Shel_B

I'll tell you a little story about the best dinner I ever had. It was 1997, and I was about to head to Peru. I had been taking Spanish lessons from a young Peruvian woman, and was invited to have dinner at her small, student apartment before heading south. She had little money, and we sat at her Formica table in her cramped kitchen. She pulled out some Saltine crackers, a tin of sardines, a bottle of Coke, and some very good Pisco, from her home town, which was Pisco. We used paper napkins and plastic forks. That night I learned much more about her history, she introduced me to Susana Rinaldi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Rinaldi who, she said, gave her "goose bumps," and improved my understanding of life in South America, including Peru and Argentina. I left her home that night a more educated, better rounded, and happier person than when I showed up. As far as I'm concerned, it ain't the table setting, it's not the food, nor is it the décor ... it's the company you keep, the conversations you have, and the feelings you share.

Yes and no - yes, in that a "true" panna cotta is traditionally just cooked cream, BUT cream in Italy and some other European countries is different than much of the cream found here, so a simple "cooked cream" using American ingredients may not give quite the same results. The best I've been able to do - compared to a real Italian panna cotta - has been with the use of what we sometimes call manufacturing cream. I've not had the opportunity to use other European-style creams as yet. No in the sense that this is the US, and we often put our own spins on what may be considered traditional cuisines and dishes from other places. So while my favorite Meyer lemon panna cotta may not be traditional, or even acceptable, in parts of Italy, it goes over quite well here, likewise the blood orange panna cotta I make for Toots every now and then. I don't care for it very much, but she loves it, as do others. Maybe they've never had the panna cotta of which you speak, but I have, and I see them as completely different dishes, each bringing something special to the table.

I am going to make the panna cotta because the idea interests me, if only because it's so different and I'm curious. I do like the other ideas presented for using the candy caps, so thanks for that.

This morning I discovered a recipe for a mushroom panna cotta using candy cap mushrooms (http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/mushroommonth/candy_cap.html). This is something I want to try. Has anyone used these 'shrooms, or made a 'shroom panna cotta? Any input would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!

Aren't all holidays "made up?" What can be sillier than Christmas, where we celebrate consumerism, spending money, and engage in lots of stressful behavior and activities. Personally, I much prefer National Pretzel Day ... April 26th - mark your calendar.

David Lebovitz offers this suggestion http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/ which I have used with acceptable results. In addition, the good folks at kitchen.com offer these options: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-machine-171060 And finally, though there are more, here's a couple from the Brown-Eyed Baker: http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/06/21/how-to-make-homemade-ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-maker/ You may also Google "How to make ice cream without an ice cream machine" and find plenty more options.

Sounds like a nice, simple meal, one that allows plenty of time to be with your sweetie, and that's the best part of any special dinner.

No, you're not ...

Try Bella Milano ... it's been a few years since I've been there - was just passing through - and I found the food to be good and the service pleasant. When on the road, very few places compare with foodie locations such as Berkeley and San Francisco, NYC, etc., but this is a place I'd go back to if ever again in the area.

That's some nice looking guanciale. It's difficult to find good quality and tasty guanciale here ... <sigh>

What are you doing, or cooking, for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day? Is this an occasion that's celebrated world-wide, or is it an American thing? Tonight we're having a simple supper consisting of Molly Wizenberg's curried lentil soup with kale from our garden, a salad, also with ingredients from our garden, a pork tenderloin with apples and caramelized onions, and a side of baked Minnesota wild rice, cooked in a homemade mushroom stock with some of Toots' favorite mushrooms and toasted pecans added for good measure. For dessert there will be a blood orange panna cotta served in small, red, heart shaped ramekins. I'm having a grand time doing things for Toots. I made a card for her using a vintage image from the early 1900's - It's fun making my own greeting cards, and the recipients like them, too, as they can be so easily personalized. She's also getting a box of Recchiuti chocolate hearts with her favorite fillings http://www.recchiuti.com/overview.html?area=02&id=J43aFnvE&gclid=CNHkuufUy7wCFQWTfgodPl4AVw, and the traditional bouquet of a dozen red roses. We went to see The Thin Man last night at the local theater, which once a month has screenings of classic films. Whatever you do, I hope you'll be enjoying the day as much as we will.

We're generally in agreement here, although I take a small issue with your point on yogurt, or some yogurt. Many "Greek" and other yogurts are loaded with crap - thickeners like corn starch or carrageenan, sugar and other enhancements. A lot of store bought yogurt, regardless of style, should forever remain in the dairy case. I'm familiar with Ottolenghi and Tamimi's hummus - it's very good, and while I won't go so far as to say it's a hummus by which all others should be judged, it's right up there. So now we have a common point of reference.

So what makes Greek yogurt Greek? Are you complaining about the price and the marketing or the yogurt? Well, how is home made American hummus different than Lebanese home made hummus? I don't think you can compare supermarket products with well-made restaurant or home made products. Maybe that's the same in Lebanon? Is what you get in the supermarket in Lebanon equal to what is made at home? And, from what I understand, in part by experience, Israeli hummus may be made and presented differently than Lebanese hummus. Which is "authentic?"

Might not "American-style" food be authentic American? It seems that we here in the states have our own culture and history, and that is reflected in our food - the ingredients and how we prepare it.

What is the difference between "Americanized" hummus and that from the middle east, and how have we "ruined" it? Likewise our Greek yogurt and yours?

Gotta hand it to 'em ... http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/02/12/275628045/cornell-pair-introduce-american-chinese-food-to-shanghai

I see the point you're making, and I agree with the example you gave, but .... if you make something like a roux, using flour, milk, and the fat from the meat, wouldn't the bread then be "cooked" and lose its raw flavor and texture? And then serve the same purpose as a panade?

So, how does scalding milk effect chocolate pudding?

OK - thanks! And that brings me to a question about using a panade in making sauces, in this case a meat sauce. If bread is made with flour and water, why use bread at all in a sauce? Couldn't a mixture of flour and water be added in place of bread?

I noticed that many of the techniques and recipes here use the addition of water - sometimes a fair amount of it. What's the idea behind adding water - to this uneducated-in-the-ways-of-sugo guy, it seems that the water would only dilute the flavors and the sauce?

It reminds me of some of the stores and homes in the older part of the town in which I spent my childhood. Thanks for the pleasant memories.

Isn't guanciale made from the jowl or cheek?

Not having heard back from anyone by the time I was ready to make the pudding, I used the microwave, kept a close eye on the progress, and the results were pretty good - quite comparable to cooking the milk on the stovetop. Now that I've done it both ways, I agree that the stovetop is a bit easier to judge, but the results are similar. Thanks for your response.

I've never heard of Italian water rolls, and I grew up in NY and Long Island in the fifties. Can you explain what they are?

I am about to make some chocolate pudding, and in reviewing the recipe and my notes I was reminded that some of the milk in the recipe is to be scalded in a saucepan on the stove, which is how I made this recipe in the past. I was planning to heat the milk in the microwave this time. Does scalding do anything to the milk that is important to the recipe, or would getting the milk nice and hot in the microwave work just as well? I'd be happy to post the recipe should that be necessary or helpful. Thanks!