rmillman

I got a copy of Shannon Bennett's "My Vue" from him at the Star Chefs conference in New York. He had flown from Melbourne the day before but was still composed enough to give a very good demonstration. Nicely presented book with a nice backgrounder on Shannon, good recipes and some interesting illustrations. The book clearly reflects Shannon, who I enjoyed meeting. It is definitely worth a look.

We got our regrets: we put in our request on October 15 for a party of 4 any night first week in September. We will try again next year.

I am not in the industry so I do not need to control my costs as much as those in the industry do. As such, I spend the EXTRA and go for Amedei. Each has a unique flavor profile and they temper and blend incredibly well. The Chuao is my favorite of all time and the "9" is also really special. Amedei “9” (Dark) 75% Amedei Toscano Black (Dark) 70% Amedei Chuao (Dark)

We will be in Barcelona on a Sunday night. Does anyone have a place for a Sunday dinner recommendation? Thank you

We are planning a foodie trip to Barcelona as well. We have not been there before so our list is: Our list is Hisop, Comerc24, Alkamai, Can Fabes, Can Roca (if we can get in but currently they do not have availability), el Bulli and Sauc. Through in the markets for breakfasts and lunch, as much Iberico we can fit in between and maybe a dessert or two, like at Inopia, and we will be in food comas by the time we get home.

You can do what the TopChef team did on a hot night in Maimi and prepare a cream based risotto with truffles and foie gras followed by braised lambshanks.

We were in Shanghai in June. For the most impressive market, go to Tongchuan Wholesale Fish Market. There is plenty to see and many places that will clean and cook your purchases. Other food information can be found at www.shanghaiist.com

You can dress pretty much anyway you want at No.9: some treat it as casual but others tend to dress a little and treat it special. Uni is by far the best sushi in Boston. Sit at the bar and ask the chef to take care of you: not traditional fish on rice and always something special. I would do Neptune if you want shellfish since you are doing No.9. Best steak is a toss-up with Abe&Louies and Capital Grill being Boston landmarks and newly opened KO Prime and Boston Public. Enjoy the city.

62 degress C for two hours and then complemented with a little salt and chopped fried pancetta. also plenty of inspiration in this book http://www.amazon.com/Egg-Patrick-Mikanows...85804900&sr=8-1

I was at a Trader Joes yesterday and they had Amalfi Coast Lemon Juice: I did not think about it until I saw this thread. Yes, not the same as fresh, but available.

Based on your comments I spent some time on the internet and found Coosemans Boston, http://www.coosemansboston.com/ , carries both the sechuan buttons and Sakura cress from koppert cress, http://www.koppertcress.nl/index.php?PageID=508 . Although this is at the wholesale market area in Chelsea, MA, they sell to walk ins. Got back a couple of hours ago and must say I cannot wait for this weekend. I have electrified may tastebuds already with a quick mixed sechuan apple sorbet (apple soda, buttons and liquid nitrogen, I work in a biotech company) and cannot wait to try some more things with them.

I get many of my colloids from http://www.lepicerie.com/catalog/index.html (on line and easy to deal with). Another source for many of the CP Kelco products (http://www.cpkelco.com/ ) is http://www.le-sanctuaire.com/ (now on line so they may be easier to order from but one of the only source for low methoxy pectin). BTW LMP is another Ca dependent colloid that produces a skin with a better mouth feel and strength. I find for gelling, to use a combination of alginate:LMP at 1:1 and at a total amount equal to what you would have used for alginate alone. Try it, you will like.

I have used this as a finish in presenting dishes (under glass/inverted bowl) where I wanted smoke aroma and less smoke flavor. This is particularly suited for using culinary herbs which add both a smoke and essential oil vapor to the preparation. I have used it to add more substaintial smoke flavor to things such as bacon, tomatoes and confit dishes by placing what I want to smoke in a large zip-lock and then filling it with smoke. (BTW i stopped smoking bacon once I found https://bentonshams.com/order/index.php) I use a cameron smoker for stove top use or a Bradley smoker when I want more substaintial smoke in preparing dishes or when I am smoking roasts, chickens, etc.

Wife likes the instant on of gas. Marital compromise. Oops...Real men don't give in to wives... ← LOL ← I use my Christmas present coal that I get for forgetting things like anniversaries (like real men do).

Is this something like what you did? ← Exactly

I made one last year using a battery powered min-vac ($10 on ebay) and a trip down memory lane to a head shop for the pipe fittings. I use it (for cooking) and have played not only with "woods" but also herbs and esstential oils. Nice way to make a smoked cheese.

I do not de-scale my fish when doing salt crust: the scales help form an additional barrier to salt penetration. Straight salt works but does not really crust hard. I mix with water, a little flour and egg whites to form more of a paste. This crusts up hard and comes off more as a shell. Some people actually use more than just a little flour and form a type of salt dough that can be rolled out. I use the least expensive salt and it does take 1-2lbs for most fish (but at 75-95 cent a pound it is worth it). many variations can be found here: http://www.saltinstitute.org/recipes.html

I got some from a friend. It is a CP Kelco product and is carried by le-santuaire http://www.le-sanctuaire.com/ Here is some information on it: http://www.cybercolloids.net/library/pectin/properties.php

I have been recently using low-methoxy pectin (another Ca dependent gelling agent) in combination with sodium alginate when doing reverse with an alginate bath (cut back alginate 1/2 and use equal amounts LMP). I like the mouth feel of LMP, it doesn't impact taste when left to sit and the skin is a little more firm so it is easier to handle.

We were in Bangkok for three nights last month. 1) Basil in the Sheraton is very nice for fine Thai dining, an alternative is Celadon (?). 2) the BEST food we had was the two afternoons we spent in the Or Tor Kor Market public market across the street from the Chatuchak Market. It is open during the week and has the cleanest food areas I have seen in most of asia. Many places sel prepared foods and there are stalls that cook just about everything Thai. (see http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-market/local-markets.html) 3) Shopping I have found is fairly "fair traded" for luxury goods world wide so we tend to look for local/regional designers. We enjoyed Suam Lum night markert: if you avoid the cheap knock off and wantabe brands you will find one area of local designers with very interesting clothing designs that are well priced.

I have not used konjac before but it seems like an interesting colloid (some info I found with a quick search below). Have you used it for anything? Here is a site with lots of information on it. http://www.konjacfoods.com/index.htm

Here is a starting point: http://cupofexcellence.org/CountryPrograms...54/Default.aspx

I was in New York this weekend and picked up a bottle of Armazem Viera Onix at Wharehouse Liquors on Broadway. Very nice and very smooth with lots of complex sugar and fruit flavors. Great for sipping but still packs a lot of spirit.

We just got back from a trip to Shanghai and Bangkok (four days at the Oriental). I will post about the trips later. Before we went to Bangkok, we had met Nym, a food writer and traveler who lives in Bangkok, while she was visiting Boston. nym korakot punlopruksa cell phone +6681 9388991 home/office +662-254-2861 SKYPE : nymster queenym@rocketmail.com We had dinner with her twp nights and she had several other recommendations for us in terms of markets, street food, etc. Afterwards, we recommended she do a food tour and she is considering a more formal type with a friend of hers. Definitely worth an email/call.

For mail order Waygu try: http://www.1800kobebeef.com/ Anshu is offering an additional discount to egullet users. I have several of his Australian and Japanese grades. Last week, I got an email from him saying would I like one of the best steaks currently in the US, I said yes and . . . . Tonight we will cook What a piece of meat. Not sure whether to sear it on a 800 degree pan or to cook it on a Binchotan charcol grill