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Genny

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  1. Genny

    Obscene Sandwich

    Great thread! Our latest-greatest is simplicity at its finest. Behold our new Ham & Cheese Sandwich Few ingredients: smoked ham hocks boiled for a couple hours, pull the meat off and let it cool. Fresh baked sourdough bread sliced about 1-inch thick. Guyere cheese. Coarse grain dijon mustard. Make a panini.
  2. I'm embarrassed to say this is a month late in being written up, apologies to Eliot and forgiveness is begged from all... August 22, 2008 My husband and I had a 6:00 reservation for dinner. We arrived 15 minutes early and were surprised to find only a couple tables occupied. No worries, the restaurant filled up very quickly, we must have just beat the crowd! NOCA has a very comfortable, modern and a little swanky feel to it. Not only is Eliot an amazing host, visiting each table and making recommendations, but his staff was friendly, attentive and on the ball the entire evening. The food: I can't remember the last time I smiled so much during a meal. The amuse to start was the finest dice of canteloupe and honeydew served in an asian ceramic spoon. The surprise was that in putting it in my mouth I also tasted mint and had the lovely pop of pop-rocks. It took me back to childhood in the best way possible! Apps: We tried two: first, the tuna crudo with tempura jalepeno and sechwan pepper. The freshness and balance of the dish made it so hard to share! Additionally the lobster raviolo was earthy, savory and sweet. Eliot assured me that he would not think less of me for licking the sauce from the dish but I did find a small amount of restraint deep within. My husband and I were in heaven! Pasta: We shared the little pillows of pasta, Agnolotti before our mains. So tender and light even though the filling would suggest something denser. It was very rich and a little was enough for both of us. One note was that I expected the filling to be smoother. Although it was not chunky, it did have a fine texture to it. This is not a complaint, only an observation based on what my initial thought of the dish would be. Mains: Duck: Wowie. With a cornbread pudding. This was so very good, cooked absolutely perfectly. My husband declared this the winner for him. He loves bread pudding but the savory ones usually don't float his boat, um... he ate the whole thing. Steak: Cooked perfectly. Seasoned perfectly. Absolutely delicious. I don't often order steak out but it just sounded good and I was not disappointed. This came with frizzled onions that were a wee bit on the greasy side and that didn't seem to stop me from eating them . Dessert: OK, we were absolutely stuffed by now and we couldn't help ourselves. You know how when you don't like a place it doesn't matter what the desserts are, you just can't bring yourself to try them? Well, for NOCA, the whole meal was just so amazing that we just had to try the desserts too! The first thing to arrive at our table was the cotton candy. Again, I was grinning so big I thought my face was going to split in half! I was so freakin' happy! I could have stopped there but, ahem, no. We couldn't decide so Eliot brought out a sampler. I think I split my sides. Donuts, vanilla malted shake, chocolate cake thing, chocolate chip cookie. My head was spinning. Drinks: They made a perfect Manhattan, the bar did its thing! And the ice is great... one huge fist of ice in the glass, slower to melt and slower to dilute the drink! The decaf coffee was French pressed so it was rich and dark. A perfect end to a perfectly lovely meal. Don't walk... RUN... to get to NOCA. And introduce yourself to Eliot, he is a superbly charming host! Many thanks Eliot from both Lance and myself!
  3. Genny

    M & M Premiums

    I found them in my local grocery store next to the EGGS and dairy case. Ummm, seemed an odd place to hide the display shipper in the back of the store. I bought the triple chocolate because that was the flavor I thought would appeal to most. They are actually quite pretty! The flavors are good on this but I can't really distinguish between the white, milk and dark chocolates. Its like a denser, richer milk chocolate to me. And the coating melts away and isn't the classic hard shell for the regular M&Ms. Thanks for the opinions on the other flavors though! I may try the mint if its still around when I get to it, probably not the rasberry though based on comments here. Genny
  4. Well Eliot... DO TELL! Can you give a report on how opening week is going? Thanks! Genny
  5. I backed up to make sure I saw that right on the sea bass! I think the pan was too hot initially- smoking! She still is missing some basic info for temps and timing of some stuff. How long was the tart in the oven? What temp? Did she leave it at the same temp as the shell that cooked? Perhaps they could pop up ancilarry information that she misses such as the temperature to cook at and the number of minutes for baking. Shelling favas is a 2-step process so I'm very curious why they didn't show at least one for an example. I love her menus though and the show is full of great information. I think a text pop-up would be great when she talks about her techniques that are "secrets" such as: Secret #3- salt the 'shocking' water too! Although I picked up on a number of these, they don't slap you in the face and feel a little buried in the text. They should be highlighted since that is the angle of the program. Still a million miles better than Semi-Ho so they better simply improve on the model and keep her!!
  6. Wonderful news Eliot! This has to have been such a frustrating past couple of weeks!!! See you soon!
  7. I've made a note to set the DVR. This will be fun to watch. Fingers crossed that you don't get bumped!
  8. I still enjoy Ann's personality and love her knowledge but the editing on this show bugs me. I would bet that she did talk thru peeling the beets for the salad and turning the chicken over and the timing but it was likely edited out. That said, she could certainly add a little more hard information about times, temps, amounts, etc. And she *is* talking the whole time so I'm not sure where she can fit in more info. I hate to say it but it does show how Rachel Ray has fit so well into the genre with her fast talk, giving great stories and loads of info about what she is doing all at the same time. She makes it look easy. Still rooting for Ann to get the show taken to an entire hour...played a few times a week!
  9. So when your mom so proudly presents you with a gift that she had to stand in line for hours to get Rachel Ray to autograph a cookbook for you because she knows how much you love to cook, you take it gratefully and gracefully and thank her. This is why I know RR has a Stuffed Pepper Soup. Here is the recipe. Its a place to start anyway. I've not tried it so I cannot stand by its quality. Happy Cooking! YUMMO PEOPLES!!!
  10. Good luck with the inspections Eliot! Kathy, my adorable husband and I are excited to see you! Eliot's new place looks great!!
  11. Chad, I wanted to send you a BIG THANKS for all your work and contributions to eG. My husband is using that sharpener you recommend (the wierd manual one from Oregon) and my knives are AMAZING now. We have had Henkles for years now and he has previously used the electric Chef Choice sharpener. It didn't do near as much for the blade as the manual one does. He controls the angle of the cutting surface and has double beveled the edge on a couple for me to try out as well. He's also softened the (?) spine of the knife for me so the grip is more comfortable. What a difference! I compared cutting lime halves, onions, tomatoes, carrots all between the old blade and the new and the new runs through the produce like it is nothing. I have to work so much less to get the job done and that is a real tangible benefit. Best wishes! Genny
  12. Genny

    Summer Peach Salad

    This sounds interesting. I'm also one to not enjoy too sweet a dressing on my salad though so I also vote for a little more tart than sweet here. I was thinking a little jicama sounded good in this for a crisp crunch component in addition to the crunchy crunch (umm, does that make sense???). Its also such a neutral flavor and can balance stronger flavors. FWIW. edit: spelling
  13. Eliot, the menu looks fabulous! I love the 3-course meals, what a great option to include. And the crudo menu too, wowza! I see a foie gras piece on the menu and some duck, will you also be offering other offal? Sweetbreads, marrow bones, etc. Would you call noca a "new paradigm" type of restaurant? Upscale food, reasonable prices, casual and chic/hip? My husband and I are looking forward to checking it out. Do you have soft/hard opening dates set yet? Are you going to have a full bar? Will it be a mixologist sort of bar? Also, what can you tell us about the wine list, wines by the glass, etc.? What kind of special events do you have planned (or just conceptualized) to attract patrons? Cheers! Genny
  14. Great point jsmeeker. I can see that they may want to show how a restaurant chef does it at home, but showing a similar dish in the opening and showing how to translate it to your home kitchen would really "hit the spot" IMHO. The problem is with the half hour format it is tough enough to get everything in. One more reason to take this baby to a full hour??
  15. There were some hits and misses in this epi, but I still think Ann is great and will keep watching and recording the show. Positive: **By far the BEST show of how to tie up the meat. Great show of how to drape and loop the kitchen string over her hand. **Keeping and SHOWING the bones. I can't remember the last time I saw a raw bone with no meat on it on FN. This was great to show, hopefully people will start to appreciate they are not just for the garbage or the dogs. **Salt. Yes, the use of salt is great on this show. **Uses real vocabulary: aciduated water. its not that hard people! **Ann's personality & expertise are both huge! Negative: **Some better detail on times for cooking would have been good. **Would have loved some discussion on theory of cooking meat temps (med rare versus well done) **Actual boning of the lamb leg would have been great to see. Dear Ann: GREAT JOB, KEEP IT UP Dear FN: KEEP HER & Give her a better time slot. An hour long may not be a bad idea!
  16. Way cool! Count me in Elliot! You're only a hop away from my downtown work address so perhaps after-work nibbles and drinks! I'm so excited, with you're name attached I know it will all be full quality ingredients and will taste fabulous. Good Luck! Genny
  17. Hands down, I LOVED her!! I love that she is quirky, it seemed genuine and not contrived which is an refreshing change from every other cooking show that seems to have to have the women & men making sexual sounds and innuendo for every bite. My favorite quote: "brown the crap out of it!" regarding getting the great depth of flavor out of the veggies. ROFLMAO! Indeed, lets all brown the *crap* out of everything!! And the WHOPPING handfuls of salt. Lets tell it like it is folks, most people cringe at the sight of properly seasoned food, whether it is salt, pepper or other spices. They love the flavor, its just hard to watch. I hope FN keeps her! eta: And I picked up the ingredients for bolognese her way yesterday. I can't tell you the last time an FN show actually inspired me to cook!
  18. I grew up north of Gilroy and early fall mornings walking to school meant the air was filled with the smell of earthy green fresh garlic. Nostalgic! I love garlic. I'll try some of the ideas here. One of my favorite applications is to toss in about a head of whole cloves to my braises, beef, pork, chicken...whatever it is always tastes better with the garlicky sauce. A recent favorite is very unique: try this recipe for Candied Garlic in this Gorgonzola and Grape salad. Transcendental.
  19. Am I the only one who wonders what is wrong with Sloppy Janes? Seriously, that is just pure food snobbery. Good food is good food, it has nothing to do with whether you "like that kind". Did she mean "that kind= everyday homey family cooking" kind???? Raise your hand if you grew up on Sloppy Joes! ::jumping up and down with my own hand raised"
  20. What great fun nomad! Thanks so much for sharing. Now I'll have to pop back and check out all the links to your Fat Duck dinner and the blogs
  21. ::head hangs in shame, one eye peeking up:: Filiberto's, chili verde plate with rice & beans. No tortilla please, just tortilla chips fresh fried so hot they melt the styrofoam container. Drive thru. The container melting will give me cancer i'm sure. But oh what a happy death. With 2 diet cokes. Mmmmmm. edit: spelling
  22. Lior, those are beautiful! What purpose are they for? Playing in the kitchen, an event, for sale?
  23. Soba you inspired me completely this week! I made a trip to our farmer's market on Saturday and found some amazing eggs. Poached them & served them on top of a spinach, garlic & basil pasta along with fresh blanched spinach and parm. Thanks for the fun and the beautiful produce!!
  24. 1) You swoon because your husband brought home a surprise gift of...really great homespun butter. 2) You go to the grocer for marrow bones and they don't have any. Upon asking the butcher he brings out the ENTIRE bone. And all you can do is . "Yes please, 2" sections would be nice. Yes, I'll take the whole thing."
  25. OK, this has become my official work distraction. We have a local restraunt that serves dosa and I just love it! Its great to see here, now I have a better way to place the Southern cuisine as opposed to the Northern cuisine. On BBC America XM recently I heard an in-depth story about westernized markets starting to move into India. I confess, I don't recall if they were more prevelant in some parts of the country than others though. Did you see any "westernized" grocery stores or was there any discussion when you went to the market regarding such? The story said that they don't allow foreign ownership of these markets but they are springing up and feature incredibly fresh produce which is brought in at least twice a day and is just hours from being picked. Related, the photos show some seemingly large quantities of produce, all looking perfectly ripe. Did you get a sense of the turn-over and if some was much past it's prime? I could almost smell the "foreign-ness" of the market. Just beautifully photographed and conveyed. Thank you so much for all your efforts to share! Also, I've noticed the cooking is on single burners. Was that the regular cooktop for the home or just for demonstration purposes? Genny
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