Ruth

The dim sum at Ping's on Mott Street are extraordinarily good - always hot and delicious. Nor could I find fault with Dim Sum Go Go on East Broadway. Golden Unicorn is still very good as is Nice. There can be a problem with the carts though. You have to catch them as soon as they emerge from the kitchen, especially in the large "palace" type restaurants.

If my recollection is correct the Saturday market in Beaune continues until mid-afternoon, especially at this time of year with the white asparagus and morels in full season. It is definitely worth your effort to get there. My biggest regret last time we were there was that we were staying in a hotel and had nowhere to cook.

Love your Southern recipe as I loathe sweet breads. Is there any way to freeze it without destroying it totally? How do you think the "Yankee" version would come out if you omitted the sugar?

You have to strip the corn if you want caramelization. I just brush them with olive or peanut oil, season them and grill them on a very hot grill until they are browned more or less evenly. It takes only a few minutes. Sounds like a good idea to split them to stop them from rolling around on the grill. I shall try that.

Oil and season your tuna. Heat a pan (preferably cast iron) to very very hot and give the tuna about 30 seconds per side. You should have no problem.

I would amend that. In and out of the refrigerator it can turn rancid. Keep it in your freezer and it will live forever.

I had to skip that one but I shall be there for Julian Serrano tonight, Rick Tramonto on Saturday and Ming Tsai next week. Will you be at any of those?

Borscht can be truly delicious. The best version I know originated in Romania and I got it from my Romanian mother-in-law. In addition to raw beets, you will need some baby lamb, dill pickle juice (or lemon juice but the pickle liquid is better), and a big bunch of lovage. Make a strong broth with lamb bones. Include the breast meat, the head, if you have it, and any other pieces you don't plan to roast. Meanwhile sweat thinly sliced (or julienned) raw beets and one potato in duck fat or butter. Add the broth and duck meat and a few sprigs of lovage as a bouquet garni. Simmer until the beets are barely cooked and add enough liquid from a jar of good dill pickles to make the soup pleasantly sour. Continue to simmer for a few minutes, season to taste and serve garnished with coarsely chopped lovage. Do not purée. The potato will thicken the soup and the beets will still have plenty of flavor and texture. Anyone who tries this just has to become a beet lover. Ruth Friedman

To date the white asparagus I have found in New York, imported from South America, is not worth the trouble, but when we rented an apartment in Paris last spring I bought the really thick white asparagus and cooked it exactly as I cook the green - peeled, brushed with olive oil and seasoned, then roasted in a very hot (500°) oven for about 8 minutes. Ruth Friedman

[/quoteOther times there is a really great sauce that is mentioned on the menu but when the food arrives, the sauce is just a few tiny drops off to the side, hardly supporting the flavor direction of the food. QUOTE]] I agree that it is infuriating to find just a few drops of sauce on the plate when it is delicioous and has major billing on the menu. It is true that some of these reduction sauces aare very expensive and labor intensive and a puddle of sauce can spoil the look of the plate. Why not a small side bowl with extra sauce? The saucier puts a lot of effort into its making and should give the customer a chance to appreciate it. Ruth Friedman

The first time I had pork belly was in Hangzhou, cooked in the tradional Shanghai style. More recently I had Susur Lee's version, served at the beginning of a huge tasting menu! I have little recollection of what followed. I think cooking it at home would be dangerous as it could become addictive. It is a delicious but highly guilt inducing dish. Ruth Friedman

We have eaten at three Chinatown restaurants recently - all restaurants that normally rely upon a preponderance of Chinese clients and all of which were half empty. I am afraid that the Chinese themselves, who tend to panic easily, are largely responsible for the current problem, and I fail to see that we can have much influence there. I have Chinese friends who categorically refuse to go to Chinatown or to any predominantly Asian part of NYC or any other city until the SARS epidemic disappears. Yet my own son who lives in Shanghai (minimally affected to date) refuses, somewhat to my consternation, to be dissuaded from his frequent trips to Hong Kong. As far as the French restaurants are concerned, I think we should remind each other that many of the French-born chefs and restaurateurs are just as American as any citizen (myself included) who was not born in the US. It is disgraceful to try to harm these people who have provided us with so much real pleaure and played such an important role in helping to make New York a culinary capital.

Wonderful report on El Bulli which brings back fond memories. My husband and I were there three years ago for an extraordinary luncheon. I really do not recall any misses. Every dish (and there was only one foam) worked beautifully. The service was gracious and faultless. We spoke at length to Sr. Adria both before and after the meal. He has a disciple in Madrid (Serge Arola at la Broche) who trained with both Adria and Pierre Gagnaire. His food, more based in Spanish tradition than Adria's, is equally wonderful and spectacular. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Spain is now more of a culinary destination than France and Feran Adria's influence has been huge.. We are returning next month to try some of the new restaurants in the San Sebastian and Rioja areas and another treat at La Broche.

I would never finish a "blue " steak in the oven. Sear two minutes per side on the hottest possible cast iron and then rest for about four minutes. And yes, of course at least an inch thick and at room temperature.

I think the geese we find in New York, at least, are larger than the Hong Kong variety.This might explain why we do not see them much in Chinatown. I remember only one restaurant in Hong Kong where we had roast goose a few times. That was Yang Kee in Central and it was delicious. Generally speaking I find that duck has more flavor than goose, surprising really, as the meat is much darker. Since with both birds most of the flavor is in the fat, I sometimes wonder if the dense meat of the goose is less able to absorb the flavor from the fat when it is cooked.

The best preserved duck eggs I have ever had were simply quartered and served as an appetiser at the Yang Kee restaurant in Hong Kong (famous for its roast goose). They had a distinctive and quite strong aroma but I detected no ammonia. On the few occasions I tried them in New York's Chinatown they had an unpleasant soapy flavor. I would love to know if there is anywhere in New York where one can buy a really good preserved egg. Ruth Friedman

Nol you are not nuts. I buy whole chickens, break them down and vacuum pack the parts. After a couple of months I find I have half a dozen chicken breasts in the freezer. They are so boring. I either cook them Chinese style or sous vide very very slowly (I learned that from Rocco DiSpirito) and then sauté lightly to keep them juicy in the center. With a good pan sauce they are ok that way but still not my favorite dish. Ruth Friedman

I also remember wor shu op from the days of "one from group A and two from group B". We encountered it only once and I cannot for the life of me recall where, except that it was not in NYC. If I remember correctly it was crisply roasted duck on a bed of some salad greens. Probably some Chinese American invention but, at that time, we enjoyed it and never saw it on another menu. Ruth Friedman

Talk about a blast from the past! Ilford County High School for Girls, Gants Hill. That was half a century ago and I don't know if it's still there. I spent seven years at that school and have a vague memory of circling the roundabout on my bicycle. A Vietnamese restaurant? Incredible.

I also love my microplane, mandolines (dare I admit I have four of them: the Bernriner narrow, wide and spiral and the French Matfer for the tough jobs), probe thermometer and infra red thermometer among others, but one gadget no-one has mentioned is the FoodSaver vacuum packer. Freezer burn is now a distant memory;vegetables remain pristine for days in the vacuumed containers and spices retain their flavor in small mason jars. We are just two people most of the time now and generally have to buy more than we need for one meal. I am also a compulsive shopper and my freezer is always full. I have had the FoodSaver for about three years and it has been a lifesaver. Also great for sous vide preparations. Ruth Friedman

Tea eggs and an infinite variety of meat and vegetable combos wrapped in rice or wheat flour crèpes in Shanghai. Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes everywhere in China. Street food in New York's Chinatowns is generally deep fried and very very greasy.. There used to be stands with steamed dumblings on Canal Street but I haven't seen them recently. Ruth Friedman

I never toss out the marinade when I want to use the same combination of ingredients for a sauce. Just put it through a sieve lined with cheese cloth before you reduce and there should be no scum. Ruth Friedman

Just one more indication that the Food Channel is slipping into irrelevancy for anyone really interested in good food and its preparation. The only two shows worth watching are East Meets West with Ming Tsai- excellent because his concepts are original, his recipes all seem to work and his delivery is so natural-, and Mario when he does not clown around. Apart from these two I am sticking with the "Great Chefs" on the Travel Channel. Now that is a true cooking show. Ruth Friedman

For the dark soy I always prefer the mushroom soy from Hai Tian (more easily remembered by its old name "Pearl River" which I believe was the same name translated into English) For the light I like the Japanese Yamasa brand and use both the regular and the "less salt". Light and dark soy are not, in my view, interchangeable as the dark has a deeper flavor which can overwhelm many dishes.