Really Nice!

Hi Marie-Louise, Here are some menu guidelines we used in culinary school. When we were in classical French cuisine we weren't allowed to stray at all. In International, we were encouraged to find ways to break the rules but still make the dinner work. Guidelines to developing a menu Wine: champagne goes with everything white before red dry (white and red) before sweet (white) excption: sauternes with foie gras as a second/third course Food styles: Light before dark Cold before hot Raw before cooked Soft before chewy Creamy before crispy/crunchy Light before heavy Mild before spicy Savory before sweet Soup styles: Clear before creamy Creamy before thick Cold before hot Food entrees: Vegetable before protein (fish, shellfish, poultry, fowl, pork, beef/lamb) Fish before shellfish Shellfish before poultry Poultry before fowl Fowl before pork Pork before beef/lamb All the above before dessert Tasting Threshold: Salty before sour Sour before savory Savory before sweet Basic (French) Menu Composition: Three courses: Cold app or soup, Main course, Dessert Four course: Cold app or soup, Hot app (fish/shellfish), Main course, Dessert Five course: Cold app, Soup, Hot app (always fish/shellfish), Main course, Dessert Six course: Cold app, Soup, Hot app (fish/shellfish), Main course, Salad, Dessert Seven course: Cold app, Soup, Hot app (fish/shellfish), Intermezzo (sorbet), Main course, Salad, Dessert Items in bold represent the new progression in the next course.

So who's going Thursday to see Jacques Pepin? Our reservations are at 6.

To my knowledge, Bob Blumer first introduced this in a Maxim magazine article in late '98 or early '99. I remember this because I was in Italy in the summer of '99 and saw it at a friend's house in Montepulciano.

Or to paraphrase another movie, "Put it in mah bellay!"

Don't know, but I just saw that the site is dated June 18, 2004. Sorry if this is old informationas it's news to me.

Next thing you know, I'll be posting, "Hey, remember the days when no one was there and you could just walk in and get a table?!"

Incredible ...the 2002 Charles Shaw Shiraz beat out 2,300 wines to win a prestigious double gold medal.

We did an eight-course dinner a couple weekends ago. Four people each owned preparing two courses. Here's the menu: Fondue au Gruyere..........................From MTAOFC — Part 1, page 201 French onion soup...........................From The Way to Cook, page 19 French Bread....................................From The Way to Cook, page 38 Fillet of sole sautéed in butter.........From The Way to Cook, page 98 Roast Leg of Lamb...........................From MTAOFC — Part 1, page 332 Duchess potatoes............................From The way to cook, page 322 Salade de Poivrons..........................From MTAOFC — Part 2, page 411 Cheese soufflé................................From MTAOFC — Part 1, page 163 Cornets..........................................From MTAOFC — Part 2, page 135 filled w/ Chantilly Meringue sprinkled with praline...MTAOFC — Part 2, page 430 *MTAOFC = Mastering the Art of French Cooking Everything was great except the cornets. They were a disaster. The homemade puff pastry turned out great. But the first time I wrapped them around the cornet mold, they slid down during cooking and looked like dog pooh. So the second time I brushed the puff pastry with an egg wash. The delicate pastry became baked to the cornet. I had to use a scraper to separate them. So we ended up serving chantilly meringue with seasonal fruit. In hind sight, I should have punted by making pastry shells. That or wrap parchment paper around the conet mold. Oh well.

Being an occasional observer of American politics I have full faith that this law will change three or four times before 2012.

Well said, cdh.

Chrisamirault, when you visited Bouchon in Vegas what did you find so unappealing about it?

Suprême is without the wing 'knuckle.'

According to McGee's Web site, it's a fully revised and updated 20th anniversary edition of On Food and Cooking, The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen. Coming in November from Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster. From his site: ...has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two thirds, and commissioned over 100 new illustrations. Among the major themes now addressed throughout are: × Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality × The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients × Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully × The particular substances that give foods their flavors, and that give us pleasure × Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods You can order it from Amazon for $23.80.

I think it's time for an intervention. Mine was eight weeks of no alcohol; lost 15 pounds!

That's pretty much it. Frenching is most commonly applied to rack of lamb or rack of veal. Yes, this is called an airline breast. Seriously.

How about a bubbly from your birthyear? Check out the champagne region of Wine-Searcher.com. Scroll to the bottom and type in your year. Oh, and congrats!!

I put the cork in the bottle and it was about 2 hours between pouring it back in the bottle and serving it. I had a feeling it would continue to open up as this was akin to letting half a bottle sit over night. The main difference being the surface area in contact with the air once it's back in the bottle. The ullage for this wine was normal for a four-year-old wine and it filled back to about 1/4 inch above base neck. I had tasted about 1/4 inch worth, I guess. The surface area there is about 1/5 that of the rest of the bottle. I suspect there's some sort of perpetual motion or inertia where the wine continues to open until there's nothing left to give. (Okay, not quite perpetual...) Maybe I'll experiment with a cheap, tannic red. Any suggestions?

Two Dagos from Texas in Belltown closed it's doors for the last time last night.

In Washington state we can't have open alcohol in the car, it needs to be in the trunk. It's easier to secure a bottle than a decanter.

Tonight was Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef in Red Wine). From episode 96: The French Chef. Page 271 in The French Chef Cookbook (paperback). It was priceless. The only change I made was to sprinkle the meat with flour to make a nicer fond. I also used veal stock, duck fat, and Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot.

Let's see, we're on an island, so most likely fish is on the menu... ...screw the guidelines... Red: Penfolds Grange, 1981. If that's not available; Lafite Rothschild, 1983. White: DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate white, 1995. If that's not available; Chateau d'Yquem, 1959.

I came home today to find a mailer from one of my local retailers stating the information below. Is this the result of our local importer over importing a few years back, or are you experiencing the same thing in your neighborhood? And are these discounts decent? I confirmed this mailer with another retailer who is also going to have a big sale. HUGE 1997 BORDEAUX SALE IN OCTOBER ONE TIME OFFER !!! A major importer of Bordeaux wines is liquidating its inventory of 1997 red Bordeaux at a 40% average discount. All wines are to be sold in October on first come basis. The wines are 7 years old and exhibit charm, sophistication, balance and refinement that are the great characteristics of Bordeaux. 1997 was a vintage for early maturing wines but a number of those can still be aged. All the wines have been shipped directly from the Chateaux in Bordeaux, and cellared in ideal climate controlled warehouses. 1st column: reg price 2nd column: per bottle sale price 3rd column: per case sale price 4th column: parker's drinking range Chateau CANON............590.00... 29.00... 335.00... now - 2006 CLINET..................1140.00... 60.00... 700.00... now - 2012 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU........960.00... 45.00... 520.00... now - 2013 GRAND PUY LACOSTE........548.00... 30.00... 345.00... now - 2007 LES GRANDS MARECHAUX.....229.00... 12.00... 139.00... now HAUT BATAILLEY...........385.00... 20.00... 230.00... now LA CHENADE...............180.00... 11.00... 132.00... ? LA FLEUR PETRUS..........900.00... 45.00... 520.00... now - 2010 LAGRANGE.................505.00... 28.00... 325.00... now LA MADEMOISELLE..........445.00... 15.00... 170.00... ? LA MISSION HAUT BRION...1380.00... 69.00... 785.00... now - 2012 LA MONDOTTE.............3900.00...225.00...2600.00... now - 2015 L' ANGELUS..............1380.00... 75.00... 850.00... now - 2010 LEOVILLE LAS CASES......1800.00... 85.00... 975.00... now - 2016 LEOVILLE POYFERRE........588.00... 30.00... 345.00... ? L'EVANGILE..............1620.00... 60.00... 695.00... now - 2012 L'HERMITAGE.............1020.00... 55.00... 650.00... ? LYNCH BAGES..............720.00... 45.00... 520.00... now PICHON BARON.............780.00... 45.00... 520.00... now PICHON LALANDE..........1080.00... 50.00... 575.00... now - 2008 RAUSAN SEGLA.............588.00... 32.00... 370.00... ? TROPLONG MONDOT..........720.00... 42.00... 485.00... now - 2008 VIEUX FORTIN.............965.00... 18.00... 195.00... now

From Wine Speculator. Darn, now I probably won't be able to buy fragile glassware from Amazon; get one or two glasses broken during shipping; and be charged for shipping when they said it was free; and receive the wrong wine glasses. Austria-based Riedel Crystal, whose stemware is popular among enophiles, has purchased one of its main competitors, the parent company of German glass manufacturer Spiegelau, making Riedel the world's largest producer of wineglasses. In addition to the Spiegelau line, F.X. Nachtmann A.G. produces glassware under the Marc Aurel brand.

Saw One.9 at Costco last night. $7.99 a bottle. Is this the next Charles Shaw?

I poured a small sip after decanting the wine for an hour, poured it back into the bottle, and we drank it two hours later. In my estimation it continued to open up.