FoodMan

Here are the Pain De Campagne loafs from a few days ago. I made two,, an Epis and a stand alone sandwich loaf. this recipe yields a wonderful crust and a nice slightly salty bread.

I made the chocolate ice cream this weekend and fixed me up PH's banana split (no golden raisins, so I used black). I so wish I had decent split dishes to give the presentation more justice. The ice ream is very rich tasting and got nice and thick in the fridge before I put it in the machine. If I did not know I would've sworn it hald eggs and/or cream in it. The end result was excellent with a very strong chocolate taste and a rich mouthfeel. Elie

I made the salmon tartar this past weekend and I enjoyed both making it (I love all the mincing and plating) and eating it very much. I pretty much made the whole recipe and polished it off . I followed the recipe exactly, except I forgot one ingredient and did not want to go back to the store to get it. Can you guess what it is? Elie

Friday: Bouchon's Salmon tartare with homemade Pain De Campagne Saturday: Had some friends over for dinner and made chicken on the grill two ways- - Chicken breast kebabs marinated in buttermilk, garlic, cumin, papprica adn lemon juice. I used Rosemary branches from the backyard for skewers mainly because the Rosemary bush is getting very big and because they look way cool. - Chicken thighs marinated in oil, lemon juice, garlic, and ground corriander. Served with a salad of grilled zuchini, chickpeas and parsley. Dessert: Torta Di Nonna (Ricotta Tart) from Batali's first book, served with a plum "honey". I only remembered to take a picture of this. Monday: Thin Milanesa steaks, pan seared and served with lots of onions and mushrooms with a deglazed pan sauce on top of rice. More ice cream for dessert. Elie Sunday: Leftover grilled chicken sandwiches on homemade sourdough rosemary rolls with cilantro/lime mayo. French fries Dessert: PH's chocolate bannana split with homemade ice cream, rum soaked raisins, whip cream, and chocolate sauce.

what did you think about tonight's show? To me it was very clear that Mario will and should win. I enjoy all the shows in which Mario competes, they are usually pretty energetic and fun. Elie

A few of questions: 1- What is the dress code? Business causual? Is a jacket recommneded/required? 2- A sort of menu question for those who have been before. does El Bulli offer wine tasting selections along with the dinner menu like American fine dining restaurants do? Or is wine offered by the bottle only? 3- Is a service charge typically included on the final bill? Is a tip expected? This will be our first 3 star meal in Europe and I want to be as informed as possible. Thanks Elie

I'm always dubious when someone orders the "veggie" option at a Thai restaurant as well. I'm willing to bet money that the "veggie" pad Thai has fish sauce in it. It sure smells like it does. Elie

Jason- All those dishes look so good. I am glad members still enjoy my contribution to the eGCI. ...as for my dinners this weekend. Well, I need to download the pictures first Elie

From Today's Digest: I do agree that most people in the US really do not want to know what is in their food like "squid ink", "monkfish liver" or "Kidney Fat". Somethings taste good but might not sound appetising, and chefs choose to keep them off the menu. what do you think about the comments in this article? Should they list these items? what about chef clark's comment? I personally think this is wrong and if asked, a chef should inform the diner of what is in their food. Afterall someone might have a bad reaction to anchovies or squid ink! Elie

Houston Press' Cover Story Beefcake Steven Devadanam writes about a new unusual bakery opening up in Sugarland of all places. The “kinky” new place is called “Nooky’s” and it specializes in erotic baking. Yes, erotic baking, stuff like "coochie cake" and "Big Louie"!! Houston Press' Dining Section Thai High Robb Walsh dines and writes about Thai Sticks. The new Thai white table cloth restaurant has found it’s identity after a rocky start. Houston Chronicle's Dining Guide Still A Little Raw Alison Cook reviews Sushi King, serving “raw” food and not in a positive way. The place seemed to have potential until the chef was fired and the food dumbed down. Way Off The Menu Dai Huynh examines the not so new attitude of the Chefs’ “don’t ask, don’t tell” practice when it comes to unorthodox ingredients in our food. Actually sometimes it seems like an “ask, don’t tell” attitude. Elie

Diana Kennedy has a recipe for longaniza (a green chorizo???) in her book "The Art of Mexican Cooking". Unfortunately, I don't have this book to see what the ingredients are....it's only referenced in her newest, "From My Mexican Kitchen." But when I googled around, I came across one recipe that mentions ground pork with green chiles, bay leaf, parsley, cilantro and Swiss chard. I'm sorry JetLag, I don't know where to find them either. My first guess in Austin would be Fiesta....I'm guessing you've tried them in Houston?? Also, is the Kennedy recipe for longaniza the one you used? ← I have the book, I'll check it out. Elie

On a slightly different note, I've only been to Dallas once and I had a wonderful dinner at Nana with my wife. If you had to recommend for me another fine dining establishment for my next visit in your city based on your experience as a food critic, where would that be? Why would you pick this place? Thanks, Elie

I don't really have an answer to either, but did you try asking at a Mexican butcher shop or taqueria. They might not have them but they might know who does. Elie

Mario bashing???? What are you talking about? Molto is one of the most liked chefs on these forums. I can only see one negative commnet on this thread. Elie

I'm laughing so hard, tears are streaming down face! I didn't know Mario was a comedian too. Although his shorts always made me laugh. He doesn't have the legs for them, non? ← Oh man, he always takes jabs at French chefs, like how they wear tall hats and how fussy they are. Statements like "Don't worry about cutting your vegetables into equal dice for this braise, this is rustic Italian cooking, we are not cooking fussy French cuisine here" are common and usually delivered with a smirk. That's the best part, he is soooo proud of his Italian heritage. I think he does it mainly for comedic effect on TV though, there is no doubt he prefers Italian cooking to French but he would not seriously dismiss the French heritage like he does on the show .

Also he always refer to the collective "We" when saying why he did something like fry the fish in olive oil. As in "We like to always fry in olive oil", "...because we love the overcooked texture of these beans", "We never add cheese to this dish",....

Princess Diana's accident was later than that, I think '96 or '97.

Marcia, why throw it out? It sounds like it is doing ok, just give it some more time and stop feeding it. You should see more bubbles soon. Elie

Was that back in 1994? I published a recipe for eggplant with charmoula in Saveur along with an article on returing to my old home in Tangier. If so, let me know and I'll search for the original issue. ← Yes! As I remember, I fried the eggplant in olive oil (maybe basted it with oil and then baked) The chicken was butterflied and grilled. I cannot remember the basting sauce for the chicken. (or was it for game hens?) The charmoula recipe was excellent. I made that dish for my difficult-to-please brother-in-law and he loved it. If you have the original issue, I would be forever grateful. I have kept many back issues of Saveur, but somehow I managed to lose that one. Edited to add - if it has been 11 years since that article appeared and I still remember how good the dish is, that must tell you something! ← WOW, that is too much!!! you gotta love this place. I mean here goes hazardnc wondering how to get a lost recipe for Charmoula from Saveur, and what do you know, Paula Wolfert who happens to apparently be the original author of the article from 11 years ago offers to locate her recipe!! Who needs a search engine .... Anyways back to Charmoula, I only had it on fish as well and only in restaurants. It is delicous but I never got around to trying it at home, eben though it seems simple. Wolfert I would also appreciate it if I can get the eggplant/chicken Saveur charmoula recipe if it is not too much trouble. Many thanks, Elie

I would say this recipe is in line with what I do. I also do not include onions in the takleya, only oil, garlic and cilantro. edit: I also never add potatoes, but that is a matter of preference. Elie

I ahave to agree with Seth's and Jackal's comments. It looks underproofed. My everyday sourdough is Jackal's recipe, baked straight from the fridge, but like Seth said, make sure it is proofed enough or you will cook the crust before the crumb. Looking forward to your next loaf. As for me, I made Pate Fermente last night and tonight I am making Pane de Campagne dough from the BBA in hopes of baking tomorrow. Elie

OR "indisputed king of cheeses"

To add to Steven's comment, in the book referenced by Robb Walsh in his post, The Soul Of a Chef, Michael Ruhlman makes it a point to mention that Mariani's employer (GQ I think) will not pay for tickets/meals/hotel in "second or third tier cities" like Dallas, Houston or Cleveland! So, in order for him to review establishments in these cities someone has to pay the bills. Hence, the free tickets, room and board and sometimes meals. Elie

Susan- I cook beans like that all the time, I use different ingredients for different flavor. This one was sort of Italian flavored, hence the large can of San Marzano tomatoes. I also had lots of garlic, onions, dried oregano, and dried basil. The pork was some raw spare rib trimmings I had in the freezer from a bbq I had a while back. I did soak the beans this time and I added enough water to cover by no more than 1/3 of an inch in the crockpot, you need much less liquid when you cook in those things. I have also made beans without soaking. The problem here lies in estimating how much liquid you need since the dry beans soak up more water. Another tip to is to "flavor" with aromatics (garlic, onions, herbs, spices) liberally as the crockpot seems to make flavors a little bland. Also I almost always add a fresh ingredient to the pot when I get home to liven up the flavor, something like and herb, chopped green onions, lemon or lime juice, or like in this case fresh Italian parsley. There is nothing like coming home to a cooked dinner when you have a hungry 2 year old with you . Elie

Friday: Crock pot beans cooked with Italian tomatoes and pork. Saturday: Did some backyard spring weeding and ended up with a bunch of dandelions. So dinner was a simple wild dandelion (is there any other kind?) and olive salad sandwich on homemade Pugliese bread. This was so fast simple and boy was it good. Of course I was starving and exhausted by dinner time so anything might've tasted good Sunday: -Slow cooked pork butt, prepared following Paula Wolfert's recipe for "Day and Night Pork Shoulder". Although I did cook it at a slightly higher temp. so that it could be done "faster (ie in 10 hours) in time for the dinner guests. this was one of the best roasted pork pieces I've evr had. Juicy, meltingly tender, but at the same time it did not just fall apart. I will be cooking this again. -The last of my garden carrots, simply glazed with some mint leaves. -Rice with pine nuts and corriander -Dessert was cream filled "Ataiif" Monday: Leftover pork was turned into a sort of Thai fried rice with a paste made from galangal, chillies, lemongrass, garlic and shallots. Actually I removed what was left of the awsome skin, crisped it up and munched on it while I cooked the rice. Tonight: Baked penne with eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes and mozzarella. Elie