Katie Meadow

That's a good idea. If memory serves it did weep, so perhaps baking the meringue after refrigerating instead of before refrigerating would help. Strictly speaking that would really make it not an icebox pie and it would not be eaten cold. I did a little research and it sounds to me like this pie is really a lemon mutation of a key lime pie w/meringue, which is baked twice as you suggest. Refrigerating in between trips to the oven would be unnecessary but convenient, no? It makes sense that on becoming an icebox pie the pastry crust was dropped in favor of a crumb crust. When I googled Lemon Icebox Pie very few recipes included a meringue topping, so I think my Tennessee Williams Lemon Icebox Pie may be of quirky origin. Maybe he invented it during an August heat wave, when you want your head in the fridge along with your pie. Enough bourbon and who cares if your pie is weeping--you're probably weeping too.

I have a so-so recipe for this pie and I am looking to improve it for a birthday dinner party. Anyone know this one? My recipe uses a crust of crushed vanilla wafers and salted butter (!) which I have changed to a basic graham cracker crust. The filling is simple: lemon juice, condensed milk and one egg yolk; then a meringue on top. It bakes til the meringue is browned, like 20 minutes, then it cools, then into the fridge it goes til very cold. The lemon layer is quite tart, which I like, but the resulting pie isn't very dependable structurally, and sometimes it's better than other times. It usually tastes far better than it looks. Maybe the meringue part needs improvement? That's 6 egg whites, 1/2 tsp cr of tartar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extr and 3/4 c sugar beaten to stiff peaks. I'm not much of a baker so my meringue experience is very limited. Any suggestions or recipes out there? The rest of the menu is moderately southern and I definitely want a lemony dessert. These are old old friends who have had my OTHER lemony desserts many times. Oh, since the pie is supposed to be chilled very well, would it suffer if I made it the night before?

Thanks Terra! According to Wiki, bergamot is a cross between something called a "pear lemon" and a seville orange--or grapefruit--so even they don't exactly know. They do seem confident on where it's grown: Calabria, Italy, and apparently no other place on earth produces a good one. They are available in our favorite market here in the Bay Area for less than a month each year, and that's now. Outside of my first batch of marmalade and the drink my husband and I invented (at least we like to think so) called the Bergamotini, I only know that flavor from Earl Grey tea, which is usually made with bergamot oil--I assume from the rind. That unique flavor must be inherited mostly from the pear lemon (whatever that is) and the Calabrian soil, since no sevilles or grapefruits hint at anything like that. The Bergamotini is based on the "Leap Year Cocktail" from the Savoy, which is misleading since it implies it's only available every four years and which uses lemon--certainly available year-round in the UK, altho perhaps it was invented on a British warship where they broke out the lemons very rarely. Clearly I don't know what I'm talking about. Our proportions were as follows: juice of approx 15 small sevilles, 1 meyer lemon, 1 bergamot and one half regular lemon. The cut peel included only half the bergamot peel and no regular lemon peel. As you noted, it was indeed tart. That must have been due to the half lemon and the very stingy amount of sugar used. We tend to under-sugar everything. Dunno what happened to me when I was pregnant 20 years ago. I couldn't get enough sour, and it stuck. And by the way, Terra, your marmalade was quite good, so I hope when you say "evil" you mean that in the best possible way.

Rude, I agree. Let this one go! Life is too short. Free dishwater tea is a given; if you are served something better it's a nice surprise. If you are charged for the bad tea, that's annoying, but so it goes. Order a beer, drink the water. Often the tea isn't just bad it's lukewarm, but you can ask for a hot pot without being insulting--and give a nice tip to show you appreciated the reheat. Maybe the next folks through the door will benefit. Drink whatever it is and enjoy the food!

And don't forget to take an old chianti bottle and stick a drip candle in it! I would go with the clam smoothie for lunch and this for a romantic dinner. A little ambience and voila--Sexy canned clams! Oh, does anyone have any insight about why canned clams might have more iron than fresh? I hate to think it's something leaching out of the can... or is it just a quantity thing?

My secret love is the Belgian chocolate made by Neuhaus. Their plain dark bar is very very good; I don't know the cocoa percentage. For eating I usually like something in the 64-75 percent. Valrhona seems nice for cooking. Altho I am not a big baker, I do like to add it to brownies to bump up the chocolate factor. I certainly wouldn't be unhappy if someone gave me any of the french bars mentioned upthread. I think Green & Blacks makes a pretty good product too; I like their unsweetened organic cocoa for hot chocolate or baking. Altho Sharffenberger is local to me I find it lacking in....emotion. Does that make any sense?

I spent about two years when, for some strange reason, those New Zealand whites were the only ones I drank. I liked them when they tasted like grass. I drank them with just about anything except red meat, which I pretty much wasn't eating at that time. By some quirk of fate I developed a congruent fondness for risotto ("Oh...risotto again?"). The bottle was opened just as I started the onion sauteing. The first glass went into the pot after the rice cooked for a minute. The next glass was consumed during the annoying stirring/broth adding time. The third glass my husband drank when he got home and got the cheese-grating job. The second half of the second bottle was my cocktail hour the following night--it's very good with salty peanuts! And fish. Or even creamed spinach. But you are having high summer right now, so I would make a date with a dozen oysters and a hot porch and a very cold bottle. Then I would put some shrimp on the barbie. Wait--I''ll be there in 14 hours! It's dark and windy and rainy here in CA. My Sauvignon Blanc/risotto phase was about ten years ago and I thought the value of those wines was great. The prices have really gone up here the last few years, so you're lucky...cheers!

Congrats! After the first three months (when I could barely keep a cracker down) I really started to enjoy myself. The only thing I was religious about was the no caffeine thing. I drank wine once in a while, on special occasions or when I really couldn't resist. I ate almost everything and I gave in to my deepest craving, which was anything really sour: grapefruits that would make your teeth curl, sour candies, etc. I went to Japanese restaurants and ordered a whole plate of pickles. I also went through a month of BBQ rib cravings, which is something I almost never eat. I tried to avoid raw fish sushi, but did break down a couple of times (and only at a popular place with high turnover where I knew the fish was best quality and fresh.) I did eat a lot of grilled eel sushi. My daughter is 19. She drinks moderately at college and loves Japanese food. I'm in the coincidence camp. If your instincts tell you not to eat something, go with that. Not necessarily because it's bad for your baby, but mostly because you don't want to eat anything that might cause regret or worry later. There's nothing you can't live without for nine months, so enjoy eating for two. I'm not sure such indulgence is worth emulating, but Candice Bergen, who was married to the director Louis Malle, was living in goose country in France during her pregnancy. Yup, she gained 60 pounds and it must have been fun. I wouldn't eat raw eggs, but I don't eat them anyway. And I do concur about mercury. Stay away from tuna (canned or otherwise I think) or other mercury-laden fish. As for nursing, I envied moms with plenty of milk. I couldn't keep up with my kid, and I discovered that beer was my savior: nothing lets down milk like a glass of beer. Does my daughter like beer? Yes, but not to excess. And she likes good beer, not swill. So stay away from Bud Lite.

I think of Cambazola (blue brie) as a good blue to introduce to those who don't like strong blues. Also very mild is Blue Castello from Denmark--creamy (triple-cream I think) and easy to like. Of the milder blues I think Saint Agur is a knockout cheese: creamy, mild and pricey, if I remember. I've taken to eating my Stilton with mostarda, but the fresh pears are really good right now. I can easily make a meal of Stilton, pear and ale. For heart-stopping decadence I used to put a very thin layer of sweet butter on the cracker and top that with Stilton. I'm pretty sure I only did that in private. I also tried something recently that I saw a mouth-watering picture of in a magazine (dunno which): a chunk of blue cheese drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. Not bad with a blue strong enough to stand up to the honey, altho I'll stick with my mostarda.

My new favorite is Belgian Chocolate. it's like regular chocolate ice cream with ground cocoa nibs in it. probably the least sweet chocolate ice cream i've ever tasted. I loved Mayan chocolate at first taste, but I thought the fudge swirl made it waaay too sweet. ← Belgian Choc sounds good. I'm not a huge ice cream fan--mostly I find it too sweet. When I do get a yen, like in hot weather, my pick is always HD Coffee. The vanilla is my standard for a la mode. A long time ago--like maybe 15 or 16 years?--HD came out with a flavor called Cappucino Commotion. Anybody remember that? It knocked me out. It had a bold coffee/espresso flavor, a little cinnamon, maybe something more....it was really really good; sadly, a flavor before it's time. They yanked it as soon as I became addicted. If they had any brains they would have brought that one back when Starbucks started producing ice cream.

Thanks to all on this inspiring thread who recommended Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. I did in fact receive it for a holiday gift and last night made my first recipe: chicken, lemongrass and potato curry. Instructions were clear and it was very easy. I admit to tweaking a bit by adding some Kale for the last 15 minutes of cooking, since I had some in the fridge and wanted something green. I used the lesser quantity of coconut milk, added some white breast meat cooked for a shorter amount of time to please my finicky daughter. It was delicious. I am already planning my next meal. Since I have to make a major shopping expedition to Chinatown I'm curious to know what people on this thread prefer in the way of fish sauce. There is a fish sauce thread that is not Vietnamese specific in which there is some bashing of "Three Crabs" for it's additives, although Andrea Nguyen seems to like it. Which one do you like for Vietnamese food? Nguyen implies that imports direct from Vietnam--which would be the best--are hard to come by. Is that your experience?

Yum I agree, these peppers have an affinity for tuna. You may not use up a whole jar this way, but I like ttry a simple rice salad with either leftover cooked fresh tuna (or good quality canned) and a generous amount of slivered peppers. I add minced red onion, capers, celery, radish, parsley, toasted pine nuts, whatever. For a dressing I use Spanish sherry wine vinegar, a little of the tuna oil, maybe a little of the pepper oil and some good olive oil. To finish dust with smoked paprka if you like that flavor. This makes a great emergency dinner--if I can remember to keep a jar of roasted peppers around.

BTW, there is another thread called "Pancakes, how do I love thee?" which has some nice recipes on it and perhaps could be merged with this one. I do have a semi-chemical question. Pancake recipes seem to be almost evenly divided between the use of baking soda and baking powder, and some even call for both. What are the differences in how these two behave in pancake batter? What would be the advantage of using both? Also, what is the interaction between buttermilk and either baking soda or powder? Does the use of buttermilk in a recipe rather than regular milk mean that less of those two things will be necessary?

Sounds like it matters what type of cooking you are doing. I received "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen" for xmas, a book highly recommended by eGers on the Vietnamese cooking thread. The author says that it is uncommon to find fish sauce imported directly from Vietnam; most comes from Thailand. She says that some brands, such as 3 Crabs and Flying Lion, which she likes, are in the "style" of Vietnamese fish sauce: less heavy or salty than traditional Thai fish sauce and they often will use the Phu Quoc designation despite the fact that they are not made there. She suggests looking for labels that include the words "cot, nhi or thuong hang", which indicates a premium product made with the first extraction of liquids; that would be lighter in color and more delicate. She also says that if you see the words "ca com" you are getting sauce made from anchovies local to Phu Quoc, which is desirable; I assume the bottle should specify imported from Vietnam if this is the case. I am sure the regulars on the Vietnamese thread could weigh in with more info.

The primary reason not to put a giant vat of steaming-hot stuff in the fridge is because it will seriously affect the temperature in the fridge. It will warm stuff you don't want warmed and it may throw off the thermostat, no? I have never had any problems with chile or anything else if I decant into storage containers and cool on the counter, tops off, til the food is merely warm, or close to room temp. The ice-bath technique is great if you are in a hurry. A snowbank works too, unless there are bears or monkeys about. Or put the pot out on the deck of your highrise if you should be so lucky as to have one. Keep the cover on though if you have Redtails nesting on the ledge above.

Okay, you can all jump on me for blasphemy, but a friend got hold of a bottle of St. George that first night it became available and we had a little party. Hemingway must have been deranged or unconscious BEFORE Afternoon: Absinthe and champagne was the first thing we tried and there was unanimous agreement that it was an awful drink; you might wish you were dead for wasting the champagne like that. The most popular taste of the evening was the simplest: absinthe on the rocks. If I had read this thread first I might have suggested the Seafoam or Seafizz or whatever it's called; that looks ethereal. The color of the St. George Absinthe in the bottle and straight up in the glass is very beautiful. I didn't love it, but then I am not a pernod or even a licorice fan, but my husband was in heaven; he's been wanting real absinthe for the nearly thirty years we've known eachother. I would use my portion (if I had any) to make an enormous batch of mussels as suggested upthread.

When I cook a ham shank I like to shred or cube some of the meat for a very simple ham salad. I just add celery, a little minced red onion and a small amount of mayo and maybe a dab of dijon to taste and a crank of fresh pepper. Very satisfying all by itself or as an alternative to chicken or tuna salad. I also throw leftover shank meat into a black bean soup or chile. It's good with a hot mostarda, too, as it would be with chutney.

I'm in the minority camp: for the most part I find glasses are too large. The style for wine glasses seem to be enormous now; until I found the basic small size red wine glasses at Ikea (which are halfway to being white wine glasses in shape) I despaired. Now I usually use those for red and white--no need to worry if they get broken during a raucous dinner party, since the cost of replacement is less than $1 per glass. I also take comfort in knowing the wine I am drinking costs more that the stemware. As for large drinking glasses for beer, soda, quenchers with ice, etc., try Crate & Barrel. Every time I go there I get annoyed at how big most of them are. They have a variety of 16 and 24 oz glasses--and possibly bigger.

Now that this thread has turned into "How can I make Mostarda in the most dangerous and difficult way possible," I just want to thank someone upthread who suggested strong cheese as a good accompaniment. I made my usual over-the-counter Batali version that uses good old fashioned Colman's mustard powder and took it to a party with my usual coppa. Someone had brought a Cambazola so I tried it with that and it was wonderful. I have a Stilton and some kind of young pecorino here, so I'm going to indulge in my newfound combo NOW--while you all are waiting for your illegal pharmaceutical shipments packed in a Maltese falcon or something! eGers, you are a scream!

Here it is, Octaveman, enough for 2 quarts: Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (not meyer) 2 T finely grated lemon zest 4 cups buttermilk (we use 1.5 percent buttermilk and it's just right) Stir sugar, lemon juice and zest in a med-large bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir until the sugar dissolves. Chill well, at least 4 hours.* Process mixture in your ice-cream maker according to the direx. Transfer to a container with a lid and freeze. *My husband thinks the cuisinart we have works best if the mixture is as cold as possible, but not starting to freeze or get ice crystals in it. He often put the mix in the freezer for half an hour after it's been in the fridge. Remember that your mix will expand as it freezes, so don't worry when you see that the freezer containers in your machine start out only 2/3 full. I also want to second the reminder that you may find the mix too sweet if you taste it before it is frozen. This recipe finishes up nice and tart.

We have a modest 2-qt Cuisinart model (dunno the model #), so I don't know how yours works. It definitely helps to have the mixture as cold as possible before you start to churn. When it is done we decant into plastic qt containers and set then inside the insulated containers in the freezer to set up for several hours. We haven't made ice cream for many years but we do make palate cleansers and sorbets during the summer. I have a great (and simple) recipe for a lemon buttermilk sorbet; I'm seriously hooked on that and we often make two qts. Fabulous by itself or next to a moist slice of gingerbread!

This thread has convinced me it's time to make another batch. My brother-in-law makes wine (it's good) and gives us a case for xmas every year so it would be nice to give them something home-made. They aren't exactly vegetarians, but they don't eat much meat and probably no pork. They do like very hot spicy foods, though. What might I suggest they eat the mostarda with, assuming salumi is not their cup of tea? Shrimp? Vegetables, cooked how?

Excellent thread! I look forward to trying the above recipes. These pancakes are a little different: very wholesome, with good bite. Apple Oatmeal Pancakes 2/3 cup regular cooking flaked oats 1.25 c buttermilk 1 large egg 2 T brown sugar 1 medium tart green apple (like Granny Smith) Squeeze of lemon juice, bit of zest 8 T white flour 4 T ww flour (you can adjust the ratio of white to ww as you like) 1 tsp baking soda 1/3 tsp salt or less pinch cinnamon 2 T veg oil (Mazzola corn is good) xtra buttermilk as needed Overnight: soak the oats in the buttermilk in the fridge, covered. In the morning: in a large bowl whisk the egg with the sugar. Peel and grate the apple, measure to about 2/3 c firmly packed. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice, add a little zest and mix into the egg mixture. Combine the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl, mix well, then add, along with the buttermilk-oatmeal mixture and the oil to the apple-egg mix. It should be thick. Heat a griddle over medium heat, grease with a little butter or oil. Drop batter in approx 1/4 cupfuls. The pancakes should spread very slowly. You will probably want to turn down the flame to med-low. These should cook a bit slower than most pancakes, since they are denser. If they don't spread you may want to add just a touch more buttermilk to the batter.

Mario Batali's recipe for Mostarda di Cremona from Molto Italiano is fairly runny and quite hot. It may not meet all your criteria, since it does use mustard seeds along with dry mustard and (being Batali) hot red pepper flakes. I have made it several times and always to rave reviews. He calls for fresh pear along with a variety of dried fruits, so I would think you could sub your apples. I have juggled the proportions using more pear and dried figs and cherries and less raisins and it's always fantastic. I serve it as he suggests with coppa (mild) for a starter.

This topic has emboldened me. Has anyone used the Comark DT15? I just bought one on eBay (impulse buy!) and I don't have any idea how exactly it works; the picture shows a cord from the probe to a stand-up monitor that clearly isn't long enough to go into the oven, so I assume it is an instant read-out type. It supposedly comes with interchangeable probes. On the Comark website it has a list price of $89. This one is new and the price was really great so I went for it. It will be my first meat thermometer ever. I think I've saved a lot of money not doing large rib roasts for so many years, but I seem to be having a mid-life meat crisis.