Suvir Saran

Wow! That is fascinating to know. I am with your grandma and mom in this regard. When I cook for pleasure and family and friends, I hardly worry about seeding or peeling. In fact, I enjoy letting them be that way. But I always thought I was very bad to not make that extra effort. But then this employee shared the story about his own family in Italy never worrying about this detail.

Till I came to the point where you mentioned Monica and Suvir leading gourmet tours, you had me hooked. Seems like a great idea though... Maybe we can also go to VA and explore the Indian restaurants in that State. What say you?

An ex employee of mine who is a first generation Italian immigrant in America, had said to me one day watching the chef at a 2 Star restaurant kitchen, that it was wasteful to seed tomatoes. He told me his grandma and mom used every part of the tomato that they could. They would never "waste"so much of it.... What do we all think about this? Do tomatoes need to be seeded for preparing a good tomato sauce? How much difference does it make? Are there regions or sauces in which one can get away with leaving the seeds?

Thanks for the link to your site. Your restaurants seems wonderful. Great to see a website of that calibre for a restaurant. I like the curry take you shared.

But still, you have memories and it is that which counts. I envy you... I love strawberries, and we go great, amazing berries in Delhi and Bombay..fresher and far more affordable in Bombay since they had them growing in Mahabaleshwar. The berries were small and sweet. And full of juice. I would spend most late summer nights enjoying strawberries and cream. And when I was lucky to have been pampered, my mother would have malai (cream collected from boiling milk over a few days) for me to schmear on toast and top with macerated fresh berries. The only thing in NYC that has come close to reliving that memory of strawberries and malai is the dessert bruschetta at Inos in Greenwich Village. Amazing is an understatement. In the peak of summer, on a good day (when the berries are really great), you can find these bruschettas to be the best little bites you can eat anywhere. They are prepared with great bread, mascarpone and a healthy drizzle of great Italian honey and freshly ground blackpeppercorn. And in the middle are fresh strawberries. This is the most amazing simple dessert of a lifetime. It leaves me with far greater spirits than what any of my favorite and much revered French desserts ever can. This simple dessert, like the strawberry with the malai, comes with a soul and oomph that haute cuisine and fussy cuisine cannot always find easily. Do you make visits to the Fraser Valley every summer?

Where was this? How lucky you were. I have never gone strawberry picking...only on my deck and rooftop. The sorbet with the balsamic-strawberry topping sounds deeeelicious indeed.

In the past, I've posted this as a variation on my brownie recipe, so for all I know, this may be one of the blondies that have never charmed you, but for everyon else: Strawberry Blondies Never tried it Sandra. I am sure it is great. I shall use it once back in NYC. Thanks for posting it. You are always most generous.

Great post. You have said everything that I want in a cookbook/recipe when I use one. I hardly ever use books, but when I do... I want and expect them to be precise, correct and helpful. If they are not, I hardly feel I have any need for having wasted time on looking at an incomplete recipe. Like Sarah Moulton, in my own far more humble way and in my little kitchen, I too use a recipe completely for the first time, and then, once I have seen the results the author of it wants me to enjoy, I tweak it to become one that I will embrace as a recipe that will be prepared in my kitchen again and again. And for that, I think a recipe must be detailed and well written for a first good result. If it fails me that first time, I would hardly give the author or the book another chance. Recipes have a purpose. Those that know them do not need them. In my kitchen, my recipes have no place. They are written by me, or documented by another for the sole purpose of taking my recipes to another. And if in that goal, they fail the other, and thus reflect poorly on my own cooking skills, show my food in bad light and question the brilliance of the cuisine that particular recipe showcases, the recipe then also has failed me. Thus, a recipe at least in my humble world, has a very solemn purpose. It is the preamble into a much greater world. It is not a preface. The difference is important to understand, and one I am keenly aware of and expect a respectable writer of recipes to know as well. A recipe also tells me a great deal about who has written it and what ownership and pride they take in their food. Recipes have a very important and pivotal role in perpetuating the glory of our kitchens from one generation to another. One to share, encourage and pass on a legacy. I for one respect my art dearly, for it is not really my own, but one I have myself grasped not yet in its entirety only because others were willing to share with me in full detail, with pride and respect and with erudition. How else would the world remember the vast greatnesses that make today seem brilliant? Thus, mere scribbles, thoughtless numbers, proportions and ingredients, play a role in my life and kitchen, but not as a recipe, but for merely a documentation that works to help me and chefs in my professional kitchen do our chores professionally. But I hardly ascribe to them the lofty burden that comes from being called recipes. In fact, I am the first to discard those sheets soon after an event I cater, for I never want another to think that those scribbles of mine were a tool for them to try and use in recreating what they enjoyed at that meal.

Where did you have this?

What a great idea.

This really sounds wonderful Sandra. Would you have a recipe? I remember we had a thread on blondies.. I shall now go look for it. I should keep the recipe handy for when I am back in NYC and there are juicy strawberries in the farmers market. I have never had home-made blondies that I was charmed by.... But I know I have not yet met someone that knows how to make them well. It will happen, I am sure, and something tells me between you and the other talented lot on eGullet, I am not far from finding a recipe that will become one of my kitchen favorites.

My recipe for jam is similar to Jackals. I also sometimes add lemon juice and lemon rind into the mix. Amazing what little lemon juice and rind can do. I have never needed to add Pectin. Maybe cooking a little longer can help. The jams preserves perfectly and even a year later, it is delicious. Strawberry lemonade is a favorite in my NYC household. I steep the strawberries in sugar and the juice of some lemons for at least 6 hours. By this point the berries are very soft (the lemons do the trick of making the berries very tender and helping them release their juices). I keep a half a cup of berries on the side and the remainder I blend. To the blended berries I add the 1/2 cup of berries and mix. Now I pour some of this into tall glasses and add water or even Soda depending on what the gang prefers. Strawberry Shortcake was a big hit last year. It was eGullet that helped me find a perfect recipe for the shortcake. And after making it twice, my family and friends realized if made with care and love, this dessert really is everything that people remember it being from their grandmas times. I can never make enough of it, and never too many of it in any given week. I often amuse the berry vendor at Union Square farmers market because I come and by many boxes of berries. They are expensive but worth it.

Is there a name for this dish? What ingredients does it have... All of this will help. And no biggie... you can always add to your post a sentence stating that it is a recipe in progress.

What recipe Monica? What kind of help? Can it be shared on the thread or is it better done through email or PM?

Tell us more.. what all did you make?

Kudos to you for having made this possible. And I hope we can enjoy reading more of your posts at eGullet.

Thanks Scottish Chef! Hope your meal is just as you wanted it to be.. and that they enjoy all you make. All the best.

Scottish Chef, they are simple. I have never found them in any farmers market or farm stand or green grocer in the US. That is why it has been over 11 years since I last had them. All you need to do after you find freshly harvested green peas, you need to roast them till almost burnt. Then pop open the pods and the peas inside are oozing with their sweet juice and the charring gives a smoky flavor. Divine. Nothing else was done to them. Simple and wonderful.

Now that you know what you are doing, I wish you all the best. And hope you will tell us what happened. Happy cooking.... Fun travels and vacation to you Indiagirl!

Sorry about this experience Scottish Chef. Glad to see you back in the Indian forum and posting... You were missed.

Exactly Anil! I remember them so vividly.. and those branches were so beautiful and the freshly roasted peas were so sensational.. sweet and smoky... I can still taste the flavors, even though I have not had them in over 11 years.

You can find green or white peas in Indian markets. These are called matar or vatana. They are made into stews, prepared like regular chickpeas or into chaats (mouth watering street food type dishes) and certainly many regional recipes exist. Did you buy some? What kind? On the eve of Holi (the festival of color), in our home, as in many, but sadly not too many, Holika is burnt (a bornfire) and choliya (green fresh peas, not to be mistaken with the peas we get frozen in supermarkets) is roasted on the flame and eaten by all. Holi is the festival of color and also harvest. And these are harvested around that time. Which is towards the end of March. We would eat chaat made with lemon juice, chaat masala, roasted fresh green peas and finely sliced red onions. I make a stew using the dry ones. I cook them till tender. Add lots of finely grated fresh ginger, toasted cumin powder, green chiles and salt. I cook this till all the water has evaporated and the peas have beome very soft. I also mash some and throw back into the pot. I throw finely diced red onions, lemon juice, some chaat masala and cilantro leaves as garnish. You can top this with sev (fine chickpea flour noodles) and eat as a snack.

Thanks for this link, lissome. I just finished reading the piece. Was in tears. The Parsees are an amazing lot. And their charm is unique in this world that expends so much time in hatred, anger, meaningless comparisons and dwelling in the past. How happily and fully these Parsees live knowing they are near extinct and have only more "silence" and "invisibility" to embrace. They celebrate life as we all must learn to do. I enjoyed the piece thoroughly and also found in it parts of all that we all have mentioned before on this thread. It gave me great faith in us eGulleteers and what we share here. Thanks all for being so very generous. And Anil, you were ahead of the times for sure. Thanks for this thread. Now I need to go dream of lagan nu custard. A custard made for special occasions. I have vivid memories of Parsee feasts. Food is a HUGE deal and a focal point of all gatherings of these lovely people. PS: The article puts a number of 130 K on the count of Parsees in this world.

The story I would hear in Bombay was about a glass of milk and sugar. The Parsis the kind was told would be like the sugar that would sweeten the milk and still remain invisible. The key words were sweet and invisible. They certainly are great people and sadly enough, unlike many people that suffered greatly in such genocides and holocausts, they remained invisble and silent. They say it was the best thing to do.. I wonder. And now, we have sadly, no more than somewhere between a 100 - 200 thousand parsis in the world. It is sad. I have always loved their culture and food.. and one part of me worries a lot about what the world will do decades from now when little is left of it.... I was in Denver in a grocery store and I got all excited as I saw a Parsi store owner. She was in tears seeing my excitement in having found a Parsi in Denver of all places. We had a long conversation... traded numbers and emails and are going to be in touch now. I love Parsi foods... and I love what they have done in India.

The sauce was actually quite good. I think the heat was enough to make even a hardened spice fan sweat. I usually add dry whole red chiles, had added chile flakes this time, and instead of just a nice dull flavor of chiles, this time it was lots of heat. As Weinoo suggests, I will add flakes only in the end next time. I have enjoyed each response here. Thanks all. Keep them coming.