SethG

I have a couple of close friends who recently eloped and they're planning a "hey, we're married" party in their apartment for 20 to 30 people. They've asked me to help with the food, and they pretty much want me to plan the food. Now I love cooking, but anyone who's tripped across a few of my posts here at eGullet can tell you what an amateur I am. So I'm looking for good ideas. I've thought about picking up a couple books that are geared toward this sort of thing. Barefoot Contessa? I've heard good things about it, but I have a rather ingrained suspicion of anything associated with the Hamptons. The couple in question isn't really looking for party platters, anyway. They're thinking sit-down dinner, keep it to a fairly limited number of courses, make one a salad, and it should be doable. I'm worried. All ideas appreciated. Books, particular dishes, whatever. I have until the beginning of October. (Oh, and before you say it, I will: Larb! Maybe, just maybe....)

I have made this recipe quite a few times and love it! I tend to make it when I have a lot of tomatoes just past their salad eating prime and don't feel like tomato sauce Exactly! This was my first time making it, but I'll definitely come back to it. And there's lots left over, Torakris. If you'll be in Brooklyn in the next few days, feel free to stop by!

Tonight: leftover larb. Larb, larb, larb, where have you been all my life? And I had a bunch of tomatoes bought before the blackout. Had to do something with them or pitch 'em, but had trouble coming up with something larb-complimentary. My Thai cookbook (Vatch) was at my office. So I made a stewed tomato recipe from Madhur Jaffrey. Came out very nice. Cumin and chiles matched with the larb lemongrass/lime/chiles thing. It wouldn't receive approval at the eGCI menu planning course, and I think going pan-asian is generally a mistake, but I didn't find it to be a problem. If I'd been smart or creative, I would've dropped the cumin from the tomatoes and added some lime leaves and a squirt of fish sauce. But I wasn't really thinking.

The rice went great--- I'm glad you told me not to worry about chunks. Having had the dish, I realize now that the rice is not supposed to get soft like cooked rice-- I had thought mistakenly that it would become a sort of meal or flour when it contacted the liquid, and thus needed to be very very fine indeed. It's funny, because reading about it on the page, I thought the very idea of mixing in uncooked rice was kind of revolting-- who wants to crunch uncooked rice (besides Fat Guy, I mean, who probably does so late at night along with a jar of kimchee)? But anyway, the rice is the key to the texture of the dish. That crunch is crucial. "Oohh, Larb to larb you, baby. Oooohhhh, Larb to larb you, baby." --Donna Summer

In the spirit of Chad's remark: Monday: made our backup roasted chicken-- just roast the sucker with rosemary, lemon and garlic. Tuesday: leftovers And as for tonight: Larb! Here's a photo, although you'll get no Perlow-esque pornographic close-ups from me: And for my daughter: I microwaved a potato; Heated up some corn; Heated up some Gerber ravioli (spinach and cheese)-- am I going crazy or are these ravioli disappearing from New York's supermarkets? My daughter loves them! Shared with her some sliced turkey Topped it off with blueberries and grapes

Larb! Loved it. Very spicy. Lots of lime. Lots of oniony goodness. Love the crunch of that toasted, ground rice. If only I weren't out of beer.

Greetings, Larblings. I will be Larbing for the first time this evening, and I intend to use snowangel's recipe. I have a question, however, and I hope someone in the Larbiverse will answer it before dinnertime arrives. I haven't toasted rice before. I got some sticky rice, and I assume you do it just as you would a mexican chili, i.e., put it in a skillet over medium or medium-low heat and toss it until it just starts to brown. I'm also assuming that I want to pulverize the rice pretty fine in my coffee grinder, since it's going to be flash-fried. Not much time for big chunks of rice to absorb water. Are my assumptions good ones? Or have I made an ass out of u and me? Or just me? Thanks for your help. "That's it, that's the larb, that's the whole of the larb." --Peter Perrett

Tuesday: went out for sushi for the first time in....I don't know how long. Don't have babies if you like going out for sushi, folks. Wednesday: Made the Food & Wine June 2003 tomato tart with farmers' market plum tomatoes. Thank you, cheeseandchocolate and FoodMan! Yum. Based on other eGulleters' experiences, I roasted an extra pound of plum tomatoes and was able to make two layers of tomatoes with a few bits left over to munch on while the tart finished in the oven. Here it is: I'd never made pate brisee in the food processor before tonight. It was so easy that I think I may never do it by hand again. And I pan-broiled (or whatever) some ribeye steak, and deglazed with red wine. The wine was an Australian: Pirramimma Petit Verdot. Uncomplicated. Complimented steak very well.

Tuesday night: Made the famous Bittman pasta with mint and Parmesan. It was indeed refreshing. And another tomato salad-- peeled, seeded, in wedges, with EVOO and vinegar and a handful of basil leaves. Edit: Did I say Tuesday? I meant Monday. Wishing the days away, I guess.

I haven't seen any discussion of Grimes' review last week of San Domenico-- he praised the food, even came right out and said he would have given it three stars, but then complained about the condescending, pushy service and ended up giving the restaurant two stars. I've never eaten there, but my mouth was watering for the first column and a half. Then, when Grimes dissed the service, I had little desire left to go there. Was his review consistent with your experiences? Or does anyone from eGullet go there much? It seems popular with the tourists. You restaurant professionals out there: how will the chef feel about this review? She comes out smelling like a rose, of course, but will she be furious that she doesn't have a three star review hanging outside? Do you think the management will take steps, like firing the head waiter or something, in response to the review? And will they post this review outside? The food is described in superlative terms... but then the rest of the review makes it hard to publicize.

So Thanksgiving's right around the corner, and ... well, okay, it isn't. But the wife and I have decided to host our first Thanksgiving ever, and I'm planning to take responsibility for the turkey, and probably most everything else. Since I've never roasted a turkey before, I figure why not make it as time-consuming and labor-intensive as possible, and make the fabled cult bird known as Thompson's Turkey. If you've never heard of this winged marvel, you need only know that it has two main features. First: the stuffing includes all manner of things, including water chestnuts and most if not all of the spices in your rack. Second: a mixture of other stuff is basted over the bird at fifteen-minute intervals throughout its cooking time, so that when the turkey emerges all of its juices are sealed beneath a black crust. This turkey is reputed to be worth the effort: the stuffing gives the bird an incredible flavor, and the juiciness of the bird is supposed to be remarkable. A good bit of skin may be lost, however, under the black stuff. Here's a random link I found about the recipe. There's also a chapter about Thompson's Turkey in Jeffrey Steingarten's first book. So I'm not going to just unleash this thing on my family without trying it out first; I thought that sometime in the next month or so I would do a trial run. And then I thought I could photograph the turkey along the way and provide all of eGullet with an insider's view of Thompson's Turkey. But before I do it, I want your help. Please, anyone who's made this turkey, give me any advice you have. (I've seen the other turkey threads on eGullet, thanks. At least I think I have. And it's brining, brining, brining. Very little on Thompson's Turkey.) And second, if anyone has good advice about getting a good turkey, either fresh or frozen, in NYC in the off-season, please let me know.

I'll be the first to tell you that I know next to nothing about wine cultivation, so forgive me if this is a stupid question. But I thought that many of the great wine regions of the world are paradoxically not the most hospitible regions for the grapes cultivated in these regions. In other words, these regions grow grapes that have to struggle to survive, and the vineyards plant grapes that will struggle on purpose, because these struggling vines produce thinner yields of superior wine grapes... or something like that. I'm quickly travelling out of my depth, but you get where I'm going. I also thought that many Europeans argue that this is what makes many California wines inferior-- too much sun, too easy to grow grapes, not the greatest for wine. And I thought this line of thinking was what inspired the idea behind planting Pinot Noir in Oregon. So.. if I've got this sort of right, shouldn't global warming throw off the balance in these great wine regions of Europe, and produce inferior wines? Or are these recent vintages considered great because our standards have changed? Are they bigger, more Parker-friendly? Edited for a misspelling.

How did you like it?? I've made it three times already and I absolutely love this tart. Is the recipe for this tart available online? Sounds good. Tuesday dinner: greenmarket stuff. Got some eggplants, made baba ghanouj. Ate the baba ghanouj with sliced up bell peppers-- these are available at the greenmarket in colors I've never seen at the supermarket: dark purple & almost white. The eggplants too were this beautiful streaky light purple and white. The coloring resembled those fat, bulbous Italian eggplants you see at gourmet markets, but they were shaped like regular purple eggplants. Wednesday dinner was poached chicken breast with Allemande sauce, made from my eGCI stock, thank you very much. And some wild rice and sauteed spinach.

Carolyn, your sauce lesson was wonderful-- such a concise, clear introduction to sauces! I am very grateful for it, and I will recommend it to others. I made Sauce Allemande tonight, and with the course materials it went very well. I have had some experience with making a roux-- I have made Bechemel and Sauce Mornay before. I didn't realize it until I was halfway through today's lesson, but I have made Sauce Allemande before as well. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child's master recipe for the "old fashioned" chicken fricassee (which I highly recommend to anyone who hasn't tried it) is essentially a Fat Guy stock-making exercise. You brown chicken pieces in butter, and then add liquid and a mirepoix, essentially making chicken stock and cooking the chicken at the same time. Once the chicken is done, you take out the pieces and finish the sauce by making it into an Allemande, although Julia never describes it as such. The dish at the end is quite rich; it ain't my everyday chicken but I have made it on a few occasions and remember each bite vividly. At any rate, I took pictures along the way tonight but I don't think anything much will be gained by posting them. They show a pot of liquid getting slightly more reduced and yellow over time. Each of the steps in making the sauce went well. I poached some chicken breasts for my wife and me as the sauce was simmering, and when it came time to "personalize" the Allemande, I decided to add the capers, but to hold off on the tarragon. I was worried that it would taste too much like Julia's fricassee, and I wanted a new experience. So then I tasted the sauce, and got a hit of something I wasn't expecting at all. Then I realized what I'd done. Instead of adding capers, I'd added green peppercorns! And you know what? It was really good! Thankfully I had started with a heaping tablespoon instead of a quarter cup. Because the peppercorns were added whole at the end, they didn't pervade the sauce, but instead gave a nice bite when you crunched into them. (They were packed in brine, so they weren't hard.) So here's the dish I made: It may not look like much, but man was it delicious. I cooked up some wild rice, which was also very tasty when covered with the Sauce Allemande, and I sauteed some spinach and sprinkled it with lemon juice. After trying the sauce with peppercorns, I added a pinch of tarragon and some vinegar just to see how it would taste, and I thought it improved the sauce even more. I needn't have worried about it being too similar to Julia's fricassee. The fricassee gains a lot of its character from the mushroom and onion broths that are added in along the way. Tonight's meal had none of that. But what tonight's chicken had was a homemade stock reduced and strengthened, forming the basis of the sauce. And that's where tonight's meal truly rocked. The underlying stock flavor was so good. So thank you once again for a great learning experience. I may try a meat stock next week.

Well, I think that mine took at least nine hours, probably more. Plus, I live in a pretty cold climate so the stock cooled quickly on the counter as well. My chicken stock is not an incredibly strong gel so I think it took awhile. For what it's worth, I put my chicken stock in the fridge last night around 9:00 p.m. It didn't change at all by the time I went to bed around midnight. This morning (about 10 or 11 hours after I put the stock in the fridge), I gave one of the containers a shake and it wiggled in a very jello-like fashion.

Okay, so here's my progress report. I reduced my chicken stock tonight, and finished at a much more civilized hour than last night. When I took it out of the fridge, it looked like this: And here's how it looked after I spooned out as much fat as I could be bothered to spoon out: Then I reduced it for a few hours. Here's a shot of my stock at the end of its reduction: I moved it to a smaller pot so I could better tell how much I had left. I figure I ended up with between 1.25 and 1.5 quarts. I think this was a more than 3x reduction, but going by color and taste, I'm guessing that my 6 hour stock wasn't as strong before reduction as the Fat Guy's. I then filled up my only ice trays with the stuff and put the rest in the fridge in baby bottles. These bottles are small, come with accurate measuring marks, and they seal well, so why not? If you got 'em, use em. (I also understand that this method of storing stock-- in several small containers-- is in keeping with the latest eGCI health advisory! ) Here's a shot of my newfound, impressive stock reserve: I want to thank the instructors again. This has been lots of fun, and I can't wait for Carolyn's sauces.

And I'd like to mention, as anyone who's ever been to Sammy's Roumanian can attest, that rendered chicken fat (aka "schmaltz") is a good all-purpose condiment that goes well with just about anything.

Fat Guy, thanks for this whole excercise. It's been a lot of fun so far, and it provided an excuse for me to finally get off my butt and make some stock. What do you think about this? I'll be reducing my chicken stock tonight-- from about 6 quarts to I guess two or a little less. I'm dying to add a little salt, maybe just half a teaspoon, before it reduces, so I can let the salt cook into it and taste the stock before it goes in the freezer. Bad idea? Some on these stock threads have said a little salt's okay. Should I add even less?

So after about six hours of simmering, I took my chicken stock off the heat. Here's how it looked: Then I tried the "lid" straining method-- it was a near disaster. I started pouring and realized I was about to send more of my stock down the drain than into the strainer. So I retreated to plan B. I didn't clean the sink; I just ladled out the big bits into the strainer, then emptied the strainer into the trash. When I'd got enough out of the big pot, I could pour with no problems. I ended up with about 6 qts. of stock from my 8 qt. simmering vessel. It has a nice, rich yellow color. I tasted it. It's good-- but I don't know if I can judge it yet. It had too much fat and no salt, both of which will change later. I also tasted more celery than I expected. Here's the post-straining product, with a view of some chicken bits in the strainer behind: I wish I could post some pouring photos, but my wife went to bed three hours ago, muttering something about how one shouldn't lose sleep over chicken stock. I just put the big pot in the fridge. I hope it doesn't spoil the milk. P.S. I'm not sure these pics are really posting. I'm trying my best.

The smell filling the kitchen is also highly evocative for any Jew... and I'm sure for people of many different cultures, but from my Jewish perspective, I'm tempted to just strain the sucker now, throw in some matzo balls and call it a night!

Tonight: leftover toritilla chicken salad sandwiches made from dark meat removed from my still-simmering chicken stock.

It's too late to do anything about it now, but: I am currently simmering chicken stock. Here's a picture from about 20 minutes ago (my first picture post to eGullet): I am using an 8 Qt. pot. My question is this: my stock is a mixture of a couple chicken backs and wings from my freezer, and a (not frozen) pack of four whole drumstick/thighs. Last night, I forgot to take the backs out of the freezer. And tonight, when I started the stock, I figured, what the hell, they'll thaw out fast enough in the simmering pot. And I went ahead and threw them in. I'm planning to simmer as long as I can stay awake tonight, probably for a total of 6 or 7 hours. I figure the frozen stuff will have no effect. Am I right? Or have I done something bad? It all looks good. And I pulled out a bunch, but not all, of the meat from the legs and made some nice dark meat chicken salad for dinner. It was mighty tasty. And all thanks to the miracle that is the eGCI.

"I found that essence rare, it's what I live for." And by the way, Heather, completely off-topic for this thread: Entertainment! is the greatest album, ever. At least, I think so whenever I listen to it, which is frequently.

I'm jealous, although we're getting lots of good New Jersey (don't laugh, they're really good!) tomatoes here at the New York greenmarkets. This was our third tomato salad in the past week, and although the two prior salads involved avocado or blue cheese, this third one was easily the best. Simple is good, as Mark Bittman likes to say. Any suggestions as to how I could replicate your garden in my 8th floor Brooklyn apartment?

I happened to make this last night myself. And mine might be as "wanting" as yours-- I think of Tortilla as comfort food that reminds me of many small bars in Spain. I don't look for enlightenment in a tortilla. But I think a couple things determine the success of the tortilla: 1. Make sure the potatoes are good and soft before mixing with the eggs 2. Use plenty of salt and a high quality olive oil 3. Don't overcook-- there's supposed to be some moisture in the middle. Remember that it will keep cooking for a few minutes after you take it out of the pan. Once it's browned on both sides, another couple of flips, with just momentary cooking on each side, are all it really takes. Yesterday I followed a Penny Casas recipe that called for the addition of red pepper and a little sauteed chorizo. I thought the chorizo added a nice twist.