bloviatrix

A question for the ages....What is it about jews and pigs in blankets?

I find my mouth watering as I read these sandwiches. Others that come to mind: Left-over braised brisket on challah Peanut butter on rye toast (with the peanut butter being all melty) with chilled iceberg lettuce. My dad would make this when I was a kid and it was so good. I loved the warm, gooey peanut butter with the cold, crisp lettuce as a counterpoint. My husband makes fun of me when I make this sandwich. He doesn't get the appeal of PB and lettuce.

My in-laws bring empty jugs with them to fill up with NYC tap water when they come to visit. And they live just across the river in Jersey.

I grew up hating beets with such a passion. My parents loved borscht and ate it frequently and of course my mom would always try to get me to eat it. Although I loved the color produced by combining the borscht and sour cream, I just hated the taste and had to make a meal out of boiled potatoes. My husband tells a similar story, only his parents ate boiled beets. Anyway, three years ago we were in London and one of the restaurants we ate at served a beet and granny smith apple salad that was amazing. The earthiness of the beets (or should I say dirt?) and the tartness of the apples was a great combination. So, Blovie and I looked at each other amazed - who knew a beet could taste so good? Since that trip, we've decided to "embrace" the beet. I like roasting them or combined with the granny smith apple and a tangy lemon mayonnaise. And I've decided that this summer I going to make borscht for the first time - it's time I get over my childhood disgust.

According to my herb guy at the greenmarket, lemon verbena is great infused in lemonade. I'm going to try it this coming weekend.

Well, this thread inspired me. I had a big bunch of mint and lots of lemons so I made some mint-infused lemonade. It was extremely refreshing. City Bakery is selling Farmer's Lemonade which is lemonade with heavy cream in it. Has anybody tried this? I'm wondering whether it's worth trying.

Tonight it's pan-roasted sea bass with charmoula and a 2 bean salad. Maybe some chilled melon for dessert.

It's a toss-up between corned beef on rye with mustard or whitefish salad on an onion bagel. Sable on an onion roll with lettuce is pretty good too. I like my smelly fishes.

I don't recall eating anything at my wedding, although I was told the food was quite good. The morning after we had jewish soul food - bagels, cream cheese, lox and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Glad you enjoyed. Sounds like you had a perfect summer meal.

There may be one good thing that comes out of this show - it will be a reflection of how much work goes into running a restaurant, that it is in no way glamorous -- it's hot, exhausting, demanding, and tiring work. It used to be that everyone had the fantasy that they would open a quaint B&B in the country. Now, it's to open a restaurant. If this show shatters the unrealistic dreams of some people, it will have done its job.

Did anyone else notice that on the day the restaurant was to open, as the building manager departed the premises he was carrying a what looked like a doggy-bag?

Leftovers are a beautiful thing. Flaked up the remaining salmon, boiled up some penne and heated up the remaining sauce. Not bad.

E-gullet road trip, perhaps?

Tonight we're having: Salmon poached in a tomato-cumin cream sauce Sweet potato salad Roasted corn salad White raspberries and Queen Ann cherries for dessert To drink a choice of Mint Lemonade or Chenin Blanc.

I'm a greenmarket slut. I went to Union Square this afternoon. That makes 3 markets in 25 hours. I bought: Shelling peas basil

Yesterday the Columbia greenmarket (w.116th & B'way) was pathetic. There was only one vendor there. I came home with a spearmint plant. Today at 97th street: Another huge bunch of spearmint red leaf lettuce scallions white raspberries Queen Ann cherries orange cherry tomatoes - the first I've bought this season!! rosemary focaccia challah I might head down to Union Square later.

Sushi and bad raspberry lemonade (from a mix).

The trick to making "additions" to sorbet, or ice cream for that matter, is to not add them before or while churning. Cut up the add-in and sprinkle it onto the ice cream as you spoon it into the storage container. That way the chunks remain chunky. The almonds pretty much need to be chocolate coated to not get soggy. I think you should have just taken an actual Almond Joy bar and cut it up and layered it into the coconut sorbet. Thanks for the "add-in" suggestion. I'll keep that in mind for future ice cream experiments. As for the sorbet, the spouse has decreed that all future sorbet is to be smooth and creamy. This means I'll be sticking with pureed fruit and infused sugar syrups.

Here's the charmoula I use: 1 bunch parsley 1 bunch cilantro garlic juice of 2 lemons 1 tbs paprika 2 tbs cumin 1/4 cup EVOO Salt and pepper to taste Pulse first 5 ingredients in food processor, then slowly add the EVOO. I tend to use a lot of cilantro. Maybe try substituting the lemon basil for the parsley and using the juice of only one lemon?

What about added to a charmoula? I bet it would be great rubbed on fish.

I just snuck into the house Pat Willard's book about Saffron - I got it on sale for $7.

For those of you planning on making sorbet, let me give you a piece of advice - don't add nuts, chunks of chocolate, etc to your sorbet. It's a disaster. I know this from experience. Several months ago, I got the "brillant" idea of making Almond Joy sorbet after reading Jean-George's recipe for coconut sorbet. I figured if plain coconut sorbet was good, coconut sorbet with toasted almonds, chunks of bittersweet chocolate and grated coconut would be better. Not so. It was pretty awful. The texture of the sorbet was grainy, the almonds got soggy, and I choaked on the grated coconut. My husband still hasn't let me live down that experiment.

A plum. I'm trying to eat healthy.

I don't think you can point to one or the other and say it's better. Each has it's pluses and minuses. I like having control over my ingredients - that's a plus to homemade. The minus to homemade is 1) making sure you don't curdle your eggs and 2) getting the churning time right so you don't the butter bits from overchurning. Plus, it's time consuming. With premium, you can run out and have a large choice of flavors, and you always know what to expect, but on the flip side you get all the additives. I started making my own ice cream this year and I'm having a great time making it. I don't own an expensive ice cream maker - I use the Cuisinart which costs $50. When the ice cream is fresh it's unbelievable -- unlike anything I've eaten. Plus, I tailor my flavors to accompany other desserts. I don't have that flexibility with premium But, that doesn't mean I won't buy premium ice cream. I still require my B&J fix and it's definitely more convenient to run out and buy a pint. I think it all comes down to how much time you have and what you like to do in the kitchen (and how much room you have for additional equipment).