tammylc

How essential is it to use a non-stick pan for the frying? There aren't any non-stick pans in the kitchen I'm using, just big well-seasoned cast iron pans. I have a double burner griddle at home that I was planning to bring as well, and that's got a non-stick surface on it, although it's not really very non-stick. I'm going to have to do the frying in multiple rounds. I was planning to hold the already fried ones on a cooling rack placed in a sheet pan in a low oven. I want them to stay crispy, but don't want them to dry out - would covering them loosely in foil accomplish both goals? Anyone have experience holding these? Does this sound like a good plan? Fifi - you said you had enough leftover to fill a pan that big that deep. How many equivalent pans do you think you could have filled if you didn't eat any of it straight away? (Ie. what portion was left - a half, a third, a quarter?)

From the conversation, it sounded like the baked method probably didn't produce something with the right texture for chilling and grilling. But now that I read it again, it looks like that's not the case, since Fifi references nicely browned squares the next day. This would certainly be easier. I'd have to do multiple batches, of course, but I assume I could bake them all at the same time. Anyone want to weigh in on that idea?

I'm planning a menu that involves a crispy polenta base topped with a mushroom ragu then some sliced duck breast (or goat cheese for the vegetarians). For about 30-40 people. Any tips on cooking polenta for a crowd? If my only intention for my polenta is to chill it and slice it for frying, is there any difference in the recipe or technique? Is it best to use a sheet pan or a loaf pan? If I use a loaf pan, how many slices would I get from a loaf pan? How much polenta does it take to fill a loaf pan? I'm planning to do a trial run in smaller quantity this weekend, since I've never cooked polenta before, but I know that things can go weird when you size up recipes, so I'm looking to avoid unexpected pitfalls. Any help/ advice is appreciated!

There's no brunch menu listed on the website anymore: http://www.evetherestaurant.com/apps.htm It is sad. Their Cuban Reuban sandwich was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Okay folks - I need your help. A foodie friend is coming in to town to help me cook common meal next week. We want to do something interesting and out-of-the-ordinary, and still meet our price point of $5/person. Ideally this something will taste good AND look good, as presentation is something that doesn't generally get much play in the common meal setting. Our original plan was for a stacked entree - crisp polenta topped with mushroom ragu and slices of seared duck breast (or goat cheese for the vegetarians). With roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes and salad on the side. But we can't source duck cheaply enough to make it work, especially since mushrooms are expensive as well. Your creative ideas are urgently needed!

I'm pretty sure Eve is no longer serving brunch. Zingerman's Roadhouse does a nice Sunday brunch that won't be nearly so crowded as Zola. I haven't been to Zanzibar in years.

At the eGullet Heartland Gathering last year, I wanted to make a version of the caramelized zucchini served at Jose's Minibar in DC. While at the restaurant I had asked how it was made (easy to do since the chef is serving your food), so I had an approximation of the technique. But while we were off foraging for ingredients, Fat Guy called up the restaurant, asked to the speak the chef, and got the recipe!

Monday night's dinner was a great time! Bo Burlingham was an interesting and engaging speaker. The food was great, as expected. Ric tied his wine choices into the theme of the book by giving us a selection of really unique wines that are only made in one place in the world. And that have a certain amount of "mojo" for one reason for another. We're all pretty sure that these five wines have probably never been at the same table at the same time before! When I got there, Ric remembered me from last time and thanked me for the kind comments I made earlier in this thread. Turns out he's an eGullet lurker (Hi Ric!). He also said he'd had me in mind when he was picking wines for tonight's dinner, and was really glad that I was there. Which I'm sure was just him being a gracious host, but was very sweet of him to say! APPETIZERS Lobster shepherd's pie Crostini with smashed shelling beans, giblet-mushroom sauce, & greens Hot garlic potato chips Crispy artichoke hears with antique Wisconsin parmesan Wine: Retsina, Kechribari, Domaine Kechris, Thessaloniki, Greece NV At least one of the appetizers (the lobster shepard's pie) is a recipe from Union Square Cafe (the Union Square restaurant group is one of the companies profiled in the book). It was great. My favorite thing had to be the garlic potato chips. They weren't especially hot (the trials of serving 80 people at once) but they were incredibly yummy. I'd never had Retsina before, and was a little afraid, what with all the tales of Pinesol, etc. This one, however, was a lovely exception. Ric didn't write out his tasting notes for us this time, but the way he described the wine was right on. Think, he said, of someone deciding to make a lemon-almond-rosemary gelato, but accidently switching the ratios of lemon and rosemary, so you got about 3 times the rosemary you were expecting. Yep, pretty much. A nice acid opening, a hit of almond extract or marzipan in the middle, and then a piney finish. SOUP Black lentil & sweet red pepper soup Wine: Barleywine, Old Foghorn Ale, Anchor Steam Brewing Company, San Francisco, CA Deep black soup, heavily seasoned with black pepper, with a red pepper swirl to brighten things up. It was tasty, but the portion was too big, with all the other food on the menu. The Barleywine is actually a beer, of course, but as Anchor Steam Brewing Company is also in the book, it seemed a given. I'm not a beer drinker, but I did try it several times and still couldn't come around to it. Too bitter for me. SALAD Onion, apple, & Rogue River Blue cheese tart with baby greens & walnuts Wine: Vin Jaune de Chateau-Chalon, Reserve Catherine de Rye, Domaine Henri Maire, Chateau-Chalon, Arbois, France 1986 In a great coincidence, I'd just been reading about Vin Jaune in an eGullet thread mere days before the dinner. I've heard about these wines before, but had never had a chance to try them, so I was pretty excited. Despite all the warnings that most people don't like this wine until their 3rd or 4th try (if ever), everyone at our table liked it right off the bat. And it was a great combination with the lightly dressed salad topped with walnuts and a heartly slice of the blue cheese tart. (For those unfamiliar with Vin Jaune, they are an unusually made oxidized wine. The flavor was simliar to a sherry, and it reminded us a lot of the Alvear Carlos VII Amontillado we had at the last dinner.) ENTRÉES Chicken braised with figs & Michigan Wildflower honey SIDES Cornmeal hash Sweet potato mash with Quebec cider balsamic vinegar Spaghetini all'amatriciana Iowa pancetta Braised kale Wine: Amarone della Valpicella Classico DOC, Vaio Armaron, Serege Aligheiri, Agricola Masi, Veneto Italy, 1999 The chicken was fine, but didn't really excite me. An interesting variety of sides, though they felt pretty disconnected from each other. The cornmeal hash was a take off on another Union Square Cafe recipe. The sweet potato mash was sweet and flavorful with a definite touch of je ne sais quoi - presumably the vinegar. Iowa pancetta was crispy and tasty. And the braised kale was meltingly good. At 15.5%, the Amarone was a monster of a wine, and while one of my tablemates loved it, it just didn't float my boat. Interesting to try, though. DESSERT New York cheese cake from the Zingerman's Bakehouse Wine: Vintage blanc, Domaine du Mas Amiel, Maury, Cotes de Roussillon FR 2002 Freshly poured, the wine had a lot of volatile acidity, which fortunately blew off after a few minutes in the glass, revealing some more fruity aromas. Sweet, with pretty good acidity, and unlike anything I'd ever had, this is a White Grenache based wine that comes from a region where almost all the wines made our red, giving it that mojo Ric was looking for. Also, a very unusual bottle for a French wine, with a very stylized modern looking label. It was a good match for the rich but light cheesecake. A very fun night as always. Next month is a Kentucky theme dinner, where apparently they'll be drinking Bourbons instead of wine, so that should be interesting...

Thanks muchly for the report.

← Nowhere, sadly - my lunch date become unavailable. We were planning to go to Majority. Ah well - we may get another chance in a week or two.

no, i've not been to any of zingerman's outposts except their deli and the roadhouse. i know where there bakehouse is, but i just find the deli such a novel place - and i can usually get everything i want/need there - plus it's where the cheese is! re: gelato - i think that's at the creamery, no? although i have no idea where that is - is it with the bakehouse? ulterior epicure. ← Yep, gelato is made at the Creamery, which is right next door to the Bakehouse.

There's another special dinner coming up this Monday. Here's the details: I can't stress enough what a great value this is for the money. I'll be there - maybe I'll see some of you!

Hey, u.e. - have you ever been to Zingerman's Bakehouse? It's the source of all the pastries you like so much - you can get them right at the source. They also have really reasonably priced soups and sandwiches and other items ($5.95 for sandwiches, $4.95 for a pint of soup and a hunk of bread) for lunch. My office is real close to the Bakehouse, and I love to go over there to get lunch a couple times a month. It's located in an industrial park off State St. Zingerman's Creamery recently moved into town and is located right next to the Bakehouse - I bet you'd find the gelato there even more to your liking (fresher).

Looking for recommendations for lunch downtown on a weekday. Anybody got any?

Anyone been recently? I'm looking for a lunch spot with a friend on Tuesday.

man, i seem like the resident nay-sayer here... pacific rim is good (food), but TERRIBLY over-priced. i know, i'm sounding cheap as well (while i can be frugal, be assured, i've always been generous when it comes to dining out). maybe it's just ann arbor - which i think even the most loyal local will admit is really over-priced in general. other than (some of) the hole-in-the-wall ethnic eateries around the university, i haven't really found good, even acceptable value for my dollar in any ann arbor restaurant. u.e. [edited to add]: for the same pricetag, i'd rather take my business to eve. i don't know the management/owners at either - so it's not a personal bias at work here. ← A couple years ago, Forbes Magazine rated Ann Arbor 7th on its "Least Affordable Places to Live" list. So yeah, restaurants here tend to cost too much. Those of us that live here have to adopt a slightly different scale, otherwise we wouldn't ever eat out! Logan is offering a 5 course Chef's Tasting Menu (Tuesday through Thursday nights only), for $40. That sounds like a bargain to me, and I'll probably give it a shot next time I'm out (which could be a long time from now...)

The important thing to know about Zingerman's is that you can sample absolutely everything they sell. Don't just go in and order a sandwich - you'll totally be wasting the experience. Sample some cheeses, have them help you pick out a perfect olive oil or vinegar, etc. The staff loves rising to a challenge.

I've been busy and totally neglecting this thread. I've been cooking, but mostly doing reruns. Now I find myself at a loss for what to cook for my next few meals, and I'm looking to you all to help reinvigorate me! Chicken Marbella fans - what would I serve with it? I've seen at least one recommendation for mashed potatoes - what do you think? Any suggestion on a vegetarian main dish that would go well thematically? Or could tofu be done the same way? Any other suggestions and ideas? Thanks.

u.e. - when was the last time you were at Cafe Zola? They're doing white tablecloth dinners now. The room is still noisy because of all the hard surfaces, but it tends to be a bit more demure at dinner unless they're very busy. (Unlike brunch, when they're always busy!) The service isn't very formal though, that's for sure.

I've only been to Gandy Dancer once, and it was a while ago, so I don't really have a recommendation to make. They're specialty is seafood, though, I think, so that's probably a safe bet. Like u.e., I'd recommend going someplace else if possible. His suggestions are good, although I'd avoid the Mainstreet Ventures places (Gratzi, Chophouse) as they're really quite uninspired and overpriced. My favorite place in town, which u.e. doesn't mention, is Cafe Zola.

I only ate 5 meals in NYC this year (7 if you could continental breakfast at the hotel), so I don't have a lot to choose from, but the second course of our tasting menu at Annisa gets my vote. Soup dumplings filled with foie gras mousse and jicama, topped with a bit of seared foie gras, and sitting on a drizzle of reduced black vinegar. Yum.

Okay, I know Chianti goes with everything, so I pretty much can't go wrong. But my wine club is tasting Chianti on Monday night, and I'm looking for some interesting food ideas. We have a couple of Chiantis, and a couple of Chianti Classicos. IIRC, two of the wines are apparently more "old school" and two are in a newer fruitier style. People will already have had dinner before coming, so we're just looking for little bites, not a big meal. But we could do small portions of pasta or something like that. (I'm thinking about cheese stuffed shells with tomato sauce as one good possibility.) Thanks!

The key to liking CI's recipes is agreeing with their definition of what the "best" something is. So if you like thick, chewy chocolate chip cookies, their thin and crispy recipe is going to be a failure for you. But because of their obsessive testing, their recipes will live up to their definition. Their Tortilla Soup recipe is phenomenal. Sure, it's slightly simplified from a traditional recipe, but everyone I've served it to has absolutely raved. (And since I've cooked it several times for 50 or 60 people, that's a lot of raves.)

BTW, here's the Roadhouse upcoming event schedule: http://www.zingermansroadhouse.com/content...s/events_05.php The next monthly special dinner is January 17th, and they're also doing a bunch of special things for the holidays.

Last week my husband and I attended a special dinner at Zingerman's Roadhouse with our friends E & J. E works for Zingerman's. The dinner was celebrating the cheeses being produced by John Loomis and Zingerman's Creamery. It was a four course dinner, where we tried seven different cheese and eight different wines. The first course was just cheese, largely unadorned. There were four different cheeses on the plate, with a bunch of roasted grapes in the center and a few pieces of cranberry pecan crispbread. We tasted the cheeses one by one, with the cheesemaker describing the cheese, and the sommelier describing the accompanying wine. Side note on the sommelier - Eric swore he looked familiar, and eventually we figured out that he was the sommelier at Tribute the two times we were there. Ric can talk about wine forever. And as we found out last night, he writes tasting notes that are awesomely over-the-top and poetic. I will quote a line or two from each of his notes on the wine, because they were one of the things that made everything so fun. Ric's range of wine knowledge is huge, so he must be a little frustrated by the Roadhouse, since they only serve American wines. For last night's tasting, however, he was "allowed" to bring in some imports. Okay, back to the appetizer. Our first cheese was the Chelsea, and mold ripened goat cheese log in the style of cheeses from the Loire Valley in France. In my own little wine geek moment of the night, I was able to identify the wine we were served as a Chenin Blanc just from the taste. More specifically, it was a dry chenin blanc from Chappellet in Napa Valley (I don't know the vintage). Here's a excerpt from Ric's lengthy note: Imagine a table full of resh breakfast fruit (mango, melon and lime), kissed by an acidity as bright as the sun, touched by mineral flavors like the dew at dawn, a bit of nut and honey, and a splash or two of color from a bouquet of white flower. Great wine, great pairing. I'm not real familiar with chenin blanc, and my tendency would have been to pair a sauvignon blanc with this. We were served one later, however, and it wasn't nearly as good. Next up, the Manchester. This is a double cream cow's milk round. The wine was a Domaine des Baumard Couteaux du Layon AOC Moulleu, cuvee Carte d'Or. Another chenin blanc, but this one was a sweet botrytised wine, in the same vein as a a Sauternes. Ric's note: Unlike the wines of Sauternes from Bordeaux, the botrytised chenin of the Loire speaks more of fruit than honey, in dignified tones, without textural bombast, nimble upon the tongue and light with in the mouth. Another lovely wine, and a lovely pairing. The Sharon Hollow cheese is a very fresh cow cheese, hand ladled into rounds. It's simple and creamy, but was delightful with Selene, a sauvignon blanc from Hyde Vineyard of Carneros in Napa Valley. Very much in the style of sb's from the Loire Valley, where the inspiration for the cheeses came from. From the notes: Granny Smith apples and nectarine spill from the glass, riding about a deep and persistent undercurrent of stone and river rock, like water in a stream. I love wines that make me think of licking rocks, so this one was a big hit for me. The last cheese in the appetizer course was the Bridgewater. It's a double cream spiked with black tellichery peppercorns, and aged 4 to 8 weeks. Intensely spicy with the peppercorns, we were served one of the few wines that could possibly have stood up to that cheese - a sherry-style fortifed wine from Alvear called Carlos VII, an amontillado made entirely from Pedro Ximenez grapes. Ric's amazing note writing is best illustrated by this note, which described exactly what the wine is like. The nose implies butterscotch and caramel, suggesting a sweet syrup the palate will quickly deny. On the tongue salt, like soy, and an iodine tinge, like an Islay scotch or a rush of sea water, rise and rush through the mouth until the flavors of toasted hazelnut develop, lingerly lightly on the protracted finish. A huge, powerful wine, we could smell the nose as soon as they started pouring glasses on the other side of the room. Ric claims is is one of the ultimate cheese wines, and I went back and tasted all the other cheeses with it, and it was a great pairing every time, so I'm inclined to think he's right. Only 200 cases imported into the US, though, so I figure I'm unlike to be able to find a bottle even if I wanted to... For those keeping track at home, all that writing just takes me up to the end of the appetizer course. Although they were short pours, we did have four wines already, and there are more to come... Ric had quickly pegged our table as the wine geek table, so we got lots of opportunities to chat with him about what we were tasting and what was coming up. When I noted that I'd managed to identify the chenin blanc before I knew what it was, he told me I'd never guess the wine coming up with the next course - and he was right... The next course was another cheese, but this time in a slightly more adorned fashion. The Little Napolean is a lightly aged mold ripened goat cheese round. A little more oomph than a fresh goat cheese, but still light and fresh tasting. 3 small wedges of the cheese were placed on top of some raw honey sprinkled with freshly crushed peppercorns. To the left were some homemade fig preserves, and on the right, a mango chutney. This was one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. Goat cheese and figs are classic. The honey and cheese was incredible. I've had many dishes where special sea salt sprinkled on top just set the dish apart - in this case, that role was played by the black pepper, which just pushed everything up a notch. And the whole thing was just brought to perfection by a rare and unusual wine. I'd never even heard of the grape variety, Petit Manseng. The wine was a Pacherenc du Vic Bihl Brumaire Novembere 1999. This is a late harvest wine, so quite sweet. With flavors of quince and apricot and honey, it just did extraordinary things with all the components of the dish. From Ric's notes: Consider it a stroll through the yellowed world of fall: vanilla scents stir the air, wet leaves sing underfoot, tree fruits mature sweetly in the orchard along the path, and the breeze blows warm with but a suggestion of the cold to come. Elegant, alluring and complex, it is both mysterious and magical but equally well-spoken, well-dressed and polite. Less than 100 cases are imported to the US. Our main course was a Niman Ranch free-range hanger steak broiled with the Detroit St. Brick. This cheese is a goat's milk cheese with green peppercorns. The steak was served with pureerd celeriac and a few brussels sprouts. Nicely rare, good meaty flavor, great combo with the cheese. This was the course where our chatting up the sommelier really made a difference. We'd been talking about the difference age makes to a wine, as I was saying that I really wanted to figure out how to show that to Wine Club. So for this course, Ric brought out extra glasses *just for our table* and an extra bottle of wine for us to try. The wine for this course was the Brandlin Vineyard Zinfandel 1997. Ric says: Consider this a wine time has tamed. Though the flavors are still big and brambly, the tannins have sewn themselves into silk, and the fuit has lost the exuberant boysenberry holler of its youth, achieving the deep and pleasing resonance of a truffled maturity. Up against this, Ric gave us a 2003 Ridge Zinfandel. It wasn't a perfect match, as the two wines come from different regions and have different characteristics, but it was still interesting to see how they played off of one another and what differences age made. The Brandlin was by far the bigger and fuller of the two wines and the flavors were notably more knitted together. I seem to like somewhat lighter wines, so I actually had a slight preference for the Ridge, but they were both great. Finally, we closed with a Cream Cheese Mousse served with candied orange, brandied mince meat and a praline cookie. The mousse itself was strangely rubbery, I thought, but the accompaniments were great. And once again, we were served a wine that just made it all even better. The Henriques and Henriques 10-Year Old Malmsey of the Broadbent Madiera collection had enough acidity to temper the richness of the cream cheese mousse, and a spicy, raisiny flavor that echoed the mince meat and orange. From Ric's notes (proving he's not just about the poetry, but informative too): Although nearly a forgotten spirit in the modern lexicon, Madeira as once the dominate wine in colonial America... The colonies were so enamored of Madeira, women of the Southern gentry wore it behind their ears as perfume. Between the great food and the great wine, I was definitely in good spirits at the end of the meal. And what a bargain! The dinner itself was just $35 - heck, I can't get out of Zingerman's Roadhouse for that amount of money for just a regular dinner. And this amazing, best-I've-ever-had, wine pairing - well, that cost the princely sum of $19. Zingerman's Roadhouse does these dinners monthly - I think I'll have to start making them a regular event. Edited to correct the spelling of Ric's name.