well we'll have to do that part virtually.

Must. Have. Meat.

No problem! And maybe we should start thinking about the warm-weather dish(es) . . .

I didn't say that one must pick between BH and CG; it's just that the underlying flavor sensibilities seem to be diametrically opposed, and that it might be difficult for someone who vastly prefers one to completely enjoy the other. Some people prefer subtle flavors; some prefer gutsy ones. That's fine, and if someone likes both, that's fine too. FWIW, Webster 11 (the industry standard) defines "partisan" as That's what I was thinking of; I would never accuse you, Bux, of that kind of behavior. Certainly not vis-a-vis BH. As for the "view issue" -- as a former line cook, I like being able to see what is going on in the kitchen. But because I know what they're doing, I am also able to tune it out. The majority of the dining public don't have that knowledge, and many cannot tune out the distraction. HWOE, as a "normal" person had reasonable objections to having to look AT the kitchen; whether or not one wants to look PAST it is another question entirely, in my mind. Frankly, at that elevation, I think one has a better view of traffic than of park. Who needs that?

Oh, absolutely! For a taste of "home" you can cook them the same as you would cook collards or beet greens or kale or . . . you get the idea! I'm always amazed at the farmers' market that people ask for the greens to be cut off. Oh, the tasty treat they are missing.

Last night, looking through the December 2004 issue of Food Arts, I came across a recipe for Boeuf Bourgignon adapted from Keller's Bouchon book. Given that so many people have already made Bourdain's and loved it, perhaps this would be a better head-to-head competition?

I'm glad you mentioned the "stock" at the bottom of the pot. I save it, too (how could one NOT???), although I freeze it as my fridge is already filled to overflowing with a multitude of condiments. It is a great addition to other duck dishes, such as the (overly)braised duck I made last week -- just as I would add glace. And Paula, thanks for the tip on measuring.

RE: shrimp: Chinatown is the easiest and least expensive place for me to get LIVE shrimp -- which bypasses the whole frozen/thawed issue and the concomitant safety concerns. Plus, I prefer head-on for the extra flavor.

In truth, any mushroom that will not kill me is my favorite. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmushrooms!

Very brief report, more to come later, including pictures if all works out. Bond Girl, HWOE, and I ate there last night. We had a 6:30 reservation, and left sometime close to 10, by which time the place had long been full. Gray Kunz was there, expediting. We were seated in the side room, which has a full view of the Columbus Circle construction. HWOE faced the kitchen (visible through an interior window); he hated seeing the lights and bustle. I loved it (but can see his point), and thought the decor of the room we were in rather tacky. I also thought the etched-glass cafe curtains and barware tacky, but at least they clearly (sorry) set the tone of the place as NOT a temple of haute. Christmas Eve prix fixe of 3 courses was $80, with a $6 supplement for the Lobster Salad -- to my mind, a good value overall. (There was also a 5-course menu ($125?), but I'm glad we didn't order it because the portions were full-size, and as it was we left stuffed.) All three of us loved everything we ate. This is NOT a place for Blue Hill partisans: every dish here hits you smack in the face with wave upon wave of strong flavors -- but all the flavors balanced each other. Citrus and garam masala predominated as thematic flavors, but in a different way in each dish that contained them. And the simplest-seeming dishes without those elements (steamed branzino and a vegetable ragout) still had an incredible depth of flavor from the main ingredients themselves. As for the service . . . well . . . amateurish is the best I can say. If I had been reviewing, I'd give it *** for the food, and * each for the decor and service. And I would be thrilled to return.

The Sampan Porridge is sort of a little bit of this and a little bit of that -- all of the items (meat, squid, etc.) well-flavored. That's the one I remember best. I also remember that the congee there stays hot a nice long time, which is great if the meal takes a while for everyone else. Please give your parents my best regards.

A great addition to braised chicken

Yes: a roasted Hen of the Woods, as made at Craft.

Thanks for your answers. Yes, of course clarified butter, if necessary. And yes, my confit is sometimes a bit too salty; do you think if I rinse the pieces I won't lose too much of the spicing? And OF COURSE -- the cracklings are the reward of the chef!! When I mentioned this all to HWOE at dinner tonight, he was aghast that I never even let on that I had them around. Hey, I do the work, I get the gribenes, as they are called in Yiddish. PS: love the little bear in whites

Other have taken care nicely of the pot problem; and places that sell the pots probably sell fuel. But, um, you do mean Kirsch, right? Just about any good liquor store should have some. AKA Kirschwasser. Cherry brandy. There are many variations of fondue, as you are probably aware. But basically, you shred the cheese and toss it with a little flour or cornstarch. Rub the inside of the pot with a garlic clove. Heat some wine to bubbling in the fondue pot. Add the cheese, a cup or so at a time, stirring gently (in only one direction, says one of my cheese books). When all the cheese has been incorporated, season with salt if necessary, and plenty of freshly ground pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg. Finally add a splash of kirsch. Or you can make it in a saucepan on the stove, and pour it into the fondue pot. What cheese did you buy?

If they did WHAT to her? They seated her 20 minutes early, and "the service was polite impeccable and the food was great" in her words. I fail to see the need for outrage. Or any problem, for that matter.

If you have the time and the facility, brine it first. That should help keep it moist. Although it should probably have plenty of internal fat. But brining never hurts!

Golly, even McCormick is now marketing "Ground Annatto -- Achiote Molido." But I'm not sure whether they're putting it in all their displays. Let me know if you'd like the unopened bottle I have.

I've bought live shrimp out of the tank at Hong Kong Supermarket (East Bway and Allen); most of the tanks there look pretty clean and not overly crowded. Ditto those at the supermarket under the Manhattan Bridge. However, my purveyor of choice for lobster is still The Lobster Place, in Chelsea Market. The retail prices there are not all that much above what they charge restaurants (I know this because I used to check in their delivery when I worked at Match Uptown). And their cooked lobsters can be a real bargain -- so long as you don't mind that they were the rejects returned from restaurants.

Wow, crisping the skins in a deep fryer is really gilding the lily, no? I usually find that in the process of rendering the fat, the pieces of skin crisp up very nicely on their own. And if they don't, I just lay them out on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven for a little while.

This is indeed very cool! (And so is that green pot ) I like the idea of using citrus as an additional flavor element. I sometimes mix the salt with Herbes de Provence or with ras al hanout, but I don't rinse my duck before cooking, just pat it dry with towels. Throwing in my two cents (tuppence??): I kept confit duck in something similar to a Tupperware (plastic) container, in my fridge, for many months. As long as the meat was well-covered with fat, it was fine. But then, I only keep mine in the fridge; never tried to process it to keep it in the cupboard. My source of duck fat was other ducks that I cooked by other methods. Either raw globs that I pulled off before cooking, or the strained fat that came off during. Raw fat was kept in the freezer; cooked, in jars in the fridge. And as I've mentioned elsewhere, I treat it like butter -- that is, I "clarify" it and cook out any extraneous water; that seems to increase its keeping properties. I've started my collection for the next batch of confit; this one also includes fat removed from a rabbit. (I top up with butter, olive oil, and/or chicken fat as necessary.) One question about the jars of potted meat: do you have to worry about filling all the lacunae with fat, or simply make sure the top is completely covered? And since you process the jars, how long? Regular boil or pressure cooker?

Luckylies, I'm not positive, but I think they may use house-cured guanciale in the carbonara. The same stuff we had on our pizza on Sunday. It is pretty strongly flavored, being meatier than pancetta. Not sure about salt levels, though (didn't seem overly salty on the pizza). The pizzas are now more like what we generally think of as pizza -- unlike the "unusual" style they tried to introduce when they first opened. In a way, I'm a little sad that the general level of taste won out, rather than their being able to bring us all over to their side. Don't get me wrong, I really like the pizza there; I just wish they'd been able to perfect what they were trying to do, to the point where WE would all see their point.