JosephB

My wife Donna and I, and our pup Hubie, would love to attend. We'll bring something savory (TBA). 3:00PM would be a much better time for us, if you're taking a poll. We'll being coming from the Upper West Side. If you need a lift, let me know.

Thanks again Sandra. joe

Thanks Sandra. If I'm in NJ, I'll check it out. Is there a Mexican community in NJ? Jaymes, You gotta start somewhere, right?

Thanks. That occurred to me, but I thought I would give it a shot here first. If the suggestions don't pour in by tonight, I'll do what you advise.

I'm exploring Mexican cooking and would like some tips on where to get good ingredients. I live in Manhattan, and would appreciate it if you could recommend some good grocers. I assume the best places are around 116th Street in East Harlem. I prefer to grocery shop in person, but would also appreciate some internet sources. Thanks for your help! Joe

Alas, I can't squeeze you guys in tonight. Next time for sure. Have a great time!

I'd really enjoy popping in for a short while to meet you guys. Unfortunately, I won't be able to stay long. We're heading to the East End for some heat relief at around 9:00pm.

I guess those crabs pulled you out of bed. Great midnight snack. I usually settle for spaghetti with butter and parmigiano or cheerios and milk. Sweet dreams.

If you're in NYC, note that Naples 45 in the MetLife Bldg. (200 Park Ave, NY, NY, 212-972-7001) was recently accredited by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Flour imported from Italy, spring water (the dough is all about the water), fresh mozzarella, and San Marzano tomatoes, baked in a wood-burning oven. (Source: Gayot.com)

I get a lot of satisfaction from preparing multi-course dinner parties of reasonable complexity for 6 to 8 people. I will admit that I prefer guests that just say, “feed me,” and don’t have any special dietary needs. It’s more difficult to break stride to prepare a separate meal, though I routinely do it. On the other hand, I get very annoyed with hypocritical guests. For example, one guest once informed me that she would not eat butter (painful to hear), but then consumed a chocolate dessert rich in butter. She couldn’t see the butter in the dessert, so she ate it. She’s history (for various reasons).

One can dream.

I don't know if you're in a position to do this, but wouldn't it be great to open a petite inn somewhere. You could live and work in the same place. Is this overly romantic?

I adore pistachio ice cream, which lots of chopped nuts in it.

I'll take the shells! Besides using them for stock, you can make infused oils with them. There are instructions for doing this with lobster or shrimp shells in Jean Georges' first book, "Simple Cuisine" (1990).

I love sidewalk cafes, and dining al fresco, but would never eat outside at the expense of good food. I live on the Upper West Side, where there is a healthy outdoor cafe culture, but in my opinion the better (and few) restaurants in my neighborhood don't offer outdoor seating. I wonder why? We love taking our dog to dinner, but many of the outdoor cafes prohibit dogs, or require that dogs stay outside of the seating perimeter. Smoking outside has never really bothered me, but in any event, many of the cafes also prohibit smoking outside. I would love to see more outdoor places, but I agree that it doesn't work everywhere.

Ancient Amphora? Made of terracotta?

Monkfish would seem to be ideal for fish poaching -- lowest in fat and lobster-like texture.

Do it with salmon or sturgeon...I think mahi wouldn't be optimal... In my opinion, the best technique for preparing salmon, which is very high in fat, is to cook at a low oven temperature (250 F with convection), with a little bit of butter. The texture of the finished fish is almost creamy, like good sashimi. This is the method described in Jean George's cookbook.

Kalastanya in NYC makes a great Fenugreek Paratha. I'd love to make my own. Anyone have recipe?

I have had the most success making lemon curd by heating the acid, suger and butter first, and then tempering the eggs, before returing the entire mixture to direct heat. With constant stiring, I've never found the need to strain the curd. Is my method generally valid for other fruits?

I simply fill the sauce pan with water and bring it to a boil on the stove; the sugar easily dissolves that way, and the sauce pan is eseentially clean.

[ Fine Cooking - But have noticed the past year or so, that they have started to go the 30 minute weeknight meals route in regards to content. When it first came out it was full of recipes or techniques that were more sophisticated and time consuming - a good way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon (like today) in the kitchen.] Yes, indeed. The "Master Class" was reason enough to buy the magazine. Nevertheless, it's still more technique-driven than most food magazines.

I like Saveur, but I think it's geared more to traveling than cooking. I find Fine Cooking and Cooks Illustrated more useful. As for quarterlies, I think Ed Behr's Art of Eating is superior. I'm relatively new to this site as a participant. Pretty good stuff.

I'm relatively new to this site, but thus far I've found your writing entertaining. Thank you. By the way, how do you prepare the salt crusted duck?

We drink mocha at home, and have been very happy with Lavazza's Qualita Rosso, which is ground and vacuum packed. At first I was reluctant to admit it, but I have come to find the espresso at Starbucks quite good, especially given the convenience factor. For daily espresso drinkers, it is simply not practical to travel for an espresso after lunch, even in NYC. In Italy, "Bar" is ubiquitous. For better or worse, Starbucks is becoming our "Bar." When convenience permits a superior espresso, I am there, but on most days I'm content with the branch of Starbucks near my office. By the way, as often is the case, a very interesting and informative discussion. Thank you.