scarlett

Austin...you're my hero! I love that you not only mention what it is, but what it's used for. Do I understand you're working on a guide book? Okay, so frightening tobacoo makes sense. Based on that, I'm still trying to figure out what all the components are here. What is that slice of fruit used for? And it looks to me like this bundle is some hand rolled cigarettes (aged, maybe?), and then the components to make your own. Does that sound right? The fruit is a mystery. I'm curious to know what it might be used for and what type of a fruit it is.

Canlis was named in the October issue of Gourmet as one of the "50 best Restaurants in America". I find that surprising since no one I know has had a particularly remarkable dinner there. I'd be curious to hear what you all think...is Canlis really one of the best restaurants in America?

I appreciate you checking into that. It's interesting, here's the message I received yesterday: "Hello from Amazon.com. We wanted to let you know that there is a delay with some items in the order you placed on October 03 2006." When I cliked on the link, it said my book was due to ship on the 20th. Then, to my surprise, my copy of the book arrived today! Strange. Anyway, I'm so excited...I love the range of content. I can hardly wait to start playing with you all!

I didn't think that much of it when I had some in Sumatra, but I was 11 at the time, so who knows whether I'd like it more now? ← Oh thank you everyone for cracking the mystery for me! I really enjoyed those salak so much. I did have them a couple times and I think they can vary quite a bit with quality/flavor/freshness. I bought a bag of them down in the islands. The first few were really good, then I hit a dud. The one that was a dud was really bad. But the ones that were fresh had this sweet/tart profile that I really enjoyed. Okay, next up for cracking the mystery...does anyone know what this is? What is it used for? I saw several different vendors carrying this product at the Chinese Market in Chiang Mai. It looked to me to be quite common but none of my books mention it. I was just looking through my photos. I'm not quite sure what this is either. Is it part of the hull of a coconut? What is it used for? If it is from a coconut, does it have any flavor? It was in the culinary section of the market, but it doesn't look to me like an edible kind of thing.

You guys are KILLING ME! I just got an e-mail from Amazon. My copy of the book is on backorder and won't be available until the 20th! For Dorie's sake, I'm glad to see the book is so popular but I hate to be sitting on the sidelines until then....Ugh.

Austin and Peter...thanks so much for your replies. I'm still slogging through my photos but I found the fruit photos. It's not a sapodilla. I've consulted the book "Asian Ingredients" and the Southeast Asian Culinaria...still haven't been able to identify what it is. They're so tasty, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I haven't quite figured out how to upload photos on eGullet, but here's a link on my Flickr account: Fruit 1 Fruit 2 The photo I had of the inside was kind of crappy, so I'll just say that the seed was black. Ring any bells?

I just ordered a copy of the book...and I can't wait to start playing with you all! Dorrie...I also just noticed you will be here in Seattle in November. I'm so excited! With any luck I'll catch up with you at a book signing...and a well worn copy of your book. Cheers! Traca

What about a lime curd? With the rum that might compliment a tropical bent...

Hi everyone. I'm relatively new on this section of eGullet but I have just returned from a trip to Thailand. I'm still reflecting on some of the things that piqued my interest and some things I saw, I'm hoping to get some clairification on. For instance...I was in Chiang Mai and I went to the Chinatown market. The air inside was so pungent...I could smell it before I could see it. Stacks and stacks of dried and what I assumed was fermented fish. The thing is, I have a couple Thai cookbooks now and I don't see any recipes including the fish. At the market they had a massive variety of different shapes and sizes. I'm just wondering what they're used for? Also, there's a fruit I had when I was there that I never caught the name of. I have a picture of it but it's not handy at the moment. It's an oblong fruit kind of shapped like a small (2-3") football. The dark brown exterior is easily penetrated and peeled away. The flesh is a firmer white type that was sweet and sour with a, I believe, round pit in the middle. Does this ring any bells for anyone? I had it a couple times and just fell in love with it! That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll remember more questions as I slog through the massive amount of photos I took!

Thanks for the tip. That's what I was planning on doing but it was more of an experiment rather "knowing" that's what I should do. I can't wait to start working my way through some of these recipes!

I'm going to venture a guess and say it was the Dutch who brought beer to SE Asia during their colinization frenzy....

I have just returned from Thailand. I took a 3 day cooking course in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) and they often use "tamarind juice" to cook with. I live in Seattle, WA and have never seen the tamarind juice...tamarind here is usually sold in the dried brick form or the pods, but now I'll have to look for the juice. We may have it and it just never hit my radar. One day I was at the market in Chiang Mai's Chinatown and this woman was eating the tamarind fresh. She'd crack the outer pod, then suck out a portion. She'd eat the tamarind "flesh" and then spit out the seed. When I looked at her curiously, she handed a tamarind pod to me. It was really quite good...and before then, it never occured to me to try eating tamarind out of hand. I'll have to check to see if the tamarind pods we get here in Seattle are fresh enough to eat that way. Commenting on above references to expensive fruit in Japan, Korea, etc. It's worth noting that the practice of actually growing the fruits is quite different as well. Much more attention is paid to the fruit by hand. It's not incommon for a leaf that may be shading an individual piece of fruit to be trimmed away, etc. When I was in Thailand, I passed a wealthy residence. The fruit tree in their yard had plastic bags tied around each piece of fruit on the tree. While I couldn't get close enough to tell what kind of fruit it was exactly, but it was interesting to see.

In my opinion, the best deal I've found is the Charcuterie classes at Culinary Communion in Seattle. The lecture portion is expansive and I found it very informative. The classes are set up as a hands on class. In reality, it's likely you may only work on making one item or two (out of the 7 or more items prepared in the class), but you get to pick which item you work on and they send you home with goodies. The opening lecture is comprehensive enough that even if you don't work on a particular item, you have a good idea what's going on and how it's approached. What CC teaches for their Charcuterie class varies somewhat each time it's offered (if you've got a desire to learn something specific, let them know in advance and they'll try to work it in...). When I took my class, we did several different kinds of sausage, bacon, and at my request...smoked salmon. While I enjoyed the Porcella class, I found it was light on content and in no way made me feel like I had enough knowlege to approach sausage on my own. The Culinary Communion class, on the otherhand, was really full of content...so much so that I think it would be worth a trip down from Vancouver.

It really is! Not only is it massive, but it is a quality collection. It's well-chosen and diverse, and it is marvellous to see how the joy on Judy's face when she shares it with people! ← Not only that...but a good majority of Heyjude's coobooks are signed copies and first editions. She's got a storage unit off site that is filled with books too and I got to peruse through boxes of those earlier this year. Heyjude's collection is truly a wonder...and right up Lorna's alley since a good portion of her collection is dedicated to chocolate.

Did you all see the review about Porcella in the PI? http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/279108_rest28.html Congrats to Kelly & Noah. Thankfully, now I don't have to schlep over to Seattle for all my gourmet goodies! ~T PS. Malarkey, I think some of your pictures are better than the ones in the article!

I agree...the pastries are really good at Hiroki. I also really like their panna cotta. The scones and bread items are worth taking a pass on, but their cakes, panna cotta, tiramisu, etc. (basicly everything in the right pastry case) are fab.

Just finished the sausage making class over at Porcella. Noah was fantastic! Apparently they'll be doing a terrine class coming up soon (date yet to be announced, but likely at the end of the month). For the price--including a bag of goodies to go, these classes are a great deal. It was fun seeing other fellow eG folk there as well....nice to meet Dave and Mr. & Mrs. Kiteless.

Just found this thread....Friends and I are getting together in a couple weeks to do some canning (group project). All but one are novices. For our first foray, we're doing fruit based canning. Anyone have a favorite, knock out recipe to share? I've got my eye on doing "Sour Cherry Preserves with Cherry Brandy or Amaretto" or "Jubilee Cherries" both from a book called "Good Stuff Cookbook" by Helen Witty. Also, I was wondering...does anyone have a good book to recommend for recipes? I have Christine Ferber's "Mes Confitures: Jams and Jellies" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/087013629...glance&n=283155 but I'd be curious to look into a few other books. Thanks!

Okay, I'm stumped...what is an "indie" coffee bar?

Ling- Getting good crema involves a number of factors. However, the most common is factor is determined by whether they can pull the shots directly into your cup or not. If they pull the espresso into shot glasses first, then pour the contents in your cup, usually your crema is left in the shot glass. Often times whether they brew directly into your cup (as opposed to a shot glass first) depends on whether they can fit the cup under the brewing device...short americanos yes, grandes no--especially for "to go" cups. It also depends a lot on the barista, of course. Hope this helps! ~T

Hey Dave...I booked a spot too! I'm really looking forward to it... Anyone else joining in the fun???? ~Traca

Porcella is offering a Sausage 101 class on July 9th. Classes are limited to 10 and all hands on. Looks like a screaming deal.... Check it out: A MEAT LOVER’S DREAM Porcella Urban Market Offers Sausage Making 101 at First July Class SEATTLE…June 19, 2006 — July is just around the corner, and Porcella is ramping up with its second month of cooking classes. Chef Noah Mellich invites non-vegetarians to the first class Sunday, July 9, when he teaches guests how to make a selection of house-made sausages. Aficionados will learn the sausage making process, and be able to make their own cured, bulk and breakfast sausages—all made from premium pork. Students will be able to take home their fresh bulk sausage and crepinettes after class. Their salami will be tagged and cured, which can be picked up from Porcella after eight weeks. Cost is $40 per person. Class starts at 4:30 p.m. and space is extremely limited, reservations are required. Call Porcella at (425) 286-0080 to make reservations. www.porcellaurbanmarket.com.

I'd love to join you for future charcutery fests! What a great day that was....

What an awesome day of porky goodness! Thanks Abra for hosting the event. I can see now that I'll probably be making more charcuterie than I ever intended! In fact, I'm curious about a comment made earlier. Since I'm without a smoker, someone mentioned above about doing bacon in the oven. Is that method discussed in the book? That bacon Della made has got me itching to make my own.