JAZ

What is it, exactly, that makes veal stock such a wonder for the home cook? Why do you think it's categorically different from beef stock or chicken stock? Is it the texture? The taste? The umami element? I have no doubt that the pan sauce described is great, but this description seems to beg the question: The butter adds texture and lusciousness; the mushrooms add the mushroomy element, presumably. The part about being fresh and made a la minute from my kitchen would hold regardless of what liquid I used. Is it merely that veal stock is rich and meaty? That's a wonderful thing, but what makes it richer and meatier than beef stock?

In Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, Elizabeth Schneider has a method for cooking chopped beet stems as a condiment; it works great for chard stems as well. Simmer a cup of water with a tablespoon each of sugar and olive oil, 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar, garlic, dried chiles, salt, coriander and fennel seeds. Add the chopped stems and simmer until tender. Reduce the liquid if necessary and cool. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Red peppers and tomatoes share a basic flavor profile (a combination of sweetness and acidity), so it's not terribly surprising that they can be confused, especially when they're cooked, mixed with other ingredients, and pureed, as in a soup. It does sound as if you roasted them for a long time, which may have subdued the flavor. When I roast them under the broiler, I cut them in half first, remove the core and ribs, and lay on a sheet pan skin side up. That way, you can blacken the skin in a lot less time -- 15 minutes tops. Finally, to make the soup taste more like peppers, I'd suggest leaving out the flour, and keeping the cream to a minimum. When I make roasted red pepper soup, I add 1/4 cup of cream (to 2 cups of chicken stock) -- just enough for texture.

It seems to be generally accepted that what works in a professional kitchen is what works best in a home kitchen, but I'd argue that they're vastly different places and therefore shouldn't necessarily be stocked the same way. I'm sure that at work, your four knives serve you very well, but they certainly wouldn't be the most practical knives for me or other cooks at home. Accepted wisdom is that the two most useful knives are a chef's knife and a paring knife, but why? For me, a longer utility knife is much more useful than a paring knife. I don't use a paring knife to peel anything; I use peelers for that. I don't turn mushrooms, or make radish flowers. I do cut a lot of citrus fruit, and slice a lot of vegetables. Of course I can use a chef's knife for that, but a 6" utility knife is much easier for me. I have better control and my hand doesn't get as tired. Do I "need" a utility knife? Maybe not, but I use it way more often than I use a paring knife. (In fact, when I moved, my paring knife got lost, and I didn't replace it -- or miss it much -- for about 4 months.) In my kitchen, I can have more than four knives, and I like it that way. Call me lazy, but it's nice to be able to set aside the knife I've been cutting meat with and switch to dicing onions and mushrooms without having to take time to wash the knife. Plus, in a professional kitchen, your knives are yours alone. In home kitchens, as was mentioned, many of us share cooking with a partner or kids. If you only have one chef's knife, what's the other cook to do?

For anyone interested in book signings, lectures, readings or other events associated with this book, please see the Calendar.

As I mentioned here in the Tales of the Cocktail topic, I've been wanting to try Francesco Lafranconi's version of lime cordial ever since I tasted it at the conference. It took me a while to locate a source for makrut (kaffir) limes and leaves, but they finally arrived, so I decided to give it a try. When I looked at my notes from the seminar, though, I realized that I had no idea (except from my increasingly fuzzy memories) of the amounts of the various ingredients. I winged it. I started with a cup of demerara sugar, a half ounce of gin and about the same amount of water (just enough to melt the sugar more easily). Since Francesco stirred the mixture with half a lime impaled on a fork, I did the same. When it was melted, I added 1/3 cup Persian lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon each of kosher salt and amchoor, four or five makrut leaves and one makrut lime, cut in half and juiced into the mixture. (He was using dried limes rehyrated with gin; mine are fresh, so I skipped that step.) I then let it simmer for 20 minutes or so and strained it. The syrup was really thick, much sweeter than Rose's, and dark amber. But the flavor was great -- complex, with a definite hint of bitterness. I kind of like it this way -- I've been using just a quarter ounce per drink, with lots of fresh lime juice, and the resulting Gimlet is really fabulous. The "fresh" lime syrup that Audrey described earlier in this topic was nice, but this is much more like Rose's, and thus -- for me at least -- a much better choice for a Gimlet. I'll adjust amounts next time, and I might see if white sugar is okay for flavor, because I think it would result in a much better looking drink. This isn't bad looking, but it's a light amber -- more like a dark rum sour than a Gimlet in looks.

The Providence Journal recently featured Chris Amirault, Director of eG Forums, in an article about the Society and the forums: Click here for the complete article, which was accompanied by a reprint of a recent Wall Street Journal article on disclosure by bloggers and other food-related web sites.

Anyone who's known or dealt with a clinically depressed person knows that it's not just a matter of being "stressed out." Plenty of people can deal with stress without a depressive episode, and some clinically depressed people don't seem (from the outside) to be under much stress at all. Studies show any numbers of factors that increase the likelihood of a depressive episode -- among them, heredity. But most researchers agree that environment is not generally an indicator or predictor of clinical depression. So if it's true that food service workers are more likely to suffer depressive episodes, it seems that it's not merely being in the kitchen or the restaurant that's the cause. If you read the article that Rob linked to, you also see that: Given the fact that lots of young people work in the food service industry, this might be a bigger clue as to the increased incidence of depression than any environmental reasons.

I had the pleasure of working with both Mary and Brad for several years. Their hard work made my job easier, and their extensive knowledge made our wine forum one of the best rounded and most educational around. Thanks!

When I moved and no longer had room for my knife magnet, I had to buy a block, so I know the frustration. I ended up buying this one by Eva Solo. I love it, and recommend it to everyone. It doesn't match your exact criteria, but except for the fact that it's not cheap, I think it will meet your needs. Although the knives don't fit in horizontally, the blades don't rest against anything. The slots will fit any size knives -- at least, my 10-inch slicer fits in without touching the bottom. In addition, I have three 8-inch chefs knives, a 9-inch off-set bread knife, a 6-inch chef's, two 6-inch utility knives, a paring knife, a boning knife, a 5-inch ceramic knife and my steel. I could easily fit a few more in as well. The footprint is amazingly small, and the insert (which is basically an accordian-fold piece of plastic) is removable and dishwasher safe, so I think it's more hygienic than a wood block.

Since I started assisting with, and then teaching, cooking classes, I've been a steadfast prep bowl user. I've got several types: I first bought the Luminarc set of nine stacking bowls and used the smaller five of them for prep, regularly running out of the small ones and wishing I hadn't bought the set, because I rarely use the larger ones. Then, when my uncle passed away and we were sorting through his kitchen stuff, we found a stack of these Pyrex glass custard cups and ever since they've been what I reach for first. I've broken a few over the years, but I still have eight. They hold six ounces, so they're big enough for most jobs, but I also have four cereal bowls that I grab when I need bigger containers. Recently, I bought this set of Le Creuset silicone pinch bowls because they were just too cute to pass up. My official reason was that it would be nice to have smaller bowls -- these hold two ounces. They also come in a graduated set that double as measuring cups, which seem very cool as well, but so far I've resisted. Anyone else have a love affair with prep bowls? Do you use them, and if so, what do you use? A matched set? Whatever's handy?

A few years ago for a class, I made a drink with spiced concentrated apple cider, brandy, and lemon. For the presentation, I heated some caramel in a squeeze bottle, and squeezed a spiral of the caramel on the inside of frozen glasses. The caramel froze onto the glass, but as the drink warmed a little, the caramel melted into it. It's probably too much work for a party, though, unless you can do the glasses ahead of time and keep them in the freezer. I did an alternate presentation of a demerara sugared rim, though, which was also great.

It seems to me that the choice doesn't have to be between Falk and All-Clad. There are other options -- Demeyere's Atlantis or Sirocco lines, for instance, which have a copper disk bottom enclosed in stainless steel. Yes, they're slightly less responsive than copper (2 cups of water took 30 seconds longer to boil in my Demeyere Sirocco saucepan than in my Mauviel professional). But balancing that out, in my opinion, is ease of use. The Demeyere, while not lightweight, is lighter than the Mauviel. The handles and lid handles stay cool (by the time the water in the Mauviel came to a boil, I couldn't lift the lid off without a towel. The Demeyere was still cool to the touch.) And when it comes to ease of cleaning and care, the Demeyere blows copper out of the water. It goes in the dishwasher and comes out shiny. It doesn't look brand new, but I've had some of my pieces for more than five years, and they still look great. (And this was before I had a dishwasher. It looks better now.) My Mauviel? I've had it for about 18 months and even with polishing, it looks shabby. All the talk of "patina" glosses over the fact that with time, copper just won't look as good as stainless does, even if you take the time to polish it. When it comes to copper cookware, "patina" is just a euphemism for tarnish and discoloration. It's not the end of the world, of course, but it makes a difference to me. I like my cookware to look nice. For most cooks in a home, I just don't think copper makes that much difference. I have both, and if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't buy the copper -- I certainly would not pay full price for it. And, as far as price goes, you can get a 6-piece Atlantis set, which includes a skillet, a saucepan, a sautepan and a casserole, for $650 -- $55 more than the three pieces of Falk quoted above.

Crimini mushroom and garlic soup, finished with cream. The soup was pureed, with sliced sauteed mushrooms added at the end.

I think it will depend on how you're planning to serve it. In my experience, if a tossed green salad is part of a buffet, not much gets taken. A small handful per person will probably be more than enough. If it's served family style at a table, I think people will tend to take more.

Audrey Saunders (Libationgoddess) has been named top Wine & Spirits Professional in Bon Appetit magazine's 10th annual awards. Many of us have been fans of Pegu Club since its opening. Now, Bon Appetit agrees with us: Congratulations, Audrey!

Peaches and strawberries both go very well with basil.

I recently had macaroni and cheese with -- guess what? -- dried cranberries in it, and I'd like to add my vote against them with cheese. It was one of the worst surprises of my life. If we have three votes against cranberries with cheese, can we exercise veto power?

"Eatery" (pl. "eateries). What's wrong with "restaurant," "cafe," "diner," or any of the other more precise and less odious synonyms?

Wow. Now I really want a Daiquiri. I've never made one with sugar; I always use simple syrup. Is it a vastly different drink that way?

I think this touches on two crucial points (or maybe it's just two sides of the same point) -- when there are enough customers who care about the quality of cocktails that they seek out the one or two best places, after a while the bar managers and bartenders start noticing that. When that happens, they're more likely to try to improve their cocktails so they can become one of the places that customers seek out. They might not make it on the first try, but a steady improvement overall is going to introduce more customers to better cocktails, who then expect more from bars overall.

"Mouthfeel" -- while admittedly isn't the most elegant term -- describes something important that isn't covered by another term. I do think it's overused, though. My vote for food words that make me want to cover my ears and scream: "veggie(s)." Please, please, please use the extra three letters. Is that so difficult?

This from the FAQ section:

A couple of comments: If you've never attended any cooking classes, I think you may be at a big disadvantage trying to teach them yourself. Assisting in a cooking program is a great way to learn the ropes, if that's a possibility for you. Even if you just attend a couple of "avocational" classes, it will give you an idea of what works and what doesn't -- timing, content, what to demo and what to skip, etc. If you can't do this, then I recommend going through a couple of dry runs with friends to get an idea of what all is involved. You may be surprised -- teaching is hard work, and it definitely takes practice. Also, there's a big difference between single "avocational" classes and a professional cooking program. I assume you're talking about the former -- classes that food lovers take to learn about a specific cuisine or technique. If you've never even taken formal (i.e., professional) cooking classes, I'd strongly advise against trying to teach them. Even in the "avocational" category, classes can range from a beginning series to very specific classes on one dish or technique. I'd suggest a) thinking about what you might be best at and b) researching what your potential students want and expect. If you choose a survey or beginning series when your students are expecting a focused class on, for instance, cake decorating (or baking or tamales or knife skills), it's going to be a tough adjustment for both you and them. Also, you should think about whether you want to teach demonstration style classes or hands-on classes. They require very different approaches, and not everyone is well-suited to teach both. If you have a specialty -- a cuisine or even just a dish -- that might be a good way to start off. Invite a couple of your potential students over and practice with them. You won't make any money for a while, but you'll gain invaluable experience. These are the kinds of things you might want to think about before you get into details like a specific curriculum, or the length of classes.

When I was at Pegu Club last year, I had what they called the 2-2-2 Manhattan. Two ryes (Michter's and Rittenhouse Bonded); two vermouths (NP dry and Carpano Antica) and two types of bitters (Angostura and Regan's Orange). It was one of the best Manhattans I've ever had, and since then I've been using the two vermouths and the two bitters in all my Manhattans. (I'd use the two ryes as well, but I don't generally have Michter's on hand.)