Katie Meadow

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't end up eating steamers out. I visited my brother in CT and we bought a big load at a local seafood shack and cooked them at home. The were delicious and I ate an embarrassing amount. It was like going back in time. We did end up eating at Pearl one night, since we were in the neighborhood, but steamers were not on the specials that night. I had mussels. The mussels themselves were okay, but the preparation was not very good. My mother, always on a lobster roll quest, was disappointed as well. She thought the lobster was tough and there was far too much mayo. I had a really good lobster roll in CT. Instead of the more typical lobster salad roll, this was a hot lobster roll. Lot's of really big hunks of claw and tail meat on a traditional toasted and buttered bread. Nice. I'm not sure I would recommend Pearl Oyster Bar. Perhaps they've gone downhill?

Want to plug Cafe de Bruxelles, since it was this thread that gave me the idea. On my recent visit to NY I was dedicated to eating all manner of east coast crustacea and bivalves. My mother and I walked the High Line in the downtown direction and ended with lunch at the Cafe, which is just a few blocks from the Gansevoort stairs. Bruxelles stays open all afternoon, so that's a nice bonus. We both had the simplest moules marinieres and frites. The mussels were tender and fresh and there were lots of them. There was plenty of bread to sop the broth. The frites were among the best in memory, and a cold Belgian ale was exactly what we needed after our walk. It was after 2 pm, and there were only a few other patrons; very peaceful and relaxed. The staff was as nice as could be.

Make Banh Mi! That's a Vietnamese sandwich. You will need to make your own pickled vegetables, but that's easy--it's just carrot and daikon. The usual ingredients for banh mi, besides some kind of crunchy pickle, include sliced cukes, jalapenos, pate, cilantro, maggi sauce and mayo and whatever grilled or bbq'd meats suit your fancy. BBQ pork is a natural. I like it on a baguette or similar type of roll. You can find a ton of recipes on line. I learned how to make these sandwiches when I got Andrea Nguyen's book Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. She may even have a banh mi recipe on her website, so you could look there. I also use Chinese style bbq pork in home-made wonton soup or as a garnish for a cold noodle salad. You could even use it ito dress up an Asian-type slaw.

Okay, I don't know about other states, but here in CA mountain lions are designated "specially protected species" despite their numbers and it is illegal to kill or hunt them unless a permit is issued for a particular individual cat that has been deemed a public safely hazard.

Not to be prudish, but am I the only person who thinks this is a creepy idea? Are you planning to tell them before they eat it or after? Are you expecting your friends to think you yourself killed it? If so, that would be a mountain lion (cougar), since that's the only type of panther in the continental US as far as I know. It's not legal, by the way, to kill a mountain lion. They are protected. I assume that it is equally illegal to export dead leopard (old world) or jaguars (So. America.) If you expect them to believe you, then it's one way of finding out just how dumb your friends really are.

I've never been a big fan of chocolate ice cream, but recently I tried the HD Reserve Amazon Valley Chocolate and it's great. Not too sweet, not cloying. I did try the Brown Sugar and it was good but a bit boring. I haven't tried the 5 ingredients coffee, but HD coffee has always been my favorite commercial ice cream.

It looks like some purple version of kohlrabi. I love kohlrabi raw--I just peel it and slice it very thin and sprinkle it with salt of choice, or it can be used as a vehicle for a variety of dips. The outside is usually pretty tough, and needs to be well-trimmed/peeled with a knife. It will probably be pale green inside, but maybe not; I don't think I've ever had purple kohlrabi. It's popular in Chinatown, so I am guessing it is good for stir-fry too.

The knife pictured above is the one I use most of the time; long, tapered, white handle. The french type with a short blade works well too, but the main thing is that the blade be thick enough to survive the job. If your hosts have only one crummy knife and it bends the first time you use it you will be up a creek etc. Buy a good knife and take it with. By the time you are done with this party you will be an expert and will be glad to have it. If any salesperson tries to sell you a curved blade that looks more like an old grapefruit knife, stay away. And a second knife will come in very handy if someone at this gig knows how to open oysters and wants to help. Take a little scrubbing brush. Usually they don't require much cleaning, but a quick once-over under briefly running water is good. I've never heard of using a glove. It sounds like it could be awkward. I usually have a stash of old barwipes or even old washcloths--something thick to wrap around the oyster, hold it against the counter and protect your hand. You do need to grip firmly with your non knife-wielding hand. The advice about smelling the oyster after you open it is good advice. If something LOOKS fishy or has absolutely no juice, definitely smell it. If I can open oysters, anyone can. When the oysters are petite they aren't any match for a human, but I admit I struggle if they are really large. Remember when you first try to insert the knife into the hinge the knife will be pointing down toward the counter--not toward your hand. I find a little back and forth wiggle action lets the point get purchase and then slide in for the twist.

We eat almost all our meals at home, and they are almost all cooked by me. I use the freshest tastiest ingredients I can find within reason and I'm a pretty decent home cook. If every meal I put on the table was so exciting as to be worth conversing about or swooning over for the entire dinner hour we'd be an awfully weird family and I would be a famous chef. Well, okay, perhaps we are weird anyway, but we do talk about all kinds of things, and it's rarely the food. Once in a while I get some serious complements, but typically my husband (and daughter if she's home from college) are spoiled and a good meal is pretty routine. One of the few communal efforts we make is pizza. My husband makes a great dough, and I do the tomato sauce and toppings. We do all have a habit of critiquing our pizzas, but that is usually a fairly short topic, since by now we know what we each want out of a pizza and we've been doing it for years. Once in a great while we declare a "reading dinner." That happens if one of us is so wrapped up in a novel or is just feeling anti-social for some reason. But we all do it together.

Yes, I too am very fond of that sandwich. I make Betty's slaw frequently and I probably got the recipe from the Chron. I tried making the fried chicken (once) but it wasn't quite as good as hers. But then I never make fried chicken. And I'm only 10 minutes away from a ready-made sandwich (not counting standing on line, of course.) Betty's Bakesale also makes a pretty good chicken pot pie, great for taking to a pot luck on short notice or for a comforting dinner if you don't have time or inclination to bake your own.

Thank you Chris for the idea and endorsement and thank you Emily for the link to the RLB recipe. We made this pie last night and it was fabulous. We at it at midnight and then again for breakfast. I used a 9 inch pie dish but it was rather deep, so I added an extra cup of berries, tossing a few in to the ones that are cooked down first, and most of them into the not-cooked. I used the rest of the ingredients as specified and it held together perfectly; no more cornstarch necessary--and I say the less cornstarch the better. I made the mistake of tasting only a couple of berries first, and they were tart, so I used the full 1/2 c sugar. Next time I might be more careful and taste a few more before deciding how much sugar I might want. I could have cut back a bit, but then I do like tart pies. My husband made his standard Julia Child crust which works for just about everything. Anyway it's a great pie.

Thanks. I checked the on-line menu for Grand Central Oyster Bar and they do have them listed, but you are right that it's wise to call the day of. I'll try calling Pearl as well. It's definitely a Long Island summer childhood memory for me.

I'll be visiting family in New York in July and I have a terrible craving for a bowl of steamers, those long-neck soft shell clams that don't exist on the west coast. The first few posts of the thread "Bowl of Steamers" is pretty funny, btw. Is there a restaurant where my mom and I can indulge our nostalgia with a classic bowl of steamers and a side of melted butter? She's in midtown, but I think I can convince her to go out of the way for this. If that doesn't work, who sells them? She might or might not be able to remember how she used to make them, but if anyone can refresh my memory (I was too little!) please do so. Last year we bought very nice mussels at a place in the Chelsea Market and that worked out well. What's the name of that place? I can't recall seeing steamers for sale there, but I wasn't looking for them.

For meatballs that go in a red sauce I use a Mario Batali recipe similar to the one quoted above, but he specifies toasted pine nuts in the one I have, and that's a yummy addition. I also cut way back on the parm--too cheesy for my taste. I like using a simple Italian white bread rather than breadcrumbs, soaking it in milk and squeezing some of the milk out before adding it to the meat. And this week I tried something new: I made the chicken meatballs from last Sunday's NYT magazine "Cooking with Dexter." I served them as suggested with a cucumber raita and made a simple mixed veg curry to go with. I was surprised at how good the meatballs were. Who woulda thunk it. I always saute my meatballs and I never make a test one.

With leftover unsauced spaghetti my weakness is a crispy noodle nest. I use butter, and saute the noodles over a modest heat in a cast-iron pan in a relatively thin layer, turning infrequently til both sides are various shades of golden and crisp. It often doesn't really hold together like a pancake, but ends up a bit jumbled. No matter, it's deeply good. When my daughter was little (and before she liked red sauce) it was a staple.

A brief update on my mother and the three grandkids. Of the places I recommended as a result of this thread, the only one they managed to hit was Trattoria Cibreo--and they all adored it--said it was their best meal by far, and the price of dinner wasn't too bad. Even my picky nephew who insists that it isn't authentic unless no one speaks English (and he does in fact speak Italian) was very impressed.

I've never noticed a problem mixing cold brewed iced tea with simple syrup that's also cold. What ratio of water to sugar are you using? Maybe your syrup is too thick? I like the idea of flavored syrup. The only flavored simple syrup I've made is lavender. I just throw in a couple of blossom ends into the mix as soon as the sugar is dissolved and let them steep while cooling until it's as flavorful as I like. I've added that to a variety of cold black teas.

I imagine they are delicious with just garlicky olive oil, room temp as a side. And why not try a babaganoush-like dip with blended smoked peppers instead of eggplant? They might make a great pureed soup too. Couldn't they be used in any recipe that calls for roasted red peppers? I make a simple rice salad that calls for Spanish canned tuna or bonito (or I use leftover fresh grilled), white rice, red onion, roasted red peppers, olive oil and sherry vinegar and a shake of sweet smoked paprika. The peppers and tuna are a really nice combo.

Some people like to roll out pie dough or other butter pastry on marble. I'm not an expert but I believe it keeps the butter from warming as fast as other surfaces. My husband bakes a lot of bread, and he prefers kneading bread dough on a wooden surface. If it is old untreated marble it will not be stain resistent and it is soft. I wouldn't encorporate it into a counter surface that gets a lot of food spills. I can't imagine using it as a primary cutting surface. I've always liked the look of old pale marble in a kitchen, though.

I don't believe I ever ate macaroni and cheese until I was over 40--not the instant stuff or home-made. My mother never made it, and until I had my daughter at 40, it never occurred to me to learn how. Then I discovered how yummy it can be. A lot of people resort to Kraft if they have kids, and in a way I can sort of see the appeal of that intense artificial cheesiness. Kind of like Cheetos. It's its own weird thing. My SIL used to buy Annie's for her kids under the impression that it was "more natural" than Kraft. They are both horrid, and Annies has even more salt, if that's possible. Luckily my daughter was willing eat my homemade version. Some kids are not so flexible. Since I came to it so late and have no traditions, it surprises me that it could ever be considered either a main or a side, but not commonly both. Also not very flexible! The night I make it we typically eat it as a main, with a salad or a veg on the side. Made with grown-up cheese and served with a fresh tomato soup for a starter it makes a dynamite veg meal. There are always leftovers for the next night, and that's when mac 'n' cheese becomes a side dish chez moi.

I've used what I believe is the Marcella Hazan recipe as a pizza sauce as well. You can reduce it down a bit, but it's a thinner more delicate sauce than is ordinarily used on pizza, so requires a light touch. Good, though!

The brand of tomatoes makes a difference too. Not all Italian plum tomatoes are created equal. Some brands tend to taste brighter and have better texture than others. Some are stringy and too acidic and taste metallic to me. Lousy tomatoes can be unforgiving if you are using very few ingredients and only cooking briefly. I agree about using butter--it's yummy. And in summer when great fresh tomatoes are available a sauce of uncooked tomatoes with a little butter is out of this world.

I use cukes in sandwiches frequently. I like radishes and cukes together. I use English cukes, which are less watery than regular, and have way less seeds. They can be sliced thin, salted, left to drain, then patted dry on a towel and that helps them from being watery. I agree: no tossing, mixing or shredding, at least not for a sandwich. Personally I don't think cuke sandwiches keep or travel all that well; best eaten fairly soon after building.

I miss your mom too. She sounds hilarious. Yes, I did make my borscht, and it was good. My husband liked it better than me, and dropped large dollops of sour cream into his, even though it was hot. It was chunky and rustic, very simply. The weather turned surprisingly warm in the afternoon and I felt nostalgic for that cold stuff out of the jar, although I can barely remember what it tastes like and it might be better just to leave it a memory. I miss my dad.

For an ancient grain, a surprising amount of confusion. I've had room-temp farro salads at several restaurants and from a deli and they are delicious. Usually the grain is cooked al dente and dressed with a simple lemon and oil, often mixed with some tomato and the usual suspects like a feta-type cheese or whatever. A variation on tabbouli might be a good one. If I wanted to make some salads, what is the best type of farro to buy and what is the best way to cook it? What is the diff between the roasted and the piccolo from Anson Mills? Which cooks up better for this kind of use?