gourmande

...Um. . . that is likely the Coconut Water that is sold by Goya for instance. ... No, it is indeed coconut milk, I do know the difference For some reason, many of the chain grocery stores in this part of the province shelf the coconut milk in the drinks aisle. It took me a while to A) find it and B) get used to that placement when I moved here. I do make it a point whenever I visit the supermarket to ask why they don't place it with the other coconut milk products (sauces etc.) in the ethnic food section. Apparently my pleas aren't making much of an impression on the Zehrs' product placement police!

Marlene, if your supermarket is anything like mine, you'll likely find the coconut milk in the "drinks" aisle shelved with the drink mixes.

Fo lunch today I made chicken and rice soup: 1/2 onion finely chopped 1/3 cup sliced celery 1/3 cup sliced carrot 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves 4 tbsp of my concentrated chicken stock 4 cups water 1 cup shredded chicken (from last night's roast chicken) 1/2 cup cooked lemon scented basmati rice (leftover from Friday's dinner) salt to taste a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce chopped parsley at the end

There are some interesting observations here that I hope will, at some point in time, make their way to Molly's kitchen experts for future editions/revisions. I have braised in the same LC pots I've owned for over 30 years, they are both quite deep (two round, one oval) and I have had fabulous results regardless of the "head space" in the vessel. I plan on trying the parchment cover (just over the food, NOT extending beyond the vessel; I just don't see the point to that) for my next braise, and my thought is that the only benefit will be that it will eliminate the need to scrape the sides down in the pot. I stand to be corrected, but please allow me the time to test my theory... Also mentioned by others is the oven temp. I too have found it necessary to reduce the temp (from what is suggested) to maintain a gentle simmer. Mind you, I've always braised at lower temperatures so that didn't really surprise me. I have found this same problem with many other recipes, particularly in recipes from "celebrity" kitchens... Could it be that while they are scaling the recipe ingredients for home use they are forgetting to factor in home "hardware" in all its capacities? While these aren't major issues for many of us - we can easily adjust recipes to our needs, environment and equipment - they could present a real problem to those who are more intimidated in the kitchen ... and all marketing aside, that could turn a best seller with longevity into a clearance item. Just rambling...

Knife work for sure! The world is a much better place after I've brunoised 1 or 2 pounds of carrots... Carrots are also a lot cheaper than a therapist Baking of any kind also puts me in a very pleasurable zone... only because I'm always so amazed when I succeed. Sheesh ... remember when it took "special" herbs and mushrooms to reach those highs

Chicken broth with rice, and lightly buttered toast and tea. Works for me.

One day last week I combined leftover steak and Guinness stew with leftover tomato based sauce from my braised chicken thighs (there was less than a cup of each), added water (no need for stock with such rich bases), some diced potato, simmered until all the flavours blended and the potato was tender, and tada... a fantastic hearty soup for lunch!

That reminds me of my mom as well. When I was very young (I'm talking back in the mid fifties) dishes like Dover sole meunière and filet de sole amandine sounded so exotic. Thinking back now, anything that actually had a name sounded exotic.

Tonight it's Nile perch baked over chopped canned tomatoes topped with a garlicky parsley and bread crumb crust; lemon scented basmati rice; and a salad of spinach, red pepper and oranges.

For as long as I can remember, Friday meals have been "meatless" or "maigre" as we would call it. Obvioulsy this started out as a religious observance but is now purely tradition ofr habit, at least in my home. When I was younger, Friday dinner consisted of fish (usually cod sole or halibut) a hearty pea soup or baked beans, the last two prepared without the usual pork hock and ham (soup) and salted pork (beans). Though I continue the meatless Friday tradition, our meals are bit more diverse than they were way back then. 99% of the time I'll prepare fish for dinner and sometimes for lunch as well. The last month's or so worth of Friday fish dinners included: - baked salmon with maple burbon sauce... - baked turbot with a lemon tarragon mayonnaise... - tuna casserole - salmon en papillote... - baked Nile perch with a honey Dijon glaze... I haven't been to the fishmonger's yet so still unsure what we're having for dinner tonight In the summer (when I can deep-fry outdoors) I'll make fish (beer battered) and chips as that is my husband's favourite Friday dinner. In this city, most churches, K of C halls, Canadian Legions and Clubs (Scottish, English, Italian, Irish, French...) have a Friday Fish Fry open to the public, and this is a year round thing.

His recipe calls for 6 tbs/75 g total Though it's more than I might normally use for a similar preparation, this recipe was the perfect excuse for my secret indulgence

That's what I thought as well. Yes, other recipes using more exotic (and expensive) mushroooms may yield a richer, deeper mushroom flavour, but for a simple recipe using basic shrooms, this one is hard to beat. Personally I blended until it was velvety smooth. I added a bit of texture with a garnish of pan seared mushrooms.

The sturdier woody stemmed herbs (rosemary, thyme et al) I wrap loosely in paper towels and keep the bundles in an large plastic bin in the fridge. The more delicate herbs (parsley, basil et al) I refrigerate in "vases" which I cover loosely with a baggie. Like one of the other posters, I also keep a couple of bouquets of frequently used herbs in mason jar "vases" on my kitchen counter. Summer is a whole different story... I just go out and snip what I need Actually, even in summer I like to have bouquets of herbs in the kitchen.

Once you've roasted potatoes in duck fat you'll find it hard to do it any other way.

In the past two weeks I've made two beef braises, one pork and two chicken, so I think the first recipe I'll try from the book will be the Morrocan lamb shoulder chops. Just reading the list of spices in the rub makes my knees buckle! As long as my butcher has the lamb chops I'm in business. I'm of two minds regarding the cooking vessel. She recommends a shallow braiser, which I don't have, or a sauté pan which I do have and could use to keep with her shallow foods shallow pan theory. However, I've always used my deep Le Creuset pots for all braises and feel more comfortable with them. So, I might just stick with one of them but be sure to cover the food with parchment to minimize the head space. If I can remember, I'll try to take pictures of the process and the results.

Last night we had braised chicken "provençal" (tomatoes, olives, herbes de provence, etc.), potatoes roasted in duck fat, a crusty baguette from the local bakery (needed to sop up the lovely sauce), a mixed leaf salad with simple tarragon vinaigrette, and for dessert, a pear tart and slices of very old cheddar. Our dinner wine was a French rosé, "Côtes de Provence".

My book arrived... just this minute!

This morning: alligator fritters with a chipotle yogurt dipping sauce.

The only prepared food item that I can remember refusing is tongue. It was 25 or more years ago at a friend's house. She and I had spent an afternoon playing tennis and after a quick call home she invited me for dinner as her husband had prepared "something special' - it just so happened he owned one of the better French restaurants in the city I lived in at the time. However, when the platter hit the table bearing nothing but a large greyish looking ... well let's just say "tongue" is not what I was seeing, in fact I had no idea what I was seeing ... I politely declined assuring them that the salad and bread had been plenty Sadly, that experience has resulted in an aversion I can't seem to overcome.

Ok, now how about food safety issues (handling, preparation et al) on the home front where there are no regulations, inspectors or other quality control mechanisms in place? You know your standards, but do you always know those of your host? Case in point: Last summer we (and others) bowed out of a BBQ at a friend's house because of other commitments, and thank goodness we did. It seems this friend's thrifty ways prevented her from ditching chicken that had clearly gone bad. Instead, she rinsed it off, grilled it and fed it to her husband - she decided to not eat hers because it "didn't look right" to her. To make matters worse she told us that part of the problem may have been that it wasn't fully cooked through either! Needless to say her husband became violently ill, spent two days in hospital and a full week in recovery, looking and sounding like death itself. I have eaten there once since that happened, but as you can imagine, many others find an excuse to bow out because they were troubled by the risk she took then and are concerned that she could be a "repeat offender". How would you deal with a similar situation?

I hope this has not been discussed elsewhere - I did go through the tutorial and Q&A threads but may have missed it... I do appologize if I did. Any thoughts on the value (or not) of pressing every last ounce of life out of the veg through a sieve or mill before the final strain? Lise

High-temp/short-time here as well... interesting. In fact, when I'm doing just potatoes, I sometimes start them at 450 before lowering to 400. I must try the low-temp/long-time to experience the difference.

Mmmmm... that is my all time favourite (chicken noodle or hot and sour) soup condiment!

Me too! Unfortunately not readily available where I am. I bought "reserves" when I was in Nova Scotia last summer but they didn't last me very long, BTW, these were Lay's brand Last Fall I discovered Walker's Marmite and Thai Chili flavoured crisps; they were fabulous! Unfortunately, can't get those very often either... From what's available here I like first, Miss Vickie's sea salt and malt vinegar and second, Lay's dill. * edit for poor typing

The Les Halles mushroom soup was on the lunch menu today (made it yesterday of course) and it was indeed very good with a surprisingly intense mushroom flavour given I used plain ole' button mushrooms. I followed the recipe exactly, and garnished with flash seared mushroom slices and a drizzle of truffle oil. Not to sway off topic, but so far, every recipe I've tried from this book has been a keeper.