TrishCT

Did The Burger Club ever come up with a favorite(s)?

The Chocolate Cloud Cake came out excellently....every bit gone. I folded a few ounces of chocolate into the whipped cream and placed pastel colored speckled chocolate malted milk eggs in the center. This is definitely one of Nigella's best recipes.

I may have missed the post, but was there ever a consensus reached as to who makes the best burger in NYC? I am going to be making another pilgrimmage in a few weeks and daughter says she wants a burger this time.

Or...You can pound the breasts a little bit, dip in flour seasoned with a healthy dose of salt and pepper, dip in an egg wash (egg beaten with a tablespoon of water), and pan fry till golden in 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs butter. Very quick and the chicken is flavorful and juicy. Edited to add: I just realized that your idea of salad is probably with mayonnaise... my suggestion was for the grilled ceaser type of salad... apologies...

For Italian, check out Antico Forno --in the North End. Edited to say: Hi and welcome Beycheville and GalleyGirl.

I thought it was a belgian endive salad...

Three cheers to the community for winning that fight. Super behemoths do not help the local economy and discourage competition. When they become the only show in town the consumers are at their mercy.

This info was for my boss and his family and they are leaving today for their trip. I passed on all your suggestions. Thank you all very much!

Wow, I just received my "Bartender's Best Friend" book in the mail, and it is excellent! A very nice, comprehensive bar drink guide. I can't wait to expand my horizons. Thank you so much Mardee!!! Just one caveat.... My 18 year old son was thumbing through it and found a drink called a Blow Job containing butterscotch schnapps, irish cream liqueur, and whipped cream. "Mom," he says, "I know what I am going to order from a cocktail waitress on my 21st birthday..."

I like Gale Gand's recipe...She uses them for hot chocolate and calls them Marshmallow Footballs, but you can make them whatever shape you like.

Thank you so much for the excellent recommendations! How can you NOT love a place called Boll Weevil??

This is all just sooooo unappetizing.

Sandra Lee makes a Banana Tart.... a/k/a 'Jaws attacks' At first it doesn't seem so bad... a happy looking set, an enthusiastic cook, let's call her "Jaws" because of her neverending chatty talk... It's happy sailing as Jaws breaks out the first ingredient in the tart... frozen puff paste. Hey, I have nooooo problem with that, I use the stuff too, it's a timesaver and it's good!! The ocean is still calm, as Jaws mooshes up some fresh bananas for the filling. Everything is going just swimmingly! And then... Dah dah... dah dah... ooh ooh did I see a fin?.... dah dah... dah dah... dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah Jaw's voice crashes like a tsunami...... "And now to sweeten it just put some pancake syrup on the bananas...." As she severly mutilates the fresh fruit by pouring an unhealthy dose of Log Cabin Brand fake stuff all over it... "Could this be any easier???!!!" Jaws is yammering, but I can't hear her anymore because my brain has just been eaten.... As I swell into unconsciousness... I find myself mumbling incoherently...She couldn't use REAL maple syrup??? The tart has only three ingredients...and...she...couldn't..... Ohhhhhh... if she used REAL maple syrup then 2 out of the 3 ingredients would be REAL and it would be 2/3 homemade and NOT semi homemade... But on the other hand by using the fake syrup it's not semi-homeamade either, it's only 1/3 homemade.... Too late. Stick a harpoon in me, I am done.

Very cool! I just caught an episode of Into the Fire and it featured The Bellagio (Guess you knew that!) What a place!

Hi Sinclair, here's a link to the recipe and the pic on the link is exactly how the cake looks. The top and sides get crackly, and it sinks a little in the middle making it perfect for the whipped cream. Chocolate Cloud Cake

Hi all, What are your favorite fun, family type places to eat in these areas? Food type is not important. What matters is that a family with kids (aged 10-14) can feel comfortable and enjoy some good food. Also what are some must see things to do sightseeing wise in the area for a family? Thank you in advance for any and all recommendations.

Hawaii? If memory serves...this is nowhere near me in CT...someone messed up here! Chris, Now that FN has made their announcements and is actively showing clips...can you share more info with us? Thanks!

For breakfast I am making a batch of hot cross buns. No citron or that kinda stuff in 'em just golden raisins. We always go to New Jersey to visit family for Easter dinner so I bring a dessert. In the past I've brought a butterfly cake (i.e. 2 round layer cakes cut and aseembled to look like a butterfly), cream puffs/eclairs, or a trifle. This year I am bringing Nigella Lawson's chocolate cloud cake with malted milk eggs in the cloud center.

Adam, I really liked your story. And since you asked... My maternal grandmother was a wonderful cook...so naturally my famous family recipe comes from my father's mother, Sophie, a bad cook in every way. We nicknamed her roast chicken -- Toxic Shock Cock because it was burnt to a crisp and somehow tasted like WD40. In later years, Sophie's culinary skills declined to the point where she was forbidden to eat her own cooking because of poisoning potential. (Apparently leaving perishables like milk out on the counter all night didn't phase her.) Her doctor insisted she get her 3 squares from meals-on-wheels and family members. Yet, somehow, she could make a chocolate cream pie. When she came to our house on holidays she always brought one and despite the wonderful fruit pies, cakes, and cookies that others made, grandma's chocolate cream pie would disappear first. She never gave us the recipe, and for some reason, no one ever asked for it. Then one Thanksgiving, grandma had a very bad stroke, and she was not doing well. My grandfather stopped by and dropped off a paper grocery bag and before he left, said, "It's grandma's pie, she knows how much you like it, and she wanted you to have it today." After he left, my sister and I started to cry... Here was our grandma, so fragile and sick and she still cared enough to make us a pie! Shame on us for those years we mocked her cooking...how bad were we??!!! My sister then opened the bag and took out the contents... a pre-packaged graham cracker crust, a can of chocolate pudding, and a tub of cool whip. And that was our Grandma's pie.

MG-- What was he selling at the garage sale??? I recall that he spent a year or so living on a boat with his family. Anything good 4 sail?

Graham Kerr a/k/a The Galloping Gourmet... No long term cultural effects. Coulda woulda shoulda but didn't. His self-loving food porn entertained housewives but he was basically a one note joke in the kitchen. His later efforts to re-invent himself into a health food guru were not successful. His big scandal--alcoholism & drug use...was sad but not particularly earth-shattering. Jeff Smith brought the phrase "frugal does not mean cheap, it means not wasteful" into everyday parlayance and he was a big hit. Definitely not a sex symbol ala Mr. Kerr, the Frug seemed like an outsider looking in and took a fresh approach to a wide range of cuisine. In this way, he differed from Julia and Jacques, because he was no french chef. He introduced a lot of people to the joy of cooking. His scandal... whether proven or not in a court of law does not matter, in the court of public opinion it was strong enough to kill his tv career. The controversy on this thread proves...he remains an enigma.

Been so long since I've heard the theme, since Jeff went into haydn.

Fawlty Towers...almost every episode deals with food. I especially think the episode "Gourmet Night" had some hilarious food jokes coupled with Basil's pretentiousness.

Thanks so much, this book will definitely be very useful for me!

That was delightful and well done! How I miss Schwartz's!!!