Pontormo

We really need to hear back from management about logistics and willingness to move in this direction.

Funny you should mention this book, Susan, since I have long felt the same way about the recipes for numerous oils and marinades at the beginning of the book that reappear in subsequent recipes. And in fact, there are two used bookstores that I visit from time to time where this paperbook is often on the shelves. HOWEVER, since you still have the book, might I rave about the chili-orange oil; Stir-fried Pork Ribbons with Asparagus, Orange and Hot Bean Paste; and Chili-Orange Cold Noodles? There, I just did. The oil smells wonderful as it's being prepared and lasts forever in the back of the fridge. I give an A++++ to both the fussy stir-fry and the quick noodles. I figure stocks and ragu require even more time to prepare, so I shouldn't think just because a recipe is a stir-fry, it should be quick. Still, I have made a grand total of six dishes over the ten years I have owned it. The only low-fat type book I ever purchased was written by Julee Rosso, one of the pair of the Silver Palate team. It asks you make a low-fat blend of nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese at the beginning of each week to use for all the souffles, etc. you'll be making throughout the course of the rest of the week. Yeah, right. Nonetheless, I have kept it around because the introduction provides a good bit of sound information regarding nutrition. There are two recipes I am addicted to and I keep thinking I will find more one of these days. As for its opposite, I have to say that I have long been tempted to get rid of Greene on Greens, purchased just because it was inexpensive and there were few books of its nature when it was published in 1984. Eleven pages on kohlrabi!!!!! You gotta love the guy. The writing is lively, full of personality. I may have used one recipe, if that. Everything is slathered in cream and/or cheese. Still have not attempted the poolishes and levain prep in Bread Alone, though the neglect of this volume was the source of my one culinary resolution for 2006. I used to siphon off cookbooks too easily, back in the day that one move inspired me to rid myself of a decade's worth of Gourmet, saving only the issue of October 1981.

Listen, you all. I have to dash and get something done before 5 PM, so I will be brief here, though there really is not much to tell. However, I called the attorney and spoke to him at length about the situation. He is not someone who feels very computer literate, so I talked him through the steps he needed to take to find this thread and to click the link to DcFoodie's blog. He chuckled quite a bit, but mostly was startled to see what interest has been generated by the matter. He had absolutely no idea. Were I to characterize his reaction in one word, I would say "astonishment." There was absolutely no rancor or distress, just surprise. O, brave new world!...that sort of thing, if not quite voiced with Miranda's enchanted delight. I gather, though I hasten to add this is an impression and not a confirmed fact, that he considers the matter closed. DCFoodie says he will not post the photographs and the attorney has no reason not to take him at his word. The lawyer respects his client enormously and is very aware of ALL aspects of her reputation. He is most proud of her standing with the critic of The Washington Post and quotes the first line of one of his reviews from memory, with warmth in his voice. I had too much respect for the nature of attorney-client privilege to probe very much. Perhaps he is a brilliant actor who is trying to come across as a simple country guy who enjoys being paid in delicious meals instead of cash every so often. However, I also got the impression that he hasn't analyzed his client's motives and feelings at great length, let alone all the ghastly nuances of the situation since he thought this a minor incident and the matter had been addressed. Now that he has seen his posted letter and is aware of eGullet, he will let Ms. Greenwood know that her actions have generated this much heated discussion.

Shining Life: Welcome to eGullet!!! As to your question, copyrights are respected here, so you are welcome to use the Personal Message system to drop copies of recipes from the book you cite in the mailbox of the member who requested help, or just give a general sense of the dishes you strongly recommend and see if the author of this thread contacts you for further information. Feel free to post anything you create yourself, or a family recipe that isn't published. There's something called Recipe Gullet where members are encouraged to enter such recipes; Ruthcooks would be the best person to contact should you have further questions. Policy issues are addressed at the bottom of the eGullet board.

:the two fingers closest to thumb stretching mouth wide open while making a loud whistle of encouragement: So glad to hear it is not time to see you bow and to clap!

Ummmm.... You read my mind. (I've never invested in a blow torch and probably won't now since the wiring on my toaster officially became dangerous this afternoon.) I really was thinking of doing something to accentuate the fresh berries. I even have some bittersweet chocolate left from making cookies, but I mentioned the lemons since I want something that tastes very fruity.

I was just trying to fulfill one of my New Year's resolutions which is to visit culinary haunts that I have never been to before. I began this in December by investigating Best Way in Mount Pleasant. I know that place you mention, however, and walk by fairly regularly, entering sometimes. Long long ago when I had just traded in my earth shoes for high heels and parka for a black wool coat with darts and a fake fur collar, there were only two kitchen stores in D.C. as far as I knew. One was on Upper Connecticut Avenue near Politics and Prose and had an excellent selection of professional ware for home cooks....and then the place you describe, across from the guy who has a fondness for lunchboxes and Tin Tin.

Good suggestion, Alex. My step-family is British (or the matriarch was until fairly recently), so trifle is quite familiar and makes a regular appearance on Boxing Day.

FYI: Just called to learn the store is closed through January 2 for inventory.

I like to go grocery shopping with an open mind and pick up at least a few items not on my list....or noted in a generalized fashion simply as "fruit." Fresh raspberries at this time of year are a real pleasure since, unlike strawberries, they do taste like something when it's not the time of year to grow them outside in the ground on the East Coast. I usually use them to make a tart. There is heavy cream in the fridge along with four Meyer lemons. There's no ice cream. Half a large container of plain lowfat yogurt is sitting on the top shelf next to more whole milk than I will need for coffee during the week ahead. However, I was hoping you might have different suggestions, even a variation on a sauce and a new kind of surface to coat. I still am carrying around the extra three pounds I gained by baking* Christmas cookies and a Tunisian blood orange cake with olive oil for Chanukah, so something light would be welcome. *Yes, and licking spoons, scarfing down the leftover shelled nuts, testing one or two from each batch...

I'll admit this to you all. It's not very sophisticated of me, but I do not care much for saffron. :hands over red face: Used to make risotto milanese with ossobuco and was fine with it. I adore paella. But, I would be quite content to steer clear of it for a long long time.

Zuke Mama: The recipe did not call for the "pla" but for "mam" which I have. I was wondering if I had purchased something just a little bit different given the third word/syllable in the name of the sauce on the label. I had wondered how "pla" differs from "mam" so thanks for the info. Austin's extremely interesting blog entry leads me to wonder if there is more to distinctions since his essay suggests that all fish sauce is "pla" before it is altered slightly and bottled, whether with the addition of a sweetner or diluted. And Austin, first, thanks to the link. Since this thread began with the observation that there are nasty ingredients that nonetheless prove tasty when incorporated into dishes, let me repeat that there are MANY things containing fish sauce that I absolutely love to eat. There's no need for conversion. It's the fish sauce itself--and its overpowering presence in one recipe that I made--that I can't abide. I was asking if it was the particular kind of fish sauce I bought that was to blame for the one bad experience.

There are so many excellent suggestions here, especially the pointers regarding grains and regions where dairy products are minimally used. I'd imagine Rancho Gordo might have some good advice when it comes to bean-rich dishes that might be unusual. I'd focus on ingredients that have a high concentration of flavor such as any of the onion-family that some very devout vegetarians do not eat because they arouse too much passion. Toasted nuts, nut oils and seeds, roasted beets, pomegranate seeds and dark greens are all wonderful. Pour boiling water over dried fruit and add a dash of vanilla, citrus peel or rum to the mixture and let them steep. Dried ancho chilies are also wonderful steeped and then turned into a puree; their presence in the black bean chili in the Greens cookbook makes all the difference. Reconstituted porcini in an small amount added to something unexpected are also wonderful, of course. Carmelized onions, roasted butternut squash and sage, combined, are absolutely great. Deborah Madison's cookbook mentioned by Arianna above has two recipes with this combination. Unless you unlock the secrets to making a flaky pastry dough with oil instead of butter, I wouldn't do the winter squash gallette (in which the squash is first roasted with unpeeled cloves of garlic underneath its cavity so they steam-roast before you squeeze out the garlic and mash it into the orange flesh). However, on page 287 there is an equally fine gratin that calls for a small amount of grated cheese (you can omit, sigh) and milk which the author assures you you can replace with Herb & Garlic broth. The Chez Panisse Menu cookbook has a roasted eggplant soup which I once served at a dinner party where there was a vegan couple. The Miles Davis fan who makes fake teeth for dentists in his basement was stunned because he was sure he hated eggplant and raved about the soup before I revealed its main ingredient. Since the color is similar to that of a sandy elephant's skin, I like to swirl in a roasted red pepper puree to make it more attractive. Marcella Hazan's spaghetti with carmelized onions is fabulous. Pakoras, samosas....all with a tomato or fruit based dipping sauce instead of yogurt. Feeling inventive? Since falafel is so wonderful, why not adapt the same principle of deep frying a heavily spiced mixture using ground soaked chickpeas or fava beans to a dish that doesn't look like street food? I see that Paula Wolfert has at least one kind of kibbeh that is made without a coating of ground meat: pumpkin kibbeh stuffed with spinach, chickpeas and walnuts (p. 276 of Eastern Mediterranean Cooking) which looks extraordinary and takes much work, even if it's not difficult. I am sure such efforts would be recognized. And as bad as most meat-substitutes are, I have to admit one of my favorite recipes of all time is a shepherd's pie that the Moosewood folk make using thawed tofu, a substance ( not the best word to promote the method, I realize) that informs several recipes in various cookbooks they have published. Tofu cakes frozen and thawed, then squeezed and taken apart with your fingers turn into something very light and a cross between ground meat and a sponge. What the Moosewood folk do is flavor it by sauteeing onions in oil with thyme & coriander (I add asofetida too), then add ground toasted walnuts, a little soy sauce and lemon juice. Good stuff, versatile, too, though unfortunately more versatile when you can use eggs (meatball sub).

LOVELY! Your sense of priorities is impeccable. One reason I would love to go to Japan is to witness what the country does to make their cultural borrowings Japanese. The admiration and respect for Parisian pastries is found in the absolute perfectionism that seems to dominate presentation in general, from the beauty of each pastry to the modern shops you capture in your photographs. Yet no matter how "Westernized" the packaging is, exquisite, stylish packaging seems very Japanese to me.

I see I am not alone regarding what I have to say, so let me put this in the form of a comment and questions seeking advice. I ABSOLUTELY adore anchovies too. I even have a great story which (briefly) concerns a bunch of grad students in various fields of Asian Studies out in the middle of nowhere at the end of a productive but demanding trip who had reached the point where they could agree on absolutely nothing EXCEPT the kind of pizza they wanted to order that night: anchovy! They were a bunch of individualistic eccentrics whose parties always had the best food. I also love pho and various other things I have eaten in restaurants that include fish sauce. BUT, I recently purchased a bottle of my own after much consultation with about eight different men behind the fish counter in an Asian food market. Ended up with a brand name I recognized, Three Crabs. The stuff is called nuoc mam nhi. Is the "nhi" significant? Did I buy the wrong type of fish sauce for general use, or.....? The reason I ask is because I used it only once on the recipe for pseudo-Thai noodles in Ruth Reichl's G & S book. Ughhhhh!!!! The recipe was fine, but I found the large amount of fish sauce in something that is cooked with relative speed to be the reason I hated the dish and had to throw it out. FYI: the label continues Viet Hu'o'ong in big letters (the company, though the product was made in Thailand). Below that: HIEU BA CON CUA.

I still object to the arrogance of claims that Americans are making superior cappuccini--at three times the price of their counterparts in Italy. However, I honestly appreciate the recommendation since it's been a while since I've gone to that neighborhood for more than a book or a capon. Question, though? Is Murky Coffee music free?

You forgot to mention Ling and her dough-eating habits.

Korova cookies.

Chufi read my mind and I wasn't even wearing my tin foil hat! Since the topic is about adopted comfort foods as opposed to the ones that evoke family meals of childhood, I'd have to go with dishes that make me nostalgic about places and people from long ago. The only exception to that rule would be baked mac & cheese with extra white sauce and Gorgonzola, but I've mentioned that already on Sandy Smith's GBC thread. Smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels After moving to suburbs of New Haven and from an Italian-American neighborhood to one with a large Jewish population, I went to quite a few Bat/Bar Mitzvahs, birthday parites and brunches after sleep-overs where the food was different. Until that time, salmon was canned and mixed with other ingredients in a Corning Ware casserole. My g-d! This may have been my first major discovery of how good food was beyond the world of my own home. Coq au vin Madame Dowling was a very large woman of Moroccan origin with gout who taught French in a midwestern college town whose native population was primarily blond. Mr. Richards, despite his terrible accent, really was the superior teacher. We spent far too much time singing about planting cabbages and dancing on bridges. However, there were more than one hundred members of the French Club because of Madame Dowling and the recipes she passed out for us to prepare for evening meetings when we actually changed out of our tee shirts, sandals and jeans and dressed up. I can't remember the last time I made a chocolate mousse, and who knows what happened to those bottles of Lancer's that we thought were very classy. I make coq au vin every once in a while and think of her. Suchard Rochers The last time I found and tried one, I was sorely disappointed. However, this is a kind of paper-wrapped mass-produced round chocolate studded with nuts that I loved while studying in Paris. Ditto on grated carrot salad made only with carrots, simply dressed, if no longer eaten out of a white cardboard box while standing on the corner or seated in the park. Now that my Mouli Julienne (remember these hand-cranked pre-food processors? Julia Child touted their glories long ago) is completely rusted, I still haven't found the right blade for my Cuisinart to make the stuff again. Bi Bim Bop It's interesting how many of us list Asian foods. Korean food, also consumed first in the Heartland, does what pho does for others, especially this wonderful, wonderful stuff. I have yet to find a good local source in D.C.

I couldn't agree with you more, especially regarding the fourth item on your list of factors that contribute to a good cappuccino. While I have had my fair share of mediocre and even poor cappuccini in Italy, the majority are far superior to those I have in the United States because of the treatment of milk. If you go down to the regional forum on Italy, look for the avatar used by divina. That photograph represents a great cup of cappuccino. That heart-shaped pattern on the top of the foam would be impossible for many of the young people set up before espresso machines in my city because they tend to cap the coffee and milk blend with stiff dry foam that looks like over-beaten egg whites when it is spooned out of the metal pitcher. There's too much air whipped into the milk, creating bubbles on steroids. Often that upper layer of foam or schiuma is lukewarm even if it isn't leftovers. It looks like a styrofoam lid since it is not fully incorporated into the drink. Attempts to explain personal preferences are often met with blank expressions. Sometimes a manager will say "This is the way customers like them." It's only when someone who (I think) knows how to make a proper cappuccino is behind the machine, or charged with the responsibilty of training others at the store that I get a good cappuccino in D.C. This brings up the point of workers and professionalism. In Italy, you go to a bar you visited for the first time in 1986 and the same guy is behind the counter. The place is still independently owned, unless it's razed by a Florentine fashion designer who is destined to burn forever in Hell for his crime. Here, there are some young people who apply for a job at Starbuck's because they get health benefits, but they have no plans to keep their position for very long. Some are terrific and care about what they do. For others, pride is invested elsewhere. Finally, there is something to be said for the price. My taste buds are not sensitive enough to note if I've been slipped an inferior bean. However, I do like the fact that I can buy a steaming cup of cappuccino and a cornetto still warm from the ovens below the bar for about 1.80 or 2.30 euros. In the market, bread, tomatoes and other foods considered important for daily sustenance are also subject to price control. Despite its lack of essential nutrients, coffee is recognized as essential to the quality of life of all Italians and not just those able to pay 3 to 6 euros a day for their brew.

Michelle: Thank you so much for this food blog!!! I love the pictures taken during your shopping trips, especially, and wish I could visit the stall with all the beautiful dates and dried fruits! Olives!!!! I can't wait to see you document your time at the farm tomorrow. I do have a question. At the wedding you attended, I was intrigued by the roasted sweet potatoes with apricots (dried? fresh?). Could you tell me more about the dish? It looks delicious. I am getting a little tired of the salads I make and would welcome more details about the ingredients of fruit and vegetable combinations in some of the dishes that you photograph...or really love yourself.

Kevin, your night of seven fishes is beautifully presented in both words and images. I feel a bit like that orange cat, wanting so much to taste the stuffed squid, shrimp and spaghetti, especially! As for the disappointment, sigh. You realize you are not alone. Many of us have similar stories of the one (or two) amazing culinary finds or triumphs left back on the kitchen counter. Your gnocchi are also very tempting....

Yick! Don't want it to be tooooooo obvious and fear sour cream with blend in with the beautiful crimson, almost purple-black jelly.

You have inspired me! Managed to find the one store in D.C. that is selling blood oranges at a decent price and I am making individual molded jellies* with them as part of dessert for Chanukah/Christmas. If cheap enough, I may use my cooper lobster mold instead of custard cups. Now, you all decide how I should decorate it or plate them...and if I do the lobster, what edible substance should serve as the green gunk. *Deborah Madison, large one, December issue of Gourmet, 2000. Back in the 1980s, I made a slightly boozy ruby red grapefruit gelatin dessert and one of my guests told me it was very "in" in Japan the year before. Toodles.

Annecros: I wouldn't forget the deodorant if I were you. Ms. Fisher did NOT put noodles in her tuna casserole, so she may have had a nice loaf of crusty bread on the side. Fresh fruit in a clear bowl, water clinging to each grape instead of Jello-O. Sandy: Regarding mac & cheese as a main dish, I didn't have much experience with this while growing up since I was allergic to wheat and dairy back then. However, it was standard in my nursery school. I have had much fortune serving it to children later in life, especially when their parent(s) didn't know the stuff could be made without a box and that it was baked. Now that comfort food is in, among the Matt Damon-type Hollywood crowd, mac & cheese main courses were very big a couple of years ago. However, it MUST be doctored. James Beard inspires, adding powdered mustard and Tabasco sauce. Me: gorgonzola...not a lot, but enough to kick back. Also quite good with layers of cooked, finely chopped, drained spinach. NO crumbs on top. Must have a deep brown milky crust.