Pontormo

There's an Italian pastry called budini that you ought to try. It's one of my favorite things in the world to have with a cappuccino in the morning, mostly consisting of a moist rice center within a delicate pastry shell. Nothing elaborate. I bet it would be terrific made with coconut milk. Look for recipes online and let me know if nothing shows up. When someone says rice pudding, I immediately think of The Amateur Gourmet who also uses arborio rice. * * * P.S. Chihiran & Ling: Thanks for the reassurances about cornstarch which I tend to use just to thicken pie fillings and Chinese sauces in much smaller quantities. If you don't hear from me on the "I will never again.." thread, trust that it turned out well. And Milady, I think the idea of having a pity party is a riot. However, anyone who pledges her allegiance to pie vs. cake CANNOT Outling Ling .

Mark, the recipe you link is very similar to ones for Sicilian pasta dishes. Small florets of cauliflower develop a rich, meaty flavor when sauteed in lots of olive oil; purple varieties retain the original deep color they lose when boiled or steamed. The complexity of different pronounced tastes is a nice change from simple roasted cauliflower, as good as it is.

Never noticed this thread before. I haven't read every single post carefully, but for me the following are essential for really good Italian-American style meatballs to go with spaghetti: 1) A light touch with shaping the balls 2) Bacon. Bacon or pancetta cooked, but I prefer salty bacon. 3) Soak cubes of white bread in yogurt (Cook's Illustrated tip I've embraced) 4) A little Romano, a little Parm Browned first, always, then cooked in the sauce. Even better the next day, reheated, when they've been refrigerated in the sauce. This year, I've been trying Italian regional recipes for polpette that are served as a main course with a side dish or independently as a substantial kind of snack in a few cases, rarely with pasta unless they're very small and incorporated into something elaborate, usually layered or covered with pastry and baked. Sicilian meatballs with currants, pine nuts and cinnamon are really good and perhaps behind the use of pine nuts here. (Lidia M. Bastianich had a recipe for turkey meatballs with cinnamon a while back in a TV-issue Gourmet that I really liked.) There are others that are filled with ricotta, the cold meat mixture shaped around the cheese. In Puglia, meatballs are served instead of lamb in a dish that includes braised bitter greens. ETA: This thread needs a few photographers.

Kent: It's interesting that you mention cultural differences in your very first thread. I hope more members who go to markets outside of North America respond. Unless there is one farm that offers a unique or particularly superior item that I know I want that week, I make a trip around the entire market first to compare prices. While most farmers seem to conform to a given number, there is usually one stand that sells X for 50 cents less than anyone else and often someone who decides to charge a little more. And always, if you stick around to the very end, bargains are cried out by farmers packing up if there's a surfeit; prices are not lowered if nobody else has corn and there is only half a barrel left. You should also take the weather into account. If it's a tough growing season, I'd lower my expectations for deals. Most farmers post special prices for large quantities, just like grocery stores. Colored peppers are just making their appearance, for example, and the farm run by Nina Planck's family has some of the best. $1.50 for a single tapered yellow pepper is an awful lot. However, you get 3 for $3, gosh, why not spend more to get 1 free! Sometimes when I want more than one of an item that is very expensive because its season is brief, if I ask about the price, a discount is offered without further prompting. If it isn't, I don't haggle. I agree with the other posters who cite respect for farmers, especially since the farmer's market is the one place where growers get to cut out the middleman. I figure they are pricing items lower for restaurants and places like Whole Foods. Elsewhere on eGullet, I mentioned how one farmer from Maryland was charging more in D.C. than in Baltimore due to perceived differences in demographics (cost of living, etc.). Volunteering is one way to lower the amount you spend at the market. Some farmers offer automatic discounts to you on the days you're helping out, the large operations, substantial ones; some don't and you find that out the first time you ask and don't press matters. More importantly, you get to know one another and get treated like a regular.

First, there are seriously tempting desserts on this page. Second: I don't care for cornstarch, either, and try to stick to egg-thickened custards and such. The first time I made a 10x-sugar based frosting (just a few years ago), I was appalled and outraged at how much of the cornstarch in the 10x I could taste/feel. Never again! ← Ut oh. I bought a huge watermelon this week to make a Sicilian watermelon pudding studded with pistachios, bittersweet chocolate flakes and candied citrus peel as a sub for the traditional preserved squash, though I intend to reserve the peel for decoration. Gourmet published a simplified version a couple of summers ago. The recipe for one large watermelon (grrr, no weight provided) calls for 3/4 c. cornstarch!!!! I just looked up the recipe on Epicurious where 1/4 c. is used with 4 1/2 pounds of melon. While I plan to transform half my melon into this dessert tomorrow, I am a little concerned about the vehemence of these comments. So the dissolved cornstarch becomes unpleasant when the dessert sets? Foodman made the same pudding and really liked it. Should I go all Junior League of South Carolinia and substitute gelatin for the cornstarch? It's a chilled dessert, but definitely not solid.

Thanks for the reply! One of the two (three?) new year's resolutions I made for myself this year was to USE Bread Alone to make serious loaves with poolish instead of relying on familiar stand-bys with yeast. I should look at the focaccia recipe as a way to ease into fulfilling that one remaining pledge. The description was an observation, not a criticism. The air bubble seems to be a happy development since those gorgeous fresh tomatoes didn't make the interior of the dough soggy as a result.

I agree with endorsements for Deborah Madison and for moderation, though the latter is a response to the difficulty of living without the glories of cheese, blackberry yogurt smoothies, fresh egg pasta, savory custards, et al. It was true that when I became a vegetarian briefly long, long ago, there was an emphasis on doing without and substitutions. The Penguin (British) paperback of recipes was about as depressing as you can get. The major thing you need to make sure to monitor is intake of protein, although everyone will tell you you don't need as much as a lot of carnivores eat. This a stumbling block for vegetarians who gravitate towards pasta five times a week. Try to start out with interesting combinations of grains or corn that bolster the protein content of accompanying beans. Protein powders, ick. I happen to like tofu, especially when it's deep-fried and braised in an interesting ginger-rich broth (though I tend to use chicken stock). Nowadays, you really don't need vegetarian cookbooks to guide you since there are plenty of international cuisines and celebrity chefs or cookbook authors which/who feature fresh produce and a diverse range of grains and protein sources. With these, milk, cheese, cream and eggs, there is just so much at your disposal, all you really need to do is develop your skills in the kitchen if you're used to just slapping a chicken breast in a pan, etc. That may not be the case. The big thing I would emphasize---and I am not saying anything new here, I realize--is to change your shopping habits if you can. That's as essential as switching your diet. This is the perfect time to make the farmers's market a weekly trip if it's not too far away. Beautiful, novel produce should keep you interested. BTW: Just curious, but could you explain about this whole "cheating" and guilt thing? It should be an issue only if you have second thoughts about eating animals when you don't have to.

They suit your purpose, I think, in looking very hip and modern. Everyone's made the Global knife comparison, but if you look at the close-up photograph (which I don't repeat here), what's distinctive is the fact that each circle is indeed a hole, so it's more like a cheese-grater pattern, softened without the jagged edges. That's rather cool, if I am reading the photo correctly. On the other hand these are my two reservations: 1) The knives are odd. The blade is truncated especially as it relates to the size of the handle. It almost looks as if the designer was working simultaneously for a white-collar prison where aggression among the confined execs was feared. (The second of the (why) three spoons seems a bit exaggerated, too, but pretty, and serviceable for bigger mouths. Rest is fine by me.) 2) They're very busy and I fear might not be versatile if you're using a variety of patterns and styles. The holes are small and arranged close to one another, so you end up with a very detailed, congested pattern even if it's repetitive and lacks intricacy. For example, the silverware really doesn't complement the placemat, one whose simplicity would seem to go with most things, including a very clean modern design. The only way they'd work is if you built everything around their geometry, emphasizing unfussy circular or curvilinear form instead of even those popular chunky white rectangular plates with curled corners and a center that dips below the two short sides. I don't think it would be a good idea to go with a full array of ovals, triangles, glasses with squared bases. Simple, clean, unadorned lines are easiest to match with future purchases for your restaurant. I have nothing against precious finds at T.J. Maxx, including imported linens, bookends shaped like the nose of Michelangelo's David (wish I hadn't let that one go) and olive oil.

Deen & Kevin: Is there a noticeable difference between fresh and delayed use of said doughs? The only thing perceptible in the photo of something any dog would love to investigate is the way the upper crust seems to have pulled away from the filling, although that may be a result of cutting or just that part of the pizza rustica. A second welcome, too. Good to see you're looking at a number of the regional threads in this forum.

John: Lucy neglected to direct you to her personal food blog. Click below her signature line and you'll see a long entry documenting her method. Replacing radishes, the blossoms in her new avatar offer a detail from the beautiful accompanying photographs. Lucy: When a local farmer gave me half a dozen small zucchini with attached blossoms, the flowers accommodated no more than a tablespoon of cheese. The quandry for me was cooking the squash sufficiently, especially since I hankered for crisp, battered blossoms. I can't find the thread I started to seek advice; it may have been incorporated into one of the many threads devoted to the topic in the Cooking forum.

Thanks, Andrew. BTW very pale yellow fuzzy tomatoes are sold here in DC, too. While waiting for blackberry sour cream muffins to cool enough to present to a helpful security guard from Cameroon, I went searching for Puglese recipes for polpette and found out that we all missed an important opportunity to celebrate on August Third with meatballs, wine and friselle; snails were last week. However, next Tuesday's one of the orchiette days and there IS lamb ahead towards the end of the month along with watermelon. Every day's a festa! (In August, a procession into the sea sounds like a good idea.)

Bjas: Great series of dishes, quite a meal! A question to those of you who made the lamb stew: is there A lamb stew with greens that is linked or documented somewhere with recipe and/or instructions? Descriptions suggest this is so, but my skimming got me nowhere. I've got the greens. I've got ground beef and pork and Franci's suggestion to use meatballs instead (Buford on lamb in the summer may be in the back of my mind) for a variation on the dish. Where do I go from here?

HOW MANY OF YOU WHO ASKED KEVIN & KLARY FOR THE RECIPE FOR THE SWORDFISH IMPANATE ACTUALLY MADE THEM? Please, if you've just been thinking about it, I urge you to move from theory to praxis and from stasis to action. Fresh swordfish makes a big difference. The dough is delicious. I used the Dinner thread to spread the word, but in the meantime I will say, too, that this is one of the best new things I have tried this year. I have just come back from the farmers market with greens and cherry tomatoes to assist me in finally making Puglese dishes, but I intend to try the watermelon pudding Elie endorses as well.

Suggestion: Since this thread is moving in a great direction and I am finding it very informative, perhaps a new thread devoted to these different sorts of doughs, breads, etc. would be invaluable for future consultation. BTW: Still searching for local sources. Thanks for new names to try.

I'd really like to take care of that scoop of ice cream before it starts to melt onto the plate.

How wonderful, Lorna, especially about the ice cream. It's always gratifying when you triumph over prejudice and seduce someone like this. Special kudos since the dessert developed out of brain-storming, without the benefit of weeks of trial and error. Sounds as if you got a private lesson, too. BTW, I noticed too late that Susan Goin includes a recipe for a fig & almond custard tart in her final summertime menu in the new Lucques cookbook. The custard's made simply with heavy cream, eggs & sugar, flavored with vanilla and a touch of Cognac, then with chopped, toasted almonds, poured over quartered figs that were carmelized first on top of the stove, with a vanilla bean added to the butter and sugar.

I attempted to post the following as an initial post while two threads were being merged. Some of the information may be redundant as a result: All sorts of bread can be used and some of my favorite are not made with the American-style soft bread that is standard for presses. Focaccio split in two is especially great when it's made plain with coarse salt and olive oil on top. Italians prefer very simple fillings, sometimes just one piece of meat and condiment or two. You'll find some discussion of them here: Fenton's Claim. Somewhere, I know, Daniel asked about tripe versions. I mean no disrespect, but do note that "panino" is the diminuative form of "pane," the word for bread. "Panini" is the plural form of the word used in Italy for sandwiches. It's only due to the popularity of grilled Italian-style sandwiches and retail sales of appliances that they're called "panini sandwich" in the U.S. It's sort of like saying cappuccino coffee or gelato ice cream. The combinations of prosciutto (any kind of ham) and artichoke (marianated, fried, lightly battered & deep fried) is classic. So is roasted pepper and slice of mozzarella or meat. I mentioned fried zucchini blossoms as one of a pair in an earlier thread. There are plenty of panini that feature vegetables such as strong-tasting greens sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Eggplant or zucchini slices that were grilled and left to marinate overnight are great; sliver garlic and sprinkle sparingly in between layers with fresh basil. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add chicken and/or mozzarella (any soft, fresh cheese) and top with arugula. Now that it is tomato season, chop up fresh tomatoes. Mix a favorite brand of tuna packed in olive oil, minced parsley, a little garlic and lots of capers. No mayo. Just olive oil to bind. Freshly ground pepper. Top with the tomatoes and some salt.

This thread in the forum devoted to Elsewhere in Europe might be of interest: Greek vs. Turkish Food. Early on, one post by a US-based pastry chef says that "yufka" is the Turkish name for the pastry dough while "phyllo" is the Greek name. Perhaps the pastry simply differs from cook to cook, manufacturer to manufacturer...or there may be distinct cultural preferences in thickness of the dough.

When I was in high school, I had good friends whose parents came to the United States from Turkey when their father when their father joined the faculty of a major university. I happened to visit one day when their mother was in the middle of rolling out thin sheets of dough that draped over the sides of a large surface as if a tablecloth. Those of you who have PC's might enjoy learning how to prepare yufka, thanks to the Turkish Embassy here in The United States. Unfortunately, Mac-users like me seem to be out of luck. While searching for a local source for buying yufka, I came across this link to videos on Turkish culture. There are demonstrations for a number of dishes.

This is some of the most fitting evidence that Texas is indeed another country. What a riot! I wonder if this is how the Sterns got started. They certainly have competition now.

One of the reasons I had to qualify my about-face appears here. Cakes are great on special occasions and in the winter time. As for Christmas, figgy pudding is more like cake than pie and gingerbread houses sometimes take the form of shaped cakes. Christmas cakes are standard in many cultures, though cookies are far more significant than either pie or cake.

Fresh borage to stuff pasta. I've been told some gardners plant it next to tomatoes, though.

I believe others here have used frozen swordfish before, no? I decided to buy some from Whole Foods and tried making a simple Sicilian pasta sauce that I prepared years before and really liked. The texture did not look ideal after it was thawed, so I was rather vigilant when frying it. Despite cooking it for an even briefer time than recommended, the surface was cardboard-like with only a bit of moisture inside.

What is yufka, exactly? The borek look wonderful. Calling the dish a specialty of Pandeli's in Istanbul, Paula Wolfert includes a recipe in her book on the Eastern Mediterranean that calls for phyllo dough. The sheet of yufka seems to have a different texture in the photograph where it is spread out on the table.

Looking at your photograph again, especially given the erotic appeal of figs already split before being set before the diner... AND, in the spirit of keeping things seasonal and light: how about topping whatever you bake and whip up with the fig, split open to cradle a small scoop of raspberry gelato or sorbet? The downside of this is that the blue cheese would have to go. Or a light ricotta or chevre gelato. Raspberries or raspberry something as garnish.