Suvir Saran

i gotta enroll in those mind reading courses again I was trained to understand it as paying attention. Not mind reaidng. The pics posted are Great. In fact even the towel that could have been used in the turning process is shown. For those with a trained eye, that is another great proof that the man taking the pics really did prepare it themselves (Or at least someone in that setting where the pic was taken may have).

Cause it was upturned from the baking pie dish onto a serving platter.

would be perfect with tarte tatin I must admit.

Is there any other kind?

Try Pecans, maybe? What is up with you? Wear your glasses Awbrig. Please.

Sweetheart, there is no second one. It is the same one, before being turned over. That is what makes a tarte tatin special. For all that friendship with CT, you often do amaze me with your marvelous innocence. Good for you.... I guess you really are a perfect Mid Westerner.

You did a great job! I must thank 201 for the above image. I mean it. Not many people, including Julia can make one so perfect without great care. Many have served me a Tarte Tatin that did not turn over completely. Sometimes parts of the apple and caramel remain stuck in the skillet. Due to there being very little moisture. But your tarte tatin looks perfectly rendered. My caramel is usually a little darker. But I have had it in Paris with the caramel being closer to what yours is. Congratulations! You should be very proud. It is not the most elegant and fancy of desserts, but is certainly not the easiest one to prepare. I am sure your tarte tatin will make many happy. How did you like its taste? What would you want to do differently? I know you said make the dough thinnner... But what else? What did you eat it with? I have enjoyed it with creme fraiche or even plain ole vanilla ice cream or just by itself. What kind of crust did you use?

I second Ann Willan. I adore La Varenne, which is a comprehensive manual of cooking with lots of great pictures. Really a technique book with some recipes, it has a ton of good, solid info. It will be useful for years, too--it has everyhing from selecting and baking a potato to making a terrine--a whole spectrum of levels, with baking included along with cooking. (Also a nice bit on how to use a mandoline!) I think it might be my desert island book because it helps me get my head around what I am cooking and then get creative, as opposed to simply following recipes. (That being said, Joy of Cooking was my first cookbook, too, and I learned lots from it.) I have never cooked from the book. I have it.. and signed for me with a very nice note. I had the great good fortune to have been introduced to her by a publisher (a friend) that was once a student at La Varenne. Ann Willan is a grand lady. And she had me smitten rather quickly. In fact two years later, her face is vivid in my memory and every bit as handsome as it was when I saw her. I will have to bring down the book... and cook with it. I feel deprived that I did not let myself go beyond the "smitten by her charm and presence" and cook from her book. I shall cook from it very soon.

I see Toby had posted her recipe in another thread. I am pasting it below and also the link for that thread. Only one egg in the recipe. I am sure Toby has another recipe up her sleeve. Maybe a corn pudding that she gave you Wilfrid. We will have to wait for that eggier one for anothe time... What Toby has shared seems to be what I have been given by grandmas and chefs from the South. And I can tell it is two recipes... Smart Toby! Thanks Toby, for the recipe that is. I will give it a try and then thank you even more I think. The cornbread recipe is two different recipes cobbled together. First you have to cook some grits. I get yellow grits in bulk at Commodities Natural Store (I actually think what they sell there is closer to polenta). I used to buy fancy stone ground grits at Dean&Deluca, but they went rancid very fast. Either is preferable to instant grits or the white supermarket stuff. I cook the 1/4 cup of grits in 1 cup half&half, a teaspoon of garlic, and a small amount of salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, turn heat down very low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once in a while. Let grits cool. (They can be made ahead and refrigerated). For the cornbread: sift together 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup white flour, 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the cooled cooked grits and 1 large egg. Mix well, breaking up the grits. Add 1-2/3 cups buttermilk and mix again until smooth. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the oven in either a 9" round cake pan or a 9" cast-iron skillet. Let the pan get very hot and the butter really start to bubble and even get a little brown. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the butter into the buttermilk-egg-grits mixtures and stir well. Sprinkle a spoonful of flour over the bottom of the baking pan and pour the batter into the pan, working quickly, as the mixture immediately stirs to rise. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and/or freshly crushed red pepper flakes over the top of the bread and bake at 450 for 35 minutes. Let rest for a minute or two and then turn out of the pan. (I actually made two breads, one in a cake pan and one in a cast-iron skillet. The cake pan one always rises a little more and seems slightly lighter in texture; the one made in the cast-iron pan is crustier.) 5 eGulleteers and 3 SOs

What does champagne do to mashed potatoes?

You should absolutely definitely and certainly do that Macrosan. I am sure Chef Mathur would be delighted to plan a very special tasting menu for you using stuff in season. Maybe you can plan ahead and let him surprise you even more. He is certainly a class act when it comes to cooking and in his person. If anyone can deliver, he can. Awbrig is to Charlie Trotter what I am to Hemant Mathur. I agree we are both biased in our respect for these chefs. But even after you remove the bias factor, there is still a lot of bones to work with. And yes Diwan does have the perfect layout to have a restricted area for the buffet and an area where the specialties of the house can be showcased. What a great suggestion/idea. I hope the owner has some vision and can take this and run. I shall pass on your suggestion and share this link with the owner.

Who is Steven Schmidt? I have heard of him. I am told I must buy his books. Some tell me he is a great pastry chef. What can you all tell me about him? I know nothing about him.. and worse yet.. I have none of his book(s). And what makes it worse is that he lives in NYC.. and just recently a friend asked if I would be willing to make the birthday cake for Steven Schmidt. I agreed.. and was told as to how good a chef he is. I was all embarassed. He was kind enough to say that the Ginger Pudding (It was prepared to cut like a creme caramel/flan) I made was great. I hope he was not being kind and generous. Now I wish I had known he was so well respected.. maybe I would have paid even more attention to the pudding. Well, I did what I normally do. But now I wonder if I should have made him something else for his special day. But my friend wanted this particular pudding. It is delicious.. but very homey even though it is surprisingly refined and elegant. But I did not realize he was this famous. I just thought this one friend who has a successful business in the food world knows this chef with a cookbook (s). I did not realize people on eGullet would know of him. What books of his should I buy? Are they really worth getting? Is he well known as a pastry chef, savory chef or both? I know he has a new book coming out shortly.

TMI.

Maybe you can ask for the chef... he would be happy sending you something special. And in time for you to make it back to work without too much delay. He loves taking care of guests that expect more. Not too often the case with many people.. but this man(Hemant Mathur) loves to spoil people.

I agree with you entirely. It is a sad reality for me to embrace. The owner cannot seem to fathom a restaurant without it. They do anywhere from 150 - 250 lunches all week long. Who would want to give up such business. I am also told since the review many are now ordering off the menu and also drinking wines at lunch. But still, I wish they did not have a buffet lunch. It is entirely demeaning of a find restaurant. At least the buffet as they serve it now.

Did you try it Dana? I always add a little cayenne and some extra salt and black pepper into the mix. Yesterday I added cheese, cilantro, jalapenos as well. I also browned the butter after melting it. Made the corn bread even more savory. And the sweetness and the smell of the corn was contrasted beautifully.

I am glad it worked for you WIlfrid. In the end it is that which matters.

Also made, deep fried paneer topped with a tomato chutney and lentil wafers or papad stuffed with a mouthwatering peanuty salad Pictures or recipes please.. Or both... These sound delicious.

Happy to be your tester Madam.

eggs??? How large a skiller are you using? Needs just one egg for an 8 inch skillet... maybe two could work... But always thought the idea was to have that amazing sweet smell of the corn to be most strong.. and eggs do impart their own wonderful aroma and taste.. Not a bad thing.. but for corn bread.. not sure... What recipe are you using Wilfrid? What kind of corn flour? I baked corn bread last night.... Most amazing. I make it so often now that I feel I have become one of the grandmas from the South that taught me this art.

How I miss good milk and butter as well. What can we do??? I broke down and bought some Strauss Family Organic half and half last week, but couldn't really tell the difference in my coffee. I've read their butter is good (Nick Gatti had it at Chez Panisse from what I recall), but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy any yet. Mostly out of fear that once I try it, I'll have to have it. Guess I will have to try and see if I can find it in NYC.. Will let you know. Also do post after you try it.. would be curious to see what you think. I used to drink half a gallon of plain milk each day whilst living in India. Now I do not drink any milk in months... I have no taste for this milk. Find it quite sad actually.. So I keep myself away from it.

How I miss good milk and butter as well. What can we do???

Great examples Steve. When I think Deneuve I always go back to Indochine and I immediately think of an imposing, dignified and handsome figure. Hepburn brings to mind pretty.

I'd totally agree with that. "Handsome" used to be used to describe women more in previous years than you hear it today. Maureen O'Hara and Jane Russell and Barbara Stanwyck come to mind. Women with commanding presence and stature and dignity. Always noticed. A face with integrity and intelligence and confidence. And it usually seemed that these women were tall, even if in actuality they were not. My father says that about my mother. "I wish you could have seen her when she was young," he says wistfully. "She was more than just beautiful - she was handsome." Awbrig - it's a great compliment. I am glad both Steve and you understand where I was coming from. Growing up under the finer tutelage of my mother (even better than my already notoriously famous schooling at one of Delhis better public school), I read a lot of English literature (poetry and prose). Handsome was a word of great weight when using it for describing women. My mother trained us to understand how beautiful was not always a compliment. Handsome on the other hand was. I am sorry again, Awbrig for not being more sensitive to the American parlance. I was transported back to my old days... and for that one moment, my fingers typed as I thought like an Indian living in Delhi. I meant the word handsome as I described earlier and now Steve P and Jaymes have done a much better job describing. Thanks Jaymes and Steve. I feel better now (since both a yankee and a southerner have come to my rescue).

All great books. I would not part with any of them. They have each taught me a great deal. And Julia's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is far from quaint. It is the best.