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

Indeed so. The term has become so mis- and over-used as to have become virtually meaningless except as a means of marketing products to people who don't understand that concept. It's become little more than a buzzword. Sad, really. Sincerely, Dante

Does walking distance to a Metro station count? Sincerely, Dante

Hm. I know I'd like to see that... Sincerely, Dante

Friend of mine recently asked me how to rescue pea soup that has become oversalted by the ham she put in it. Due to housemate allergy issues, I don't cook with ham much and I don't use salt in my cooking except when chemically necessary, so I'm very out of practice here. Can anyone out there help me here? I'd like to find a way to do this that doesn't dilute the flavour of the soup too much. Sincerely, Dante

Hm. Interesting...not sure of the use of the term "amatuer", tho. never seen that mentioned. People refer to me as a foodie (but I only accept use of that label for ease of communication, I don't self-identify with the term). Amateur, eh? I'm an ex-professional, with professional education too, so now I wonder what I am... Sincerely, Dante

South Park, actually...

OK- tried several techniques, including the reverse spherification (what I got from that reminded me of the H.P. Lovecraft line about "Ye liveliest awfulness". It was so hideous I threw it out in to my back yard rather then in to my trash can- I'm sure some day its children will come crawling out of the woods seeking revenge on me ) I even tried diluting the Chartreuse, using it as just a flavouring, but even the smallest amounts still interfered with the process, so I guess it's just chemically impossible. Oh well, it was a good idea, just not a viable one... Sincerely, Dante

the former. I'd got that impression. Hmmm...I hadn't thought of that...interesting... (see this post, for example). OK- I'll check that out. Thanx! Sincerely, Dante

So I've got it in my head that I'd like to try a spherification of Green Chartreuse for my impending trip to New Orleans (I'm a member of the Completely Mystical Order of the Krewe of Chartreuse), but I'm wondering about the viability of doing this with an alcoholic substance. Would I go about it in the standard manner, is there some added factor I should account for or is it chemically impossible? I've only done this with fruit juice so far. I'd really love to present the Krewe founder I'm staying with down there with a container of Chartreuse "Caviar". Sincerely, Dante

In 2008, I will eat at Au Pied de Cochon (OK, that may have to wait at least another year...) I will make the squid-ink pasta and lobster ravioli dinner my wife and I had at Red Tomato in Bethesda, MD several years ago (I will also strive to make everything on my projects and experiments list) I will find the aforementioned squid-ink pasta I will learn more molecular gastronomy-based tricks I will teach as much as I know I will read Omnivore's Dilemma (I've got it, just haven't started it yet) Sincerely, Dante

Gotcha. Well, I'm the former who has since become the latter . This thread has convinced me to not bother with the LCB book. Not that I have any sort of negative opinion of it, mind you, I'm certain it's wonderful, but just not what I feel is a necessary addition to my culinary library. Sincerely, Dante

Food-wise? Not really. Having done three huge event-level meals in the past week, I was all-too happy to leave New Year's Eve to the pretzels-crudites-and-nachos crowd. Sincerely, Dante

Yep. Provisions International. They also supply the Lebanon and Hanover Co-ops, where I do almost all of my grocery shopping. Elixir always has a great selection, but VT has an amazing array of cheesemakers. That's the one most often recommended so far. yeah- the Co-op carries those, as well as a couple of others (including Henry Tewksbury's "The Cheeses of Vermont" ). Published by Chelsea Green, also out of White River Jct. A friend just gifted me with a copy last night, oddly enough. I'll have to see- leaning most towards "Cheese Primer" for best all-around for one with limited cookbook shelf space. Sincerely, Dante

So, my housemate's 20+-year-old waffle maker is finally reaching the end of its life. She'd like to find a Belgian Waffle maker that ideally makes four or so waffles at a time. Any suggestions/recommendations? Sincerely, Dante

I've never gotten that either. Me, I have some blood sugar issues, which result in my being almost constantly thirsty, So I love having big glasses around. I've resorted to using a milk-shake tin as a glass (the metal helps keep the drink colder too) and I also have one of the plastic mugs that Surf Side Spuds served their fries in, which is about the same size as the tin. As to reasons why large glasses are hard to find, I haven't the foggiest. Sincerely, Dante

Hello there! I had plans to try the steak recipe from Heston Blumenthal's "In Search of Perfection" this coming week but someone has borrowed my copy of the book and I just found out that I won't see said person for a few days. Can anyone out there possibly share the method for preparingthe steak itself (that is to say, not the accompaniments, just the method for the steak)? Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Dante

Peet's is nice. My wife the Coffee Fiens is quite fond of Orleans Coffee as well. sincerely, Dante