SethG

I recently saw a Martha Stewart show where she whipped up creme fraiche just as you would heavy cream. Looked pretty luxurious to me. Any fans here?

Thanks! I need a blushing emoticon right here.

Serving Time: America's Most Wanted Recipes, by Sara Jane Olson/Kathleen Soliah.

Wednesday: Cod fillet with a red pepper sauce; garlic/buttermilk mashed potatoes; and oven-steamed (or whatever) leeks in vinaigrette.

So, I made the fish meal last night. Everything went well enough. I liked the sauce, liked the roasted garlic in the potato mash. I'm not so sure I cared for the buttermilk in the potatoes so much, though. And I messed up the fish. I went with cod fillet, which falls apart easily. Too easily for me, anyway! I totally destroyed one fillet, and overcooked them both. The sauce was the saving grace. The leeks were easy and great.

The recipe is in More Home Cooking, which is funny (at least to me), because I just finished reading it and have no recollection of that chapter at all. I'm thinking about making this tart tomorrow evening. Since I've already put my foot in my mouth regarding biscuit crusts, I'll go ahead and ask an ignorant question: If I make the crust this evening, then make a disc (or two discs) and put it in the fridge overnight, will it work out okay? This is standard practice with a regular pate brisee crust, but will it work with the biscuit?

I want to point out that as a nation we provide less aid to the poor than we did twenty years ago. Income stratification has also increased during the same period. And all forms of aid to the poor make up a truly miniscule portion of the federal and state budgets. Throughout history, the poor have been with us-- and society has always felt the urge to divide them into the "worthy" and the "unworthy." Recent moral decay has nothing to do with it. Much as I hate Hippies, it isn't their fault.

I'm with you, Heather. I also don't understand the anger in response to the experiment described in the article. The point isn't for politicians to be able to claim that they sacrificed, or for the politicians to truly understand what it is like to be poor. The point is to educate the public about the fact that food stamps do not adequately feed a family. By enlisting high-profile figures to attempt to live on food stamps, press coverage and other publicity is achieved, leading one day perhaps to legislation changing the situation.

I think there are two common varieties of red pepper around, at least in the Northeast U.S.A. One variety is long and thin, and tends to be a little wrinkly and relatively cheap. The other is called "Holland Fancy," or something, looks perfect, and is priced accordingly.

Jaymes, tell your daughter she's going to have a great time. For out-of-towners, it is a perfect setting, with the park and the carriages and the buildings of Central Park West nearby. Don't worry about what she'll eat. I've only been to ToTG for functions once or twice, but the place is festive and fun. And if your daughter wants a funny, brief look at the place, she should rent Ghostbusters. The scene in which Rick Moranis is chased by the hound of Hell into the park, only to collapse against a restaurant window, takes place at ToTG.

Tuesday night: Laurie Colwin's fake Tandoori chicken; Madhur Jaffrey's Gujerati-style green beans with mustard seed; and basmati.

After rereading the original post, I do think bsan was referring to pre-made... but I'm not sure. Whatever. I confess that there is something in the age-of-progress taste of Cool Whip that I crave now and then. And you can't get that by whipping your own.

We can't all have your self-control, Elyse. Patience is all we ask. Edited in case anyone thought I might be serious.

I don't want to sound like one of those holier-than-thou do-it-yourselfers, but if you love whipped cream, you might try not reaching for either kind of pre-made stuff and whip it yourself. Get a small carton of heavy cream, pour it in a bowl and whip it for five or ten minutes with a whisk. It's that easy and it is far far superior to the bought stuff. Definitely worthy of eating straight, with a spoon or your fingers.

Welcome to eGullet, Unagi2000! I think all the usual defenders of Luger supremacy must be worn out from the Charlie Trotter, French Laundry, and El Bulli threads. EDIT by Jason Perlow: Past threads merged. I've only been there for lunch, I'm sad to say, but their burger is great and it's an exceptional deal.

Ouch. Not worth it.

I didn't need to add liquid to the bowl-- there was plenty. But I had to puree in two batches. And the blender might have done a better job-- I too ended up with about a quarter cup of pulp, but only after some work forcing bits through the strainer.

Last night I did some prep for the New Way fish meal. I reduced a bunch of red peppers and roasted a couple heads of garlic. Both of them smelled and tasted wonderful-- I think the red pepper sauce will be a keeper, although it almost seems a shame to reduce six or seven red peppers to a cup of liquid when you could make pimiento strips instead. I also found it to be an annoying project without a juicer. I pureed for a few minutes in the food processor, then forced the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan, which wasn't so easy. How did you end up going about it, G? I'll be making the menu on Wednesday night. Edited to remove a stupid question.

I got a pile of quinces in my first delivery from Fresh Direct yesterday. They are perfuming my kitchen already. Will report on my membrillo later this week!

Monday night: A Paula Wolfert risotto with artichoke bottoms and spinach; and a salad of half radicchio and half other mesclun stuff. With a vinaigrette. I'm trying to branch out occasionally from our usual slab of protein for dinner. And to appreciate greens a little more. When the greens cost as much as meat, however, it's hard to keep one's eyes on the prize.

My apologies if this has been covered before, but I didn't find it. I often stop for a few groceries on my way home from work, and one market I frequent sells these Ritter Sport chocolate bars. I always tell myself I won't be buying one of these today, and yet I very often end up buying it, all the while telling myself I'll eat half and give the rest to my wife. Then I gobble it up in seconds. I've never yet made it home with one of these bars. How about you? What do you buy at the register and guiltily snarf down?

Really! I was just rereading some of my copy last night, and I missed it. Um, aren't biscuits supposed to be flaky? I've never made a biscuit crust, but I picture lots of flakiness. Edited repeatedly because I'm a moron.

That sounds tasty, pmathus. You can cut the butter into several slices before you incorporate it. There are devices called pastry cutters designed to incorporate butter into flour. But you can also use two knives, or two forks, or the tips of your fingers, or a food processor, so long as you know what you're going for. And what you're going for is the texture of coarse meal. You dont want the butter completely incorporated. "Mashing" is to be avoided. You want to leave bits of butter surrounded by flour. When this is cooked, it results in flakiness. I'm sure some other poster will describe why with greater scientific accuracy. Good luck with the next pie! I may try yours. Was it really good with canned tomatoes? I made a million tomato tarts this past summer, and I miss them. Edit: and welcome to eGullet, by the way!

Assuming my first order from Fresh Direct comes when it's supposed to, I'll be making the menu tomorrow.

Last night the wife and I were parked on the couch and happened to see that William Shatner was hosting a "Holiday Showdown" edition of Iron Chef: USA. And one of the announcers turned out to be Anthony Dias Blue, author of Thanksgiving Dinner! So we kept watching, and of course the theme ingredient turned out to be.... (don't look if you don't want to know) turkey! I won't disclose who won, but we thought the loser was robbed.