caseyell

I love pickled tongue cold and sliced thin in sandwiches. As far as shopping tips, I go to the best butcher shop in the area and trust the butchers.

Just read this thread through from the beginning. I adore your wonderful market, but since I only get to barcelona every couple years I'm e-mailing dear friends there to alert them to your stall. I know they'll love your pastas.

Prosciutto and gruyere omelet with PERFECT orange tomato slices alongside. oh, and a dab --just a dab, ok, a big dab--of creme fraiche atop the omelet.

oops--forgot to include the title of the E. David bio: "Writing at the Kitchen Table." and, of course, that should have been "Mediterranean." Need coffee.

Any of Elizabeth David's exquisitely written books. I particularly love "Mediterraneran Food." And the fairly recent biography of her is a fascinating read.

I just bought "Pork & Sons" and I absolutely love it. Also looking forward to the babbo dessert book. Must say, although I greatly admire Nancy silverton, I was very disappointed in "Twist of the Wrist." I'm also very happy with Eric Gower's "The Breakaway Cook" -- a truly original work.

IMO, one of the finest pastry chefs in SF is Phil Ogiela. I haven't been to Presidio Social Club, his latest kitchen home, but I've eaten his pastries at various other restaurants and they've always been superb.

I've been making granitas more often than sorbets ever since researching Italian-style ices for a SF Chronicle article that ran a couple weeks ago. Bi-Rite Creamery's recipe for Wtermelon-Lie granita has been a big hit, but I particularly loved their recipe for Lemon-Mint-Vodka. Great texture.

In Capitola, just south of Santa Cruz, Gayle's bakery is outstanding. One of my favorite restaurant pastry chefs is Michelle Polzine at Range in San Francisco--she also does lovely ice creams, sherbert, etc--I have a recipe for her lemon verbena granita on my blog http://caseyellis.blogspot.com also, for macarons: Miette at the Ferry Building in SF

"pane e salute: food and love in Italy and Vermont" by deirdre heekin and caleb barber part memoir, part cookbook -- all beautifully written

Twice a year a friend brings me excellent Parmigiano-type cheese from Uruguay. I don't consider it a substitute for the best Italian Parmigiano, but it's still a very nice tasing cheese tha chrunks, grates and melts well.

Seems to me Giada is getting better on the Today show, but a day or so ago she was swinging her one leg so constantly that I wanted to scream "SIT STILL" at the screen.

Nice to know. I love the Dufour's but have trouble finding it, especially when at the beach (Aptos).

can't help you with Bordeaux sources, but if you get to San Francisco, RUN--DO NOT WALK--to the Ferry Building and buy the ones at Boulette's Larder. Insanely wonderful.

Oh, what's not to love? Mario to marvel at and Gwynnie to mock. I can't wait to read Bourdain's take on this.

I thought last night's show was a real bore. Winning for charity and self-pride just didn't seem that compelling to the chefs. To my amazement, I found Stephen's moments the most interesting parts of the show.

OK..you all have convinced me to buy the book. I have a lovely little Italian ice cream machine and always resort to the same few recipes. Time to broaden the repertoire.

I loved this episode. The cassoulet looked incredible, as did Ruhlman's terrine. Ruhlman went to Duke, where he studied with one of my favorite professors: Reynolds Price. I read in one of Ruhlman's books that Price told him to write every day, now matter what. It certainly has paid off. I wonder how many other students, like me, got that advice from Price but didn't follow through on it.

a few nights ago I had a fabulous Charentais melon sorbetto at la Posta, a wonderful little Italian restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA. Perfect ending for a summer meal

at La Posta -- a marvelous little restaurant in Santa Cruz, CA --they've got the best packaging of all: none. They are filtering and fizzing their own water and serving it in carafes.

[ I just ordered A RETURN TO COOKING, Ripert and Ruhlman. Anybody familiar with it? A wonderful book: inspiring and beautiful. Bad news: it's been remaindered. Good news: lots of reasonably-priced copies at places like www.abebooks.com

I'm curious as to the dislike of the Nigel Slater book, as I like it a lot.

loving this thread.

The broiled figs with mascarpone and pistachios (Figs for a Thousand and One Nights) from Nigella Lawson's "Forever Summer" are dead simple to make and drop-dead delicious to eat. When I prepared them for a recent dinner party, I cooked a few extra so I could choose the most attractive to serve. I plated the figs -- which open like exotic flowers -- carefully and our guests were emitting little moans of delight when my husband decided to go to the kitchen to get more coffee. He returned bearing the ugly old baking sheet that held the not-ready-for-their-close-ups figs and proclaimed: "Look. There's more!" and proceeded to pass them around. I was Not Pleased, but every fig was devoured.

ollalieberries from the bushes along our creek, gently whipped cream flavored with a tiny amount of sugar and a slug of vanilla + a couple of warm financiers -- see Dorie Greenspan's recipe in the wonderful "Paris Sweets"--the batter keeps 3 days in the refrigerator so you only have to bake as many as you need for a particular meal.