jende

This thread http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=98856&st=0 in the Cooking forum got me thinking about pairing wine with chocolate. I know it's difficult and Port is usually suggested with chocolate desserts, but there must be pairings that work with savory dishes that contain some form of chocolate. Thoughts?

Yeah! This could be your "cheese course," maybe along with these: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_32975,00.html

Annachan's post reminded me that Giada D. did a show recently that had a couple of savory chocolate dishes (the first one is supposed to be dessert, but could be modified slightly o be a savory pasta course): http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_35675,00.html http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_34775,00.html

I whip up a parsley pesto-like sauce whenever I have a bunch of parsley lying around and I need a quick dinner. Throw a hand-full of parsley in a food processor with a clove of garlic, a smaller hand-full of walnuts, a squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne and salt/pepper. Blend in just enough chicken stock to make it saucey. It's a pretty versatile recipe because you can change up the herbs, nuts, stock, etc. based on what you have on-hand. I serve it with whatever proteins and vegetables I have -- or just with pasta if the fridge is really bare (I like broccoli, roasted red peppers and roasted chicken).

I'd really like the recipes for chocolate pasta dough and Lebovitz's chocolate pizza dough (I tried the link above but only got the pizza topping recipe). Can anyone provide them? And I agree, the all-chocolate menu is a delicious idea!

Yum...can you share the recipe for the ganache? ← Okay, I'm eating it for the second day, and the ganache is Not Amazing. I can send you the links to a Pierre Herme or Sherry Yard caramel ganache recipe if you want. ← ha! Maybe you're being too hard on yourself. Anyway, sure please send me any recipes you have.

Yum...can you share the recipe for the ganache?

Sorry if this question has already been answered, but is there a good place to find recipes for different flavors of macaroons? I had a wonderful hazelnut macaroon with vanilla filling at Miette in San Francisco that I'd like to try to replicate. The filling was the consistency of a thick buttercream. I have the Pierre Herme book, but his recipe is for a chocolate macaroons with chocolate filling and I'm not sure how to change it. (I've never made macaroons before so I'm not confident enough to fiddle with established recipes) Thanks!

I think something like quail with a wine or port reduction would work also rather than roast pork a pan seared or grilled pork chop would be fine. Also duck would be a good pairing with this wine. I have had it with D'Artagnan confite duck legs over simple braised red cabbage. By searing or grilling you will get some carmelization that will help the meat stand up to what is a big wine with loads of fruit. another idea for this wine-- Roasted winter vegetables--snips, beets, turnips, carrots, shallots, roast garlick, potatoes, mushrooms etc. ← I was wondering what kind of vegetable might be appropriate, so thanks for that recommendation (as well as the others). Roasted winter vegetables sounds perfect.

Thanks so much for all the great info (gotta love egulleters)! I will definitely go with the tarte a l'oignon, and I'm thrilled to have so much info to share with the students.

I've been asked to do a French-themed cooking demo for my local community ed, and one item I'd like to make is an Alsatian onion and bacon tart. As I'm doing research I'm finding that there seems to be two types: one is quiche-like with eggs and cream in the filling, the other is more like a pizza with just a little cheese and the onion and bacon as toppings. The pizza-like recipes also seem to alternate between using puff pastry and pizza crust. Is one more traditional than the other? I'm leaning toward the quiche-like one as that seems to be the one that the most reliable sources use.

We don't eat a lot of red meat, so probably anything is going to seem heavy to me (beef, lamb, etc.). I know that this is a big Cab, though, so maybe it's silly to try to pair something other than red meat with it. I have a recipe for pork loin with caramelized onions and figs that I've wanted to try, but I didn't know how the sweet flavors would work with the wine. Maybe I will try the lamb, though. I think my husband has only eaten lamb once in his life, so it might be fun to try it.

My husband and I are finally going to open the bottle of Phelps Insignia (I think it's a '96) that we've been saving for a few years, and I'm wondering what to eat with it. We're definitely having a red wine risotto with parmesan broth (cribbed from Cyrus), but I'd like to do a meat course and maybe a salad too. I love beef, but I'd prefer to have something a little lighter because the risotto is extremely rich. Any suggestions?

Did you notice the "Chef's Table" in the kitchen? If it's where it used to be (wedged between pastry and the line), it seemed like an awkwardly in-the-fray spot. But, at least you can see all the action, unlike at TRU, where the kitchen table is in an entirely different room with hardly a view of anything. ← Yes, the chef's table is still in that spot. I agree that it seemed kind of close to the action. It wouldn't be bad if you only had a couple of people and could sit on the side furthest from the kitchen, but anyone on the other side wouldn't have a view of the kitchen and may be in the way.

I'm bumping this up because I just went to Tribute for the first time last night and I'm interested to hear what others think. I'm still processing my experience (am I the only one who does this?!), but overall it was enjoyable. I think the tasting menu had some hits and some misses, service was good but had a couple of issues, etc. They had a wonderful wine list, although they were out of many bottles. The coolest part was that my friend and I were strongly encouraged to tour the open kitchen when we were being shown to the ladies room in the same area. We were welcomed in and given a tour, including introductions to all of the cooks, by a very nice guy whose name eludes me.

I hadn't heard that, so thanks for the info. I love Fiddleheads and think that Tim will be great there. Forte, in my opinion, is just not very good.

Ling: these photos are some of the very best I've ever seen on egullet (and most aren't shabby).

Having spent some time yesterday wandering around a kitchen supply store, I can say that at least from the are labeled there, china caps have small holes in stainless steel, while chinois have a very, very fine wire mesh. Only a chinois would get the silky smooth texture Tom et al were looking for. ← Thanks for clearing that up. Anyway, I am glad Betty left--I thought she was one of the least talented of the bunch, and found her constant yelling/whining really annoying. And the idea for the soups in champagne flutes was awful--unwieldly, messy (who wants to see soup chunks in their glass?) and kind of pretentious. It's something I'd expect a Rachel Ray foodie to serve at her hoity-toity New Year's Eve dinner. ← Well said. Betty is Rachel Ray with more wrinkles.

I'm looking for just one Marcella Hazan book to add to my already overflowing collection of cookbooks. I'm especially interested in recipes for soups, pasta (including filled), pasta sauces, risotto and breads. Which are your favorites?

I ended up making two types of ravioli: pear and ricotta with a very light rosemary-infused cream sauce, and meat (ground chicken thighs, pancetta and proscuitto) which was supposed to be sauced with marinara. I say "supposed to be" because by the time I served the ravioli I had had several glasses of wine and I confused the meat-filled and the pear-filled ravioli, so I served the meat ones with the cream sauce. Oops! But my guests enjoyed them anyway (I wasn't drinking alone, you know!). Both were delicious: the pear was very subtle and lovely with just a splash of cream sauce. One of my guests hates blue cheese, but I think just a bit in either the filling or the sauce would've been nice. The meat-filled were very flavorful and hearty, almost like a delicious meatball incased in fresh pasta. The next day I tried a couple that were leftover with the marinara that was to be the sauce, and I think the cream sauce was better. The filling had such a bold flavor and the lighter sauce didn't compete. I agree with those who posted saying that light sauces were best as they let the filling shine through.

Thanks for all of these great suggestions, they all sound delicious. I'm going to Italy in October and plan to spend a good deal of time in Emilia-Romagna, so my interest in Italian cooking has been piqued.

I was very excited to get a pasta maker with a ravioli attachment for Christmas. Does anyone have suggestions for some unique ravioli fillings and sauces to pair? I heard of someone making a pear and ricotta filling with a pancetta sauce, which sounded delicious.

SGB serves upscale Southern-inspired food. I would also recommend Mosaic if you're looking for something higher-end. New Hellas and Pegasus are good, but more casual. The Liebovitz exhibit is awesome. And to respond to the comments about Traffic Jam, I would agree that the food is good but not extraordinary, but what is very special is the fact that they make all of their own bread and desserts. THOSE are worth the price of admission alone.

I like potato pancakes with maple syrup. This is how I always ate them growing up, and didn't realize it was weird until I was an adult. Guess my family took the "pancake" part literally.

Ha! I assume you mean it tasted like what you THINK poo must taste like!