Margaret Pilgrim

You have probably figured out that prowling brocante venues is our excuse for going to France so that we can eat! I am still mulling over our dining experiences from our October trip. We had many wonderful evenings, excellent dishes but few perfect meals. I attribute this to two things. First, I think we weren't "hungry" this trip, as if we had experienced an embarrassment of riches for some time before we left home. And second, I always try to stretch my experience and understanding when ordering, and frequently wind up with very unusual plates, to say the least. But all in all, we enjoyed dinners at old addresses and were introduced to several new ones. We aren't scheduled to return until March, when we will enclose a week in the Pays Basques between a few days in Paris. But at present, my husband has dug in his heels, complaining that he needs an extended down-time at home.

Although we spend a lot of our travel time prowling through antique venues, Robert Brown brought to our attention a term we had never noticed before: Vide Grenier or a private party offering his less-than-precious personal goods for sale, much like our garage sale. Yes, Robert, we did find one, 300 locals who hauled their stuff to the sidewalks surrounding the park in the center of Place de Rungis in Paris' 13e. We didn't buy, but that didn't take away from the festive mood of the place and the sellers. There were, in fact, a handful of these sales advertised in Aladin (the French monthly antique/brocante venue locator) for central Paris, and scores listed for provincial locations. I can't say whether you are on the cutting edge of a mushrooming phenomenon or whether this is another case of "heightened awareness" for us. Either way, thanks much for introducing us to this new wild goose sanctuary! ;)

You're all too young to know about it, but the original and quintessential frozen candy bar was the U-NO bar. It was, as I remember, a premium candy bar made of rich whipped nougat coated with dark chocolate. It was introduced to me by an octogenarian lady in the early '40s, and sold for 10 cents then, an outragious price when Hershey et al were only a nickel, and a U-NO was only about 1"x 3"x 1/2".

In March we visited a new restaurant that was receiving tremendous notice. We each ordered three courses from the carte. We loved what we had respectively selected and were delighted by the offerts that appeared between each course. The meal was memorable in every detail, the evening was charmed. We didn't get around to reserving in June, but made an effort to get a table in October. We decided to give the chef his rein this time, and ordered the tasting menu. It was disappointing to find that a signature dish started the progression. Unfortunately, its components are readily available in our area, and we had used it as a lunch dish at home for several months. Of the next three courses, one was bland/ordinary; another was very good; and the third was in our opinion quite awful, badly conceived, although its components were interesting and could have been knockout in different contexts. The dessert was enormous and extremely heavy to be part of a many coursed meal; the waitperson, when taking away my almost untouched portion, shook her head and commented that it was very, very rich. Could we have enjoyed our meal and evening more had we ordered a la carte? I have no doubt. I have always been able to enjoy a set menu when it has been the only option, but am rethinking choosing one after this rather miserable disappointment. Although a tasting menu usually costs less than three courses chosen from the carte and sometimes sounds like a no-contest choice, we will continue to read both sides of the menu studiously, but will probably choose to create our own menus. Thoughts and experiences?

Fat Guy, some times it takes only to be reminded of the rules: 8 glasses of water a day; eat and drink all things in moderation; use your stone to sharpen, your steel/ceramic/diamond to hone. Thanks for bringing my stones (yes, two) out of the cupboard. After a not-all-that-long session with a stone and several passes with a diamond rod, my favorite and most used knife now passes my test: a ripe tomato in my left hand; one pass from a knife should make a clean and immediate slice from the top. Today the trial. Tomorrow I'll work on the others. Many, many thanks.

Your diagnosis is most probably correct. I used to use a stone on my knives, and somehow got seduced by ceramic and diamond "sharpeners". I have taken my knives to professional sharpeners, but haven't been too impressed with their results. I use my knives a lot, and I think properly, but they seem to "fail" much faster than I think they should. Are you suggesting that I should simply go back to my stone/s?

I don't know if this should be a new thread or not, but my major knife question pertains to sharpening. My knifes are mostly Hendkles, a few Wurstoff. I have gone from steels to ceramic to diamond sharpeners, and am now finding that even diamond sharpeners are wearing out with annoying frequency. I never cut against anything except wood, kill anyone in my kitchen who uses a good knife on marble, china or metal, and still find that I am constantly having to sharpen my knives. Any suggestions on both obtaining and maintaining an edge?

With our surveys ranging from favorite kitchen gadgets to favorite cooking utensils, I suddenly wondered how many meals a week each of us cooks at home. And on a continuum from scratch to re-heat, how do you define "cook". To start things out, my husband doesn't boil water, so I cook all meals. Lunches 5 days a week, dinners 7. We buy at farmer's markets, our local grocer and butcher. Just about everything is from scratch. Although we are surrounded by what are considered excellent restaurants, we eat out very occasionally when we are in town, probably because it is just easier to eat at home, and there are always the makings of a better than average meal in the pantry.

I have had a wussy electric stovetop with a wussy overhead fan, and I have had a high BTU gas stovetop with a suck-the-lids-off-the-pots fan. I believe without doubt that the fan is the determining factor. I could get more out of the electric stovetop than the ineffective fan could handle, and therefore limited my stovetop cooking to the capacity of the fan. Now, because of an effective fan, I can fire up the stovetop to its top performance level. (Our son does not cook beyond pouring milk on Cheerios because of the problem of cooking odors in his small apartment!)

Oh, Robert. While we very much appreciate your introducing us to this entirely new venue, you will have to accept responsibility for doing so. I am boggled as I think of the new possibilities! You haven't opened a new door; you have opened Pandora's Box! So much brocante; so little time! (And all of the towns and restaurants in between!) Many thanks!

Responding also to Andy's Indian reference, on the 700 block of Valencia Street in San Francisco is Bombay Bazaar which sells Indian foods, herbs/spices, cultural objects, and has an adjacent ice cream factory which churns out extraordinary flavors: all of the expected tropical fruits, teas, and spices, of which cardamom is my favorite. I would happily order this or a trilogy of these after an Indian meal.

Robert, tell us a story. We don't know the term "vide grenier". Does it mean estate or house sale? We haven't been to this kind of sale in France, and love new windows. Would they be advertised in the local daily journal? Besides the large shows that are our targets, we find smaller venues in the monthly magazine "Aladin". PS: This is the first fall Brimfield we have missed in 17 years. As my husband describes us, some people go to Hawaii and sit in the sun; we go to France and chase other people's discards. In answer to your question, although Brimfield is in a definitive category of its own, I'd have to vote for France for both brocante and food! ;)

I hate to tell you, Danielle, that we go to France 3 times a year for a total of about 45 days for two things: to go to major antique/brocante flea markets and to eat! On off days we visit museums. The market we will attend this month takes place twice a year at the Hippodrome in the Bois du Vincennes, and opens at 4am. We will take two Noctambuses to get there at 3:55am, and be home in bed at noon. We are pros at packing and customs declarations: asparagus plates, pyrogen, 19th C. toy engines, tarbais beans and nougat?

The Lille Braderie takes place the first weekend in September. Most hotels will not book for this period before the first of April, but rooms then fill very rapidly. Information is available from the Office de Tourisme, place Rihour, 59000 Lille. tel. 3.20.21.94.21

re basil in a sweet context, one of the more interesting desserts I have had consisted of not-overly-sweet lemon sorbet flanked with fennel which had been slowly simmered in spiced (star-anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom and black peppercorns), drizzled with some of the syrup, and showered with basil chiffonade. Intriguing interplay. Another concept is one I recently posted in the "best dessert..." thread on General. It consists of basil ice cream served with cabernet-syrup soaked fresh figs on a slice of cabernet-cocoa cake, fresh basil garniture. Basil ice cream is wonderful. We are using up the leftover ice cream with a hot chocolate sauce drizzled over it. (70% dark chocolate melted with sweet butter) Another wonderful combination.

We buy beans exclusively at Peet's. (Decades ago, Peet's partner split off and started Starbucks. In Northern California, your patronage of Peet's vs Starbucks is both a gastronomic and political statement. Peet's product is generally a darker roast, and Peet's represents to us the small, local business. However, all of this is relative.) I have found that coastal people prefer Peet's roast, while those from the hinterland/midwest prefer Starbuck's which is probably closer to familiar American coffee brews. We use African beans in a French press, usually Kenyan, but when we can get them, Aged Camaroon is incredibly aromatic. AC hasn't been around in some time due to political instability in Africa, but is worth looking and hoping for.

Is there a food that you particularly miss or crave when you're away from home? How far do you have to get before you notice that this food is no longer available? Do you try to substitute in your new environment? Have you ever found a better product in your search? Mine is San Francisco Mission District Mexican Tacqueria fare. I have finally given up trying to eat burritos because a proper SF burrito is enough food for a 180 lb. man for a whole day. But when I'm away for a couple of weeks, I begin to need a super taco: 2 5" corn tortillas layered with beans (pinto, refried, black), meat (carnitas, carne asada, grilled chicken, al pastor, lengua, chile verde, several moles), fresh salsa, shredded lettuce, shredded jack cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tomato and onion slices, cilantro. ū.45, including all the jalapenos you can eat, a huge pile of fresh tortilla chips and 3 kinds of table salsas. It's my regular Friday lunch, and the one I head for when I get back to town. This presentation is available in about a half dozen small shops in one district of SF. I can go about 10 days before I start needing jalapenos and cilantro. When the going gets bland, I will try anyone's version of any kind of Latin American food, or even substitute Indian, Thai and Sechuan, but always look forward to coming home to this fresh and sparkling favorite.

For years we have used Tiger brand pure olive oil from Lucca for all sauteing. Echoing Steven, we use extra virgin as a condiment (dressings, dipping, drizzling) but not for cooking per se. Tiger brand is a neutral flavored oil, and is very reasonable and a huge seller at traditional neighborhood Italian markets. We are now paying around ป-12. for a 3 litre can, and since we buy a case of four cans, they also give us a 10% discount on top: almost free. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a whore when it comes to extra virgin olive oils. I will buy whatever is delicious when I find it at a tasting. We also buy a lot of local EVOO at our local farmer's market. Tangentially, Nick Sciabica in Modesto, CA makes and bottles some very interesting varietals. Sevillano, which is floral and excellent for dipping; Manzanilla, which is fruity, and Mission, which is so light and neutral that is perfect for both sweet and savory baking, as well as three augmented extractions in which he cold-presses lemons, oranges or jalapenos along with his olives to create very interesting flavored oils. While I have never been a big fan of flavored oils, his citrus oils are extraordinary when drizzled on fish prior to roasting, or as a simple dressing on mesclun or arugula with only the addition of salt and pepper.

Steve, first, many congratulations on your invitation to participate in this most prestiieous event. I find your first hand information and knowledge of this show extremely interesting, and would very much enjoy anything else you would care to share regarding this venue. Unless I am mistaken, I am sure I remember reading about the chocolate couture creations last year. We will be coming home the day before the Paris show opens this fall, and your input will be our vicarious attendance.

For years our family birthday cake of choice was Chocolate Carrot Cake. Without getting into precise recipes, use your favorite carrot cake recipe, omit the spices, add 1/3 cup cocoa per 2 cups of flour. Frost with cream cheese frosting if you insist, but we gild the lily with chocolate ganache. Why not! (Back in the '70s, I even made this with whole wheat pastry flour, and no one was the wiser, although tremendously well nourished.)

So our friend goes into a restaurant and orders eggs Benedict. When it arrives, he is astounded that it is plated on a brilliant chrome platter. He commenst on this to the waiter, who tells him, "It's got to be chrome for the hollandaise." (courtesy of Click and Clack on PBS Saturday morning)

The only problem is that they're 32.

Today's alt.food.wine newsgroup has an interesting post on BYOB in the Medoc, mentioning Lyon d'Or in Arcins as example. I was not aware of this allowed practice, which on reflection makes very good sense.

Shucks. I thought this was going to be a discussion on the differences between the menu in French and the translated version they sometimes offer English speaking diners. On those occasions that we are given English menus, I always exchange at least on of them for the original so that we can tell what they are serving that night. The English versions are always good, however, for a few chuckles re the problems of language.

Agreeing totally with Steven and bux, having demiglaze on hand is the answer to many if not most impromtu kitchen feats. Honest confession: while my butcher will actually give me veal bones, I usually buy frozen veal and lamb demiglaze from him. (Don't think he's stupid for giving away bones in this day and age; he makes a fortune on everything else!)