bloviatrix

What do you think of Ash? I have his other one which I like a great deal. Is the new one as good?

And goose fat.

I have never been in a Costco. There are none in Manhattan, although I'm aware of one in Long Island City (Queens). But today (cue Twilight Zone music) we got a coupon booklet in the mail along with a registration form.

Last night's soup sounds good. I've thinking about trying a fish soup for a while so I might give your recipe a try. BTW, I'm impressed you went walking in the rain. Normally that's a sign to climb back into bed.

Regarding the cracking, according to the book, in order to prevent cracking you should put your cheesecake directly in the refrigerator from the oven. Another interesting point is that you shouldn't wrap the cake with foil, rather cover it with a cardboard cake round, or some other paper product as it will absorb all moisture and you won't get condensation on the cake.

I don't know if you're avoiding Chilean Sea Bass, but according to my fish guy you can use it as a substitute for black cod.

Actually both my mother and I make what you call "type a." The recipe I use calls for 2 pounds of cream cheese, sugar, lime juice, and 4 eggs. Because there is no leavener in the cake, any "lift" comes from beating the cream cheese at high speed for about 5 minutes plus the addition of the eggs (beat in one at a time, until just absorbed). Over the past 10 years I've learned that the dread deflation is unavoidable and nothing you can do will stop it. The real key is the sour cream glaze which levels off the cake and hides the depression in the middle. Mom taught biology. Perhaps if she was a chemistry teacher she would think about chemical reactions in baking. Hence the request for silence.

Although I think it was a cop-out not to give any stars, I actually thought Hesser wrote a fantastic piece. IMO, this was probably the strongest of all her reviews.

Thanks for all the compliments guys. We finished the last of the cheesecake tonight. I was even licking the tin foil trying to get at the last stuck on bits.

Right now, the OU is saying that there's nothing to worry about so we're not making any changes. If our Rabbi comes out with a p'sak, ruling, saying this is an issue to be concerned with, we'll get a water filter.

Not WEVD ... aren't they extinct?? WEVD (Eugene V. Debs) is sadly no long with us. It's now ESPN Sports Radio. We have a local station called NY1 that does a segment called "In the Papers" where they highlight assorted articles in the local press. One of the articles they featured was the one in the Times about the water. This is what I awoke to this morning. I'm still shaking my head.

Jon, what station was that news report on?

The May 31st issue of Fortune has an interesting article on what it takes to become a Master of Wine. Grape Nuts

You might want to try using za'atar, which is a spice/herb mixture. It's more middle eastern than african, but it might add a nice flavor.

BTW, Westpfal uses the cold water bath method.

One of my favorite things to do is saute a variety of mushrooms on some olive oil with lots of garlic and deglaze the pan with some balsamic (a soy sauce-toasted sesame oil mixture works well too). Then serve warm on a bed of arugala. I save all the trimmings (stems primarily) in a bag in the freezer. When I have enough, I make a mushroom broth which I then use as a base for my mushroom-barley soup.

The May 24th issue of Forbes reports that London has surpassed New York as the best place to drink cocktails. Liquid Masterpieces

I've given thought to the location issue, but considering they don't take walk-ins and the only way you can get a table there is to make a phone call 60 days in advance, we're not talking about diners who walk in right "off the street"

Do they really say that?! They were very polite about it, but yes, they made clear there is a dress code. And to think I was planning on wearing a belly-t, ripped jeans and paint splattered sneakers.

Thanks for sharing your last week of freedom with us.

I love your definition of stairmaster. Is it ok to admit that I'm reading this for the photos?

That guy parks under my windows about once a week. If I hear him in the next couple of days I'll try to get his information. But I have no idea what type of job he does.

I've heard that Henry Westpfal is supposed to be expensive but extremely reliable. 107 W. 30th (6th Ave) 212/563-5990

During lunch service, the hostess' main duty is to keep tourists from barging into the dining room. I did see Leslie give out menus and offer to let them see the space after service is over. This might also explain why you are told when making a reservation that shorts, jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers are NOT allowed.

Amen, sister. You're preaching to the converted. Believe me, once you start making homemade mayo, you'll find it's so good, it dispears in less than a week.