Margaret Pilgrim

San Francisco hosts one of the largest Chinese communities outside China. New Year's preparations have taken over several neighborhoods, Grant Avenue area certainly but also the handful of offshoot concentrations or "New Chinatowns". We live a few blocks from the Clement Street neighborhood, where shopping was frenzied over the weekend. Last night was punctuated by many informal (illegal) fireworks ranging from strings of firecrackers to quite a few major reverberating booms. It's quiet this morning.

What were your findings? To be honest, we have found that wine is situational. Food pairings do affect taste judgments, but for us far more important is the place and time and company which can elevate or depress the perceived quality of a wine. That said, I do totally prefer a thin glass.

Repurposed roast chicken -> lard crusted chicken pot pie

I remember a dinner at which I asked an accomplished wine guy if a particular glass was okay for him. Without looking at it, he replied, "If it has a hole at the top, it'll work for me."

We are very fortunate to live in an area of conspicuous consumption and rapid depreciation. Garage and moving sales have outfitted us with premium, signed, glasses that don't cause me angst at table or while washing up. Usually around $1 or less apiece, as Henrys move on to the next mandatory purchase. And as they trade up, so do we, albeit a year behind current trends 🤣.

Baby portobellos, Blenheim apricot vinegar, EVOO, Malden. Hot Calabrian sausages, fresh tomato sauce finished with vodka and cream, No surprises but ultimately comforting.

Elegant!

It looks great. And/but I could easily attack it by deconstructing it. Knife and fork. All ends up the same. Delicious!

Excellent. Thanks! I've only had one really bad martini. My boss invited husband and me to their flat before we were to go to dinner and the theater. Her husband was of the "never an empty glass" school, and kept ours topped up. And, apparently up and up and up. Realizing that we had tippled through our dinner hour, we headed to the theater, where fortunately our seats were back row orchestra, with a padded wall behind us. The lights dimmed, we tilted our heads back and slept peacefully (I hope) through Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead. Never saw Peter Ustinov.

Agreed. At home, it really depends on choosing peppers with thick meat.

Chili relleno: Roasted and peeled pasilla pepper stuffed with Oaxacan cheese, egg white batter, shallow fried; red enchilada sauce and Salvadorian cream.

Classic beef with carrots With help of my trusty spaetzle maker

I feel the same way about roast chicken. I can dispatch the last two wing joints, tail, lower back and neck, tuck in the edges and present what looks like an intact bird at table.

No pics, but worth mentioning: pumpkin tangerine soup. Still working on the Cinderella Halloween pumpkin. Pumpkin simmered with onion and garlic, pureed with tangerine zest and juice. Splash of cream. Subtle and haunting flavor combination. Will repeat and would readily serve this as starter to guests. Note: original recipe called for orange zest and juice plus shower of fresh thyme at service. I subbed tangerine and didn't have fresh thyme. Did not miss it.

I often go 1/3 AP, 1/3 cornstarch, 1/3 rice. Or, as you say, all of one of the non-wheat flours.

Absolutely. (Like beer) Also try subbing cornstarch for half the flour.

You are living well!

"Select your own bits and pieces salad plate" Tofu above, fresh mozzarella below.

Great photo!

Grilled yogurt marinated chicken tenders, fried kosher dills and green tomato. Remolade.

Light supper of quick salted cod brandade, splash of EVOO, grilled red onion, broccoli and raw mushroom with repurposed Bearnaise sauce. Tomorrow, will saute up leftover brandade and top it with fried egg(s).

Thanks! I love this method. In fact, asked husband just a bit ago whether he wanted fried or flash-salted brandade. Will advise.

Salt or fresh cod? I love both.

What problems are you having with the AC handles?

Repurposing a minute portion of the Halloween Fairy Tale pumpkin -> sage infused Calabrian sausage and pumpkin pasta. Husband surprisingly loved it, had seconds and approved repeating.