Jmahl

Last night we did an Oso Buco using lamb shanks. We cooked them up on Sunday and reheated them and strained and seasoned the sauce for dinner yesterday. The dish is based on a Craig Claiborne recipe from the New York Times Cookbook. Jmahl

This is a recipe I just used this week to make pancakes for 75 kids at a benefit event. I used half buttermilk and half whole milk plus I added a cup of whole wheat to the total flour and a cup of fresh corn meal to the recipe. Everyone raved and asked for the recipe. Basic Pancakes Yield 10 servings – 30 pancakes Flour 24 oz. 680 grams Salt 2 tsp. “ Sugar 6 oz. 170 grams Baking soda 1 Tbs. “ Baking powder 2 Tbs. “ Milk or buttermilk 3 pints 1.5 liters Eggs, lightly beaten 6 each “ Butter, melted 3 oz. 85 grams Vegetable oil as needed – or griddle spray Sift all the dry ingredients Wisk the milk, eggs, some of the melted butter Combine with a wooden spoon the dry and wet mixture and the remaining butter Batter will be slightly lumpy. Drop on moderately hot oiled – sprayed griddle using 2 oz ladle. Cook 2-3 minutes, turn Variations: Whole grain pancakes – substitute ¾ cup whole-wheat flour Johnnycakes – substitute half the flour with cornmeal. Serve with – real maple syrup and fresh berries From: The New Professional Chef – The Culinary Institute of America - Sixth Edition

Looks great, I have a bunch of graters and I prefer using a vegetable peeler. Better texture and taste. Beautiful plate. Jmahl

open one, taste it. Report back. Jmahl

For some beautiful breads check out the thread Artisan Breads in Five Minutes here on eG. No skill required. Jmahl

Wow - a group of people who like Cynar -- there is hope. Jmahl

Nick: Totally enjoyable. My son Philip was set to work at the FL after helping to open Per Se in NYC. However, after the fire he as let go and it was not to be. He would have enjoyed reading your piece and for that I thank you. Jmahl

These kinds of hours are the norm. When my late son Philip worked in France the talk was "if you want to work 35 hours a week get a job at the post office" Long hours, heat, pressure, low pay -- you have to love it. Jmahl

Remarkable. Bravo. Jmahl

I use my micro to heat my expresso cup. Indispensable. Jmahl

Will she wear an apron on the FN? Almost no-one else does. What's that? Jmahl

Thanks, A thoroughly good read. A true taste of the life of a cook. Some can, most can't. Thanks again, Jmahl

Last week I had Menudo prepared by Tio Chago in Saltillo Mexico. It was a revelation. Not that funky smell. This was it. The textures, contrast of tastes, aroma. Wow. It changed my whole opinion of menudo. Jmahl

I buy my Campari here on the "Border" from the duty free shop. The formula is at 28.5% Alc./Vol. with no notation of coloration. The date/manufacture code is "LS/QC29" The bottom of the front label is marked, "Duty Free Market." Is this the "real" stuff? Good drinking, Jmahl

YES! This is probably my biggest restaurant pet peeve. Drives me bonkers. ← So right, its so dated, dated, dated. Put the things way. Jmahl

You must throw yourself into the language just as you do with the work. There is no other way. It can be done. It is just a matter of will and pain. Bonne chance. Jmahl

I weight out two lbs. of flour total for the master recipe. Give it a try. Jmahl

Finally something I can show to such accomplished cooks. Its a Stracciatella Tortoni with Expresso Fudge Sauce, recipe taken from the June 2008 Gourmet. Try it - its worth the work. May your days be as sweet as these desserts. Jmahl

Here's a little trick -- get a showercap and put it over the smoke alarm while cooking something prone to smoking. Just remember to REMOVE THE SHOWERCAP when you're done! (Maybe fix a little string with hang tag to the cap so it's hard to ignore.) Also, when I lived in NYC and had a tiny little kitchen with no ventilation, I did the following: Close the bedroom doors, open up all of the windows, put a fan in the kitchen window blowing out (i.e. exhausting), and run a HEPA air cleaner during and after the whole process. ← Right on. Years ago when I lived in an apartment in NYC I installed an exaust fan in the window in the kitchen. Opening windows in the back of the apartment the thing worked. Good idea about the shower cap. I just installed two new smoke alarms and one came from the manufacture with a shower cap in place for use during construction and painting.

I have one of these in yellow. I bought it as a soap dish. It is supposed to hold a bar of soap above the liquid that drips off it. A caveat! Once the bar of soap is reduced to less than half its original size, it slips down one or other of the "ramps" into the depression. It is usually in one of the guest bathrooms - the one with pale yellow and lavender tile. ← Brilliant, mystery solved. Thank you, Jmahl

If it is of any help, the thing is marked "Habitat" on the bottom. A web search turned up that Habitat may be a division of IKEA. Jmahl

On March 31, 2008 we dined at L'Ecole. Our reservation was for 6:30 p.m. Upon being seated we were presented with an amuse bouche. A little bacon thing that was will done. We began with a bottle of lucien albrecht, crémant d’alsace brut rosé, alsace. It is on the web list at $40 but we paid $34. Very nice dry pink bubbly. I had to correct the server when she said she was serving champagne. My wife felt bad - but I thought that this was the place to learn. For first course we had the bay scallops served on shells and a bed of salt, the mushroom tart, and an onion soup. The scallops were a surprise, the tart o.k., although I did not get the sauce. (someone has to taste it). For main course we had the salmon, skirt steak, scallops and the lamb. Our meal was accompanied with a bottle of e. guigal, côtes-du-rhône, rhône valley, france 2004. Very nice at $32. Prior to dessert we were served a berry sorbet. and then the Chocolate Ganache Cake with Mocha Sauce, Yuzu Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust, Mixed Berry and Tapioca Cobbler with Honey Vanilla Ice Cream, and the Spiced Zucchini Bread Pudding with Ginger Ice Cream. We accompanied the dessert with a Pedro Ximenez and capped the meal with some yellow Chartreuse. We asked for the check at about 9:00 p.m. and our total before tax was $262.80. It was a great value for dinner for four and I would do it again in a heartbeat. After our meal we had a tour of the kitchen. There were a lot of people back there. My only regret is that L'Ecole could not be located within 200 miles from were we live. Jmahl

It’s a rectangular ceramic with two inclined plains. It was found among Phil's cooking gear. What is it? Your help to solve this mystery is appreciated. Jmahl

Beautiful. Jmahl

As another worthwhile project of the Del Rio Council for the Arts, on Sunday, March 8th, the Committee for the Philip A. Mahl Memorial Kitchen prepared and served a Country French Dinner for six at the home of the high bidder at a fund raising event for the purpose of raising funds for the equipping of the memorial kitchen. Although we are in early March, this is South Texas and the weather was perfect. The dinner was served on the terrace under the trellis. Upon the guests arriving, Kir Royals were served. The host provided some excellent champagne. First course, three-meat county tureen with leeks Soup -- shrimp bisque Main course Beef Bourguignon French string beans Pommes de terre dauphinoises (too busy for photos) Cheese course Walserstolz (cow) Austrian hard cheese Valdeon (goat) Spanish blue veined cheese Brin Coupe (cow) French semi-soft cheese, with walnuts and grapes Dessert Chocolete tart – Bete Noir (earlier image) With whipped cream and balsamic vinigar reduction Coffee Cognac Meal accompanied with sparkling water, wine, home baked country bread and herbed butter. The Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen, through the culinary arts, will enrich the quality of life of the citizens of Del Rio and its surrounding areas. The Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen will: · Integrate culinary arts and the local cultural · Develop programs to increase the understanding and enjoyment of preparing and eating high-quality, nutritional food · Teach culinary skills and wine appreciation at all levels · Increase community cooperation and intergenerational interaction · Provide affordable culinary art education HISTORY The Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen will serve as an ongoing tribute to the memory of Philip A. Mahl, who died at the age of 26 in an automobile accident. It is a memorial to his career, uncompromising determination, and his skills in the culinary arts.