IrishCream

Oh my...I am going to have to cook without a recipe! Love it. Tho I doubt I can get plums at this time of year

Sorry...plum sauce! Thank you for pointing that out Miss J.

And by the way...you have a good fresh duck sauce recipe?

Thanks. I would like to avoid deep-frying the duck. It wouldn't even fit in my fryer. I take it you mean fresh red chiles? I am really starting to think maybe I can do this!

Thank you, Simon. That sounds wonderful but can you translate the oven temp to Farenheit (sorry, it was so long ago I don't remember math)? And when you speak of chili in the marinade, do you mean flakes, paste, powder? So I don't need to dry the duck out for days in the fridge to make it crispy? And the pancakes...should I make Mamster's scallion pancakes? Or another kind? (Sorry, about all the questions). And thanks!

Next week is the Judge's birthday. He is always raving about Crispy Duck he has eatan at Chinese restaurants. I have never had it but would love to cook it at home and surprise him. Is it feasible at home? Any pointers or recipes that have worked? Thanks for any help you can provide.

They are not meat either. I don't understand your point. I see nothing hypocritical about eating dairy products within a vegetarian diet. Within a low-fat diet, perhaps. That is what I am questioning. Is vegetarianism a moral imperative or just another low-fat diet? It used to be the former....I think today it is the latter.

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had been vegetarian in the 70's. Back then we ate cheese and butter (and cream), and enjoyed them immensely. I still do. What happened to vegetarianism that it became preponderantly low-fat? Eliminating meat is going on a much lower fat diet....why do we need to eliminate cheese, etc. also? Is vegetarianism today a life-style which avoids fats of most kinds, or a belief system that we should not harm animals, in which case cheeses and cream and eggs should be fine?

Can we have a thread about these? Ever since I read the article in "Simple Cooking" (Mamster's?), I have been salivating for these. I even moved to SF to find them and have been unsuccessful. I'll definitely cook them but I'd like to try them first. Any suggestions? (Sorry, a little off-topic but that article made me crazy to try these.)

In the last couple of years, two of my best friends have become vegetarians. Based on your expert knowledge, is there a trend? If so, what accounts for it? I was a vegetarian back in the 1970s. My first cookbook, which I still use, was The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I was glad to see you mentioned her in an earlier post.

You are kidding! If that is true, no wonder the first one "broke" in the broiler. And last night I started the roast at 450. Oh my....but what good is a thermometer if it doesn't work when the oven temp is over 400 degrees?

Gosh...I was just about to post...that whatever you do...DON'T use Julia Child's method. I will never cook duck again because of her method. It took ALL day and I suppose it tasted allright, but I was not about to taste it by the time I was done. What a torturous process. Edit (the old recipe where after roasting to rare, you cut the duck up and finish the legs, breasts and cracklings separately)

I agree it is very odd. But if this one is faulty, it's the 2nd in 2 months. They cost around $30....is it worth buying a 3rd?

I am feeling very frustrated. I managed to destroy my first remote one...not sure how (think it touched the broiler). My second one does not seem to tell an accurate tempurature. Luckily, I have an instinct about when big pieces of meat are done. Last night, cooking a beef strip loin roast, the thermometer said it was 97 degrees when I was sure it was done. I followed my instincts, and took it out, and the roast was cooked medium (on the rare side). But not as rare as I would have had it. The wierd thing was that at the end I stabbed the roast in several places and the temp varied from 140 to 115. I love the idea of these thermometers but do they work? Please share experiences.....

MFK Fisher speaks eloquently about this topic. Thank you for sharing...I am still unnerved when dining alone.

Turnips....any way. And tomatoes, asparagus (gasp), and fresh sweet corn on the cob. When is summer?

The ones I linked to were not Iraqi? Sorry....

Isn't Persia Iran not Iraq? That is my understanding also. Strangely though, in several of my older Middle Eastern cookbooks, there are many Persian (and other Middle Eastern) recipes but none from Iraq. Here are a few sites which appear to have old classic Iraqi recipes (I have never tried posting a link so not sure this will work): recipes More veggies

Thanks for sharing the recipes, Jaymes! I look forward to trying the lamb dish soon. Do you happen to have a recipe for authentic Torshi (that Persian pickled vegetable dish)?

I'll work on it!

In my mother's defense, she fried fresh corn tortillas. So yes they were hard shell, but not from the little boxes. I'd also like to comment that I grew up in San Diego. Later when I lived in New Haven and NYC (late 70s-early 80s), there was not a decent Mexican restaurant to be found. Nor could I purchase fresh corn tortillas at the grocery store. I had to buy a tortilla press and make my own.

I am with you, Jaymes. My mother was cooking "exotic" stuff in the 50s and early 60s. Eggplant...zucchini...chili...tacos...great spaghetti and meatballs...and homemade pizza (on English muffins...oh well). But I also have to agree with Steve P. For me, Julia Child's books taught me how to cook in a way that my mother never knew. Edit: I am a jerk and didn't see the last page of the argument...I wish I could just delete my comments now.

I have a book entitled "The Last Days of Haute Cuisine: America's Culinary Revolution" by Patric Kuh. I have only skimmed it but it may fit into this topic?

I was glad to encounter this topic because I have long had a question about tahini that one of you may be able to answer. Usually when I buy tahini at the grocery it appears to be in a "raw" state. Very pale. But once, many years ago, I was able to purchase something called "Toasted Tahini". It was darker in color and had a slightly smoky taste. I must confess I thought it improved the taste of my hummus (though not necessarily making it more authentic). Since then, I have wondered which kind of tahini is actually called for in hummus recipes. Thanks for all the great recipes...can't wait to try them!

Hmmmmmm....I think that Austin, Texas has made a decent compromise. If an establishment derives more than 50% of its income from alcohol, it may allow smoking (though many don't). That eliminates most of the restaurants there, but not all. Smokers have some place to go and non-smokers know which places to avoid. Seems reasonable to me.