BekkiM

I've had good luck with RecipeZaar. I've also used Food Down Under and Star Chefs (although the search engine on the latter is pretty weak) with good results, especially if I don't want an exact recipe, just some ideas to get me started. But I have to agree that my favored approach is googling "recipe xyz" and wading through the first three or four pages of entries. Google does put paying customers at the very top of the list and on the right-hand side of the page (in the "Sponsored Links" sections), but after that it's based on a complex set of rules of keywords and depth of a web site and external links and a bunch of other stuff that some consultants get paid a lot of money to guess at--but it does not include paying Google. I think you can judge quality recipe sites by listening to your gut--if there are lots of trademark mentions of specific brands (e.g. Nestle, Land O Lakes, etc.), that's usually a red flag that you're not looking at serious recipes. On the other hand, if there are references or links back to eGullet, you've probably found yourself a winner!

I Googled "brick impression mat" and came up with quite a few sources, including Sugarcraft (where I could not find an image of the mat) and Cake Art (here) where I could. EDIT: Of course, these are still the smaller-sized mats, but it might put you on the path to the full-sized mat.

Ahhh... the pork belly at Rioja! MMMMMMM... I've heard similar horror stories about Prima, but did have a divine dinner at Kevin Taylor. My husband still drools when he recalls the homemade peanut-butter cup dessert. The good news is there are lots of good choices! PS: Panzano is pretty good too, but not spectacular. Too bad Adega's gone.

Kevin Taylor's is nearby and can be quite lovely (although pricey by Denver standards)--definitely a good winelist. Restaurant Kevin Taylor You're not that far from Zengo (on the other side of the Platte--not a bad walk if the weather's decent), which I've been to several times and enjoyed. Zengo Rioja is right down there too. I've had some lovely meals there, although I've had spotty service (not everyone has had this experience, though, so maybe I'm just picky) Rioja And, finally, if you're looking for a steak house, many people here in Denver swear by Sullivan's and they do have a good wine list (although, like most steak houses, it can be over-priced). I'm not actually all that partial to the place myself (it bothers me to pay $35 for a lonely piece of, admittedly tasty, meat on a plate), but I throw it in there for reference. Sullivans Hope this helps!

Thank you!!! If there was a lightbulb smily, it would be shining brightly--NOW I get it!

I've finally gotten my friends trained not to even bother asking if they can bring anything! With only a few posts to my name, it's hard to say I'm truly an eGulleter yet, but I've been lurking like mad and my day isn't complete until I've read all of the new postings. But I think the truly litmus test must be whether you've read all 54 pages (or whatever it's up to) of the Dinner! thread. But here's another one: ...when you own more than 10 varieties of salt and you're excited to go to a new store and discover a few more that you don't own...yet.

You can't ← I've seen it at Cost Plus in Denver (and I'm assuming they carry approximately the same inventory everywhere)

I made the short ribs this weekend for a dinner party and was extremely pleased with the results. However, I did adjust the recipe a bit based on reading through this topic (thanks everyone, for being my guinea pigs!) and reading Thomas Keller's instructions in the French Laundry. So I reduced the heat to 275 (way below Molly's level) and cooked the ribs (bone in) for nearly 3 hours. I didn't bother with the parchment paper as I didn't have a covered pan big enough for doubling the recipe, so I used my large roaster and covered whole thing with aluminum foil, with the foil nearly touching the meat. I made them the day before, allowed them to cool in their cooking liquid, and refrigerated them until the next day. As for the mushroom flavor, I couldn't find porcinis (there appeared to be a Denver-wide shortage of dried porcinis and fresh rosemary--I tried FIVE different grocery stores and finally gave up in disgust), so I used mixed wild mushrooms from Cost Plus--definitely not an overwhelming mushroom flavor. The only issue I had with the recipe is that it didn't make nearly as much as I thought it would. I doubled the recipe (and then some), using nearly 10 lbs of short ribs (4"--maybe 3" would have been better) and, while you would think I could count to 24, apparently my elementary education was faulty, because I was short by at least one rib by the time I got to serving. So her estimate of serving 6 seemed off to me--but maybe I misread it and it only served 4? (Mental note, since it shouldn't be that hard to count out 2 ribs per person, or even three, next time I'll order by quantity not by weight.) Also, I was very disappointed not to have leftovers because what I remember of dinner was that my few bits of braised short rib were heavenly. I also augmented the ribs with the root vegetables from the French Laundry recipe because it seemed like there should be vegetables. I know that's another thread, but I have to say I really like the vegetables cooked separately and then reheated in the braising liquid--they kept their individual flavors and textures, but still married well with the flavors of the braise. All-in-all, I was extremely pleased with her recipe and I want to thank you all for turning me on to her book!

I can't believe I missed your site when I was researching my Moroccan dinner! I love your ideas and I'll be back to study them in detail when I throw my next one.

I PM'd this to you, but here it is in case anyone else is interested: Ginger Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail 2 cup pomegranate juice 2 tbsp sugar 3-inch slice fresh ginger (in ¼ inch slices) ½ cup fresh orange juice 2 teas of orange liqueur like Contreau or Grand Marnier 1 750-ml bottle brut Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled Combine pomegranate juice, sugar and ginger in a pan over high heat until mixture is reduced to 1/3 of a cup. Stir constantly. Set aside until cool. In each glass pour 4 tsp of pomegranate syrup, 1 tbsp orange juice, and ¼ tsp orange liqueur into each of four Champagne flutes. Top off with champagne or sparkling wine. EDIT: Edited to add that I forgot to credit my source for this recipe (shameful!)... I thought it came from The Gilded Fork, but it doesn't look quite right. It's possible that I doctored it myself, but at this point I can't recall... If you recognize your recipe, feel free to correct me!

But you haven't answered my question about why you wouldn't be without one--is saving one trip back-and-forth to the sink with a full pot of water so valuable? Maybe my kitchen just isn't large enough to need the convenience (it's only three steps from stove to sink)?

Pot fillers... (Those spigots on the wall above the cooktop so that you can fill your pasta pot and not have to lug it across the kitchen) What happens after the pasta is cooked? Don't you now have to lug a pot of boiling water across the kitchen to dump it all in the collander for draining? I know I could have a pasta insert and lift the stuff out of the boiling water (although now I'm just dripping hot, starchy water on my cooktop and counter), but that still leaves me with at least one trip across the kitchen with a heavy pot of water. I just don't get it and since I'm in the process of talking hubbie into letting me have my way with our kitchen, this one has been bugging me. I mean, I want the "gourmet" kitchen, but I don't want gimmicky goo-gaws that I never use (I'd rather save that money for a bigger range).

Thank goodness for eGullet. I made a Rum Caramel Sauce yesterday and, for the first time ever, had two batches of sugar sieze before they caramelized. Unfortunately, I hadn't read this thread yet, so I tossed them (dummy--I should have realized that sugar will eventually melt, even when the pan looks like the Great Salt Lake). On the third batch, I added a little corn syrup, which did the trick and now I am the proud owner of two (er, one--had to taste test ) bottle of Rum Caramel Sauce. Now that I've read all of this, I wish I hadn't washed away my "failures" but sugar is cheap (and I hadn't wasted my rum on them before I quit).

I've done Moroccan dinners several times--they're good for a dinner party b/c most things can be prepared ahead of time and the flavors are relatively accessible. Courses: 1) Mezze: Spiced Olives and Spiced Moroccan Nuts I also server Ginger Pomegranite Champagne cocktails because the ginger and the pomegranite seemed to "fit" with the theme 2) Appetizers: Spicy Wrapped Meatballs with Harissa, Moroccan Cigars w/Charmoula, and Moroccan Chicken Wings with Preserved Lemons 3) Salad: Moroccan Orange Salad (oranges, cantalope, shredded carrots, mint, and spinach) 4) Individual B'stillas The recipe I used called for rolling them up like burritos, but I wish I had been more creative/less timid and done them in small tart pans for individual servings--they would have been much more attractive. However, they do work great as individual servings--and there are a ton of recipes on the web with tons of variations. I picked my favorite ideas from several different ones to come up with my spin on them. Definitely include them in your menu, though, b/c they're wonderful and people really like the flavor combinations. 5) Moroccan Mint Tea Granita 6) Mrouzia (North African Sweet Lamb Stew) w/Glazed Carrots and Mezgaldi of Onions (basically a spiced confit) and, of course, Couscous (in timbales w/Moroccan spices) I didn't use a tagine for my lamb stew--just my big stew pot--and it turned out very well (probably not completely authentic, but passable). It was very rich and very yummy. 7) Dessert: Mint Tea, Moroccan Oranges (peeled, sliced, and macerated in cinnamon/ginger simple syrup and a little Grand Mariner), and Baklava Good luck! I had a ton of fun with my dinner and I know my guests (11 of my dearest girlfriends) enjoyed themselves as well. Wish I had pictures, but then, given the amount of port we drank at the end of the night, they'd probably be incriminating...

One of the sites that I've found helpful as an amatuer cake-decorator is Cake Central, although obviously eGullet is a great resource too. Cake Central has several recipes for "buttercream", including Buttercream Dream, that are made with some or all shortening, which helps them set better at room temperature. When I made the Buttercream Dream, I found that it worked very well for decorating and didn't have too bad of a Crisco mouth-feel. Also, if you add a little bit of salt and some almond extract, it actually doesn't taste too bad. As for classes, a lot of people seem to like the Wilton classes--you might also look to see if there's a local cake shop that offers classes (support local businesses!). I haven't taken any myself, but then my roses are a little lop-sided. Good luck!

Mustard on a BLT is an offense to the bacon gods... But they are generally pleased and well-served by the consumption of that most perfect of sandwiches, the BLT.

So far, my application of pimenton has been limited to standing in my kitchen, opening the jars, and inhaling (I need a support group--Hi, my name is Bekki and I'm a pimentonoholic... ), but I hope to have some time next weekend to actually use the stuff in a recipe. I'm also trying to figure out what do with my heavenly-scented smoked sea salt, but that's another thread...

We went to Frasca on Saturday night and I want to report that the food and the service are as wonderful as ever! First of all, on a whim, we called Sat morning to see if there had been any cancellations and, using all my dining karma in one fell swoop, there was--for 5:30 that evening, which was perfect as we were bringing our 9-year old son with us. (For the record, he was extremely well-behaved (we brought comics for him to read), thanked the wait staff, and proposed a lovely toast to his grandparents.) Since I forgot to ask for a menu (d'oh!), I can only paraphrase our meal, but it was lovely. We started with the salumi (what a fun way to share an appetizer), the frico (which tastes remarkably like the twice-baked potatoes my mother used to make), and the olives/spiced nuts. This makes the second time I've been there that I've ordered the olives/nuts combination and have had to ask them to bring the olives. Strange, since all of the other service was very good. Got the yellowtail with pistachios as an appetizer--heaven! I had the capon as an entree and, by itself, it was a little dry (maybe it's always like that? I've never had it before), but with the sauce it was to die for--as was my husband's veal. But the star of the evening had to be the frozen chocolate malt--unbelievably good. Frothy, malty, chocolatey--omg, I'm drooling as I write this! My pear tart was okay, the pear ice cream made it bearable. I will say that it was one of the more expensive meals I've had in the Denver area. For the five of us, it was $500 for the night (two bottles of wine, after-dinner drinks, etc.), which is little steep for this part of the world, but worth it for an exceptional dinner.

And *that's* where I started laughing so hard I startled my cube-mates... I LOVE this thread!

First of all, this is the thread that compelled me to join eGullet in the first place--detailed photos of preparation? in depth discussion of the impact of your choice of olive oil? people who know and love one of my favorite cookbooks enough to cook their way through it? What's not to love? I talked the husband of a friend, who's also an avid amateur cook, into a "cookoff" from this cookbook. We each picked three recipes, invited a bunch of friends over, and competed. I made the Chicken and Garlic, the mushroom confit, and the Papas Bravas (I don't have the book in front of me, so recipe names may be confused). The Chicken and Garlic, to which I added the dried chanterelles mentioned in his note, were amazing--and especially so the next day when I reheated it... the flavors had deepened and mellowed and we were literally spooning up the mushroom/garlic/oil juices. I've made it several times since and, while it's never quite reached that nirvana-like state again, it is a keeper of a recipe. The Mushroom Confit was also amazing--again, especially so the next day. I too am usually sceptical of art-director-arranged photos in cookbooks (although the pictures in Tapas were what originally drew me to the book), but my mushrooms looked almost exactly like the photos. I served them in a glass bowl and they glowed in the mushroomy olive oil, just like in the photo. Alas, I didn't take any pictures of my own. The Papas Bravas were okay. People seemed to like them, and I liked the technique of the sauce, but I didn't have actual pimenton (couldn't find it here in Denver), which I think took away from the final product. I've since acquired two different pimentons from Dean & DeLuca and I intend to try again. I can't say much about my competitor's dishes, b/c he pretty much refused to follow any of the recipes--I think he looked at the pictures and decided to make something that would look like the photo, but wasn't necessarily composed of the same ingredients. So his dishes were tasty, but hardly a good representation of what Jose's recipes could do. I love this cookbook and can't wait to try some of the other recipes, particularly the tortilla.

For what it's worth, when I was growing up in Vermont, we used to bread and fry giant puffballs--b/c of course deep-frying makes everything taste better! (Not that they end up with a lot of flavor in any case, as you've discovered for yourself.) I didn't realize you could find them in the fall, though, my hazy memories are of eating them in the spring. 25 years later, no liver cancer...

The problem is that DIA is so far east and Aurora/East Denver is kind of a wasteland food-wise (please, please someone tell me I'm wrong), so you may have to head into Denver-proper... Rioja (Citysearch Rioja) is open until 2:30 on Fridays if you can make it. Tula (Citysearch Tula) is open from 11 to 11.

Attempt to get the last bits of grated ginger out of the back side of my microplane grater with my finger (those edges are sharp!). I now own a small rubber spatula expressly dedicated to the purpose...