Mrs. Meadow

WHOA! I had no idea. In January, I attended a Mien (Laotian) New Year's party at the home of my daughter's ahma and spent the evening in the kitchen watching an entire pig become food for 100. Pork tartare? Delicious. And the special rack over the stove (warm, moist place) had sausages "curing". Damn, they were good...

Thank you SWoody! I'm just seeing your post today; sorry I haven't responded earlier. I'll let you know where we end up... Thank you again!

I'll be in Anaheim next month for a trade show: NPEW and I'm organizing dinner for 12. We don't want to drive in to LA proper so that leaves out much of what I've seen on the California board. A friend looked through Zagat's and found a bunch of stuff for Newport: Aubergine Bayside Bistro 201 Renato's on the beach Sage What about Huntington Beach? Anything good there?? Any and all help much appreciated!

Hi Suvir, Here are some additional notes and questions: Whe I make jam, I never process it, just sterilize the jars and lids and let the heat create a nice vacuum seal. Lasts for at least a year with no problem. Any reason this marmalade needs the additional processing? Are you worried about microbial activity?? The sugar level was just right; helped cut some of the bitterness but not too cloying. The spicing was just right. I think next time I will add chopped, peeled fresh ginger and see how that works. I like ginger. I tested for consistency in the freezer AS SOON AS the marmalde hit 220 (actually it went straight to 221). It firmed up immediately, so I proceeded to the jars. Not too firm, not too runny. Spreadable. How's that for a description? And I don't have a mandoline *yet*. I was sort of hoping Santa would leave one under the tree! It seems a mandoline would work very well for slicing all the lemons very thin. I did not julienne, more of a thinnish slice that veered toward a rough chop toward the end... Oh, and lemon marmalade on hot cornbread is wonderful!

Here is my overdue report on making Suvir's Meyer Lemon Marmalade. Mr. Meadow requested marmalade for his artisnal Christmas present, and with a windfall of lemons in hand, I began. I started with roughly half a grocery bag full of lemons, which, when thinly sliced, yielded 10 cups. ("Thinly sliced" is more of a euphamism; I cannot think of a better reason to buy a mandoline than to support my new marmalade making habit). I was to remove all seeds and pith but had a difficult time removing ALL the pith and worried this would somehow ruin the end product; it did not. I started cooking this batch in my roasting pan (think shallow and wide) but switched to a 14" Calphalon skillet, which performed perfectly. Previously, any recipe which includes the phrases "bring the mixture to 220 degrees" or "soft-ball stage" has frightened me away. I watched my mother make batch after batch of orange rock candy while attempting marmalade, hence my trepidation. However, we have a nifty probe thermometer, which Mr. Meadow uses for smoking meat, and once I set the required temp, lowered the probe into my vat o' lemons and commenced stirring, all was well. The thermometer is magnetized-I placed it on the stove's hood and adjusted the probe's length accordingly. The marmalade hung out at 212 degrees for a good 30 minutes then slowly hit 215, 217, then instantly went to 221. I pulled it from the heat for testing and it set up *perfectly*. The yield from this batch was nearly 6 pints. I did not water-process the jars, which the recipe recommended, and they all sealed successfully. (I make jam regularly and don't process that either). Suvir, is there any reason marmalade, in particular, needs a 10 minute water process? The flavor has imporived even more over the course of a week, and the bitterness has mellowed just a wee bit. I've got some corn bread in the oven right now and we'll finish off the first pint in a few minutes... Thank you again, Suvir, for the recipe!

OMYGOD, it is the most delicious quintessence of lemon! I'm now wondering why I ever thought if giving some away? I have some technical questions; manufacturing notes to follow... (probably Saturday)

Stone, get thee to Da Flora, on the corner of Columbus and Geary (I think it's Geary). 701 Columbus, 415 981 4664. Delicious boar, amazing gnocchi and if she's got baccalla (dried roe, not sure about my spelling) you must have it.

Yes, I've started seeing Meyer lemons in the local stores (Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market). My tree is most productive at this time of year, but will bear fruit throughout the year. As Suvir says, the scent of Meyer lemons is most special. The juice is less "puckery" than a Eureka lemon; perfect for lemonade as one may add more juice and less sugar. Vanessa, happy to bring a few from the garden for you when I'm in the UK in March.

Thanks Jim for posting this-last night's wind left me with an abundance of Meyers on the ground. How long would you recommend if 15 minutes is bit too long? I've made plenty of lemon candy, but not a lot of actual marmalade...

Here is my mother's recipe: Heavily salt the water, add 4 bay leaves, 2 halved lemons, 2 Tbs. black pepper corns, 4 separated heads garlic, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 1/2 bottle white wine. Boil for 10 minutes before adding the crabs, cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with fresh sourdough, a green salad, and drawn butter. Mr. Meadow was invited out last weekend (the opener) and brought back his limit-10 crabs. 5 adults and 3 children devoured them in under 20 minutes. I made a batch of Blue Heron's Thai crab salad leaving out the crab, and we used it as garnish. Outstanding!

Yes, mint in a pot is a GOOD THING. Unless, like me, you enjoy ripping it out every few months as it takes over everything in it's path. I use 3 different mints as a ground cover under the apple trees. The perrenial herbs (savory, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram) are in a much smaller kitchen garden next to the house, the rest in pots scattered around the back yard. Just an aesthetic decision; I grow herbs the way others grow flowers! And yes, old manure has just been sitting around for a while (3-6 months). Check out your local ag extension for information about your growing conditions and crop/pest control advice. Ours offered fancy Smith & Hawken composters at a 70% discount around the time we moved in.

oooh Hopleaf, there is nothing more satisfying than cooking straight from your own garden! Yes, old manure is a good starting point; mark off your plot, lay about 6" of old manure and rototill it in. Depending on your winter, you can always put in some lettuce and greens in December for February harvesting. By the time you are ready to put in the summer crop, you will have had a few months of these plants. We currently have arugula, oak lead lettuce, mustard greens, and a few kales in the raised bed, which will all come out in March when the summer crop goes in. We have a separate herb garden with garlic chives, summer savory, chervil, Italian parsely, tarragon, cilantro, lemon thyme, lime thyme, English thyme, spearmint, apple mint, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, lemon verbena and lemon grass. We have quite a few fruit trees; kaffir lime, Meyer lemon, Gravenstein apple, Cox's Orange Pippin, Seckle pear, Italian fig, a peach tree, 4 blueberries and a 20' long patch of raspberries. All this on a 1/4 acre suburban lot. As for mulch, I do that after plants are established, to help keep down the weeds and keep moisture in. Great excuse to buy a chipper; chip makes great mulch for the trees and berries in the fall. I received Georgeanne Brennan's book French Kitchen Garden (can't remember the exact title at the moment) when we moved here-very useful and quite inspiring. Good luck and congratulations on your new home!

You mean Whole Paycheck?! For pre-cut, pre-wrapped cheese, yea, I've been known to darken their door in a crisis (WF being close to Alta Bates, I've picked up some nice runny piece for friends who have just had babies and haven't eaten decent cheese in 40 weeks). But I always go back to the Cheeseboard; widest selection, best value for money, passionately knowledgable staff. I learn something new with each visit, as each employee has their own opionions about what best suits my needs at the moment. For example, I may ask for a blue cheese to serve with pears. The friendly (or grumpy, it varies) counter person will bring over Bleu D'Auvergne, Stilton, gorgonzola, as well as one or two others I've never heard of. We taste them together and I choose whatever tastes best at the moment. Hours are 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. (unless of course they're closed to march in a peace rally or celebrate Indigenous Plant Life of North America Day).

Irish Cream-have you tried the Pasta Shop? 2 locations; Market Hall by the Rockridge BART station in Oakland, and 4th street in Berkeley. Nice selection of British, French, and Italian cheese and knowledgable staff, but I find the prices are high and the variety somewhat lacking. When I'm looking for spectacular cheese, I go straight to the Cheeseboard-I urge you to try again! Huge variety, reasonable prices and my God, they know their cheese. Cheeseboard also bakes some spectacular breads; be sure to pick some up while there. Artisnal Cheese (part of Tomales Bay Foods)on California in SF has a small, lovely range of cheese; Neal's Yard and Cowgirl Creamery mainly. Hope this helps...

In Berkeley, try Vik's Chaat House: 726 Allston Way (Between 3rd and 4th, if memory serves) 510 644 4421 This is really a warehouse next door to Vik's Distributing; dress warmly, the roll up door is left open. In SF, my favorite is Naan 'n Curry with 2 locations: 478 O'Farrell (at Jones??) 415 775 1349 and the "new" location on the corner of Jackson and Columbus. My favorites are the garlic naan, chicken tikka and lamb buryani. Naan 'n Curry has also opened in Berkeley, but I haven't tried it yet... Hope this helps!