TicTac

If one had an aversion to buttermilk - given the taste of the final product per the original recipe, what would you substitute? I am thinking maybe just a little lime and/or lemon and a bit of water?

An extended 5 hour dinner party tonight! I contributed a dish consisting of Joel Robuchon's mashed potatoes, porcini reduction, seared king oyster mushrooms with ramp oil, and smoked speck. Other noteworthy contributions included a fresh white truffle risotto and porterhouse/usda NY prime strip dueling steaks with tarragon butter.

I would like to hear more about this interesting looking pan!

Love this photo for so many reasons. His expression, the Fabio'esque hair and the wristband...awesome! Oh and the cake aint too shabby either

This is what you would call - Form over Function. Of little value to me, at least.

Sadly no picture, though not that this lunch was a beauty to begin with... But a total mish-mash of 'odds and sodds' as my mother used to call it. I put together what I thought would work, and indeed it did! Crispy fried Haiga rice, leftover paste from last night's clams (green onion, chili, garlic, ginger) and finished with leftover chopped smoked sprats...a squeeze of lime....very strong enjoyable flavours!!! My 4 year old asked for extra.

$18!? USD I bet to boot! Wow! I need to consider peddling my pickled ramps.... 🤔

Good idea as well. Pat them dry really well before searing. Wonder if a bit of salt while sitting uncovered would help by removing a bit of moisture and condensing flavour....

It's all about how hot your pan is. If your pan is screaming hot, add a bit of either clarified butter or my preference, rice bran oil and butter mix - and you should achieve your desired browning. Ensure not to overcrowd the pan, and if you have a thick heavy pan - even better.

Do they throw the eggs into the pasture after the chickens lay them? 😋

Can't say I have tried Stateside interpretations - but I would be curious as to how they compare. I still have fond memories of traveling to France with my (then) 75 year old grandmother and taking a large empty tupperware container with us, only to return with it filled to the brim with vac packed cheesy goodness! Reblochon, Tomme, Epoisses, Brie de Meaux....oh how I love thee, let me count the ways!

Can't have more than one favourite! 😛 If I was forced to choose, it would be one of the petite unpasteurized aged french goat cheeses (typically only found in France, sadly!)

Prickly pear juice....mmmm. I have fond memories of my grandparents taking me to The Phoenician (a hotel in Scottsdale AZ, on CamelBack Mountain) for meals and often one of them would have a prickly pear margarita. I often got to sneak a little sip and can still remember the taste. Great stuff, very jealous - would never see anything like that north of the border!

As well, a home made Tahini sauce would also work really well in this dish!

Onions cooked down slowly in chicken fat are a thing of beauty. The ultimate confit medium! I still remember slathering on schmaltz with my grandmother, getting excited to hit a 'load' of skin and onions in the dish, then topping with some salt. It's amazing how food and tastes create such strong memories. I can still tell you all of the dishes I had with my grandmother in Italy 20+ years ago - what we did in between meals, not so much, but the food itself....I can still picture it!

You have clearly never had good schmaltz then! My grandmother used to make it with onions and salt, and then we would slather the stuff on crusty bread - Heart attack on a plate! But oh so good.

Looks fantastic. FWIW - It's Schmaltz - However; I am more than willing to call it Schmalz (or anything you want, for that matter!) if you send some my way!

Try roasting them even past that point - you will be amazed at how much more flavour develops. I often roast big shiitakes and Elm Oysters (which I forage). I keep them whole and put a dollop of ramp butter and salt in the cap (face up). Toasted till they are brown. Many uses thereafter.

Smoked meats of any kind do really well to mask (and elevate) the flavour of chard. I too am not fond of it on its own, but a slow braise with a hunk of smoked turkey or pork and some stock makes it excellent (come to think of it, that prep would make shoe leather taste good! )

Sounds like you are plagued with similar allergies to me! No down/feathers for this guy! Reminds me of a story many moons ago when my grandmother took me to Italy for my first EU trip, we were staying in this beautiful villa and I woke up middle of the night sneezing non stop and having the worst allergy attack - quickly did we realize that I am allergic to the pillows! Unfortunately they were not as diversely stocked as your AirBnB (this was 20+ years ago!) and rolled up bath towels had to suffice!!

....just drop the beast on the floor if you do not want to tackle it whole, from there, very manageable smaller pieces can be handled with a chef's knife.

Funny enough, at the farmers market this past weekend - a gentleman approached the main farmer and asked if he could have a piece of a large European squash varietal. Mike (the farmer) being a great guy, said sure - and proceeded to drop the beast on the floor, cracking it naturally down the center. A bit of prying, and done.

Inspired by some of @shain's cooking - I have made this dish twice now and am happy enough to report on it! Roasted Korean Sweet Potatoes - consider that the base/canvas! A variety of toppings placed, in no particular order: - Tahini sauce - Roasted pumpkin seeds - Caramelized balsamic onions - Tamarind sauce Talk about a tasty treat, and a healthy meal to boot!

@Kerry Beal - if you want a fantastic source for that bread, check out Khorak Supermarket on Yonge just south of Steeles. Go towards the back where they pump these out (and a few other types) all day long. When I still ate bread, it was a favourite of mine (next to Blackbird, my lost love....*sob*)

I have, though my guess is that it was mayo based and whatever tang was from an acid source (though I could easily be wrong!). It's more of a mental blockade than anything else. I am more than happy to substitute a bit of water and lemon juice to accomplish a very similar end result. It's one of the reasons why I feed my kids everything and do not let any of my foibles impact them (too much... 😛)