Lapin d'Argent

I got up at 6 this morning to make the pate brisee for the quiche. And then I decide to prebake early as well. Smart move. There's a big fan pointed at the stove in the kitchen (we have electric), and two lobsters are giving their all in Julia's honor in the steamer right now. The salad is prepped and the dressing is made -- lemon vinaigrette from The Way to Cook. Also on the menu to start are oysters. Because I knew she'd approve. And there's a bottle of Macon-Villages chilling in the freezer.

Dude, that is genius. A vacuum sealer is definitely on my Christmas list (I just informed DH of same), and when I get one, I am completely certain that I will need this essential tip. Because if it can be dripped on something, I will drip it. Thank you.

Yum. We've settled on the Quiche aux Fruits de Mer from MAFC v I, made with lobster, as being seasonal, something Julia would enjoy being served, and something we will really enjoy eating and cooking. It also gave me the excuse to order an adjustable ring mold from Amazon, after reading Michael Ruhlman's blog post about the Best Quiche. I just hope the ring mold arrives in time, since I was cheap and picked super saver free shipping, what with the other cookbooks that somehow snuck in there...

Somehow I missed this magnificent thread when it was originally posted, so thanks to Aloha Steve et al for the bumps that landed it on the Active Topics list. And a my very best to-the-floor curtsy to Chris (and his helpers) for producing the wildly useful charts. - L.

I'm in. We'll make something from Mastering I & II or The Way to Cook. Depends on the weather, what looks good at the market, and our mood. Note to self: stop by wine shop during week for appropriate supplies.

Even while reading this, I'm eating leftovers from last night: strozzapretti with fresh garlic, olive oil, salt, and Matt's Wild Cherry. And a few shaves of parmesan, just because it was only a small leftover. It's very hot tonight, so mine is with a cold Smuttynose IPA. Last night, it was a Soave. Life is indeed very, very good.

Here's something obvious that I had to learn the hard way: the hole has to be big enough for the egg. So if you're using a shaped cookie cutter (like a dinosaur cookie cutter), it needs to cut a BIG dino-sized hole in the bread. Or you need a smaller egg. Duh.

Let me just say that the Crash Potatoes mentioned up-thread have truly rocked our world this summer -- we have been making them at least once or twice a week. We particularly like them finished with a little Great Hill Blue and served with homemade yogurt. To. Die. For. And to add another favorite: Grilled Figs w/ Balsamic, Blue Cheese, & Rosemary Slice a bunch of negroni or other small black figs in half. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle w/ sea salt. Grill, skin side down, over a hot fire (or on HIGH on your gas grill) for about 5 minutes, until the skins are crisp, and the tops are carmelized. (DO NOT try to turn them over!) Drizzle with really sweet, dense, balsamic vinegar -- get the absolute best you can. Top with crumbled Great Hill Blue and minced rosemary. If you don't have a grill, place them, cut side down, on an oiled, foil-covered heavy cookie sheet under your broiler, and broil until the skins are crispy and the meat is mushy. But they're much tastier grilled. Even if a few of them stick to the grill or fall into the fire.

Find your local CookTek dealer and see if they'll loan you a model to try out. Then you'll know for sure.

I'm a crotchety minimalist when it comes to coleslaw. Salted plain GREEN cabbage (drained, if there's time), thinly sliced sweet fresh local onions, lots of freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, and a smallish amount of mayo. Now that I'm making my own yogurt, I'll probably add some of that in the next batch. That's it. No vinegar or red cabbage or carrots or other trumpery. Not that there aren't many other fine recipes out there. It's just I don't like much to come between me and one of my favorite vegetables.

V. -- thanks for the reminder. Honestly, I can't believe I forgot all about the CookTek, when I'm always the one extolling the virtues of induction to anyone who doesn't run away fast enough!

My local CookTek dealer was happy to loan me a stand-alone 120v burner to try out, a number of years back when we were thinking about renovating our kitchen. Based on my experience, I would buy a CookTek stand-alone burner in a heartbeat. In fact, why didn't I think of that, now that I'm considering getting one of those propane things to cook lobsters in and for canning, since we have yet to get around to redoing the kitchen? The beauty of a portable is that you can cook wherever, in or out, as long as you have the appropriate electric supply. I didn't have as large a stockpot then as I do now, but it wouldn't surprise me if the CT could handle what you need. I may have to get back in touch with my local dealer again...

Oh dear. Note to Self: Eat more lobster. Tell friends to eat more lobster. Then eat more lobster. Actually, the freezer is almost empty of the giant batch of rich lobster broth (thank you, Jasper White) that I made for our New Year's lobster feast, when we were also doing our best for the seacoast economy. Time to make another giant batch to last me through the next six months. OOOHHHH! Lobster risotto with grilled fresh corn...yummm. Note to Self: Serve lobster risotto to friends!

Maybe I'm getting grumpy in my old age, but I would have been inclined to reply that in a recession, the chef should really keep his preferences to himself, and pay more attention to his customers' preferences, if he still wanted to have a restaurant when the dust settles. Why not turn this into an opportunity, and send out recommendations for main courses the chef thinks the table of diners might particularly enjoy tonight instead? I can't even begin to express how offensive I find this attitude. If you need to turn the table, and you don't give a damn if I ever waste my time with your restaurant again, then go ahead and state it openly. Well, actually, I guess that's just what they did, didn't they?

I think the basic concept for this originally came from the NYT, but I really can't remember: In the morning, mince a good amount of garlic, preferably fresh from your own garden. Put it in a decent-size bowl and pour in a hefty amount of olive oil. Now add more. Go on, a little more won't kill you. That's better. Wander off for part of the day. When you feel like it or it's convenient, pick your tomatoes from the garden or the farmer's market, cut them up, toss them into the bowl with the garlic and olive oil, add some sea salt, stir it up. (Don't seed or peel the tomatoes; it takes too long, you have better things to do, it's too hot, that's where all the flavor is, you need the fiber, and besides I said so.) Go off and do other stuff until it's time for dinner. If you're around, stir the tomatoes occasionally. Try not to eat all of them, unless you add more. (For the love of pete -- DO NOT put this in the refrigerator!!!! If you do, I do not want to hear about it.) Boil some pasta, tear or slice some fresh basil. Drain the pasta, stir it into the tomatoes, serve it up with the basil sprinkled on top. And a nice white wine. That pretty much takes care of August at our house.

I didn't even bother to plant tomatoes this year...the first time in a very long time. But I can tell you that really good, real tomatoes don't usually come around here in MA until late July at the earliest anyway -- there haven't been enough degree days until then. You southerners in RI are spoiled... If the weather settles down and we get our usual spell of summer heat/drought within the next week or so, all could still be OK. Yields may be down, and the season probably won't last as long because the plants will die back quicker at the end of the season, but flavor depends on one factor: dry heat. I suspect farmers around here might have put their plants out later in the spring because we had such late frosts and cold nights, so that might actually have helped. The tomato plants I see in our area are looking surprisingly healthy so far.

Made my first batch yesterday, following McGee's basic directions. A quart of whole milk, heated to about 180-190 degrees, cooled to about 115. Stirred in a couple tablespoons of Sheep's milk plain yogurt from Old Chatham (yummm), wrapped the pyrex bowl w/ plastic lid up in a few kitchen towels and set it into a small insulated bag I happen to have. About 5 hours later, I had really delicious yogurt! I just put the container in the fridge, and we've been eating it on anything that didn't run away fast enough since. I could strain it, I guess, but for now we're happy with it. Requires exactly zero equipment except a thermometer. Don't know why I'd ever buy yogurt again; it could not possibly be easier. Now I need to go over to the topic on making your own Vanilla Extract, so we can have vanilla yogurt with fruit for breakfast all the time....and where's that topic about making your own ricotta...

Not at all. That is what got me fascinated. I was making it for my wife and she kept saying "what?" She had never seen it in a house that was both southern and northern. Go figure. ← I had heard of it, but never had it, since I was never much of an egg person. But my DH, who loves eggs, and is from NJ, has never even heard of it! But of course, as soon as I told him about it, he wants some now. Preferably with a dinosaur cut-out.

Brigit, you'd be welcome as my neighbor any day!

← Seems to me the lobster market needs a new model that's more like other food markets. Around here, we have farms that operate their own market stands, and selldirect to other retail stores and restaurants or through distributors. And these are not giant mega-farms; they're just local farms that grow their own quality produce. I don't see why lobster harvesters shouldn't be allowed to follow a similar diversified path. Everyone is better off focusing on the quality of the product, or the direct connection with the producer to eek out a little better price, than trying to treat it like a commodity in a race to the bottom. Fresher lobsters certainly should command a higher price; I know I'd happily pay $1 or even $2 more per lb for lobsters just off the boat. Not that I know what the hell I'm talking about, but that's never stopped me before... - L.

I've also found I prefer Cape Breton oysters, for much the same reasons. The colder the water, the more subtle and and interesting the flavor. Kind of what makes a great Chablis vs a full-blooded Australian Chardonnay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)

Refreshingly, the term "Boston" seems to include much of the greater metropolitan area, if not all of New England! My favorite bit of info, though, was a link to this sister blog: Boston Restaurant Talk

I'm not sure about frozen, but the original (as far as I know) recipe from Fine Cooking magazine (here), which has a slightly different prep method, specifically says you can start them up to eight hours ahead of time. I'd think you could certainly start them a day ahead of time. The one time I tried them, I had serious problems with sticking, but I assume I just didn't use enough oil. They were still very good. ← I put mine on parchment so no problem with sticking. ← Thanks for the make-ahead details and the parchment tip. Not only no sticking, but *so* much easier clean-up! I'm thinking the very tiniest of new potatoes that are about to appear now that spring is finally here for real, topped with creme fraiche, and domestic caviar. Serve with ice-cold Prosecco, while wearing one of your favorite spring frocks and sandals, on the deck in the very late afternoon. Guests optional. Lordy.

Where did the recipe come from? Can you share? I'm always on the lookout for new spud recipes. ← it's here. ← Well thank you for that -- just reading about them was delicious. They look so beautiful -- like flowers. I'm thinking that they could sort of be finger food, in a messy kind of way. I'm imagining them standing in for twice-baked potatoes, with lots of creative toppings. And I bet they can be prepared ahead and popped into the oven for the final browning at the last minute. Perhaps even frozen. The kind of thing that just makes life worth living. - L. [Edit to correct typos]

I got mine in red! Thanks so much for this link...I've hankered after one of these gizmos for years. Now I have no excuse for not knowing whether the Thanksgiving turkey is done or not...