FoodMan

All these amazing Paves!! I know I will be dreaming of this stuff now. It looks so good. Soon I will try this as well. I found some small disposable loaf pans in the back of my cupboard. Should I try making a few mini paves maybe? Elie

New Year's eve: Had a quiet evening at home with the family and my sister in law requested a simple Italian menu. all these except the bruscetta are from Marcella Hazan, Bruschetta on homemade sourdough topped with chickpeas, garlic, olive oil,lemon juice and parsley Homemade fettucine with cream and butter sauce (AlFredo) Chicken Fricasse with rosemary, garlic and Meyer lemon sauce. Served it with blanched, sauteed green beans and carrots. Walnut cake, whipped cream and a cup of black coffee Sunday: Fired up the smoker and cooked up some brisket and spare ribs. Served with cabbage and cucumber salad, and home made bbq sauce. dessert: shortcakes with ice cream and berry sauce. ...feels like summer already . Happy new year, Elie

Houston Press Dining Section: Le Grand Cheescake Robb Walsh reviews this huge turn-of-the-century "fake" built to resemble Venice...or Vienna...or Vegas, Grand Lux Cafe. Houston Chrinicle Dining Guide: Sharing The Wealth Stamps Superburgers gets reviewed by Alison Cook. The burgers are huge, flavorful and well balanced. Something Old, Yet New Champagne (or sparkling wine) cocktails are back in...in fashion that is. Dai Huynh scouts the city for a few sips of the bubbly. Happy New Year, Elie

Thanks all for the comments, and Dorie like I mentioned earlier I tried several macaron recipes with no real success. So I want to thank you for this very-well-13-fold-tested recipe . Even the steaming process to remove the delicate macarons from the parchment, of which I was very scared, worked like a charm. The Pave does look and sound great, so it might be the next project. Elie

I honestly have not had a decent Imjadarra in a while but this thread really made me crave it so I made some a couple of days ago and served it with one of my favorite salads, cabbage olive oil, lemon juice and S&P. I forgot how satisfying this dish is...but not very pretty Elie

Man, I hate it when I'm away from this thread for so long. Darn work! Everyone is making awsome food. Tonight I picked up a thick prime NY strip from the butcher. Seared it rare in my cast iron skillet and served it with herbed butter and roasted root vegetables. dessert: Profitaroles stuffed with homemade banana-peach ice cream and drizzled with bitter caramel sauce. Elie

My first recipe from this book, I made the chocolate macarons: I have tried making macarons numerouse times and results varied from disasterous to edible. These beauties were my first success. They domed nicely with those wonderful frilly edges. The taste and texture were also excellent, crunchy soft and chocolaty. Trust me they looked much better in person. In comparing them with the picture in the book, these were a lot darker, probably due to the use of a different cocao and they were not as...perfect, probably due to my "technique" or lack there of. With some practice I will get to the perfect macaron someday. Elie

Boaziko- Glad it worked out for u. I like the idea of using a wok...talk about east-far east fusion . Elie

I would like to add a comment regarding Turron and Halvah from a middle eastern point of view. In Lebanon: 1- Halvah (aka Halawa), is made among other things with sesame paste (tahine) and is usually studded with pistachios. It also comes in other variations such as plain, chocolate and almond. It tastes very sweet and has a crumbly texture not a chewy one. This is not usually considered a "dessert" but is used more like a jam or preserve. A very traditional use for it is mashed up with a ripe banana and spread on pita bread. 2- Turron is known as Noogah (from the French Nougat). It is I believe made in two variations. A white one made with eggwhite and sugar and is very dense and chewy and usually filled with pistachios. the other variation is much softer and has a light amber color, almost see through. It is also very chewy. It is again typically studded with...you guessed it....pistachios. Both of these variations are sold in small single serving packages shaped like a log. If you visit a Lebanese home after a wedding or any special occasion, these nougats will be offered as part of a candy assortment that includes bonbons, candied almonds and caramels. Elie

I thought the Pave is made in a regular loaf pan, no? What is the proper pan? Elie

I have to add my compliments to the rest on that wonderful looking "Foret Noir" and the pine cone. Fabulouse. I am still reading through this fantastic brown book and so far have only tried the classic hot chocolate drink. It was very good, chocolaty, frothy and rich. I actually polished off the whole recipe by myself (I guess it really helped that it was snowing outside in Houston!!). Elie

Thanks for the tip Richard, I will check into that. Elie

I just got my copy last night. SO hopefully I will be joining this discussions soon. However, I am not going to invest in several different Valrohna varieties at the moment. My cooking chocolate and cacao of choice is Ghirardelli . It is affordable and tastes good. Am I banned from the PH Chocolate Desserts thread yet? Elie

Now that is good information! I wonder if I have to sell my first born? (Well, actually, I would try to pawn off the second born. ) ← Hopefully you won't have to Fifi. I think he said that they will sell for about 2.50/lb. So for $20 you can make a nice batch of stock. Elie

Was there a couple of days ago and Michael told me that (after several requests from myself and others) he just ordered top quality veal bones for stock and glacee. So, if you are interested in making a nice rich veal stock, get your hands on some. Elie

You might find it under various names including "Zalabiya", "lokmat El Kadi", "aawaymat". All of these are pieces of fried sweet dough soaked in syrup. Elie

yeap "Ouda" or "Awda" is room. Now bacik to discussing Fattoush Elie

We do let him, up to a point. I mean the kid will be doing all those funny faces while sucking on the tart fruit but still would not let it go. So we let him have his fun for a while then we have to take it away or he'll start chewing the rind . Another thing that he loves and I am quiet proud of that are those pink Lebanese pickled turnips I make. Elie

what's Hispanic food? Chinese is from China, Hispanic is from .....

My 17 month old will eat almost anything we are eating including duck, fish, bbq pork.... he will also eat stuff we normally would not eat by itself or expect him to like, such as limes and lemons. If that kid sees a half lemon on the counter he will grap and suck on it till I take it away to his loud protests. Elie

And here's your proof. What is bashkir??? I think I heard the term before but I certainly do not know what it means. Elie

Ok, After reading through this thread I had to get me a copy of the Chocolate Desserts book. Just ordered it and I should have it in a few days. Hopefully I will join in the fun soon. Elie

Russ, I think the problem is two fold. One, the public sees the name Wolfgang Puck branded on a store and immediatly thinks it will be a better place to eat than the fast food/cafe/burger joint next door. Well, it isn't and the "good value" is really not there at least for myself. After heading over to the restaurant and eating the food, they either accept it for what it is, or never return again (like I did). Two, it seems that the only thing Puck has under control is the finances. The Expresses are pure commercialism, not good food. I think that's how they differ from your friendly neighborhood bouchon. I saw Puck on TV when he came to Houston touting his express, making it seem much more than it is. And he does that perfectly fine, he sure is great at marketing. Elie P.S. I still cannot get over the fact that he endorsed Sandra Lee's book. Sorry.

Thanks again for taking the time to join us Chef. If possible, can we get a preview of what we can expect when we dine at El Bulli in 2005. what flavors/textures/influences/ingredients will be represented? Elie

I've never been to Rouge, but heard and read excellent things about it. Here is the Chronicle's review. It is definitly on my must-go-to list. Simposio is a great Italian restaurant with good food, ambience and service. I recommend it as well. Elie