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Hi, Put down my first attempt at limoncello last night. I'm using the method from the foodtv Batali recipe. Zest of 8 Lisbon Lemons, two oranges, a few sprigs of Lemon Verbena (was pruning and figured what the heck) and one bottle of finlandia vodka. For some reason, I couldn't find 100 proof vodka at the liquor store. I should have asked, maybe they hide the rocket fuel behind the counter. I see Absolut makes one, any other manufacturers? Batali only steeps the zest in vodka for 4 days before adding syrup. Other more traditional recipes I've found suggest 10-40 days. Maybe a shorter steep is OK, if you are zesting with microplane? Hoping for some decent organic strawberries at the farmer's market Saturday, for Liquore Di Fragole. Erik

I usually like plants in my garden to bring more than looks to the party, preferably be edible or smell great. Ideally both. Up the street from my house is a Michelia doltsopa (Sweet Michelia), which I have coveted for some time. It is a slow growing evergreen (here) Magnolia relative whose blooms have an absolutely intoxicating smell. Unfortunately, the one up the street will end up a pretty big tree, and won't do all that well in a container. This spring I found a Michlelia figo (Banana Shrub) in the discount section of a local garden store. It is a smaller shrubby relative of the tree up the street which I knew would do OK in a large container. I also knew the flowers smelled a little unusual; but, had enjoyed the Michelia up the street so much, I thought what the heck. It was half price, after all. A few days ago the first bloom opened, and I was amazed at the pungent odor of, well, I can't quite describe it. Vaguely fruity, vaguely banana. I went to get my wife to smell it and she nailed it. Juicy Fruit gum. Erik

Did the same thing last year to my old blender. There may have been some complicity on my part. It hadn't worked well for a while, and I was making red chile sauce, "Do I add a little more water? Hmmm....maybe if I don't I will finally get a new blender..." Wife comes into kitchen, "My God what is that smell! Why is the blender smoking?" Heh, heh. Unfortunately, she insisted on a newer Kitchen Aid model because of the lovely styling. At least it was on sale. After we both have used it a while now, she agrees it wasn't a very good investment. It really does a pretty horrible job at typical red chile chores, unless you add slightly excessive amounts of water and then sieve or food mill the results. It works OK for pureed soups; but, again, if you want perfect texture, you need to food mill or sieve. Personally, I would have chosen a bar blender from Waring or Oster. Perhaps, I should start making more Mexican food again. Erik

I usually buy the 500 ML bottle and use them within a month or two. The last two went off before I finished them. I wonder if there is something in that cabinet that is causing them to go off? It does seem like it is has been going off more quickly recently. Or maybe I just need to use more Olive Oil! Are there any sorts of other products whose proximity would be more likely to cause oil to go off? Mostly it is other closed bottles of vinegars, other oils, and that sort of thing down there. I can't think of any real changes in the inventory, other than replacing empty bottles and that sort of thing. Just got a new bottle last Saturday, perhaps I will just leave it on the counter, instead of putting it in the cabinet. Wow! Balsamico! That is quite a leap. I'll be looking forward to trying it. Erik

Found the receipt for Saturday night's debauch at Babbo. The truly fantastic Red was a Rosso Conero 'Adeodato' from Monte Schiavo in Marche. Certainly hope I have a chance to have this one again. Also, I have to correct, the favorite dessert was not the Panna Cotta; but, the Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo. Erik

My parents live near Phoenix/Scottsdale and my wife and I visit fairly often. This year I swear I'm going to get some tasty Mexican food. Great to get these recommendations! Will start making a list for this year's holiday trip. My wife and I had a great meal at Rancho Pinot Grill in Scottsdale a few years back. Is that still open/any good? Erik

Made this Saturday based on a recipe from the Chronicle food section last week. It turned out nicely. Chervil has a mild licorice flavor, and looks like a more delicate parsley. I scaled the recipe down for two, changed the herb profile, and simplified the vinaigrette. Erik original: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...BA1.DTL#halibut --------- Lemon Herb Roasted Halibut with Citrus Vinaigrette & Root Vegetables INGREDIENTS: For the vegetables and fish: 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 bulb Fennel, quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound small red or yellow potatoes, quartered 4 shallots, peeled and halved 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme, minced 1 lemon, thinly sliced (1/16th inch!) Chervil Sprigs 3/4 pounds halibut fillet, skin on Salt and pepper to taste For the vinaigrette: 1 shallot, minced 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup fruity olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 2 teaspoons finely chopped chervil, plus sprigs for garnish INSTRUCTIONS: For the vegetables and fish: Preheat oven to 400°. Toss the carrots, potatoes, shallots, and fennel in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch roasting pan, and cook in oven until starting to brown. Spread the vegetables to the outer edges of the pan, leaving a space in the middle. Season the halibut well with salt and pepper. Line the space in the middle with enough lemon slices to cover area of fish. Place the fish on top of the lemon slices skin side down. Cover the fish with chervil sprigs, remainder of thinly sliced lemon, drizzle with olive oil and place back in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. For the vinaigrette: Combine orange juice, vinegar, rice wine, pinch salt, and shallots in a bowl. Whisk to combine, and continue whisking while pouring in olive oil in a thin stream. Pause pouring olive oil occasionally;but, continue whisking to be sure the mixture is emulsifying. Once all the olive oil is in, stir in minced Chervil and season to taste. To finish: Place the fish in the center of a large platter and surround with the roasted vegetables. If you don't care for the lemon slices, remove them. Garnish with fresh chervil sprigs and drizzle vinaigrette over fish (or serve on the side). Serves 2 fixed amount

You can grow Fennel as an annual in areas which get frost. The bulbs just won't get very big. A great source for Italian Garden seeds is the nice folks at Seeds From Italy: http://growitalian.com/ It's kind of tricky to get any form of Fennel to form bulbs, though. The procedure is kind of like leeks, start the plants indoors, plant out after your last frost, and when they start to bulb, mound dirt around them. Erik

That's what I thought. I've read posts elsewhere from folks trying to make Ginseng tea from fresh Ginseng who have found it unpalatable. Searching on the internet I did find some liqueurs which blend Ginger and Ginseng. Probably not something I will try any time soon. I could be stereotyping here; but, I don't think it is uncommon in China or Vietnam to have Ginseng (or more unusual ingredients) steeping in liquor meant for human consumption. Erik

I wonder if Ginseng infused liquor would be any good? Ginseng-Gin & Tonic? I've had Ginseng tea; but, I'm not exactly sure what the ginseng part would taste like straight. Erik

I guess I am the only one still thinking about this. Call it ethnic burden. I still believe there is a tasty cocktail involving pastis type liqueur and aquavit. So far I've tried herbsaint, muddled lemon, angostora bitters, and aquavit and been sorta unhappy. Herbsaint, muddled orange, orange bitters, aquavit, and been happier. I really think there is a good Monkey Gland type drink in there. I haven't found it yet. Erik

My wife, our friends from London, and myself had the 9 course chef's tasting menu at per se on the 12th to celebrate her birthday. On a cost/benefit analysis, it was easily the most disappointing meal of our trip to NY, NY. 2 courses were very disappointing (Rubbery lobster and gristly lamb! We couldn't even cut the lobster with the supplied cutlery!) and several others didn't compare favourably with similar preparations of the same ingredients at other NY restaurants. I will post the menu and a more detailed commentary when I finish it. Erik

I love Plymouth gin for certain cocktails like martinis; but, it is a bit expensive, and a bit subtle for a gin and tonic. Like many others, to me, a gin and tonic means a Tanquerey and Tonic. The thing to remember about gins is they are flavored grain neutral spirits. They are required by law to have Juniper; but, other than that the blend of aromatics is left up to the distiller. The page below is incredibly informative about the various spices and processes used for making Gin. Even gives instructions for distilling your own, though, that would, of course, be illegal in the US. http://homedistiller.org/gin.htm Another very tasty cocktail is Absinthe's Ginger Rogers, which uses mint leaves muddled with Ginger infused simple syrup, lime/lemon juice, Gin, ice and ginger ale. oops! forgot ingredient in cocktail!

I believe you're thinking of Ginseng, there. Ginger is a tropical frost tender plant. The only way you could grow it in Wisconsin (or many parts of China) would be in a pot or greenhouse. Wisconsin is one of the major suppliers of Ginseng to the world market. Erik

I love Bariani's Olive Oil, it is a truly wonderful product. However, my advice is not to buy it in too large a quantity. It goes off very easily. Unless you use a lot of Olive Oil, you will absolutely need to keep it in the refridgerator. I used to keep mine in dark room temp, and I've had it go rancid inside of 3 months. And don't be surprised by the, uh, interesting sediment in the last pour or two. Erik

Dinner at Babbo last Saturday was one of the highlights of our trip to New York. To get reservations, my wife started redialing as soon as they took reservations, and we ended up eating at 9:00. We were seated on time at a side table on the main floor. Both our primary waiter and the sommelier were fantastic. The sommelier was especially insightful. I said my favorite Italian wines were those of La Spineta, and he came up with several fabulous and reasonable recommendations in the spirit of that winery. We ended up with a lovely one from Marche. Dry and full bodied. Just fantastic. Sadly, as always, the names of Italian ones go in one ear and out the other. The music was, I suppose a bit loud. Classic rock from the 70s, mostly. Wouldn't be my pick; but, it was lively, and beats the heck out of Enja. Since it was late, we opted to order a la carte. Sorry, I can't remember everything that came to our table. The highlights of the antipasti were the lamb tongue I ordered and an octopus dish one of our friends got. Honestly, I've always been a bit shy about octopus, since it is tough so much of the time. It was just wonderful. For primi, my wife and I split a pasta dish with nettles, peas, and pancetta. Well, when I say split, I was occasionally lucky to pry a taste or two from her. For a main, we got the whole grilled branzino. What a perfect grilled fish! And the lemon/oregano jam served with it is so delicious, it could be featured on its own. For dessert, I got the Chocolate Hazelnut cake; but, the favorite at the table was the saffron panna cotta. We also had an unusual dessert wine from Lipari made with the Malvasia grape. I'd had Malvasias from Bonny Doon, so I thought it would be flowery. Strangely, it smelled lovely and flowery like the Malvasias I'd had before; but, tasted of chocolate and pistachios. Odd and tasty. As an aside, we arrived a bit early for our reservation, and had a drink at the bar. While we were standing there, we noticed a short swarthy man pass by with a large group. I said to my wife, "Isn't that Emeril LaGasse?" Indeed it was. In any case, for a man who continually pooh-poohs "frou frou" food, he seemed to be having a wonderful time being personally served by Mario Batali. We were seated next to their table, and my favorite overheard comment from the waiter was, "For the next course, the Chef will be taking it down a notch." Erik edited for usage

The colored ones are usually used for Bubble (Boba) Tea drinks; but, you can use them for regular tapioca, too. I adapted this recipe from the back of a bag of small pearl tapioca. ----- Classic Old Fashioned Tapioca Pudding 1/3 cup Small Pearl Tapioca 1 cup Water 2 1/4 cups Milk 1/4 tsp Salt 2 Eggs, separated 1/2 cup Sugar 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Soak the small pearl tapioca in water for an hour or overnight. Drain. In a 1 1/2 quart sauce pan combine with milk, salt and lightly beaten egg yolks and stir over medium heat until barely boiling. Simmer uncovered over very low heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir often. Beat egg whites with sugar until soft peaks form. Fold about 3/4 cup hot tapioca into egg whites, then gently fold mixture back into sauce pan. Stir over low heat for about 3 minutes. Cool 15 minutes then add vanilla. Serve warm or chilled, plain or with nutmeg or coconut mixed in. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Hi, Well, it almost time to bottle my Blood Orange, Black Pepper, and Star Anise ratafia. It certainly has a nice color. Will post some photos soon. I want to try lemon/oregano (after having a fantastic lemon/oregano jam at Babbo) and strawberry next. Not too hard to find limoncello recipes; but, am not sure if I have found a good strawberry one yet. On the page below I found one in Italian, and from the babel fish translation, the procedure appears similar to limoncello, though the sugar syrup and strawberries are combined before steeping. In one other recipe I found, you layer the strawberries and sugar and cover them with alcohol. No water in that recipe. Opinions? Here are the instructions in Italian: "Far bollire l'acqua con lo zucchero in modo da ottenere uno sciroppo che si far\`{a} poi raffreddare; versare quindi in un vaso le fragole private dei piccioli e lavate, l'alcool e lo sciroppo. Far macerare per un mese, filtrare ed imbottigliare. Far stagionare il liquore per sei mesi." http://cucina.piemonte.net/pierre/bevande/...ore_fragole.asp Other recipe: http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/2004/..._beginning.html Erik

Marshmallows aren't that hard; but, are kind of a sticky pain. They are whipped sweetened gelatin. I know Martha has published recipes for it. "Real" marshmallows are made by whipping plant gelatin from the roots of Althaea officinalis or Marsh Mallow. As a side note, I had read that the folks who run Luna Park and The Last Supper Club here in San Francisco were planning on opening a branch in LA. I didn't know it had happened already. They also feature the S'Mores dessert here. Also Pot au Feu on the menu?

The roots and/or stems of Cilantro are often used in Thai curries and hold up much better to cooking than the leaves. I grow it Cilantro in my garden and think the young fruit also taste neat. Sort of half way between Coriander and Cilantro. I chew on them sometimes when I am weeding. Erik PS. Yes, I mean fruit. Each little coriander capsule contains the seeds for two plants, so it is technically a fruit, not a seed.

Hi mudbug... Just a little correction. The Plant Family which contains Mint (Mentha spp.) is Lamiaceae and it includes Rosemary, Oregano, Marjoram, Sage and many others. Vietnamese Cilantro, Polygonum odoratum, is in the Polygonaceae Family, which includes things like Buckwheat, Sorrel, Rhubarb, Dock, and Knotweed. Culantro's Plant Latin is Eryngium foetidum, and it is in the plant family Apiaceae, which includes Parsley, Fennel, and Dill. As far as Vietnamese Cilantro not being aggressive... Maybe where you are from. Here it can be just as aggressive as Mint. Erik

Proabably done already; but, I made this recipe from the SF Chronicle last year, and it was really good. Leftovers made fantastic sandwiches, as well. I always make stews in my trusty cast iron dutch oven, starting them on top of the stove and then moving them to a 300 degree oven to simmer. Pomegranate & Spice Braised Pork http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...1.DTL&type=food The Pork Stew With Kabocha Squash & Spinach on this page was also really good, though I believe I had to massage the second recipe a bit more than the first. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...1.DTL&type=food added link to second recipe

Reminded me of the old idea of the automat diner. I wonder, though, if there is some liability issue? It is always up to the bartender to assess when to stop serving a patron. Is there a little red light that goes on behind the counter if a client is over indulging? Wonder if they can use under age staff, since they aren't actually serving alcoholic beverages. Erik

I'm no Michael Bauer fan; but, that is pretty harsh. A lot of time there does seem to be some sort of seniority thing and/or singular examples of a certain type of cuisine. For example, Matterhorn is a fine restaurant; but, does it really need to be listed among the "best" restaurants of the bay area? Also, this year, they have made their information gathering a little more transparent, with the included "Restaurant Review History". If a restaurant was last reviewed in 1997, should it really be included? Have they really been back? I'd be interested to know. I'm sure the restaurants in Lafayette are fine, and I guess it is good for the Chronicle to cast a wider net and serve the larger Bay Area; but, the odds of me ever eating out there are close to nil. My wish list of fancy restaurants for the coming year includes Campton Place, Quince, Manresa, Cortez and maybe the Farmhouse Inn. I will also continue to frequent Chow, Ton Kiang, Papalotte, Suriya, Charanga and other local restaurants. Hope to get to Firefly, Incanto, Bocadillo, Piperade, Clementine, and Blue Plate a couple times as budgets allow. Erik edited for usage

This past Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle published its annual round up of the "Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants". Were any of the picks surprises to you? Any you thought should have been picked? Should not have been picked? What restaurants are on your wish list for the coming year? Despite quite a few openings at the Ferry Building, and Ball Park area, I do note that the number of restaurants picked from the city of San Francisco is down for the third year in a row. 58 out of 100 this year (66 in 2003; 64 in 2004). http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...03/CMTOP100.DTL Erik