blue_dolphin

Just reporting back that the PAG rotisserie accessory (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that I ordered on Monday arrived on Thursday. It's new, unopened in its original box. Just need to get a bird to try it out but we are having a deluge and I have no other grocery needs so the bird can wait. If anyone else is considering this, it's still listed at $49.95 and the seller I used is Household Gear, a subsidiary or partner to Seattle Coffee Gear.

What is that plate of slop, @blue_dolphin? Why it's the Harissa Eggs with Pita and Dates from I Dream of Dinner. In this take on fatoot samneh, the book uses pita chips instead of pita bread but I went the more traditional route and used torn pieces of pita toasted in clarified butter as in this recipe. The pieces of date get almost caramelized while the pita toasts and a squeeze of lime (recipe says lemon) brightens things up. I was thinking it might be better to dot the harissa into the pan when you add the eggs so you'd have streaks of spice next to plain eggs but this turned out pretty nicely. Could be alarming I suppose. Maybe next time.

Yes. There is also a diced red chile in there. I sliced and diced per the recipe in My Bombay Kitchen but later found other recipes online that called for a julienne cut on both turmeric and ginger and I’d find that preferable as the coins tend to stack up together and you really want the lime juice brine to reach all surfaces. It’s about equal parts turmeric & ginger so easy to eyeball a small batch.

Yes, I think that is or was a Canadian model but was also offered by Amazon in the US, as one of mine was so labeled. There’s still a listing (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) but as you described, the sellers are all 3rd party.

I made some “ricotta” yesterday (recipe for creamy ricotta from Bestia that uses whole milk + heavy cream + buttermilk) with some milk on the edge of turning and wanted to taste it on its own before using it another recipe so I did this again: Happily, the ricotta is fine and the turmeric pickle worked better with it than with the tangy goat cheese I used in the above photo.

White Bean Scampi Stew from I Dream of Dinner I had the notion that I'd like something with shrimp and white beans today and considered just tossing them with pesto when Eat Your Books pointed me to this recipe with its garlicky, lemony broth to warm me up on a chilly day. I used Rancho Gordo Cassoulet beans instead of canned white beans but otherwise followed the recipe. Easy and delicious.

Yes, they work for me, now. Nik Sharma also started out as a scientist.

Thanks for sharing that, @Smithy. The links didn’t work but I was able to find the article to read.

I wondered about that myself but decided there was enough overlap in what's actually being served that it might not be necessary. If the main distinction is your posture and surroundings or the plates and utensils, I'm not sure it's that important to parse out definitions if what we're going to talk about is the food and cooking aspects. Customs like cicchetti and tapas have their own distinctions regarding posture and surroundings but one could certainly steal a recipe and serve it as a starter at home.

Yes! My NJ cousins, who are second generation Italian American, pronounce mozzarella as mustadell, ricotta is ree-goat and prosciutto is pruh-shoot.

Good point. I went to order and the first seller's price had gone up to $90 but another seller was still at $49.95. They have plenty of reviews, identify themselves clearly as a re-seller and I've actually ordered from them before so I'm good with giving them a shot. One rotisserie attachment sold to me!

I almost pulled the trigger, then I noticed the 3rd-party seller it's being offered by only has 5 feedback ratings. The ratings are OK but still gives me pause. They seem to be offering mostly cosmetics and clothing.

This Cuisinart 17-inch baking sheet (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) has a dark exterior and non-stick silver interior.

@lindag, are you still happy with the PAG rotisserie or have you found a better option? I see it's down to $49.95 on Amazon for the rotisserie alone.

I remember reading that when it first came out. Would be interesting to hear a follow-up on how these folks managed through the pandemic. Some of their expenses are lower than restaurants but there were still plenty of investments in equipment, vehicles and, of course, staff. I know some caterers around here set up take-out operations and kept on with smaller events but all the really big events went away for quite a while.

What size are you looking for? Is the dark exterior important for your needs? Is that a non-stick interior surface?

A while back, David Lebovitz shared Franky Martin's Martinelle cocktail in his newsletter, calling it a Pineau sort of Martini. She developed it for the Pineau Academy and the recipe is also available on their website. It's a light and bright cocktail but with enough flavor to sip slowly. I'm kind of in the mood for Spring so I made one. Martinelle by Franky Martin 1 oz Pineau des Charentes 1 oz Gin 0.5 oz Génépy des Alpes 1 drop Orange Citrate Bitters 2 dashes Absinthe When I first made this, I had to order both the Génépy and the Pineau Charentes but both are now available at my local Total Wine. Edited to add that depending on the particular Pineau you use, this can lean a bit sweet. I have bumped up the gin in that case.

They certainly look identical to the PAG that I own but I don't know how to judge what is most current. There was and still is a rotisserie accessory (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).

DIY Marmite or Vegemite?

Toast with goat cheese and fresh turmeric and ginger pickle In the breakfast/beginnings section of her book, My Bombay Kitchen, Niloufer Ichaporia King includes something called Krishna's Breakfast, named for a friend rather than the Hindhu deity. She describes smearing fresh cheese (the book includes recipes for a creamy paneer and a yogurt cheese but allows fresh goat or sheep cheese of any sort for this) on pieces of warm chapati, topping with the fresh turmeric and ginger pickle, rolling it up and popping it into your mouth. She says it's like eating sparklers, a description that captivated me. Obviously, I took some liberties 🤣

pih-CAAN

If you like Amaretto and lemon together, try Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Best Amaretto Sour in the World. Yes! I remember being surprised to see a bottle of Amaretto on the counter at every little Glühwein or other hot drink booth! I used to like putting a splash into a cup of coffee and topping it up with whipped cream. Last night, after reading this, I made an Amaretto Manhattan sort of thing: 2 oz bourbon 0.5 oz Amaretto 0.5 oz Punt e Mes vermouth dash Angostura bitters dash cherry bark vanilla bitters

Speaking of King Cakes, yesterday, Evan Kleiman's Good Food podcast/radio show included an interview with Matt Haines about his book, The Big Book of King Cake (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), which came out in 2021 and the more recent children's storybook, The Little Book of King Cake (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). You can listen to the interview at this link. And Amazon's "Look Inside" feature offers enough of a sample to read about a few of the classic New Orleans bakery king cakes. Have a cup of coffee and something to nibble!

Yes, absolutely to capers. I grew up on my mom’s version which always included pimento-stuffed green olives. I was drooling over your jalapeño eggs just above and love pickled jalapeños in egg salad, too. @heidih pointed you to a good thread. My advice is that anything you like in deviled eggs will make a good egg salad. Leftover deviled eggs are rare but can always be mashed up into a tasty egg salad.

Egg salad in a pita with baby kale and pickled onions.