chezcherie

it may seem obvious, but the rule of thumb i give my cooking students is that "heavy for its size is a good indicator of freshness." produce is mostly water weight, and as the produce sits around, in the warehouse or on the shelf, moisture evaporates through the skin. we have a natural "scale" in our heads, that tells us how heavy that artichoke or lemon will feel when we pick it up. if it feels heavier than we expect, chances are good that it is fairly fresh. if it feels a lot lighter than expected, it has probably been sitting around too long. that's my method, anyhoo...

i puree everything in the can together, and freeze it, thereby avoiding the molding and throwing away step. we just chip out a teaspoon at a time.

not my collection--just one. i love these "lazy" spoons. i think katieloeb mentioned them upthread. we carry them in our cooking school, and as a left-hander, i especially appreciate that they come in left and right handed....there is also a squared off model for scraping-deglazing-etc. they feel great in the hand, are made of cherry wood, and take on a little "personaliity" if you use high flame on a gas burner often. jonathan's spoons

i often disagree with cook's illustrated's comparisions, and this is no exceptioon. (that doesn't mean i don't read them...but i frequently beg to differ.)

more than gourmet is the company that makes demi glace gold, i think. if you have a sur la table nearby, they sell a small "puck" of it for about $6. (demi glace does keep a very long time.)

he should certainly hit the ferry building, and there are many places to eat there that won't break the bank. i had a duck rillete sandwich from lulu petite recently that cost about 7-8 bucks, and was so generous that i gave half to a lady sitting near me at the wine bar who was eying it longingly. (good food karma always pays off!)

yes, i have done a search, and saw the entry you mention regarding the mushrooms being available on the street in brooklyn. unfortunately, the post appears to be at least 10 years old. thanks for the kreyol kitchen link--i have emailed them to see if they can help. appreciate the help!

julia used to say yes, jacques said no. (or was it the other way around?) i don't rinse.

looks amazing...is that a family heirloom croquembouche stand it's resting on?

so i have been brine curing my fresh green olives for about 3 months (i did not slit them, so it took a looong time). they are just about where i want them now, bitterness-wise, so i'd like to "de-brine" them and then flavor them with spices--maybe fennel, lemon and chile flakes? do i just make a weak brine solution, or a vinegar-water solution, or olive oil (it seems like it would take a LOT of olive oil...i have about 4 quarts of olives)? i'm very excited about my olive babies, and would appreciate any guidance!

two things: it seems to me (though, with the editing, its impossible to tell) that marcel was describing his dish in "molecular" detail as he was finishing plating...giving him extra time to get the food out, while he blah-blah-blahed about the agar agar (or whatevah)...anyone else wind up with that impression? and two, my tivo stopped tivoing right at the subtitled smack down, where ilan threatened to make marcel cry...was there a witty retort, or just an equally childish nyah-nyah?

i have a dear student who grew up in haiti, and is pining for a rice and mushroom dish she loved. the dish relies on tiny black mushrooms, called djon djon, and i have exhausted my resources trying to locate some for her....tried the only haitian restaurant around, hoping the chef could help source them, but no....would even try the bouillion cube (maggi?) that seems to be used as a sub, but can't find that either....any and all ideas gratefully appreciated--i'd really love to come through for her. fresh seems impossible, but can dried be that difficult to get? (maybe...) thanks!

we do quite a few corporate team building events at my cooking school. we try to steer groups away from the "iron chef" type thing, as in our experience, it doesn't bond the team, but divides them into cooks and non-cooks, show-offs and shy....we focus on the aspects of working together in an unfamiliar setting, performing a task they've never done together, sharing experiences, and hope to throw in a few "ahh ha" moments for everyone, from experienced cooks to novices. then they dine together on what they've made together. we have had nothing but positive feedback, as most of these folks have rock-climbed and white water rafted themselves silly on that type of team building event. we do get the occasional person who comes in with arms crossed across the chest, proclaiming " i DON'T cook", (this is the person who voted for rock climbing, and has all their pitons or crampons or whatever that stuff is, in the trunk of the car, ready to GO!) i can't tell you how many emails i've gotten from those people after the event, telling me that they did NOT want to come, that they are sure i remember them, because they were so strident in the "anti-cooking" position, and that after that event, they actually went home and cooked the meal for friends and family... here's an excerpt from an email i received last week: well, golly....that will make a girl's day, won't it? as far as "team building" goes, i think the culinary events have a really positive effect. at least that's our experience at chez cherie!

from natalie macleans's newsletter: the website (containing the newletter) under "Queasy Like Sunday Morning", that, combined with "hair of the dog" might explain the egg in the beer? maybe?

top 10 flavor pairings announced hmmm..as for me, lavendar and honey sound nice, but wasabi and maple make my face squinch up. how about you?

ha..i was flipping through los angeles magazine in the doctor's office yesterday, when i saw an ad for "grub", betty's restaurant in so Ca. (i'm not making this up") the slogan for the place was "if your ass can fit through the door, what the hell, order dessert!" classy, huh? but no more than we should expect, i suppose. (edit to add: i suppose if your restaurant's name is "grub", you aren't really "going" for classy, but stilllllll...)

muhummara! walnuts, roasted red peppers, a little dry bread, some olive oil and paprika, s&p and some pomegranate molasses. serve with pitas or flatbread, on grilled fish or chicken. mmmm-muhummara!

a lot of recipes suggest soaking anchovies in milk to tone down the fishy flavor. (they're fish, i say--shouldn't they BE fishy?)

i tried these, and was disappointed. they were dry, and i'm pretty sure i didn't overbake them. the flavor had potential, so i think i might try them again, with some creme fraiche or mascarpone for moisture. (if i don't just skip along to the next 50 things i want to make from this book!)

as a non-baker, let me be the first to give a shout out to dorie greenspan's "baking: from my home to yours" for inspiring me to grease and flour baking pans once again. everything i've tried has been exceptional, which is even more inspiring.

thanks for going to the trouble to dig these up---terrific ideas (i think i'm going to need another couple lbs!)..the photo at the top of the first thread made me feel a bit puny about my formerly glorious haul...c'est la vie. if my store still has them monday (i do NOT costco on the weekend--not even for chanterelles) i think we will either have chanterelle wild rice dressing OR butternut squash, green beans and chanterelles (roasted) on our holiday talbe. i will sure be thanksful for either one!

the soup sounds delicious---i so agree about stripping the mushrooms. i learned that in a mushroom foraging seminar i attended a while back--so much more rustic looking, and so much more surface area--with the grooves and all to soak up sauce. last night i made risotto with pancetta and the 'shrooms, and some caramelized onions...it was really delicious, and i'm thinking of having some for breakfast. i think tonight i will use another suggestion i've received--tempura chanterelles...doesn't that sound amazing?

here they are in all their glory...run to costco NOW!

so there i am, in a semi-trance, pushing the cart through costco, when, in the corner of the walk-in produce fridge, something catches my eye. walking a little closer, i actually let out a tiny shriek, causing several other shoppers to look over in alarm..... large styrofoam trays of perfect, glowing golden chanterelles.. they are in amazing shape, even though they are wrapped in plastic, and look like they were hydroponically cultivated. a mushroom class i took a few years back taught me that they cannot be commercially grown, but have to be foraged...these must have come from a glorious, magical costco chanterelle forest. visions of costco elves (they look a bit like keebler elves) with mushroom knives dance through the forest of my imagination... the cold of the walk-in, and the beauty of the mushrooms jolt me back to reality, so i grab a hefty tray and check the price...again, i am in fantasy land, as it appears that the costco price for a full pound of these beauties is...$8.99. now i know that there are parts of the world where chanterelles grow on trees...okay, well, under them, and milk and honey flow through the streets, but i live in parched southern california, where, if you are lucky enough to lay your hands on any chanterelles at all, they are shriveled and mealy and you are happy to get them, and happy to pay up to $40 a lb. for the pleasure. i figure they are mismarked, and that i will get the real price at check out, but they are so gorgeous that I MUST HAVE THEM, regardless of the cost, so i proceed to checkout, where they ring up at $8.99. i love costco. so, i have a pound of perfect chanterelles, and i plan to have another pound and another pound and another, until the sad and tragic day, very soon, i fear, when the walk-in holds the magic mushrooms no more. what will i do with all these beautiful mushrooms? your best suggestions greatly appreciated! please help me bering this bounty to its full potential.