bloviatrix

Since your wife is short, make sure there's a place in the kitchen to keep a step ladder so she can reach things on upper shelves.

Last week I finished a box of Oriol Belaguer chocolates. They had a gianduja filling with bits of corriander, cardamon, and praline that were outrageously good. (I didn't share them with anyone!!)

As I came to this thread Wilco's Theologians is on the radio. In it is the line I'm a cherry ghost. Now, I have no idea what a cherry ghost is, but it sounds pretty cool.

For those of us who love food, today is a day of mourning. Might I suggest that tonight when eating dinner we all raise a glass of wine to her memory.

Another thing to think about regarding your range-top: if it's being used to cook chinese food you might want a range that can accomodate a wok-ring. Additionally, you want something that puts out a lot of BTUs.

so do i. you have a good recipe? My first batch, using the Claudia Flemming recipe on Epicurious is currently curing in the freezer. I snacked on the remains in the canister and I'm not sure what I think -- the verdict is still out. If I were to do it again, I think I would add some cayenne and maybe a vanilla bean. Additionally, I might reduce the number of yolks. Whatever you do, make sure to work over a low flame. This more than any other ice cream base I've made scorches pretty quickly if your flame is too high.

Regarding the refrigerator - considering you have a narrow kitchen, you should look into counter-depth/built-in style refrigerators which are roughly 24 inches deep. They're slightly more costly, but they make sense in smaller spaces.

I'm not sure -- it's 9 years old. But we've never had a problem with it.

For appliance research I would go to Krupps on W. 18th (btw 5th and 6th). The place is a hole in the wall, but they are very knowledgable. There's also Bloom & Krupp on E. 14 (near 1st Ave if I remember correctly) and Elgot on Lex btw 68th and 69th. Drimmer recently opened a Manhattan showroom called Manhattan Center for Kitchen and Bath which is probably worthwhile as well. As for purchases, A&B Drimmers on Coney Island Ave (Ave M) in Bklyn is well priced. You also might want to check out PC Richard in NJ. There's one on Rte 17 in Paramus and one in Springfield on 22 -- if you buy multiple appliances they'll work on a deal. For a dishwasher, I love my Bosch. It's very quite which is good in an apartment where everything is close together.

Happy Birthday Abra!! The food you're cooking sounds great. Any chance you'll share some recipes?

I was at Union Square today. It seems they haven't gotten the memo that $2.50/pound of heirlooms is the way to go. They were priced higher. Anyway, I came home with 3 pints of assorted cherry tomatoes for $6, 5 ears of corn (I want to make sweet corn ice cream), golden beets, red and yellow carrots, lemon balm, lettuce, nectarines (yellow and white), apples, and ground cherries/physalis -- which I'm particularly excited about. My shoulder still aches from schlepping everything home on the subway.

At the top of the bar it says Chocolate M'Sapear which would be roughly translated to Chocolate Tales/Stories. Therefore, I assume there is either a story included on the inside of the wrapper or maybe there are a series of wrappers that, if you collect them all, tell a story. Needless to say, I found it odd.

Everything looks spectacular. If I were a customer I would want to buy one of everything. Plus, I love the look of the shop. Thanks for the pix.

I got a good laugh out of this line:

This page shows a couple of my favorite snacks as well. I love the Beigel & Beigel Sesame Pretzels (if you live in NYC you can get them at Fairway). Also the American Peanuts, which are unlike anything you'll ever find in the states. Falafel flavored and Onion flavored Bissli are another favorite, although you don't want to kiss anyone for about 24 hours after eating a bag.

How do I go about doing that?

Not everyone makes it to the greenmarkets in the summer months. So what about bringing your host an array of heirloom tomatoes in a pretty basket?

Interesting you should mention the anise flavored liquor. The thing that really struck up about my first attempt at the sorbet was just how strongly the anise flavors came through.

The Oriol Belaguer chocolate (at $6 a bar) resides in my lingerie drawer.

The recipe I tried was way too sweet. But, the texture was perfect. And it retained a very pretty green color. For my next attempt I will use less sugar and add some vodka so it doesn't get too hard. For texture is there any particular subsitution ratio I should be using -- so, if I remove 1 cup sugar how much vodka should I add?

I went to market on friday planning on buying just a little. Ha! Like that's possible. So I came home with cucumbers which are happily morphing into pickles as we speak, a basil plant that I think was on steroids (fortunately, I found someone to share it with), heavenly nectarines, assorted varieties of heirloom and cherry tomatoes, mint, dill, and lemon cucumbers that the guy at Baldwin Farms added to my stash gratis. I think $2.50/pound for heirlooms is pretty much the going price as that's what I paid as well.

I paid $2.50/lb for heirlooms as well. I went to market on friday planning on buying just a little. Ha! Like that's possible. So I came home with cucumbers which are happily changing into pickles as we speak, a basil plant that I think was on steroids (fortunately, I found someone to share it with), heavenly nectarines, assorted varieties of heirloom and cherry tomatoes, mint, dill, and lemon cucumbers that the guy at Baldwin Farms added to my stash gratis.

My favorite salsa to make is inspired by John Ash. I tend to serve it with fish, but I'm happy eating it straight from the bowl. Roasted Corn-Black Bean Salsa Pre-heat oven to 425 4 ears of corn, kernels scraped off the ears 2 cups black beans 1 orange pepper, small dice 1 red onion, small dice Red Wine Vinegar, EVOO, S & P Toss corn with evoo and spread on a cookie sheet. Roast in oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Toss the corn about halfway through. In bowl toss combine the roasted corn, black beans, pepper and red onion. Drizzle vinegar and olive oil. Add s & p. Let sit for about 30 minutes for flavors to meld.

Thanks for the "danger" alert.

I keep thinking that Coke and cinnamon ice cream would be a great combination.