Carolyn Tillie

My initial reaction would have been a Sauvignon Blanc as well. I have a huge problem with Chards pairing with food - so often the butter and oak in Chardonnay contradicts other flavors to a point of distraction. So often it can ruin a dish. You mention mango and lime - another suggestion would have been a Gewurtz. I beat this drum to death, but the Alsation-style Gewurtztraminers that are low residual sugar (less than 1%) work really well. So many people dismiss Gewurtz because they are used to the really sweet ones - 3%+ residual sugar. Alsation-style is much drier and lovelier with flavors like you mentioned. For a red, there is always Pinot Noir - there is this addage that Pinot goes with just about anything and when in doubt, I'll open a Pinot and am rarely disappointed.

Without affiliation, I've been putting "Freelance Writer" which somewhat acts as advertising for me, letting contacts know that I am available for hire.

Thanksgiving Day is over - the kitchen is clean - the leftovers are tucked away for a week's worth of savory eating. I'm not a newspaper reader so I don't bother with the circulars that tell of this amazing sale or that stupendous deal but as everyone else is napping, I do log into e-mail and eGullet before heading to bed. I'm surprised when a nice penpal companion about 75 miles away sends out a notice that there is a deal to be had at Home Depot - a 47-bottle wine cooler that normally runs over $300 on sale for $139. For some reason, I wake up early on Friday morning and think, "yes, that would be a lovely X-mas gift for Shawn." We've been collecting a lot of rather nice bottles and not storing them in an optimum setting so here was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. As I was dressed and almost out the door, Shawn woke up and I confessed my mission (I'm terrible with surprises). He quickly donned his winter gear as we headed to the store. We were lucky - there were four left. Only when we got to the car did we realize that it was going to be a struggle to fit this fridge in our small car. Opening the trunk, that option was quickly dismissed. Shawn was measuring the dimensions on the front door, thinking he could get it in there as I was calling my sister, to enlist the aid of her SUV. I convinced Shawn to give up trying to fit it in our car, as my sister was on her way over. But, while standing in the drizzling rain for fifteen minutes, no less than three different folks with large pick-up trucks, ask if we needed help. "How far do you live?" One man asked, offering his flatbed. Another, "I'm happy to help you deliver that to your house, if you're close by!" Assuring these kind samaritans that help was on the way, I was warmed by the offerings made by strangers. Maybe it was the fact that we were buying a wine fridge - would they have been so giving if we were standing there with a powersaw? I'm beginning to think so - the goodwill of the holidays changes people, which surprised me. Something like this had never happened to me before and it makes me more inclined to extend the kindness myself, if I see someone in need. Cheers - and happy holidays, everyone!

I use the trick written by Cook's Illustrated - start with the bird breast-side down, browning the bottom first for 45 minutes, then turning so each leg is up for 15 minutes on each side, finishing up with the breast-side up the last. Yeah, it is pretty hard to muscle the bird and get it turned (especially when it is a 20 pounder or so). But I always end up with a uniformally-browned bird.

From what I gather from their article, it has to do with the fact the wine "combines outstanding quality with fair price and wide availability." i.e., not just the wine with the highest points. Edited to add comment - this is what WS says... I'm certainly not agreeing with it, just trying to answer your question. Now that I have looked back over their list of the 100, my jaw drops open, aghast.

Shawn and I are chocolate snobs - we limit our consumption (generally) to Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, and Michel Cluizel. I would investigate both the Michel Cluizel and Valrhona for experimentations as both companies make versions of their chocolate from different sources and different <ahem> strengths. It helps to learn the difference in taste between a Dark Chocolate that is 60% Cocoa, 72% Cocoa, 85% Cocoa, and 99% Cocoa. I also had this amazing box from Michel Cluizel that were Susan B. Anthony coin-sized disks of chocolate imprinted with their country of origin. It was very informative to do a tasting and realize just how spectacularly different a chocolate from eight or ten different countries. Lastly, we keep a supply of Valrhona Noir Orange Gasronomie (56% Cacao [sic]) for Shawn to have with Cognac - he likes that pairing a lot and will often finish the evening with a small snifter and a chunk of Orange-infused Dark Chocolate.

Back during the dot-com boom, I worked at a dot-com in Torrance, California that bordered an area that has the best Japanese food in the state. However, we had a handful of Chinese engineers and, confident they had to know the best Chinese food to be found, I convinced them to take me to lunch. It was a grand affair and little did I know that we had to drive over an hour away, to Monrovia, to Tung Lai Shun - Islamic Chinese. Four of the six engineers involved in this sojourn spoke little English so as we entered the restaurant, the owner immediately came out and a blur of Chinese began to be spoke. Little did I know that I would never see a menu, they had just begun to order us lunch. Within a few minutes, a waitress came out and presented us with an entire duck - for our approval. When the guys nodded their assent, she deftly started disassembling the bird for their version of MooShu - instead of the thin pancakes, the duck meat, hoisin sauce, and cucumber shreds were put into breaded sesame pockets. The remainder of the bird was hacked up and re-appeared in a large cauldron of soup. I never did see a menu but recall a spicy dish of duck tongues, savory beef tendon, the most amazing garlic-sauteed spinach, yet a different soup (with noodles, this time), a scallion-filled round of bread, and five or six other dishes the contents of which I never learned. I just remember how amazed I was at the bounty and flavor of all this amazing food. The engineers who didn't speak to me because of the language barrier beemed at my gustatorial enjoyment of the adventure. I was doubly amazed that while we had enough food to feed a dozen people (and none of it was finished), all six engineers insisted I take home the leftovers to share with Shawn. He and I ate for days and no Chinese meal ever was able to compare with that afternoon. Part of it was also the fact that we were out of the office for hours, and I had a great boss who knew of the adventure and covered for my absence.

I've hosted several wine/chocolate tastings and it can be surprising just how good heftier red wines go with chocolate. As always, it depends on the notes within the specific wine. Spicier Zinfandels can complement dark chocolate (around 70%) while I enjoy Cabernet with chocolates that are above 80%. Port, Banyuls, and Late Harvest Reds always seem to work with darker chocolates as well. I'm not sure there is any wine that goes with Milk Chocolate...

I talked to a friend on the City Council last night who knew nothing about this rumor - it doesn't mean that there isn't a faction out there who will try and get it addressed by the council, but right now it is just rumor.

Consider another possibility - while not dulled tastebuds, simply untrained tastebuds. This last weekend, I had a wine-newbie friend visit me in Napa and I did the Wine Tasting 101 course with him. A lot of it is training and learning to detect what may or may not be there. It is something one can learn and, like Carema said, learning to smell what is around you will start to train your nose into detecting specific smells.

I think your being too hard on them - take a pumpkin pie and dust it with sugar then torch it. Pumpkin pie brulee kicks ass. You have four pies, which could make for some interesting expriments. You could brine two of the pies, then heat all four and see if you can tell the difference. Or you could deep fry them! I agree with Seth, you should brine them. The clincher came last night - along with the pies, my sister bought a roll-filled bread basket (literally, a basket made from bread dough) from Safeway... (explaining the boycott due to the strike obviously never sunk in). Aggggh - store-bought rolls!?!?!!?!? Fortunately, I have enough wine to numb me through the day.

A Foodie's Ten Days of Christmas 1 Bartlett, Bosc, Beurre Blanc The partridge roasted golden My ordeal begins 2 Not poultry again Two doves are hardly filling Wild rice will help 3 I'm sick of birds but Three hens as coq au vin Pure joy with salad 4 Ortolons so small Two for me and two for you I'll open the wine 5 At last something sweet Ewald Notter pulls sugar Into rings of gold 6 Plectopterus reigns Pâtés de Foie Gras Strasbourg '44 d'Yquem 7 Can swans be eaten? They were in 1400 Pretty tough, I'll bet 8 Milk maids hard at work Wensleydale, Pierre Robert Perfection consumed 9 Aproned waitresses In choreographed service Nine, with plates in hand 10 Ten Lords? I think not Just prima donna waiters Who all want to act 11 Pipers arrivée Each with bags full of frosting Pastry chefs are gods 12 The drummers cadence Beats a beginning, perhaps Or is it an end?

Mudbug; Wow. Thank you!

They slipped significantly when they were purchased by Almaden... Used to be a fabulous wine, when not corporately-owned and operated.

Nope, you are not the only one. I said I was opening a Gewurtz & a Pinot to do just what you are doing alternating. And I do it often, not just at Thanksgiving.

Like Melkor said - start with some bubbly! I forgot about that point... If only for yourself! It will make the day go much more smoothly!

I use it in teas where I want a darker 'feel' to it... (hard to describe, but lovely).

Winter 2002, Volume 1, Number 1 Cover Lunch by George Tooker, 1964 Tooker, of the Magical-Realist movement, creates muted-toned, crisply-outlined figures in a haunting, prosaic situation. From the Editor Celebrating American Food by Darra Goldstein “Talking Food History – How does the study of food enrich your life? Borborygmus - Rumblings from the World of Food Sacrifice of the Innocents Letter to the editor from John Fletcher regarding Spring, 2001-published article by Nancy Harmon Jenkins Agrarian Food Patterns Letter to the editor from Barbara Santich regarding Spring, 2001-published article by Sidney Mintz and Daniela Schlettwein-Gsell – with response by Mintz. Cartoon Black-and-white rendition of a dog, talking to a cat, “My ideological bent is, and always has been, towards foo.” Jean-Louis Flandrin (1931-2001) by Albert Sonnenfeld A eulogy to preeminent French culinary historian. A Journey Through Mexican Cuisine by Giorgio De’Angeli Remarking on the innovative culinary studies program being established by the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Eat Art: Joseph Beuys, Diet Roth, and Sonja Alhäuser at the Busch-Reisinger Museum by Shin Yu Pai A review of an art exhibit based on an exploration of edible and organic materials. With a half-page, full-color photograph of Joseph Beuys’ Capri Batter, Germany, 1985, depicting a yellow light bulb set next to a lemon. A Survey of American Culinary Collections by Madge Griswold An overview of several university’s culinary collections as determined by the International Association of Culinary Professionals Foundation. The Jane Grigson Trust Bursary 2002 Invitation for applications. Orts and Scantlings Pigeon’s Milk by Mark Morton Invented words and phrased and how they become foods. With a half-page, black-and-white woodcut by Edward Lear of Columba Livia, var. Gutturosa, from The Natural History of Pigeons, 1835. Feast For The Eye Man Ray’s “Electricité” by Stefanie Spray Jandl Barely food-related, this article is about Man Ray’s sojourn into an experiment in electricity-enriched photographs. With a full-page, black-and-white photogravure from Ray of Salle à Manger and a half-page, black-and-white photogravure of Cuisine both from Electricité Dix Rayogrammes, 1931. Essay Messages in a Bottle by Barbara Kirschenblatt-Gimblett A somewhat sappy remembrance a deceased friend. Includes six recipes mentioned within the eulogy. With a half-page, full-color photograph and written word montage by Max Gimblett and Matt Jones entitled Delicious Pudding and a one-third page, black-and-white drypoint etching of Max Gimblett by Anne, 1967. Inventions The Patented Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: Food as Intellectual Property by Anna M. Shih Surprisingly interesting account of how the J.M. Smucker Company’s Menusaver division obtained a U.S. patent for a “Sealed Crestless Sandwich.” Taking up a half-page, two black-and-white drawings of sheets three and four of four of the patent drawings. Photographs Heavy in White by Lynn Bianchi Brief commentary by photographer Bianchi about her work utilizing a corpulent model being served by “normal”-shaped women. Anyone unfamiliar with the photographer’s work should take a look: http://www.lynnbianchi.com/ Includes a full-page, black-and-white Servitude 1 and Lalique both from 1998. Investigations Alaska’s Vanishing Arctic Cuisine by Zona Spray Very extensive history and culture of Eskimo cuisine. With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of a seal oil dish used to light sod or snow houses and warm prepared foods and a half-page, full-color photograph of sealskin poke filled with meat, dried fish, and seal oil, and a quarter-page, full-color photograph depicting the modern-day technique of rendering seal oil from blubber. The Origins of Trachanás: Evidence from Cyprus and Ancient Texts by William Woys Weaver This is an historical analysis of Trachanás which is a porridge made from cracked wheat and soured goats milk. With a quarter-page, full-color photograph of Tranchanás in the form of flat cakes from Gourri, Cyprus and a quarter-page, full-color photograph of Alexandrian “olyra” (Triticum Dicoccum) and ”ereikte” (grits) in a first-century A.D. dish from the Roughwood Seed Collection.. ”We Eat First With Our Eyes”: On Ghanaian Cuisine by Fran Asseo-Asare A look at various foodstuffs, culture, hospitality, and food migration. Includes a quarter-page, black-and-white line drawing of two women pounding “fufu and a one-third page, full-color photograph of a box of Tropiway Fufu Flower, one of the most popular brands among Ghanaians. It contains plantain, cassava, and “granular potatoes.” But also BHT and FD&C Yellow #5.. Fundamentals Apple Parers: A Slice of American History by Don Thornton A look at mechanical apple peeling contraptions. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of The Climax, patented May 11, 1869 by Geo. W. Brokaw and a half-page, two black-and-white shots of The Champion…patented November 11, 1866…. Poem A conversation between Huidobro and Braque by Shin Yu Pai Is a poem a poem? And isn’t an orange just an orange, And not an apple? Five additional lines follow along with a quarter-page, full-color image that I believe is a painting by George Braque but is not credited. Libations Confessions of a Tea Drinker by Marguerite Dorian Title tells all – except that it is written from a Russian perspective. With a one-third, full-color line drawing (cartoon) of four Russians sitting around a samovar. Remains of the Day Shelf Life by Jeanne Schinto Venerable food collections that occur out of happenstance – why do people save old food. With a quarter-page, full-color reproduction of a Smithfield can of Pork with Barbeque Sauce. Memoir Memories of an Exiled Shetlander by Ethel G. Hofman Article as title describes – rather makes me long for Scotland and that food. Also includes a glossary of Scottish food words and three recipes; Shetland Bannocks, Coconut Cake, and Fried Gefilte Fish. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph taken in the late 1960s of Greenwald shops on Commercial Street, Lerwick and a one-third page, full-color photograph of Jean and Harry Greenwald, finishing up the tea break at a whist drive in Lerwick, also late 1960s. Archive On Being Married to M.F.K. Fisher by Joan Reardon Author Reardon comments on text by Donald Friede (Fisher was his fifth wife, Friede was Fisher’s third husband) from a manuscript held in a private collection of Kennedy Friede Golden. With a full-page, black-and-white photograph of M.F.K. Fisher grilled at Bareacres and a full-page of three black-and-white photographs of M.F.K. Fisher in the kitchen at Bareacres and with Donald Friede, Anne, and Kennedy, 1947. Origins Pho: The Vietnamese Addiction by Alexandra Greely A history and perspective, including a recipe from the Green Papaya Restaurant in Brisbane, Australia. With a half-page, reproduction of a sepia-toned postcard dated October 13, 1905 depicting an itinerant purveyor of food in Tonkin (North Vietnam). Evolutions Brownies: A Memoir by Lisa Yockelson A family memory of brownies, including two recipes, a version of Grandmother’s brownies and another, Dark, Deeply Chcocolate Brownies. Includes a lively, page-and-a-half, sepia-toned photograph of the author’s late father, Bernard Yockelson, grandmother, Lillian Yockelson, grandfather, Louis Yockelson, and uncle, Wilbert Yockelson, at the boardwalk in Atlantic City, mid 1940s. Working on the Food Chain Food Irradiation by Robert L. Wolke A scientific look at the application of nuclear radiation on food. Chef’s Page Savoy by Peter Hoffman This chef comments more about the development of The Dinner Series. Of all the Chef’s Pages, this one is sadly missing a lovely accompanying photograph, although there is an excerpt of ”Blackberry Eating” from Mortal Acts by Galway Kinnell, ©1980. WWFood The Emerald Isle by John McKenna On Irish cuisine and culture with commentary about modern published books, and evolution of the cuisine. With a half-page, full-color photograph of the entrance to Guinness. Spilled Beans The East Passage Club by Sylvia M. Henderson The EPC grew from the U.S. Navy’s “experiment in gourmet food and fine dining on their base in Newport, Rhode Island.” History and commentary with reproduction of three menus, one from 1969, 1982, and 1983. Fascinating… With a quarter-page, black-and-white photograph of the East Passage Club logo on Armetal pewter service plate. At The Movies Tortilla Soup by Jim Stark Run-of-the-mill movie review with some slight insight into the food production within the movie. Review Essay Getting Sauced Sitting Down by Duncan Holmes Review of Sit Down and Drink Your Beer: Regulating Vancouver’s Beer Parlours, 1925-1954 by Robert Campbell. More of an encapsulation of the book than an in-depth review. With a half-page, black-and-white photograph of ”Ladies and Escorts” section of the Metropole Hotel’s beer parlour, Vancouver, 1951 and a half-page, black-and-white long shot of Vancouver’s Ambassador Hotel, 1939. The Bookshelf Books in Review including: Pot on the Fire: Further Exploits of a Renegade Cook by John Thorne with Matt Lewis Thorne. Chalk and Cheese by Will Studd. Photography by Adrian Lander. Crawling at Night by Nani Power. Offbeat Food: Adventures in an Omnivorous World by Alan Ridenour. Dinner Roles: American Women and Culinary Culture by Sherrie A. Inness. Carnal Appetites: Food, Sex, Identities by Espeth Probyn. The World is Not for Sale: Farmers Against Junk Food by José Bové and François Dufour, Interviewed by Gilles Luneau. Translated by Anna de Casparis. Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on Food, Politics, and Power by Michael Dietler and Brian Hayden. Food in Society: Economy, Culture, Geography by Peter Atkins and Ian Bowler. Bookends A few additional reviews... The Delights of Delicate Eating by Elizabeth Robins Pennell. Culinary Herbs for Short-Season Gardeners by Ernest Small and Grace Deutsch. Lagniappe The Bloomsday Diet by Ashley Shelby In retaliation to Zone and Atkins diets, this is a diet based on James Joyce’s Ulysses. Very funny. Carolyn’s Editorial Note: This seems to be the beginning of Gastronomica adding a significant number of recipes to enhance the articles being presented – quite refreshing and appreciated, considering the journals’ subject matter.

Boudin Blanc or Boudin Noir? I like the Boudin Noir that is manufactured by Polarica. For Boudin Blanc, I like the Marcel & Henri which I buy from Le Village.

I was working with Julian Serrano on an event where he reduced a Banyuls for a dessert glaze - it was really a Banyuls-caramel. Now I adore Banyuls and have never been able to buy one for less than $25.00 or so - but would I reduce a whole bottle of it for a little dessert sauce? Probably not. But I'll tell you - it was damn fine...

I'll be serving a Gewurtz and a Pinot Noir - the Gewurtz from Gundlach Bundschu (less than .5% residual sugar) and the Pinot from Sinskey. A classic German white can have the slight sweetness in aroma (not sugar) that will cut through the heavy gravy and stuffing. A Pinot is the most food-friendly red and compliments both light and dark meat as well as many spices.

I got into quite a too-doo with my sister about vegetables. I tend to eat my vegetables with the season in which they are fresh. So much so that in discussing our T-Day menu, I dismissed her suggestion of frozen peas or lima beans. She contends that with SOME vegetables, there are actually more minerals, vitamins, and various nutrients in a frozen vegetable as they probably frozen more freshly than I can buy them in a grocery store. Now I try to buy at Farmer's Markets when I can, but it is now winter and the markets are shut down. We are working on the assumption that the vegetables in the grocery stores could be a week or two or three weeks old. I think she is nuts - that a fresh vegetable, even one that was harvested and held for some time will still be healthier than any vegetable I could get out of the freezer case. Scientists, I need you to weigh in, please!

I think grocery store pies stay in a constant state of badness for a fairly long period of time. I can't imagine they will get much worse. I've come to the conclusion that their best use will be for starting a food fight... (although for affect, I will have to add plenty of COOL WHIP before throwing!)

I'm a pure addict. I buy no less than six or eight different kinds a week and have yet to meet a cheese I don't love. I have a map of where I live with every cheese store marked. I get some fo the cheesemongers to e-mail me when they have made special batches. I think melted cheese flows in my veins.

Here's a New Age explanation... When I give food seminars, I serve a rocket salad with a truffle oil vinaigrette. Before I allow my guests to eat the salad, I have them close their eyes and smell it first. Most people will feel a tingling sensation just above the center of their eyes. This is known as the Crown Chakra. I belive part of the mystique of truffles is that it opens the crown chakra and makes one more aware and adept because when that tingle occurs, there is a vibrancy to one's inner being. Many utilize meditation and other religious means to obtain this feeling. I use truffles.