HungryC

The image didn't post, but I grow fennel in my garden. The pollen is fine to harvest as soon as it forms--but you want to get it before the flowers are fertilized and begin to set seed....so don't wait too long. Get it in the early AM, and look for bright-yellow color.

Forgot to mention yesterday that Reinhart & Forno Bravo joined forces to create Pizza Quest, a website for all things pizza. Videos, interviews, recipes, etc. Pretty cool stuff.

If 500 degrees is your max temp, remember to preheat for a good, long time. Like 45 mintues AFTER the oven comes to full temperature. I routinely bake Lahey's no-knead crust on a sheet pan at 500 degrees, and it crisps beautifully. Add a good slug of olive oil to whichever of Reinhart's crusts you decide to make. I think the neo-Neapolitan crust is my favorite one from that book...in any event, I like at least a few hours cold ferment in the fridge. Improves texture & browning, as well as makes the dough easier to handle.

And let's not forget that many commercial places where the dough appears "easy to work" are probably adding some dough conditioner for the express purpose of extensibility.

Wet doughs definitely get easier with practice. Once upon a time, my ciabatta ran all over the counter, was the object of much cursing, etc. After about three or four abject failures, my hands seemed to learn something and it's easy now. I do subscribe to the "wet hands for wet dough" theory of shaping for loaves...

Coincidentally, I have a batch of Lahey's no-knead crust resting in the fridge right now....I find it improves with a couple hours' cold ferment. Pizza made with his dough is almost a perfect replica of Roman pizza rossa--it's ultra-thin and crisp, rather than the soft Napoletana style. Have you checked out the new "Pizza Quest" websitefrom Reinhart & the folks @ Forno Bravo?

I seem to remember several of the recipes (in some food mag, can't remember which one) from Momofuko Milk Bar using powdered milk....candied/caramelized cornflakes, and other such wonders. Oh, wait, it was Bon Appetite: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/09/momofuku_milk_bar_pastries

Virtually every single establishment in New Orleans' French Quarter displays a sign stating "restrooms for customers only". 24-hour bars, plus open containers on the street, equal way more bathroom business than any cafe might like. Why not consider a simple sign on your door? Seems to work around here. And call me silly, but if I entered a cafe to use the restroom, I'd feel compelled to purchase something...a bottle of water, a pastry for later. Since when is it okay to use the facilities for free? I can't tell you how many espressos my better half slurped down in Italian coffee bars so I could use the facilities with a clear conscience.

My one good espresso tip: buy the freshest-roasted beans you can possibly find.

I'm happy with my Breville machine (around $400, can't remember the model #)...I ditched the pressurized, double-wall portafilter and got a single-walled one. That helped a bit, as did a proper tamper. ETA: my Bialetti stovetop moka pot (less than $40) makes excellent coffee, too.

Hmm...this is ONE meal, not meal #1 of a lifestyle change or an opportunity to preach nutrition. If I were a cancer patient undergoing chemo, I'd want to eat well and enjoy Christmas dinner (if able to do so). As long as she's not on a low-residue or low-fiber diet due to surgery or gastrointestinal impairment, I'd focus on things she enjoys. If she needs nutritional counseling, buy a gift certificate to a nutritionist....don't think you can influence her choices, health, or lifestyle at one meal. She probably won't want her health to be the focus of your menu planning. Love, friendship, and positive energy are as important as nutrition to someone facing a major illness. Think about nourishing her soul, not just her body. Hell, if I were facing those circumstances at Christmas, I'd want a big cassoulet, roasted vegetables, and several bottles of red wine.

I've never encountered a watermelony oyster...but from years of fishing, I know that schooling fish (esp speckled trout, a/k/a spotted sea trout) feeding on bait often has a watermelon scent. If you're downwind, you get a big whiff of melon floating on the breeze.

Which reminds me of another good savory trick: put a baked sweet potato in the bottom of your bowl, and ladle on some duck gumbo (or other dark, smoky gumbo)....it's the taste of fall/early winter in south Louisiana in one bowl. Another savory thought--pureed (or riced) baked sweet potato, added to a typical white bread recipe, provides nice color & texture. Don't try it if the SPs are stringy, though.

I like savory sweet potatoes, too. I'm stuck on sweet potato & andouille hash right now...though sweet potato & andouille bisque runs a close second.

RE: the "Scotcheroo"....my mother still has the original recipe, clipped out of some long forgotten magazine circa 1965--70, lurking in the back of a kitchen drawer. It is held together by scotch tape & is barely legible....but it is a family classic. We like to use half milk choc in the icing, and some chunky peanut butter and/or chopped peanuts folded into the krispie part. I keep meaning to work up an almond-butter or hazelnut version, but the original is darn tasty.

I have the pull-out wire baskets retrofitted into my existing cabinets. No need to remove the existing shelves for installation, as long as you have sufficient working space inside the cabinet to fit a drill/screwdriver to install the rack. (I have one of those compact drill/drivers w/a 90-degree joint, so it was easy.)

Blue Dog Cafe, 1211 W Pinhook, is open for Thanksgiving 2011. Buffet style...here's the website: http://www.bluedogcafe.com/

The only place I've ever dined in Lafayette on Thanksgiving Day was Lafayette's, which goes to an all-buffet menu for the holiday. It's a fixed-price, around $15-$20 pp, IIRC. Gumbo, turkey, dirty rice, fried catfish, sweet potatoes, etc. If you do go this route, call for reservations and try to get an early seating--the place is a madhouse that only gets madder as the day progresses.

This weekend's quick cook was skirt steak, sliced & served over mashed potatoes. No rub, just s&p. Skirt is so flavorful on its own. I cooked it on my Mini BGE--my favorite tool for hot & fast cooks. Heats up in 25 minutes, uses a minimum of charcoal.

Biscotti, especially if well-wrapped, then bubble-wrapped. If they seem too plain, drizzle with or dip into chocolate. Plus, biscotti keep for quite a while. Spiced or candied nuts are indestructible. Jams or pickles--basically anything in jars, as long as you use a sturdy box and bubble wrap. Fruitcake, spice cake, or pound cake, or cakes w/similar texture. If you're incurring the expense of overnight shipping, then you could send some frozen, cooked foods kept cold with gel-packs. Cheap but sturdy styrofoam coolers work best, and try wrapping the food items in several thicknesses of newspaper (it is a surprisingly good insulator).

As previous posters have mentioned, whole wheat requires a bit more water than AP, and WW takes a bit longer to hydrate. Generally, I find you can substitute up to about 20% whole wheat into a recipe designed for white flour, with no other changes & no loss of quality in the resulting baked good. Handling & substitutions will be a bit different for pastry vs. yeasted breads. Check out King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking and Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads for a wealth of good info on making substitutions & characteristics of whole grains in general. Keep the less-used flours in the fridge (or freezer, if you have space). No bugs, no rancidity. Keeps for months and months.

I make "clean the fridge" pot pie...whatever leftover cooked veg lurk in the fridge, plus fresh carrots, plus shredded leftover cooked chicken. Spicing varies according to how the chicken was cooked--things can take a classically french turn (tarragon, mushrooms, tiny peas, a little white wine) or maybe go down the Tex-Mex route (whole kernel corn, chipotle, a bit of diced tomato, roasted poblanos or other green chiles). Pureed vegetables are a nice alternative for thickening (I don't like the gloopy, thick fillings on most PPs). But I don't want it topped with puff pastry: give me a short crust, like you'd use for a savory tart. And flavor the crust a bit, too (smoked paprika, or maybe a little grated parmesan or cheddar or black pepper).

I use my raised grid almost constantly--it is great for quicker-cooking foods like boneless/skinless chicken, turkey burgers, pork tenderloin, boneless pork chops, and so on.

Can't speak specifically to the All Clad cast aluminum, but the MagnaLite brand of cast aluminum is very popular among home cooks in rural south Louisiana. It works just fine for the same applications as enameled cast iron: stovetop or oven braising, pot-roasting, etc, with the added benefit of not causing muscle strain if you try to lift a large, full pot.

I ended up with the Egg after looking at Primos, the Bayou Classic Cypress, and a few others. Oliver's right: dealer support is a good thing, since the Eggs have an excellent warranty (should you need service). One thing about Eggs--the numerous accessories will add to the (eventual) cost, but will also increase your cooking flexibility. I use a half-moon raised grid all the time to increase the cooking area as well as provide a direct cooking zone and a raised/less-direct cooking zone at the same time.