FoodMan

Will the US version have any pictures in it? I still cannot figure this out. On the st John website they clearly say that the UK re-release will have new pics by Lowe. I am assuming the US version will have whatever the first UK version had so were there any pics in the original? Elie

I made this for valentines dinner and served it in individual ramekins with the burbon sauce. The recipe was in last months issue of Food and Wine. Both my wife and I agreed it was fantastic. Elie

I just put in my order for one as well...now I have to patiently wait till April!! Too bad there are no Hardcover editions though, only paperback. Elie

Interesting. Your parents must be very patient, bless their hearts . So what's the difference between a ginger wine and ginger beer in your process? Is just that beer is carbonated? Elie

I think I would draw the line at those duck embryo eggs. I saw T. Bourdain eat them and they were just fowl (or is that foul ) looking and I imagine the texture and taste are the same. Why would nyone eat them? I do not know. Okra is good Escargots yummy bugs ---not sure but I might try them with hot sauce Elie

Cafe Annie's Berryhill leaves to start South Carolina eatery

FG- How long does the egg/water mixture need to be whisked? I saw (or maybe read) sowmehere that it actually needs to be whisked for several minutes to increase in volume and get the proper classic texture. This whole eggs series has been great. Elie

Chicken breasts baked in aluminum foil packet with mushrooms, shaved carrots, five spice, butter and red wine. Served it with basmati rice. dessert : brownies with ice cream

I was really fascinated by your essay about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the book and specifically about the funny/sad dilemma of the English coffee grower who is literally sitting on a mountain of the best coffee in the world but would not sell a pound of it since he cannot dictate his price. Are there any new developments with this individual? Is he still growing and storing his coffee? Is there anywhere in Houston you go to for great Cabrito? Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge with us. Elie

meatloaf cooked unmolded from the loaf pan -a la Alton Brown- so it got nicely brown and slighlty crispy on the outside and I glazed it with a chipotle spiked ketchup sauce. Baked mac and cheese made a creamy bechamel base and a ton of sharp cheddar. Very yummy and comforting Elie

Well I practiced on a couple of cornish hens yesterday (I purposfully picked the smallest I could find, under 1lb). the first one took about 15 minutes and was a little messed up in the back but ok, the second one about 10 minutes and came out near perfect . Hopefully this should help me when doing the quails, and if all else fails then I will just follow Chromedome's advice. Richard the one with rose petal sauce is on top of my list, I do have the book and was thinking about trying it out. Elie

Sounds very nice. I would love to see pics as well. Elie

Semi-boneless cornish hens stuffed with a pilaf made with rice, sausage, apples, almonds and spices. Seared and roasted in a cast iron skillet, made a nice sauce out of the pan juices with some vermouth and stock. Dessert : Almond and Chocolate Dacquoise Elie

Wolfert- Thank you so much for sharing, hopefully this will make the next book then . At my houshold usually RED WINE VINEGAR was used but white wine or Cider should work just fine. Wolfert's recipe is very similar to the one I use except for the mastic part and for browning the chicken in the oven part. Also the rice my mom makes is not plain white, instead it is flavored with dried cinnamon, a little black pepper and a touch of allspice. Elie

I cannot believe that I actually found it, Dacquoise is most definitely the cake I remember eating such a long time ago. I did make the Saveur recipe with minor alterations (I used all almonds since I did not have Hazelnuts, I added Cocao powder to the meringue and buttercream). It was amazing, almost exactly like I remember, chewy crusty layers with soft creamy filling and a strong chocolaty taste from the ganache. Next time I would like to try the Hazelnut Dacquoise. I did take a couple of pics and I will post them when I get a chance. Thanks again for helping me with my query. Elie

Babba or Savarin, maybe? both are yeast risen cakes that are usually soaked in rum and have a very light feel and taste amazing. The Babba Au Rum are usually baked in a mold. Then again I am no expert but look these two up, I know Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking has both of them as does Pepin's Complete Technique . Elie

Nessa, you could not be more correct in this statement. Indeed there are two distinct dishes made with grape leaves traditionally in Lebanon. 1- The vegetarian version stuffed with rice, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, mint, parsley, S&P and olive oil. These are then cooked slowly barely covered with water and a few Tbsps of olive oil and lemon juice. They are almost always served cold or at room temperature usually as part of a Mezze (small appetizer) and usually considered a small meal or snack. 2- The non-vegetarian version is a totally different animal. It is a meal fit for kings and is certainly regarded that way. In the home where I grew this was a typical weekend meal where all the family and friends got together to enjoy. The stuffing is made with rice, ground meat (lamb, beef, or goat), S&P and a good amount of Samen (clarified butter) mixed in. Usually a few pounds of beef (at my family's home we used goat for it's distinctive flavor-especailly the tail) bones specifically from the shank and neck were simmered till almost done then layered in a large pot. The grape leaves (and usually some stuffed small zuchinnis) are layered on top and everything is covered with the bones broth and simmered till the stuffed veggies are cooked and the meat is falling of the bone. This luxurious meal is usually serevd with some homemade yogurt mixed seasoned with some salt and with pita bread alongside. Elie

Well I did my homework on the Dacquoise and I truly believe that this is it!!! Here are the three links that I will pick between or use a combination of the three. The Saveur one seems like the best one and I can use chocolate buttercream instead of the coffee one and maybe add 1/4 cup cocao to the meringue. I am looking forward to trying this out. Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction. From Leite's Culinaria Epicurios Master Cook, see the second recipe for chocolate Dacquoise From Saveur They have a very scrumptiose looking picture that looks almost exactly like the one I remembered. They also have a very interesting tidbit about the cake. Elie

That is exactly why I want to debone them, or at least remove the breast and backbones (for only two of us I might make six not the whole dozen). Also my wife is a little put off by their size if they had bones and she will enjoy them much more without them. Thanks for the input, I guess I will go with Pepin's Technique book and learn as I go...hmm I might end up using all 12 I guess due to trial and erorr Elie

That is very interesting Rhea..who knew. Properly made Melokheya (which is derived from the word "Mulookiya" meaning Royal one) is not at all that slimy, the way my mom always made it from dried leaves the last thing I would call it is slimy. Using frozen leaves gives a little more of a mucilaginous texture but not much. Do try the Roden recipe and let us know how it compares to Philipino preparations. Elie

That is exactly how my mom serves it and how I learned to serve it. Also onions steeped in lemon juice are very good topping (instead of the vinegar ones).. Elie

Wow, that was fun to read. Very well written and with a great sense of humor, your forays into the adventures of Indian street food made me feel like I' m watching Bourdain's "Cook's Tour". I wonder if he read it yet? Like FatGuy I was fascinated by the yard stick "chopping board" guy and I also examined it for a few seconds and sure enough...it makes sense. I love the way you told it like it is also Monica, you did not make seem urealistically poetic and perfect, I'm talking about the insults from people, the questionable food and the purveyors hygiene or lack there of. So why were you insulted anyways? Did they feel like you were patronizing them? Looking forward to the next piece Elie

dacquoise?? I've never heard of it, I will look into this. Thanks for the help. Elie

I picked 12 quails at a local market and I am planning on making them the main feature for a nice Valentine's day dinner. My main question is: How difficult it is to properly de-bone these birds? I checked both my D'artagnan book where they have a small paragraph about the subject and Pepin's Complete Technique where he goes into more and clearer detail as to how to de-bone a squab by turning it inside out. They both seem time consuming but doable. Any additional tips and hints? Since we are on the subject, what is your favorite way to cook them? I was thinking either stuffing with some kind of bread pudding and roasting or maybe pan frying and topping with sauce. Elie

Let’s see if anyone can figure this one out. A long time ago (12-13 yrs maybe) a friend came to visit us in our apartment in Beirut. With him he brought a “cake” that he bought from a very well know French patisserie in Beirut (so this is NOT a Middle Eastern dessert), whose name I do not remember. The reason I say “cake” is because it was and still is like no other cake I’ve had. It looked like one with three layers but the texture and taste were not familiar. To explain further, the cake layers were not sponge cake or Genoise (sp?) but they were strongly chocolate flavored with a chewy texture. The filling was some kind of thick chocolate crème patissiere but that is not important. What I want to know is what the hell was that? Every so often I crave it and I did several online searches and could not figure it out. As far as I could deduce the layers might be some kind of chewy chocolate meringue. The taste was very chocolaty, rich and luxurious with chewy layers and thick crème filling. So much so that I was the only one who liked it and ate it all in a few days time, and as mentioned, I still crave it. Does that “cake” sound familiar to anyone? Or maybe it was that places specialty? Suggestions/recipes would be appreciated. Elie