maggiethecat

I did have lunch at The Urban Pear three weeks back. I had been up all night at the General with my dad, or worrying at home with Mum, so I have forgotten a lot. Most, in fact, so I cannot pretend that this is a fair review. The room is long, narrow, bright , attractive. Felt cool, but that may have been because it is painted pear green. They take the pear thing very seriously...pears with everthing. The sevice was polite but faintly chilly. I had the fritata with pear(!)and caramelized onions. Really intelligent and delicious. My friend liked the cheddar and chutney sammy. A cheese lover, she had the cheese plate for dessert...local stuff, first rate. Pear garnish. The mesclun salad was pretty and tasty. Something that annoyed me was stinginess with the bread. Why do restaurants do this? I figure it cost about $18 U.S, including a glass of B.C. Sancerre and **seriously** one of the best cups of coffee I've had in ages.

Our kitchen is small, but it works. However, the Kitchen of My Dreams would include a few changes: All countertops would be raised three inches. I'm 5'7" and can't imagine how really tall people can bear the pain of all that leaning. Six burners. Gas. Really good lighting. A window greenhouse for herb plants. A BIG and powerful vent over the stove. Am armchair by a big window. Pretty sidetable for book, mug, etc. A walk in pantry.

dude, mint sure definitely get its own pot. it's a killer weed. Too right, Tommy! To illustrate my woeful original gardening knowledge, the first four plants I bought were four varieties of mint. Fifteen years later it is indeed a noxious weed despite annual forceful Mint Eradication projects. If anyone ever plans to have a Julep party for a thousand let me know. You can have all the mint you want. I also rue the day I planted garlic chives. Thyme, oregano, tarragon, sage, regular chives. All do well for me here in Zone 5. Overwinter outside perfectly.

You are too right. Barferooni! (And apparently I have no Sunday night life either, because here I am!) Especially because my mother only uses "toothsome" to describea Hot Guy. As in, "Tommy's sooooo Toothsome!"

Hmmm..Curry Cheese Steak. I think I will expand my culinary horizons and whip up a Curry Cheesecake!

My husband has managed to find a different turkey preparation method for every single bird he has ever cooked. Certainly keeps the stress level High on the big day. Brining was last year. I didn't find that the results were worth the negatives that Tommy mentioned. And it was too damned salty. Somewhere, "Cook's", I think, recently did a test and found the much-maligned frozen Butterball to be a perfectly good turkey. They have done the brining for you. I cooked one for Canadian Thanksgiving at my mother's a few weeks ago. It was damn good. Fresh is good, but not really worth the difference in price. And DO NOT try the Pepin partially steamed over water method. One of Jacques's few flops. Even His Handsomeness didn't go back for seconds. The cats made out for weks.

Gotta!!! be Mr. Beef. Maybe he should be declared hors de concours, if we're doing a competition. The sidearm on the guy at Al's is the one and only time I have ever seen a firearm. We lived briefly at Lexington and Racine. There was a joint two or three blocks west of Racine on Taylor called Patio Barbecue. (Near the hospital district.)Maybe two tables. The sandwich was sooo close to being as Good as Mr. Beef's. Plus: they had really really good fries, which are usually an disappointing in a beef joint.

One of our money-challenged faves is the "Musakka'a" from the old Time-Life "Food of the World" series, a collection of books and recipes that have stood up amazingly well over the last 30-some years since they were published. Saffy, I'm not sure about Kiwi food prices...I can always find cheap eggplant here in Chicago. And we have subbed half canola/half olive oil when things were really tight and it was still good. It makes a monster amount, especially when served over rice. And our (few)veg friends like the no-meat thing. I don't know your children's eating preferences. But even at her pickiest, mine always liked this. And it's even better the next day, cold from the fridge, on a piece of bread. Standing up. Musakka'a 1 1/2 cups chickpeas (I just buy the big can) Olive oil about 2 lbs. (sorry, 1 kilo!)eggplant, cut in 2 inch cubes 3 medium onios, cut in 1/4 in. slices 1 T. salt Pepper 4 cups chopped, drained, canned tomatoes 1 1/2 cups water (sorry, not feeling smart enough to do the metric conversions!) Oven at 400. You'll need a casserole thing that can also sit on the flame. -Get about 1 inch of OO really hot. Brown the eggplant and remove. Transfer them with slotted spoon to casserole and spread in even layer. -Brown and soften onion slices in the OO. Spread them and their cooking oil in a layer over the eggplant. Add an addiotional 1/4 c. OO over the onions. Add 1 t. salt. -Spread chickpeas in layer atop onions. -Cover with tomatoes, the remaining 2t. salt and lots of pepper -Add the water. Bring everything to a boil on top of stove, then bake about 40 min, until eggplant is very tender. (Don't cover it) Eat when it reaches room temp. Lots of bread to mop up the sauce and oil is good.

Dave: Thanks so much. I learned a lot about smoking, and you're a witty kinda guy. Thing 1 and his triple major...LOL. As a parent, I can assure you that This Too Shall Pass.

Hee hee. This makes me think fondly back to the early days of our marriage and the worst damn coffee we have ever had. My husband bought some green coffee beans of unknown provenance, and came home to the third-floor walkup glowing with anticipation and pleased as punch with himself. He dumped those babies into the big cast-iron skillet (see numerous other threads) and stuck it into the oven at 350, or something. Stirred occasionally and and removed when dark brown. We ground them up, ran them through the trusty Bodem and voila! Complexity doesn't begin to describe how awful it was in oh! so many ways. Bitter, grassy, hints of dung and overboiled cabbage. And weak! Obviously, we knew nothing about coffee roasting and I'll happily pay S&H for a pound of Fat Guy's. But it's still one of our favorite..."those Wacky Newlywed foodie" stories.

I went with the Received Wisdom that flat parsley has superior taste over curly for a long time. Maybe it does. But not by a whole lot. But a few months ago I picked up a curly bunch by mistake, and I've not bought flat since. It's the texture thing that flat lacks. It's fun! And it seems to keep better. Even old and slimey, retrieved from the far hinterlands of the fridge after a loooooong time, it seems a little less slimey than the flat under similar conditions. So it's a prettier garnish for the compost heap!

Tommy: "Nice bite and snap on the dog"..that's food writing, and yes, I really mean it. John: I abhore hot dogs of any and every kind, and have since my earliest youth. And I live in the home of the famed Chicago Hot Dog! But your knowledge of the subject is pretty damned awesome. Thanks!

This is after the fact, because you've already martinied your sweetie. But the Martini is our house drink. I have little to add to the wise counsel above , but: There is no shame...and a 15 minute pause before complete drunkenness, if you make a martini on the rocks in an Old Fashioned glass. You have your Seagram's (How glad I am that others on this thread have noticed that this medium-priced gin has the best martini taste!) in the freezer. Throw five cubes into each lowball glass. To each glass add three ounces of gin. Grab the vermouth(I like M&R or NP), pour a measure into the bottle's cap, and pour this measure atop the gin. To heck with shaking or stirring. Twist of orange peel. Feet on the coffee table, tune on the stereo, you're wearing good perfume, you've both had a long day. Breathe those fumes in and out, Ahhhhh.

Totally, otally what Aurora said!

Sashae: Makes sense! Thanks! (Especially when combined with grease and carbs!)

Great post. I'm a serious red meater, but I had never had venison until this March. At The Patriot in Toronto a venison Tbone was part of an interesting prix fixe. I was amazed. It was tender, thick and incredibly meaty without being gamey. The sauce was Grand Veneur and you are right. The curranty thing was wonderful. The section about how you have become more organized in your personal life was inspiring. Think I'll go fold some laundry!

To infuse the coffee flavor into ice cream we use one of Steve's alternate methods...the Medaglia d'Oro powder thing. Works for us. And a little dibble of Scotch whisky. Somehow Scotch supports the coffee flavor better than the likelier candidates like bourbon or rum. Tomato desserts: does anyone remember a '60's favourite called...very forthrightly...Campbell's Tomato Soup Cake? Kind of a spice cake with raisins and cream cheese icing. A neighbor made it and I loved it as a kid. Great post Steve...and all.

Oh...and folks who will have a roast potatoes cookoff are my bosom friends and bestest buddies. The wonder of Egullet.

I'll put my ten quid on goose fat without hesitaton. I feel all virtuous using olive oil, but the spuds do not get that brilliant golden color, fab crispy coating and dry meaty texture without animal fat. I hate it that this appears to be true, but it seems that way to me. Oh...and parboil! But I will abide by the decision of our distinguished judges.

Welcome! come right in, the water's fine. You'll like it here. Best, Maggie

Suvir: What's the working title? And way to go, needless to say!

Shells...it's kind of fun and like a kid game. Edge of counter. Though Laurie does have a point about the eggshell sometimes breaking the yolk.

OhmiGod! How could I have forgotten these wicked great candy Bars. You marry a Yank and move to the States....

Dave: I think I'd give up "other taste components first. If the oil and acid ingredients are good, the mayo should taste good. Oil: It depends on what we're going to use the mayo with, but 2/3 canola and 1/3 EVOO seems practical. Thanks!

A meatloaf sandwich...a piece of heaven.