mrsqft

Now I know what happened to the chocolate glaze. i had to make it with pareve margarine and it would not harden.First, I put it in the fridge and it nothing much happened. By this time I was getting nervous so I put it into the freezer and that seemed to do it. However the pecans looked very strange since I could not really coat them in chocolate. Next year, I will either make something else or go back to butter. The almont clusters , however, were sensational. They are just toasted almonds, currents and orange peel held together with egg white and sugarand baked. Looked great as well.

I hve not tried Marcy Goldman's matzoh crunch but it on my list for this year.I have just finished making two nut tortes which I had to make twice since I forgot to use margarine instead of butter. I clearly left my Passover brain somewhere else. I have made her honey cake and her cinnamon apple cake which are wonderful. She also had a nice brisket recipe which I tried and liked since it was not sweet. I have had a few problems with her recipes but they were minor.

You now have to subscribe to Better baking to get the recipes. she is a wonderful Jewish baker. Actually, she is a great baker,period.

i have done Passover for various groups for the last 30 or so years. i think I have tried every branch of cooking. However, I do not serve any grains since I am not Italian although I love to do a Sephardic fish or chicken. So for the person that is interested in do ahead dishes here goes... kugel-can be frozen and I do. Matzo balls- can be flash frozen or frozen in the soup. I have done it both ways for different reasons. Brisket-made ahead, sliced and frozen. Prunes poached in red wine- at least a couple of days before Gefilte Fish-the day before.I made it in loaf pans in a bain marie and slice it like a terrine. It is very pretty and a little different. Chopped liver-the day before. Lots of desserts can be frozen. I tend to stick to the tried and true on holidays since people expect and look forward to them. I find it boring but no one else does.

I think that it is quite right that when at home the French eat very lightly for dinner. Just a salad and a small bowl of soup or eggs. Most women also just have a salad for lunch. You can also ask for a small salad but they do serve it after the main course. That being said , they do eat a lot when they go to a good restaurant for dinner,especially in cities like Lyon. Food is also very seasonal in France. We are so used to eating everything all year long really that we don't appreciate this way. Asparagus is for Spring and only for those months. Everything has a season and winter is root veggies, basically. No string beans.

Most wine cartes in France are very big and overwhelming,at least to me. I usually decide what I am eating and just ask ,for example, for something interesting in a 60 euro range in a red. I find it a point of personal pride for them to show the Americans what they can do. I rarely have had a problem. They will also educate you on where it is from and why they like it if you ask. I have learned most of my wine knowledge that way.

We will only be in Bilboa for one night before the tour and one night after the tour. I would love to rent a car but there is no time on this trip. Truthfully, this is a tough walk and I will probably be too tired to do much other than have dinner.

We are doing a walking tour in the spring in the Pyrenees and will spend two nights in Bilbao. I know there are some special places but the guide books seem to be a little sparse on the subject. Any suggestions? I am up for classic as well as cutting edge.

I think I will do Spinach and Feta Dip wings of some type Big Sprimp Beef filet on rolls southern coleslaw potato salad chocolate cake and cookies Now I have seen southern girl's cole slaw I may change to that.

We like Delmonico's which is owned by Emeril. They are always very friendly and professional. To me , most steak in these top tier places is basically the same. We have also eaten at the Palm which is fine but not fabulous. However, since they have one in Chicago,I know exactly what I am getting and that is the good news and the bad news.

After reading all these posts I had to add that I make lots of latkes every year and I make them ahead a freeze them,first on a cookie sheet, then into large ziplocks. I reheat in a 400 degree oven and watch them like a hawk. It is much easier for me since I could never keep up with the group no matter how many electric fry pans I used. I use electric frypans for even heat,by the way. You can even take these to your child's school and make these as a treat. I did this for years,running to the school hefore the grated potatoes turned brown. What we do for love...

I ate there last week and it was very good and really excellent for the price.

I have been on a low carb diet for three years.. During this time I have been to Paris 5 times. I find it very easy to stay on the diet since flour thickened sauces are a thing of the past. I have not found a restaurant that I could not find something wonderful to eat. I do watch my wine intake but that's probably not a bad thing.

I usually do well in French restaurants since I taught cooking. My menu French is fine and I have landed in many places where not a word of English was spoken. A smile and little pointing go a long way. However, I have been in restaurants that do this even though my husband speaks perfect French with a Parisan accent. They aways ask my husband if he lives in France-that gets us a better table. If he answers that we live in Chicago we are seated with the Americans. I now say nothing until we are seated. However, when I am with my sister I can't get away with that. Bux, it has nothing to do with our manners or knowledge. I love going to France but some of those French waiters can be annoying. I don't mind sitting with Americans,I just don't want to always sit with them. By the way I went to Restaurant Marty because of Patricia Wells. What does that say? So, any restaurant suggestions?

Restaurant Marty is in the 5th and probably does not have a lot of tourists. I think part of the problem is my French which is pretty terrible. I have eaten at the Dome and it is fine but I wanted some place more like Violin 'd Ingres with a name chef and all of that. I could go to one of the hotels which probably would be the answer like the Bristol. I think I will send my list when it is done to the hotel and let them deal with it. That is an excellent suggestion. I did have someone French make all my reservations last time so we were probably a surprise. However, there is no getting around the fact that they like to seat all the Americans together. I noticed this in at Chez Catherine not too long ago. The American woman next to me asked why were seated next to each other. I expained my theory that they think we have cooties and they don't us want to get too closeto their french clients.