chezcherie

i think she has my previous metabolism, and i would really like to have it back!

that line will run through my head all day. that, and "i had what he needed and it cost me nothing." lovely, lovely piece. thanks!

here's one we use in my cooking school. it's pretty fool-proof, and tasty, too: Valencia Almond Cake 8 oz. blanched almonds 1/2 cup sugar, divided 4 eggs, separated zest of 2 oranges 2 tablespoons Amontillado Sherry pinch of salt Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9” cake pan. Place the almonds in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Pulse until the almonds are finely ground. With an electric mixer, beat the yolks with another 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add the orange zest and the pinch of salt, and beat 2 minutes. Stir the sherry into the ground almonds, then combine this mixture with the yolk mixture. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Add half the egg whites to the almond/yolk mixture and stir to combine. Add the rest of the whites and fold gently to combine. Spoon into the prepared cake pan, and bake 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. We serve the almond cake with vanilla ice cream mixed with sherry, and fresh blueberries.

my college son did his first euro tour last summer. he loved the food, including the best pizza ever---just tomatoes, but he said the flavor of those tomatoes (insert kissing of fingertips icon here). he was, however, pining a bit for american food by the time he landed at lax. having done my due diligence, i drove him straight to the nearest "in n out"......the hamburger didn't get a second glance until he had peeled the lid off the coke, and gazed adoringly at the abudant ice cubes. he said "there is more ice in this cup than in all of europe". then puzzled about this phenomenon. "they HAVE the technology", he proclaimed, "they've got water, and freezers...i know, because of all that gelato! why do they refuse to use the technology?" i believe he's making a business plan to sell ice in europe to hot americans! (he will support me in my old age!)

i optimistically ordered an "heirloom tomato salad" ($12!) at a new place we tried last night. figured, well, it's nearly august--let's see what they got. sigh. the tomatoes were certainly not heirloom varieties--beefsteak at best...and they were crisp. (i cannot abide a pink, crispy tomato!)...well, there were two slices of yellow tomato...but if that one was "heirloom", i'll eat....that tomato. very disappointing. taught me to remember to be skeptical!

this is a "punk'd" prank, right? please say it is....

if you will be a california college student, you'd best have at least a passing familiarity with in and out burgers. some folks love 'em, some folks say they ain't what they used to be, but they are a CA institution, and if you arrive at college without having experienced one, you will be the object of scorn and pity. there is one on walnut in pasadena (very near cal tech, which i assume is the pasadena destination), and i'm sure there is an outpost in palo alto as well. happy college touring!

is an indoor oven also available? if so, he could grill them very rare, and finish them on sheet pans in a low oven. i teach cooking classes, and in order to have enough grilled steaks for all the students to sample, we do this--the students usually can't believe that the steaks were grilled before they arrived at class, and served an hour later. (we show grilling one or two in class, but don't have room on the grill nor the time to grill enough in class for everybody, so we employ this method, which has the bonus of being a good learning point!)

just to clarify, i should have said 130-135 after resting...and obviously, the lower the rarer.)

i'd say 130-135 F would put you in the beyond bleu zone. you may already know this, but since you said you haven't a lot of this experience: be sure to insert your thermometer from the side of the steak, parallel to the pan or grates, rather than the top, as the steak is most likely not thick enough to get an accurate reading from the top to center.

lots of collagen from the feet will produce a gelatinous stock. asian markets sell chciken feet very inexpensively. i find it a bit disconcerting to wlak past the simmering stock and see a foot or two bobbing up..but, then, i have chickens as pets!

sugar=2 years? what is going to happen to sugar after 2 years? and pepper=4 years? it seems really arbitrary to me (not that i have any 2 year old sugar, but...)

pedro--thanks for the pictorial---these look like they would make a fabulous sunday breakfast! how long, approximately, would you say it took to simmer the potatoes and chorizo once the liquid was added? thanks! (i may do it tonight, and make extra for tomorrow's breakfast--with a few eggs fresh from the coop, it sounds like heaven!)

i thought that resting brulee batter was done to eliminate bubbles that may have resulted from mixing. i vaguely recall resting the batter in ramekins, and then using a skewer to pop any bubbles on the surface, resulting in an unmarred top. ice cream base? ya got me? maybe just to meld the flavors? i'll be interested to see what folks say about this...

chefwear has little kid's stuff, but i think they are toddler sizes (which won't take long!)tiny chefwear clickety

thanks, alamoana--many a coffee can lid has given its life for this purpose in my kitchen...i just love the idea of being able to slather a dozen at a time, without moving (or cleaning) the stencil between each li'l spoon...i should prolly just order the damn thing, instead of longing for it!

i've been longing for this tuile stencil:spoon shaped tuile stencil from chef rubber....i keep starting to order it, and then the fact that the shipping is almost as much as the damn stencil stops me....but they would be perfect for edible tasting spoons! if that doesn't work, i have used almondinas: almondina cookies for some things, with good results. (trader joe's sells the original flavor, if you have a tj's nearby) what are you sampling? that would make a difference...

ehhhhh. got it from the library, thank goodness. it was mildly interesting plane reading, at best. the photos were quite off-putting, especially since i know how expensive color photos can be in cookbook publishing...there are way too many blurred (as in "action") shots of chefs bustling here and there, or artsy shots...including one of the POOL at the CIA...hello? kinda gave me the clue that this was an ode to the cia, instead of a great read, a la "making of a chef" .

have you tried zout? iirc, that was the only thing that zapped the aluminum grey stuff. (and affter culinary school, i switched to colored coats--an easy solution!)

i'm in new orleans this moment (sadly, leaving this afternoon). have sampled sazeracs extensively on this trip--the two best i had were at arnauds and cochon. (i don't even drink "brown liquor"---unless i'm here. but there's something about a sazerac!)

one o f my culinary instructors insisted that each of the students in that class find a unique color of paint and dip the end of each knife, melon baller, peeler and what-have-you in that color, so tools could be identified at 50 paces....I didn't wanna, but my teal knife handles are like a beacon across a crowded kitchen to me still! maybe a stipe down the back of the sheet pans?

i HAD forgotten about them, and they were on my list from last year! thanks for the reminder.

thanks, susan. i just heard back from someone from katrina krewe, but they do not have clean ups scheduled for the period we'll be in town. any other suggestions as to how to lend a hand for a few hours would be appreciated. we are definitely going to either taxi or somehow get out to see for ourselves what's left behind, what's to be done, and how to help on our end of the world. i really appreciate all your pms and encouragement to go and do that...i think i'm over the looky-loo nerves. saturnbar, thanks for the spot check on gulfstream. we'll pass on that, and get the buddy out to a more new orleanian dining experience. cross fingers that upperline will be able to accomodate us on sunday--i didn't get a chance to call on the weekend (soooo much mother's day..) and they are closed until wednesday. i had an absolutely stellar experience all by myself last year, and i so want to share that with the lads.

don't submerge them in water. i take them out of the plastic (if any) and put them in a bowl, covered with a damp paper towel. they should be okay in the fridge overnight that way. mmm, mussels are my favorite!

thanks for that---i thought i had seen it on the list of reopenings, but i'm certain that you are correct. (stanley's a stella! spin off, no?) and thanks even more for i completely agree with your suggestions that my sons would/will benefit from the experience of seeing the aftermath. would you suggest doing so on one of these tours? or renting a car to take ourselves out there--bearing in mind that we are unfamiliar with the territory, and also that we don't want to be driving down unfamiliar streets and be perceived as gawkers...appreciate any insight from someone who's living it.