Nina C.

Bluebell was the magical ice cream that, as a child, I only got to enjoy once a year when visiting my grandparents. I was so happy to read this article, as I'm going to Houston/Galveston in a week and I'll be sure to tell my dad to stack the freezer. I was a pralines n' cream girl as a child, but the chocolate-covered-strawberries ice cream sounds pretty amazing.

While I was first annoyed that Dave and Stephen showed up to work drunk, I realized that it is quite possible this was taped shortly after the reunion and/or the quickfire challenge. If you'd just been voted off the island, moments from victory, you might want to go out and get a little drunk too. Still not "professional" but slightly less than intentionally f**king with Tiffani. She said something about the things she paired the artichokes with as making them more palatable with the wine. And this dish wasn't singled out as a poor pairing. Is there ANY chance that it worked?

I saw Harold on the Today Show this morning, he talked about his new restaurant called "Perilla". A quick google reveals that he's going into business with the former GM of Red Cat. Guess with the breakdown of that group of restaurants, she saw it a good idea to jump ship. Does anyone know how to make Tiffani's artichoke "risotto"? I love artichokes - I'm guessing these are really slow braised artichoke hearts? All the chefs were raving about them so much.

Frequently - I don't eat very much meat, and so an online menu helps me know what non-meat options are available. And, it gives me an ide of price, style, etc.

Patrick - those are gorgeous! Which ones were your favorites? How did they taste?

I was in Grand Central yesterday, and it happened to be opening day for Penzey's. It's a little booth in the Market area, so I'm not sure how much of the line they'll carry. Prices were the same as in the catalog. I had the same thought about Kalustyans - that I wasn't sure what would make me go to Penzey's instead. However, for those who pass through Grand Central every day, it's pretty darn convenient.

wow Marlene! I need to come be a kid in your house for that freshly-made ice cream waffle sandwich alone! When I scrolled down and reached that picture, I found myself staring for a good minute and a half, mouth open, imagining the warm golden crunch of the waffle and the smooth cold creaminess of the ice cream. Then I realized there were chocolate chips in there, and that sent my imagination over the edge. This is one of those nights I'm glad there's nothing sweet in the house except fruit, because I'd go diving into it.

I've only been there twice, and I agree, the line is outrageous. However, my tactic is to shop through the middle of the store, then get in line and shop the outside of the store from the line. No one complained when I did it, and I felt more obnoxious when I was trying to reach through the line to shop.

If you guys haven't seen it, Lee Anne's blog is very illuminative. Scroll down particularly for the part about the psych test, which had me guffawing at work. Chef Wong

Last night, with barely anything sweet in the house and working on a deadline, a craving for dessert hit. So while some might consider it sacrilege, a tortilla got slathered with nutella, folded in half, and fried up in a pan. Delicious! And then I still ate some more nutella straight out of the jar.

Grub, we were tivo-pausing it every five seconds during the judging to ask ourselves what they were smoking - and the answer is, I don't know. I couldn't believe that they had them plan a menu without knowing they'd only have a day to execute it. No one in their right mind would put salmon on a menu, knowing they'd have to deal with what was available at a supermarket. I was surprised none of them objected during the judging to the standards that were expected for this ridiculous scenario - then again, that's the Tiffani role and maybe she's learned her lesson. The only thing I can think is that they were told before the quickfire challenge about the timeframe, and editing made it look differently. But still. They did a dame fine job given what they were working with.

Happy Birthday Chufi, one day late! I too love to stretch out my birthday as long as possible. My sweetheart and I celebrate our birthdays on the actual dates, but then also take the following Saturday as our king/queen for the day where we get to do exactly what we like, all day long. I applaud you! This blog is so lovely! I can't wait to see all of the preparations and things you make for your dinner.

This topic leaves me wondering if the US has ever before banned a food on moral grounds - sure there was alcohol and see how far that got us. But that was more about its effect on its imbibers rather than how it was made, killed, prepared etc. For example, are these mythical delicacies from other countries like dog, chicken embryo, etc. not available here because the public would object or because of formal legislation?

A question of such great importance has taken me all day and several water-cooler conversations with co-workers to ponder. At first, I thought pie, hands down. The crunch of the crust, followed by the softness of the filling can make me swoon. Not to mention the easy accompianment by ice cream, Plus, pie is the food of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and large family gatherings. But then, I realized that perhaps my bias is because there are way too many mediocre cakes out there in the world. Because pie takes more work, particularly with the proliferation of cake mixes out there, it seems that anyone who takes the time to make a pie, makes a pretty decent one. And there is one cake that my mother used to make out of the San Antonio Junior League Flavors cookbook that I'd trade pie for any day -- a sponge cake I think, with a creamy icing, and shards of caramel candy and almonds dotting the top like a porcupine. See - contrast of textures! And another time-consuming labor of love. So my final verdict is most pie over most cake, but excellent cake over excellent pie. Is that too namby-pamby?

yep, that's where he works

Sandy - thank you so much for this blog. It has really been a great advertisement for Philadelphia, and a reminder how fun your city is - and nearby. I am kicking myself for missing the quiz that one day! And, I wasn't sure if it was cheating to "phone a friend" But my father, who went to Penn and Wharton, knew the market answer instantly when I asked him on Sunday evening. My parents lived at 9th and Pine when they were newly married and apparently the Italian market was my mother's favorite place to shop. But tied is still an honor and kudos to Mizducky! I'm wishing I had a big cheesesteak right now- except as I eat vegetarian for most of my meals, I'd have the abomination of peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese with no meat! I know, you Philadelphians are hanging your head right now, ready to throw me out of the kingdom. When we went on our whirlwind trip to Philadelphia (as part of a longer roadtrip) we decided we couldn't leave without getting cheesesteaks, and ate them in the car in a messy endeavor. But so good and so worth it! I digress - thanks again Sandy for a great blog.

That cheese selection looks fantastic! I see they aren't highlighting their prices, even on the cheese of the week, so it must be expensive! I'm pretty sure the last time I went to Philadelphia, my hotel was down that street, but somehow I missed DiBruno Bros. Oh well, it was a whirlwind trip, but now I know where to get provisions next time.

Daniel - you hit the nail on the head. Why watch some b-rate (or d-rate) celebrity sweat for half an hour? Watch Iron Chef instead and at least maybe learn some new techniques. I'd like this show a lot more if it were the celebrities' own recipes. Perhaps then the pro-chefs could come and coach them, help improve the recipes or technique, but at least it would be an insight into the celebrity's (mostly vapid-seeming) minds. At least it would have something to do with the real art of cooking, rather than just watching trained monkeys.

Thanks for the reply - Why do you say that about Cafe Annie? I'm thinking we will end up going there, because it's where my dad wants to go for his birthday, but I'm intrigued to hear why you think it's not at the top.

Topping this because I'm planning a trip to Houston - and am wondering what the top restaurants are there now. Usually when I go to Texas, it's at Christmas, and most meals are at family homes, parties, etc. Since I'll be there in May, hoping to hit some good spots. planned stops are Cafe Annie Thai Sticks Simposio It's practically a family requirement to go to the Ninfa's on Navigation and Goodes. My grandfather used to take me to Otto's before he died, but I don't have a clear memory of what the BBQ was like. I'll have access to a car, but probably within the loop is best. Thanks for any advice!

Kim - I did a search for dried apple cake and found this one with similar ingredients: It looks like some molasses or other liquid ingredient might be useful to add to your cake? http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,166,144178-241201,00.html DRIED APPLE CAKE 2 c. dried apples 1 c. sugar 2/3 c. butter 2 tsp. baking powder 2 eggs 3 c. or more flour 1 c. raisins 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. soda 1 c. molasses 1 c. milk Soak apples in water long enough to make them soft. Chop them to the size of raisins and boil for 15 minutes in the molasses. Dissolve soda in a little hot water and add to molasses mixture when cold. Sift dry ingredients together. Beat butter, sugar and eggs together until fluffy. Add molasses mixture, milk and dry ingredients. Stir in raisins. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

Thank you so much! I had a feeling it was something like this - I will give it another try - perhaps this week and show you what happens. Although, between all three steps, it takes a lot of time and eggs to make!

I have inherited a wonderful handwritten cookbook that my great grandmother gave my mother when she got married - titled "All the Good Things." The book is full of wonderful family history and advice - invaluable because all of the cooks in my family died before they taught me very much. I have been trying to cook from it but I find that she writes shortcuts or makes assumptions that I'm not familiar with. For example - "bake in a very slow oven" which I successfully interpreted as 315 degrees. I am specifically wrestling with a recipe marked "Nanny is famous for this!" - My Great-Great Grandmother's Cream Cake. It's a sponge cake baked in a tube pan, which you tort, fill the middle and the center with custard, and then ice with a boiled icing that has nuts in it. The sponge cake was delicious, but neither the custard nor the icing set up, so it turned into cake soup. Not the world's biggest disaster, still tasty, but I'd like to know what went wrong, and get it right. Here is the recipe: Custard Filling 6 egg yolks 1/2 T cornstarch (heaping) 1 cup sugar 1 t vanilla extract 1 t almond extract 1 pt rich milk or cream (boiled) Cream sugar and eggs. Add cornstarch. Add milk. Stir well. Cook in top of double boiler, stirring constantly until cornstarch is thoroughly cooked. Let custard cool, and add to it 1/2 pt. whipped ccream or 1 pt wh cream. Cut cake through center. With a spoon cover lower half of cake with custard, cover lower half with top half of cake. Fill the center hole with custard. Whiskey (Bourbon) or sherry may be added to custard. We always did. Ice the whole cake with: Icing: 2 c. sugar 2 heaping T white karo syrup Enough water to cover 2 egg whites well beaten 1 c nuts 1 t vanilla (1 t almond if you wish not necessary) Boil sugar, karo, and water to a thread. Beat egg whites until they stand in peaks, and fold the syrup in gradually. Add nuts and vanilla last. Beat until creamy. Spread on cake with spatula. Take a large spoon (T will do) and with a quick movement, throw by spoonfuls over the filled hole in cake - makes petals of white lookes like flower petals. I think that my problem with the icing was that I wasn't sure what "boil to a thread" meant - I was boiling it to about 160 when now, looking on the internet, it looks like I should have boiled it to 220. Does that seem like the problem? On the custard, I'm not sure. I hadn't seen the (boiled) notation so the cream was room temp, not hot. But since you are heating the whole mixture anyway, it didn't seem like it would be a problem. I also wasn't sure when the cornstarch was cooked through. But I tasted it, and it didn't have a raw taste, so I assumed I was done. Any thoughts you all had would be much appreciated! Here is the cake recipe for anyone who wants it: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 c water 6 eggs 1 1/2 t cr of tartar 1 c flour 1 t vanilla Boil sugar and water to a thread like you do for icing. Add beaten whites to the cooled syrup. Add well beaten yolks and fold in flour that has been sifted 4 or 5 times. Add cream of tartar to last sifter of flour (scant cr. tartar) {inch of salt. Bake 45 min in Ring shaped spring pan. Cook more if necessary in very slow oven. Remove from oven and invert on boxes to cool, and put a damp cloth over top - allow to steam, and then run knife around edges of cake to loosen it. Mount on large tray (silver) or a large glass plate (larger the plate the prettier the cake).