Katie Meadow

How about you give yourself permission to make something yummy with chopped apples (and/or pears, since they are in season now) and nuts and dried fruits and honey and whatever you like--poached or doused in a nice spicy red wine or a splash of cassis--and call it Fall Compote? No worries.

The other night I grilled the Fresh Tuna Burgers from the Sept issue--incredibly simple and delicious. I cringe at myself for indulging in Ahi or sushi grade tuna (fished out and full of mercury) but I only do it about once a month. Usually I just marinate whole slabs, coat w/sesame seeds and grill til still rare, but the hunk I bought was less than perfect steak size. My burgers were about an inch thick, as they suggest, and I cooked them about 3 or 3 1/2 min total (recipe says 2-4 min.) That was just about right; not quite as rare as you might want if you were doing a whole steak. I diced the tuna by hand; I don't think pulsing in the machine would be as appealing (and I can't stand cleaning that thing.) I even cut back a bit on the mayo, and they were pretty easy to handle and didn't break apart on the grill, which was my fear. Chris, that squash recipe looks tempting--I haven't had spaghetti squash in years. It would be nice with a casual lamb burger or with grilled chops or perhaps a tandoori chicken or any simple roast. Some naan and raita on the side, what's not to like? I notice that several posters liked the Peach Blueberry Crisp from July. I seem to be a minority of one--I thought it was terrible! I used (or should I say wasted?) perfect fresh peaches and berries. The addition of 3T of cornstarch seemed like a mistake to me--the filling was gummy and tasted off. Afterwards I looked carefully at the standby recipes I have for crisps and cobblers and none of them thicken the fruit with cornstarch. Most don't even add flour. I guess I don't care if it's a little soupy. I didn't like the topping either, but I've never made a nut topping before and I think I prefer a less rich oatflake type topping for a crisp, so I'm a poor judge w/re to the pecan top.

Aebelskivers are dear to the heart of my mother-in-law. All of her kids have pans, and then there's a family pan that's been handed down for ages. My husband and I got a beautiful old one on eBay a few years ago but we paid a lot more that you did--you got a good deal! I've seen new cast iron ones that don't measure up. Wooden chopsticks are also excellent for turning them. I go through phases--if I make them too often I gross myself out. Have you tried putting a berry in the center during the rollover? It takes more finesse than I thought it would.

I hate to say it, but mussels in a blender is not a pretty picture. It seems a tad harsh--and the end result of straining such a mixture would not exactly be a broth. I think your fish would be overwhelmed. To make a strong stock or essence I think you would just need to remove the mussels after they open and then reduce the mussel broth to make it stronger and poach the fish in that. Admittedly the end result would still be delicate, but then you could use the mussels for something else--like those yummy Armenian stuffed mussels (I can't think of anything else just now, but that works for me!) The easiest thing to do would be to make a simple soup of mussels and fish, using the mussel broth as your base. If you want to punch it up or make it more intense (and it sounds like you do) you could add tomatoes to the broth for a more Italian style zuppa--or go bistro and add a splash of pernod and a little cream. The fish would essentially poach in the soup broth for the last few minutes of cooking. By the way, you mention steaming the mussels with a lid on until they open, then reducing the heat and continuing to cook. Ideally small shellfish like mussels and clams need only enough steaming to split open the shells. They will be sweetest and most tender if you get them out of that pot as soon as they pop. And if you add them back to a soup, do it at the very last minute just so they get reheated.

I've never had spinach and artichoke in the same dip. One thing I find tiresome about artichoke dip is that it usually contains an overpowering amount of gloppy cheese, presumably parmesan. A few months ago I had something much more interesting: it was a spread rather than a dip--like a tapenade. It was made from fresh artichoke hearts and didn't appear to be cheesy. I don't know what else it had in it besides olive oil and garlic, but it was very good on baguette or a cracker. I believe the artichoke hearts were sauteed first, then finely minced with more oil. There did not seem to be any mayo in it either. Labor intensive, but that's fresh chokes for you. Maybe jarred chokes could be drained and sauteed briefly to give them more flavor before mincing or mashing.

I ate my share of brown rice back in the day, when everyone else was eating it and it seemed like a novelty, and it can't be argued that it isn't good for you. Now, however, I've discovered that there are lots of healthy whole grains (many of them lower in calories than brown rice) that I much prefer: bulgar wheat, farro, barley--all of which are very high in fiber and (arguably) more versatile than brown rice, since I believe they work better (less gummy) in salads and soups. When I crave rice to go with Asian food or for rice 'n' beans, organic white basmatti is my rice of choice; I find the smell of it cooking to be addictive. But my interest has been piqued: I will try red rice the next time I see it.

I'm not a bean expert, but they sound like cranberry beans or some variety thereof. Favas are green, flattish and in a green pod--and are more likely to be a spring-time bean. If boiling didn't bring out the flavor and you still have some left, you could add them to a vegetable soup and let them cook a bit longer so they absorb more flavors. Or you could saute them further in tomato, garlic, herbs etc. And yes, in my experience most colorful or speckled beans seem to lose their party outfits during cooking.

Kate, I would be more inclined to leave them whole; they are so lovely and delicate. After simmering/braising I might saute a little onion and garlic, then throw in some flavorful chopped tomato and fresh herbs like rosemary, tarragon or thyme, then throw in the beans for a final simmer and serve as a side either hot or warm. Or I might bake them in stock and oil as I do above with cranberry beans. My mother always liked flageolet dressed with a vinaigrette and served room temp alongside olives, cured meats or marinated vegetables, pickles and whatnot. Very happy on a tuna nicoise platter. Onrushpam, that recipe for butterbeans sounds sinfully good--in a heartstopping kind of way. If my butterbean guy still has 'em next week I am tempted to try it.

I'm surprised that Melissa Clark draws such intense reactions. She's no Amanda Hesser, but she isn't a bad writer, and she's cheerful (okay, maybe too cheerful) but not saccharine. Her spontaneous substitution ideas--whatever's in the pantry--sometimes seem interesting, and sometimes seem kind of dopey or even unappealing, but once in a while she hits her mark: has anyone tried the Slow-cooked Greenbeans recipe in the NYT a few weeks ago? I've been making it at least once a week while tomatoes are still great and serving it with a variety of things (not the sausage she suggests) and it's always a revelation. It works anywhere from steaming hot out-of-the-pan to room temp (so excellent for taking to a pot-luck) and as a side for just about anything. Heaven with a grilled cheese sandwich or mac 'n' cheese. Like the author, I too have been in a "crunchy stringbean rut" for many years, but now I'm born again. One great recipe forgives a multitude of questionable impulses; for that one I am willing to keep on reading.

Thanks for the Pepin video; it's very sweet--and the technique clearly takes some practice. His eggs look such a mess in the pan and then suddenly it's this perfect thing on the plate. He does a lot of stirring for even cooking and then rolls instead of folds, so the layers are thinner, allowing for more consistent texture. Milk/cream vs. water: I noticed that Jacques puts neither in his eggs. I was told many years ago that water makes eggs tough and milk makes them tender, so out of blind loyalty I always dribble in a little half and half when whisking. My dad always added water, and indeed his eggs were a bit chewy. Good, but chewy.

Do different types of eel need to be prepared differently? We received fresh-caught eel a couple of years ago from an eeler on the northern CA coast. He cleaned, skinned and boned it for us and suggested we do the following: simply dip pieces in egg, then in salted flour, shake off the excess, and saute in butter or oil til just done--as simple as any pan-fried fish could be. It was fabulous. It reminded me of black cod: delicate, moist, mild. It's been a while, but my memory of catfish isn't like that. Both sea-water and fresh-water eel tastes good to me in Japanese restaurants, but I've never had them side-by-side for a comparison and usually they are subjected to substantial sweet/salty treatment. This plain pan-fry eel was a revelation.

Exactly, Chris: a nice glug--meaning more than you might think. As for my butter beans, I cooked them all initially the simplest way possible, in very light stock to cover, with a little onion, salted, til done. Then I divided them in half. The first half I sauteed with onion and garlic and poured over fresh sliced tomatoes (okra on the side.) The second half we had the following night with nothin' but salt and sweet butter and a garnish of roasted green chiles. I can't really think of a way they wouldn't be yummy. Next time a roux, perhaps!

I look forward all year to this small window in late summer/early fall when fresh shell beans are available. I'm thinking cannellini, cranberry bean varieties, butter beans or limas, flageolet, etc., not spring beans like favas. I cook dried beans the rest of the year, but fresh shell beans seem exotic to me. My favorite way to cook fresh cranberry or borlotti beans is to bake them with half an onion, a few sprigs of thyme, a coupla garlic cloves and one or two little dry red chiles. I add water to cover and a very generous amount of olive oil, then cover the pot tightly and bake for an hour or a bit more. I would love to hear what other people like to do with fresh beans. This morning I scored some lovely fresh butter beans. I didn't grow up with lima beans of any kind, so...any ideas? I happen to have some okra on hand and plenty of nice tomatoes. No corn, though. I also have some frozen ham broth with shredded ham from a shank. I'm sure I could come up with something succotash-like, but what are your favorite ways to eat butter beans?

Now you tell me! My mother brought me up to believe a nectarine is a cross between a plum and a peach. And I never had a reason to believe otherwise, despite the many delicious nectarines I have eaten that in fact don't taste anything like plums. Now I know why. She's ninety. Dear Abby--oh, I mean Adam--do you think I should tell her?

Assuming you mean pluot and not pluon, which perhaps exists as a sub-atomic particle, or, god forbid, as a cross between a plum and an onion, I think they happily sub for plums in tarts, cobblers, etc. I had a pluot sorbet once that was great. I do have a wonderful recipe called "Pluot Carpaccio with Ginger Sauce" which is a very easy and very yummy dessert; if you want it I can get it to you. It uses a cooked sauce poured over uncooked paper-thin slices of pluot. I imagine it could be quite good using juicy Santa Rosa plums instead, if those were available. Of all the plum and apricot crosses I like the apriums best; when they are good they are fabulous. They have a very short season here in northern CA and this year I didn't think they were all that great. There are several different types of pluots sold here, and we can get them all summer. When they are unripe they are just about as boring as any unripe plum. The aprium should be about 60% apricot, the pluot 50/50 and the plumcot about 60% plum. I don't see plumcots at the farmers' market very often, or perhaps they are mislabeled as pluots--there are some pretty dark plummy pluots around. When you think about it, it's sort of surprising that crossing plums and apricots is a relatively new thing. After all. nectarines have been around for a long time.

Ouch. Click. Ouch. I would love to hear someone define the term "food porn." Pornography, in my old American Collegiate dictionary, is defined as an obscenity. Most of us don't have a very positive reaction to pornography; some percentage of people defend it. Often it is negative because it is exploitive. The exploitive aspects of food photography, however, such as its use in getting us to try a restaurant or buy a book or subscribe to a magazine are not what I think some people on these boards find tiresome or offensive or "obscene" about certain types of food pix. I can't explain my own feelings about this. The last time I took a picture of food (not including pix of markets on various travels) was of the cake my husband and I made for our daughter's first birthday about 19 years ago. We don't bake a lot, but it was a tour de force: dark chocolate glaze with vivid pink and green writing and decorative flowers. It was shot from straight above, showing an ornate plate rim against a background of a riotous mexican plastic tablecloth. Five minutes later most of that cake was either on the floor or my daughter's face. We made a thing of beauty and then we made a beautiful picture of it. Whenever I look at that picture I'm blown away. And yet I have no interest in photographing anything else I cook and absolutely none in photographing anything I eat when dining out. I very much like the dinner thread and the baking thread. I love to see what people make; I love that, "Look Ma! I made this all by myself!" devotion. I think many of the tutorials are wonderful and helpful. That said, I admit to emotions that vary from discomfort, boredom and revulsion when faced with picture after picture of high-end restaurant food. Is it because I don't eat at those restaurants? Is it because it makes the food look so precious? It would be hard to argue that it isn't a labor of love for someone, albeit a professional. Is it because sometimes those apps that cost 20 euros for four bites look so silly they no longer even look like food? Does it become offensive at the point I start finding the politics of it overtakes whatever part of it was a labor of love?

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried the tomato watermelon salad tonight in the most minimalist incarnation I could imagine. We were having a very simply dinner of rattlesnake beans and rice with roasted poblano chiles, so I hit on the idea of making the salad Mexican style by using lime juice instead of vinegar. I had mint and no basil, so I went with mint, and barely a drizzle of olive oil. It was really good. I kept thinking I wasn't sure about it, but then a large platter of it disappeared in the first 60 seconds. The watermelon was a particularly good, sweet one. If we had been eating the salad with blander food I might have shaken a little ground red chile or cayenne on. Next I am going to try it with basil. Thai basil might work well too, alongside an Asian dish. I think this salad benefits from contrasting colors: red tomatoes with yellow watermelon or orange tomatoes with red watermelon. Yummy.

Emily, how was the Saveur/your salad dressed?

My new local bistro is serving a salad composed of sliced red ripe tomatoes, sliced peaches and a yummy little lump of goat cheese custard. I didn't know if the peach-tomato thing would work but it did. It was delicious, and was dressed with restraint--a little salt and olive oil, and probably something else, but I couldn't figure out what. Maybe balsamic vinegar would work to knit them together; I like a few drops of balsamic on my peaches sometimes. And of course, for some of us, tomato and pineapple is tried and true. There's pineapple pizza made with a tomato sauce, and there are some Asian soups that cash in that sweet/sour acid combination. I've been making a great Charles Phan variation on Shaking Beef in which flank steak and fresh pineapple are stir-fried and served on a bed of watercress and, of course, tomatoes. So recently I tried putting together sliced tomato and watermelon. I tried it with just a little salt, and then with a light drizzle of olive oil. Pretty good, both ways, but I liked it best without the oil. Of course I admit that I belong to the camp that salts watermelon anyway. Anyone else have ideas for combining tomato and fruit?

No help from me about high end dining, but if you haven't read Calvin Trillin's wonderful piece in the Sept 3 '07 New Yorker about Singapore street food, do so! Double treat! The variety of foods sounds completely amazing and his descriptions will make your mouth water. I was ready to get on the first plane and make a bee-line for those food courts. Recently I saw a physical therapist who grew up in Singapore and somehow our chatter during every session came back around to how much she missed that food.

Ruth Reichl was a standout critic. She knew food the way a real home cook knows food and she could write circles around Bruni. Her warmth engendered trust in her opinions. I can never tell if Bruni is actually having fun when he is eating or writing. Besides his evaluation of the dishes and the service, there's not much else of interest going on, so there isn't much a reader can learn. Bring on the digressions, the rants, the obscure facts, the sentimental touches and the dining experience that brings tears to the eyes for whatever reason. I don't think Bruni brings much of himself to the table. Ruth Reichl could write a novella about a cardboard box and you'd be right there with her. Jeffrey Steingarten, Bill Buford, Amanda Hesser, Laurie Colwin...they aren't primarily reviewers but when they write about great, good or dreadful encounters with food the pleasure shows. Of course being a really good critic is a special talent and takes more than that, but without that, it's hard to care too much what anyone says, and it's even harder to read all the way to the end.

This is a great time to use caramelized onion on pizza because fresh sweet onions are at the farmers' market. Cooked slowly in a cast iron pan until dark, they are fantastic on any pizza. And fresh tomato slices could certainly work with any Mexican ingredients. If the tomatoes are very juicy I slice them and drain briefly on paper towels before topping. Also any kind of peppers would be appropriate too. I like to mix types/colors, sautee them quickly in olive oil and add to the topping. Roasted pasillas would be great. With the exception of already cooked meats and fresh tomatoes, I generally like to pre-cook my toppings, and that includes mushrooms. I frequently sautee radicchio or chard or dinosaur kale for toppings. I would think greens would be easy to incorporate in a Mexican flavor pizza. And how about corn? I've never put corn on pizza, but I suppose if it's tender and fresh you could cut it off the cob and sprinkle on a pizza without any pre-cooking. Corn would be yummy with a sprinkle of that crumbly Mexican cheese. Fresh tomato, garlic, roasted pasilla chiles and a flurry of queso and cilantro would be like a salsa pizza. I suspect I am in the minority--at least in upscale pizza circles--but I really like pineapple pizza, with or without ham (no, I don't precook fresh pineapple.) If I do it veg I like fresh tomato slices as well. I actually prefer Mexican pineapples to Hawaiian, and I always think of pineapple with red chile sprinkled on it when I think of Mexican street food. So maybe pineapple could be encorporated into a south-of-the-border pie.

Fresh sardines: salt and pepper, olive oil, grill for a couple of minutes on each side over high heat. My favorite markets seem to have them more often right now, so whenever I see them I grab some. If they are small, my only problem is that I risk burning myself because it takes so long to turn them all over. I'm thinking a grill basket would come in handy for small fish, no? Fresh wild sushi-grade tuna steaks: I marinate them for 20 minutes or so in a little soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil, salt and pepper. Then coat liberally with toasted sesame seeds, pressing them in a bit. Oil the grill. Grill briefly, hot fire, just so the fish is rare in the middle. The sesame seeds do get grill marks, if that matters. Salmon: I could just cry. I think those days are gone, and it's sad, in so many ways. Nothing beats fresh wild grilled salmon, just barely done at the bone.

I take issue with Mike Hartnett's comment that food and politics are a "bad combo" and that food is simply about pleasure. To much of the world's population food is a desperate necessity and "taking pleasure in food"--slow or otherwise--is meaningless. When huge numbers of people lack food, potable water, shelter and anything else we might think of as basic rights on this planet it's all political. If the goal of Slow Food festivals and events is to entertain and entice people who can afford a steep entry fee so the organization can raise money that goes to rehabilitation projects in New Orleans or projects around the globe that help feed hungry people, then I won't argue with it. If their intention is to simply spread the word about how important slow food is and how much fun it can be to "take pleasure in food" then I have a beef with it. Either way, it has political ramifications. There is a tendency among locavores and slow foodies to simplify, but all the aspects of food production, transportation and affordability are really complicated, and every action has consequences. Go to the farmers' market in Berkeley or the Ferry building. Buying local small crop produce is very expensive. Who's buying there? I guarantee it is not a very diverse crowd. Try downtown Oakland farmer's market: The produce is cheaper. Not all of it is local or organic or pesticide free, but much of it is, and most of it looks nice and fresh. The crowd is far more diverse. And how about all the people who can't get to any good produce market because they don't have transportation and they are working two jobs? They are forced to shop at expensive markets where much of the food is processed. Ask them if they have to time for slow food or if they can afford peaches at $3.90 a pound? I'm sure they wish they could. Even the concept of eating locally isn't simple. Take those lovely strawbs from the farm 100 miles from your market in Chicago. Delicious, organic and you chat with the seller every week. Seems like you are doing a good thing if you can afford it. But what about the carbon footprint? It's been shown that it costs more in gas per basket to drive a small pick-up 100 miles than it does if that basket of strawbs were trucked by a semi from nothern California. And that was three months ago. Not so simple. I'm very lucky. I live in a place where the choices, for those of us who can take advantage of them, are fantastic. I have a flexible schedule and a car, so I can get to the farmer's maket when and where it is happening. I have the time to cook dried heirloom beans. I don't eat a lot of meat, so I can splurge on sweet onions and tomatoes that cost, frankly, a ridiculous amount of money. They're awfully good, but none of this is cheap and often it is neither quick or simple to prepare. It's a luxury to eat like this and through no fault of their own, most people can't and don't. Sorry, but everything about the way we produce or consume food has political implications.

For the simplest kind of American-style fish, crab or shrimp cakes I find the rule of thumb is to use as few ingredients as possible--keeping the seafood as the star of the affair--and refrain from blending or mushing the ingredients or doing anything violent to them. Shrimp or crab is cooked ahead of time, til just barely done, and then flaked or cut into small pieces that will still have a bite to them. The most delicious seafood cakes are also the most delicate and don't bind easily because they are mainly seafood and not a lot of binder. Have you ever heard anyone complain that there's too much crab in their crabcakes? For shrimp cakes, I steam the shrimp until they are still they are underdone, then cut them into small pieces. I mix with a little egg, a little mayo and a little panko. I have also used a white sauce as a binder, and that works pretty well without needing a lot of it. I add minced scallion or sauteed minced shallots; you could add all kinds of seasonings or minced peppers or whatnot, but my preference is to keep it simple. Then I shape them into patties (and it does take patience), press them on both sides into panko for a light coating, then refrigerate for a couple of hours on a cookie sheet. They get sauteed in butter or olive oil gently just until cooked thru and golden-brown on the outside, turned just once, carefully. They are messy to handle but the resulting texture and flavor is worth it. The idea suggested above of using some amount of mushed raw prawn as a binder for the chopped shrimp or flaked fish is very interesting. It would give the cakes a very different texture and certainly a different flavor if mixed with flaked fish.