weinoo

Thanks, Chris. I'm trying the first one now, and it's delicious (though I'm using a cognac instead of the armagnac).

Commonwealth was wonderful. Second it. Bar Tartine. We had breakfast/lunch twice at Plow we enjoyed it so much. State Bird Provisions. I always enjoy a Crab Louis at Swan Oyster Depot. Oysters at the Ferry Market Plaza. For that matter drinks, at the gorgeous-view bar of Slanted Door in same. Or, for old-times sake, and a buzz with caffeine, you can't do any better than the Buena Vista, where the Irish Coffee was "invented." For down & dirty, we've always enjoyed Brandy Ho's on Columbus and Yuet Lee for great seafood with zero decor. And we still love the dim sum at Yank Sing. Walk the Filbert Steps. For amazing views and just because maybe you'll see a flock of parrots. Cocktails - since I know you might like a drink every now and then and there are a number of good places in SF to get your drink on. Comstock, which is really close to Brandy Ho's, btw. Bar Agricole Alembic Absinthe Rye Beretta good, crowded scene Slanted Door as mentioned abovea Bourbon & Branch Smuggler's Cove Enjoy.

I think pizza is a fine meal when cooking for one. I always make enough dough for 6 - 8 crusts...they are easily frozen individually, and defrosted overnight in the fridge - well, the possibilities are endless. I had no mozzarella in the house, so feta was a quick sub for this solo pie (which started out round) I had for lunch...

I've seasoned my clay cazuelas by just soaking them in water to cover overnight, and then heating them slowly in a 300 degree oven. Here is what La Tienda.com has to say about "curing" a cazuela... I imagine there are a variety of methodologies for your perusal out there on the internet.

Crisped up confit duck wings (the legs having already been eaten, along with the necks) with potatoes, onions, and tiny mushrooms...

I just picked up a bottle of this relatively new spirit and was wondering if anyone has tried it? Any ideas for cocktail use?

On or about their first anniversary, and Acme is, imo, better than ever before. New dishes, old favorites - all pretty darn good... Happy Birthday To...Acme

I've been enjoying Grandfathers and Left Hand Cocktails lately. Both Sammy Ross cocktails and in that family I love.

How they can call this a Manhattan, I do not understand. It has no rye, no vermouth (sweet or otherwise), no bitters, and no cherry garnish. Might as well call it a Mediterranean Boilermaker. Agree totally.

Have you mastered roasting a chicken? Making an omelet? Preparing perfect mashed potatoes? A vinaigrette? All without looking? Have you read Joy? Have you read Mastering? All of the above will take you far.

Personally, I prefer food to be served at the temperature it is supposed to be served at. That is, hot food should be served hot on warmed plates; cold food should be served cold on cold plates; and room temperature food should be room temp - I enjoy many foods at room temperature, which is where the most flavor comes out in things like charcuterie, etc.

Just received my order from Sahar Saffron. Came with a gift of the Greek stuff. Looking forward to playing around...

CK's profile notwithstanding, most of the time their recipes work.

I don't use the Wolfert method, but a number of years ago Cook's Illustrated (March, 2010) came out with their no-stir polenta method. In it, they add a tiny amount (say 1/8 tsp.) of baking soda when the polenta is added to the boiling water. If I can find the recipe, I'll post it. Their web site states:

And that schnitzel at Cafe Katja that I mentioned above is now on the regular menu. It's good.

Last year's IACP conference included a demo of just this theory...

Tell that to Mr. Birds Eye .

Le Verre Vole (Le Bistro) in the 10th - last month my wife and I had a very nice dinner there. It's a wine shop slash restaurant; the wines they offer are unique and priced nicely. Lots of fun watching the young staff handle the place with aplomb. Reservations essential.

I bought mine already PID'd, from Dave at HiTechEspresso. Going on 4 years without a problem (other than a squeaky steam knob). Perhaps look at what he uses. Obviously, the other important issue is...what type of grinder?

Bumping this up, as I'm thinking of ordering from Sahar Saffron. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with their product. They sell a wide range of saffrons and have a nice, easy to navigate site. Is there currently a restriction on buying/importing Iranian saffron?

Tell us your secret, Michaela .

I tend to like to bring back lighter things than wood . Always on the lookout for dried mushrooms -- most are 1/2 the price I pay here...make sure they're from the country you're in, however. Interesting dried spices/herbs are always fun. I think the coffee here, now, is light-years better than what they serve at most places in Italy, so I eschew bringing back coffee. A pound or two of whatever cool salt they're selling in the supermarket. Same with a few cans/jars anchovies. Honey. A bottle (per person) of some hard-to-find, not imported booze.

Well, the ham hock turned out to be just a flavor enhancer - there was barely any meat on them bones, and what I picked off I basically ate while I was doing the picking . I don't understand the "half and half" theory. If I'm going for a purée, then I want the whole darn thing served as a purée, otherwise it's still just a rustic soup, no? In any event, what I ended up doing with this batch was to run it through my food mill, in theory making a lovely purée. However, there was still some tiny textural thing going on after doing this so to make a totally smooth purée, I think the soup needs to be run through the blender first and then through a food mill, or maybe even a chinois.

So I'm making this Split Pea Soup... And I'm wondering about serving it just like it comes out of the pot? Of course I'd remove the ham hocks and add the meat on those trotters back to the soup, but I wouldn't purée the soup. Or, to be a bit more sophisticated, I can run the soup through a mill or blender to serve it as a fine purée - and make a garnish out of perfectly diced ham or crispy bacon bits - something along those lines. I guess the same question could be asked about any number of soups made from pulses or legumes. Bean soups, lentil soups, etc. Normally, at home, I'm pretty lazy and just serve the soup as it is. But when traveling recently, we had some fine vegetable soups and legume soups that were served as purées and they were delicious. And they taste like a whole different thing, all smooth and almost airy. Anyway, which do you prefer?

I make SV confit duck all the time (admittedly not from the MC@H recipe) and the method you describe sounds very strange. SV for 24 hours with that much salt in the bag? Surely they mean to ask you to leave the legs in salt for a few hours, then wash it off and confit for 24 hours? If done correctly, SV confit is a great alternative to the normal method. Much less wastage of duck fat, cleaner, and more convenient. And it tastes no different - dare I say better. That's a big dare! Though I enjoy the duck confit I make sous vide, I've always felt that making it in the traditional manner offered a more distinctive, dare I say more delicious, confit.