wingding

Buttermilk sorbet is half buttermilk and half simple syrup,more or less.Buttermilk can make devils food cake or chocolate ice cream a little more tangy and interesting.

Zabaglione di Fragolini&[wild strawberry liquer]with poached rhubarb & vanilla gelato....Coppetta'creamsicle'tangerine sorbet,coconut gelato,toasted meringue....Yogurt /lime sorbet with pineapple rosemary marmelatta.

I've been noticing green[but not fresh]chickpeas in local N.Y. Indian markets lately.What is special about them,and how are they best prepared?Sprouted first?

I picked up an interesting book on Lucknow cuisine,called 'Dastarkhwan-e-Awadh;the Cuisine of Awadh',by Sangeeta Bhatnagar&R.K. Saxena.I found it in a railway station somewhere in India,but it's published by Harper Collins India.It has recipes,but covers techniques like Dhungar cooking,and traces their history[lots of pictures too]...I recommend the Calcutta Cookbook as well-a lot of interesting historical tidbits,and it's written with some sense of humor.

Last night,we had the bad fortune to be seated next to two really rude women at Jewel Bako in N.Y.Cell phones a twittering,constant demands to the waitress"I need some more wasabi Right Now",and 'fuck' every 4 seconds.This while we're trying to have some kind of rarified dinner.It seems that Sushi restaurants have become the steakhouses for moneyed members of gen. x.Conspicuous consumption and loud behavior rule.

Reading google translations of Italian recipes is funny;A land where white flour can become he who has come from the mountains,cake is always cakey,and other mundane ingredients assume bizarre mythical names.

Yes,I agree,the two extremes are the most memorable of all my dining experiences...Living in the middle of New York City,the very simple,fresh,immediate food is what I crave,and miss the most.At best,I can sometimes buy good product at a greenmarket,go home ,and cook it myself.But there are few restaurants that do[or can afford to do]this well.The high end is also increasingly expensive to do these days.Most of the 4 star restaurants could not exist without all the free help in their kitchens.And as I've come to know more about quality and cooking,the middle is just less and less worth it these days.Why shell out 40 or 50 dollars[at least] for mediocre food?

Diamond Jim Brady-who really enjoyed life,and eating prodigious amounts of food.Maybe him,the Marx Brothers,Ethel Merman,and Robert Crumb.I think we'd have a good time.

Suvir;When I mention reduced milk,I was thinking of the flavor it has,and how that could make a tasty pannacotta.I suspect that some Italian pannacotta recipes,which call for simmering the cream for a few minutes,might also use this for flavor,and possibly a thicker texture with less gelatin.I had wonderful pannacotta in Bologna this past December.Very similar-a plain pannacotta served with some macerated figs,wonderful texture and flavor.

And seem to argue for the sake of arguing.But we sit around and read[some]of it,don't we?

Suvir;Pannacotta means cooked cream in Italian.Fish glue would most likely translate to sheet gelatin.I used to make pannacotta with cream,and a little milk to cut the richness.You can also incorporate yogurt,buttermilk,creme fraiche into the mix.You can infuse the cream with any flavor you like,and it is important to use as little gelatin as possible.The Indian techniques of reducing milk might marry very well with a pannacotta.

The arguments where people expound and turn somersaults endlessly,where the answers are often simple,or don't exist at all.But then,I was one of those people in school who never wanted to go to the 500 word essay limit ,when I felt that I could state my point in 150.[or try,anyway].

I've talked to a couple of chefs who've gone to preview meals.They've described a lot of interesting techniques and flavor combinations.Beyond that,it's new and different,and needs time to settle in.

Humor usually doesn't happen when you try too hard.Having a sense of irony about what you are actually doing,and remembering that you are not curing cancer,but writing about hot dogs or some toad of a maitre'd at the fancy restaurant where you just plonked down too much money,is important.Unintentional humor is way more funny...the 14 page arguments that all come back to the same argument,on egullet,are funny,but need an editrix.

I'd recommend going to Aldila while they're still serving some of their wonderful winter braises.I had some wonderful rabbit,and braised beef cheeks there last week.It's not an old time N.Y. place,but it is my personal favorite-low key and relaxed,with really well cooked,consistent food.