Katherine x

Don't touch that ricotta! Whey is a major ingredient in the manufacturing process, and that's where the lactose is. I find ricotta is the only cheese I eat which gives me the same symptoms as drinking fresh milk, and I'm only moderately lactose intolerant. I just expect lasagna or ricotta gnocchi to bring on a bout.

Yvonne-You'd have to add an awful lot of salt to water to significantly raise the boiling point (more than a few degrees). Salt is not all that soluble, especially in cold water. Sugar is, which is why it can boil it dry, and you can add enough sugar to a liquid to prevent freezing. Pastry chef-I guess we're comparing different dishes here. This is a subjective thing. I happen to like potatoes. You think of them as a vehicle for emulsification of butter and cream. Possibly this is because it is the way this dish is served in expensive restaurants, but I just like what I like, the traditional preparation rather than the new "restaurant-style" one, and must therefore consider that type the best (for me, anyway). In the restaurant where I work we put heavy cream, butter, roasted garlic, and truffles in the mashed potatoes. Eh... whatever they want to pay for is ok by me. I live a life of moderation, which makes occasional forays into the wild side more enjoyable. When I want butter and cream, I eat butter and cream. When you come over, I'll remember to make you Iron Chef style mashed potatoes.

I peel red potatoes, steam them in a basket, then when they're tender, mash with a perforated disk hand masher, adding whole milk, salt, white pepper, and fresh nutmeg. Then, a quick reheat in the microwave, heap them on a plate, make a divot in the top and fill it with butter. No question, these are everyday potatoes, not fine dining restaurant style, but we can eat unlimited quantities (unlike the heavy-cream-and-butter type), and nobody has ever complained. Leftovers are great pan-fried the next day for breakfast, too. I get disappointed in a restaurant sometimes when the potatoes are so rich that they fill me up and I can't finish them, let alone order dessert afterwards.