Jump to content

Aquitaine

participating member
  • Posts

    125
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Aquitaine

  1. You might check out the The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America published in 2004, edited by Andrew F. Smith. Food historian and consultant Alice Ross, one of the editors of the encyclopedia, would dispute many of the folkloric comments about the origin of doughnuts. It's actually quite a complicated story, as are many cultural developments (culinary or other), interweaving bits and pieces from many many sources. I don't have a copy of the volumes at my fingertips or I would check out and pass along any nuggets... Ms. Sheraton, is it Crutchley's that you are thinking of? I have a recipe for Fenton Crutchley's Crullers from a New York Times article by Alden Whitman dated 12/6/78. Crutchley had a shop in Southampton and was then celebrating his 50th year as a baker..... And I, too, remember Mary Elizabeth's -- what a timepiece! (BTW, I remember receiving a christmas copy of your "Visions of Sugarplums" as a little girl in the 1960s and being thoroughly delighted. Thank you.)
  2. Aquitaine

    Angon

    Just as I was about to stop dragging my heels and get over to Angon! Well, I Googled and found an About.com page dated October 25, 2005 titled "Chowhound Loves Spicy Mina" -- http://queens.about.com/b/a/213135.htm >> Spicy Mina, 64-23 Broadway, Woodside, NY 11377, 718-205-2340 So I picked up the phone.... R train to 65 Broadway; open for lunch and dinner every day, if I got this info right... * Edit: Oh, well .... I realize that I must have been reading carelessly. I guess you already know where the new location is. [shameface]
  3. Boy, SOME people are just way too quick with their posts! to Johnny D.... Yes, indeed enjoyed my lunch with JohnnyD yesterday -- he very graciously accepted the spur of the moment invite, I braved the Maine Turnpike and parking in the Old Port, and we met up about 2 hours later. We had a lovely setting and scrumptious dead aqua creatures (I did voice my ecological concern about tuna and salmon being overfished, but maybe for an occasional treat? ) and I received enlightenment re Portland. Very much looking forward to future explorations and pal-ing around. Nicely detailed report, JohnnyD... OK, call me a spoiled, fussy New Yorker, but am I missing something about the Public Market? It really seems oriented to tourists, like Faneuil Hall, et al. No olive oil for me.... I'm going to have to bite the bullet and drive to a Trader Joe's for my olive oil....or shlep it up from New York on Amtrak and hope the bottle doesn't break en route... I grew up in Seacoast NH and have returned here for the nonce, but I DO struggle with not being able to find certain *basic* food items around here, either easily or at reasonable prices. It SHOULD be a tradeoff easily made -- beautiful environment trounces all.... CSASphinx, glad to hear about Five Fifty-Five -- it's a place I've been wanting to try out. Well, I'm off to pick blueberries, one of my favorite summer things to do -- although these are cultivated -- at a farm. (When I was a child, we used to pick lowbush berries near the neighboring town's dump, our poodle traipsing along and enjoying every nibble. But one picks blueberries wherever one finds them -- particularly nice surprise when hiking. Good blueberry picking in Rhode Island, too, somewhere near Essex, I believe; a well known farm stand there also has blueberry fields.) Shortcake on the menu tonight!
  4. Some of you may have read the following tribute on the website of the American Institute for Food and Wine. I only read it when a clipping was recently snail-mailed to me. I thought it would be an appropriate addition to our own eGullet thread of tributes, and the author graciously gave us permission to post. The eG Forums team confirmed that this would be the best place for it, despite the fact that nearly a year has passed since its original publication. Given that Ms. Child's legacy is for the ages, there is no time like the present. * * * From the September 13, 2004 Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Julia Child: A Lawyer's Reminiscence By Joseph D. Steinfield According to Julia Child, the stars were in "the right alignment" when she began her historic television career on Channel 2 in the early 1960s. The same could be said of the good fortune of three Harvard Law School classmates -- Bob Johnson, Bill Truslow and myself -- who, beginning when we were young lawyers at Hill & Barlow, served as Julia's lawyers for more than three decades. To the public at large, Julia was a teacher, an entertainer and a reformer who changed how Americans thought about food, how they cooked and how they ate. To members of the culinary world she was standard-bearer, supporter and mentor. To us, she was client and friend. Ours was a unique and life-enriching experience. First came Bob. He had worked with Brooks Beck, a Hill & Barlow partner, on publishing contracts for Julia, and for other Cambridge notables such as Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and John Kenneth Galbraith. When Beck died following surgery in 1970, Bob inherited Julia and Schlesinger as clients (Bill took on Galbraith), and developed one of Boston's early literary practices. (Ike Williams, now Boston's pre-eminent author's lawyer, was doing the same thing under a different roof.) Bob represented Julia from that time until his own early death in 1986. During those years, they grew exceedingly close. Bob handled television and book contracts and served as Julia's overall legal factotum. He was dedicated to her, and to her husband Paul, and they trusted him completely. The relationship was social as well as legal: Bob would visit them in Cambridge, in Santa Barbara and in the south of France. Bob brought me in to fend off those who tried to use Julia's personna -- her look, her sound or her name - for commercial purposes. As many articles have pointed out, Julia did not endorse products for money. Her commitment to public television was complete. If she said, publicly, that she liked McDonald's french fries, it was because she did, not because she was being paid to say so. That didn't keep any number of establishments, including restaurants, wine sellers, cookware manufacturers and others (even a hardware store) from trying to trade on Julia. And when they did, she was all business. Julia had quite a network, consisting of nieces, friends and others, who seemed always on the lookout to let Julia know about some unauthorized commercial use of "Julia Child" (or, one time, "Julia Wild"). She would call me, I would contact the offending company or its ad agency, and the dialogue would typically go like this: "But they do it on Saturday Night Live" ("That's different"), followed by, "Well, please tell her we're sorry" ("Not good enough"), followed by a discussion of what would be a suitable fine for the offense. "But I thought you said she doesn't take money." "She doesn't. You send the money to me, I send it to her, and she gives it to charity." And that is exactly how it went, several times. Julia never kept a dime, not even the legal fees. She gave the money to her "favorite charity," the American Institute of Wine and Food. After these episodes Julia would say, "I do hope they do it again. The Institute needs the money, you know." Eating out with Julia was one of life's great experiences. The food was always wonderful ("the chef would like to make something special for you"), the service exceptional and Julia her magnanimous self. She would always ask the chef where he or she trained, where they found such wonderful ingredients (especially the mushrooms), whether they knew so-and-so, and so forth. She made a point of praising the food, but only when she meant it. She was no phony. Bob Johnson was the first person we knew who had AIDS. For Julia, his illness and death was a very painful experience. She was, in some ways, an old-fashioned woman, but she had a heart to match her frame and was extremely open-minded. Here her beloved Bob was fading away in front of her eyes, from an illness she had only read about. She spent many hours with him, at her home, at a restaurant when he could go out, at his bedside when he could not. She was then working on her book "The Way to Cook," published in 1989. The book is dedicated "To the memory of Robert H. Johnson, dear friend and mentor who brought so much of this to pass." Bill Truslow was the perfect lawyer to succeed Bob -- skilled, dignified, gentle. Julia relied on him, as she had on Bob, to take care of the legal side of her life, which he did with consummate skill. And Bill, like Bob, became her close friend and confidant. He did many things for her, none more important than helping her and Paul navigate Paul's lengthy decline, and later guiding her through the difficult process of leaving Cambridge and moving to Santa Barbara. All three of us got to know Julia Child the person. She was very large, smart, funny and completely focused. She was not one-dimensional by any means. Food was at the center of her life, but it was not her entire life. Many times she would call to talk politics. "What do you think of this man Clinton?" she once asked (she liked him). And, long ago, "I can't stand that Richard Nixon fellow." Adding such words as "man" and "fellow" was typically Julia. One part of Julia's life has not received enough attention. She was charitable, and not just to the American Institute of Food and Wine. Three times, she and I were co-auctioneers at charity fundraising events, twice in New Hampshire and once in Boston. That woman knew how to get behind a cause, and she knew how to sell. The words ring in my ears: "Remember, it's tax deductible!" She also knew how to buy. If no one bid what she thought was enough, she bought it. She was also loyal. When Hill & Barlow came to its untimely end, late in 2002, Julia was already in Santa Barbara. Bill and I called her together to tell her the news, and to reassure her. She asked, "How could this happen? It feels like a death in my family." She was immediately solicitous of us. "Are you both all right?" she asked. "Where will you go?" We told her everything would be fine. The last time I went out with Julia was late in 2002. My wife, Virginia Eskin, was performing a piano recital at the Museum of Fine Arts (Virginia had provided the music for the series "Dinner at Julia's"). Julia loved music and knew a lot about it, and she accepted my invitation for dinner and the concert. When it came time to pay the bill, the chef came to our table and said there would be no charge -- it was his privilege to cook for Julia Child. I knew how he felt. For Bob, Bill and me, it was our privilege to represent her, and even more so to be her friend. Joseph D. Steinfield is a partner in the Boston law firm of Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye. © 2004 Lawyers Weekly Inc., All Rights Reserved.
  5. Great thread, everyone -- thanks from this lurker-soon-to-be-an-owner-of-claypots (due solely this thread and related such as the tagine pot and Moroccan cooking threads)... A little late to the party, but for those of you interested in purchasing the heat diffuser that Paula Wolfert refers to above on this same thread ... ...it is called the SimmerMat, and the website for its New Zealand distributor has this to say about it: ...©SimmerMat™ has won an "Industry New Zealand Award" in December 2000, and in January 2002 for business innovation that has the potential to strengthen New Zealand's economy. It has just won an Award in the Cookware/Bakeware Category of the New York Gourmet Show as "Best New Product Award 2004" on 25 October 2004... I spoke with the US distributor, IMCG Inc. (877/381-7259; Email: info@imcg.us, www.Imcg.us) and was told that both the Solutions Catalog and the Bakers Catalogue should carry it. Just ordered mine today, Item #68245 at Solutions Catalog: http://www.solutionscatalog.com/jump.jsp?i...iProductID=5144
  6. Thanks to both of you. 1) I just learned that my sister is staying at the Sheraton out at the airport. Oh, well... 2) Curlz, I confess to a Manhattan provincialism. Years ago I trekked out to Newark on a philatelic errand and although I am aware of the Arts Center, have not yet been. Thanks for the reminder. And yes, I also have no sense of geography; a hop skip and jump to Hoboken is another good reminder, although as you point out, the airport location will be a BIG deterrent. Also, I just read your post about Adega Grill, Curlz, in the eponymous thread. Thanks for the detail. So we'll see. My sister is often happy with steamed vegetables and bare-naked tofu, and she may just want to keep things simple, i.e., eat at the hotel restaurant (horrors!). But I now feel that I can suggest a few options. Thanks again!
  7. Hello, folks --- We've just found out that my sister will be traveling cross-country next week (from the mountains north of Seattle) to Newark for a limited, focused visit lasting a couple of days -- legal business (don't ask). I will brave the commute to Newark from the Upper West Side to meet her. We don't know yet where she will stay, but I fear it is near either the airport or downtown. We won't have a car. We are very low key (no, not hot dogs, but yes, Asian of all kinds or Italian; not so much Portugese as in Ironbound, since it's not big on veggies, if I've got it right)..... Is there any hope for decent vegetarian food in the area? And if there is absolutely nothing in the immediate vicinity, any suggestions for something nearby, preferably by public transport? Thanks in advance.... (and before your suggest it, no, she is not really wild about coming into the City.....)
  8. I just Googled for the future book (couldn't find it in Books in Print -- Forthcoming] and found this nice Spicelines interview with Cardoz <http://www.globalprovince.com/spicelines/interview/cardoz.htm>
  9. (You can also read Dalby's “On Thria” in Petits Propos Culinaires 31, i.e., March 1989 -- pp. 56-57...)
  10. I've been away from the site for some time and happily dipped in this evening to find this treat. This thread is exactly why I love eGullet! It has all the components that make the site dear to my heart -- erudition, humor, warmth, sharing... Thank you all. So now for my small contribution. (I was tempted to veer off-topic about all the other interesting dishes I’ve come across that use grape leaves -- or fig leaves, but I’m restraining myself.) 1) Whole Foods Markets carries a brand of brined grape leaves that looks heads and shoulders above others I've seen, although I admit that at the moment they're just sitting on my shelf, looking beseechingly at me. Look for "Greek Artisans" Vine Leaves. Small and tender, from what I see through the glass. 2) Melissa Clarke wrote a nice piece about grape leaves in the New York Times (10/13/99) -- how to work with them and what local chefs were doing with them; a few recipes are included. ("From the Vineyard, Nature's First Wrap") She wrote that fresh leaves are available at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturdays from August to November -- at least they were in 1999. 3) Diane Kochilas provides a source for "excellent vine leaves" in The Glorious Foods of Greece: Traditional Recipes from the Islands, Cities, and Villages (2001). I misplaced the phone number and just checked online, so I think the following is correct: Euro-USA 3212 West 25th Street Cleveland, OH 44109 Tel: 800-999-5939
  11. Russ, first I'd like to thank you for all your interesting articles in the Times. I look forward each week to the section. Second, could you provide us with any more specific info about the publication plans (house, date) for the proof you refer to? I'd be interested in checking it out.... Robert, although I haven't seen the Camporesi listed below, it might be of interest. I *think* the notes come from library catalogs--a good place to get leads just by browsing and poking around. Try the New York public library's research catalog, the Schlesinger at Radcliffe, and the CIA-Hyde Park catalogs, for example, using a subject search such as "cookery italy history".....And I would definitely check the bibliographies of the scholars whose secondary work you admire. Of course, many of those works will not be available in the U.S. As well as references in Petits Propos Culinaires (PPC) and the proceedings of the Oxford Symposia.... (BTW, have you seen Barbara Wheaton's "Savoring the Past.…A culinary history of the French kitchen & table from 1300 to 1789"? Excellent, and well documented, perhaps with references to Italian antecedents, although I can't say because I don't own a copy.) ***Camporesi, Piero. Exotic Brew: The Art of Living in the Age of Enlightenment. Oxford, <England>; Cambridge, Mass.: Polity Press, 1994. Translation of: Il Brodo Indiano. >> Summary: Exotic Brew is a concise and elegant account of the eating and drinking habits of the upper classes in the 18th Century, written by one of the foremost historians of food and social manners in Europe. Camporesi examines the shift from a rich, heavy diet to a much lighter one which emphasized ‘exotic’ foods like tea, coffee and chocolate. This shift was, he argues, a sign of the profound transformations in fashion, taste and manners that took place in Italy and the rest of Europe in the Enlightenment. [TEXT CONTINUES]
  12. Thanks, Bridget. I'm stumbling on the fact that Portland is small enough for me already! But if I get out there, sounds like Hood River is a good place to visit...
  13. Man, this thread should be visible only to those in good peach-growing parts of the country! You can't imagine how difficult it is for those of us who live elsewhere (e.g., NYC) to read about your Garden of Eden! We haven't had good peaches for a while...and forget about U-pick... I, too, have been curious about Frog Hollow but haven't had deep enough pockets to indulge. You did read Jeffrey Steingarten on their peaches, right??? (Brix and all...)
  14. Aquitaine

    Syrup

    I am PEA GREEN! Do you know how many times I've not copied down a recipe because there isn't a prayer that I could get that many raspberries without first robbing a bank???? By the way, you are not alone. The novelist Jim Harrison wrote about a surfeit of raspberries in the National Geographic Traveler issue that focused on food, I think it was in May 2003 -- "Taste of Travel." If I remember correctly, he lives in Montana. Hard to believe, but the neighbors shoo him away when he shows up with gifts of raspberries -- like other people's zucchini or tomato bounties.... Anyhoo... You can get rid of 6 cups right away by making Claudia Fleming's "Lemon-Thyme-Macerated Raspberry Compote" -- from her book The Last Course (2001) -- excerpted recipe published in the Washington Post on August 28, 2003. Basically it consists of pureeing a small portion of the berries with lemon-thyme leaves and tossing the remainder of the berries with this puree. But I guess this is only an eat-right-away recipe, and you're looking for long-term storage. My favorite is raspberry liqueurs or cordials, but I've always kept them in the refrigerator, not having enough berries to worry about spoilage.... Any of the good preserving / canning books should have a recipe and instructions for "canning" a berry syrup. Excellent idea...then in the middle of winter you've got that burst of summer! Enjoy for the rest of us!
  15. Aquitaine

    Favorite condiment

    OK, Twodogs, so where do you hang your hat? Interesting list. I'm dying to know where I could buy these (well, not so much the lovage puree and the morel mushroom and foie gras fat vinaigrette....) or are you pulling legs here? I like tomato jam, for example, but have never seen *roasted* tomato jam.... (BTW, I'm in NYC; and I can't say what my favorite condiment is; I'm just making my way through the jars and bottles of strange, unlabeled things in my fridge. I do rather like a tamarind chutney...and "pickled figs" made with red wine vinegar and cloves and I can't remember what else....
  16. Aquitaine

    wasabi

    I've been wanting to try fresh wasabi but have held off ordering from Pacific Farms... If anyone in New York City wants to split an order, PM me, please.
  17. Lime Chutney Sherry Dressing--From the NY Potluck dinner This dressing is a creation of Floyd Cardoz at Tabla, New York City. The original recipe was published in the New York Times on December 8, 1999. Please give him his due: I would never have thought of this! I make a salad of butter or or Boston-type lettuce, thinly sliced red onions that have been "sweetened" and crisped by chilling in water for about 30 minutes and thinly sliced cucumbers. I also add slices or segments of navel oranges (remove all the pith, first, please....). Sometimes I serve the salad without cucumbers and add black olives and a spinkle of cayenne pepper... * * 1 part sherry (like an oloroso; not too dry and not too sweet) 1 part red wine vinegar 1 part EVOO 1/16 part Indian lime pickle, like Patak's Mild Lime Relish 1/16 part mango chutney (I use a sweet one, rather than a hot one) Chopped fresh tarragon Salt and freshly ground black pepper Over medium heat, reduce the sherry to two-thirds of its original volume. In a blender, process the lime pickle, chutney and vinegar until smooth. Blend in the sherry. While the machine is running, slowly add oil until emulsified. Add the tarragon, salt and pepper. Do not blend. Refrigerate unused portions (keeps for quite a long time in a cold refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving). Keywords: Salad ( RG572 )
  18. What a wonderful way to spend an evening! Thank you, Suzanne F and HWOE, for opening your doors so graciously to the voracious and vociferous horde. Thank you also for letting us invade you (and drop lettuce and who knows what else behind your furniture) and leave you with way too much cleanup... I'm not going to single out any individual dish, since they were all impressive (I guess that was to be expected from eGulleters...) and attractively arrayed. But most of all, it was just great to be able to meet everyone in person. A very congenial group. The salad dressing used for the orange-cucumber-red onion-and-lettuce salad is a creation of Floyd Cardoz at Tabla, New York, and was published in the New York Times on December 8, 1999. (Only the dressing recipe....) I'm not sure what the rules are about posting published recipes. So I'm going to paraphrase.... Lime Chutney Sherry Dressing 1 part sherry (like an oloroso; not too dry and not too sweet) 1 part red wine vinegar 1 part EVOO 1/16 part Indian lime pickle, like Patak's Mild Lime Relish 1/16 part mango chutney (I use a sweet one, rather than a hot one) Chopped fresh tarragon Salt and freshly ground black pepper Over medium heat, reduce the sherry to two-thirds of its original volume. In a blender, process the lime pickle, chutney and vinegar until smooth. Blend in the sherry. While the machine is running, slowly add oil until emulsified. Add the tarragon, salt and pepper. Do not blend. Refrigerate unused portions (keeps for quite a long time in a cold refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving). Sometimes I serve the salad without cucumbers and add black olives and a spinkle of cayenne....
  19. Also bringing 2 Balthazar baguettes....
  20. Belmont 3, BRING THE MORUE! I love it! I'll try to remember to get a decent baguette to go with it... jhlurie: I TRIED to cull the pertinent info carefully.... Re the ice: I kind of figured there was some inside stuff going on, but I was covering the bases! As for veggies, that happens to be my thing, but not necessarily anyone else's. So don't knock yourself out, jhlurie. Maybe no one else except megc cares about bunny food Suzanne is probably the only one who knows how many are coming....
  21. If anyone's trying to figure out what the menu is and what they might want to bring to fill in any gaps, this NOT-SET-IN-STONE list might help. I took a page from the egullet.com Seattle group's farewell-to-Nightscotsman-pizza-shindig -- which I REALLY wanted to attend but decided would be a tad too expensive. It's sort of arranged by "course" -- and apologies if I missed something; feel free to edit! (This is how I figured out that we were missing veggies....) * * Gruyere and Olive cake with roasted tomato sauce -- Belmont3 Hummus -- Suzanne F Larb Balls Two Ways with garnish of lettuce leaves, cucumber, dipping sauce, etc -- Jason Perlow * * Pasta (veggie or not -- SobaAddict70 Pasta salad -- =Mark Brisket with horseradish-cream dressing -- Fat Guy Pao de Queijo (cheese bread -- Elyse Lettuce salad with oranges, cucumbers, red onions and olives -- Aquitaine * * Baklava -- jhlurie Pecan Pie -- Elyse Watermelon Ice Cream with Chocolate "Seeds" and Watermelon Sorbet -- Rachel Perlow * * Beer -- Elyse Ice -- jhlurie and/or Tommy Rum -- Jason Perlow Sorrel drink -- Suzanne F Wine, 1 or 2 bottles -- Belmont3 * *
  22. OK, now I know I will be in town, can I come play, too? If so, how about a nice, fresh salad -- lettuces with oranges, cucumbers, red onions and olives -- and a piquant (think Indian lime pickles and chutney) dressing? Seems to me we need some GREENS here and something light..... and I could carry it on the subway in a big garbage bag! Suzanne F., please PM with info, too!
  23. Aquitaine

    serving Sauternes

    Didn't Richard Olney do an entire book on sauternes? Perhaps you'd find other ideas in that.... Oh, I forgot to add: I go by a rule of thumb about pairing food with sauternes (as if I have it often!) to never serve it with anything sweeter than the sauternes. Lindsey Shire has a very nice recipe for olive oil and sauternes cake in a couple of the Chez Panisse books. This was my birthday cake for a few years running...with peaches.
  24. Aquitaine

    Waffles!

    My current favorite is fairly crisp, lightly spiced pumpkin waffles* -- no need even for syrup** -- but my game plan is to try cornmeal waffles if fresh local blackberries appear at the farmers' market.... I've eaten waffles for a gazillion years and have never knowingly eaten one made without separating the eggs (and beating the egg whites). *Bradley Ogden's “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner” (1991) ** Be sure to use the real thing -- some huge percentage of Americans have never even tasted maple syrup, I was shocked to learn recently. No point to waffles, or pancakes, without it! (But then I grew up in New England...)
  25. Whew! I was getting eat-out envy.... I'm not a typical New Yorker, I guess. I rarely do takeout, and I don't see eating out as a "regular thing to do." Perhaps it's the Yankee in me: I still think of eating out as a treat, so I am particularly picky about how to spend my money. Some of the places I've been that cost $40 per person and other people go to just for a casual dinner I think of as a complete waste of money.. I would rather invite friends over and spend the money on good ingredients and wine. Which is what I did for a big birthday last year. My friends at first thought I was nuts, and then realized that being able to relax and take all the time in the world and not have to listen to other diners, etc., was great. Even when I was making quite a decent salary (not Wall Street, however ), I thought twice about dropping a lot of money on a meal. One of the few splurges I remember being worth every cent of the $75 per person (this was back in 1980) was La Tulipe.... Took someone out for a tasting menu at Nobu last year and thought it was highly overrated, but I gather my perception is anomalous... Most apt to eat out in Japanese restaurants, partly because sushi is something I can't do well and it's very different... I do have a wishlist, including some named on your list....but I guess that doesn't count!
×
×
  • Create New...