Richard Kilgore

The cake is an inch or less high.

Thanks Seth and Marlene. I can not emphasize how easy Suze's cake is to make. I would guess 1 1/4 hours from start to coming out of the oven. It does look fudgy and it has some of that quality, but is lighter and cakey all at the same time. I don't think I yet have the vocabulary to describe this well. But not fudgy-gummy at any rate. Great choices, Thornado. I've got to try the Melody and the Dome sometime. And everyone's macaroons are inspiring me to attempt them, too.

These are the madeleines baked in silicone. I did not use any butter. I think you'll find them easy and delicious.

I understand you have a new restaurant opening in a few months. Can you tell us more about it and how it will be similar to and different than Aires?

Given your educational background in English literature, what kinds of food writing do you enjoy, Scott? Who are your favorite contemporary food writers?

Not mine. I suggest you email or call Nidia.

Here's today's dish, Smoked Turkey Leg & Pinto Beans, in a La Chamba casserole. Slow cooked for about four hours in a slow oven (250 F).

I finally got around to Suze's Cake. No multiple components. Simple and delicious.

Yes, from tagines.com. It is the 12 inch size.

Welcome and thanks for joining us this week, Scott. I was reading the Robb Walsh article on your bakery and wondered how that has worked out. What breads do you use regularly at Aires? Any special breads that you have used?

Here's a previous discusion about Pizza Stones that you may find interesting.

Thanks, Paula. I still have a few questions. This is what I have done twice before. So are you saying to do it again, but only bake it for a couple of hours this time? And how thoroughly do you wash off the ashes? Just rinse, or scrub or what? Can you clarify this please? Are you saying to do this to just the exterior of the bottom part, or interior also? How do you mean "in small sections"? Just oil/ash patches of the clay and then run it under the broiler?

I have nothing to judge by, but 20 sounds pretty good to me. It has a great deal more character than when it arrived. I think if I treat it another time and do not wash off as much of the ashes at the end before applying the EVOO, it will pick up another 20 - 30 years. What do you think?

Here's my Rifi tagine after curing and aging. After washing and soaking for four hours, I oiled it, but it was a week before I had time to do the aging. I then baked it with EVOO and ashes twice, with a trip under the broiler in between. After this treatment, it soaked up about four applications of EVOO.

Here's a delicious order of tacos: pork, beef and potato, and lengua. As I got to know the people at Latino Market, some of the ethnic complexities began to emerge. More to come.

The cheese case packed with Mexican cheeses.

Here is a small section of a long meat counter full of beef, pork and chicken.

Juan the Singing Butcher As you may recall, I mentioned above the plaintive song of the butcher. Juan has a very fine voice and customers enjoy his singing and banter.

I have gotten to know the food and the people at Latino Market much better over the past year. I have eaten many tacos and many bowls of caldo (soup). It is also an inexpensive source for produce, and I often get my tomatoes, limes, cilanto, avocados and other fruits and vegetables there. They also have a large selection of dried herbs and chile peppers.

I served this with baby summer squash sauteed with grapeseed oil in a La Chambra saute pan. The braise was incredible after resting in the fridge for two days. It also was enough work that I will try something like Linda's short-cut version next time to see what I think.

Bob -- the saute pans do not have lids. Just the casseroles and the bean pots. from what you say, the 4 qt caserole might met your needs if you are cooking for more than two people.

Any other suggestions for dishes to try, irodguy? It would take me a lifetime to eat my way through the menu.

I'll have to try it with the clay pots, Paula. I have not used it a great deal. Just the design of it would suggest that it should reduce the heat level a little better than the enameled cast iron one I was using. I think the problem with most designs is that while they may be good at evening out the heat, they still transmit the full amount from the burner. They may eliminate hot spots, but they don't disipate heat the way this design does.

That site lists them as out of stock, Linda. I have one that I picked up last year. They are made in New Zealand. It is not enameled like that the one described on that site. It appears to be aluminized steel instead. The shop I got mine from was discontinuing carrying them, and I have not seen one elsewhere.

I had lunch at the First Chinese BBQ in Carrolton (Beltline at Josey, NE corner) one day this week. My first time at any of their locations. Ducks hanging, trays of tripe, a deeply orange-red roasted pig's head as you come in. Large black and white photos of China on the walls. The menu is huge. It must have been six to eight pages, and much looked interesting. Each menu item is listed in Chinese characters, English and Vietnamese. After exploring the menu for ten minutes, I asked my server what she would recommend from the BBQ section. She was very helpful, saying that she liked the roast pork and the BBQ duck, and that although the two did not come as a combination on the menu, she could create one for me. She warned me that most non-Asians did not care for these choices and preferred the chicken items. I went with her favorites. The pork was cool, in small chunks, with a crisp, crunchy skin. The duck was warm, crisp and delicious. I was a little puzzled by the pork arriving cool, so I asked. She immediately offered to warm it up, but I said I preferred to eat it cold if that was the usual. She pointed out that they serve it cold to keep the fat crisp. Of course. She then went out of her way to say that it is the best Chinese restaurant in the Dallas area, not like the others, and that she was not just saying that because she works there, and that it is a favorite of Chinese and Vietnamese people. I can't say, since I have not eaten in all the Chinese restaurants in the Dallas area. But she was one persuasive woman. I'll be back.