mixmaster b

Late dinner last night due to the delayed arrival of out-of -town guests. Veal stew with small artichokes, white wine, lemon thyme. Salad of shaved fennel with pink grapefruit and orange sections, oil-cured olives, fresh oregano, citrus vinaigrette. Crusty bread and cheeses: talleggio, some sort of truffle cheese, and plain French goat cheese.

Trillium- The Witches Tit sounds like a must try. I love gin and I love grapefruit!

With the colder weather, I have been enjoying braised veggies. Marcella Hazan has a great braised celery recipe that uses pancetta and diced tomatoes. I have been doing braised leeks, too. The leeks are yum warm but can also be cooled and served with vinaigrette as a first course. Any other braised veg ideas?

We were quite obsessed with this cauliflower for a while there. Mmm, was it good, now I'm thinking about it again and will have to make it soon. Yes, the roasted cauliflower a la Jim Dixon really is divine. It has been praised copiously by many, and deserves the accolades. Everone who reads e-gullet should try this dish. IMO, it is one of the rewards of the site!

I have tried the Imagine a few times and I don't like the flavor. I agree with Cook's that it doesn't have a chicken taste. I think the Swanson's is much tastier. It's too bad, because I'd prefer to use an organic product. What is remouillage? IMHO, defrosting stock and other frozen items is one of the only decent uses for a microwave. I would never eat any of the frozen stuff (except ice cream and very cold gin) if it weren't for the old "auto defrost" button, beacuse I would NEVER remember to take it out to thaw!

OOh--I just saw this! I love French 75's, but I make mine with simple syrup in place of the Cointreau. Next time I will try Nightscotsman's version. This might just be the most expensive cocktail in the world! What do you use for the champagne? I have been drinking Proseco all summer (and into the fall). Philaurie, maybe a squeeze of lemon juice would help--you might have to experiment as the flavor might be effected, as Nightscotsman says . Also, how far in advance to you make it? I have seen Fruitfresh mentioned by some of the pastry and dessert mavens on the site. Maybe a bit incorporated into the puree would do the trick.

I have had sucess with this technique: Smush up a hunk of butter (a tablespoon?) with some sugar--brown is best but white is fine (2 tablespoons?) in the bottom of a big mug. Add in a pinch of cinnamon and a grate of nutmeg. Splash in a jigger of rum, top with boiling water, and stir. Some experimentation is cartainly necessary. Lots of sugar and butter is the secret! This stuff is so good it should be illegal!!! As for other winter libations (though I live in LA so perhaps I am not qualified to comment): My S.O. is currently very taken with a drink called the Vesper. Apparently, it was James Bond's original drink, before Smirnoff came along and bought the rights to the Bond martini. It is good and very boozy: 3 parts gin, 1 part vodka, 1/2 part Lillet, garnish with lemon twist. I have been pleased with a drink called the Ideal Cocktail.: 1 oz dry vermouth (Noilly-Pratt) 1 oz gin 1/4 teaspoon maraschino liqueur (no more!!) 1/2 teaspoon grapefruit juice Garnish with a sliver of grapefruit peel or lemon peel. The excellent Aviation was mentioned by Nightscottsman above; the Ideal is a great drink for those who like Aviations (and who wouldn't) and a nice use for that strange and wonderful Maraschino stuff. In an effort to find a drink that would't make me instantly drunk, I started making Foghorns: Juice of 1/2 lime 1 1/2 oz gin Ginger Beer Serve on ice with a slice of lime. Though this drink is great in warm weather, the rich ginger taste of a good, flavorful ginger beer is also nice for the winter. I drink Negronis and Martinis in the winter, too. And lots of red wine...

I wonder if the jarred stuff is perhaps a simple tapenade-type preparation similar to this one on Epicurious: Tapenade I once saw Alice Waters making a green olive tapenade on Julia Child's show. She used green olives (maybe Lucques?) and chopped them all be hand, leaving them in rather large pieces, and adding a bit of congac at the end. I have to track down the recipe because it looked spectacular. I have had a very delicious mix made of half olive paste and half dijon mustard. It is great on sandwiches, or with bread and cheese--the flavor is strong. Kerouac64, if you still have more of you jarred pate, you could try that out.

Liziee-- I hope my post did not imply that I thought you had demanded a tasting menu when one was not offered! Not at all--my apologies if it seemed that way. I was very curious about the tasting menu policy, so I called to inquire. Apparently, they offer the chef's tasting menu only when the chef is in the kitchen. And sometimes, if it is "too busy" they don't offer one at all. It is reccomended that one call the day of the reservation to see if it will be available. Very strange indeed. They are still offering the white truffle menu. It really is a shame that this spot doen't seem to be living up to its potential.

Thanks for posting these! I don't know that I have had olive pate. I normally eat/make tapenade, which is simpler than the recipes above. (Just olives, garlic, anchovies, etc.--no binders like butter or cheese.) Can you describe the desired consistency a bit? How does it compare to tapenade? Thanks!

I have a blue enamel Chantal Kettle and I hate it because the handle gets hot. I would get rid of it, but it was a gift. That glass thing looks really cool!

Breads of India is super yummy. I grew up in Berkeley, but left many years ago. I'm not sure if the place I used to go are still around (Maharani on University was an old fave-- over 10 years ago), but a fried took me to Breads of India a while back and I liked it very much. Do you still have to BYOB? I am excited to try Vik's on my next visit!

Glad you enjoyed your trip!! Sometimes I think that if everyone really knew all the great thing about LA, they would ALL move here immediately. So the reputation of being crass, tacky, shallow, and obsessed with celebrities serves us well by keeping to population to a bearable size. (And this from a Berkeley raised one-time LaLa land detractor!) Actually, there are great things to be enjoyed almost everywhere--you just have to have an open mind and seek out the good stuff!

I think "regular" or "old" ginger, "young" ginger, and galangal are all very different. As annchang says, the young ginger can be used for pickling. It is light/white in color, and often has purple-tinged ends. The flavor is softer than regular ginger, the skin is quite thin, and it is less fibrous. Galangal is woodier and more bulbous looking than regular ginger, and has a strong smell. (I agree with dstone that it has a mustard smell/taste.) I think it would be hard to actually eat because of the woody texture--it is mainly used for flavoring. Does this sound right? I am by no means an expert. For your excess of ginger, I would reccomend a simple syrup infusion. Cut up the ginger, boil in a 1 to 1 sugar water syrup for 15-20 mins, and strain it out. Use the syrup to make cocktails. Lime-ginger syrup-gin is lovely, or a ginger Mojito, or lemon/vodka/ ginger syrup. A different kind of tonic!

Monday night: Trout stuffed with chopped olives, garlic, parsley. Started on the stove w/lots of evoo, finished in the oven. Orzo done risotto style with sauteed radicchio Baked tomatoes topped w/ breadcrumbs and parmesan Too lazy to make salad. Tuesday night: Pork tenderloin wrapped in pancetta Roasted portobellos Pan sauce made with pork and mushroom drippings, white wine, a hunk of frozen chicken demi-glace from an ambitious stock-making weekend, and a hunk of butter. Leftover orzo and baked tomatoes. (I love leftovers!) Still too lazy to make salad!! (Very bad--arugula is getting limp!)

Yes, yes, get the rack. I have one that folds flat for easy storage. It is very good that you mentioned this--the rack is KEY. It is very helpful to have someplace to put the pasta where it won't stick to itself or to something else.

We went to Mori Sushi a few weeks ago and had a spectacular omakase. Amuse: fried cold whitefish that had been marinated in vinegar 1st: Soup of matsutake mushrooms, shrimp, and mackerel. This was served in a tiny teapot with a small cup. We were instructed to drink the broth first, then squeeze Meyer lemon onto the solid ingredients, and finish with chopsticks. The flavor was light, with hints of fish and slightly bitter (in a good way). The mushrooms were barely cooked, very nice. 2nd: 2 slices of seared Japanese sea scallop, topped with uni and fresh wasabi. (All the wasabi was fresh--it is so wonderful and different from the regular stuff). This was my first time trying uni, and I found it very silky in texture, with a clean flavor. The texture is unusual, but I did not find it unpleasant. 3rd: Monkfish liver, served with sliced cukes and seaweed salad. The monkfish liver was very buttery--like dense foie gras. 4th: Fatty & Regular sushi. Their pieces are small and thin, so you don't have to struggle. The rice was perfectly cooked, fish was lovey--frsh and tender. 5th: Yellowtail roll. A thin roll with large pieces of very fresh yellowtail, not much rice. 6th: Salmon piece. 7th: Pink crab- I did not recognize this. It looked like ribbon or wide rubber bands, and was a bit chewy. It was served Gunkan style, with seaweed wrapped around rice to form a bowl-like shape that was filled with the pink crab. 8th: Marinated halibut. Several thin slices of fish served on rice. 9th: Seared very fatty tuna, served Gunkan style. This was so rich it tasted almost like bacon. Delicious! 10th: Yellowtail piece, and more pieces for my dining companions. (I was full!) Fruit, bean jelly, tea The meal was not inexpensive-about $400 for three of us, including tip and a generous amount of beer. I think the style of the cooking, pottery, and decor are very personal, so the experience is always unique. I would like to know more about Mori. I really feel like this restaurant is a contender for LA's best sushi!

I called a few weeks ago and was told they don't do tasting menus on Saturdays. (!) How serious can they be if they have that policy? It was the factor that made me stay away. After reading about Liziee's experience, I'm glad I did! Maybe the staff resented having to serve a tasting menu on Saturday? Bizarre!

I love to cook, too. It really helps me relax after a day at work--it makes me feel like I am taking care of myself (and whoever I am cooking for). Sometimes I get too ambitious and get overwhelmed and tired, but in the end I always look back on the process with pleasure. I wish cleaning up offered a similar high... People seem to get it or not get it. One of my good friends just doesn't understand the effort/time/expense (ebven though he enjoys food), but for me it is part of what makes life seem rich.

Another idea is a raw artichoke salad--thinly sliced, served with arugula, parmesan, and a lemon vinaigrette. Very thinly sliced mushrooms are nice with this as well.

Oh! Too much pressure!! This may be infatuation with the new gadget, but I think we will probably never use the Atlas machine again. We have used the KitchenAid attachment for spinach papardelle, regular lasagne, and big sheets that we turned into ravioli. (Pumpkin filling.) The advantage is that you can feed the dough through with one hand and catch it with the other, instead of cranking. It does get thin, but I really like thin pasta, especially for ravioli. And I think that experience with the machine will allow for more presise regulation. (We haven't tried the cutting attachments yet.) One thing about the Atlas: make sure you have a good place to clamp it down. In order to be efficient, it neede to be clamped down onto a table or counter. We don't have a good spot to do this, so it is less convenient than hauling out the great KitchenAid beast. This is just one opinion among many, Survir, so you might wait until more folks weigh in. Perhaps a poll would be in order? The one certain thing is that homemade pasta is awesome!

Thank you, Dave!!! My bad!

I love making stock, but my capacity for using it up is much greater than my capacity for creating it!! My backups are Swanson's chicken stock from the box, or Better than Boullion. Better than Boullion has a very recognizable taste that reminds me of childhood chicken noodle. (Some people might hate this, buy I find it very comforting.) It useful to have on hand for the times when you only need a small amount of stock, or when a sauce or soup needs a bit more flavor.

We just got the pasta roller attachment for the KichenAid (after seeing it on Mario's show) and love it! As Varmint mentions, it is great to have both hands free. We had an Atlas one, but this is much faster. Fresh pasta on weeknights!! Here is the roller: http://www.surlatable.com/common/products/...or&PRRFNBR=6534 KitchenAid also has a pasta extruder attachment. Has anyone tried that? I am skeptical... Obviously, this is only a good idea if you already have the mixer!

I remembered another of my Mom's health food recipes. Cheese sauce made with whole wheat flour, served with whole wheat pasta and frozen green beans. (Do not try this at home.) She still makes this! But she was able to teach me some good basics, like stock-making, bechemel (sans whole wheat), and a pretty decent spaghetti sauce. Thanks, Mom!