FoodMan

Did not know that was the theme or that this is traditional Jewish American food. Here's how I saw it Steven. A meal at Richman's house for guests who have never been there before, so I had high expectations and looked forward to checking what he'd cook. When I see what he cooked starting with the piggies in frozen dough, I was dissapointed and felt like he just threw it together (except for those blintzes) haphazardly. Like I said, I am sure it tasted fine. that is not my quibble with it. Edit: typo

I agree. This was a very interesting post and a bit surprising. I can never imagine Steingarten for example serving Pillsbury pigs in a blanket. I'd expect a lot more from Richman. There is a fine line between rustic and kind of lazy (the roast beef looks boiled). Although the tempura does sound good. ← I get what you're saying, but note that Fat Guy found both dishes delicious, even if they are trashy. I kind of liked that Richman proudly served what he felt he made best -- he's a professional food critic, not a professional chef! ← I get that. All I'm saying is that it is not what I'd expect (that's why I think the post was pretty interesting). I guess I keep comparing him to Steingarten who writes for Vogue and who seems a very accomplished cook. Pigs in a blanket are good, they are just not what I'd expect a guy who reviews restaurants and food from around the world to serve his guests.

I agree. This was a very interesting post and a bit surprising. I can never imagine Steingarten for example serving Pillsbury pigs in a blanket. I'd expect a lot more from Richman. There is a fine line between rustic and kind of lazy (the roast beef looks boiled). Although the tempura does sound good.

But what will you use to bake the cake and make the buttercream for the dessert following the steak main? ← I think the use of margarine as a butter substitute for keeping Kosher is completely reasonable (in fact, I can't think of a more reasonable solution). The really interesting part of the question is, in my opinion, absent dietary restrictions is there a reason to use margarine? I see no reason why margarine would not be superior in some products, in much the same way that other fats are more suited to certain applications. For example, I sometimes use half butter/half margarine in chocolate chip cookies to get the texture that I want. ← See that's where I disagree. IMO, the odd taste and greasy mouthfeel of margarine would not make up for whatever minor improvement there is in texture. I used to do that with biscuits (use half and half), but ever since I tried making them with butter alone there's no going back.

My grandmother used to buy those all the time and cure them herself. We'd hear her up on the third floor whacking them with a hammer to crack them (for some inexplicable reason). She'd stick them in a jar with a bunch of spices and vinegar, then straight into the fridge (I believe), where they'd sit for many weeks. God bless her, they were horrible. You couldn't pay me to eat one as a kid, and I loved olives. ← My grandmother still does that. I am planning on trying it some time. you have to crack them for the brine and seasoning to penetrate and for the bitterness to be removed. She used to crack and soak them in several changes of water for a couple of days to remove the bitterness. Never vinegar though, just salt, water, lemon and chilies and they are delicious.

But what will you use to bake the cake and make the buttercream for the dessert following the steak main? ← I see, good point. I guess chicken fat might not taste too good in a frosted cake.

Yeah, I never understood why Paul B. does that. I love that book but, I replace ever margarine based roux with a butter one. Thanks for the explanation Pam. I was I guess only thinking of baked goods (cakes, muffins,...) where butter is essential an no oil can be substituted. With meats and savory meals, I'd use oilive oil or vegetable oil depending on the meal. I also just remembered that Alton Brown uses butter-flavored margarine in his yellow sponge cake recipe. HE claims that it tastes more like butter than butter .

Sorry, I never use it. There is nothing like butter. I can see why you would need to though if it is not kosher. So, is butter not kosher at all? I thought you could not use it too cook meats, but other than that it's ok. As for lactose intolerance, butter has very little lactose left in them. Most people would have to eat enough to get sick for other reasons before they ate enough lactose to affect them.

See that's why I like this show. Each episode is different, with a different feel and theme. Sure this is risky and some of them might suck (Vancouver) but then you have perfect ones (NOLA) and quirky funny ones that work (Tuscany) or food lovers' heaven on TV ones (Singapore).... The difference between NR and most of the other food/travel shows is like the difference between indie art house films and Hollywood summer blockbusters. Sure, an indie film might suck, but at least it tried to create something different.

I would try calling/emailing and explain your situation. You never know, they might give you a reservation earlier than they normally do.

Au Revoir Les Enfants? ← wow...someone finally answered. You are correct too.

Well, let's get this out of the way first. NO bbq sauce. That is a pure American invention/corruption. It might taste ok, but I'd never imagine eating a Lebanese Kebab with bbq sauce. Now, when you say Lebanese Kebabs are you talking about gorund meat ones or the ones with chunks of beef or lamb? I would suggest you check this quick course out first and see what I am talking about. The two variations in there are the Kefta and the Lahm Mashwi (grilled meat). Both are grilled on skewers and can be served in a plate or wrapped in Pita. Another visual aid can be found in this post about a Kebab shop in Beirut As for 'sauce' you would typically either use some hot sauce and/or tahini sauce. Other dips/salads are sometimes used too like hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli,... But not bbq sauce hope this helps.

Yeah, I doubt we'll see Rachel discussing the different varieties of mushrooms anytime soon, let alone foraging for her own.

Thanks for sharing. It's actually very helpful in an informative sort of way. My wife explicitly forbids me from owning any livestock in our suburban home .

Monthannah- Let me point you to 2 threads in the Middle East Forum first. You can find those threads by using th search function and look for 'shawarma' or 'Kenafi'... This thread is about Shawarma and I do not remember if we have a recipe in there or not, but read through it and see what you can learn. Making it at home is not easy, but you can come close to the restaurant quality. I'll PM you my recipe for Shawrama from my mom if you like. It's good, but again it is not the same as the restaurant. This thread is about Kenafi with cheese. I belioeve it'll have everything you need to make ChefCrash's awsome recipe. If you have any questions or comments though, feel free to post them there for everyone's benefit. Kristin- I am from north Lebanon, Akkar originally. I went to highschool in Beirut.

Thanks for the list. It sure looks impressive. The latest recipe I made is the classic brownies recipe. I also galzed them with a little melted white chocolate. They looked and tasted great. I made about 60 of them for a special occasion. Definitly a big hit.

They are certainly not a bad option, but they are nothing to write home about or a thread about IMHO. I prefer them over Subway for sure and a bit more than Quizno's. I have one -with the live music- in a mall in downtown Houston where I work and I go there once in a while. The main attractions? I do like the spicy gardiniera and the people watching. The folks who work there are friendly enough, but it is not a 'destination' sandwich place like some other mom and pop places in town. Maybe I'll give the shakes a try next time I'm there.

Could it be Skordalia? I may be wrong. ← nope, not Skordalia (made with garlic, potatoes and olive oil). This was a unique Crete (Cretan?) food item made with goats milk fat (cream I guess) and flour.

I liked the Greece show very much actually...or maybe because it came after Vancouver it seemed so good. The food looked excellent, the people nice (BTW they also seemed to be ribbing him most of the time too), the raki flowing, and the unique crete cooking alone was worth the price of admission. Oh yeah and the wonderful sea urchin feast made me crave those things more than ever, he sure loved them. I am looking forward to the NOLA episode next week. Glad to see that Bourdain would be interviewing Lagasse. He sure did mature .

My feelings exactly. Sometimes I come home and I enjoy a well made cocktail, other times it's a glass of homebrew (or a good commercial brew), then there are the days where nothing but a good glass of wine would do. I definitly would say that my cocktail drinking habits have changed to include a much bigger array of beverages over the past 2 years. I also enjoy making my own flavored liquours. I am also more into bitterish concotions and using different bitters as well as making them. I defintily drink a lot less straight Scotch, Tequila or the such. I try to mix it with something and see what I get.

I'd disagree about the practicality comment. Many of the recipes are fairly simple and can be done easily. Much easier than say most recipes in the French Laundry cookbook. I certainly agree that it teaches new, unique and useful techniques for the home cook who likes to move beyond the everyday basic cooking techniques. That is certainly why I'm trying to cook more from it. It is not a book for a beginner home cook, but for those who are more seasoned, it is certainly practical and useful. Are your refering to the method the legs were cooked in as cuisson? I thought that refered to cooking meats in their own juices. This one is more of a straight braise.

Here is my first entry in my Happy in the kitchen project on my blog. Click on the recipe name below for more info and pictures. Duck-Duck-Beet The Tasting Notes: Let’s get rid of my quibbles first. The wonderful beet chips did NOT stay crispy after three days in the ‘air tight container’, especially the slightly thicker ones. The thinner chips were sort of in between crispy and chewy. That still did not prevent me from demolishing them all. They are that good and worth making again. The duck breast, as I hinted above felt a bit bland compared to the marvelous braised legs. I would certainly have appreciated some more seasoning on it or a marinade. Overall the dish was very good. The legs were sublime, meaty, meltingly smooth and full of flavor after cooking in that red wine duck beet stock and shallots. The sauce itself was amazing with a rich mouthfeel and taste. It went so well with the rich duck. I would certainly make this again just using duck legs and braise them in the same way. I’d of course serve them with extra freshly-made beet chips too.

As part of my resolve to eat more vegetarian meals, I made a nice big dish of Ziti alla Sorrentina last week.

Yes. They are all in the show's companion book "Jamie at Home: cook your way to the good life". I am sure at some point it will be available in the US. I got my copy a while back from Amazon.co.uk edit: add URL

Elie, did you use a pressure cooker? I'll be using a regular pot when I try this, and I wonder how much difference pressure cooking, like Jamie did, would make. ← No, no pressure cooker, I am scared fo the damn things . I used a regular stock pot and cooked it about 45 minutes till the skin was nice and soft.