tommy

how 'bout 2 stones.

i think we'd better argue the definition of "approximate" before deciding who ultimately has the only correct answer.

which begs the question: what elements of a tandoor make it unique, and can you approximate those elements at home. yeah, the sucker is hot. yeah, it's made of clay. but how about another angle? pizza stone maybe? takers?

i discovered this summer what i think is called "silver palate." i'm blanking on the name. anyway, they make a really nice salsa for chips. goes over well with the masses. some might complain of too much sweetness, but i think they've hit a nice balance of smokey, sweet, and acidity. big flavor.

that was my concern. (straining) for me, i wouldn't want to cut the acidity. although, in this application (as an app), the sweetness and creaminess might be a good idea. offsetting the bitterness of the endive is probably a good idea as well. clearly i will be experimenting. as an aside, i had no choice but to have larb (laab) for lunch today after reading this thread. yummy. larb is minced pork or chicken, fish sauce, lime juice, chilis, cilantro, lettuce, and ground roasted rice. and maybe a few other things. so zippy and refreshing. and so tasty.

hehehe. 201 and i just posted pretty much the same thing at the same time. clearly we grew up not far from each other. i take exception to the salt though. the pork roll is salty enough for me. other than that, 201 is a genius. of course.

the taylor pork roll is pre-sliced. probably about 1/16". in a frying pan like bacon for a minute or 2 on each side (a little brown around the edges is a good thing). american cheese. don't even think of getting fancy. two over easy eggs, or lightly scrambled if you don't want to get messy. on a hard roll with poppy seeds. so people put ketchup on this sandwich (i don't like ketchup and eggs). i just put some fresh ground pepper on it. oh yeah baby.

"pork roll" and "taylor ham" are interchangeable in these parts. i believe taylor is a company tat makes the product, and it would seem that they're not know for much else around here. kinda like kleenex is a generic term for tissue.

ok, if it's not too assertive, then that's perfect. 1/2 cup does indeed seem like very little, and probably acts more as a sweetener and binder. ok then. i'm looking forward to trying this. perfect finger foods i'd say.

oh my god it looks and sounds heavenly. i'm tempted to try this sans coconut milk. perhaps adding some lime juice and making the mixture more "larb-like." any thoughts?

but i'm still cuter.

lodge now sells "pre-seasoned" cast iron. i like that idea, as long as the seasoning never disappears. but i can't imagine that's the case. lo lodge.

indeed. thanks.

what does a special dinner like this cost your average bear?

how many people was this prepared for? did the chef do it just for your party? it's like BK over there.

oops, sorry, wrong board.

i don't know if i would have survived as many drunken nights, not to mention hungover mornings, if it had not been for pork roll egg and cheese sandwiches. whatever you do, find it. make it. eat it.

thanks to everyone for the discussion and ideas. i'm not afraid to admit that i used a recipe from epicurious, just as posted. and i'm also man enough to admit that i had no part in the thing as mrs. tommy took the controls. i don't even like lasagna, and this was pretty good. the fresh basil and hot sausage set it off for me. this be the recipe a simple dish, and quite tasty. the next time around, i'm looking foward to introducing mushrooms or artichokes to the mix.

just the basics for me. and you can't underestimate the value of helpers...

if you add them all up you do.

it's better than your average restaurant, but probably not a fair way of judging a chef's cuisine. first off, so much more goes into a restaurant than just food. second, it certainly isn't an ideal situation for the chef or his crew, having to prepare the meal banquet style, in a strange and cramped kitchen, and probably after traveling and stressing over the whole thing that day. however, it is a nice night out, and gives you a chance to talk to the chefs and ask questions/nag the chefs and their crew as they prepare 70 covers at once. during warm weather, it's a more enjoyable experience overall, as the cocktail hour moves outside into the back yard. otherwise, the cocktail hour is held in a very small room and gets crowded to the point of discomfort. the seating for dinner isn't all that much better, as you're generally sat with strangers. that may or may not be an issue for people.

sounds like they expanded to an adjoining space? i would say that this will become quite a popular spot if that's the case. the food is relatively exciting, and the place has a nice vibe. perhaps the early 20 somethings won't go often, but the late 20 somethings/30 somethings and 40 somethings no doubt will.

so i'm thinking about making lasagna today. i log onto epicurious, and as it turns out, lasagna is front page news over there. now at egullet, *everything* is front page news...you just have to ask about it. so i'm asking about lasagna. i'm not making my own pasta, so don't bother getting too involved with that aspect of the discussion just yet. i'm not very fond of "pot cheese," so anything recipe that steers clear of ricotta as much as possible would be nice. which brings up a question: should this dish veer too far from its "classic" preparation? are artichokes and black beans really acceptable? i dunno. these questions and more, to be answered here today, on "the ballad of nice and cheesy." stay tuned.

after hearing about it for years, i just jumped into joe queenan's "red lobster, white trash, and the blue lagoon." funny stuff. his take on 80's pop music is particularly entertaining.

while i generally find zoe surprisingly decent, they have more chefs in the past 5 years than i've had posts on egullet. and that's a lot. who's the new one?