bloviatrix

Blo, what did you do with the spearmint? ← In the summer I make gallons and gallons of mint ice tea. Now that it's gotten cooler Blovie adds it to his hot tea. Incidentally, we still have some left from last week so I'll be using it a soba noodle dish which is part of tomorrow's lunch.

I made a white beet soup last night. I find they're sweeter than red beets. They sign at the greenmarket calls them "sugar" beets. Pan, if you hit the Union Square Greenmarket on Wed, Paffenroth carries all the varieties.

These GIANDUIA BROWNIES from Epicurious always looked very tempting to me.

Did you serve the skirt steak plain or rub it with something?

I can't speak for the entire community, but for the most part, those who are Modern Orthodox don't hold by it. However, some of the agencies that supervise kashrut will require it. Interestingly, GG provided a link to the Star-K web site. And dairy product you buy with a Star-K will be chalov yisroel. However, they also have a ancillary hechsher -- the Star-D (a D with a star set inside) which would contain regular milk products.

I was afraid you were going to ask that. There are those who say that the whole process of milking the cows and preparing the milk must be overseen by a torah-observant jew in order to ensure that it's 100% cow's milk. The thing is, because milk is so heavily regulated in the US there is a counter argument that the supervision isn't required because you know that the milk will come solely from cows.

Jason, it occurs to me that they might be using chalov yisroel milk and that might be the problem. Technically, there should be no difference between chalov yisroel and regular dairy, but in my experience/opinion it spoils quicker and doesn't taste as good.

It's been several years since I did my stove research, but it has to do with the high heat produced by using the self-cleaning mechanism. I can't remember the details. Sorry.

Will the oven be self-cleaning? In that case the gasket placement is important. Some have the gasket around the oven door, others have it around the oven mouth. Look at the KA -- that has the better gasket placement. (I'm not suggesting KA, it's just that I can't remember where they place the gasket so look at your current oven to see where it is)

Enjoy your victory while you can. Toast with champage. You never know if you'll see another one in your lifetime.

Michael, can you share with us how you came to be included in Bruni's dining party that evening?

Today's NY Times has coverage of the Salone. A Food Festival, Coffee to Caterpillars

This irked me as well. Although in this carb-fearing time desserts might be shunned, to me it's a integral part of the meal. There have been several threads on the Pastry board about the lack of respect PCs get, and this plays into it.

If the apartment smells of gas when the stove isn't in use get it checked out. (Additionally, when the oven is cold, open the door and sniff. If you smell gas in the oven it's the sign of a potential problem). Sometimes you'll get a bit of a gassy smell if the flame on the burner goes out or if it takes a bit of time for the starter to kick in but that's nothing to be concerned with -- just open a window for a bit. That said, I've kept a single burner on for as long at 72 hours straight and have never had a problem. There's no reason you can't make the stock using the overnight simmer method -- I do it fairly frequently.

I went through the book at Barnes & Noble today. Loved p.290 -- further reading. AB's comments are priceless. Particularly about Pepin's La Technique.

Me too! 80 proof! Love Wild Turkey ... ← Actually, the wild turkey was served with a glaze made with said burbon. Regarding hunting, there's no problem with it, but you can't use guns or arrows. You have to somehow capture the animal and still slaughter it appropriately. This is why all kosher venison is farm raised.

Another vote for Marcella's Essentials. Lynee Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table concentrates on the cuisine of Emilia-Ramagna. It's full of information about the region and her text is fascinating.

If you go back to this post, you'll find a link to Jay Rayner's Per Se review.

I plan on experimenting with boiled peanuts as a snack for tomorrow night's game.

This week's issue of New York magazine has a section devoted to chocolate. Among the features is a blind test test were they asked Francois Payard to sample assorted low-end chocolate based candy bars and give his opinions. These are his thoughts.

Just re-read Varmint's post. I got so excited at the mention of Labor Day Weekend, I missed the fact the pickin' would be saturday. Can't do it. BTW, I know I don't eat pig, but it just looked like so much fun last year.

What's the chance The Connells will be playing in the area that weekend? That's the only way I'm going to be able to lure Blovie to Raleigh. (the only time I travel w/o him is for business)

I will continue to seek an appropriate answer but this is what I have found ... ← Actually, wild turkey is considered kosher. I've eaten that as well.

Bloviatrix would obviously know and I accept her word on it but a bit more on the birds of a feather ... So I will not make my cuckoo and swan casserole with a bat knish on top after all ... ← Leviticus 11:13-19 lists all the forbidden birds. Sparrow and quail are kosher as well (i've eaten those as well).

Pigeon (Columba domestica) is indeed kosker. I've even eaten it!!