Morgan_Weber

I've been doing some research on the lemon variety grown on the Amalfi Coast. As you might know, the lemons grown there are heralded as some of, if not the finest lemons in the world. They're known for their complex and delicious flavor. So here's my question. Does anyone on eGullet know how if there is a grower in the U.S.? Or does anyone know how to get their hands on a cutting? I know a lot of the flavor apparently has to do with the soil the trees are grown in, but we should be able to grow them fairly successfully here in the States as well. If anyone is planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast, maybe they could cut off a twig, stick in their suitcase and ship it to me...lol. You think I'm kidding? Any help or leads would be GREATLY appreciated. -M

Well, people have been smoking fish for thousands of years as a preservation method. I would venture out and say, though I have not done the specific research, that people on the Yucatan Peninsula smoke fish...they do just about everything with fish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn Corn got developed in Mesoamerica...my opinion is if it came from there, I don't care what form it is in, it can be attributed to that culture. If corn had never been developed in Mexico, other cultures wouldn't have been able to add their own flare to it. According to Wikipedia, boiled cornmeal has been seen in certain forms in Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela, although it is a "staple in Northern Italy". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta

I haven't tried that one. Last August, I made an appointment with Mr. Cotturi and went and checked out the winery when I was in Sonoma. It is quite the place. He really is a nice guy. The winery is not quite what one might expect. They're more-or-less, left-over hippies. The place is really run down--cars on blocks that don't work. The 'tasting room' was in the wine cave, which was just a hole in the side of the mountain that had been blown out and dynamited, then a wall built to cover the front up. They don't get many visitors out there, so we made a special appointment. All in all, we spent over an hour talking with Tony Coturri. He bent over backwards to show us his wine, opening close to a case of bottles of different styles and different years, and didn't charge us a thing. As we were packing up our wine purchases, he picked up an empty case, re-corked the bottles that he had opened during the tasting, and sent them home with us. Needless to say, we had quite an evening...didn't want to let any of it go bad. It is to date, one of the best wine experiences that I have ever had. Let me know how this bottle turns out. If you want pictures from Cotturi, let me know and I'll email them to you. Cheers. M

I don't know about recipes, but here is a link to the statistics of winners and what not on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_resul...on_Chef_America Hope this helps. M

Just saw last night that reruns of Molto Mario can be found almost daily on the Fine Living channel...fyi...

Mark, I just finished watching your demo. After going back to look at some of the demos that this year's contestants submitted, I think you're well on the way. You seem extremely comfortable in front of the camera, and you seemed genuine with your dialogue (unlike Colombe's video--check that one out for some cringe). I dig it and I'd watch it. Stay genuine. Good luck. Cheers.

Here's to apparently having taste in fine food, but definitely not web design... That website is YEEEEEAAAAUUUUGGGCCCHHHH!

I just finished reading "The Man Who Ate Everything". I thought it was awesome. I really enjoy his sense of humor and writing style. The next book I'm going to read is "It Must Have Been Something I Ate". I think it is more or less, the continuation of his first book. Other than that, I don't know...

How bout a new drinking game? Every time Top Chef has annoying and blatant product placement, slam back a shot of Bombay Sapphire Gin... This is really getting ridiculous!

Cyrus in Healdsburg is amazing. http://www.cyrusrestaurant.com/ and Zazu, just outside of Santa Rosa http://www.zazurestaurant.com/

I don't know how popular this thread will be, but I'll give it a shot. Over the years, I'm sure that some eGullet caterers have come up with an arsonal of good ideas for pulling off a great event. My quesion is, are there any tricks of the trade that you have come up with and are particularly proud of? ...maybe some creative ways of doing certain aspects of the job that are reasonably tricky? It is a broad question, but its meant to be, so as not to leave anything or anyone out.

Thank you all. That is what I figured. I just placed an order for insta cure #1 and #2. I appreciate all of the input. M

I have a quick question. A couple of months ago, I prepared my first torchon of foie at home. I followed Keller's recipe from the FL cookbook to a "T", EXCEPT for the pink salt. I was not able to find any so I substituted Fleur de Sel. Before I get burned by all of you for that decision, I realize I shouldn't have done it. I am currently in the process of reading Ruhlman's book on charcuterie. His discussions of pink salt and the nitrates/nitrites that go with them have gotten me to thinking. Then a couple of weeks ago I was in Central Market and was happy to find that they have installed a salt bar. I'm now able to get salts from all around the world...including Himalayan Pink Salt. My question is this. Keller doesn't specify what type of pink salt to use. Obviously, I would think the Himalayan pink salt that I can get at the market, doesn't contain the same nitrates/nitrites as the curing salts that Ruhlman speaks of. Since the torchon of foie is more or less raw on the inside, should I use something like Insta Cure #2? Or are the natural pink salts like the Himalayan ok? The finished torchon did not retain the color that I had expected it to be, and I'm wondering if it is because of the salt substitution. Thanks for your help. M

Yeh, what's with all the loose hair? And why are all the chefs' jackets way too large for the girls? They are swimming in those cuffs! ← And not to sound gay (not that there is anything wrong with that...), but doesn't GR look dashing in his well tailored, short sleeve whites? lol. My question: Why the short sleeves? Not too practical in the ole kitchen...

Alright. I just finished watching the latest episode, where Paul gets the boot. Thank you DVR. Is it just me? Am I too sensitive? I'm just so sick of FNTV stressing that their 'stars' MUST more or less, dumb everything down to make it accesible for the home cook... I don't own my own restaurant, nor am I on the line somewhere every night...I am a home cook. I want to yell at my TV everytime the judges make some comment about keeping things simple for home cooks. If FNTV actually taught people how to cook, we wouldn't need Rachel Ray and Ina Garten throwing dozens of mediocre, uninspired cookbooks together. If they instilled principles, home cooks would be able to go to the market and buy stuff thats fresh and improvise a meal around that. Instead, they instill the idea of following the recipes to the very minutest detail. (Oh no, the market is out of ________, what should I do??? Now it's not going to be just as Rachel meant it to be!!!) Maybe I should just get over it. Maybe I epect too much.

Oh yeah...that was in no particular order. Sorry about that. Pepin would definitely be a top priority. I don't think Colicchio has ever done an instructional show. He communicates really well on Top Chef and in his cookbooks. I'd love to see a show that focused on his style of cooking.

I didn't know that Gadsby left Noe...sad to hear that. We ate at Hugo's on Friday, before The Police concert. Food was awesome. Between four people, we tried their rabbit, scallops, baby pig, plantain emanadas, flan, flourless chocolate cake, and chipotle cake. It was all wonderful. We had two drinks, two appetizers, four entrees, and three desserts. Ticket was just under two bills. Roughly $50/person was an incredible price for all of the quality food and libations that we had. We can't wait to go back.

Am I the only one who really likes Bayless? He doesn't bother me at all, and I dig the pukka shell necklace he wears sometimes. He comes off as sincere, and he knows his stuff. ← NOO, I love Bayless too. My wife and I can't get enough of his shows. I guess I'm an idiot for liking Bobby Flay as well? The guy can cook. I'm so sick of watching people with "good personalities" on FNTV that cannot cook. Give good slots to the people that CAN cook and get rid of the rest. If I was able to start my own FNTV, the line-up would be awesome. Trotter Bourdain Batali Keller (if we could talk him into it) Bayless Ducasse Ripert Pepin Moulton Torres Colicchio Like Nickelodeon (sp) used to do the reruns of old tv shows late at night, we could do reruns of Justin Wilson and The French Chef and other great shows that have been nixed or declared 'irrelevent' by FNTV Instead of the Rachel/Alton Block we could have the Alton/Corriher Block...Maybe we could talk McGee into it as well... ~~~~~~~~ There are an endless number of people that can cook that would be leagues better than what their current line-up is. I mean, for the love, we'd learn so much! ...such a pipe dream

That's why more men apparently watch her show... That's also why she started out on another cable network, not the Foodnetwork. She's selling sex appeal under the guise of cooking. ← So wait...she cooks?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6262442.stm ...finally something that makes sense.

The Cane Sugar DP I bought recently in Dallas is coming out of the Temple, Texas plant, rather than Dublin, although the store display signs still say Dublin. ← I love Dr. Pepper...the Imperial Cane Sugar DP is the best. I went to Baylor University in Waco, TX...the home of Dr. Pepper. Every Tuesday between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, the university would have "Dr. Pepper Hour". They would mix up Dr. Pepper and Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and dump it into punch bowls. You could use the glasses that they provided or bring your own larger glasses and fill em up for free! Tuition was so damn much that I felt like I had to take advantage of this in order to get my money's worth...lol. Seriously though, what better combination could there be than the glorious nectar that is Dr. Pepper and Blue Bell Ice Cream? I suppose that mostly only Texans know about Blue Bell. Sorry Yanks...it ain't the same with Ben and Jerry's...

I've noticed that on alot of pink lemonade igredient lists, that beet extract is used as a coloring agent... I don't get the fascination with this stuff either Fat Guy...

In September, my wife and I will be celebrating our 1-year wedding anniversary. I'm in the process of figuring out where to eat. We're from Houston and would like to skip out on Brennan's since we have one here. The first night is in Baton Rouge. Second night is in New Orleans (this will be the night that we actually celebrate our anniversary). I've been doing some research and have a couple of ideas. Tentatively, I have us down on the books at Herbsaint, although the only reviews I've read appeared in magazines (does this joint live up to the hype or could we do better elsewhere). We want to eat somewhere that will challenge us and our pallates. We're looking for something that is distinctly local, but doesn't confine itself to everything cajun. If y'all wouldn't mind throwing your two scents in, I'd appreciate it. I've gotta plan breakfast lunch and dinner ideas for two nights and two mornings in Baton Rouge, and one night/one morning/lunch in New Orleans. We're also going to be on River Road while traveling from Baton Rouge to NO (a lunch idea would be awesome). The only real night where money is not an object as far as the meal is concerned is in New Orleans. Thanks in advance for all of your help. I'd like to add too, that we love cheap, whole-in-the-wall places where the sanitary nature of the place might be questionable, but the food is unbeatable.

Hmmmm...I like their fries too. When you say not hand-cut, do you mean frozen? Or that they use a cutter to do the work for them? ←

My wife and I started eating here a couple of years ago and love it as well. I actually love the fact that it is small. My only complaint is that the frites aren't hand cut...or at least they weren't the last time I was there. I confirmed this with the waitress. I thought with the awesome food that they serve, why not go the extra mile and have awesome frites as well? I mean, it is a bistro. We've eaten at Bistro Moderne a couple of times and thought that Philip Schmit does a wonderful job with his melding of Texas ingredients with classic French dishes. Would I expect anything less? I mean, he was the sous-chef at Le Bernardin... As far as other French places... We got burned at Bistro Calais, as have some of our friends. On another note, I'm really excited about my first trip to Hugo's tomorrow before the Police Concert. Other places we loved: Cafe Annie Ruggles (Great food, but pretty straightforward...which is to be understood. The place is classic for a reason) Mark's 17 at the Alden Other places we have gotten burned: Rainbow Lodge Ouisie's Table Bossa ...I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the others in both categories. We have yet to try, but are really looking forward to visiting Noe and T'afia. Thanks for the info.