Kouign Aman

First meal together was in the rain in the English Park in Munich. We shared plates with 3 good friends as we huddled under umbrellas and enjoyed the rain splashing just beyond us. I know there was a mushroom dish, something sausage, and the rest escapes me. 2nd was squid in its ink, and pasta, Lido (nr Venice), with prosecco. Somewhere on the island, we got gelato for dessert. First food cooked by one of us for the other: he for me - snacks: brie baked with intensely caramellized onions, sliced baquette, warm, and chocolate mousse. First meal cooked by one of us for the other was probably he for me, breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, toast, coffee (which he had to buy because he was not then an imbiber). Shortly thereafter we did thanksgiving together for my family and my sister's new inlaws at my place, and that Sunday we did a 6 course dinner for 14 at his place - his friends, people I was acquainted with. He had enough matching glassware for all the wines. We only had to pick up liqueur glasses. Although we hadnt known each other long, we did those two meals without fighting, which we thought might bode well for the future. We work well together.

Holy Cow! The indian hawthorne is blooming! Its spring! I am not prepared. I was given a strawberry plant this weekend. Time to look em up in Sunset.

"more thoroughly" ? Are you asking if something immersed in boiling water becomes more cooked than something blanketed in steam? Not in my experience, tho it may reach a certain point of done-ness sooner.

Thank you for all the time and care you put into this blog. Its such fun to see my town from your perspective, to read your writing, and to learn from you. Your new avatar is "just ducky" , tho I confess I miss the intense purple and the fabulous frivolous feather. Good luck as you keep that lizard under wraps.

I roasted my first ever chicken a couple of weeks ago. I bought it, pulled the unwanted bits out, washed it, patted it dry, rubbed it with table salt, put it on a bed of onions and garlic cloves, with a split lemon inside it. It was a 5 lb bird and took 2 hours to finish (cant remember what temp I was using). The top half was perfect skin ( which I snarfed before anyone else could get close) and the lower half wasnt, because it was 'braising' in the vegie juices. I need a roasting rack. Or a beer can. So my answer is - no, you dont need to let the chicken sit before cooking it. I picked that sucker clean and used the bones and wings and soggy skin to make a strong stock which has been used to make soup, and rice this week. Some went into the freezer for fast soup in the future.

My version is from the 70's and has no listing under Dutch baby, or anything I recognized as a synonym. I made ned's recipe this morning in an 8" skillet. The edges were excellent. The center was a dense slightly sweet flan. Conclusion - skillet too small. I might also like more milk, less egg in the mix.

I am impressed by your daughter's willingness to keep trying, especially when she wasnt feeling well. I've traveled with adults who had less gitzle. I remember traveling as a child. It was always easier for me to try new things earlier in the day. At the end of a day with few breaks, lots to see, and little control of the situation*, some times it was hard to face one more adventure. I seem to remember milk and cereal = my parents version of the 'pre-meal' you mention on Varmints NYC w 4 kids thread. Those little boxes that turn into bowls pack quite nicely in a camera bag, and in Europe, it was always easy to find milk. *kids dont get many decisions once the actual vacation begins. The plans made in advance, and the urgency to see as much as possible dictate so much of what is decided.

I just read the german pancake recipe in Joy of Cooking. It has no flour! 2T of cornstarch, sugar, liquid, eggs. Dutchbaby recipes must be very forgiving. None of the recipes I've found give pan dimensions.

You look very good. Isnt it great to see it as well as know the impressive number of pounds you've lost? Kudos, again. I'm glad its paying dividends in comfort as well. Your first blog was the impetus for me to move from lurker to member, and I remember your descriptions of pain during your farmer's market sojurn. I wish you continued success in both setting appropriate goals, and meeting them. And of course, success with and for San Diego.eats.it. I too have wondered about the popularity of naming urban streets after Euclid. There's one in Brooklyn too, if memory serves. Anybody got a clue about this? ← There's one in Irvine too. Maybe its a convenient "E" for streets running in alphabetical series? I have a hard time imagining city planners coming up with a series of mathematican or philosopher-named streets. "The Golden Arches, iat the intersection of Archimedes and Nietsche." You've really captured color in your food photos. Nice. and just what IS that bright purple stuff? Cabbage? Purple potato salad? I've mashed 'em and get a light lilac. This presentation takes much better advantage of the effect.

never mind.

How did pecan pie get left off the thanksgiving table? Tragedy!

peanut butter and sliced nectarine sandwich. Excellent.

One local chinese restaurant, run by the same folks for at least the 23 years my husband has been going there, dealt with our just-turned-2 year old uniquely. Munchkin is pretty good in the right kind of restaurant. It helps if there's a level of ambient noise, as volume control is a recently emerging skill. Munchkin was a bit boisterous and tired that night, and was talking a lot, loudly. So we were serving soup as fast as we could cool it down, to keep the noise level down. Munchkin was rolling thru the soup but wouldnt touch the gyoza or rice or beef or broccoli (usual favorites). It sounded like a snake convention in our corner with all the parental shushes. The lady owner came by and looked at our kid, who beamed back and saiid "Hi Gramma!".The lady said "I expect you to eat all that food before I come back. Eat a bite now and show me." So the munchkin did. Hooray for the chinese grandmothers of anglo-saxon kids! And hooray for family restaurants that seat familieswkids in a different section than the romantic couples and business folks.

Lookin' good! Remind me, please, how tall are you? Memory tickles and says 6', but I'm too tired for a detailed reread of this great thread.

I'd forgotten lemon juice with the powdered sugar, but thats how the no-apple ones were served. Popover and yorkshire pud batter benefit from being mixed up the night before and sitting in the fridge overnight. Does the dutchpancake also?

Ah. I hope everyone knows by now that once in a blue moon I exaggerate the situation for effect. ... Have you had a Cornish game hen recently, Kougin Aman? I can't compare their skins to a chicken's, though the meat is tastier in general for a battery-bred bird. To me, the skin is so much thinner and lighter, delicate . . . it just doesn't give me the rush a good crispy chicken skin does. ← Exaggerate? You??? I dont think I've had a Cornish Game Hen since I was 5. My parents are from Britain. Apparently when I was 5 I walked into the house at 2 in the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day and asked "When are we having the turkey?". This was the first notice they had that I was expecting a Thanksgiving Dinner, thanks to my kindergarten teacher. My folks, after stopping a moment to quell panic, pulled two birds out of the freezer and told me they were baby turkeys. I was content. The only time I roast* a chicken at home, I was the only one home. The skin did not make it into the fridge. I felt no guilt. I might feel guilty if I scarf it all next time. Only time will tell. Since we're still working on that one bird, it might be a month or so. *my feeling for grammar says "roast" is the past tense of "to roast". But when I read that sentence, it sounds funny.

Sausage-stuffed zucchinni

That is a glorious picture of concentration - your son peeling that shrimp. If I were into 'food art' in my home, I'd be pm'ing you for permission to print it. Oh yes, clean up. Emptying the dishwasher still fascinates munchkin, who takes responsibility for the silverware. Hand-washing dishes is hilarious, as water is swirled, spilled, every tool (sponge/brush/etc) is tested, and we have a serious floor mop up at the end. And that is where munchkin balks - very strong resistance to mopping up the puddle. I have to laugh secretly. I forgot to mention that breaking yolks is also a prerogative. There is something fascinating about popping it with one's fingers. We do a lot of mid-prep handwashing. We made scalloped potatoes last night. 3rd time for me, 1st for the munchkin. I was able to slice the spud alone in kitchen, and then we (about 50/50 division of labor) buttered, layered, floured, dotted with butter. I added the milk and we cooked it in the nuclear oven so we could watch it. No nice top crust like baking would produce, but it was lots of fun to watch the milk bubble and thicken into sauce with the flour and butter. Since we all three enjoyed the food, and the process was a hoot, I think this is a keeper for us. One day the munchkin will be old enough to wait for the potatoes to bake. Right now, we operate on a very tight schedule at dinner time. I wonder if the crusty version will meet with approval? We also steamed skinny green asparagus. All of a sudden, I hear a small voice singing "Trust in Me" from The Jungle Book (cartoon version), holding and swaying a stem of asparagus, then eating it bite by bite, asking with each "What happened to the snake?", then starting the song again. Despite multiple offerings over the past two years, this is first time asparagus was actually eaten. Happy dance! I knew I loved that movie!

HotDog! I've had this on my list of recipes to locate and you saved me the trouble. Muchas Gracias! Eta: Have you ever baked apples into yours? One of the local restaurants does that, tho the best I ever had was near the 405 exit in Marina Del Rey.

I'm waiting for them to develop a chicken that's more skin than meat, Ruth. ← How about Cornish Game Hens?

The munchkin long since graduated from the baby-food thread, and recently began helping in the kitchen. How did / would you approach engaging your child's interest in cooking? What recipes work/ed well? When do / did you allow them to help with things on the stove, in the oven, that needed cutting? The munchkin is 2 1/2, and owns egg-breaking in our home. No one else may break eggs in sight of the munchkin. This is a very vigorously guarded prerogative. Over the last month, we've progressed to tapping the wide part intead of the end, and I'm spending progressively less time fishing out scraps of shell. Munchkin happily stirs, empties measuring cups, etc, but isnt too patient. As an avid Sponge-Bob fan, the munchkin is a self-proclaimed fry-cook (announcing "I a Fry-Cook!" in piping treble tones) and is completely ecstatic to wield a spatula to relocate something from pan to plate. Another favorite is patting or rolling out the pizza dough and laying on the toppings. (A vinyl cloth on the floor has become one of my best friends.) The other day, the munchkin and I made cornbread, "from scratch" chicken soup, and dumplings. Corn bread was tasted and rejected, and dumplings didnt even rate an exploratory taste. The extra stock gelled in the fridge, and the "chicken jelly" is a favorite. Go figure! I'd love to hear stories of how you or your kids grew in the kitchen, if making stuff helped them be adventurous in trying stuff, and how you handled safety as well as interest.

I watch closely as my smallone touches all the food on your plate. If a piece is missed, I point it out, so the oversight can be remedied immediately.

Cooking wine has a seriously "off" flavor, from the expected range for wine. Its salted. I think slkinsey's pegged it.

Holy shit! Not only batter-fried pizza, but oh my god what a batter! ROFLMAO! Sounds best un-remembered. Like the fresh apple daquiris we once made. Chewy booze.

I'm athinking, but I'm only at 3. Guess I gots to/gets to go shopping! Sriracha - all purpose heat Tobasco original - its just the right one for dousing bacon. End of story. Lousiana hot sauce or Franks, or similar - critical "wings" component I think a smokysweet hot sauce might be nice to have around the house.