Jon Savage

Just a quiet evening for us two. I'll be making: Lentil Soup Linsensuppe with bread dumplings Serviettenknödel and a simple endive/radicchio salad. Served with a nice red wine. This hearkens back to the time I Lived in Austria. Lentils on the new year are said to be fortuitous. I won't be serving pig snout though tradition be damned!

I picked up a copy of this while suffering a snow delay at SeaTac airport a couple weeks ago. I don't usually succumb to food magazines but the recipes in this one looked promising. Having read through the 12/08 issue I feel that this one might be worth subscribing to. The articles are interesting, the recipes look to be fairly true to Italian traditions (with some exceptions, but every cooking style evolves over time). There's also a good amount of (free) content including recipes available online. La Cucina Italiana

I think you nailed it.

That really cuts to the heart of the matter. I think that one really has to add value (without substantially increasing prices). Like it or not sandwich shops have become highly commoditized and competing with Subway, Quizmos etc. is tough. Even if their sandwiches are crap the average consumer has been brainwashed to believe that those places are both fresh and in subway's case "healthy". I'm also seeing more and more folks bringing their own lunches into the office rather than running out for lunch. I eat lunch out once or twice a week and generally gravitate towards a nearby pho place where $5 gets me an enormous satisfying bowl of soup. It is funny - the psychological impact of this recession looms large even for people fortunate enough to have jobs and little to no consumer debt. I'm not one iota worse off than I was 12 months ago but still am far more reluctant to spend money on non-essentials than I was. Things that would draw me into a local sandwich shop: 1. The fact that it is locally owned. 2. Good (not necessarily spectacular) quality ingredients 3. Price- I live in Metro L.A. so to my way of thinking no more than $7.50/sandwich 4. Meats, cheeses even veg should Ideally be freshly sliced to order 5. A nice soup or two preferably made in house is always a good idea, so many places just serve nasty glop that went straight from freezer/can into microwave. 6. Baking one's own bread is a huge plus There is a horde of Banh Mi shops nearby where prices range from $1.25 to $2.70ish per sandwich. Those are great and everyone seems to have a favorite shop with endless discussion about who has better baguettes, nicer toppings etc. Interestingly the one banh mi chain (Lee's) seems to have less of a following than the mom & pop operations. Some shops bake their own bread, some don't. The mind boggles at how many sandwiches one would have to sell at that price just to break even.

A 240 mm gyuoto, and maybe a petty is all most of us mere mortals need.

Dang that looks great. 'nuf said.

Inquiring minds want to know...

A link to what you are thinking of buying would be helpful... ← I hope this works http://www.paulsfinest.com/Chroma-Chinese-...-6.8-p-694.html ← Thanks. Those look pretty but I wonder about that handle design. If it were me I'd be reluctant to buy one without being able to play with the actual knife first.

Good question. The thermometer was new since my other one steadfastly insisted that our kitchen was a toasty 375 degrees. The new thermometer does agree with 3 others in the house though so I reckon that its OK, unlikely that I have 4 that are wonky in the same direction. In any case it is hugely subjective, I was happy with the roast just would have liked it a little more rare.

A link to what you are thinking of buying would be helpful...

I think that would work, shit even if it went awry it would still be better than the usual oneg shabbat percolater fare. I've enjoyed many a cup of cowboy coffee which in my book is the same as french press sans press. Great to the next to last drop (the last sip can be kinda crunchy). YMMV

Do you know how much the temp rose after resting? So yeah, I'm being guided by my trusty dual copilots: probe thermometer and wild guess. We're having xmas dinner tomorrow, a day late, so I get to be the lucky beneficiary of all your beautiful roasts. ← I don't know how much it rose. It was tented (but) ambient in our kitchen this time of year is 61 F. It was definitely medium rare, I'd probably pull it a good ten degrees less moving more towards budrichards 100 F were I to do it again. In any case the roast was succulent, tender and unctuous. Our guests raved about it so I reckon it was a success. Jus was just some Madeira reduced by 1/2 in the roasting pan with sauteed chopped shallots and 1/2 l beef stock reduce the lot to maybe 1.5 cups and put through a chinois to get the big chunks. Sides were Haricot vert sauteed w/ garlic and shallots + a little sea salt Mashed potatoes Creamed spinach Yorkshire pudding Whipped cream with horseradish of course The creamed spinach was awfully good- followed Lawry's recipe almost verbatim except added a knob of butter since our home cured bacon is far leaner then the commodity stuff. I also omitted their seasoned salt subbing instead sea salt and a little smoked cayenne. Spinach recipe That spinach was like crack only legal! -- edit I also told our guests that the roast would be done when it was *done* and that said time could vary +- from the best guess scenario.

Ours turned out great, pulled it out @ 115 F internal. Rested probably 40 minutes or so. Fanfreakingtastic. Probe thermometer is absolutely essential. Our roast was done a good 45 minutes before the X minutes per lb at a given temp formula said it would be.

Do let us know how it comes out!

1/2 or 1/4 the squash (unpeeled). Remove the seeds etc. Brush cut side(s) with EVOO, (sea) salt lightly and put on a sheet pan in a 350ish oven. Throw a few cloves garlic in there as well to roast. In the meantime sweat some chopped onions in your fat of choice. When the squash is done scoop out the tasty stuff into the pot with the onions. Smash the roasted garlic and throw that in as well. Add some nice chicken stock, bring to a simmer. Employ your stick blender, food processor, food mill or tamis to good effect. Salt and pepper to taste, perhaps a dash of (smoked) Cayenne. Strain if you desire. Finish with a bit of creme fraiche, sour cream, heavy cream and/or a bit of vinegar. Works for me. YMMV --edit even better if you make a mess of lardons, reserve same using the rendered fat for sweating the onions and the crispy bacony lardon goodness as a garnish on top of each bowl of soup.

I missed this last year and enjoyed the episode. (except that Tre should have won).

I had no idea how good beans could taste until I got some from Rancho Gordo.

Thanks for those links. Looks nifty. /me adds yet another item to his kitchen remodel list

6.8 lbs choice Angus, removed ribs, tied same back on. Rubbed with olive oil, S&P, will sit in fridge until tomorrow. Will roast @ 450 for 15-20 mins then 325 until internal reaches 110-115. This roast looks pretty well marbled and was on sale so just $35.

I like Cassoulet a lot and have been well served by Dave Hatfield's recipe. I can't even begin to weigh in on what constitutes the essence of cassoulet but there is much discussion around it in The Cassoulet Cook-Off and Cassoulet...Variations and thoughts I'd venture to guess that Wolfert's version in The Cooking of Southwest France is fairly authoritative. As far as liquid goes - I try to balance a nice crusty top with enough liquid 1/2 to 1 bean down from the top to have it be moist but not soupy. As for the recipes inclusion in the cookbook - If you are co-writing the book then perhaps it could be included as one of her favorites thus relieving you of any need to even like Cassoulet.

I like eggs in bread stuffing, but stuffing done nicely is a thing of beauty with or without them.

Yeah, on our last trip, once we found ourselves with an apartment, the remaining 8 days pretty much turned into shop, cook (nap), shop (+ snack= umbra & cicchetti). Rinse repeat, lose track of what day of the week it was thus missing our flight home altogether. Good times! (We'll try not to get confused about day/date this time around, the additional bonus day in Venice ended up costing us 1,200 Euro each in airfare alone...).

Each memory I have of Christmas markets in both Austria and Germany includes Glühwein.

I've been thinking about the Rialto fish market a lot lately since we'll be staying in Venice 14-26 February and will be renting an apartment so able to fully enjoy whatever looks tasty @ the market. I really did not intend for this trip to coincide with Carnivale but that's just how our respective work schedules worked out. The last time we were in Venice we inadvertently ended up in an apartment rather than in a hotel; if you enjoy cooking there's no better way to spend a week or two in Venice. Great to be able to buy more than just fruit from the market. One of the things I particularly like about the fish markets in Venice (maybe this is a legal requirement in Italy?) is that everything is labeled as follows: Latin Name Common Name Farmed/wild with method of take frequently mentioned Source- preferably Nostrano (from the lagoon itself or its immediate vicinity) then Adriatic, Med or wherever else. I'm mentally packing my knife roll even as I type this.

Not necessarily...if I used my Maestro + to grind espresso for Silvia, she wouldn't be a happy camper. ← True that but if you have that level of espresso equipment then surely your grinder budget was larger than the OP's. Which burr grinder to use is often "discussed" with fanatical fervor with the $300-$500 grinders usually the predominant choice among home espresso lovers. That being said I do feel that the Maestro is a step in the right direction and provides a great opportunity to have a far better grind for a slight upprice. Espresso is fine, after dialing in the correct grind, using that grinder on my (admittedly) low end Estro Vapore ($25 @ a garage sale).