jvalentino

I'm making pizza this weekend for friends, and wanted to serve something different either with it or as a first course. I've been doing green salad, and bruschetta and sometimes an antipasta platter but would really like some other more creative ideas. Advance prep is a plus. Any suggestions? Thanks, Jeff

Quality cheese plates are always good.

For technique-Pepin is the man! That is an impressive video for something so simple yet complex. I switched from water over to the half and half camp myself a few years ago. Jeff

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&...36-9b7903c8db3e Classic technique video from Jacques Pépin.

My copy arrived today, and I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes. The photography looks great as well-which is very important t me. Anyone make anything from this yet? Jeff

Here's the link for the Saveur recipe- http://saveur.com/article/Mise-en-Place/Ho...Ricotta-At-Home I've only used buttermilk as a coagulant, but wanted to switch to rennet. Do you think it was just a matter of too much liquid mixed with it or something else? Jeff

I would keep the shoulder closer to 200 overnight- 225 could dry it out especially if your oven is off a bit. Jeff

Me neither.

I figured this was the best place to ask this.. Is there a "typical" agreement made to pay back investors in a restaurant? Are there any rues of thumb-besides invest money you know you may lose? Any info would be appreciated. Jeff

I think it's mostly becaise of the water used in peeling and packaging. Try this... Take a regular fresh carrot and grate it finely (like shredded cheese) then taste it. Next take some of that same ground carrot and put it in a glass and cover with cold water and stir for 15-30 seconds. Drain off the now orange water and taste the carrot again. This was a huge wake up call for me- I think it shows what processing can do to our foods. Jeff

How about a home pasta machine that has bronze dies? The KitchenAide one gives no texture.

I ate here last night, and... Maybe my expectations were too high because of some of the posts here, but I felt it was good, maybe very good but not great. We forgot the camera, so no photo's but here's a recap. First off I love the look of the place very nice although it was on the noisy side. We were promptly seated at our table and were told our waiter Mathew would be right over, but we didn't see him for quite some time. It should be noted Mathew and the rest of the staff were great but they were very busy, and the service was a bit slow. We each ordered the 3 course menu The vegetable custard was great. Very smooth, and rich with a nice melted fontina cheese top, my wifes salad was not so good. The fennel was old, and the greens weren't in the best shape either. Patsas were the al forno, and the potato and cheese tortoloni w/ a pancetta and raddichio sauce. The al forno verde(swiss chard) alla bolognese was great. Great pasta, with a good sauce baked with lots of Reggiano on top. The tortoloni was boring and dry-not good. The sauce was decent but that's it. Our meat course was the organic grass fed skirt steak, and that along with the al forno were the stars of the show. It was cooked perfect, and although it was served on a bed of grilled zuchinni, and red onions-not carmelized brussell sprouts, and onion like our server said it was fantastic. For dessert we shared the flourless chocolate hazel nut cake. My palate may well have been shot by this time, but I tasted no hazelnuts to speak of and felt it was too grainy. Our bill came to 93.60 for the two of us-I felt a pretty good value, and that percieved value is why I will go back to give it another shot. My wife suggest we go during the week so we can hear each other talk. Jeff

I spent $100 on eBay for this one: It is way more than I need for home use in terms of power. It is also very quiet -- the biggest problem is that it is MASSIVE. I had to buy a cart to put it on (so tack another $100 onto the price tag if you will need to do that!). Cleanup is easier than I expected, but not totally trivial. It probably takes 5-10 minutes to wipe everything down. I count that as a bargain compared to the time it takes to hand-slice 10 lbs of bacon! ← I've been watching for one of these-it looks like you got a good deal! Do you know what wattage the motor is? Thanks, Jeff

Make sure to try the lemon peel ginger root!

When you store lots of pasta you get pieces that break. These broken pieces get collected, and when you get enough they go into soup, they come from a variety of shapes. However you wouldn't break your pasta just to put it in soup. Edited for spelling.

Bashed because simply adding to the bottom line is not all that matters to most people. Owners and executives at Scripps have a different focus-add revenue. When people who enjoyed the quality, originality, and instruction that FN provided in their early years see that BAM, Yumm-O, and reality shows have made it a caricature of its former self are bound to revolt somewhat. Not that there is anything wrong with making money, becaus I own a business too, but I'm a private company, and I don't have to answer to share holders. I can make a decision that may lose money this quarter, but I know it's good for the company, and it's longevity while staying true my original vision. Executives in a public corporation do not have this luxury. It also appears that the masses want to watch Dinner Impossible, or learn how to make somewhat homemade food rather than learn to truss a bird, or discuss, and learn about consumme's. eG is not the masses-yet. Jeff

LOL They're on my list!

A "Chicago Dog" with ketchup. Ditto on the popcorn. Sour cream without fat. Swedish Fish that are any color but red. Jeff

My first job was at a pizza place, and the smell of steamed cardboard boxes from putting a hot pizza in it is one I won't forget. I haven't had a pizza delivered in years, mostly because of a lack of anything resembling a good pie around here.

Ding Ding. The pintos, or baked beans go to a whole new level here. It is so very easy to tell when a rib has been reheated, and a huge turn off to me- I really would not do it. I saw on BBQ America where one restaurant makes their leftovers into "fried ribs" the next day. Straight out of the fridge cut into 2 bone portions, dunked in batter then fried. Jeff

It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next few years. I personally love flipping through ccokbooks for inspiration, and also love the great photography in so many cookbooks now. I do read quite a bit and do food research online, but I'm "old school" about my cookbooks, even though I'm digi most everyplace else. It would also be hard to bring the desktop by the stove to follow a recipe!

These are some great ideas! So many are sounding fantastic, I'm going to try the majority of these suggestions(although not all for this party). I'm liking white beans, tuna,and the cambozola variations so far for the party, and would love to hear some more suggestions. Thanks again, Jeff

Ok maybe not technically crostini OR bruschetta but... As a party snack I like to grill some Italian bread slices rub them with some garlic, and top with the usual suspects (pesto, fresh mozz, tapenade etc). I'm trying to think of some new ideas, and any help would be appreciated. I'd like to give 3 choices or so. I'm making a green salad, homemade bread, spaghetti w/ meatballs, Rao's Lemon Chicken (from the cookbook), roasted potatoes, broccoli, and dessert for about 20. Palates at the party will run the whole spectrum, so my main concern is that it can be done at least a little ahead of time, and will hold at room temp. FWIW I have some nice organic dried ceci beans, and a large jar of sundried tomatoes. Thanks, Jeff

They are FINALY carrying this at my local MegaloMart!

Fettuccinni w/ brown butter and parm reggiano. Good granola cereal.