FoodMan

The CMC Company seems to carry them. I am thinking about ordering some and checking them out. Elie

A fantastic pork and beans dish, this time from Wolfert’s “Slow Mediteranean Kitchen”. It’s called Orange-flavored pork and beans, a dish from Greece. Basically beans and pork shoulder chunks cooked in a mixture of olive oil, pork broth, sweet wine, tomato, orange juice and zest, and a lot of onions. I baked it in a Chinese clay pot and it got a wonderful crust on top while the beans remained firm and creamy, I only wish I had the Greek Gigante beans; instead of the white kidney that I used; that she mentions in the recipe...maybe next time.

Thanks for the very insightful observation mags, that does make sense. Did you ever eat at China Moon? Does the book reflect the items offered there? I am wondering now if she changed her menu at the restaurant as a response to her battle with cancer. Maybe China Moon would've been a more popular book had she written it in different times...I guess we'll never know. Elie

Nothing too interesting in the latest W&D other than Cafe Brasil kicking people out of their restaurant for overstaying their welcome apparently. Elie

Houston Press Is it Mexican-Lebanese food, Lebanese-Mexican or maybe Greek-Lebanese-Mexican?? Read about this interesting filling station in Robb Walsh's Juicy Juxtaposition review of Al's Quick (or Kwik) Stop Houston Chronicle Ken Hoffman onBall Park Hot Dogs and Round Top Cafe's Bud Royer drives for miles to find good eats prepared with loving care Elie

For my belated birthday dinner we headed over to T’afia last Friday April 9th. I have been wanting to try it out ever since it opened and especially since Robb Walsh’s review in the Houston Press. The dining room is small, neat and modern looking with a bar at your left as soon as you walk in and the kitchen to the far left. Unfortunately we got there right on time for our reservation and we did not get a chance to sit at the bar or enjoy any of the Ratafias (the fortified fruit wines) that they offer. The meal was excellent, simply prepared and tasty (sorry I did not get a copy of the menu ). I was hoping to get the Texas tasting menu, but that day’s main entrée (a petit fillet I believe) was not really very appealing to my taste. Instead we ordered two appetizers, Ravioli stuffed with cheese and tossed with a healthy dose of brown butter and pine nuts, and an Arugula salad with ricotta salata and a walnut vinaigrette. For main courses I went for a rabbit confit with a mixed bean ragout. This consisted of the whole rabbit saddle very tender and moist due to cooking in duck fat on top of a light mixture of well-seasoned mixed beans. My wife chose her own combination of grilled Yellowfin Tuna with a side of shoestring fried sweet potatoes, for a sauce she picked the soy lime vinaigrette. Again like most food here, a very simple dish based on fresh tasty ingredients. Before dessert we got a cheese plate consisting of three different cheddars, with a selection of “crackers” and chardonnay pickled grapes. I pretty much polished this off myself (and it had a good ¼ lb in there at least). The cheeses ,all American, varied in intensity and flavor but all were excellent. The only name I remember was Shelbourne Farms (sp?). For dessert we also got two items; a classic crème brulee and a “Chocolate Mousse Sundae”. The brulee was creamy, with a nice thin caramel crust, very good but nothing unusual. The Mousse however was something different, it was one of the best I’ve had. I have been thinking about it ever since last Friday and I actually called the restaurant today to get an ingredient list to try and make something similar at home. It basically consisted of a rich thick dark chocolate and lemon mousse topped with soft whipped cream that was not quiet at the stiff peaks stage so it ran over the mousse a bit and had a slight tang (Crème Fraiche maybe). The whole thing was topped with a few macerated dried cherries, and drizzled with vinegar caramel and lemon honey. So so decadent, rich and delicious. It seems I have talked so much about the food and nothing else, the service was very attentive and flowed in a good pace. With the meal we had a nice Texas wine blend whose name also escapes me. Overall, the experience at T’afia was excellent and I will go back for sure. Compared to other restaurants in Houston ,even major chains, T’afia offers great fresh food, pleasant atmosphere and good service at a very reasonable price, our whole meal (2 apps, 2 entrees, cheese course, 2 desserts, 2 glasses of wine, coffee, and espresso)barely broke the $100 barrier. Elie

probably a stupid question but I think this is a good place to ask it instead of starting a new thread. I've been meaning to try one of the ribs recipes from In the Wei Chuan "Chinese Cuisine" book. However, in the ingredient lists they always ask for "pork back ribs" no matter what the preparation is. So, should I just buy spare ribs or do they mean baby back ribs?? Elie

Kristin, these look great, especially the color. How do you eat those? Pop the whole thing in?? Elie

Teusday night: A Lebanese stew made with chicken, potatoes and onions in tomato sauce. Served with vermicelli rice...comfort food from my childhood. Wednesday night: The leftover chicken from yesterday turned into Enchiladas in mexican red sauce (tomatoes, onions, chilies, broth and crema), from Rick Bayless' book. Topped the whole thing with some onions and cilantro. Serevd it with a side of fiery Salsa De Chile De Arbol from the Mexican Salsas class. Dessert: Homemade Coconut ice cream Elie

Houston Chronicle's Food Section Tommy Tang in Houston this weekend to kick of the Thai themed International Festival. Elie

What you had is garlic sauce (Toom or Thoom in Arabic means garlic, Toomieh might mean garlic sauce). anyways here are my thoughts on this ubiquitous middle-eastern sauce taken from my presentation on Lebanese Cuisine: Elie

for 99% of the ice creams I make I use St. Jacque's Praline ice cream recipe from The Complete Technique. All I do is vary the flavoring. For a lighter ice cream (usually fruit flavored) I sometimes use Alton Brown's recipe for vanilla. Elie

We are all very glad you made the choice to write. Excellent piece. Elie

a few days late but here it is:

My first dish from Fergus Henderson's "The Whole Beast": Roast Bone Marrow with parsley salad and toast. Elie

I sure do get the idea. This was my main gripe with the Wei Chuan book I got. It is a collection of very good recipes, nothing more. Elie Isn't "very good recipes" what most people buy cookbooks for? Cookbooks are meant to be read in the kitchen, I would think, not sitting on the crapper. I think Jo-mel pretty much summed it up. When I buy a cookbook I actually read it (intros, history, recipe introductions and so on), I do not just flip to the recipes and start cooking. If all I want is recipes, I would think the public library and internet would be more than enough. Elie

I absolutly did not mean to scold, and I apologize if my comments seemed to come up this way. When I said "misjudged" I meant it was not judged for what it is. It is not a classic Chinese cooking book and does not claim to be, nor a simple recipes book. It is a restaurant cookbook for those who would like to try the dishes at home. This I felt should be taken into consideration when discussing it. As for the dessert section (that ice cream is yummy ), it again goes back to "China Moon" being a restaurant in America, as Ms. Tropp explains, and patrons always expect dessert. Elie

It's in the Dining section which has been moved inside the "Preview" section . It comes out every Thursday. Elie

Houton Chronicle Alison Cook reviews Beso HERE Historical street names and restaurants in Houston HERE Houston Press: Are you sure that "old-fashioned" burger patty is what it claims to be? Robb Walsh's "investigative" reporting might prove you worng. Moore's Double Horn Grill Carnitas at Chipotle?? I don't think so. HERE Elie

today in W&D: -Rudi Lechner's rules -Texans reply back to the CFS basher (I like the first comment best ) -More about those dumb Quiznos monkeys or rats or whatever they are -Looking for good thin crust pizza Elie

I sure do get the idea. This was my main gripe with the Wei Chuan book I got. It is a collection of very good recipes, nothing more. Elie

While researching to buy a good Chinese cook book, I found this thread awhile back. From reading through it I decided on purchasing the Wei Chuan’s “Chinese Cuisine” book and/or Topp’s “the modern art…”. I also thought, based on a couple of negative reviews in this thread that Tropp’s “China Moon” cookbook was not worth the paper it was printed on!!! Anyways, I did get the Wei Chuan book and honestly I was a little disappointed. The book is really a collection of recipes, the recipes are good but that’s all they are: recipes. It really did not make me more familiar with the cuisine or teach me much. What it did have is a good list/picture of commonly used ingredients and I value it for that. After reading a little through it, it made sense why it was built like this, IT IS PART OF A SERIES!! Duh, right? So to get the whole experience you pretty much have to buy several Wei Chuan books. For example “Chinese Cuisine” had nothing to do with rise, buns, eggrolls,noodles,… it only dealt with several recipes of “main entrees” (chicken, pork, fish,..) and not an extensive list at that. So for any future users looking for a good Chinese book, please keep what I said in mind. Which brings me to that wonderful book called “China Moon” by Brabara Tropp. I picked it up on impulse at a used book store in a like-new condition for $3 after flipping through it for a few minutes and reading some paragraphs. I am so glad I did. This book has it all, it might not be “authentic Chinese grandmother recipes”, but using this book I can create wonderful meals (be it elaborate entrees, noodles, rice dishes, soups, buns or rolls). If nothing else matters, it should be bought solely for the Pantry section and for Tropp’s advice on what brand names to buy of various Chinese ingredients (like bean paste, vinegars, oils, noodles…). Yes, the ingredient list is long and you do need to have certain things prepared in advance like Chili oils and such, after all it IS a restaurant recipe cookbook. The thing is though you can simply spend a few hours on a weekend and prepare the main 4 or 5 items (oils, pickled ginger, spice mix) and they would last for a long long time and you can use them whenever the recipe asks for it. Another shortcut is to substitute certain ingredients, like using the regular chili oil instead of the orange chili oil or use regular good quality unsalted stock instead of the infusions (she actually gives the option to do this). I can go on about the virtues of this book like the side bars with Ms. Tropp’s advice, tips, tales and light-hearted writing style. I can really tell she was very passionate about and loved what she did. So, if you are looking to learn more about this cuisine, you love to cook and are not afraid of making your own stock or chili oil then you will love this one. When I do run across Tropp’s first book I will also make sure to buy it. To make a long story short, IMHO, “China Moon” cookbook was misjudged in this thread and I felt it belongs here among other favorites for Chinese cookbooks. Now if I could only get a hold of a good source for Szechuan peppercorns …. Elie

In Houston I always head over to India Grocers (or is is it India Grocery??). anyways, it's on the corner of 59 and Hilcroft right on the feeder. They have amazing spices and pretty good indian produce as well as British products (Treacle, Golden Syrup, custard,...). For produce, Hong Kong Market is unbeatable, they always have very good quality Indian produce like Curry leaves. Elie

Houston Chronicle Food Section The Ciao Sicily's duo on Lamb and other Easter favorites HERE Hot Cross Buns in Houston HERE Southern Living with hot recipe yanked off the shelves HERE Elie

I also bake mine on a baking sheet after it has been molded in a loaf pan (a tip I got from Good Eats). In addition to crispiness and draining excess fat it also provides two additional surfaces to brush the sauce on . And a thermometer IS the best way to judge the donness of anything. Elie