Dante

Well, I'll start out by saying that I drove my instructors at ACA to distraction with my form, and never did seem to perfect it (tho it seems to functionally get the same results anyway), but I slice when I feel appropriate and rock up and down plus slightly back and forth for chopping- a sort of half-slice half-chop. I don't just chop going up-and-down. Sincerely, Dante

I'd miss-stated a bit (somewhat tired of late- new puppy + pregnant housemate with double pneumonia). I do intend it as a cleanser, just wanted a flavour that would complement what else I'm serving. So, celery's good. I'd done a celery/apple sorbet not too long ago. I don't want to repeat myself but I could do something similar- maybe use the celery as a base and accompany it with another herb? I'm intentionally avoiding mint- never been a fan of mint with lamb, and it's just way too stereotypical anyway. and, yeah, sugar would be required for texture. I'd like to avoid standard white sugar and go with something more healthy, tho. Not sure what else would work without intruding too much on the flavour. Hmmm...lime might be interesting (in a small amount). Or maybe cilantro. Thyme? Perhaps. Sincerely, Dante

Planning to do a leg of lamb seasoned with curry as the main course for a delayed 12th Night dinner. Would like suggestions for making an herbal sorbet to accompany it. Help? Sincerely, Dante

Well, me, I've got my cheeses lined up for Thanksgiving! Chevre Noire, Roaring Forties Blue and, from Lazy Lady Farm, Crumb Cake and, in honour of what happened earlier this month, "Barick Obama". Yes, it's really called that... Sincerely, Dante

Oh, gosh, it's so difficult to pick just one. The food co-op where I do all of my grocery shopping has their stuff in the bulk department, so I worked my way through everything they had to offer. I've really been impressed with everything they've got, and would recommend anything of their unreservedly. I know you didn't mention green but they have a stand-out selection of those as well, and they also do a splendid Lapsang. Sincerely, Dante

Having recently been treated to "Slow Food Style Lamb Stew", I'd like to know how to make it and how it may or may not differ from more standard recipes Sincerely, Dante

So, my housemate has recently obtained a Viking Professional food processor and gone on a slaw spree. Would like to know if anyone out there has any good recipes, tips and/or tricks for making authentic Kentucky style cole slaw. Sincerely, Dante

I'm quite partial to Vermont Tea and Trading Company, myself. Haven't had anything from them that's disappointed yet... Sincerely, Dante

one of my housemats is obsessed with wicker baskets, so we have a ton of them lying around- all shaped and sizes. I put a couple of nails in to one of the beams and hang my baskets from them- potatoes on one end of the walk-in pantry, onions on the other, with a small basket of shallots next to the onions. Sincerely, Dante

yeah- oddly enough, the in vitro meat thing was covered in this week's class for the Menu For The Future course I'm taking. (along with how GMO potatoes with built-in pesticide don't fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA but rather the EPA as they're not legally considered "food" and don't have to be tested as food- <shudder>) Sincerely, Dante

yeah- I would second that. One of my housemates got me one a while ago and its worked like a charm. Sincerely, Dante

Next day's lunch is always my fave. Beans and noodles I'll freeze and use for soup-making (I once got two days of meals for myself, housemates and a couple of guests using just frozen leftovers combined in fun ways). I once made waterzooi using leftover turkey from thanksgiving, then used the leftover warterzooi as filling for individual turkey pot pies which I froze for my housemates to use for lunches. Sincerely, Dante

Would like to know if anyone out there has any ideas on how to make andouille without beef or pork (housemate allergic to such). Not only looking for flavour but also the all-important texture. Anyone have any ideas on how to go about doing this? Sincerely, Dante

You can't go wrong with Jose Andres's Jaleo! If you wanna hop the Metro to Bethesda, I rather like Red Tomato If you want a nice change from the standard, I've had some good times at Tony Chang's Mongolian Restaurant (don't have a link) Now, if you want to hop the Red Line on the Metro to Wheaton, we have The Royal Mile Pub for good English, Irish and Scottish, and Dusit for Thai, and Los Chorros for Salvadoran. Sincerely, Dante

Hello there! I've tried making poultry chorizo before (one of my housemates has an allergy to beef and pork, so i have to get creative at times) , but feel I could always improve things, so I'd like to know if any one out there has tried this before and how you would go about doing it? I'd given thought to doing simulated beef chorizo using other red meats - buffalo, lamb, elk, ostrich or venison, but I'm aiming more for simulated pork chorizo this time. Sincerely, Dante

So I've been hot to do the Chili recipe from Heston Blumenthal's "Further Adventures In Search of Perfection" for a while now. I can get most of the ingredients at our local food Co-op but some of the chiles and chile powders remain elusive for me. While he does give resources, they're for UK-based companies and I live in the USA, so I was wondering if anyone out there knew of USA-based sources that would allow me to save a bit on shipping. FTR, the chiles in question are: pene de diablo somalian extra hot durango el rey madera pecos red rio tejas long peppers Thank you. Sincerely, Dante

[ Maybe kebabs or things you have to bite off of a stick (what are they called when they're made of mince and shaped around a stick then fried?). You mean Kubideh? Or do I misread you? Sincerely, Dante

Mmmm...looks like fun. And I think I have all of the ingredients at home right now. Thank you very much! Sincerely, Dante

What an intriguing name! Can anyone tell me what this entails? Sincerely, Dante

So, my S.O. and I mightb have to spend a few hours in Tilton, NH. Would like to know if anyone knows of any decent places to eat there. Sincerely, Dante

Bit of a late response, but I recently got a copy of his "Chef Tell Tells All", mainly as a sort of tribute to the man who was one of my earliest influences and inspirations. I ordered it from a second-hand place and was hugely surprised to see that not only had it been autographed by the author but that it had an autographed photo of him inside, seemingly used as a bookmark. added bonuses. Sincerely, Dante

Blue Vinney- what do we know of it? just curious. I'd heard about it ages ago but it came up in a discussion recently and it re-activated my interest. Never had or even seen it, but I've seen accounts of a revival in production. Can anyone here fill me in?

Can anyone out there recommend some good Irish pubs? Sincerely, Dante

This may be covered in other topics to some extent or another, but I'm aiming for a wider area than best, budget, gastropubs or some other narrower category. Asking for recommendations for restaurants in Boston in general- cheap, moderately expensive (tho some sense of price range would help, websites would help too), whatever. Style of food doesn't matter- we're an omnivorous bunch with rather broad palates. Sincerely, Dante (who has lived in New England for five years and still hasn't gone to Boston for any reason)

Is there any way to peel pearl onions that doesn't subject one to a seeing age of tedium? Sincerely, Dante