Carolyn Tillie

If you've got access to fresh morels, the vol-au-vent would be exquisite. Regarding your lemon tart... Cherries are in season! - consider instead of the lemon tart, a Cherry Clafouti which is something you rarely see in restaurants and can be so elegant. Surprising how few people know what a clafouti is and it is so hideously easy to make...

So I've got this project I'm working on for my winery... I'm compiling a list of all the restaurants all over the country where we want to try and place our wine. I've culled these lists from Zagat, Wine Spectator, and Wine & Spirits. Texas is the first state I'm starting with - do you Texans think there are any glaring ommissions I should add? Edited to add that I am more than happy to share this Excel spreadsheet when I am done... It is going to be a monster of a list!

Have you checked with your guests to see if there are any allergies or aversions? When trying to impress, I often start with a pâté de foie gras or caviar with toast points and champagne. A lot of people don't eat either foie gras or caviar... Then I would move into a 'fish' course - two seared scallops with a grapefruit beurre blanc, perhaps? (Burgundian-style Chard for this course) Then a meat; truffle-stuffed game hens or venison steaks with a cherry-port wine reduction. Depending on what looks fresh at the market for vegetables, I'm partial to garlic-sauteed spinach as a green. (California Cabernet) Cheese course with Sauterne for dessert for me - and maybe some elegant petit fours to finish out the meal.

Whatever you have for dinner and whatever you wear, for god's sake, save room for dessert!

I asked Gabriel about our pest-aversion processes before I left this evening. When a vineyard is first planted, you can often see new cuttings put into the ground, surrounded by milk cartons and other protective encasings. (I'll shoot a picture of this next week, since we are planting new vineyards right now). Those encasings protect the plants from rabbits and squirrels and other animals that are low to the ground. Once the vines are higher up, the birds are usually the main concern. As Bombdog indicated, some vineyards will use netting or mylar strips -- I'll shoot some pictures of those when the time comes from other vineyards. It can be quite beautiful to see an entire field with those shimmering strips, fluttering in the breeze. In talking with Gabriel and the vineyard crew at GunBun, the real loss of fruit to birds is minimal for red grapes (too bitter). When Ladera was Chateau Woltner and planted entirely with Chardonnay grapes, Gabriel said the damage was pretty extensive. Now that we have budded over to an entirely red grape crop, our damage is very little. Like Bombdog said, it is vineyards that are closer to trees that have more to worry about. At Gundlach Bundshu, it is only those grapes that are at the edge of the property and near trees that warrant the mylar strips. Since most of the vineyards are in more open space, and there is no escape flight path for the birds, those are more protected. Lastly, the few vineyards that use netting do so at great expense. For many wineries, it simply is not cost-effective to net the entire property, when as little as 5% might be lost to birds.

My Gingerbread Stout cake doesn't call for boiling at all.... Dunno.

Sounds absolutely divine - I don't think it needs any tweaking... However, will there be sweets?????

In about two or three weeks, we will be sucoring - (pulling shoots/thinning leaves). Then, in about six weeks, we will start dropping fruit. Some of the daily maintenance includes spraying Round-Up for weeds and occasional tractoring up and down the aisles - we want the earth to work on the grapes, not on the ground cover and weeds that develop. Edited to add - if you go back and look back, just when the shoots were starting, there is considerable grass on the ground behind the vines. In the pictures now, the ground is churned up...

That is similar to what I was going to suggest - but was going to add the Okonomiyaki idea to it as well... You make the batter and have tons of ingredients at hand, and let the griddling begin! Both would be perfect for summer as the sushi would be cold and the okonomiyaki hot - and could satisfy both carnivores and vegetarians alike!

I confess, I confess... I used to have to sneak into Panda Kitchen, that hideous Chinese wanna-be chain, and hide behind the local Target (aren't they ALL in those strip malls?) to consume the brightly-colored bright orbs of gooey goodness. Now, thank god, Trader Joe's has a frozen version. Now I can indulge in the privacy of my home. The TJs version has the chicken in a bag, where you bake them until crisp, then toss them in the enclosed bag of spicy-sweet sauce. Really quite very good, considering... I'm so happy I have my support group to help me through these trying times...

It's getting bigger - and there has been no further frost this year. Unlikely that there will be any at this point. And the grapes are growing in size as well!

Hey, I just had a brainstorm! I've been wanting to make Duck Prosciutto for ages but always worried because I lived in very humid, warm climates. If I could talk my boss into it, do you think I could hang them in a wine cellar (about 55 degrees) pretty safely?

Ah, so I'm not the only one noticing how CHUBBY he's getting?!?!?

I'm still hooked - but I was TERRIBLY annoyed at the Iron Chef-like music that accompanied the entire CIA bit (complete with a slathering of harp music! - PUHLEEZE!) Regardless, I have to mention a bit of irony here... Recently on the Sundance network, they have been showing a film Eat This New York. IMDB describes it as: "Two best friends from Minneapolis struggle to open a restaurant in the food capital of the world, as the city's legendary chefs and restaurateurs reflect on their lives in the business." While the release date of this film is 2004, there were a number of guest chefs interviewed during the filming in 2002, including Rocco, and he has these uncomfortable comments about "keeping true to one's self" and "following one's passion" etc... Worth watching. To catch this film on Sundance: Sunday 05.16.2004 6:00 p.m. Thursday 05.20.2004 12:05 p.m. Monday 05.31.2004 10:30 p.m.

Out in Riverside county, east of Los Angeles, is a restaurant entitled (I kid you not!): The Spunky Steer Ah, the mind reels....

I do fancy things with ice cream... Coffee Ice Cream with freshly-toasted coconut and almond slivers, served with hot fudge sauce, a tablespoon of coffee liquer and whipped cream. Another recent addiction: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia served with a few of those hideously expensive Italian cherries in syrup (sorry, don't remember the name), and that syrup, extra hot fudge, a tablespoon of Kirschwasser, and whipped cream. Dr. Bob's Scharffenberger Chocolate Ice Cream with fresh raspberries and a few teaspoons of Framboise. Gosh, I'm seeing a recurring theme - Ice Cream and Alcohol!

And how do you make cheese straws? And you gotta try the cheesecake thing. It's incredibly addictive One really stupid, easy way... Buy frozen puff pastry - roll out, brush with egg wash and top with favorite grated cheeses, sesame seeds, etc... Slice thin (1/4 inch). Twist and bake as instructed on box.

If you could get it to fry without totally melting, now, that probably wouldn't suck. Swizzle of sweet chili sauce sounds like the right condiment to me. Ohmy. You can - trust me. You have to fry it really, really fast and if you freeze the foie gras, it works just fine.

Just a quickie... Slice and toast a baguette into croutons (I spread a little olive oil on them before toasting). Spread croutons with goat cheese, top with a slice of roasted bell peppers (I keep small jars of this lying around for last-minute versions), a single basil leaf, and a slice of Parmesan cheese. Broil until Parmesan cheese begins to melt. Yum. BTW, although vilified, I like Martha Stewart's hors d'oeuvre book. Really, really extensive offerings.

I can't tell you the history, but regarding the jam thing, when I was in Britain I was served a baked brie topped with chutney. Pretty interesting... I usually serve it with the caramelized onions as well, although I add tons and tons of garlic as well. I might also add a dollop of pesto.

The utimate in extravagance: Panko-crusted, deep-fried Foie Gras. Crusty, crunchy exterior - absolutely motlen interior. How could it get more decadent than that??? <gee... I think I mentioned a similar thing on the Food Festivals thread....>

So funny... I have a friend who is an actor and for Thanksgiving last year, performed a skit on Reno radio about doing exactly that. He created the character, "Chef Pooch" visiting from Boston saying that while the rest of America was deep-frying turkeys, he created the original deep-fried lobster. They had people calling in, horrorfied at the prospect that it wasn't a joke. Very, very hilarious.

Okay, Miss Monica, what did you fry the Jamun in? I know one would traditionally use ghee, but what if you are in a hurry or can't afford all that butter....

So, wait Monica, you didn't tell us... How are they??? Do I need to run out and buy some????

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves. Are you my new Best Friend? Ooooh Ooooh - I used to TEACH Paganism! If I plan the ceremony and bring along a d'Yquem, can I come along?????