bloviatrix

Great writing Katie. I have had almost all the wines you talk about at one point or another. And the recipes look great. I've been thinking about doing something with raw tuna, so I might make the recipe you provide. Have you gotten any feedback on your article?

I make stews very often and use both the range-top or oven. The key with either cooking method is having a heavy bottomed pot. Personally, I like Le Creuset (it cleans like a dream). When starting, you want to make sure to use no more than a medium flame and make sure your pot has heated up. This helps reduce the amount of onions and such that might get stuck to the base. The liquid you add works as a good de-glazer, use a flat utensil (I have a wooden spatula) which helps scrape up any stuck on bits. For the simmer, turn the flame as low as it goes out going out. You'll see a bubble every so often. The benefit of the oven is you'll get the all around heat so you can cook at a low temperature.

Whole toasted almonds, still warm from the oven. Apple cider to drink.

I told Blovie I'm curious about the cakes. I gave me one of those "don't even think about it" looks.

KarenS -- if you're passing comments back, can you please let them know that the pound cake was so successful that even my friend who doesn't like pound cake raved after sampling.

Tonight we went CARB CRAZY!! Penne alla Vodka (actually, I used fiori) Fresh baguette w/butter Left-over Rioja, to drink. We also had a taste of the cannellini beans I made using the Parson's method, seasoned w/garlic and sage.

They're absolutely neccessary for kasha varnishkes. And I like 'em on burgers.

Codswallop. I've got to add that word to my vocabulary.

I've got really bad cravings today. All I want is Herr's Ranch Flavored tortilla chips, but I can't find them ANYWHERE!!!! They're the only ones that have kosher certification. So, I had to make do with a bag of yogurt and green onion potato chips. I snarfed down most of a 5 oz. bag in about 15 minutes. Now I feel sick.

I was wandering the aisle (the place is long and narrow) of my local kosher market this afternoon, and although they didn't have what I wanted (fresh sausages), I found something very intriguing for Pesach. Sitting on one of the shelves filled with Passover cookies and cakes I noticed a box. It's color was a golden yellow with brown text. In one corner I saw the familiar scripted "P" that identifies the pastries of Francois Payard. Now I love Payard - his desserts are one of my weaknesses, but his shop is definitely not certified kosher. So, I was curious. I pulled the box off the shelf and sure enough it was a chocolate-almond flourless cake from the PC himself. There's was even a photo of him on the box. It seems he's doing a line of Passover cakes - the other one available was a lemon-almond flourless cake. The cakes are manufactured in France and have French kosher certification. Based on the size of the box, the cakes look very small. And the price was $27 which is about 150% more than other pre-made cakes (granted, you can't compare Schick's Bakery to Payard, but still). There's a small part of me that wants to buy one but I'll try to restrain myself.

I use the frozen loaves. But, one of the places I get my gefilte fish makes some interesting variations. They have lemon dill, jalapeno, and almond raisin (I know it sounds gross, but it's actually pretty tasty). So, maybe go wild and do something completely non-traditional like adding some horseradish to the fish mixture. And if you want to do something English influenced, shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls and deep-fry. They're amazing!

Breadcrumbs - you can even freeze them.

I can't pick just one. Strawberries - just picked from the field so ripe that the juice runs down your chin. Bing cherries, chilled - that burst with flavor when you bite into them Mangos - the perfume is heavenly Lemons -especially in the winter, they taste like sun Ruby Red grapefruit - these keep me happy in the winter. I eat a minimum of one a day Rhode Island Greenlings - a really nice tart, crunchy apple. I can eat these by the bushel Local nectarines - just thinking of them makes me smile.

Fried sage leaves are un-freaking-believable. They're seriously addicting.

I haven't looked the the new Gand, although I have the other two. What makes the new one so lame?

Wait a second, I thought the lesbian couple lived in Miami Beach?

Comfort Me, you are a sick, sick man. My only though is you're going to have to make a trip back east and go to Boro Park - 13th Avenue. If the pan is out there, that's where you'll find it.

Speaking of cleanliness, I found this interesting:

The cover story in USA Today's business section is about BK's attempt to improve it's food and its image. As part of the plan, they're fixing the Whopper. Burger King zaps Menu, Image

A very messy ruby red grapefruit. The damn thing spritzed all over the new issue of The New Yorker.

Last night we out for dinner at a local deli. As they placed the pickles and coleslaw on the table this thread immediately came to mind. We were given a combination of half-sours and whole sours and demolished all of them. The cole slaw was pretty decent as well.

As always, thanks for the update. The Sauvignon Blanc SR sounds appealing. When do you think it will be released? I'll also keep an eye out for The Cave.

You should look at Alice Medrich's book Bittersweet. Her recipes include variations for the different types of chocolate out there. I tried her recipe for brownies using the variation for 70% (I added pecans, but any nut will do) and it disappeared very quickly.

I have seen passion fruit puree at Kalustyans. Their web site is www.kalustyan.com. I'm sure they would be willing to help in procuring whatever is needed.