FoodMan

For my birthday this past Saturday, I baked the banana cake following the recipe posted by Wendy since I had several overripe bananas. I had two variations in my recipe though. First I used buttermilk instead of sour cream since I did not have any. Second, I mixed a handful of bittersweet chocolate chips in the batter. The house smelled wonderful while it baked and the cake alone was moist and delicious. I loved the chcocolate chips in there and recommend you try it as well. For the frosting I decided to try the Kahlua flavor following someone’s suggestion upthread. So I whipped 2 cups cream to soft peaks, added half a cup or so of confectioners sugar and maybe ¼ cup kahlua and kept whipping to stiff peaks. I have to tell you, the combination was out of this world. My skeptical wife declared it one of the best cakes I’ve made, and I have made many. Here is a picture of the finished product:

Wednesday- Oven braised garlic stuffed rump roast, with tons of onions. Cream and butter held together with mashed potatoes Thursday- Spicy cabbage salad with thinly sliced beef from yesterday. Vinaigrette made with chinese chili oil, rice vinegar, pickled ginger, pickled ginger juice, shredded basil and balsamic. It really was excellent and a snap to make. Elie

What's Israeli sallad? How come the israelis has incorporated falafel so much to their dining, they seem so crazy about it. ← Well, I guess the short answer is: Falafel is a middle-eastern food, Israel is in the middle-east, it (falafel) is very tasty, so it is very popular in Israel.

Potato starch should be pretty easy to find. Try looking for potato flour isntead of starch in your local Supermarket. Whole Foods has it for sure also. Worst case if you really cannot find it, just use an equal amount of AP flour. Elie

Richard- That does look like a big fudgy rich cake. With how simple it is, I really need to try it. I love a challenge and I think I have all the pudding ingredients at home. So I might also give it a try soon and report back. Elie

You shouldn't have to brine them if they are young enough. The natives just wash them, and while still wet dip 'em in a little salt and eat them, fuzz and all. You can skip the salt part. We dip everything in salt. ← Exactly. The ones pictured are just washed and cooled. Just make sure they are tender enough to eat the whole thing, they should not offer more resistance than say a crunchy cucumber . We definitly dip everything in salt. My grandma even likes her fresh squeezed orange juice with a sprinkling of salt . Elie

LOL....this brings up so many memories. Almonds, Janareks, cherries, Akidinia. All these were classroom favorites Elie

Chef- We are hearing a lot recently about "avant garde" cuisine. The movement pioneered by Spain's Ferran Adria and whose effects are seen all over the globe. In the US, F&W Best New Chef Grant Achatz is doing similar things with food (See Here for a detailed discussion about the opening of his new restaurant Alinea). Your food is very modern but it is by no means as "manipulated" as Adria's and Achatz. What are your thoughts about Avant Garde? Is it good cuisine taken to the next level or manipulation for the sake of manipulation? Thanks again, Elie

The stages of almonds (this is by no means scientific, just my experience): 1- What is pictured above, the whole thing is eaten. The "almond nut" itself is only a "goo" like you said. The outside is crunchy and tangy. 2- The nuty has formed and is hard with very thin pale yellow skin. The outside green part is pretty hard and is not edible. SO you crack it and eat the white nut. It is still easy enough to crack by using the teeth as tools . 3- The outside is very hard and sometimes is opening up on it's own. You need a nut cracker to open this one or really strong teeth. The almond is fully formed and is covered by the familiar thin brown skin. 4- Toasted/untoasted dry almonds. In Lebanon we enjoy each one of these stages. In the US it is mainly #4 that we see. Elie

Friday: Braised chicken with beet greens, chickpeas, garlic, ginger, onions, preserved lemons and a variety of North African spices. I cooked this slowly tagine-like in my Chinese sand pot. It came out fabulous. Served it on top of bulgur cooked with Samen. Saturday: For my birthday meal we had, Grilled chicken, garlic sauce, grilled potatoes, cabbage and tomato salad, and pita bread. While grilling I nibbled on green almonds and had some Arak. Dessert: Banana cake with chocolate chips and a Kahlua whipped cream frosting. This easy cake was one of the best things I’ve made. Sunday: Cheeses and homemade bread. Served with Brunston pickle and other condiments. Monday: Leftover night. I Made grilled chicken risotto with fresh oregano and lots of Parm. cheese and butter. Had more of that wonderful cake for dessert.

I hardly ever see those in the US, but now is their season and when I noticed some at a local middle eastern shop I had to pick a bunch up. They are delightfully tangy and go great with a little salt and a glass of Arak or beer. For those who do not kow what they are, these are green almonds (baby almonds, unripe almonds). You just eat the whole thing, no cracking no pealing. Does anyone else like them? Ever had them? Are they popular anywhere else other than the middle east? Elie

Tajin in lebanon is a dish similar to "samke Harra" or Spicy fish. As far as I know it has nothing to do with the North African staple. It's just cooked fish mixed with tahini, onions, nuts, spices and lemon juice. Served as a maza usually. Raqaqaat are another maza dish, very popular. It is made with Phylo dough stuffed with a salty cheese mixture and fried. I'm not sure why they called for "Unbaked Jewish Bread", could be a translation thing. I have not checked the link yet, , but it sounds very interesting and I will take a look at it ASAP. Thanks for posting it Jason. Elie

Janarek will probably be gone by then. Even in May it was very hard to get good ones. elie

Chef, thanks for joining us for this conversation. Let me kick this off by asking Scott to elaborate a little on the "casual fine dining" concept. I have to admit that I was a little surprised by how casual ARIES was the first time I ate there. I expected a more traditional fine white table cloth atmosphere. On my second visit I knew what to expect and it sure helped that the food on both occasions was excellent and top quality. So, chef why did you choose this type of atmosphere? What are the advatanges and disadvantages? Thanks, Elie

Texas Forum Chat with Chef Scott Tycer ARIES - Houston, April 4th - 8th, 2005 We are pleased to have chef Scott Tycer, chef and owner of ARIES restaurant in Houston, join us for the week of April 4th, 2005. The chat officially starts on Monday the 4th, but please go ahead and start posting your questions and comments for Scott in this thread now. Scott was named one of Food and Wine's best new chefs in 2003. He is also part owner of Kraftsmen Bakery, an artisan bakery that provides fresh organic bread to his restaurant as well as others in Houston. Scott and his restaurant manager wife, Annika, have designed ARIES Restaurant in Houston with the idea of creating an informal and sophisticated dining experience. ARIES Restaurant Menu selections, rooted in French cooking techniques, are characterized as sophisticated New American. Scott incorporates fresh Texas ingredients into contemporary dishes to create his menus. In addition to daily menu selections, ARIES offers a "Chef's Menu" consisting of five-courses featuring seasonal specialties. Scott chose to pursue a culinary career after completing his degree in English literature at the University of Texas at Austin. He attended the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. After returning to his hometown, Houston, he took a Chef Tournant position at the then new Benjy's in Rice Village. After that he moved to the Ritz-Carlton and worked under Chef Todd Rogers. In May 1997, Scott moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. There he secured a position at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. Scott was promoted to Executive Sous Chef and became responsible for the day-to-day operations of the entire kitchen. Scott considers his time at Spago to be the defining work of his career prior to ARIES. About Chef Scott Tycer and ARIES on the web: http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2003-07...ning/toque.html "The In-Tycer" by Robb Walsh http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2002-10...ning/toque.html "Bread Head" by Robb Walsh http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2002-04...ning/toque.html "Continental Error-lines" by Robb Walsh http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2001-03...ining/cafe.html "House of the Rising Sun" by Robb Walsh More About Chef Scott Tycer and ARIES Restaurant in the eG Forums: Houston Fine Dining ARIES Thread

Houston Press' Dining Section The Seoul of Sharpstown Robb Walsh reviews the Korean joint Sam Bo Jung. It might not be the best but is might just be the most eclectic. Houston Chronicle's Food Section Tito’s Vodka: The spirit of Texas- Literally Michael Barnes reports about the only fine vodka made in TX. Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide A Bite Of Heaven- North Italian Style Alison Cook reviews La Parmigiana in Cypress where they have one of the best pizza in the city. Well, it’s not the city anymore, is it? Savoring the Ceremony Dai Huynh chats with Serenitea (cool name BTW) owner, and discusses the Japanese tea ceremony. Elie

I just got back from CM and they do have a nice selection of moderatly priced oils. A Spanish one as well as a couple of French and Italian ones caught my eye. As soon as the one I have is gone, and at the rate I use the stuff that does not take long, I'll try some other ones. I'd appreciate it if you can find the name of the one you use. I was pleased by the CM Organics brand's price on lots of stuff. I picked up a jar of Dijon mustard for 1.50, and I am finally going to try out the blood orange soda (2.29 for a large bottle). Other items included peanut butter for 1.20 I think. So, IMO the price is not bad at all. I also saw jars of Wasabi mayo but did not buy any. Elie

I second the recommendation for both Beiteddine and Baalbak, both should be safe and an awsome road trip. Depending on how you get there many food items are available. In Baalbak, make sure to have some of the signature meat "pizzas" known as Sfiha. There really is nothing better...well almost. If you drive through Zahle and Taanail, stop by a dairy shop and have a Labneh sandwich with olive oil and olives. Pick up some of the local cheeses to take home. I hear a monastery over there is making wonderful Gouda-style cheese with caraway as well (I'll look the exact establishment name for you). Other stops if you go through Soufar are the roadside chicken shacks. you cannot miss them or miss the smoke and smell (boy do I miss them now though ). They butterfly the chickens, soak them in an oliveoil/garlic/lemon marinade and grill them over coals. You can either buy them whole or as everyone does buy them in a sandwich (sandwich in all these posts refers to a pita wrap, but I'm sure u knew that ) with garlic, pickles and lettuce. I'll write up more stuff as I remember them. YOU have to write a report when you get back . Elie

I've been looking for a decent moderatly priced EV Olive Oil for a while, so I picked up a bottle of their Organic EVOO at HEB produced in Italy. the price tag was 6.50 for a 500ml bottle and it is pretty good. I prefer the oil to be more fruity and pungent than theirs but for the price it was more than acceptable. It has a mild clean fresh taste. Even a crappy bottle at a Droubi is the same price for mediocre oil. So, I will probably buy it again. Elie

question about the very interesting Kabylie Amazigh Smen. Why roll it into balls if you are going to melt it eventually? Does it aid fermentation? Where do you get sheeps milk butter? I guess three questions . Elie

Hmm...this is tricky, because it is not spring anymore and not really summer yet. I'm afraid you might be a little limited in this area. No figs, grapes or pemegranates yet. You might be able to catch late green almonds, "akidinia" (not sure what these are in english, maybe lumquats ), cherries, and maybe peaches and apricots. All these, in addition to fresh plentiful fava beans are at their prime in the spring. Elie

A crispy Pita with Falafel is alwasy dissapointing to me as well. These sound very good, what exactly goes into Israeli salad? Rachel- I love the Falafel bar idea (I chose to ignore the crispy Pita for now ). I wonder how come we do not have them here in Houston? Maybe I should open one up. I am a little confused about not being able to eat it neatly though? Even the largest Falafel sandwiches I've had were not harder to eat than a regular burger. Is the falafel not wrapped properly maybe? Elie ← Elie, since we started using your fantastic Pita bread recipe (and we've tweaked it a bit more with the inclusion of some whole wheat flour, for texture) we haven't had a problem with Felafel sandwiches falling apart -- its those mass produced supermarket pitas that we seem to have this problem with. ← Jason- That makes perfect sense. Stale pita is very easy to rip, and it does not roll well at all. I try to buy mine fresh from a middle eastern bakery/deli here and freeze it. I take out one pita at a time and defrost for a few seconds in the microwave resulting in soft pliable and sturdy bread. A frozen 2-week old pita is much better than a two day old "fresh" one . I've never tried freezing pita made from my recipe though. Have you? Elie

Purely for principle. Because everyone should have a right to their opinion. I am not defending 'Trotter', the chef. I am defending the right to hold an opinion without being judged. As a chef, I have given some serious thoughts about the issue of foie gras. It is deeply disturbing to me. However, I cannot afford to NOT cook foie gras because of my beliefs. It is simply a matter of doing one's job without letting personal feelings interfere with the work. However, I can appreciate the freedom wealth and power can offer a person in order to put his beliefs into practice. This is rare. If I can afford to stand by my beliefs without any impact on my earnings, I'd do that same. In a way, I am not defending Trotter. I am defending myself. A future ME, perhaps? ← Sir, you ARE defending Trotter. We are not saying he should serve fg, we are simply stating using logic that he is a littleover the top with his comments AND he is being too self rightous, by stating such strong beliefs and serving fg at a dinner not too long ago. I am sure Blumenthal and Tetsuya would have been more than understanding if he simply asked them not to use the damn thing. Elie

Another difference between the Jew who does not eat pork but serves it and the trotter deal, is that the jew who might cook the pork to make money he needs will probably never think of eating it! It is forbidden pure and simple by religion. Mr. Trotter claims he has not served the delicacy in his restaurant in about 3 years, based on a personal moral choice. Well, it appears he flat out lied, since apparently he did serve it not too long ago. I also doubt he did not sample the stuff. There is a clear distinction here. You cannot be an enthusiastic vegan and eat eggs for breakfast ONLY on easter. This IS hypocrisy. you either serve the stuff or you DON'T. Elie

Snowangel, I use dried rice noodles for Pad Thai and soak them for a couple of hours in cold water before cooking. The end result is perfect. Elie