David Ross

One of my favorite fall apple desserts-Apple Charlotte. I use a classic French recipe from Julia Child. Instead of regular creme anglaise, I added some pumpkin puree-voila-Pumpkin Creme Anglaise.

I have some ideas for you-and you can catch some photos of the cannelloni I did last week by clicking the link below over to the Dinner thread. I myself also am doing a dish with braised beef tonight-in a lasagna style dish. But for your cannelloni, I would suggest buying wonton wrappers from the cold case at your market. They work fine for cannelloni. If you do want to make fresh pasta I would not go all the way to the final notch on your pasta machine because that might make the pasta sheets too thin. I'd maybe go to the second to last notch. Layer some Italian style tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon the braised beef on the sheet of pasta/wonton wrapper and roll up. Place the rolled up cannelloni on top of the tomato sauce. Spoon some besciamella (white sauce), on top of the cannelloni. Dot the top with more tomato sauce, some grated parmesan and butter. Bake until bubbly, then broil for 5 minutes to crisp the top. You can see my step by step photos on the Dinner thread. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I think you'd be pleased with the results.

Wow. Thank you so much. It's a great compliment to know that you just took my photo of the pumpkin soup and created your own delicious looking dish. Great job.

Like others, I use salt cod in a traditional Brandade, but after that recipe is done, I let the brandade cool and then add stiff mashed potato to make a salt cod/mashed potato cake. You can dip the cake in some beaten egg and dredge in panko crumbs and then fry it in oil and clarified butter until it gets nice and golden. I use the salt cod cake as a base for seared/roasted fish like Halibut. It's rich just like that so I wouldn't serve it with a rich sauce, maybe something like a parsley oil.

I'll send you the recipe, it's pretty lengthy. There are instructions for 1) making the pasta sheets, 2) the tomato sauce, 3) the filling and 4) assembling the cannelloni and baking. It's all worth the effort as it's one of those memorable dishes that once you have it, you'll add it into your 'classic' recipe file. I'm not a fan of chicken livers and so I wondered about adding them to the recipe the first time I made the cannelloni. Most people eating the dish wouldn't even recognize the flavor of chicken liver in the filling. But the chicken livers add a creaminess and rich flavor that the recipe wouldn't be the same without.

I cheated a bit and used fresh wonton wrappers out of the dairy case from the supermarket. The traditional recipe in the Time-Life book calls for making fresh pasta sheets with a traditional pasta recipe using egg and semolina flour. I've used that recipe in the past, but it takes a long time and since I don't think I'm good at pasta, I sometimes cheat and use the wonton wrappers. I don't boil the sheets ahead of time-they soften and cook in the sauce as the cannelloni bake. The wonton wrappers aren't my first choice-they can taste a bit sticky and gluey in the finished cannelloni. I don't have a local source for fresh pasta sheets, but sometimes I use dried, flat lasgna noodles (not lasagna noodles with the frilled edges). If I'm using dried pasta sheets I would boil the pasta to soften it before using it to roll the cannelloni.

Yes, single man eating rich Cannelloni in the far reaches of chilly Eastern Washington. Now that I think of it, that would probably be my post on a dating site for foodies. And now that I think of that, what a concept, a dating site for foodies.

Tonight I started with a Roasted Pumpkin Soup. I roasted pumpkin and garlic together, then pureed it along with some currants and spices. Wish I had actually had a bit of black truffle to shave into the soup-I think it would have added depth and a more woodsy note to this Fall soup. I garnished it with smoked bacon and some yogurt that I spiked with cayenne pepper. Then one of my favorite Fall pasta dishes-"Cannelloni" from the Time-Life world cuisine series. The recipe is out of "The Cooking of Italy" published in 1968. I've amassed all of the cookbooks in the series through garage sales and trips to a local used bookstore. It is quite interesting to read through cookbooks that are 40 years old. The photos are as delicious as the reading and the recipes. Here are the steps to making the traditional, savory Cannelloni: Filling the pasta sheets with a mixture of ground beef, chicken livers, spinach, egg, cream and parmesan: Next is the laying of the cannelloni in a heavy baking dish on top of a thin layer of homemade tomato sauce: This shows the cannelloni topped with a traditional bechamel sauce-butter, flour, both cream and whole milk, white pepper and nutmeg: Next, to be more decadent, (remember this was a recipe 40 years ago), you top the cannelloni with parmesan and yes, butter: The cannelloni are baked for 20 minutes and then kept under the broiler for about 5 minutes: Finally, two photos of the plated, traditional Cannelloni. The second photo shows the filling. As you can imagine this is an incredibly rich dish so I usually can only eat two of the Cannelloni. I think I may be looking forward to my lunches at work this coming week:

Great blog and as others have commented, you are in an envious position for a food lover. You company website is very good.

Thanks for the nice comment. The vinaigrette is very simple. I added the sugar to the original recipe and instead of only olive oil, I used half walnut oil and half olive oil. Again, kudos for the recipe go to Chef Larry Forgione: Pumpkin/Pepita Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) 1/3 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. tumeric 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. sugar 1/4 cup walnut oil 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Blend the pepitas, pumpkin, garlic, tumeric, vinegar, and sugar in a blender. Add the oils with the blender running to combine the vinaigrette. Season to taste. Additional whole pepitas for garnish

Tonight I did a Salmon with a Pumpkin-Pepita (Green Pumpkin Seed) Vinaigrette. This is a great dish for the weeknights because it's so simple. You can make the vinaigrette ahead of time and then all you do is sear some salmon, add some greens, spoon on the vinaigrette and garnish with whole pepitas. It's also delicious with chicken breast or pork chops. The vinaigrette is more like a thick, chunky sauce. It's out of Larry Forgione's "An American Place" cookbook. You don't hear much about Chef Forgione these days since there are so many young 'celebrity' chefs out there that have taken over the spotlight, but he was a leader in bringing out the idea of an 'American' cuisine. I don't know if he's still cooking or the restaurant is still open in New York. All of his recipes are simple and delicious if you want to try this cookbook.

Greystreet-you're off to a great start with the list of restaurants you've composed. A side note-avoid Bouchon, even for breakfast. You'll find a lot of us who are Las Vegas dining regulars have seen Bouchon slip in the past few years. Personally, I think the breakfast buffet at both Wynn and Bellagio is better than the ala Carte breakfast at Bouchon. I always tell people looking for advice on Las Vegas restaurants to start by answering the question of how much you are willing to spend. Based on the list you've compiled and the fact you've read a lot of the posts on eGullet, my guess is that you don't mind spending a lot for dining? Be prepared for spending around $35 and up for entrees at the restaurants you've listed. Appetizers will be in the $15-$25 range, more for caviar and foie gras. Desserts will be in the $10-15 range. On the top end, the Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spices that is often found on the menu at Guy Savoy was priced at $70 in May. That's just the entree. Their tasting menu was $350 with wines. That's the high end of the spectrum. The $48 3-course menu at Boulud that you mentioned is a steal of a deal. If you saw a tasting menu at Picasso priced at $105, yes that's also a great deal. Wine pairings would probably add another $100 or so. I have heard Chef Julian Serrano lives in Las Vegas and is in the kitchen nightly. I'll be able to affirm that when I dine there in November with my fellow Las Vegas foodie-rjwong. The second set of questions I ask people are exactly the questions that rj posed to you: "What kind of dining experience are you looking for? Is this guys' night out? girls' night out? Mixed group? "Ready for Halloween" people? "Nice & quiet place thank you" group? Please let us know." One of the worst experiences that can happen is when someone who is serious about spending a lot of money for a great dining experience in Las Vegas drags along a group of friends who don't share their passion about food. I use the comparison of people who maybe would feel more comfortable at a hip, loud, trendy place like Fix at Bellagio as opposed to a more sedate, quiet, serious food restaurant like Picasso downstairs at Bellagio. Fix has decent food-it's just not at the level of Picasso. But if you're serious about food and dining, any of the places you list should be more than worth the expense. The one exception would be David Burke. I'd avoid it. I haven't been there so I'm not qualified to deny you the experience-but based on the comments from my friend-John Curtas, local restaurant critic and host of shows about local dining on radio and tv-I'd avoid Burke's new place at The Venetian. John excoriated the place on a review he did for John Mariani. The chef is now gone, replaced with a new guy, so John recommends giving the new kitchen staff a few months to settle in before taking on another dinner at Burke. It's really wonderful to be faced with choosing only two out of 12 places that you listed. It's sort of like picking two of twelve flavors of cotton candy. This would be my two choices: Alex: Really exceptional food. I'd call it American cuisine using French techniques. A beautiful setting and just as the brochures say, you do in fact descend a staircase out of "Hello Dolly" to enter the dining room. I was there in May at a private winemaker's lunch and Chef Alex Stratta was in the kitchen. Chef Stratta and the staff make you feel comfortable and relaxed-it didn't seem pretentious or stuffy at all. I'm looking forward to their Tasting Menu when I go in November. Picasso: I haven't been yet-one month and counting before I get there. If you really can get the tasting menu for $105, that's a very good deal. I read their menu often and just based on the dishes the chef presents and the comments I read, I think your party would have a wonderful dinner.

Interesting that there hasn't been as many advocates for the Granny Smith than I would have anticipated for a discussion on apple pie. I'm lucky to live not far from the heart of apple country in Washington State-and we tend to use the Granny Smith in our pies. We like to say that Washington is the number one producer of apples in the country. I don't know if that is factually true, but I know we're right up there. I would rate the Granny Smith as my number one apple for pies-mainly because it is tart and holds its shape well while cooking. I also like a combination of Fuji's and Granny Smith for other cooked apple dishes. The Fuji is sweeter than the Granny Smith and still holds its shape while cooking. Right now I have a Dutch Apple Pie in the oven. I used a combination of Granny Smith, Fuji and Honeycrisp. I've never used the Honeycrisp apple so we'll see how that turns out. I'm hoping the Honeycrisp will cook down almost to a applesauce type of consistency while the other apples hold their shape. If it turns out I'll snap a photo and post later.

I love my "Showtime" Rotisserie Grill. It's about 5 years old and almost ready for an upgrade! I use it a lot-especially for roast chicken. It actually makes better roast chickens than I get at the supermarket. I cook them a bit longer than the recipe booklet recommends-I 'set it and forget it' for about 1 1/2 hours. You never have to worry about dry chicken-the fat and juices self-baste the chicken as it rotates-and I always get a crispy skin. I also use it for prime rib and game hens-although with game hens you have to jerry-rig the spit a bit since it is designed for larger poultry. It would be a cheap and wise investment. I think I paid around $185 for it 5 years ago. I suppose a lot of people would turn their nose up at the Showtime, but it really is just a small, home version of the basic rotisserie that you may find in really upscale restaurant kitchens-the industrial units that cost thousands!

David, Do you think I could substitute fennel for the parsnip? Recipe for the cider vinaigrette? Is the vinaigrette a little sweet? ← You could definately substitute fennel for the parsnip. I have also done this salad with sweet potato. I cut the apple and pears raw, leaving the skin on. I soak the cut fruit in a bit of chilled lemon water so it doesn't brown while I cut the vegetables. If I am using parsnip, turnip, rutabaga or sweet potato, I might blanch it in boiling water for a minute just to soften it up a bit, then chill in ice water to retain its crunch The vinaigrette is simple. Sorry, I don't have measurements but I know you've all got the expertise to make the vinaigrette to your own tastes. Dijon mustard Walnut Oil Apple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Sugar Salt Pepper Fresh thyme I like using walnut oil in this dish to accent the flavor of the toasted walnuts sprinkled on the salad. Yes, it is a vinaigrette on the sweet side.

I don't go to Costco much, but when I do, I always stock up on meat. Their NY Strip steaks are very good-thick cut, choice grade. They always have rack of lamb at around $11 a pound-an incredibly low price for rack of lamb in my area. And you normally can't find rack of lamb in the regular stores. I especially like the Costco 'Seafood Extravaganza' specials that they offer about every 6 weeks. The extravaganze usually includes huge diver scallops, king crab, dungeness crab, mussels, clams, oysters and my favorites when in season-fresh Alaskan halibut and fresh Alaskan spot prawns.

Last weekend: -Apple, Pear and Parsnip Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Bleu Cheese and Apple Cider Vinaigrette -Rotisserie Chicken. Yes, I use the handy-dandy Ron Popeil 'set it and forget it' equipment. -Rotisserie Chicken, Red Chard with Bacon, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Glace' -Slow-Roasted Duck, (more of the Red Chard and Mashed Potatoes), Huckleberry Compote

Thank you-it did turn out to be a dish using a few different cuisines. I really don't like the term 'fusion' on a restaurant menu because it sometimes means that there is trouble to come in a dish. In other words, fusion sometimes turns into 'confusion' in terms of flavors. But in the case of the merguez it worked really well. The spicy, smokiness of the lamb was balanced by the cool, crisp cucumber raita. And the corn tortillas added a nice crunch. I fry them myself using fresh corn tortillas that I cut into small rounds and then use tongs as they fry to shape them into little tacos. Worked pretty well.

I've been wanting some spicy meat dish ever since Little Ms. Foodie posted that delicious photo of Spicy Turkish Meat Pizzas. So yesterday I made my own Merguez Sausage. I ground up meat from a leg of lamb and combined it with a small amount of ground beef, then added lots of spices, including my own harissa and a good amount of smoked paprika. I fryed some corn tortillas to serve as the pockets for the meat filling, then added a cucumber raita sauce on top of the meat. The rice is simply steamed Basmati with some toasted pine nuts, dried apricots and fresh parsley. I was worried the meat mix would be too spicy but it was pretty tame.

Sounds like you already got started on your dessert, but I'd also suggest making a Tarte Tatin, especially since we are in the midst of apple season. I started making a Tarte Tatin just yesterday that I'll serve tonight. The photo below is a Tarte Tatin I made a while back using pears. Pears are also good in a Tarte Tatin, but of course, apples are the classic. Here's my recipe: Apples 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces 10-12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in half 1 ½ cups granulated sugar Pastry 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup cake flour 1 tbsp. superfine granulated sugar ½ tsp. salt 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces ½ cup Crisco shortening, chilled, cut into pieces ½ cup ice water Heat oven to 400°. Heat a 10-12" round and 2-3" deep heavy ovenproof non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add butter to skillet and melt. Add sugar to skillet and stir with butter until sugar is melted. Remove from heat and arrange apples side by side in skillet. Place skillet in oven and let cook for 1 hour or until apples are soft and puffy. Remove skillet from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover skillet with foil and refrigerate overnight. This lets the apples cool down into the caramelized sugar. To make the pastry, combine flour, cake flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter and Crisco into small pea size bits. Mix in enough ice water with a fork until the pastry comes together. Form pastry into a ball and cover completely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate pastry for at least one hour before using. To complete the Tarte Tatin, heat oven to 350°. Take the the skillet and the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll out the pastry to 1/8" thickness. Gently place the pastry over the apples in the skillet. Trim edge of pastry so that about ½" overhangs skillet. Press in edges of pastry to inside of skillet. Bake skillet in oven just until pastry is golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. To unmold the Tarte Tatin, place a plate over the top of skillet and carefully turn over the skillet. The Tarte Tatin should easily invert onto the plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

"Cloying"-which to me is a term used by negligible restaurant 'critics' who don't have the knowledge of food and cooking to use another term to describe a dish that is 'sticky' so they use 'cloying' because they've read it in other critics reviews. "Confit"-used to describe dishes that are anything but prepared in the true sense of the term 'confit.' For example, 'Confit of Strawberries.' And may I ask, are you saying that you prepared your strawberries by stewing them in goose or duck fat? If you slow-cooked the strawberries in their own juice call it like it is-"Strawberries Poached in Juice." Don't play tricks on unsuspecting diners by calling your dish something it is not. I really don't like all the trendniness we see on many of today's menus where a sacred culinary technique like 'confit' is used to describe something that is not at all truly 'confit.' They think their trendy-and lengthy-menu descriptions are chi-chi and will somehow lure the diner into thinking because they've called the dessert 'confit of strawberries' that it's going to be a great dish-and one they can charge $15 bucks for. Worst of all, they do fool most of the people most of the time.

You cut the skin off, and then put it under the broiler to crisp the skin which you've cut off? ← No-I just cut the outer 'rind' which is the outer skin of the pig. I leave the layer of fat that is just under the rind. I find the rind can be incrediby tough when it is crisp. So I cut that off and leave the remaining fat layer. That layer of fat protects the meat yet leaves you with enough fat to get a crispy layer. Sorry, my previous answer wasn't totally clear. Good question.

One of my favorite cuts of pork to be sure. Oh the fatty belly. It's about the only cut of pork that I can get close to the fatty and delicious pork we ate when I was a kid-about 40 years ago and long before that silly "the other white meat" marketing campaign. I buy fresh pork belly from a local Asian market. But I cook it in different styles-sometimes Asian, sometimes American with French influences. I usually cut the outer rind off and leave the thick layer of fat on. I only season the pork with salt, black pepper and sometimes a bit of Cajun seasoning. I stick it in a large Le Creuset pot and add the lid. I don't add extra liquid to the pot-the pork belly oozes juice and fat, which creates steam and cooking liquid for the pork to braise in. I usually braise the belly in a 275 oven for 4-hours for a 3-4lb. chunk of meat. I take the pork belly out of the oven and stick it on a cookie rack over a sheet pan and then stick it back in the oven under the broiler to crisp the skin. The meat always turns out incredibly juicy, the skin very crisp. Here are some photos of a pork belly I cooked using this method. It was served with mashed potatoes and a green peppercorn sauce.

Peter-next time try searching the web or looking in your cookbooks for recipes with rabbit in mustard sauce. That's a classical pairing-the tanginess of mustard against the sweetness of the rabbit meat. I do a braised dish of rabbit with mustard sauce and I add some wild mushrooms, usually morels in season. It's sort of the theory that what 'grows together goes together.' In other words, we shoot little Peter Cottontail in the forest where the morels grow!

David, do you have an online source for crab delivery? ← Try www.pikeplacefish.com. It's the guys who throw the salmon at the market in Seattle. While the throwing bit is a part of their shtick to tourists, they do have really good seafood. I looked at the site today and their Dungeness crabs are $24.95 each. I think they would be reliable. Since I live in Spokane, (only a 45 minutes flight from Seattle), I can get fresh crabs within a day of harvest so I don't have to shop online, but I'm sure the guys at the market would ship you really fresh crabs.