Kouign Aman

Hi echall! Welcome to eGullet. This is such a vivid image of impending disaster:

Sharp, sharper, sharpest. Sliced very very thinly, eaten with glee and few distractions. My dad taught us to love sharp cheeses. (He likes the slices thicker than I do. We both like the crumbling.) We'll both just open a block of cheese, sit with a sharp knife, and pare away happily. Holy cow. That might just send me on a mission one of these days. I wonder if they ship. Dad's 70th birthday is coming up. editted for coherence.

Honey spread on bread and let sit for hours, 'til it permeates the bread and makes it gently crunchy.

Its really nice to see your kitchen as a working kitchen! Is there a chance we could get another shot that includes the yummy red dining chairs? Thanks for blogging, both of you. I spent one week in Syracuse in the early'80s for a sports festival. Enough time to know that the east and west coast of the US are indeed different. 'Twas fun. We stayed in the SU dorms. Underground dorm facilities (tunnels, sundry shop, laundry) were a revelation to a California kid. As were the covered stairs down the hill. All I can remember of the food (served in the cafeteria) is that my partner was hugely disappointed by the salad bar, and I was tickled pink to see apple butter every day. We did enjoy going 'in to town' as we thought of it, to get frozen custard.

Two diagonal cuts generates 4 plump triangles oozing filling. Yum. Especially good with 'tea sandwiches' made with the crusts trimmed off.

I can't remember eating anything 'heavy' in the few days I was in Italy. Even the lasagna we were served twice was 'light' in feel, flavor and stomach impact. 'Traditional' might be best designated by "are the locals happy with it?". Even tho' they might never order it, since they can get it at home. Tradition does have a way of gently mutating to include better tasting ingredients. Potatoes replaced turnips in Irish stew, etc.

Could it have been this eGCI course, The Potato Primer ? Please note this link takes you to the course. There is a link to the Q&A topic in the first post of the course topic.

If a person only had one yeast upc to mail in, it would make more sense to donate the stamp! I haven't seen a tie-in (yet) but I can imagine prostate cancer research tie-ins to tomato sauce/paste/juice and to pumpkin seeds. The pink ribbon folks do seem to have a high level of marketing savvy.

Thanks for blogging! Its been a fun week. What does a sourcream cow look like? I've seen creamcows in abundance. Tho this is the first buttercow I've seen, her structure is obvious. But the third sister's probable shape eludes me! Thanks again and happy trails!

Perhaps you could treat them like cut flowers: trim the stem ends and place them in a glass or vase of water.

Thanks for the input. Perhaps its a brandname. There is clearly no G. It is rosella. A nice rich reddish color. Tasted a bit like jamaica. I'm going to have to photograph the label i think. Its got a picture of something that almost looks like flower buds on it. Is rosella ever used as a term for hibiscus blossoms? (My on-line translator had no idea what to do with the word). Chayote sweet... hmmmmm.

When I am in tourist mode, I want at least one good traditional meal. Its part of the travel experience. And is probably a good income-driver for a restaurant in a tourist area. However, there's room on the menu for both as Divina notes. If I'm in one area several days, I'm going to be ready for something less traditional, and would be intrigued by something innovative. I'm thinking that hathor could experiment to her heart's content, and when something is made that is new and delicious, put it on the menu. The first night at Erba Luna, I would probably choose as traditional a meal as I knew how to, but night two might belong to those chili squash petals and their kin.

I think sweet salty seafood followed by peas sounds like a good progression. I'm very curious about Roquefort trifle. It could be delightful.

The first pancake usually goes onto a cold pan. So once its good, turn the heat down a bit. I usually get an undercooked or very very slow first pancake, when the stove is set right for the subsequent ones. I cook pancakes on one side only, 'til the bubbles pop. Then I flip it just long enough to tan the other side. One side ends up a nice even tan, the other is a bit blotchy looking, but tastes fine.

Peanut butter with sundried tomato pesto (I like this on curry-naan from Trader Joe's). We used to make sandwiches with peanut butter and nectarines. Your idea with chilis sounds like it would go well with this combination.

sage and oily cooked onions

Are there places at which you eat only when you are out on the bike?

When I was 12, I was making frosting. I'm thinking making her own will help her learn the textures etc to use for the various techniques. Also has to be much cheaper. I'll be interested to see what the more experienced have to say.

I'd forgotten brown sugar. If there's time, I'll mix it with butter as I spoon it up. If there's more time, I'll melt butter on a flour tortilla, then top with brown sugar.

spoonfuls of : ginger marmalade turbinado sugar An entire pack of sugar free gum, one stick at a (rapid) time

Sausage King : loved the bacon but was amazed at its shrinkage - to about 25% starting size. Still, it had enough flavor to be used strip for strip vs Costco stuff. Salamis: liked some, thought they were very similiar in general. There are some smoked sausages hanging from the back wall that I want to try sometime. The place smells incredible inside. Just remembering the smell of the smoke and meats is making my mouth water. Good smoked Gouda too. Boll Weevil - the one on 2nd in El Cajon is now a big hole in the ground. Its kinda like McD's leaving. I didnt love the food, but its been a San Diego institution for a long time now.

Who's the new chef? (from another thread:) I guess not - I had no idea he had left. When did we leave? I last ate there a month ago and it was as delicious as usual. ← I think he left about 6-8 weeks ago. Heard a rumor he landed at 1500 Ocean at the Del, but don't quote me on that. ←

I woke up one morning and headed to the kitchen with a full meal menu in mind. I knew I had all the ingredients, and exactly where each of them was stored. None of them were there. Nor were they anywhere in the kitchen, house, car.... I apparently dreamed the entire trip to the supermarket, complete with checkout, wince at total cost, and unloading the bags at home.

I hope the birding is grand this year. Its been fun to read your blog. Thank you!

All that looks and sounds soooo good. I always figured chilaquiles were like bread pudding - a delicious way to rescue stale bread and stretch the food budget. Here's something you might try: before Grandmother starts cooking, weigh everything. Write all the weights down (on paper, on masking tape on the container, whatever). When she's done cooking, weigh everything again. As long as she didnt throw stuff away, the difference is what she used. (If you see throwage about to happen, weigh that too!) Its painstaking, she'll tease you about it unmercifully, but its a great way to capture a recipe from an intuitive cook. (Of course, Grandmother never makes it exactly the same way twice.... but its a starting place).