IrishCream

Stove-top grilled loin steak, baked potatoes, roasted asparagus and two-buck chuck.

Please tell me this is a joke! Raisins, and most other fruit except, perhaps, citrus, do not belong in savory food! And in desserts? Why would I want to bite down on a little hard shriveled-up puck in my cookie?

Under what circumstances would one freeze butter? Salted butter has about a 6 month shelf life...doesn't it? I go through it so quickly I've never thought about it.

Poor Alice.....She had no idea!

The red nests are called blood nests but there is no blood involved. In fact they have the same chemical composition as the white nests...they are just much rarer and so command a higher price. Here is a good article about the nests. About Swift (Swallow) Nests

I posted earlier today that I was unable to find Sichuan Peppercorns in Oakland Chinatown last week. Now I know why! What to do? Many years ago when it was illegal to import "raw", cured hams to the US, I smuggled a whole Schwartzwalder Schinken home wrapped in my dirty laundry. I still dream about that ham.

Last night: Jaymes' Carnitas with corn tortillas and home-made Pico de Gallo....heaven. Dessert: Dream Bars

I am growing fava beans for the first time. My cookbooks all call for peeling them but I opened a pod today and saw no obvious skin on any of the beans so just ate them as is raw. Didn't detect a skin of any kind. Should I be peeling them? Does a skin develop at a later stage? Any info would be appreciated!

I have been wanting to experiment with more Chinese cooking at home but have been deterred byt the fact that many otherwise simple stir-fry dishes call for the meat to go through the velveting or "passing through hot oil" process. To me this complicates a simple stir fry. I really prefer not to deal with hot oil unless I have to (because I am deep-frying). So my question...is it really necessary? If not, how do i tweak the recipe to compensate for the fact I have omitted that step?

So did we reach any kind of consensus on this thread? I need a place in North Beach for dinner this weekend that is moderately priced and has good pasta (my dining compaion is a vegetarian ). L'Osteria del Forno sounds good but waiting in line outside could be inconvenient if the weather is bad. What would be the second choice? Steps of Rome? Da Flora? Bacco?

You might want to consider savory custards also. Eggs are a good source of protein. Things like crustless cheese quiche, simple souflees, etc. Some of the overnight egg stratas turn out basically pureed even though they contain bread. I hope he makes a speedy recovery.

For how long will you smoke the shoulder? (Pork?) Is it breakfast? Looking forward to the pics.

So Stone and Cabrales, and others....Where should I go for my birthday dinner in July? FL, FF, GD, or somewhere else? I need to be thinking about reservations! I'd like to know which you recommend solely based on the tasting menus you had....and which you would recommend, if like me, you had a difficult dining partner? (The Judge doesn't eat fish or dairy). I wonder if any of them will serve a carte to one at a table and a tasting to the other? But truthfully since it is my birthday......I really want to know which one I will enjoy the most! Thank you.

Julia Child's recipe for Casserole Roasted Pork in Mastering... a turnip and cabbage variation is especially appealing in the winter months.

So why is it for sale on those websites????

Oh my gosh! You just described my dream dessert (sans the bananas but so what). While the rest of the world savors chocolate, some of us prefer toffee and butterscotch. Or am I alone in this preference? I better find an excuse to get to Sona before that dessert is gone!

File powder is readily available in Houston. Also in Louisiana. Hard to believe Zatarain's would be still selling it if they thought it was dangerous...File/sassafras. I have seen it for sale in bulk for far less. A little searching on Cajun food websites will probably locate a source. Edit: here is a source for root/bark root

Is what I said to Plotnicki. Now he has this wrongheaded, reductionist notion in his head that Indian cuisine is a cuisine whose premise is "parsing spices." It is all your fault! Is there anyway to stop it or is it another train wreck?

Another perspective...I have been searching for a local source of caul-fat for years. I make sausage at home and I don't really care for the casings that are available. I would much rather have a wrapping that melts and becomes unnoticeable. I think that if one has food fetishes, one has an obligation to tell the server. The Judge does not eat dairy or fish......sigh. But we notify the restaurant if we make a reservation. We remind them when we order. No big deal.

What do you mean? That if the wine is....what? AMEX will give you your money back?

This reminds me of one of my fave trail pasta dishes. (It does require heat). Saute a mess of chopped garlic in butter or olive oil. Add sliced black olives, small jar of diced pimentoes, chopped walnuts or pecans. Toss with pasta and lots of parmesan. Of course, this can be embellished with whatever you have. Quick and satisfying.

Perhaps "Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook" by Robb Walsh.

I first learned about roasting asparagus from a Giobbi book also...I think it was the odd "Eat Healthy the Italian Way". Odd because it wasn't low fat OR low carb. My kinda diet. But I have always roasted them in a pan...I'll try a rack next time. I also love them steamed and served at room temp with a shallot vinagrette...eatan with the fingers.

Not to mention that egg "salad" sandwiches stink...and will offend your coworkers.

Hmmmm...the Bullet is very similar to my Brinkman water smoker. In fact I would say it is a copy of the Brinkman, if I knew which came out first. So what makes it worth $179 when the Brinkman only cost me $27 just 2 years ago???