Jean Blanchard

It's funny. I thought Bayless did a great job and clearly is a master but I'm underwhelmed by his restaurants.

You did the market at Mouffetard? Didn't like it? Which market would you recommend? The Dali is on my list of things to see this time.

Fresh peaches from the farmers market prompted me to make granita. So easy. So refreshing and almost guilt free.

I'm in Paris for a week in September and would like to take a day or half day class possibly with a market tour with an English speaking teacher? Any recommendations?

Saw it Saturday night and absolutely loved all of it. Of course, as a huge fan of Julia Child, I'm biased. Yesterday, I pulled volume one out and make Coq au Vin and a lemon tart. Pulled out volume two and made her French bread. It's good to discover her again.

Mamagotcha, thanks. Even though I had the opportunity to judge some great BBQ at the Whitehorn Cove BBQ Bash yesterday I was supposed to be with you all. sigh. Maybe next year I will be able to join in the fun if schedules permit. And the dinner at Bluestem, I just can't talk anymore. ← You guys definitely do NOT have enough food! Any talk yet of where the next gathering will be?

I just read an article about gardens in Paris and this restaurant was mentioned. It looks really beautiful and I'm wondering if the food is also good. Anyone been there?

Slice them and drizzle with good olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. Layer on individual plates with overlapping thin slices of fontina cheese. Add a little arugula salad with olive oil and vinegar on the side. Makes a nice first course.

Can't wait to see where you end up on sunday. So many places are closed. My trip is planned for September so I'm following your choices (and subsequent reviews) closely. I think that the last time we were in Paris, we ended up at Le Mediterranee (sp) just down the street from Le Comptoir. Loved L'Ourcine and will probably revisit.

I loved Old Fashioned last fall when I visited Madison. In fact, it got me on a short kick of drinking old fashions again. I also thought their food was excellent and service very friendly. How was your meal at L'Toile? We had a great meal their with the wine pairing. I think we'll redo that trip again this fall when the farmers market is really in full swing.

I left them whole. They break down and get juicy and the topping doesn't necessarily stick but it all scoops up nicely.

I made this last night to rave reviews!

Although I love to cook, it has never even occurred to me to try to use the fat that forms on the top of my chicken broth after a visit to the refrigerator. I don't want to just throw it out anymore. How should I use it to its best advantage?

Hi Jean, Thanks for the note. Here's some progress pics for you: http://picasaweb.google.com/bbellWFO/BillS...feat=directlink Have a great weekend. ← Great pictures!. Unfortunately, if I show these to my husband, he'll probably say, "no way am I doing that." Can you come to my house and build one for me?

Since it's what I have in the house, can anyone tell me if Horlicks hot malted drink mix is an acceptable substitute for plain old Carnation malted mix powder. I NEED to make the malted milk cake.

← Sorry I never got back to you. Thanks! I made it that day and it was wonderful. I like it even better when I use some orange essence in the batter but I didn't have that. This is definitely my "go to" cake now.

Thanks for the report and lovely photos. I'm thinking of going to Barcelona for my birthday in September. Can you tell a little more about the cost of eating out in Spain? Did you easily get to most restaurants from your hotel?

I'm in Mexico and about to make the French Yogurt Cake. I have everything but the amount of sugar in the recipe. Can anybody look that up for me? Thanks!

I'm so jealous. I've wanted a wood fired oven in my backyard for ages. Can you post pics and tell us about the progress?

So I bought a set of white spoons so that I could put something "special" in them as an amuse or party appetizers and I'm fast running out of ideas. I need inspiration.

I use his recipe also and I love the results so I think I'll just go ahead and brine again this year. Thanks!

I usually brine my turkey but this year, I have a frozen turkey with salt added. I think it says 8%. I'm thinking that if I brine, it will be too salty. Any experience?

Just click NO, you don't want a trial issue and you can get the recipe.

On the subject of Tia Maria, I found an open bottle a week ago that I've had forever. Does it go bad?

When I'm trying to be frugal, I look at the ads and plan my weekly meals around what is on sale and then I force myself to use everything I bought. As far as going out goes, I've mainly switched from high priced gourmet to low priced gourmet. Gourmet in the form of great sandwich places, etc. I have no intention of staying home all the time so I'm finding compomises and treating it like an adventure. Of course, I live in the Chicago area and we have all sort of great ethnic places to choose from that are modestly priced.