helenas

calvados is even better than cognac; apple aroma adds something magical to morels...

Nina, Do you make your rice with some crust on the bottom, like thinly-sliced potatoes? I remember the similar recipe by Madhur Jaffrey from F&W magazine: she said it's her best pilaf ( it has a layer of green beans & tomatoes in the middle...)

cabrales, have you checked the Rosergarten's Alaska cruise, sometime this July?

jaybee, my impression exactly. BTW, has anybody tried the russian butter of Vologodskoye brand? It used to be very good.

I bought L'Isigny's creme fraiche in Delicious Orchards, Colts Neck, just a several days ago, and there is a big difference between it and the Vermont brand. As i remember they also carry the butter. Also you might find it in Dearborn Farm in Holmdel.

What italian reds can you recommend to serve with a weeknight dinner?

Yes, at least according to meilleur du chef

What are the most indispensable pots and pans in your home kitchen? Thank you!

As a database for recipes, you might want to consider the following package: RecipeCenter Software. You can download an evaluation copy for free. Come to think of it, if there is enough interest on this board, we should invite the guys from this company to discuss the possible enhancements, as i definitely see the potential in their software.

Just in case anybody cares to know the answer: the packet contains about 0.5 ounce or 3 teaspoons of baking powder.

I have a book on italian cooking; it actually has several recipes of this kind. I can give more details, when i get home. Another similar recipe, was in the Avventura (sp?) book; the idea you poach a fat log of pasta dough, and when it's done, you cut it in cubes and sauce them.

I'm trying to perfect my "cake aux olives". I collected quite a number of recipes, and some of them call for sashet/packet de levure chimique. Can somebody tell me how much it will be in grams or spoons? thanks.

Mark, you have more people coming: Alex and myself.

Miss J, this is a recipe for Almond and Cape Gooseberry Torte. I tried it with raspberries, and it was great. Although your gooseberries may be too sour for this recipe?

salmon potato gratin: slices of boiled yukon potatoes layered with cured and fresh salmon and a lot of dill and chives; with creme fraiche and gruyere for the topping...

Suvir, Can your tagine recipe be done in the oven? i have a lousy cooktop and i do most of the brasing in the oven. Besides, i have a great terracotta cazuela with a lid, that i've just bought in Williams-Sonoma for baking tiellas, and i thought it can be great for tagines as well.

oh, the tagine thread reminds me: i can't stand even hint of cinnamon in any savory (and most sweet) dishes...

Sandra and Priscilla, i must admit i'm not familiar with all of these titles. I didn't even know that "Izvestya" had a food editor; at least i don't remember them printing recipes or restaurant reviews.Back then the recipes were mostly published in Rabotnytsa (Woman-worker) and Krestyanka (Woman-peasant)...

Agree on fennel: although i like it crisp in salads, i hate it in any cooked form; same for yellow and white onion; Tomato sauce, especially on pizza. Although recently, thanks to Mario and Jinmyo, i'm trying hard to "get it".

Priscilla, What's your favorite Russian cookbook? I have Anya von Bremzen's "Please to the table", which is broad enough in scope to cover the most popular dishes of former soviet republics. For my beloved Georgian cuisine there is a gem of Darra Goldstein "The Georgian Feast : The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia". Additional bonus: reproductions of Niko Pirosmani:

cabrales, this is my point exactly. You can learn basics while cooking the chefs recipe. I can give you parallel examples from my two other hobbies: First tapestry-related one: many years ago i went to the show of the famous Latvian textile artist and was so smitten by his works, that i bought his catalogue, my husband made me some tapestry frame, i had tons of yarn leftovers from my hand knitting and i started to weave. No classes, just some book on weaving technique, and a lots of ambition. After several pathetic attempts, i produced really decent results. Another example - foreign languages: back in russia i learned french by reading Francoise Sagan and Boris Vian both in original and in excellent translations into russian, I learned vocabulary and grammar as i worked through the text. Was it a lot of work? You bet. But nothing can beat the sense of accomplishment, once you understand the puns in Vian's books in his original language! The same feeling after i produced the lacquered peaches from Vongerichten!

What's your favorite combination? Nina mentioned apple clafoutis. I tried one a while ago, it was great, although i put too much sage in it. My two favorite ones are "rosemary maple pear" from Herbfarm cookbook, and "plum brown butter" from "Second Helping From Union Square Cafe". Both recipes produced non-soggy clafoutis, which is a virtue, since so many recipes suffer from this sogginess. Maybe one of the solutions is to put clafoutis in some sort of crust, as Vongerichten does in his "Simple to Spectacular"? Actually, here is the related question: can you take a tart recipe and convert it to flan by bypassing a crust? Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Weber One Touch Kettle. Unfortunately, 18 1/2, and not the biggest one. I wish i read Schlesinger more attentively. In our grill it's hardly enough space for two whole chickens, especially flattened ( and i'm not even talking about the split ones), for hot roasting under indirect fire.

cabrales, maybe you'd like to consider some other strategy to plunge into cooking. Just take some chef cookbook: Keller, Trotter, Vongerichten, ..., that has a recipe that you'd like to recreate, and have some book on techniques (Pepin, Kamman...) handy. Isn't it much more fun that way? And at least it worked for me...

When we finally bought the grill, it was a charcoal. The reason being "Let the flames begin" book by Schlesinger. So far i produced two dishes: one is Matambre ( stuffed flank steak from the last Gourmet issues (the recipe is by Schlesinger too), and the other one is the whole roasted chicken, inspired by Jim Dixon, and prepared under Mark Stevens' direction through the messenger. Two problems that i encountered so far is how to keep my husband away from the action, and where to get hardwood charcoal? Isn't it pathetic that i bought it in Williams-Sonoma? But then again, as i understood watching this BBQ competition ( thanks, cabarles), many of participants are using charcoal briquettes, and they are pros...