Pallee

I was carded recently and I just laughed and told the guy to look at my hair (it's quite white). His answer? "You could have dyed it"....... Like how many 20 year olds would dye their hair gray?

Hello from the other Portland - in Oregon, that is. When Whole Paycheck, opps, I mean Whole Foods came to Portland, OR they opened with quite a bang. Lots of employees, great looking stuff, tons of variety, no real deals. After a year or so, the variety dropped, less employees, still no real deals. They are, however, a catalyst - lots of more well to do people shop there and they create a demand for more organic and natural foods that carries over into other stores. It does raise the bar for everyone else. Best Wishes!

I made the peperone Monday and it's hanging in the wine cellar, looking happy. I followed the recipe, adding 20g Bactoferm disoved in water. Yesterday I found the paper that came with the Bactoferm F-RM-52 packet, and it claims that 25 grams will do 200 pounds of meat! I only used 5# of meat and 20g. Seems like quite a difference - what's up?

The best way I've found to crisp up the skin is under the broiler. I usually put the confit legs on a sheetpan in a slow oven, under 300'F for about 45 minutes and then turn on the broiler and they crisp up beautifully.

I cooked rib eye steaks sous vide tonight. Salted and air dryed them under refrigeration for 2 days, then sealed them with minced garlic, butter, pepper and a touch more salt. Cooked them at 125' for 1 1/2 hours, pulled them out and seared them in a very hot french steel pan. The flavor was good, but I missed that flavor from melting fat hitting hot coals. Also the texture wasn't as firm as I'm used to. Maybe next time, sear them on the grill first?

I'm about to make the peperone for the first time. I've made lots of fresh sausages and always done the taste test before stuffing. This is a fermented sausage and I'm wondering if a taste test will be at all accurate at this stage? I'm hoping to make a quite spicy peperoni.

I think World Foods is out of business. Not familiar with the others, sorry.

A duck walked into a bar and asked the bartender for a peanut butter sandwich. The bartender said "We don't have peanut butter sandwiches here, get out." The next day the duck walked back into the bar and asked again for a peanut butter sandwich. The bartender said "Get out, duck, we don't serve peanut butter sandwiches!" The next day tha duck walks back into the bar and asks for a peanut butter sandwich. The bartender says "I told you, duck, we don't have peanut butter sandwiches. You come in here again and ask for one, I'm gunna nail your feet to the floor!" Next day, the duck walks back into the bar and asks the bartender "Do you have any nails?" The bartender looks at the duck and tells him "No, we don't have any nails." So the duck says "Well then, do you have any peanut butter sandwiches?"

Uwajimaya on Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy has lots of the stuff you'll need. There is a small Indian food store a couple blocks east on the other side of the road (I think it's back behind "Curves") that has lots of the spices if Uwajimaya doesn't have them. I keep my leftover curry leaves and kafir lime leaves in the freezer if I want to make something quick, just have to add more to make up for a bit of loss of flavor.

How about "all day"? If I use it outside the kitchen, with normal folks, how on earth do you explain THAT? And what about 86? In school I was told it was the number of times an old school chef stabbed a cook who'd run out of the most popular dish on the menu.

Seems like a matter of personal taste, just like all cooking. I've played with it a bunch at home where I do 5 course dinners for 12 on a regular basis. One advantage for me is that I can hold my entree meat perfectly until I get to that course, whip it out of the bag, give it a quick sear and I get rave reviews every time. The timing is not so crucial and makes for a more relaxing meal for me. For duck confit, the advantage is being able to use less fat and it takes up a lot less room in my fridge. So if you don't like it, don't do it!

People love cream puffs and they are very easy. I make a "fake" mousse filling that you can flavor in many ways. I start by whipping cream cheese and adding the flavors to it. Like raspberry jam, or melted chocolate, whatever. Then I whip some cream and fold it into the cream cheese and pipe it into the creampuff. It holds beautifully.

You might check out this: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...03/CMTOP100.DTL It's the top 100 list for the bay area, complete with maps and good descriptions. You are within walking distance to Farallon, which is worth checking out. I've had some nice lunches at Lulu, which is also close. Hawthorne Lane is another close by place. You should take the walk down to the end of Market Street to the Ferry Building and check out the food scene there. Enjoy!

I was just at the coast for my annual birthday trip a couple weeks ago. We've stayed in the Lincoln City area for years and enjoyed eating at the Bay House there. This year, we stayed in Cannon Beach and loved it. The town itself is very charming with lots of great art galleries. Just north of town is Ecola State Park with one of the best views of the Pacific. We had dinner at the Bistro in town (not to be confused with another place just south of town with bistro in it's name) and loved it. Ate the night before at the Stephanie Inn, which gets alot of press, but were actually disappointed in the food. If you're cooking in, Newport has a great harbor where you can sometimes buy from the fishermen. If you're coming through Portland on a Saturday or Wednesday morning, the farmer's market downtown is wonderful - opens in April, I believe and goes through mid December. Heading out to the coast, find your way to the Carlton Winemaker's Studio. There are other threads on Oregon wineries with tons of info. Happy Birthdays! I'm also turning 50 this year......but heading to New Zealand to celebrate.

My neighbor gave me 4 ducks he'd hunted a couple days ago. He doesn't hang them, so they tend to be tough. I figured sausage was the way to go, but I just got a beautiful terrine I was dying to try out. So while I didn't follow an exact recipe from the book, I used the techinques and went from there. I have cherries I put up in Maker's Mark in June and used them as part of the internal garnish, along with pistachios, herbs and seared duck breast. Gave part of it to my hunter neighbor to encourage more of his gifts. Turned out very nice. As soon as my stuff comes from Butcher and Packer, I'm making the pepperone. I happen to have a wine cellar with the perfect temp and humidity this time of year. Can't wait! So far I've given 2 friends their own copy. There should be some sort of "Buy 3 get one free" offer!

While not seasonal, so it's something to file away for tomato time, or if you have a stash of home canned heirlooms, check out Paula Wolfert's Salmorejo from "The Slow Mediterrenean Kitchen" It's a cold gazpacho that is vegan if you leave out the egg and ham garnish. I've used smoked romas as a garnish and had rave reviews! Really simple and improves if you make it a day ahead, which is great for a dinner party with several courses. By the way, I know you make chocolates and have been to several potlucks where a couple vegans have turned down otherwise vegan desserts because they claim that chocolate is not vegan. Do you have any idea what they are talking about? We're not talking milk chocolate here.

I want to make the Toulouse Sausages. The instructions call for fatback but there it's not listed in the ingredients. Any ideas on how much fatback to add? I made the Baby Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Sauce and highly recommend it!

How about an envelope with a check to the food bank in it? I know the local food bank here can take a dollar and turn it into about 10 times that in food. They certainly have an inside look at what people really need. I have a friend who's company will double their employees donations to Second Harvest without limit for the rest of the year.

We'll be taking the same trip, going to Santa Rosa from Portland the same week. If you have the time on the way back, try to stop for a night in Dunsmuir. There is a railroad motel where all the rooms are in cabooses and there's a beautiful view of Castle Crags. The Cafe Maddalena in Dunsmuir has been quite good for dinner the 3 times over the last 2 years we've been. For breakfast, the Cornerstone Cafe is wonderful. Who'd have guessed Dunsmuir had so much to offer?

Very helpful info, thanks everyone! The dinner is next week, I'll let you know how it turns out.

We've been asked to do a theme dinner for some students and one of the suggested recipes is for "Makkai di roti". It calls for maize flour as well as wheat flour. I think of maize as corn but that doesn't seem right. There is also no leavening in the recipe. So - what is maize flour and should we add a leavening agent?

My ice cream has gotten alot creamier since I've been making sure to bring my base to 180'. It denatures the protiens (or so says McGee, I believe). I also add a touch of alcohol (I like Maker's Mark in vanilla ice cream) and that helps keep it from freezing as solid and also changes the crystal formation. My science resoning could be off, but the results have been great. I also strain through a fine chinois before cooling.

I've made quite a few turduckens over the years and it has evolved to include a poussin and a couple quail. Usually stuff the quail with chestnuts to help find them. I also use a KBI turkey breast and fill in here and there with the meat and use the skin to help span any gaps in the bottom. I trim up the fat and skin on the internal fowl, but leave it on because I think it adds flavor. It's alot of fun!

I had the pleasure of dining at Moto last week on a visit to Chicago from Oregon. What a delight! Had the 10 course dinner with wine pairings that included several of the items in the photos above. I'd read this thread before we went, so was a bit more prepared for what was in store than the couple seated next to us. It was fun to watch their reactions. The nitro popcorn in the soup was so much fun and so good to eat. The popcorn was even perfectly seasoned! Didn't care too much for the donut soup - but enjoyed the whimsey of it anyway. I was impressed by the quality and downright beauty of the service. I'd love to go back and go for the 20 course next time!

i love using them for Saag. Saute them with onion, ginger, garlic, jalepeno and some ghee or clarified butter (or plain butter if you're lazy). Cook for a while, hit with salt and pepper and puree with an immersion blender (or regular one). Then finish with some garam masala. Yum!