halland

Hello all, I'll confess I'm a cannoli junkie. My wife is amazed how we can be in the middle of nowhere, and I'll disappear for 2 minutes and come back with a cannoli in my hand. Unfortunately the cannolis that I've had in Seattle are terrible. So this christmas I'm going to figure out how to do this myself. For now I've just got store bought cannoli shells, so I'm just looking for your best filling recipe. In particular, I'm not looking for the authentic Sicilian version as much as I'm looking for the good New York/St. Louis style Italian-American version. Thanks! Hal

Carema, I'll post what I'm planning here, but it should be known that these are just my plans -- I have not eaten at any of these places. R. Peirre Demours & R. Lebone (I'll find the address) - reputed to vac-pack cheese so that its easier to get through customs. Not that I'm recommending doing this -- I don't want Ashcroft putting me on the list. 18e -- La Chope de la Marie, 88 r. Ordener - has live Parisian(?) music on Friday and Saturday nights. 18e -- Aux Negociants, 27 r. Lambert - Go for the baby lamb and the chocolate mousse (FLGP) 11e -- L'Occitanie, 96 r. Oberkampf - Reputed to have a very good 9e lunch. 11e -- Clown Bar, 114 r. Amelot -- Get the foie gras (in FLGP) 11e -- Jacques Melac, 42 r. Leon-Frot -- Good lunch (in FLGP) 4e(?) -- L'as du Fallafel, 34 r. du Rosiers -- Has excellent falafel and lamb schwarma 4e -- Calixte, 64 r. Saint-Louis en I'lle - Patissierie that is supposed to have some of the best croissant and pain au chocolat. Sells out by 11:30am. (in FLGP) NOTE: My notes that have (in FLGP) in them are all establishments listed in the Food Lover's Guide to Paris and were also recommended by friends who spent 9 months living in Paris and eating their way through much of this book. I have some more notes at home that I'll have to add later. Hal

I'm going for my first time at the end of January, and my wife went to school there in '88. I've got quite a few notes that I'd be happy to pass along regarding places I've earmarked to try. PM me if you're interested. Additionally, I'd recommend getting the Food Lovers Guide to Paris by Patricia Wells (she's the food editor for the International Herald Tribune which also has restaurant reviews). In addition to restaurant listings, this also has listings of bakeries, fromageries, cookware shops, etc. Also you might look at this link at Yahoo for English language Paris newspapers that have restaurant reviews. I've got a copy of the Marling Menu Master to help with menu decoding. Hal

I've gotten 2 pans -- one for me and one for a friend and we both love them. I got them at Sur La Table in Seattle. My pan is effectively nonstick and I credit this to never using soap on it (my $.02). I think the 10" skillet was around $25. These pans aren't in the catalog, but if you call the seattle store they could ship them to you. Hal

When chopping onions, put a small piece of bread into your mouth and keep it there. I don't know why it works but it really does. Hal

I have The Foods of Vietnam by Nicole Routhier. I haven't cooked my way through the book yet but everything I've tried is good. Unfortunately I can't vouch for the authenticity of the book, but its well put together and has very nice photos. Hal

I'll throw in what I'd like to do, though I haven't gotten there yet. Wall mounted flat screen monitor with touch-screen and pen capabilities. No keyboard would be required. Would provide access to the internet for recipes (why keep old magazines when most of the recipes are online -- epicurious, saveur, food&wine, egullet, etc). Other personal recipes stored in simple HTML format. Also would provide access to all MP3 files for cooking/dining/mood music as well. Hal

There is a small asian market that sells szechuan peppercorns, if you've been following this thread. Hal

Its possible that they just smuggle the Sichuan Peppercorns down from Vancouver like I do. Hal

Ahh, both the smoked pork and the potato dishes were ones I wanted to order but didn't -- I always want to order the really odd dishes but usually get them shot down by my dining companions. Its good to know that they are worth getting. Have you tried the shaved noodles at Shanghai Garden? While not particularly Sichuan, I've yet to find any that are as good. Hal

In a similar vein, I remember a used cookware store in SF that was near the Castro. Does anyone know what this place was, and if its still there? Hal

I'd disagree that the chinese truffles are aromaless -- however I think one should no less than the usual caution when purchasing them. I occasionally see them at my grocery for around $5 for a walnut sized truffle. I'll agree its no perigord truffle, but at the same time it does add a nice flavor to a risotto or sliced and placed under the skin of a chicken for roasting. Let your nose be the judge -- if it has the right aroma, you'll know it. Hal

Last night a group of five of us met to try Seven Stars Pepper, a newer Sichuan restaurant in a strip mall at 12th and Jackson. It had come highly recommended to us on the advice of some friends who recently had a culinary epiphany there. Three of us arrived at 6, before the other two, and were promptly seated at the last round table in the place. We were immediately brought tea and water and then it took us another 15 minutes of (actual) arm waving to attract enough attention to order some beers and an appetizer. I don't think that our seeming invisiblity was intentional by the servers, rather I think the fact that the restaurant wasn't completely full yet allowed the staff to get everything prepared. We started with the steamed dumplings in a spicy pepper sauce. These were what dumplings should be -- light pillowy pasta surrounding a plump, meaty center full of pork, ginger, and scallion flavors and a hint of of 5 spice (or maybe just cinnamon). The sauce the dumplings were served in was delicious and we drank it down after finishing the dumplings themselves. The rest of our group arrived by 6:40, a little later than we'd planned. (I should mention that while we had to work to get someone to bring us beers, we were never made to feel guilty for hogging the table while waiting for our friends.) By that time the place had really filled up and was in full swing. Pretty much everyone there was ordering hot pot and almost every table had a burner with a pot of simmering broth atop it. Servers raced around with plates piled 8" high with curls of shaved raw beef and lamb. While we were tempted by the hot pot, we decided instead to order a selection of dishes off the menu. We ordered: Potstickers Dry cooked string beans with prawns Sichuan beef Twice cooked pork Eggplant in garlic sauce Ants on a log The potstickers were very good, and quite large. I think the filling was the same or very similar to what was in the dumplings. I don't think its possible to eat bad dry cooked beans, and these were very good if maybe a little too saucy. The sichuan beef was delicious; large slices of beef and large pieces of roasted peppers in a spicy sauce. I noticed at the end of the meal that even the pepper pieces all got eaten. I was the only one at the table that really liked the twice cooked pork, which I attribute to the fact that it was made from fatty pork belly rather than from a leaner cut, but it was delicious. Large pieces (2"x2"x1/4") of pork in a light soy based sauce with some bell pepper and scallions. The eggplant in garlic sauce was sweeter than I think any of us expected but it was very good. It had an interesting aftertaste that I just can't figure out, the flavor didn't really linger in your mouth, but if you breathed in through your mouth you could taste it. Last, and one of my favorite Sichuan dishes, was Ants on a log. This is glass noodles with ground pork, ginger, soy sauce, and some other seasonings. This was by far the best dish we had. My companions felt the dishes were a little greasy, and they were greasier than some other places, but I felt it was good tasting grease and so was ok. Total with tip came to around $80. I'd definately go back as there were some dishes on the menu that looked interesting (octopus in white sauce and quite a few lamb dishes) but in general I'll stick to my old standby, which is right across the street. Its simply named "Sichuanese Cuisine" and has the great potstickers and dumplings in large quantities for low cost (25 for $4.50, or something like that!) and by far the best dry cooked string beans I've eaten. Hal

I leave for st. louis on Wednesday. If I have time to check it out I will!!! I just did a little Google research. It appears that Dieckmeyer's is closed, but the Back Door (9538 Gravois Rd) and Ferguson's Pub (2925 Mt. Pleasant) both serve them as well as Cafe Manhattan (listed above). Check out the Lowlife Guide to St. Louis for more on brain sandwiches and other St. Louis greasy spoons. The Eat Rite looks freaking awesome. Hal

I'll second the desire for a homebrewing thread/topic. There aren't many other forums that can compete with the community of Egullet, especially in the homebrew arena. Hal

For infusing AND for general drinking, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better value for the price than Luksosowa. Its a potato-based vodka that is about $14/fifth. Its my favorite regardless of price and I've used it quite a bit for Aquavit infusions and have always been quite happy with the final product. Outside of the usual infusions like Caraway/Dill/Fennel/etc. combinations to come up with fairly traditional Danish (strong caraway, like Aalborg green bottle) and Norwegian (like Line), we also had good results with a coffee bean infusion. Hal

Second Use has a used 6 burner Wolf for $950 if anyone is interested. See this link and scroll down to #8. Hal

I'm looking forward to my trip to Paris at the end of this coming January. I just read about Rungis and now want to go check it out. Does anyone have advice on how to get in or who to contact to arrange a tour? I apologize if I asked this already, I'm so exhausted from remodeling my kitchen that I can't see straight. Hal

I know that many cooking schools also have "training" restaurants that offer inexpensive meals of good quality. CIA does this, and in Seattle where I live, the community college offers a great lunch. Do any of the cooking schools in Paris offer similar accomodations? I'd love to give one a try while I'm there in early February. Hal

I don't know how it lasts forever. I found another reference in one of my Time Life cookbooks to another potted cheese called foudjou that seems to be almost the same thing. A simple google reveals this page on Patricia Wells' site. The Time Life book also mentions the cheese's longevity, however it does not make any claims about how long the people who ate the cheese lived! I just need to find a small crock and then I'll be in business. Does anyone know if a mason jar would work? I could wrap it with foil to keep out light. Hal

I've been reading through the DK book French Cheeses and am intrigued by the section on Fromage Fort. In particular I'm looking for additional information on making Cachaille, a fromage fort made from grated dry cheese and eau-du-vie that will keep for up to 20 years if replenished (see pages 140-142 for the fromage fort section). Does anyone have any guidance on making fromage fort of any sort? Hal

I paid 130 euros for 3 days and 850Km of driving. Mercedes A class -- unfortunately the SmartCar is not suitable for highway driving. Hal

Alas, I've already made the reservation and they do not allow cancellations. As their page states: "If you are not prepared to take the risk of a potential cancellation, you should not consider booking with easyCar.com." They were recommended by a friend who'd lived in Paris. If I remember, I'll post a followup after I return. Hal

I think we've decided on Beaune and we rented a car from easycar.com We shifted around the schedule a bit so that we could eat at Jardin des Ramparts which has been highly recommended to us. If anyone has further advice regarding Beaune, please keep it coming. Hal

My wife and I will be in Paris at the end of January for 9 days. We'd like to take a break from the city in the middle of the stay and spend 2 nights somewhere out of town. We've looked at Beaune a little bit, but I'd be open to any recommendations, food should/will definately be a major focus. We'll be renting a car and don't want to drive more than 3-4 hours each way if possible Any thoughts or recommendations? I know this is a little off topic, but food and wine will definately be a major focus. thx Hal