Macarons&Mozart

Carrot tops came up in the Food Section of the LA times a few months ago. They were described as having a very herbaceous/vegetal flavor. They also included a recipe for celery-root salad with carrot-top vinaigrette. Here is the URL to the recipe. I have not tried it, although it does look rather interesting. http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo...-headlines-food -Robert Kim

Great photos! and one quick question: donkey sausage?? what did this taste like? I remember seeing a donkey sausage dish on a menu in rural italy many years ago (I didnt order it.)

I plan to make a batch of macarons very soon, but would like to ask the macaron gurus here for a bit of help. First, as I was browsing this thread (lots of great tips!!), I noticed 2 types of recipes: one using equal parts almond flour and powdered sugar (tant-pour-tant) and another using a greater proportion of powdered sugar to almonds. I am not sure which version to use, since members have reported great results with both recipes. The second thing is drying. How long have you dried your macarons before baking them? I have read from various sources anywhere between 30 minutes to 5-7 hours (from the post above). I guess that depends alot on the humidity here... Thirdly (sorry for all the questions!), how much should I work the batter? The last time I made a batch, I dont think i worked the batter enough, as it was still a bit to thick (it didnt spread at all on the baking sheet). Would more stirring have made the batter looser, and "flow like magma"? Thanks alot! Robert

The only pistachios that I am familiar with are California pistachios. I must set out to buy some Middle Eastern ones. What do people here think of Sicilian pistachios? They are highly prized by cooks for their brilliant and deep green color.

I use it in combination with vanilla extract. THat way i get specks and flavor.

Sicilian Pistachios!! Thats it!! Thanks alot

Soft scrabled eggs with porcini mushrooms and white truffle oil, and some fresh homegrown tomatoes

Thanks to both of your responses! I would like to add that the pistachios I see mostly in French pastry shops are a very rich (almost suspiciously) dark green. Maybe they were colored. The ones I have are yellowish-green.

Curry-dusted shrimp w/ saffron basmati rice, cucumber raita homemade French Macarons for dessert!

I have noticed that wherever I see pistachios, in-shell or peeled, roasted or raw, they are not as nice and green as the ones I see in patisseries. The ones available to me are a dull brownish-green color. Is there a "patisserie-grade pistachio" that is not available to the home baker? Where can I find these pretty green pistachios? Sorry if I was not clear enough. If you need me to elaborate, please say so. Thanks!

heh...i can't believe i said that...(hey, it was 3 o'clock in the morning when I posted that) yes, homeGROWN tomatoes- mmm

A good, rich ricotta (esp. homemade like little ms foodie's) makes a wonderful dessert when mixed with sugar and served with pistachios and/or almonds, and some fresh fruit. Honey is good too...

tomato gratin (with homemade tomatoes!), mache and frisee salad w. white truffle oil vinaigrette, fougasse w/ gruyere and black olives

Brioche with nutella, cafe au lait, home-grown pluots

TJ's also sells something called "Vanilla Paste", which is a thick and sticky mix (about the texture of honey) vanilla seeds suspended in a naturally-flavored vanilla "goo". It doesn't sound very good, but I have tried it. It is nice to use when you want to get the "speckled" effect from vanilla seeds in your desserts.

You can use the torch for making a nice "torched tuna" dish...perhaps a nice block of tuna, 'seared' with a blowtorch instead of a pan (one less thing to wash!), and serving it with a nice Asian-inspired sauce...perhaps something with soy or ginger or garlic...scallions and a touch of mirin...sesame oil. Mmmm, I'm getting hungry...a nice summer-time dish w/o getting your kitchen hot and messy! -Robert Kim

Ahh, the garden is one of my favorite spots during the summer time! We live in Southern California (Near LA), so we have nice summers, and mild winters. Vegetables ~Tomatoes: 12 plants in all- 5 Celebrity (standard red), 4 Mr. Stripey (huge yellow/orange bi-colored fruit, 1 Evergreen (green even when ripe), 1 Black Krim (purplish, almost black), 1 San Marzano Roma, 2 tomatillos (ok, not really a tomato, but close enough ) The celebs are already ripening. Delicious! We planted them in 2 stages, so that we can have an extended harvest from July to September ~Peppers: 12 red bell, 6 yellow bells, 6 Anaheims, 12 Korean chiles, 2 Jalapeno ~Eggplant (Asian variety) ~Cucumbers- long and stubby ~Squash- a fairly new variety called "Papaya Pear" (yellow) ~Green Onions A few other things that are too small to eat Fruit ~White peaches- we just finished harvesting them, i wish I had more! ~Plums- Japanese kind (Catalina and Santa Rosa) ~Pluots/Plumcots/Apriums- weird hybrid fruits that are crosses between plums and apricots. 3-in-1 grafted tree ~Meyer lemons ~Strawberries- regular ones, and the tiny French fraises de bois ~Raspberries- red, black, yellow ~Blueberries ~Feijoas (aka pineapple guavas) ~Starfruit ~Passionfruit (regular, yellow, giant [fruits are the size of a small football!!]) ~Grapes- green globe, thompson seedless, muscadine (not ripe yet) Herbs- basil, dill, thyme, oregano, chives, chervil, parsely, cilantro Mmmm, summer certainly is wonderful, but I do like the fall apples...the winter root veggies...or the cherimoyas!! Luckily, my golden retriever doesnt get into the garden like he used to when he was a puppy...

I had a great passionfruit creme brulee a while ago. You may want to try making some. The combo of vanilla and passionfruit really works well! I presume you would just add strained pulp into the custard mix. Just quick note: the passionfruit that you have are come from the plant Passiflora flavicarpa (I think that's right, I am drawing the Latin name from memory.) Its also called the yellow or hawaiian passionfruit. (Lillikoi in Hawaiian.) Yellow fruits are generally more tart than the purple, more common passionfruit, Passiflora edulis and its hybrids. I love to garden, and grow all kinds of goodies in my yard. , including several varieties of passionfruit. I have both purple and yellow kinds, as well as a few other more rare species you can't find in stores. One of my more interesting varieties makes passionfruits the size of small footballs (about maybe 9 or 10 inches long). I'll include pics of my fruits when they ripen (at least a month). Okay, sorry about my passionfruit rant! -Robert Kim BTW- for those of you interested in growing your own passionfruit (they have some of the most beautiful and fragrant blooms in the world), I suggest ordering from Kartuz Nurseries. This is where I got my plants. Here is the link: www.kartuz.com (just click on "passion vines" on the left-hand menu)

Hello all, Sushi/Sashimi has become one of my favorite things to eat and explore, but I am becoming a bit tired of ordering the same-old fish...tuna, salmon, etc. I know that in Los Angeles and elsewhere nearby my, there are some great sushi bars that I need to try, but before I go, I want some feedback. Are there any "exotic" or "lesser-known" fish or sushi ingredients that you can reccomend? Some 'new' fish that I haven't tried , but heard of, include sayori (halfbeak), katsuo (bonito), shako (mantis prawns) shima-aji (??), aji (jackfish), and these funky looking orange colored things called 'orange clams' (are they really a clam?) I'd greatly appreciate some info about these fish, esp about their taste. Thanks alot! -Robert

Yes, I do have to pay for the samples. They cost about $2-$4 for each sample. (sometimes it costs more if it is an expensive tea.) Best of luck to you and your tea business! -Robert Kim

Lapsang Souchong?!? Eeek, for me, the first time I tried it, I almost spit it out. (I appologize to you and other people who like LS ) I like to call it the "BBQ Chicken Tea" or the "Smoked Salmon Tea." For those of you that do not know what Lapsang Souchong is, it is a black tea that is smoked (smoke is from pine needles I think.) China and Taiwan both make LS, with tea from the latter usually being smokier. -Robert Kim

-BBQ pork baby-back ribs (smoked 8 hours!) -Tomato Salad, w/ home grown heirloom tomatoes, shaved red onion, and basil -Potato Salad w/ pesto mayo -homegrown fresh fruit (white peaches, raspberries, fraises de bois) with vanilla ice cream mmm

When I was dining at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, in Las Vegas, one of the amuses bouches was a porcini mushroom custard. It was absolutely delicious! Do any fellow e-Gulleters know of any recipes for something like this or other savory custards. I'd love to hear your recipes and/or ideas. Thanks! Robert Kim

For the teas that I usually purchase, samples will cost between $2-$4 (occasionally a bit more or less), depending on the price of the tea. (I am sorry for reporting that samples were 5 grams. They are really 15 grams.) -Robert Kim

My favorite teas come India. Darjeelings are my absolute favorites! I like first flush darjeelins, but I love second flush teas even more. They are rich and deliciously aromatic. Depending on which grower the tea is from, each Darjeeling tea has its own nuances and qualities, almost like wine. A good strong, malty Assam is also nice, with milk and sugar. I order my teas from Upton Tea Imports. THey have a huge selection of teas, at reasonable prices. Quick delivery too. They also offer samples of all their teas- they are small (about 5 grams i think). THis is a great system, because you don't sun the risk of being stuck with a bunch of tea that you dont like!