Margaret Pilgrim

Did you have to dispatch the bullfrogs yourself? My neighborhood markets sell them live but I've not killed one since my high school hospital lab job that required me to do so.

At a village fete in country France, a men's civic group was selling "lard sandwiches". I couldn't fathom what these would be but the line was long so I decided it was worth a "go". Turned out to be charcoal grilled pork belly. WOW! On a super fresh baguette. WOW, WOW! No condiments needed on this ultimate porky hand-feast. Never seen this offered since but I guess it's a household thing.

Wisdom seems to have been an inheritable trait in that family. Thank you, Lynn Marie and Kerry, indeed.

I kind of wonder if October panettone are first arrivals of this year's bake or the last of the previous year.

If you're by chance in Paris in early December, Salon Saveurs will take care of your holiday shopping. Fresh, frozen, dried, tinned, jarred, packaged, it's all here. Generous samples, a crush but not long lines. Stuff we never see here. Cheese, charcuterie, confitures, if you can eat it, it's here. Did I say foie gras? Wine and cider. All versions of preserved salmon. Herbs and spices and condiments.

Regardless of quality, I could never eat or even taste panettone in the way he just stuffs wads in his mouth. I also don't enjoy it cut in the traditional/correct way. I like it cut crosswise into 1/2" circles. And IMHO it should be heated slightly. We just pass it through hot non-stick pan, not quite long enough to toast. We go through several large ones a season, so all of this reminds me that it's time to bring (a good) one home.

I had to laugh at the emphasis on cooling time. The one time I made panetonne, I followed the directions and suspended it upsidedown to cool and drop from the mold. Dear husband came in and, not understanding the process, decided to "help" by whacking the mold a few times and nudging the loaf out with a spatula. Of course, it was so delicate that it collapsed and tore apart. Other than the fact that it was utterly unpresentable, the texture and flavor, and, yes, moistness were superb. I never revisited the recipe.

Like many mass produced things, glaceed fruit has been cheapened to what Katie rightly calls Neon Fruit. The real thing, from small producers is a different animal. True to flavor and color of the original fruit, delicious, and expensive even at the source. Besides the fancy food halls of the grand magazins in Paris, wonderful stuff can be found at Paris' Christian Constant. Yes, those stoplight red thing are glaceed chilis!

How very fortunate we are to have so many of Anna's observations chronicled here. She will be alive as long as we are here to reread her words. Thank you, Kerry, for sharing your memories with us. May she always bring a smile to your and our face.

A friend has for years extolled the virtues of Panettone by Roy , which were $50 a pop. A little rich for me. I see that this year they are $95. Enjoy!

Yo, bro! Include those shops who pollute their space with pumpkin/gingerbread potpourri. Kind of excludes us from October through December.

An upscale San Francisco bakery makes equally upscale poptarts. Our son, who to my knowledge has never tasted the Kellogg' product, adores these.

My go-to dinner party cookie, a neutral bite to accompany a simple dessert, ice cream, posset, etc, is Pepperidge Farm "Bordeaux", crisp, not too sweet or having a strong flavor profile.

Source?

I've been using Rao's marinara for some 30 years. Of course I can make its equal at home but a jar on the shelf saves some rainy days or unexpected drop-ins,

Guess I'm a junk yard dog, but I have always found this service extraordinarily precious. Too much emphasis on service, which IMHO should not draw attention.

I was introduced to elk by relatives who hunted. When first married, we were bombarded with all cuts of elk in efforts to help our starving student budget. I never really learned to love it. It is "sweet". Needs to be cooked as rare as is safe since it dries out easily. Ground was good in chili. Stews/braises okay. Steaks certainly not beef. Just my take.

Patricia Wells' Vegetable Harvest puts vegetables front and center rather than being strictly veg or vegan although there are plenty of recipes that fit those bills. Absolutely delicious dishes as we've come to expect from her.

Jo, I’d just go with your original idea. A fast roux. I do this all the time to make gravy for takeout rotis chicken. (Slightly reduce a can of chicken broth, add any gelled chicken juice from chicken container. Add this to a roux, bring to boil for a minute ~> close to instant gravy.)

I had the toddy coffee "rig" back in the '60s. It made a decent cup, especially considering the systems prevalent at that time, and was a slight convenience in the morning, but wasn't worth the hassle, planning ahead, clean up. Went back to Melitta.

Staff note: This post and responses to it have been split from the Significant firsts in the kitchen discussion, to manintain topic focus. We enjoy a much simpler dish. Simply a handful of ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut up. Half an onion. Throw all in a small pot and melt over a low heat, continuing to mash the tomatoes as they cook down. When a thick puree, add a good size lump of butter and good glug of heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Give a couple of whirls with a stick blender. Clean and fresh summer in a bowl in under 10 minutes.

Reminds me of the chef's warning chart at Bistro Paul Bert in Paris. Steak: Bleu, Saignant, a point, mal cuit. (Blue, bloody, to a point or perfect, badly cooked)

Several years ago someone brought a braised kale dish to a country pot-luck. It was so amazing that I called out asking who the contributor was. Turned out it was a worker from the Catholic Worker Farm sitting across from me. Essentially, finely chopped mixed kales, bacon, onion, garlic, herbs. It was divine and not difficult to create. I could make an entire meal of it, soaking up the juices with good bread. Maybe a poached or fried egg on top.

Also understand that writer/AI is coming from the experiences of tuna sandwiches and sardine/creme cheese dip. Kind of missing the point of these products. I have used (separately) shrimp and octopus in (what I consider) incredible mixed fish cerviches, have been served others straight out of the can with lemon, etc..

Today’s “is not your father’s F&W”.