bloviatrix

Well, I'm back from my weekend away and I want to thank all of you for your advice. In the end, we kind of ran out of time -- the sabbath started at 7:20 pm and got up to the house a little after 6. Between grilling the meat and all the other vegetables, in the end we threw the corn in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes and then set it on the grill for a bit. Needless to say, it was still very good -- so sweet I felt like I was liking a sugar bowl. I'll keep all the suggestions in mind for the next time I have good corn and access to a grill.

You're thinking of Oliviers & Co. It's owned by the same group that owns L'Occitane. They have shop in SoHo (I think it's Prince and Mercer) that has a restaurant as well. They also had a shop in Grand Central Terminal, although it may have closed.

After reading many of the tributes and watching American Masters on PBS, the one thing that keeps striking me is that it wasn't until her 40s that Julia truly discovered her "purpose." Until then she was always trying to determine what she was meant to do with her life. The fact that she was so accomplished, and it all was done in the second half of her life should serve as inspiration to all of us who are still struggling to figure out how to leave our mark and maybe make the world a better place. We live a world where so many reach fame and wealth while still young and it can become disheartening to see these pups pass us by. But Julia is an example to follow -- you're never to old to do something really important.

We're going away with friends for the weekend. My contributions: Skirt steak rubbed with all sorts of spices and shoulder steak in a marinade of soy sauce, sherry, garlic and toasted sesame oil. Both will be grilled. My borscht with ginger and apples has been requested. Additionally, I'll be grilling lots of vegetables. I'll take some nice reds for drinking. I'm looking forward to getting out of the city.

Well, I'm getting a sense anything goes. Thanks for the serving suggestions. Since we're kosher the bacon won't be used. And since the corn is accompaning a meat meal, no butter will be served. Seeing that we're at the height of the season, I'm hoping the corn will be good plain.

Team blogging. I love this. Will we get his and hers perspectives?

Today at 97th street: Eggplants - purple and white Green leaf lettuce Butter lettuce Beets Corn Zucchini Spearmint Assorted heirloom tomatoes Nectarines Concord Grapes Plums (can't remember the variety but they smell heavenly) Sesame Pugliese, double onion rolls, sourdough rolls

I sat there last night watching and had tears rolling down my face. It was a wonderful program. My only complaint was that it was 1 hour. I wanted more.

I'll admit it. I know nothin' 'bout grilling. It's not that I'm a girl (though there are some who think my gender can't grill) But rather, I'm a city person. I'm going away for the weekend and will have access to a grill so I'll be giving it a try. I feel pretty confident that I can handle grilling the meat and the vegetables. But it's the corn I'm not sure about. What's the best method of grilling corn? You have until 4:00 EST to provide answers.

Quilted Giraffe was the baby of Barry and Susan Wine. One of their signature dishes was beggar's purses filled with caviar. Its final location was in the Sony building on Madison btw. 55th and 56th.

Corn stock is a wonderful thing to have. I use it as the base for my corn and potato vichysoisse (recipe in the Union Square Cafe Cookbook). Recently I saw a recipe for a corn risotto which calls for corn stock instead of chicken broth. That also looked very promising.

Before you do anything, get your hands on a copy of the Sept. 2004 issue of This Old House magazine. They have a great article called Why Didn't Somebody Tell Me? 25 things you Need to know before starting a remodeling project. Not everything will apply to a small kitchen re-model, but there's good advice in there. Even if you're not currently planning a project it's worthwhile reading. My copy is going in my "renovations" file.

Dinner tonight was eggplant parmigiana. I found kosher pecorino and grated it on top. I was ambitious - I even made the tomato sauce from scratch. Sweet Corn ice cream for dessert

I can't look at a Yule Log without thinking of Julia. That show is one of my all-time favorites. I've considered trying my hand at a Yule Log because of her, and I'm a Jew!!

Once again, Russ Parsons is going to make you cry.

Mmmm, those pastries look good. Your husband is a lucky man.

To get an idea of how many people Julia Child touched -- the new issue of Sports Illustrated has a small obit. Seems she was quite a sportswoman, and a huge Red Sox fan.

Johnny Apple wrote a lovely article in today's NY Times. Additionally, Julie Powell contributed her thoughts.

The fun thing about having your own ice cream make is you get to play around with flavors that tempt you. Try it. The worse that happens is that it doesn't taste the way you had hoped. It's just milk, cream and eggs. Not neuro-surgery.

Amen.

No, it's not a place for a quick meal, but if you want to luxuriate over wonderful food in a beautiful setting ( ideally with people that you love being with) and make an evening of it, it's the place to be. The four plus hours that I spent at Per Se flew by. Furthermore, this was one of the most pampered/cossetted blocks of time I've ever experienced outside of going to a spa.

Normally, I write about kosher places on the kosher restaurant thread, but I think this place will appeal to anyone who's looking for reasonably priced eats on the UWS. Alibaba is a bit of a hole-in-the-wall on Amsterdam btw 84th and 85th. They can seat about 8 but mostly they do a take-out business (they also deliver in the neighborhood) They serve yemeni/middle eastern food that's extremely fresh and very tasty. On my first visit I ordered the falafel in a lafa rather than a pita. Let me tell you, this is a big sandwich. The falafel balls are some of the best I've ever tasted. Nicely seasoned and not greasy. You are given a choice of fillings which includes tehina, hummus, eggplant, harrissa, mutbacha and israeli salad. Additionally they give you a small plate for "salad" which includes assorted pickles, carrot salads, cabbage salads, and other choices. I've also tried their shawarma (turkey) which was also very good. They are closed on the sabbath, but otherwise they're opened until about 2 am. Alibaba menu

I keep making blueberry pie. Take 2 pints of blueberries. In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved and the blueberries have broken down. Add a slurry of corn starch and warm water (3 tablespoons each) and continue to cook until the blueberries run clear and have thickened. Take blueberries off stove and add zest of one grated lemon, some cinnamon and nutmeg. Then add all the remaining berries and fold them in. This mixture can be used to fill a single 9" pie, mini tarts or even puff pastry to make turnovers.

I keep a running list on the fridge so that as something gets finished, it gets written down so I know to replace it. Otherwise, the only time I really shop with a list is when I'm cooking a specific menu. In that case, I categorize the items I need by store where I buy them. Since Blovie does much of the grocery shopping for staples, and inevitably forgets to take the list with him, he goes through the aisles with the cell phone attached to one ear asking me to guide him to what is needed.

Today's NY Times printed readers' letters related to Julia's passing. Once again, I found myself tearing up.