melissafitz

chris -- the funny thing is that i grew up with a parents who were very unremarkable cooks -- one of my mom's "go to" dishes was a ground beef patty, topped with a slice of onion and a slice of potato, wrapped in tin foil and baked in the oven. it was grey and horrid. but, in spite of this (or maybe because of it), i have always attached a lot of meaning to various food experiences i've had -- from the sublime, like lespinasse, to the more pedestrian (and yet, sublime), like crown burger in salt lake.

chez cherie -- i've been doing that and have completely ruined the interior of some of my kitchen mitts, making them useless -- there's no protective layer btw the mitt and my hand anymore! have you not had that problem?

i am a nostalgic cook. nearly everything i make is an attempt to capture an experience from some significant (food-related or otherwise) time in my life. squash casseroles at family reunions, schwarmas from my time in riyahd when i was 12, cannelles from pierre herme, cassolets from toulouse. nearly every thoughtful meal i make is based on a past experience.

abigail -- i have all three of those junior league-type cookbooks as well. within arms reach of my kitchen. another great one is necessities and temptations (from austin). --melissa

i just re-structured and re-evaluated my cookbook shelves, with an eye towards this very question and here's where i come out -- 1 -- Hancock (GA) County Historical Foundation Heritage Cookbook circa 1969 -- my grandmother's book. meals at her home were always comfortable, satisfying and really great food. looking through this worn, yellowed book definitely takes me back there, as does the food. 2 -- The Gift of Southern Cooking -- i have found that peacock and lewis capture completely what it's like to cook and eat in the south. 3 -- The Silver Palate -- my first "real" cookbook, given to me for my 20th birthday. i don't love everything i make from it, but i do love looking through it for basic ideas and inspiration. probably the aesthetics of this cookbook -- the drawn illustrations and the side notes -- are another reason i am pulled to it. 4 -- Maida Heatters Book of Great Desserts -- while perusing the library at Cornell's Hospitality School (i was in law school...), i came across this book and kept it checked out for most of my 3 years there. the desserts are perfect -- not too frou-frouey, but neither are they ordinary. i found my own copy in a used book store, thank god. 5 -- finally -- Julia Child and More Company AND The French Menu by Richard Olney -- because it was the combination of these two books that led me to create my first truly amazing meal -- cassolet. combining Julia's confit and basic cassolet recipe with olney's lamb stew was like having the stars align.

thank you, susan! i will absolutely do that.

thanks, all. i've been soaking in cold water -- like i said, it's not horrible -- but it is around the crevices so bending the fingers is a bit of a challenge. i'm mostly annoyed b/c i'm pretty sure it's going to get in the way of my knitting. actually, what a great excuse for not rushing to finish those damned holiday gifts! partially knit socks for all! btw, what's silvadine? oh, and i'm breaking out the saran wrap... thanks again.

i honestly don't know why i'm more drawn towards a chest -- maybe nostalgia. i guess one thing that weighs into the equation is that my 3 young children are constantly opening the fridge and i would like to avoid that altogether. i also imagined the chest had more usable space, but i can't imagine that a 20.3 cf freezer is lacking in that dept. i also have the problem of packing things on top of each other in a way that ends up with multiple items falling (and jamming my toes) when i open the door. i definitely want easy access, though -- i am afraid that i'll forget about the stuff that's at the bottom of the chest... the milk crates sound like a good idea.

i just grabbed my all-clad handle, after the pan had been in a 500F oven for an hr or so. i immediately put it under cold water. i'm starting to get some blistering, but think that it will be pretty limited. mainly, it's one of those "slow burn" feelings that is helped tremendously by applying cold water but then, slowly rebuilds in tingling, tightening and -- finally -- burning. any suggestions for this type of burn?

i've asked my husband to forego the usual (and very thoughtful) gifts of handbags, shoes and the occasional jewel, and give me what i really want this year -- a deep freeze. and i need advice as to what to look for. i'm not looking for anything fancy, but i would like for my food to be accessible. i'm pretty sure i want a chest, as opposed to a "front loader". and it's going in the basement, so looks aren't a big deal. finally, i'm planning on going in on a cow within the next year -- probably a 3rd share, if that information is relevant to any comments/suggestions you all may have. so, what deep freezer should i be leaning towards?

i was just extolling the wonders of their candy cane joe-joes. like ben & jerry's mint choco cookie ice cream w/o the brain freeze. and their frozen hors d'oevres are quite tasty -- better than some passed hors i've had at many a cocktail party.

oddly enough, i've bought fresh duck foie gras from fresh direct. i made a lovely terrine with it, as well as some seared medallions. it was quite good. otherwise, i know that my local butchers -- los pasianos and staubitz -- also sells it (i'm in carroll gardens).

ambra -- thank you SO much! i will bake it after the thanksgiving holidays and let you know how it turns out. best, melissa

i visited siena a little over a year ago, and must have tried this bread from every bakery i could find. it's a rustic loaf, with raisins (the saints, i believe), maybe anise and definitely pepper. i even brought back some of the bread and immediately put it in the freezer when i got home. i am slightly embarrassed to say that i still have an end piece in the freezer -- i'm afraid to throw it away, in the fear that i will lose all connections with this amazing bread forever. so, i'm looking desperately for a recipe and thought, instead of blindly searching the web (which has yielded limited results), here would be the best place search. anyone able to point me in the right direction? best, melissa

i love the rosemary bread. love it.

today, i made a sweet yeast bread -- flavored with anise seeds and orange juice. i had it for three'sies as well as desert.

my favorite addition to ramen is -- without a doubt -- frozen, pre-made gyoza. sometimes my own and sometimes (more often than not) trader joes.

thanks for your speedy responses! i'm going to freeze this smallish batch and -- as i am making a "test run" turkey for the t'giving feast for my daughter's class -- will use it then. dana -- i thought about making the entire stuffing now and then freezing. you don't add the liquids prior to freezing, do you?

so, i'm beginning the prep -- which involves (for me) making things that can be frozen. so today it's cornbread for the stuffing, tomorrow it's turkey stock. meanwhile, i've got some extra celery, carrots and onions hanging around and was thinking of freezing them (uncooked) for the stuffing as well. i'm sure this has been asked before, but do you guys think uncooked mirepoix will freeze well? or should this be a "day of" step? thanks! melissa

i know i'm late to this party, but i am LOVING this book! my first boule recipe turned out a bit too wet -- it didn't hold the slashes -- but it still was delicious! i made the brioche this weekend and just put together some sticky buns. i'm thinking they're going to turn out great. the dough was super easy to handle this time -- nice and supple and firm. thanks to zoe and jeff!!!

north fork chips are pretty amazing. i've unfortunately discovered the "cheddar onion" variety and have, at times, had a very very unhealthy dinner.

the jean georges at lunch is an unbelievable deal. from your list, i would do luger's and make sure you get the bacon and end the meal with the pecan pie. i didn't see le bernadin on your list -- i would absolutely go there. and -- for great sushi and *excellent* soba -- i would go to soba nippon on 52nd or 53rd btw 6th and 5th. the soba beef salad is my favorite meal in the city.

thanks on the pre-salting tip. i'll definitely check out zuni cafe. meanwhile, i cooked a pot roast tonight and, while they're rarely anything super special, they're usually super tender and good. not this time -- in fact the fat was even less flavorful than usual.

now that our house has reached the point where un-brined chicken just will not do, i'm wondering if there's some sort of similar pre-treating method that's done with beef, particularly a roast. i've brined pork chops (cooks illustrated had a fantastic brined chops with ancho-orange sauce a few years back) but never roast, except for corned beef. I'm not looking for a brining that will impart flavor to the meat, but would instead tenderize and generally improve what's already there. as i'm writing this, i'm thinking that this type of treatment is probably not used with beef (and i'm sure alton brown would tell me the exact reason why) but i'm interested to hear what you all have to say on the matter.

we just came back from siena last week and i'm *kicking* myself for not smuggling more stuff. much to my law-abiding husband's dismay, i did manage to bring back some guanciale from a fantastic shop in greve-en-chianti. haven't cut into it yet, but am sure it'll be terrific.