pastameshugana

That sounds both decadent AND delicious. Call next time you're making it!

I 2nd (6th?) the pasta dishes. Carbonara happens in a flash. Although, when under mega pressure (I do month long projects that are literally 16-20hrs/day), I'll take one day off in the middle and cook something ridiculously complicated and long that I've never cooked before. For some reason that kind of resets me...

I think this might be the hang up that's confusing you. The issue with much (not all or even most) food is not in 'solving problems' but in creating art. I'm an artist in a lot of ways (I love playing guitar, for example), and when I work out a new, incredibly complex riff, it's not because I'm solving a problem. I'm not curing what ails modern music, I'm making my art. In food, I'm not a professional chef, but I play with it as art I can eat. I'll try different techniques because, often, they're 'cool'! I love looking at a dish and thinking, wow, I did that! I remember my first compound butter. I was so impressed with myself! I could've made the dish another way, but I (naively) thought I was one of the greatest cooks around because I could make compound butter. Granted, if you don't want food art, then a Grant Achatz restaurant isn't the place for you to go. Or maybe the art you're looking for is more 'still life' than Pablo Picasso. Point being: I'm not saying you're wrong in your irritation, just trying to shed some light. Chefs aren't 'fixing' any 'non problems' with a lot of these techniques, they're refining their art. $.02

That is a thing of beauty...

We had Thanksgiving with friends who were already cooking, so we just brought a few things: Sweet Potato Soup (definitely will be doing this again - with Maple, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic & leek): Turkey Breast with Maple and Chili (Sriracha): I made a compound butter with pure maple syrup, sriracha and butter, then put it between the skin & meat. This was the best tasting turkey to EVER pass my lips - positively amazing... (I do humbly insist) Turkey Breast with Portobella & Pancetta Compound Butter - also amazing: I hope you all had a wonderful day! ETA: A note on the blackened skin - I baked the breasts at a little below 350 until internal temp hit 155 - coasted to 165-ish. After removing, dealing with other things, I basted them in the drippings and put them under a 500f broiler for about 3 minutes. The skin ended up really crispy and wonderful.

Here's an update from Alex Edwards at ICA Kitchen, who responded to my query: Fingers crossed...

It's gone missing (unavailable) on amazon. What a heartbreak. I finally got around to making the decision (in time for TG!) and now I can't get my hands on one...

THAT is amazingly beautiful... a stunning picture of a stunning dish... bravo!

Wow... sounds like someone is in for a hangover.... My wife and I joke about 'hitting the vanilla' when the kids (5!) get crazy. Although, vanilla beans cooked as a veggie definitely sound like an experiment..... maybe even an experiment worth trying!

Hayley - not only does that sound amazing (sweet as) - because dal makhni is a family favorite - but I can feel your pain. Had a dentist make an 'oops' two days ago on a filling and am still swollen and hurting...

When living in India we had essentially the same considerations - a brilliant indicator of safety when choosing a dosa joint.

Mmmmm. My wife and I spent many of our most memorable days in Jerusalem and surroundings (still dreaming of aliyah one day). I just pre-ordered the kindle version and plan on surprising her with some of these recipes. Thanks for the tip off! On a parallel track - 'Secrets of a Jewish Baker' is the only baking book I've ever used, and I absolutely adore it.

Two weeks ago, when in Saint Petersburg, my friend was showing pictures of the family mushroom foraging on vacation. Apparently it's quite common in the smaller villages this time of year. I guess you've got to know what you're looking for.

Beautiful!

Edited my silly comment that didn't realize that arugula and rocket were one & the same... (sheepish grin) Suffice it to say, the above suggestion IS wonderful, I can say from experience.

Holy crow - laptops & sensors & heatfins - oh my! I've been buying from redbirdcoffee.com - they only roast it when you order it - so that's fresh enough for me. And their espresso blend is the best I've tasted yet. I order 5lbs at a time, which lasts about 2-3 weeks, and it works out to about 10.50/lb including shipping.

I'm not much of a Macca's fan here at home (US) - but the five mini-meshuganas love it so I bow. OTOH - I travel quite a bit, and it seems inevitable that I'll run into a McD's in the countries I visit. Part of it is the people there wanting to make the poor, traveling American feel at home (despite my protests), and part of it is simple convenience. That being said, I've eaten McDonald's on every continent except Antarctica. I will say this: Their global quality control is amazing. The consistency of things like french fries, service is impressive (especially compared to other global chains). Their regional offerings can be surprising (Maharajah Mac in India instead of the Big Mac), and often enjoyable. Some countries/locations treat it as a sit-down 'we'll bring your order to you' type of restaurant, even bringing refills to your table. Just a week ago in Russia I noticed they were serving popcorn shrimp (which I didn't try, but looked interesting). And their breakfast menu has a number of intriguing items. The one I tried that I enjoyed was the 'Chicken Fresh McMuffin'. Chicken patty, tomato/lettuce on a McMuffin. Not bad. One thing about Russian Macca's, one of the common words transliterated into Russian on the menu in the Cyrillic alphabet comes out looking almost exactly like 'porn'. It's a bit disconcerting ordering the 'porn burger'...

I will usually look for specifics in a review, rather than trust the generic 'it's great!' nonsense. You can usually spot a fake review if you pay close enough attention. As I travel a lot, sometimes those review sites are helpful! From iPhone using Tapatalk

For the labor day cookout, I was only responsible for bringing a side - and I was craving spicy... I decided to make habanero-stuffed-jalapenos (sounded like a great idea at midnight). My idea was to make a pate of bacon & spicy goodness for the inside, rather than the traditional bacon wrapped around the outside of the pepper. I fried 1lb of bacon, then fried garlic (one head) & sliced habaneros (1 dozen) in the bacon fat (yes, my throat is still burning from the fumes, but boy did it smell good!) Then bacon, garlic, habanero and cilantro into the blender, plus three packages of cream cheese. It made a wonderful tasting, spicy paste that piped easy into the cored jalapeños. I pre-boiled the jalapenos in salt water to soften them a bit (not enough, though). Topped them with cheddar and baked at 350 for a while (15 min?). The results were less than satisfactory. The paste was delicious (I saved the leftovers) and the peppers good - but it just didn't mix well. The two textures were too dissimilar to make a sensible combo. Oh well, better luck next time...

So I joined this experiment in November of 2008. At the time we were living in India, and I made two jars with beans a family member carried over and Smirnoff vodka. We didn't dip into the first jar until we got back stateside in early 2010, and it's been wonderful. The first batch is now depleted, and getting refilled with spirits plus two more beans (from the original stash): The second batch is getting cut open for use now, it still has the inspection stickers on it (must have looked funny to customs - what could this crazy man have in the bubble wrapped jars?!?): And here it is, undisturbed nearly four years after making it: What a smell!

We had a couple of rainy days, and I was craving Corn and Roasted Green Chile soup, so here we are, shooting from the hip: Started by frying up 1lb of bacon (Bar-S smoked, my favorite since childhood!) - toss the bacon into the stock pot, save the fat. Deep fry rough chopped garlic (1 clove) in the bacon fat. I'll tell you right now there is no more heavenly scent on planet earth! Toss the garlic & fat into the stock pot. Add two large potatoes, peeled and rough chopped. Two cups of Chicken bouillon, a small handful of cilantro, and one whole roasted green chile (from my batch last year that I froze). Here's the rough ingredients in the pot before the corn: Add 4lbs of frozen corn and simmer for about 4 hours: Blend and strain twice (it's amazing how much 'roughage' from the corn you can strain out): Add whole milk, a bit of cumin, salt & pepper, simmer to heat up (the next day) and serve with Crema Mexicana & Cilantro garnish: This was one of my favorite meals in a month or more, glorious flavor. All five of the mini-meshuganas gave it high marks as well!

My complaint would be careless waiters who set the plate down facing the wrong way. Ie: the main attraction is across the plate from the garnish, rather than on the near side, or some variation of that. It's petty but...

Keith - the egg-yolk ravioli looks amazing!

I'm going to be spending a few days each in Amersfoort and Zwolle next week, and am looking for some dining tips. I'll be quite busy and with a host, so specific restaurants aren't so much what I'm after. What are the 'must try' dishes of the Netherlands? I fell in love decades ago with the stroopwaffles(sp?) (that my late mom carried back each year) but have never had any experience with any of their other cuisine. THEN --> In October I'll be spending one full day in Frankfurt on my way back from Romania (one of those rare free days in my life) and am looking for any tips on food/adventure that can be accomplished in 24hrs! I prefer local/street-food to fancy when I travel so if you've got any tips, much appreciated! Thanks in advance,

Keith - that looks and sounds incredible! What sides / other dishes did you serve with this?