bloviatrix

This is a better photo of a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin. They are an heirloom pumpkin and received their name because with their buff-colored skin and and rounded shape they resemble a wheel of cheese.

It's getting cold. Therefore, it's time for some of my favorite winter foods. Mushroom-Barley Soup Veal Schnitzel Kasha Varnishkes Corn Souffle Brocolli Rabe Apple-Pear Crumble Dalton Sauvignon Blanc Susufa Vinyard 2004 to drink. Marble Rye instead of challah.

The other week I finally made my seasonal batch of mushroom stock. Once I've got it in the freezer it allows me to make all my favorite mushroom soups. So, yesterday I put on a large pot of Mushroom-Barley Soup. Perfect for a cold, blustery day.

Tried a new way to make chili. Once again prepared the beans using the Parson's method and threw in a chipotle and a clove of garlic into the pot as well. Made a paste of soaked anchos, chipotles in adobo, onion, garlic, and lemon juice Sauteed green peppers and onions. Added the chili paste and cooked a bit. Added cumin (this is where I went wrong - I put in too much cumin). Added some beer - Abita Turbodog. Threw in the ground beef (which had already been browned), beans, and some diced tomatoes. Let it simmer for awhile. End result was good -- nice amount of heat, but there was too much cumin.

This week's dinner was..... Celeriac Pear bisque Yemenite Chicken Stew Roasted Root vegetables Poached Pears Dalton Chardonnay Galilee 2004

Try grating your quinces before you cook them - this is something I learned from one of David Lebovitz's books.

The research you've done for all your books has taken you to multiple countries -- what languages do you speak? And when you have no proficiency in the local tongue - how do you communicate?

I make a dish with many of the same ingredients. The wine I choose to accompany is a sauvignon blanc.

You're thinking of A Quintet of Cuisines which includes the cooking of Switzerland, BeNeLux, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and North Africa.

I actually find that the 4:1 ratio produces a fairly sweet poaching liquid. I cook them until I can easily poke with a knife - but you don't want it so soft that'll break apart when you're removing from the pot. As for resting - the longer the fruit sits in the liquid, the more flavor it absorbs. But, you can eat them right away if so desired. For the pears I made on Friday I made them at about 3:30 and they were eaten about 4 hours later. I had them on a warming tray in the meantime. Additionally, I kept the pears whole - scooping the seed packet out from the bottom instead of halving. Lately, my husband has been drinking the remaining poaching liquid. He dilutes it a bit to reduce the sweetness and then brings to a boil. It's actually pretty good.

In Room for Dessert, David Lebovitz suggests 1 part sugar for 4 parts liquid which is what I follow. Lately I've been poaching pears: 3 cups chenin blanc, one cup water, one cup sugar, a cinammon stick, several cardamom pods, some cloves and black peppercorns. and finally lemon zest. Bring poaching liquid to a boil and then add fruit. My preference is to use wine in the poaching liquid. But, I recently learned that quinces poached in apple cider with added cinammon sticks is delicious.

I don't like having so little time on Friday. Anyway, dinner was... Squash Bisque London Broil with a Rosemary/soy/honey marinade Pumpkin pie Wild Rice-Orzo salad with dried fruits K by Saslove Galiliee Cab 2003 I poached pears but we didn't have to room for them.

I've been loving Get Saucy by Grace Parisi. It's 400 pages of sauces, marinades, rubs, vinaigrettes, chutneys, etc. It's a great tool when you're looking for inspiration.

I just pulled out a bunch of books -- none has a recipe for tehina. They all assume you'll buy it.

Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them and place in the a colander to drain the liquid -- drain for a minimum of a half hour. Then either chop the eggplant with a fork (chunky style) or run through the food processor (smooth style). Place in a bowl and add about 5 tbls lemon juice, 6-8 tbls tehina, fresh parsley, 3 cloves minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stir all the ingredients together and let sit for a bit so the flavors meld.

Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine. Can you guess what I'm giving out as holiday gifts this year?

Another recently published book that I've really enjoyed is Fresh Everyday by Sara Foster. This is another book I took out of the library to audition and I've decided I must purchase a copy after making a bunch of stuff. In fact, tonight I made her pumpkin muffins which were quickly decimated by spouse and friends.

Gourmet Preserves by Madelaine Bullwinkel. This book is great for those who have always wanted to try their hand at making jams and jellies but were intimidated by the canning process. I took it out of the library to audition and was so pleased by my results I bought a copy. Next up is the grapefruit marmalade with vanilla.

Michelle -- I'm so sorry to hear about your mil. I wish her a speedy recovery. Well, it's the first really short friday. Candle lighting for NYC is 4:30pm Dinner tonight will once again be a combination of leftovers and new stuff. Chicken soup with chunks of carrot and parsnip Brisket with chipotle-maple bbq sauce Fried green tomatoes (last of the season) Kasha Varnishkes Concord Grape sorbet

Now that the weather is turning colder I'm going to start playing with smoked turkey parts again. My best success last winter was with black bean soup. What exactly are smoked turkey tails?

There's already a Manhattan restaurant called Tamarind.

What exactly is a "Kosher Experience"? Do you know of any Shop-Rites in Northern NJ that have this section? ← The Englewood, NJ Shop Rite has one of the largest Kosher sections in the state. ← Englewood is lame compared to Edison according to Blovie -- who's shopped at both. Whereas Englewood is one aisle, and a fish counter the Edison one is like a store within a store complete with butchers on staff. The Shop-Rite in Elizabeth has an improving kosher section, although I'm not sure whether the intention is to have it as vast as Edison.

It's been well over a decade since I've eaten in Highland Park so I don't have any recommendations, but I suggest you check out the Shop-Rite in Edison. They have a "Kosher Experience" that's supposedly amazing.

I'm a bit burnt out from all the cooking I did for the holidays so dinner tonight is a combination of left-overs and new stuff. Salad of Arugala and Spicy Southwestern Bison Sausage (new) Roasted Cheese Pumpkin-Cider Soup (l/o) Herb-crusted veal shoulder roast (l/o) Roasted fingerlings (new) Marcella Hazan's Cranberry Beans (new) Poached Pears I've got the remains of a bottle of Chenin Blanc in the fridge from the pears so we'll drink either that or a sauvignon blanc. Lunch with be gefillte fish with chipotle mayo and then chili.

bloviatrix what is a cheese pumpkin, I haven't heard of that before?? ← Look here for a photo. Moderator note: edited to correct the link at the request of the member.