cakewalk

I don't speak Arabic (I'm sure at least some eGulleteers do), but the Hebrew word itriya (itriot in its plural form) is the word used for noodles (egg noodles as well as pasta type noodles.) A lot of Hebrew is derived from Arabic (and vice versa.)

Glass is easily kashered (in truth, since it is non-porous, I'm not sure it even needs to be kashered at all; I know it is interchangeable between meat and milk, for example); but the glass in a microwave is not really glass. It's like pyrex, which has different rules, according to halacha (Jewish law). It's all extremely complex, and largely depends on which authority you happen to ask. Different authorities may well have different opinion about what can or can't be kashered and how to do it. Of course, there's the old joke about that computer they have at Bar Ilan University: if you have a halachic question, you feed the anwer you want to receive into the computer -- and it tells you which rabbi to go to to ask the question! Have a happy!

And if you're keeping kosher to the letter, let's not forget you'd need to have a separate, kosher for Passover ice cream maker. I like my flourless pareve chocolate brownies (given to me by my neighbor when I was living in Jerusalem): 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 4 oz (1/2 c.) pareve margerine (unsalted) 2 oz (1/4 c.) potato flour 4 oz (1/2 c.) sugar (if possible, superfine sugar, or process it for a couple of seconds) 1 tsp baking powder 4 eggs, separated 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350 F, grease an 8 inch square pan and line w/parchment. Melt the butter by stirring over a pan of very hot water. Add chocolate and stir until it has melted completely. Remove from heat source, stir in the sugar, the yolks, vanilla, baking powder and sifted potato flour. Beat egg whites w/pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 45 minutes. They rise alot and then deflate after they're cooled. But they're so rich and chewey and chocolatey. I haven't made them since I got back to the States (I always go out somewhere), but maybe I'll try them this year.

Love celery, when it's good. Love its crunch, its taste, the freshness of its smell. But so often, much too often, it is bitter and really truly awful. Spit-outable. And I have no idea how to tell the difference when I'm buying it. It's always a gamble. Anyone have any hints?

Lawrence Block, who writes some very good thrillers (but in truth I haven't read him in years) used to have this character, a NY street kid whose name was TJ. And so Block's detective (I don't remember which one, either Bernie or Scudder), who basically adopts TJ, one day takes him out for a bagel. And Lawrence Block gave TJ the brilliant street kid one of the most perfect and true lines ever: he bites into his bagel and chews a bit and he says with a shake of the head (I paraphrase, with profuse apologies to Block): I dunno, when you bite into a bagel it's supposed to fight back some. But they don't do that any more, do they? And every time I eat one of those weak, insipid, ersatz NY bagels, I think of TJ. And maybe that's why people leave the other half untouched.

And while we're bemoaning these half-bagel schnooks, what about people (you've all seen and heard them while waiting on line at the deli) who order bagel sandwiches of whatever sort with the insides taken out!! You think bagel-halvers are closet serial killers? They're nothing compared to these folks, eviscerating a perfectly innocent bagel before they've even tasted it. It breaks the heart, I tell ya. And where do those bagel-insides go? Straight to the trash. Oy!

I also make copies of recipes from cookbooks, magazines, etc. I keep them in a binder, but when I'm following a recipe I usually stick it onto the fridge with a magnet. My kitchen is very tiny, and when the recipe is on the fridge it is so convenient, it's right there at eye level as I'm working, I don't have to bend down to read anything that's on the counter (and taking up precious counter space), and I don't worry about getting it messy.

Well, I finally made some of the steel cut oats I bought two months ago (McCann's)! Toasted them first, then into boiling water. Really another animal entirely than Quaker Oats. Different taste, different consistency, just plain different. And very, very good. I just wish they didn't take so long to make. Tonight I will try MelissaH's suggestion to let them hang out in boiled water over night, and then reheat in the morning. Many thanks.

I love cornbread with yogurt, even when it's fresh cornbread. But when it's a little stale, it's really perfect to break into pieces and eat with plain yogurt.

Jensen, that is an absolutely stunning PLATE! I'm sure the avenotto was delicious. It looks delicious. (But it reminds me of ... oatmeal!) Still, a really nice plate.

That's the basic answer to your question, Soba. After Purim, Pesach/Seder planning takes over. Competely and totally. Except in supermarkets. They've started already, and it's quite startling.

I think it was "don't drink the milk." "Why?" "It's sperled." There was a previous thread on oats (I can't find it, but it's there), which prompted me to go out and buy steel cut oats. But I haven't got around to making them yet. That's the thing about regular Quaker Oats. I can microwave them and they're ready in about three minutes. I guess I'm sperled!

Wow. I'm just a rube from Manhattan, and I have never seen a purple cauliflower before. kitwilliams, that photo is absolutely beautiful. Do they taste the same as regular cauliflower? Do they cook the same, behave the same? Has anyone ever found them in the NY area? (Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough?)

Avocados can be frozen? I never considered this (I don't know why; they just don't seem freezeable.) Peel them first, then into a ziplock bag, and into the freezer? Has anyone done this?

Not to nitpick, but I think it was "Seinfeld? Four?" ← Ten minutes!

Oh I'm in definite agreement with you there. The enthusiasm for and love of the subject was evident, and they're all more than willing to share their knowledge with others in the name of creating new coffee affecionados. Espresso puzzles me a bit in its "social framework," if I may use that term. Coffee is a lingering sort of drink; it's tailor made for social interaction. It's hot, we sip it slowly, talking to friends and/or strangers all the while. But espresso doesn't seem to fit into this category. Somehow I think of it as more of a solitary drink, perhaps because it's taken in small doses and finished rather quickly. It's even called having "shots," like shots of liquor, which I always associate with the solitary person at the bar. (Maybe I read too many books. ) In any case, I intend to pursue my espresso learning.

Just wanted to mention briefly that I went to this meetup last night (Owen, thanks for calling it to our attention.) I thought the whole thing was very impressive. Fortune Elkins gave a talk about espresso -- what it is, how it's made, what it should look like, the machinery needed to make it, what a barrista does, etc. -- that was succint, informative, and a pleasure to listen to. We then all took turns pulling shots on the espresso machine, and it was, for me, very helpful to be going through the steps that Fortune had just explained. I'm a complete newbie to espresso -- drank my first cup last night (not the shot I pulled ) -- but have wanted to learn more about it for quite a while, so last night was a wonderful opportunity. It was held at a coffee shop called Joe the Art of Coffee, on Waverly Place. The owner and people who work in the shop were very generous with their time, their knowledge, and their coffee, and I know I'll be there again. They're opening a second shop on E. 13th sometime soon (I forget when.) There's a possibility that the next coffee meetup will be at a place that roasts beans (somewhere in Queens.) I look forward to my introduction to that process. It will be some time at the end of April.

No. ← Okay, I'll just go bake a casserole and iron some shirts then... ← That's more like it. You catch on quick.

No.

Roasted parsnips. They were part of dinner -- roast chicken w/potatoes, onions, carrots and parsnips. It was all delicious. But those parsnips were the best.

Exhausted? Don't be silly. We just wait it out and then start all over again. Periodically.

Congratulations! The website is fantastic (I could hear that beautiful, crisp, grilled-cheese sandwich "crack" as I mentally bit into it ), and I'm sure the place is even better "in the flesh." Best of luck to you!

Several months ago I made a great dessert compote with grapefruit and ginger. It was straight from Bon Apetit, and was very good. (Then I started taking Lipitor, which knocked grapefruit right out of my diet, so I never made it again.) I posted the recipe on eGullet somewhere, but I can't find it. If you're better at this search stuff than I am, then you might find it. If not, I will try to dig up the Bon Apetit issue and re-post it, if that type of dessert interests you. (It was delicious.) Edit: it's on epicurious. Grapefruit, ginger, and star anise compote. It's really a great combination of flavors.

As always, the cakes look great. More than great, in fact. But I have one question that is always lingering in the back of my mind (pardon me if this sounds very silly, and if it's off-topic, as it most likely is), but: what do you do with all the cakes you make? I love to bake, and I bring stuff in to work, to shul, to the concierge downstairs in my building, etc. (I also eat a fair amount of it, but I really try to avoid that.) And I don't bake even a tenth of what you seem to bake. Do you have a bakery? Do you freeze a lot of it? Does it hold up to freezing? And still -- you have to defrost it some time! And you just seem to keep baking more. I'm serious. How do you get rid of all those cakes? (Do you have a mail-order business?)