Bill Miller

I had a blood orange soda with vodka Sunday. Very good!

That's good; especially since the Bill Miller, founder of the chain of the same name, died years-ago. ← Whew!!! I'm usually not that lucky!

We have done the same Cook's Illustrated version many times and love it. And it does freeze well. We use penne and have made a lasagna too. Great sauce.

We were in Vancouver a few weeks ago and were looking for Pacific NW fare, mainly fish, found it and had a wonderful experience. I'm posting because looking at your tourist materials and phone book I believe you have more Mexican restaurants!! We are from Texas and came north to get cool weather and have a break from that cuisine. We get it a lot. From what I'm reading you all love Mexican food up there and it sounds like you do a pretty good job of it. Someone told me that Tex-Mex was the fastest growing cuisine in China of all places! I guess it's like anything else you always need a break from the routine. Regards, Bill

An antipasta platter is beautiful, varied, tastey, colorful, and requires no heating. The best picture of one (we use it as a guide) is from another Martha Stewart book, I believe it is "Entertaining With Martha"--a very young Martha is on the cover. Regards, Bill

I just want to clear up any potental confusion in a Bar B Que thread. I'm NOT that Bill Miller. I cook my own brisket and ribs at home--I'm pretty good too.

I have heard of adding beer to tomato juice--Is that called a red eye or a red bull? I don't remember--college was too long ago. "When I was a child I drank as a child. When I became a man I put away childish things" Regards, Bill

Cool, thanks in advance for sharing this with us. ← I just posted the recipe in Recipe Gullet --you can get it there by looking for beef tenderloin with coffee and cocoa coating. I'm going to try and post a link--it doesn't always work. Regards, Bill My Webpage

My globe basil is still growing well (small leaves) and is tastey. I would add a bay laurel somewhere--mine does well and fresh bay is so nice. Lemongrass thrives but has such a limited appeal for me--beautiful grass though. Agree on Mexican marigold-good tarragon substitute. My chives are doing well after weathering the summer heat. Oregano, thyme, and marjoram (creeping) just keep going and going and going-- Regards, Bill

Beef Tenderloin with Coffee & Cocoa Coating Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is based on Robert Del Grande' recipe. It has been published in the Houston Chronicle and numerous cookbooks. It should be served with grits and some sort of bitter greens. The beef comes out with almost a custard texture when cooked this way. He also prepared it on a Julia Child episode. 1 2 lb beef fillet (large end) 1 tsp each, salt & pepper 2 T each, fine ground coffee & EVOO 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder 1/8 tsp cinnamon 2 T butter, divided 3/4 lb shiitakes, stems removed, caps quartered 1 T butter 1/2 large white onion, chopped 8 garlic cloves, peeled 2 Pasilla chilis,stemmed,seeded 1 6 in. white corn tortilla 2-1/2 c chicken stock 1/4 c heavy cream 1 tsp each, salt, brown sugar Tie fillet with string at 1/2 inch intervals. Sprnkle with salt and pepper; rub with olive oil. Combine coffee, cocoa and cinnamon in small bowl and mix well. Coat fillet evenly with mixture and let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Place fillet on a rack in a roasting pan; roast 10 min. Immediately reduce heat to 250 and continue roasting. After 20 minutes check internal temp of fillet--125/med rare, 135/medium. When desired doneness reached remove from the oven and keep warm. Melt one Tbs butter in a skillet over med-high heat until foaming. Add quartered shiitake caps and saute until done. Set aside and keep warm. Melt butter in a saucepan over med-high heat-add onions and garlic --saute until browned. Add chilis and torn tortilla; saute slowly until golden brown--reduce heat if necessery. Add chickenstock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 10 min. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth- about one min. Strain and stir in cream, salt, and brown sugar; blend well. add stock to thin if necessery-- set aside and keep warm. Remove string from fillet and slice 1/4 inch thick. Serve with mushrooms and pour Pasilla sauce over. Note: The Pasilla chili is a dried form of the chilaca chili. It anges in color from dark brown to black, 6-8 inches long, also called chili negro. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner ( RG1488 )

Hmmm.. hopefully it would pass the spice censors; it sounds very nice. The grapefruit sorbet could also be embellished as: "Texas Ruby Grapefruit Sorbet garnished with Pomegranates and Campari" (a regular on my Thanksgiving Day table) Have you ever made anything similar to the tenderloin description, Bill Miller? It sounds great. ← I use Robert del Grande' s recipe from Cafe' Annie in Houston. I'll get the recipe and post it tomorrow--I've prepared it many times.

While I would love to dig into this meal, I sure wouldn't presume to serve it to Charles and Camilla without consulting with the Prince's staff. I have a neighbor who was born and raised in Wales and she can't tolerate even a hint of chilies or garlic . My Puerto Rican neighbor doesn't care for chili peppers, either. ← There is really no heat except in the grits, the other chilis are full of flavor and mild. At any rate I would of course clear it with Charles staff. This was just for fun. Regards, Bill

I would propose dinner with a southwestern flair. Clear tortilla soup with chicken strips, avacado strips and tortilla strips as garnish. Caeser salad Coffee, cocoa, cinnamon coated beef tenderloin with a pasilla chili sauce. Jalapeno cheese grits Swiss chard with balsamic Grapefruit sorbet Caramel pecan pie Wines? How about a crisp Sauvignon Blanc followed with an Oregon Pinot Noir and finished with hot coffee or tea. A cheese course with port could follow.

First time I've heard that. Every French food-and-wine pairing book I've seen has indicated that the traditional accompaniment to French onion or any other soup is no wine at all. Have read that at Les Halles they served FOS with Beaujolais or young Côtes-du-Rhône. Personally, I'd probably opt for a generic Burgundy or a fruity white from Gaillac, Jurançon or elsewhere in the Southwest. But, then again, I'd probably forego the Port. A while back, an e-friend organized a comparison tasting that involved onion soup and several red wines, ranging from zinfandel and Amarone to a $3.99 vin de table from Trader Joe's. The Amarone and Médoc were not good matches; the zin, a Beaujolais and a generic French merlot were OK; to everyone's astonishment, the VDT took the prize. Make of that what you will. ← I love a Rioja with a creamy mushroom soup, but have enjoyed a crisp dry gin martini with New England clam chowder and had the first wine course with the next item on the menu. How about being creative and find a cocktail to go with onion soup. Heresy, I know.

That looks awesome! Is this the recipe you used? I think I'm going to have to make this soon...it's just turning a wee bit chilly in this part of the world, and that means chili! (And soups, but that's another thread!) ← Let's say I used the above recipe to make chili. But suppose I didn't have crushed tomatoes with puree, and instead substituted diced tomatoes (no puree) and added the whole can (liquid and all). But now, the chili is looking a little more liquidy than it probably should (after having simmered for 90 minutes already). When I add the beans, will that help thicken it? Or should I add something else? Puree some canned tomatoes? Help my chili! All this is purely hypothetical, of course, lest y'all think I'm one of those people that substitutes everything, then asks, "What did I do wrong?" But help would be appreciated!!! (Did I mention I didn't have any oregano, so I put in some sage, instead?) Edited to ask: Do you skim the grease off the chili, or just mix it all in for that extra fatty flavour? What to do, what to do.... ← Skim the excess, but add masa mixed with water to thicken and add flavor. I don't know about the sage.

I just posted Longhorn Ancho Chili in Recipe Gullet. It is a beef and pork red chili with a kick--a little Texas heresy but not much. Delicious! Would someone help me and tie this thread to Recipe Gullet--Thanks so much.

Longhorn Ancho Chili Serves 6 as Main Dish. Can be extended if served over rice or fritos. 3 c canned chopped tomatoes 2 chopped chili peppers 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black, white, cayenne pepper 1 bay leaf 2 lb chili ground beef 1-1/2 lb chili ground pork 3 large garlic cloves minced 2 med onions, chopped 2 c beef stock 1 bottle bock beer 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 T paprika 1 T ground cumin 1/2 c ancho chili powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder salt & pepper to taste Combine first 5 ingredients in a large stock pot, simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Cook meats in an iron skillet with onion and garlic until nearly dry. Add to tomato mixture in stock pot. Add all other ingredients. Simmer covered until chili is reduced to about 3/4 (3-4 hours) stirring occasionally. Add more liquid if desired-- thicken with masa (2 Tbs dissolved in 3 Tbs water) Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner ( RG1462 )

Cuisnart is a poor second to All Clad, lighter and the handles get hot. They are less expensive so I bought a very large Cuisnart chefs pan that I use one a year. I could not justify the money to buy the All Clad version. You will be glad if wait and invest in All Clad. By the way the aluminum goes all the way up the side in All Clad. Take a look at www.cookwarenmore.com.

My daughter Allison transfered from the Dallas store to the one on Lamar--I believe she is still in cheese. She is enrolled at UT in January-- CM has been good to her. She is in Journalism and her experience has her considering going into food writing. Regards, Bill

What is a tomolive? I have gone to caperberries as my standard.

Plymouth has become my favorite, edging out Tanqueray. Not everyone has Plymouth down here. I might add that I think a cold comparison would be a better test and possibly chilled by stirring with ice to dilute slightly as with the real thing.

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[url=http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1444html

I just posted the richest creamy wild chanterelle soup you ever tasted in recipe Gullet. Take a look-- it's wonderful and freezes well. Regards, BillMy Webpage

Beautiful lesson. I do mix the cornmeal with equal flour though--we just like the consistancy that way. We never add sugar but I have had cornbread with cream corn added and enjoyed it.