scordelia

Not true! It is essential in the herbs de provence mix that is called for in lots of southern French recipes. Stuff a chicken with fresh lavender, lemon and garlic, put some herbs, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil on the skin and roast!

Williams-Sonoma sells fancy boxes in lots of colors with coordinating ribbon and embossed labels (for a price!) if you care to indulge your elegant pastry wrapping fantasies. The only pink boxes I remember were from Bailey's of Boston (no longer exists) which was a nice small chain (4 or 5 stores) that sold homemade chocolates, cookies, ice cream and sandwiches. Their chocolate boxes were an elegant pale pink with dark brown lace and ribbon, and all the shops had the same pale pink and dark brown wallpaper.

Precisely my point. I do not think they are copying eachother. Also, I do not mean to generalize about the apples, cream, cider and cheese use in Asturias or Normandy for that matter. Not all Norman dishes use these ingredients either. My point is that is not a huge surprise that two area that raise dairy cattle, veal and make cheese would both decide to throw them together. I was under the impression that Spain has raised the saffron crocus for centuries which might make it less exotic for the Spanish.

Just thought you would be curious to see the review of the recent James Beard Foundation dinner at Chuckie T's. One thing about Mark Caro that those of you not from Chicago should keep in mind when he writes about food, he really is a movie reviewer (and not very good at that either). Culinary Chemistry

No need to be sarcarstic. We all know that you do not like Platerias. If it is not an Asturian dish, then find a reference for us, but I have a feeling that it is. Austurias seems to be known for two things--apples and dairy products, like Normandy. Comparing Austurias to Normandy would have been more apt than comparing it to Loire as a previous poster did. Practically every recipe I have that claims to be Austurian contains either apples, cider, cream or cheese or combinations thereof (I have one for baked hake that contains all of the above). One finds a preponderence of apples, cider, cream and cheese in Norman cooking as well. Now, the Austurians could just be copying the Normans or visa versa, or both regions in two different countries could have been working with the similar ingredients at hand and developed some similar dishes. So is veal with Cabrales sauce Spanish or not? According to my cookbooks it is, but I am very interested to see if there is a source that says it is not. This all started because FB asked if there were some authentic Spanish dishes with cheese as a main component, and two of us suggested veal with Cabrales sauce. So let's settle the question so FB can embark on his quest for Spanish cheese and cheese dishes.

There are several perrenial herbs that are attractive that will be hardy in your zone 4: chives--and they get pretty flowers that are edible too sage--has nice purple blooms lavender--get French or English (hardier) thyme--check varieties, I have a German one that comes back but some do not tarragon--can be hard to get thru the first winter, but keep trying because once it makes its winter then you will have no trouble sorrel--very easy, makes great soup Radishes are really easy to grow from seed and the baby greens make a nice addition to salads. Carrots are also easy from seed and as they members of the parsley family, the tops are yummy too. Try nasturtium from seed--best to do in a pot. Lovely leaves and flowers--whole plant can be eaten, nice peppery taste.

Asturian dish? I do not think so. Nothing wrong with adding cabrales sauce (most cabrales sauces do not use Cabrales cheese but a cheaper blue cheese), but it is not a traditional dish. I think it is a copy of a french dish with boeuf et roquefort. ← According to Culinaria's encyclopedic volume on Spanish cooking, veal with Cabrales sauce is a typical and classic Asturian dish.

I think that is part of it, but you also need a good, mucky bed. Some of the best shellfish I have ever had are the ribbed mussels and quahogs I picked myself out of Black Fish Creek on Cape Cod (Black Fish Creek is where the famous Wellfleet Oyster comes from). Black Fish Creek is really a tidal basin on the bay side of Cape Cod and the water is quite warm, but the bottom is this thick, stinking black sludge of decomposing vegetation and other things (you know they will find oil here is a billion or so years). Boy, do the shellfish love that black muck! It produces a large tasty mussel, oyster and clam. But back to your point about cold water, I think that helps too. Maine lobsters are better than Massachusetts ones. And I have fished and gone diving in the waters off Cape Cod and in Maine, and the Maine waters have more abundant life.

I lived in Seal Harbor for four years and worked on various fishing boats. One common lament from the old timers was that the clams were not as good as they used to be. You see, Seal Harbor boasts one of the few natural sand beaches in the whole state. Running down the middle of the beach, sort of buried, is an old corrugated steel pipe that ends at the low tide mark. It's the old sewage pipe. The town installed a modern sewage system in the 1960's and shut off the old pipe forever. According to those old timers, the best clams on MDI came from the base of that pipe--Quahogs as big as your hand! These guys would sit on the town pier and rue the day that damn filtration plant was built.

You do not them to come the west coast. Maine has a local variety of strawberries that are small and intensely flavored.

Thanks to Daniel for all the recipes!

I think it is a Downeast thing. During my four years in Maine, I noticed that in northern Maine, necks were more likely to be left intact, but further south, the clams are de-necked. I have always wondered if it was perhaps a French influence. Northern Maine places were more likely to do mussels in wine and garlic too (and I am referring to roadside shacks including the Thirsty Whale, not fancy places). And northern Maine has the largest concentration of Acadians (some towns still speak French as a first language). Anyway, I observed some distinctly French influences in northern Maine cooking that one did not find in the more southern or English regions of New England.

Cute story, but see, Mainers know! You cook the clam with the neck! Then you get a juicier belly! I actually like the the necks though. I enjoy the different flavors, textures and nuances from the different clam parts. It completes the experience.

Well, if anyone decides to try the Thirsty Whale for the clam crawl (I wish I could you join you all), it is on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor. The Thirsty Whale is a pretty typical fisherman's bar (think the Crow's Nest from The Perfect Storm). It's the only bar open year round on the island, and they do have clams year round (actually, they are best in the winter but only available for lunch). Clams come with fries, homemade tarter sauce, lemon wedges and malt vinegar. I was there last year and it was still $10.95 for a clam plate. Even my husband, whose family is from Wellfleet on Cape Cod, agrees they are the best. He took me to some of his favorite Cape Cod haunts and I said that the clams were good but not as good as the Whale's. Well, three years ago, I finally dragged him to Maine and took him to the Whale and he agreed that they were the best clams.

I have to disagree here. Clams should not be de-necked. It's like taking the head off a whole fish before cooking. You are creating a gash from which many juices can escape! The Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor does not deneck its clams, and I have been to many places where they served a whole bellied but denecked clam, and they are just not as tender and juicey.

Have not tried foreign coke, but I prefer foreign tonic water because of the cane sugar--much smoother taste, the quinine comes through better. Does anyone know if you can get foreign tonic?

No strips! My perfect clam is a whole belly longneck dipped in a light beer batter. It must be fried the day it was harvested! That is part of the Thirsty Whale's secret--clams were delivered by the individual clamdiggers (who then would park at the bar drinking shots and beer until the next low tide) twice a day. Your fried clam dinner had been happily sitting in the mud less than six hours ago.

I am a good beer batter girl!

Thank you for starting this thread. You are right--fried clams deserve it. I have not had the pleasure of sampling the clams at the places you mention, so I cannot comment on how they compare to the Thirsty Whale, but this does bring up an issue in how to properly prepare a fried clam--whole or stripped? I prefer whole clams. When they are fried whole, the clam retains its juice and remains tender. There is nothing like biting through the hot crisp batter and then having the hot natural clam juice fill your mouth.

Woodman's is in Essex, and they do claim to have invented the fried clam, but the best thing on the menu is the fried lobster! I have eaten fried clams all over New England, and the best ones are at the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor, ME.

Oh, I miss those from when I lived in Maine! My favorites were the clam and sourcream chips!

I do not disagree. That's why it so important to maintain stocks of heritage breeds. That's why I mentioned in my previous post the efforts of the Chinese to preserve natural rice strains. Also, wouldn't cloning compound the problem since animals would be cloned from prevously inbred stock? Compounding the risk of disastrous mutations (hemophilia in humans is a perfect example) spreading thoughout an entire species? And while many genetic mutations are harmful or just innocuous, some turn out to be very beneficial. A researcher at Berkley was working on an odd little mutation he found to be prevelant in people of European descent (this was a recent Nova episode). He surmised that it probably became more prevelant during the Black Death and offered some kind of natural resistance to the disease which he confirmed through experiments. But what he also found was that it also conveys a natural resistance to HIV and AIDS. Do we really want to stop evolution in its tracks by cloning? Who knows what we might miss in the animal and plant kingdom?

I love Cava, but there are better ones and they are all pretty reasonable. You might want to try Cordineu.

Burnett's. It is a cheap English gin with good perfume. It's not as good as Bombay or Beefeaters (my fave), but it is good, moderate alternative. Fun things to do with gin: Vespers--1/3 gin, 1/3 vodka, 1/3 dry lillet blanc, garnish with an orange peel--deadly but delicious! Best straight up but could be on the rocks.

I could too.