FoodMan

Is your friend sure he bought lamb????

caramel tart??? Is that custard based?? I've been meaning to duplicate a dessert I had called "Creme Brulee Tart" but was not sure if I should put the uncooked custard in the baked tart shells and bake again till it sets. Will that work? or will the shells get soggy?? I know the place I had it at seems to have baked the custard in the shells. What about a water bath to cook the custard?? Can I use one in this case ?? FM

The best use for your few fresh figs is to let them get nice and ripe, chill, and eat. If you still have more: Use in a tart. Patricia Wells has an excellent recipe. Use them raw in a salad with fresh mozzarella, and proscuitto. Derss it with a little EVOO, S&P. FM

Ok I could not figure out what to title my little rant here so I hope I did not mislead anyone. I just got off the phone with my wife whose family is coming over to our house tonight for her sister's going-away-back-to-college dinner. I had asked her to ask her sister what she wants to eat. so she specifically requests "Cinnamon Buns" for dessert - a little strange but still ok. However, for a main course my wife talked with her mom and her mom goes "Make something with chicken, BUT IF YOU WANT YOUR DAD TO EAT MAKE RICE TO GO WITH IT"!!!! My wife's ethnic background is south American so I know rice is a staple with every meal, but if sometimes I really do not want to make rice. And this always happens, I mean it kills me when her dad asks for rice to go with the wonderful homemade Lasagna I made (WITH HOMEMADE LASAGNA NOODLES) or rice with roast beef and mashed potatoes. what really aggravates me is the "condition", I probably will make rice with roast beef just out of courtesy but when they place conditions on me it just buggs me. I am of middle eastern origin but I never demand Pita bread when I eat at their place!!! Does anyone have the same problem?? Or is it just me?? FM

Sinclair- How did it come out??? Any pics we can see. I've made a Rhubarb Creme Brulee from one of Jamie Oliver's books and it basically has a layer of sugar cooked rhubarb on the bottom. It tasted wonderful. Please share your results. FM

How should one prepare the green ones? I think I know what a ripe mission fig should taste like but I'm less certain with the green. My neighbor has a green fig tree growing over into my yard and the one I tried last year just didn't taste ripe. Is this a fruit that I should plan on poaching regardless of ripeness? Regardless of color, a ripe fig should feel soft under light pressure and taste sweet (sweetness degrees can vary of course). Even the green ones turn slightly yellowish when ripe. No blanching is necessary, an underripe fig is just plain nasty while a nicely ripe one is heavenly. FM

Suvir- I make the ones from Reinhart's "bread baker's apprentice" book. They make wonderful buns both sticky and Cinnamon variations. FM

I was going to mention the same thing. Jamie oliver has an excellent recipe in his latest book (Jamie's Kitchen). Very tasty. I also like to mix plums and peaches in this recipe. FM

Good for you!!! that's what I would do. How did the kids like it ? FM

Chili Rellenos (sp?): Poblano peppers stuffed with a turkey and beef Picadillo, battered, fried and then baked. Topped with home made tomatillo salsa verde and shredded white farmers cheese. Served it with plain white rice and tortillas. Dessert: Home made Mango-cardamom kulfi FM

For the stems, cut into 2inch pieces, blanch them in boiling water till barely soft then dry and mix in with tahini, chopped garlic, lots of lemon juice and a bit of cumin. For the leaves, make a lentil and Chard soup. FM

So what was the report?? Any difference??? FM

Since the "regular folks" were polite he to me just seems impolite and inconsiderate. The way he behaved IS WRONG and no one was trying to intimidate him. There is no excuse for his behavior. FM

Well last night I made my Falafel recipe that I will domonstrate in the eGCI class and it came out perfect. I prefer to reserve the recipe for the day of the class but Xavier, if you want it then please PM me and I will gladly send it to you. I made it with a mixture of dried Fava and Chickpeas that were soaked for about 20 hrs. No cooking or boiling the beans is necessary (except for frying the Falafel of course). I also did not use any eggs, bread , flour or any other binding agent and the patties came out perfect with no crumbling or falling apart. even though I did use a scoop I also tried making a few with my hands and they also held their shape although they did not look as perfect Xavier the scoop I'm talking about comes in one shape : It makes Falafel patties or thick disks. It usually comes with a small "spatula" or flat spoon which you use to put the mixture in the scoop. If you have a middle eastern store that you know of ask them and they will probably have it, that's where I got mine. FM

Xavier- I do not believe you answered this question that was posted earlier, Do you have a Falafel scoop?? The one where you pack the Falafel mixture in and push into the oil. this will make them nice, packed and uniform. I will probably incorporate Falafel (testing now) making in my class about Lebanese Cuisine that I will present as part of the eGCI on Sept 26. Hopefully that might help also. FM

Peaches and mint are great. FM

the different namings indicated above merely reflect different dialects or accents. As a North Lebanese I pronounce it "SAMEN" but in Beirut it is more likely to be pronounced "SAMNEH". But they are still the same product --clarified butter. FM

recipe????

That is very true, parsley should be the dominant ingredient. FM

I have to object to this point, the bulghur should never be soaked alone for it to soften ahead of time or else it will be TOO soft once you mix it in and it sits for a while (a problem with many cafetria style/buffet places that serve middle eastern food). Mixing it in 30 minutes ahead of time is more than enough for it to soften a little and keep some texture and have a little bite to it. I do second the idea of using a wide long conatiner though. FM

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease...post some Good enough?? FM

What a great thread. How did I miss this? I really have nothing much to add to what Steve P. and Explorer as well as others already mentioned concerning why this great cuisine is so popular. Speaking as a Lebanese American who was born and raised in Beirut and North Lebanon, I am tempted to say that Lebanese is simply the best cuisine the whole region has to offer but that would be too ethnocentric. Certainly the climate, location, entrepreneurial spirit, as well as openness of Lebanon to the outside world are the main factors. Lebanon has absolutely no desert compared to other countries in the region and that will definitely be a great help in the variety of cuisine, almost anything will grow there, from Avocadoes to apples to corn and wheat. Another reason for the wide spread of Lebanese cuisine is probably the amount of travel that the Lebanese do. Ever since I was in elementary school I learned that the Lebanese are known as travelers and merchants, and nowadays there are much more Lebanese people or of Lebanese origin living abroad than in Lebanon, and the first thing they take with them is their cuisine. Probably the civil war also had the effect mentioned earlier in that it drove even more Lebanese to look for work and safety elsewhere. On Sept 26, 2003 I will be giving my “Introduction To Lebanese Cuisine” class as part of the eGCI (e-gullet culinary institute). Hope to see you all there asking questions. This was more than likely "Samke Harra (Spicy Fish)" which is a fish baked in Tahini sauce with walnuts, cilantro and chillies and is one of the dishes I am featuring in my class. FM

Dessert: coconut Pots du Creme (what's wrong with flank steak???? Makes a great Barciol ) FM

How did you like it?? I've made it three times already and I absolutely love this tart. Is the recipe for this tart available online? Sounds good. Tuesday dinner: greenmarket stuff. Got some eggplants, made baba ghanouj. Ate the baba ghanouj with sliced up bell peppers-- these are available at the greenmarket in colors I've never seen at the supermarket: dark purple & almost white. The eggplants too were this beautiful streaky light purple and white. The coloring resembled those fat, bulbous Italian eggplants you see at gourmet markets, but they were shaped like regular purple eggplants. Wednesday dinner was poached chicken breast with Allemande sauce, made from my eGCI stock, thank you very much. And some wild rice and sauteed spinach. It is available on F&W website: Oven Roasted Tomato Tart FM

I built it a little differently than the recipe says, instead of doing two layers I just overlapped the tomatoes and got one layer plus a few extras. You can certainly use more tomatoes and if you have leftovers just make some oven roeasted tomato sauce with them and toss in some pasta . Last night: Red Beans and Rice with smoked sausage FM