alacarte

The range of butters and butter substitutes is staggering: butter, organic butter, margarines with or without dairy, yogurt-based "spreads," and more recently, new lines using olive oil as the primary ingredient (including one from former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca). So I ask you, which butter is best? Does is really matter? And what about fancy French & English butters vs. American butters? Does the wrong kind of butter ruin a recipe?

Thanks Suzanne I love the idea of "microbrewed" root beer -- at least in theory. Can root-beer-float sommeliers be far behind?

I think this is another important point in the first person debate: If you are using "I," there has to be a reason for the reader to trust in your opinion. Perhaps that's why first person is verboten for so many newbie writers: editors (and readers) need to be convinced that your views are worth trusting. (as opposed to russ parson's point that your views also should be interesting -- which I agree with as well). Simply having a viewpoint isn't enough. If the answer is no to either -- your views are not trustworthy and/or interesting -- well, then you should at least be reporting (in the objective voice) on people who do hold trustworthy & interesting viewpoints....and even that sometimes is easier said than done.

Boston Globe – April 30, 2003 Denmark’s answer to the doughnut Recipe: Aebleskivers Working together for a perfect brew After a hiatus of nine years, George Howell, who sold Coffee Connection to Starbucks in 1994, is back in business. This time, the celebrated fanatic is really on a mission: excellence in the cup and fair prices for growers. “The Melting Pot Cooks” About a local access show hosted by two Boston-area cooks. The show is filmed in one host’s home kitchen, and features Cuban cooking (though not exclusively). Good pots and pans come in all shapes and sizes Recipe: Lentil soup with sausage

I really loved this. Am sending the link to all my female friends...

I've heard of it, it's supposed to appeal to a younger demo. They haven't published yet -- I assume they must still be in the process of corralling seed money & advertisers, both a lengthy process. You can sign up for their pending e-newsletter at www.chowmag.com. I signed up a couple of weeks ago, but have yet to receive anything. ciao

Boston Globe – April 23, 2003 Home, Sweet Home In these uncertain times, staying in to cook and entertain is gaining popularity. (how many times has this story been written during the last two years?) Includes some suitably homey recipes: Macaroni & cheese Roast striped bass with tomatoes and olives Wild mushroom risotto with hazelnuts Thai red curry with tofu and mango So dark, so rich, so totally divine (By Lisa Yockelson) “A chocolate batter that bakes into tender, flavorful layers is first the result of juggling a medley of ingredients, and second, a matter of technique.” The recipe: Deluxe chocolate layer cake -- “inspired by a buttermilk chocolate layer cake my late mother contributed to grade-school bake sales.” Lamb helps make the leap into spring :At Evoo, tender braised meat marks the new season Balsamic-braised lamb shoulder And... Yorkie bars

In springtime, my thoughts turn to root beer floats.... I ran an Internet search using the phrase "root beer float," and here are some of the colorful tidbits I learned: Root beer float was one of the seven original Kool-Aid flavors. According to one purveyor of online greeting cards, Root Beer Float day is August 6th. I found multiple alcoholic versions of the root beer float. My favorite version combined Kahlua, Galliano, cream and cola. No root beer though.

LOVE the Pocky! Chocolate flavor of course. Can't pass a Daikichi Sushi without popping in for a Pocky fix.

I'm just looking forward to something other than apples, pears and figs on the dessert menus. I always look forward to the peach & other stone-fruit desserts, but I guess those still are a few months away.

Cajun purists: please skip to the next post And for the rest of you... There's a great little pizza shop called Mardigras Pizza, on Maiden Lane in the Wall Street area. They have a crawfish pizza with andouille sausage. Both the crawfish & sausage are trucked in direct from N'awlins.

Holly and pjs, thanks for that bit of culinary history/pop culture lore. Very interesting!

Yum. All those years I spent writing about pork-belly futures (really; not being sarcastic) and it never occurred to me that they could sound so succulent.

What kind of fish is used in the Filet O'Fish? Was asked by my tiny niece over lunch one day at Mickey D's. Told her there was a fish called "O-Fish," and that's what the sandwich was made of. Probably will rot in hell for that.

Marlene, this is a really good question. I've been wondering the same thing, because I have conflicting advice from my cookbooks. In her book Bistro Cooking, Patricia Wells advises to use white onions, such as Bermuda onion, because "yellow onions can turn bitter." However, most other recipes I have advocate using yellow onions, on the basis that white onions -- particularly "sweet" varieties like Vidalias -- will not caramelize properly.

Thanks for posting this, those salami/sausage photos are just amazing. I really enjoyed your pictorial. One day soon, I'd like to make a pilgrimage up to Hunt's Point in the Bronx to see all the produce stands etc., where so many restaurants in NYC get their food. Learned about this from the owner of the diner across the street. He says one has to go in the wee hours of the AM to really see the action.

Is it still considered breakfast if you don't eat it until 10:30 AM? I'm in the "not breakfast" camp. I do have coffee -- preferably strong & sweet -- in fact, preferably an iced Mochaccino -- preferably downed whilst on the subway commuting to work, which starts damned early for me (7:45 AM, though I'm always late). And always iced, no matter if it's snowing! I then get super-busy and forget about breakfast until I realize that I'm ravenous, about 10:30 AM. I'm highly selective about my Mochaccino habit though. Anyone wanna talk about that? I haven't seen a "perfect iced mocha" thread yet. Though it's not yet summertime.

Similar to Jinmyo's lime & mayo combination -- I use lemons, and that makes all the difference. Shredded cabbage plus diced cucumber, green pepper, and onion In the dressing, the ratio is juice of at least two lemons to a half-cup of mayonnaise. Add a tablespoon of olive oil if it's too acidic for your taste. Finish off with lots of fresh-ground pepper!

Roast it in the oven & bring to a Jewish friend's Seder table.

Boston Globe – April 16, 2003 Brookline-based Beacon Common Press, which publishes Cook's Illustrated magazine, took away two prizes at the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference. Full list of The 2003 International Association of Culinary Professionals award winners. Market growth: Once a farm stand, Russo's has become a full-service store Wine, dine with Rosenblum Cellars CEO Hosting a Passover week food marathon, from Seders to leftovers Company’s coming: Roast whole leg of lamb over potatoes and onions The Vegetarian Cook: Pasta with springtime sauce Book Review: Once Upon A Tart Includes a recipe for Baked lemon tart

I'm really intrigued by this concept of buying cocoa right off the exchange floor. Do artisanal chocolate makers really do use the futures market to get their raw cocoa supplies? I'd love to hear more -- apologies for getting a bit off-topic with this.

I had a writing instructor who said, "Funny trumps everything." I think that includes food writing too. The thing about humor in food writing -- or any writing, for that matter -- is that either you can pull it off, or you can't.

What a literate bunch! Who knew there was such a huge food-related canon. Color me lowbrow: I'm reading Everything You Pretend To Know About Food And Are Afraid Someone Will Ask by Nancy Rommelmann.

Its a damnned good one, to be sure, but a larger amount of cream than I would like. Same goes for Gage and Tollners. Luger's I think has an appropriate ratio of spinach to dairy. Its got my vote. That's ironic -- I like the Smith & Wollensky creamed spinach because it doesn't have too much cream. I like to still have the taste and texture of the vegetable without feeling like I'm eating a bowl of baby food. It keeps a certain lusciousness and vibrant green color. But I think the "spinach to dairy" ratio really is a matter of personal taste. I haven't tried Gage & Tollners, but based on this comment, it sounds like I would like it very much!

Smith & Wollensky gets my vote.