David Ross

Thanks. Yes, huckleberries are a real treat every Fall in the Northwest, but I'll never turn down a good cheeseburger-maybe with huckleberry ketchup!

Recent dishes with this year's crop of Huckleberries-as most of you know, the Huckleberry has a special place in my heart (and stomach)- This is a salad with a Huckleberry "Gastrique" dressing and a toasted crouton with smoked gouda cheese- Slow-Roasted Duck with Huckleberry Compote- Open-Face Huckleberry Tart- Pear Brown Betty with Huckleberry Ice Cream- Huckleberry Pie-

Fall is my favorite time of year. Why? Because this is the time of year where the fruit of the Northwest is at its peak-Apples, Pears, Peaches and yes, the King of all Northwest berries-the Huckleberry. I've posted a piece about Huckleberries in the New York-Cooking forum, but I wanted to share three Huckleberry sweets with the fine bakers in this topic. Hope you enjoy: Open-Face Huckleberry Tart- Pear Brown Betty with Huckleberry Ice Cream- The most delicious pie known to this man, Huckleberry Pie-

Hello cooking friends in NYC. Imagine-it was just a year ago that we were talking about the delicious little huckleberry. Today I thought I'd share some of this year's Northwest huckleberry bounty with you. We've had a very good crop of huckleberries in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho this year and I've heard the crop over in Montana is also bountiful. The berries are very plump and juicy and much sweeter than the '07 crop. We paid $35 for a gallon of fresh huckleberries in 2006, $49.95 for a gallon last year (not what I would call a stellar crop worthy of that price), and last week I paid $45 a gallon. The berries are so delicious this year, I'm going back up to the "Green Bluff" Farmer's Co-op this weekend to get another gallon. Our very odd weather this year has tricked the common sensibilities of what we always have believed were the ideal weather conditions for growing huckleberries-a long hot summer lasting into late September. Hot days and fair nights help sweeten the berries so come September they are at their peak flavor. This summer the weather has not been what a huckleberry purist would call ideal. We had snow into mid-June, followed by an intensely hot, dry July, a dry yet mild August, hot the first two weeks of September and now uncommonly mild temperatures during the day, dropping to below freezing in the mountains at night. If you had plotted the weather temperatures this summer on a graph, you'd never believe that we would be eating big, sweet huckleberries the third week of September. I am sure the bears are quite happy right now-they'll be going to go to their slumber this winter with fat bellies full of Huckleberries. White Box Pies in Spokane will ship a huckleberry pie to downtown Manhattan. Their pies are currently $20.95 plus $11.00 shipping. You probably need to call them ahead of time to make sure that fresh pies are available on the date you order. Huckleberry pies tend to sell out as quickly as they are baked. Check out their website: http://www.whiteboxpiesbakery.com Here are some recent Huckleberry dishes from my kitchen: Toasted Crouton with Smoked Gouda and Huckleberry Gastrique- (A fancy description for a green salad with a melted cheese sandwich and huckleberry sauce) Slow-Roasted Duck with Huckleberry Compote- Open-Face Huckleberry Tart- Pear Brown Betty with Huckleberry Ice Cream- (does any restaurant put a "Betty" on their dessert menu today?) Huckleberry Pie- (Great Aunt Mabel and Grandmother Mildred Ross would be proud-a crust made with Lard AND Butter)

Last night I did a combination of my own technique for searing/roasting halibut, combined with two recipes-potatoes and a sauce-from Nancy Oakes "Boulevard" cookbook. (Boulevard is her San Francisco restaurant). Our local fish store had gotten delivery of fresh halibut from Alaska on Friday. I sear the halibut for about 3 minutes per side in a cast iron pan drizzled with olive oil and butter. Then it goes into a 425 oven to roast for about 4 more minutes per side. The potatoes are Yukon Golds that are peeled and boiled until they are soft, then coarsely mashed with arugula and red pepper flakes. Chef Oakes calls for adding mascarpone cheese but I left it out. I'm not a big fan of mixing potatoes with a sweet cheese. The sauce is a simple tomato vinaigrette using balsamic vinegar. I added quite a bit of paprika to bring out the red color of the tomatoes.

As many of you know, I'm a big supporter of the Las Vegas dining scene. Earlier this year I wrote a lengthy report on my experiences at the "Vegas Uncork'd" events sponsored by Bon Appetit Magazine. In October, the James Beard Foundation is coming to Las Vegas to host the "Taste America" events. It's an exciting opportunity for Las Vegas to be the host city of such an impressive culinary event--and another feather in the cap of the city's chefs and restaurant community. You can check out the calendar of events at; http://www.jbftasteamerica.com/home I'm looking forward to it and I'll be doing a full photo report for everyone. If you happen to be coming to Las Vegas for the events, let me know.

That looks delicious. Do you have a recipe you can share?

All of your dishes look wonderful. And now that my favorite season is here and our temperatures are dropping at night, I can start making the hot stews and braises I've been craving all Summer. Lamb Shank, Butternut Squash and Polenta- I dust the lamb shanks with flour and then brown them in a saute pan. Then I put them in a Le Creuset roasting pot and add bay leaf, beef stock, black peppercorns and a head of garlic cut in half. I usually add enough stock to come about halfway up the side of the shanks. Le Creuset pots are wonderful because they let the meat both dry roast and braise at the same time. I keep the oven at 250 degrees and braise the shanks for at least 6 hours-then I gently remove them from the pot, being careful to not let the meat fall off the bone. I strained the solids out of the braising liquid and served it as a sort of "Lamb Jus." Sometimes I'll add flour and butter to thicken the braising liquid. I copped out on the squash. It was pre-cut and came in a bag. I also did a short-cut on the polenta. I bought it already made and just sliced it and sauteed it in some olive oil. I figure for a worknight meal I'm allowed a few short-cuts. The neighbor's dog got the lamb bone after dinner.

Daniel-I couldn't agree with you more. The milkshakes at BLT average $7.00. That's the shakes without booze. The "spiked" shakes and cocktails run $12.00. A burger combo including burger, shake and fries goes for $19.00. If you want appetizers, basically bar snacks, they run $8.00. A glass of draft beer runs $7.00. The desserts, the highlight of the dishes I sampled, are what I would call a bargain at $6.00 for the Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches. The Valrhona Chocolate Cake is $8.00. Two combo burgers, two beers and two desserts, plus tip, would run-up a tab in the neighborhood of $75.00. That's a lot of money to eat burgers while watching the beautiful people.

The party invitation came in the form of an e-mail from the Public Relations Department at MGM-Mirage Resorts. It promised “Lettuce, Tomato, a Lifetime of Culinary Achievement—and Cheese.” That catchy header was followed by this profound menu description-“Bodacious burgers, sassy sides and spiked milkshakes.” I suppose that a Food Writer can claim they have reached a certain level of success, or excess, once they receive their first invitation to the opening of a restaurant. I wondered what kind of party it would be-somehow the respect for a lifetime spent in the culinary arts seemed to be lost when I read the words “bodacious burger” on the invitation. (A word more-suited to the name of a bucking bull in a rodeo). I sent my RSVP back to The Mirage letting them know that I would fly the 1,238 miles from Seattle to Las Vegas for the Grand Opening of Chef Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Burger. Since I had never been to the grand opening of a restaurant, I didn’t know what to expect, but my thoughts of it being a conclave of serious Food Writers reporting on the delicious creations of Chef Tourondel quickly faded once I got to the party. I would discover that the guest list at restaurant openings in Las Vegas are often stacked with beautiful, rich, influential people whose appearances stimulate the gossip pages of the Review-Journal. This stacking of the deck, so to speak, is intended to generate a buzz with the public that if someone of importance or celebrity dines at the restaurant, then the food must be good. BLT Burger is housed in the former home of Siegfried and Roy’s white tiger display just off the main lobby at The Mirage. Yes, that same cave-like structure of cement formed to look like natural stone, (the home of “un-natural” white tigers), has been transformed into a hip burger joint. As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever in Las Vegas-anything out of fashion just gets changed into something else. In this case, after a white tiger chomped down on Roy during a magic show a few years back, the tigers were sent to the “Secret Garden” out back and the display out front became a restaurant where diners chomp down on burgers. When I arrived at BLT Burger, the beautiful people were already in high-spirits, imbibing spirits. Young, beautiful people at the bar- The sprinkling of celebrities throughout the guest list are key to the debut of a new restaurant or bar in Las Vegas. The “celebrity” quotient at the party was limited to former NBA stars Doc Rivers and Bill Walton. They were in town for a basketball camp, and had been herded to BLT Burger for free beer and grub. (They hunkered down at tables in the corner-roped off to the minions in the restaurant proper, never once mingling with the common folk). Then there were the really out-of-place guests. Witness the very odd couple seated at a booth in a far corner of the restaurant. They did not appear to fit in the aforementioned categories of beautiful people or retired basketball players. I have it on good authority, (one of my friends was seated next to her), that the woman complained loudly and constantly about the items on the menu. She apparently didn’t realize that being invited to the opening of a hamburger restaurant would mean that the focus of the food, (the hamburgers), would be on burgers made with meat. Red meat. She crowed that she was a member of the vegan community, and when she was served Chef Tourondel’s “Veggie Falafel” burger (a “medley of organic grains”), it wasn’t good enough. Nothing was good enough for her. So there she sat with her depressed husband, upset at the staff of a hamburger restaurant for not serving her a glass of wheatgrass juice. Hamburger Diner, circa 2008- There were, in fact, only two serious Food Writers in attendance, yours truly, and my good friend and the dean of Las Vegas Food Writers, John Curtas, aka KLAS, KNPR, James Beard Foundation and EatingLV.com. Another thing I learned about a Las Vegas restaurant opening is that the regular staff is supplemented with “for-hire” help. The young women parading around the dining room with trays of “American” Kobe beef sliders were not actually employed as servers at the restaurant during normal business hours. I sheepishly remarked to Chef Tourondel that the young ladies in the tight, black, “BLT” t-shirts would certainly assure him of a high profit margin at his new venture at The Mirage. Mr. Curtas overheard my conversation with Chef and quickly came to the rescue-letting me know that appearances in Las Vegas are often, not in fact, the truth. While they presented a beautiful image at the event, these ladies were actually “models” employed for just one night to impress the guests. I suppose in Las Vegas you could call them “ladies of the evening.” The now infamous photo of yours truly, currently posted on EatingLV.com- The food served at the grand opening was a sampling of items off the BLT menu. It was good-not great. The “Mozzarella Sticks” tasted like they came out of the same frozen stock that gets delivered to Applebee’s. I didn’t ask if it was true buffalo mozzarella. (Remember, the invitation promised “cheese,” they didn’t specify if it was “artisanal” or “commercial” cheese). The Mini-Strawberry Shake was quite good, no doubt helped by a large shot of Maker’s Mark bourbon. Strawberry Milkshake- Speaking of cocktails, “The Showgirl,” (you always have to have silly names for cocktails in Las Vegas), was a delicious mix of Skyy Citrus Vodka, Lime Juice and Guava Nectar garnished with a slice of Kiwi fruit. I am not sure how this heady concoction relates to a Las Vegas showgirl. The silly menu descriptions continue with “The Stripper” Burger-“No Bun.” A “topless” burger at BLT includes Angus beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper and avocado. The mini “Jasper Hill Blue” Burgers that we tasted were topped with bleu (the proper spelling) cheese. (Maybe they intentionally typed “blue” rather than “bleu” on the menu?). The Jasper Hill burger is billed as “7oz. of CAB.” CAB being the descriptor for “Certified Angus Beef.” Personally, I don’t think the breed of cattle in a burger matters a whole lot. The little burger "sliders" we tasted could have come from Hereford, Holstein or Pinzgauer and I wouldn’t have tasted the difference. The best dish of the evening was presented by the Pastry Chef-little “Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches” filled with “Strawberry-Vanilla” or “Chocolate-Hazelnut” ice creams. I just knew Chef Tourondel would hide a bit of France somewhere in his “sassy” menu. Chef Tourondel with some of the beautiful people- The cachet of being invited to the grand opening of BLT wasn’t exactly what I expected, but in the end, the evening was a success for the restaurant and it was great fun. The company was interesting, in some cases quite good-looking, and I gained a better perspective into this exciting, exclusive club where one is made to feel special just by getting on the guest list. For me, the highlight of the opening of BLT Burger was the time I spent huddled with John Curtas and Chef Tourondel. We reminisced about Chef Tourondel’s earlier tenure in Las Vegas at the stoves of the highly-regarded “Palace Court” at Caesar’s Palace. (Sadly, this temple of “continental” cuisine is no more). We talked about a French Chef cooking burgers in Las Vegas. The return of Chef Tourondel to the heat of the Las Vegas dining scene is a gift. Fancy burgers are just the start. I expect Chef Tourondel has bigger things in store for Las Vegas. After three hours at the BLT grand opening, I headed back to Treasure Island, my hotel of choice on this visit. Before I went up to my room on the 27th floor, I stopped by Canter’s Deli, a good Jewish place on the casino floor. The evening began with the grand opening of a chi-chi hamburger place. It ended with a picnic in my room overlooking the Strip. Sometimes a “mini” hamburger on a cute little bun leaves you hungry for a nice hot Reuben, a side of coleslaw and a crisp dill pickle.

Very nice Dr. J. That fish, (especially the crispy skin), looks quite delicious.

True-Keller is doing an upscale burger joint in the Lutece space at The Venetian-at least that's what has been disclosed. The "gourmet burger" trend is really taking hold in Las Vegas. I just got back yesterday from a trip to Las Vegas where I attended the press party for Laurent Tourondel's BLT Burger at The Mirage. The party was fun-the liquor and waitresses most impressive-the burgers not as good as the burgers I grill at home. (I'll do a separate post on my adventure). I'm not sure when they'll be opening the Keller burger place at The Venetian. When I walked by two days ago I just saw the place boarded up. That's typical when the casinos are changing out restaurants-they tend to not show much to the public until the place is ready. On another note-you may want to check out one of John's latest posts at EatingLV.com John has an interesting post about a squabble between Mandalay Bay and Alain Ducasse-The missing Executive Chef at Mix who apparently will be permanently missing Las Vegas.

Thanks Kim. Yes, "Silverbarb" was printed on the package of fish. Otherwise I would've had no clue what it was. The meat was bright white and had the taste of halibut but the flaky texture of trout. I'll definately buy it again. Your angel hair pasta and shrimp look delicious. And I love that frozen broccoli and cheese dish-not regrettable at all.

More wonderful finds from our newly expanded Asian grocery store. This was probably the easiest and tastiest dish I've done all Summer. I found the fish in the frozen section. I'm often skeptical of frozen fish in Asian markets as it tends to be sitting in the freezer far too long. This fish was from Vietnam. Small slits had been cut along the body of the fish and then lemongrass, chile and salt had been rubbed into the flesh. I grilled the fish on the bbq for about 4 minutes per side. No seasoning was needed. I served the fish with two salads-a carrot salad dressed with soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds. The second salad was cucumber that I cut on my Japanese slicer and garnished with green onions and a bit of olive oil. Grilled "Silverbarb" with Lemon Grass and Chili-

The Asian market in town recently moved to a much bigger location, which means they have a lot more space for more great products for me to experiment with. I picked up some new ingredients that I hadn't used before to make a couple of dishes last night. First, Fried Chinese Chicken Wings. I marinated the wings in soy sauce, ginger and garlic for about six hours. I found a package of what is called "Crispy Chinese Frying Flour" in the market. While the product is made in Taiwan, there's a photo and caption on the package that says it makes crispy "Japanese Style Tempura." And to add to the global scope of the product, you mix the flour with coconut milk. I also added some panko bread crumbs to the flour and coconut mixture. The wings were deep-fried in vegetable oil, then garnished with sesame seeds and served with green onions and a soy-honey reduction sauce. Next up, Korean Style Grilled Beef with a Cold Rice Noodle Salad with lots of vegetables. I used tri-tip steak and marinated it with a packaged Korean BBQ sauce. I cut the beef in thin strips and then put it on skewers and grilled it on the charcoal grill. I dressed the salad with citrus soy sauce. The beef is garnished with sesame seeds and fried shallots.

Thanks Kim. I buy about the cheapest cut of pork there is-Picnic Shoulder Roast. Just cook the devil out of it, very low heat for a very long time. This roast was cooked on the rotisserie-which meant that it basted itself with its own fat-for many hours. I think that's why it turned out so juicy.

Last night was an experiment that thankfully worked out. I make a Chipotle-Pepita (Toasted Green Pumpkin Seeds) Salsa and I had been thinking about using the salsa for more than just a dip for chips. I thought maybe the salsa would be a good base for a summer dish of grilled seafood in a spicy stew. The salsa is pretty thick, so I thinned it with fish stock and white wine. I grilled two types of prawns-medium, farm-raised and large, wild American. I also added some mussels and scallops to the stew. The stew is garnished with fried tortilla strips. They are really easy to make. Just cut some corn tortillas in strips and then deep-fry them in oil until crisp and golden brown. Enjoy. Chipotle-Pepita Seafood Stew--

Everyone's dishes have looked wonderful. I can tell you are all enjoying Summer as much as I am. The best is yet to come where I live in Eastern Washington-Peaches and Huckleberries are still a couple of weeks away. In the meantime, a recent dinner- Pork Shoulder Roast cooked on the rotisserie on the good old Weber grill. I rubbed the roast with smoked paprika and Paul Prudhomme Meat Magic seasoning. I used charcoal and cherry wood in the barbecue and let the meat cook about 3 1/2 hours. I love using the rotisserie with a big hunk of fatty meat. Makes me salivate just watching that fat self-baste a roast. Delicious-and who cares what the food police say about cholesterol! Fat is flavor! I served the Pork with Smoked Creamed Corn- I was never a fan of canned creamed corn when I was a kid-but this fresh creamed corn is absolutely delicious and far better than the canned stuff. I grill and smoke ears of sweet corn, (in the husks), on the barbecue to get them good and charred. I saute some smoked bacon, onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet and then add the corn and a lot of cream. For extra creamy/corn taste, I puree some of the corn in the blender and add the puree to the skillet. I season the creamed corn with fresh sage, thyme, green onions and salt and pepper.

Huckleberry Ice Cream- Sorry-I didn't use this season's fresh Huckleberries for the ice cream. I always stretch out my yearly allotment of Huckleberries so that I have a small bag from the previous years crop in the freezer as we approach August. As a final farewell to the '07 vintage crop, I made this delicious ice cream. You don't need hot fudge sauce or nuts on Huckleberry Ice Cream. You just serve it unadorned in all of its natural glory. In about two weeks I'll head up to the mountains to get a couple of gallons of this year's crop of Huckleberries. It should be interesting. I'm not hopeful of a great crop of sweet berries this summer. We had our longest winter and heaviest snowfall in fifty years. Didn't see much sun until June and it hasn't been overly hot. That's not the perfect weather for Huckleberries-they like lots of sun early in the summer and into late August. I always resist the temptation to be the first person in line to get Huckleberries every year. The longer you wait, the longer the berries stay on the bushes and that means they get sweeter. The problem is, if you wait too long into late summer for the berries to ripen, you have to compete with the bears who start fattening up on Huckleberries as they prepare for hibernation!

It was odd, wasn't it, seeing Bobby Flay in the role of Game Show Host, pinkish tie with big knot and retro sports jacket, paper notes in hand, whipping the audience into a frenzy. (And trying to fool the viewers into thinking this show was "live." If it was live, the camera shots sure looked fuzzy and pre-recorded to me). I didn't think this was one of Chef Flay's better performances. Fifty-eight minutes of armchair-grabbing emotion, 1 minute of suspense, 1 minute of cheers for Aaron. Sarcasm aside, I watched every one of those minutes. I wasn't shocked that Aaron won. He's a likeable guy and I think he truly believes this will "change his life" and make him a "star." If so, then personally for him I think that's great. I just hope he doesn't become the Next Forgotten Food Network Star after a few episodes of his new show, ala Amy Finley and the Hardy Boys. If he's relegated to an odd timeslot on the odd day of the week, if the advertiser's don't think he'll sell their barbecue sauce and if he doesn't get the Arbitron ratings really quickly, likeable as he is, he won't make it. I think Aaron really loves sharing his food with others. I'm not in his demographic, but I think there's a large segment out there that will be attracted to his show. Whether Aaron will withstand the "heat of the kitchen" in terms of being a successful brand for Food Network isn't a question we can answer today. Only time will tell. Poor, dear Lisa-the woman who says that "style" is one of her assets apparently had an argument with the Stylist on the set the day Lisa taped her pilot-and apparently Lisa won the argument over what she would wear in the kitchen. Certainly a Professional Stylist would not have allowed Chez Lisa to be outfitted in a day-glo, blazing fuschia, frilly-silly dress against the backdrop of Rachel Ray's red retro refrigerator and yellow kitchen walls. Way too many big splotches of bright color. Lisa's poor choice of apparel seemed to heighten just how out-of-touch her concept of upscale cooking is. I just don't think she'd sell. Lisa's fish looked like it was perfectly cooked-but I could have done without the heavy French accent she used every time she pronounced "Zaaahhh-Baaay-Yownnn!" Personally I thought Adam did the best of the final three. Beer-can chicken is not something new, nor is the use of a rub using smoked paprika. What I found fresh and exciting about his concept was the live-remote with the "viewer" on the webcam. That's the sort of real-life snapshot of cooking for a lot of people today-the ability to go online and chat with a cook about a dish-and have it broadcast in the format of a television show. Adam's got the perfect personality and ease with people to pull it off. Here's hoping that Adam got noticed during his tenure on The Next Food Network Star and he can turn his time in the spotlight into something exciting.

Rob-thank you for your hard work and dedication to both eGullet and your work. Please keep sharing those wonderful photos of your sweets with us. dr.

A few thoughts on the final three: Adam-Likeable personality, nice look, humorous in the right situations, knows food. He would be somebody I'd see in the role of the host of a show like "Unwrapped" or "All-American Festivals," not a serious cooking show, but a show about food where he would interact with people. Chance of winning: Good. Aaron-Likeable personality, does well cooking with kids. May not have the strength to overcome his nervousness on camera. The day of the "big plate" type of home-cooking may not be what Food Network is looking for. (What am I thinking? Even if Food Network already has a stable of "big plate" types of cooks, if the Marketing Department can sell Aaron to an advertiser, they will). Chance of winning: Fair but may surprise at the end. Lisa-Likeable personality-most of the time. Bitch factor unknown. Looks like that little character on the front of Dutch-Boy paint cans. High "squinting" factor-contacts may not fit comfortably in her eyes. Tan lines from sunglasses will have to go. Can sing while Pork Roast burns. Likeable in a feel-sorry for her, don't like her, she doesn't get it sort of way. Can cook but dishes often come off as confusing and too fussy for the mass Food Network demographic. (Will French Bistro, Upscale, Charitable, Save the Earth Cuisine make for good tv?). Chances of winning: Good, (in spite of her foibles). I watch The Next Food Network Star because it's fun. I certainly don't take the show, or the contestants, or the food, seriously. I'd watch 50 reruns of any episode of Rick Stein's 'Food Heroes' on BBC over 'The Next Food Network Star.' Serious food. Serious ingredients and good cooking. Chef Stein exemplifies what I personally like to see in a "star" cooking on television.

I stayed at The Mirage for a week in May. Every evening I walked by Samba and not once was the place full. That told me that either the food or service, or both, weren't very good. All of the other restaurants at The Mirage were packed every night, so maybe the novelty of the Brazilian steakhouse is waning. I haven't been to Pampas, so I'm not qualified to give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, but in general, I'd avoid these type of Brazilian steakhouses in Las Vegas. There are so many high-end, wonderful steakhouses in Las Vegas that focus solely on the food rather than how the waiters parade spikes of meat around the dining room, that I would probably just go to a traditional steakhouse. My two favorites are Craftsteak at the MGM and CUT at The Palazzo. The starters at CUT are more innovative than what you might find at other steakhouses-I especially liked the Bone Marrow Flan with Parsley Salad at CUT when I was there. The wine service is exceptional. The beef at CUT is exceptional-I had the dry-aged, Nebraska beef. At the time I was there in May they also had Iowa beef and both Wagyu and Kobe on the menu. The only complaint I had was that the chef used a heavy hand with the salt-shaker. Beautiful meat doesn't need a heavy dose of salt, so next time I dine at CUT I'll ask the kitchen to serve me a "nude" steak-no salt please.

I was glad to see Louisa Chu as a judge on Iron Chef America. I've been pleased that Food Network has decided to expand the judging pool this year, it adds variety to the judging of the plates and generates more interest for the viewer. (I do, however, like the snide comments of Mr. Steingarten, the "Dean" of Iron Chef Judges, so I hope they keep him coming back). I agree with doc-I also noted tension between Ruhlman and the other judges on the panel last night. But what I noted most about Ruhlmun, and something he himself could be criticized for, was the ridiculous amount of hairspray that appeared to have been liberally sprayed on his long locks. It looked really odd, almost like little wings sprouting from the sides of his head. Maybe the Hair Stylist had called in sick for this episode? (Apparently the Stylist also forgot to raise the sagging neckline on Judge Karine Bakhoum's ample dress). Ruhlman's hair aside, I thought that Chef Hamilton won because she kept things simple and allowed the Zucchini to be the main focal point of flavor in each dish. Her dishes were so simple in composition and presentation that I thought the judges would have fallen for Flay's plates. I was rooting for her to win and glad she did. As fancy as Flays dishes were-with the requisite drizzles of his signature flavored oils- it seemed to me that he didn't follow Chef Hamilton's ethic of making the zuchinni the star. His Zucchini-Wrapped Sea Scallop dish looked like it was more of a scallop dish rather than a zuchinni dish. Even though he used an ample amount of zucchini in the salad with the scallop, I got the sense the judges felt it was a fish dish, not a zuchinni dish. I've had an enjoyable Summer watching reruns of the original Iron Chef on Fine Living Network and Iron Chef America on Food Network. The two shows present an odd comparison-the campy, kitchsy, intriguing original show vs. the trendy, fun, high-quality cooking of Iron Chef America. Lots of great tv between the two Iron Chef Shows. And by the way, my favorite episode of Iron Chef America so far this Summer was the "Battle Rabbit" last week between Iron Chef Symon and Chef Guy Rubino. Symon took the win, (and I really liked the looks of that Rack of Wild Hare), but both Chefs presented very creative Rabbit dishes. I just would have liked to have seen more of the Wild Hare used alongside the Domestic Bunnies.

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the crab dishes. The crab "meatballs" do take a bit of time to make, but the effort is worth it. I prefer Dungeness Crab in this dish. I've made the recipe with fresh crab meat from the East, but it just doesn't seem to compare to the fresh taste of sweet Dungeness Crab. The crab I used in this recipe came from deep waters off Alaska and was shipped to my fishmonger within a day of being harvested. It wasn't pre-cracked. He steams whole live Dungeness crabs and sends me home with the whole, cooked beast. I do the cracking, shelling and picking of the meat. I freeze the shells for making crab bisque in the winter. My fish guy prefers the deepwater crabs rather than the crabs fished closer in because the deepwater crabs are bigger and the meat is more firm due to the colder water. At least that's what he tells me. I am sure that I am biased towards Dungeness Crab due to my heritage as a native Northwesterner. I think your personal preference in crab will work just fine in the recipe. Crab Stuffing- 8oz. fresh Dungeness crab meat ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup fresh bread crumbs ¼ cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup chopped chives 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Salt and black pepper to taste Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Lightly toss the mixture to form a loose stuffing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the crab stuffing until ready to use. I use a basic crab cake recipe for the meatballs. The only difference between the meatballs and the crab cakes are basically the shape and how I cook them. For the meatballs I form some of the crab cake mixture into little balls. I then place them on wax paper on a plate and put them in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours. This helps the little meatballs to firm up. I then dip the meatballs in beaten egg and then into panko. As you all know, panko is the Cadillac, the Ferrari if you will, of bread crumbs. No other type of breading will work for these crab meatballs. All you are trying to do when you cook the meatballs is to warm the crab mixture and get the panko to a golden-brown color and crispy texture. I fried the crab meatballs in canola oil heated to 350 in a deep wok. The sauce for the linguine was very easy. After cooking the linguine I drained it. While the linguine was resting, I added some heavy cream and parmesan to the saucepan and let it cook down for a few minutes. I only added lemon juice and some capers. Next time I'm going to add some roasted garlic puree to give the sauce more flavor. I returned the drained linguine to the saucepan to combine it with the cream sauce. You'll see the garnish of curly parsley in the photo. That was intentional. While I use Italian parsley, I also use curly parsley. I think some cooks have gotten away from using curly parsley because maybe it isn't as trendy as flat leaf parsley. Lots of chefs that appear on tv seem to think the only parsley is Italian parsley, but I actually like the "grassy" taste of curly parsley. That's my treatise on parsley for the day. Thanks again for the nice comments on the crab meatballs.