bloviatrix

Turns out I've been invited for both meals this shabbat. Therefore, I'm putting off the experiment until next week.

So, B, was this a true sorbet or a mango ice? Details will be appreciated - we are fully into summer soft fruits over here and mangos abound. It's a true sorbet - made of mango puree and a star anise infused sugar syrup. I'll enter the recipe in recipeGullet.

What about a large platter of crudite with jicama, carrots, peppers and green beans. My experience is that people LOVE jicama sticks. You can serve this with assorted salsas and dips. One of my faves is Cowboy Caviar.

Back in our Super Bowl party days we would do a big pot of chili which everyone seemed to enjoy.

I get nervous whenever I entertain. Especially if I'm trying a new recipe or I know one of my guests is a really cook. I will admit that I was really nervous on sunday at the potluck. I was afraid the sorbets would bomb.

January's issue of Travel and Leisure has an article on Manhattan's "newest neighborhood" aka Columbus Circle. There's mention of the restaurants opening at Time Warner if you're will to wade through. Click here to read.

Beef stew.

The expiration date was nearing on the farmers cheese and Blovie asked nicely, so I decided to attempt the cheese latkes tonight. I will admit they were somewhat of a disaster. I made the batter in the blender - it was like a very thick cheesecake batter but still quite viscous, so I could probably use more flour next time. Anyway, Blovie decided that he wanted to help. So first, we tried the non-stick pan with a bit of oil. Not good. Had a lot of problems flipping them over. So, I pulled out the regular skillet and decided that I would use lots of oil and see what would happen. Still not great. But they flipped. They absorbed a lot of oil, though. It tasted really good - kind of like fried cheesecake. I'm afraid to know what they did to my arteries. I think I feel them hardening as I type. Maybe I'll try this again next year. If I do, the spouse ISN'T allowed in the kitchen.

On a lighter note, there's Calvin Trillin's Tepper Isn't Going Out which has some very funny writing on smoked fish.

I keep a stock of Barilla on hand for when I'm lazy. In the pantry I have one jar of the Victoria vodka sauce that I haven't gotten around to using yet. I bought it out of shear curiousity.

As I sit and type, I'm trying to get a nasty taste out of my mouth. A couple of months ago, while in Gourmet Garage, I saw what looked like an interesting snack. It was called Pete's Tofu 2 Go and contained tofu patties and dipping sauce. Since I'm always on the hunt for foods rich in protein, I decided to keep in mind for a future purchase. Well, stay away from it!! I bought the Thai Tango Tofu with Mango-Wasabi dipping sauce and it's nasty. The texture is kind of like sweetbreads, but in a bad way and without the dipping sauce tastes like flavored cardboard. The sauce is ok -- sweet and hot, but does nothing to mask the patties. I'm thoroughly disgusted. Now I need to figure out how to toss it with out getting the "wasting food" lecture. We all have mistakes -- what are yours?

This reminds me of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, where he feeds Tamora a meat pie made of the blood and bones of her sons Chiron and Demetrious. In this case, it was to avenge the rape of his daughter.

Is Happy Burger the place on Broadway between 92nd and 93rd?

You just brought back a memory. Although I never ran into to the snow to try it, I always wanted to. Wow.

Back pain. Yuck. Glad to see it doesn't affect your typing. Hope you feel better.

I've added the strawberry-balsamic sorbet to recipeGullet. Here it is.

Dinner tonight is a single pot meal - cauliflower and chicken curry from a Mark Bittman column that appeared in the Times years ago. I wish I could the sapture the smell of the cumin seeds and curry powder when they hit the pan with the browned onions and include it here. There's something comforting about it - I just stuck my nose over the pan and inhaled.

In honor of this thread, I'm making a curry tonight with cumin seed.

I do the same exact thing. I find the idea of "frying" the spices is common in indian and middle eastern cuisines.

I came home from Xmas with a copy of this book and a 10-lb slab of chocolate to play with, so yes, definitely some fun. Try the mousse on p. 166. I made twice in the span of a week -- that's how good it was.

Strawberry-Balsamic Sorbet Serves 4 as Dessert. My mother-in-law macerates strawberries in a balsamic vinegar-sugar mixture which I find delicious. This is a riff on that dessert. Note: You'll have extra sugar syrup. Keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. It keeps forever and frequently comes in handy. Sugar Syrup 1-3/4 c sugar 2 c water Strawberry Puree 1 qt Strawberries 3 T Balsamic Vinegar 2 T Sugar 1 T Vanilla extract 1. Combine sugar and water in small sauce pan and bring to boil. Let sugar syrup cool and place in refrigerator 2. Hull strawberries and cut in quarters. Place in food processor with balsamic vinegar, sugar, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. 3. Strain puree to remove seeds (this is optional). Add 1 cup of chilled sugar syrup to puree. 4. Chill strawberry mixture a minimum of 4 hours. Overnight is best (you want it very cold). 5. Put mixture in ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. Remember to stir mixture before pouring into ice cream maker as the puree and sugar syrup will sometimes separate. Keywords: Easy, Fruit, Dessert, Food Processor, Kosher, Ice Cream Maker, Vegetarian, Passover ( RG827 )

Strawberry-Balsamic Sorbet Serves 4 as Dessert. My mother-in-law macerates strawberries in a balsamic vinegar-sugar mixture which I find delicious. This is a riff on that dessert. Note: You'll have extra sugar syrup. Keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. It keeps forever and frequently comes in handy. Sugar Syrup 1-3/4 c sugar 2 c water Strawberry Puree 1 qt Strawberries 3 T Balsamic Vinegar 2 T Sugar 1 T Vanilla extract 1. Combine sugar and water in small sauce pan and bring to boil. Let sugar syrup cool and place in refrigerator 2. Hull strawberries and cut in quarters. Place in food processor with balsamic vinegar, sugar, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. 3. Strain puree to remove seeds (this is optional). Add 1 cup of chilled sugar syrup to puree. 4. Chill strawberry mixture a minimum of 4 hours. Overnight is best (you want it very cold). 5. Put mixture in ice cream maker and churn according to instructions. Remember to stir mixture before pouring into ice cream maker as the puree and sugar syrup will sometimes separate. Keywords: Easy, Fruit, Dessert, Food Processor, Kosher, Ice Cream Maker, Vegetarian, Passover ( RG827 )

I'm with you on cumin in burgers. Other favorite places for cumin..... Jean-Georges Carrot Confit -- carrots, slow cooked in a mixture of fresh squeezed oj and evoo with cumin seed Chili!!!! Yemenite Chicken in Spiced Tomato Sauce - chicken rubbed with a spice mixture of cumin, cardamom, salt, pepper, corriander, and turmeric. Stewed in a tomato sauce loaded with garlic. Cauliflower curry with tomato and and cumin seed.

Yesterday was fun. I can't think of a better way to spend a snowy sunday afternoon. Everything looked gorgeous. I'm in complete awe of Kirk's burger pie. Especially the supersized homemade bun. The third sorbet was mango-star anise. MRX - I need to figure out an exact recipe for the strawberry balsamic sorbet, but once I do, I'll enter into RecipeGullet. Party at Joe's!! What time should we be there? It would be a shame to let that tart go to waste.

I make fresh horseradish every Passover, only I do it in the food processor (first shred, the chop) instead of a grinder. The effect is the same. In fact, I've taken to wearing ski goggles while preparing it. Taking the top off the processor is akin to setting off a tear gas bomb in the kitchen. I've had my cats sit up on their haunches, take a sniff skyward and BOLT up the stairs like banshees when I'm playing with the Evil Root. But if it doesn't make you cry it ain't worth a damn, I say! I remember the first and only time I made it in the food processor. I swear, I singed my nasal passages. Now, mil in makes it. The woman has the most sensitive stomach you have ever encountered. But for some reason, she can eat horseradish with nary a problem.