MarkinHouston

Elie, I have not been back to Simposio. I think the former chef opened the restaurant just down from Cafe Pita + in the same strip center. I have a long drive to get to that area, and right now I am still enjoying the various offerings of Cafe Pita +. Any reports on the other place?

I made a batch to take to deer camp the week after Thanskgiving. I used confit of turkey thighs rather than duck, Toulouse sausage, and pork confit. I also used the haricot vert from Ranco Gordo, lined the cassole with fresh pork belly skin, and toppped with crumbs. It was a great surprise for several cassoulet neophytes. I still prefer using duck confit, but the turkey thighs were very reasonable.

We've discussed this over in the Sous Vide thread and the consensus seems to be that the purpose of the fat is to prevent air from entering the duck and causing it to spoil: since the plastic vacuum bag serves the same purpose, just freezing the entire bag should be fine. The confit will not "mature" the same way a traditional one does, but otherwise you will be fine. ← Thnaks, Chris. Since I used the traditional method for the initial "confit" rather than starting from scratch as a sous vide process, I did not sort through that topic.

I have not ween thi sparticular question addressed before: I have just finished preparing pork confit as well as confit of Toulouse sausages in hopes of assembling some cassoulet during the holidays. The instructions from Paula Wolfert's book include submerging the confit in fat in jars. If I use my Tilia and freeze the confit instead, will a small amount of duck fat/lard inside the vacuum bag suffice? Thanks.

I made confit of turkey thighs last Thanksgiving. They took a little longer to poach in the fat than do duck legs, but the result was absolutely ethereal.

As a hunter I can verify the comments about the "pissy boar". That 300-pound boar makes a good picture only; the meat is beyond repair. I was informed on my first pig hunt to look for a small one which would more likely be a young female. After following that advice, I've not had to endure the bad stuff; we leave it for the coyotes.

Man, I so want to try this place since I read about it in both the Chronicle and the Press. Seems like a true original and unique new joint. Problem is, it's so damn out of my way. ← No problem, Elie! On your way out to Phoenicia Market, stop in for a quick taste.

Not being a baker I don't understand the relevance of the Vitamin C powder, but what would be the alternative? make your own And life is definitely too short to make your own puff pastry, never mind filo! My cheats are also tinned beans and pulses, jarred tom yam paste, Mae ploy thai curry pastes and most shamefully - tinned corned beef (occasionaly used along with the tinned beans to make my famous storecupboard chili, which is probably enough to get me banned from the state of Texas for life...) ← Tinned corned beef in chili? Hanging's too good for you, podner!

After reading descriptions of these monstrous, 6-foot tamales filled with all sorts of delicacies (whole turkies?!), then wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a fire, I would be hard pressed to think of any restaurant that would offer these on a regular basis. A church festival, maybe closer to CHristmas, might be youro best hope to encounter this beast.

I believe the shop is closed on Monday and Tuesday....don't make a special trip on the wrong day!

Thanks, Sartain! These are excellent resources, and I look forward to stopping into both places.

My wife will be in Sinapore, Manila, and Hong Kong on business, and i am going along for the experience. Are there partiular places to purchase quality teas, maybe for a better price than is available in the states? Any rare or special Chinese blends that are worth trying? Thanks for any insight--I usually drink iced Luzianne or Tetley's to accomodate the Houston heat.

I always enjoyed "fifi's" posts as she was what I think of as a true Texas woman, full of opinions, humor, and stories--think Molly Ivins with a skillet! Although her many posts related to cooking are memorable, in particular I am indebted to her for learning of the Top Wated Grill in San Leon, a bastion of Gulf Coast seafood well off the beaten path but well worth the 70-mile one way drive. Many time in the last two years I have loaded up my cooler to get fresh shrimp and oysters on the coast, and I always combined that with a trip to the Top Water Grill, every time with a tip of the glass to Linda for such a great recommendation! Rest in peace, friend, as we who remain cherish your memory.

I recently purchased several selections of chevre from Pascal Trotte in Paris, and most of them are medium to hard, aged goat cheeses. I know that Sancerre is an excellent match for the crottin de chavignol, but is it the best choice for those other nuggets of chevre? The other cheeses include his favorites, one from the Savoyard and one from Poitou, neither of which are the longest-aged, as well as four or five boutons which may be best used grated onto a salad. Thanks for any suggestions. I am having issues with my camera but might be able to post pictures to display the selections.

Thank you, Flick, for your recommendations of both Le Petit Marche and Trotte.I was particularly impressed with the selection of chevre at Trotte.

As stephle mentioned, try making confit. I ordinarily use duck gizzards from our Asian market, but warmed gesiers atop a salad is a French classic.

Well I was at La Grande Epicerie yesterday and indeed I saw the OT bottle. I do not remember the exact price but it was more than 18 euros (maybe 21) for 50 cl, so I turned away and went back to the 6-euro-a-liter Moroccan olive oil which has been my favorite for many months. ← I'll be there in two weeks. Where do you get your Moroccan oil (Name please?) Thanks.

Go to the egullet section "Italy and Italian Cuisine". There are several posts which start with "The Cooking and Cuisine of..." Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, etc. You will learn alot find many recipes and references to expand your knowledge. The power is at your fingertips! If you have any questions, post them in that forum, because there are plenty of experts on hand to provide guidance and encouragement. Boun fortuna!

Mario Batali sautes a pound of sweet Italian sausage then sets it aside. He then cooks onion and garlic in the reserved juices until tender, returns the sausage to the pan for another three minutes. He adds a pound of mixed seedless grapes, cooking over high until the grapes burst, seasons with salt and pepper and then drizzles saba over everything before serving. This is pretty decadent! Other ideas: drizzle over foie gras, or figs and mascarpone, even slivers of Parmigiano-Reggiano...it reminds me of a sweetened version of aged balsamico.

No it doesn't but this is the pix Robert linked to and he got the price wrong, it's apparently about 13E. ← Only 13E? That is an excellent price. Maybe I should fill my wine carrier with olive oil instead of vin jaune.

[i took a look in CIA's "Garde Manger"and saw a recipe for 'Foie Gras Mousse' which sounds to me like your description. 1.5 foie gras cleaned and veined 22 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 2 fl oz Sauternes 2 oz minced shallots 1 clove garlic minced 4 oz butter 6 fl oz heavy cream whipped to medium peaks Robert, I hope this measure for salt is supposed to read 2 tsp. rather than 22 tsp.!!

I think you should try either a 4-H club or the FFA in a high school somewhere near you. Surely there will be a source among them.

Urutan Bali (Balinese Style Beef Sausage) Whilst the Hindus of Bali may be shocked that the Wild Boar of the original has been replaced with Beef, their sacred animal, I am sure that they will understand. A deliciously spicy sausage, not for the faint hearted! Can be fried, grilled or smoked as a fresh sausage, but can also be fermented and dried, later fried for use as a flavouring agent in fried rice etc. In its dried condition it will keep for up to two months. The fermenting and drying can be done in ambient conditions of high heat and humidity (i.e. tropical conditions if sunshine is available.) Ingredients: 1 kg Beef Brisket 20 grams of Small Red Shallots 15 grams of Garlic 0,5 grams of Coriander seeds 0,5 grams of Cumin seeds 7,5 grams of Fresh Lesser Galangal Root 15 grams of Bird's eye Chilli 15 grams of Salt 0,5 grams Terasi (dried fermented shrimp paste) 0,5 grams of Black Pepper 5 grams of Fresh Turmeric Root 5 grams of Fresh Ginger 5 grams of Fresh Galangal 3 mtrs Sheep Casing Directions: Wash and rinse thoroughly the Sheep Casings, place to one side. Grind all spices together to form a paste together with the salt. Coarsely grind or chop the Brisket, add the spice paste and knead the forcemeat until it become very sticky. Stuff the casings, using a funnel, cake decorating syringe, or a sausage stuffer, avoid any air pockets in the sausages, if any form prick them with a sharp implement to remove the air. Tie off the individual sausages with butchers twine to whatever size you prefer. For cooking fresh, leave the sausages in the fridge overnight for the flavours to develop. For drying, hang the sausages indoors for 24 hours to ferment, then if in the tropics, hang the sausages to dry daily in the sun, bringing in at night to avoid condensation and moisture, depending on conditions, they may take up to two weeks to dry thoroughly (till hard). If in a cooler, less humid environment, hand in a cool dry place, otherwise hang in a modified refrigerator until they are hard.

Sky, if I can make one recommendation for you, it would be Oliveto in Berkley. It is right beside BART and the owner, Paul Bertolli, worked at Chez Panisse for many years. Thanks to the advice I received in this forum, I had lunch there yesterday, and I had some of the best salume and ravioli that I have ever eaten this side of Tuscany. Squisito!