Toliver

You're not alone. I don't own a dishwasher either. But then I don't pay for my water use in my apartment so it's a trade-off. Like you, I love to cook but abhor doing dishes. I have found, though, that I tend to "zone out" when I do the dishes. My mind goes to Tahiti while I wash the them. So I guess doing the dishes is therapeutic for me. But the rest of me would much rather join my mind in the tropics than do them.

You could get some inspirtation from fellow eG'er Marlena Spieler's cookbook "Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt".

Ah, do you see the difference in the end results between this new setup and your old setup? This is a great illustration in what a difference lighting can make in regards to your subject. The new lighting setup has the main light (the only light?) towards the top/front (a little to the left) of the dish, right? I can see its reflection in the white bowl/plate and I'm also basing this on how the pasta shadows are falling. But do you see what is missing when you compare the two different light setups? Ambient light is gone in the new setup. In your previous setups, the lighting was either directly overhead or actually a little bit behind as well as being overhead (in the pic with the pasta with the red sauce the light is off to the upper right). By not having the main light in the front, you open your photograph to the ambient light of the room. As I've posted before, some photographers will actually add a "fill" light or a "reflector" (a white card that softly reflects light) in front of the food out of view of the camera. Take a look at those beautiful scallops. See how the main light is above and slightly to the back of the food? But you still see the front of the scallops quite well thanks to the ambient light of the room and of the ambient light bouncing off the plate itself back up onto the food. Experiment. Take two pictures next time. One with the light in your new setup where it is now and another with the light moved back/up above the subject. You'll see the difference right away. Thanks for posting these images!

I don't "get" tile countertops or floors. I was helping a friend, who has large-tiled countertops in her kitchen, make a large amount of stuffed won tons. The countertop had a good coating of the flour on it by the time we were done and turned out to be difficult to wipe up, especially where it was on the rough grouting. We almost needed a brush to get it off the grout. I would think countertops should be seamless/groutless for ease of cleaning and that would, logically, go for floors, too.

A public service announcement for those who have a "jones" for them: Mallomar season is coming to a close around the end of this month. Stock up while you can...

Roast them a la the Roasted Cauliflower discussion. Cut them into uniform pieces and roast them with either cumin or dill (plus salt, pepper and evoo) and you can't go wrong.

In the April issue of Bon Appétit is a recipe for "Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond Herb Crust". No dairy and no flour (uses matzo meal). Of course, now I'm wondering if roasted cauliflower could somehow be transformed into a nice kugel.

Bon Appétit Digest - April 2005 – “An Elegant Spring” Issue Contributors this issue include: Julie Powell (of the “Julie/Julia Project”), cookbook author Molly Stevens, cookbook author Rozanne Gold, bread expert and cookbook author Maggie Glezer and food and wine author Alan Richman. A beautiful photo of a Mint Truffle Ice Cream Terrine graces the cover with pastel yellows and greens providing the Spring-themed hues. Starters – “Quick Bites from the World of Bon Appétit” by Hugh Garvey Urban Herbs – Turn your windowsill into an herb farm with this garden-in-a-bag. www.wishingfish.com or www.pottingshedcreations.com Party Playlist – Music for Spring Entertaining – Hugh suggests a variety of music to create the right mood for the right get-together. Andrew Knowlton has a brief blurb on “Wine Lists Gone Wild” and how “too cute” they’ve gotten. Bottemless wine glass, anyone? Smoothie Operator – Brazillian Açai (ah-sigh-EE) berries are the latest smoothie rage, with twice the antioxidants of blueberries. Look for Sambazon ready-to-drink smoothies at your nearest Whole Foods or West Coast Trader Joe’s. www.sambazon.com What’s in Your Kitchen? – That’s what Bon Appétit asked the designers at the hot new design group called AvroKO. The Empowered Entertainer – In honor of the Spring perennial, the Kentucky Derby, it’s step-by-step instructions on how to make a Mint Julep. Hot Chocolate – Artisanal chocolates from Jin Patisserie in Venice, California. The chocolates come in assorted flavors like lychee, bergamot, lavender and jasmine. www.jinpatisserie.com R.S.V.P. - Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes Recipes: “Chicken in Green Mole” (El Bajío – Mexico City); “Pimm’s Royal (Pastis – West Village, NYC); “Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches with Red Pepper Mayonnaise” (Yarrow Bay Beach Café – Kirkland/Seattle, WA); “Chocolate Crème Brûlée” (Moxie – Cleveland, OH); “Spicy Thai Asparagus Soup with Lobster” (I’O – Lahaina, Maui, Hawai’i); “Warm Lentils with Spinach and Goat Cheese” (Francesca’s North – Northbrook, Illinois) Entertaining – “Party Improv” by Kristine Kidd Kristine offers some tips and recipes on making that casual party a hit. Note that the recipes don’t follow the usual recipe format of the magazine. They’re written out like an article. Recipes: “Spice-Roasted Porterhouse Steaks”, “Coriander-Herb Spice Rub”, “Warm Mushroom and Stilton Salad”. For dessert, Kristine says to put out a slab of good chocolate and let guests chip away at it. www.jacquestorres.com Kitchen Favorites – “Bread Winners” by Maggie Glezer Maggie offers up some recipes for sweet breads that will “rise to any occasion”. Recipes: “Pecan Praline Trellis” (there’s a side bar with instructions on how to create this trellis), “Lemon-Glazed Lemon Bread” (with two glazes!), “Soda Bread with Dark Chocolate and Candied Orange Peel” Restaurants – “Hot Seat” – Chef Gabriel Kreuther at the Modern in NYC. Restaurants : Top Tables - “The Restaurant Reporter” by Tanya Wenman Steel Tanya has some suggestions on where to go to eat now. Kansas City: Bluestem (Chefs and owners Megan & Colby Garrelts); 1924 Main (Rob Dalzell) French Riviera: La Palme D’or (Hotel Martinez - Chef Christian Sinicropi); Le Padouk (Palais de la Méditerranée, Nice - Chef Bruno Sohn) Nashville: Tayst (Owner Dan Morrissey & Chef/Co-Owner Jeremy Barlow); Virago (Chris Hyndman); German-Town Café (Owners Chris Lowry & Jay Luther) Copenhagen: Noma (Chef Rene Redzepi); Restaurant Prémisse (Chef Rasmus Grønbech); Restaurant Olsen (the Olsen Family) Milwaukee: Saffron Indian Bistro (Chef-Owner Vijay Sadhu); Roots Restaurant and Cellar (Owner Joe Schmidt) “Happy Birthday to Them” – A side bar lists some favorite restaurants celebrating anniversaries. Restaurants: Going Out – “Over the (Willamette) River…” by Nancy Rommelmann Nancy takes a look at some of the hot new restaurants setting the pace in Portland, Oregon: Lovely Hula Hands (Chef Jesse Garcia); ClarkLewis (Chef Morgan Brownlow); Family Supper (Chef Tommy Habetz); Fold Crêperie (Chef-Owner Krista Arias); Lauro Kitchen (Chef-Owner David Machado) A side bar has some suggestions on where to Sip & Shop. At the Market – “Leading Lettuce” by Andrew Knowlton with recipes by Molly Stevens Andrew and Molly put frisée in the spotlight. Recipes: “Frisée and Morel Ragout with Prosciutto”, “Chicken and Frisée Salad with Roasted Red pppers, Toasted Almonds and Manchego”, “Farfalle with Wilted-Frisée and Burst Tomatoes”. Wine & Spirits – “Flight from Concord” by Alan Richman In an essay, Alan takes a look at the world of kosher wines, from the sweet to the elite. Drink’s, Etc. – Keep it Kosher – Seven kosher wines worth trying: Schapiro’s Naturally Sweet American Concord, $4 Golan 2003 Moscato, Galilee, Israel, $10 Carmel Winery 2002 Ben Zimra Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Upper Galilee, Israel, $28 Kiddush Hashem Cellars 2002 Syrah, Great Oaks Ranch Vineyards, Santa Barbara County, California, $30 Yarden 2002 Katzrin Chardonnay, Galilee, Israel, $30 Capçanes Peraj Ha’abib 2000 Flor de Primavera, Montsant, Spain, $50 Segal’s 2002 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon, Galil, Israel, $60 Cocktail Culture – A brief look at the Museum of the American Cocktail. www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org The Hills are Alive – Thanks to the movie “Sideways”, pinot noir is all the rage. This side bar recommends Hitching Post, Fiddlehead Cellars, Foley Estates and Sanford Winery. Traveling with Taste – “Life’s a Beach Shack” by Julie Powell Julie samples her way from the Marlin Steak to the Hot Pepper Sorbet as she explores Anguilla. Bon Vivant – “What’s New. What’s Hot. What’s Good.” By Laurie Glenn Buckle A long-handled Spring-themed tote bag by Dooney & Bourke. A yellow & green (weird hues, not pretty) set of round trays by TableArt. An “apple green” (one of the worst apple greens I’ve ever seen….more like a very pale avocado) retro-style “Eclectrics” drink mixer from Hamilton Beach. www.counterscaping.com An intriguing table runner made from real bay leaves by West Haven Designs. A Kitchen Play Set from DiDi’s Children’s Boutique for that future sous-chef. Sadly, they made the stovetop faux-electric instead of faux-gas. www.didis.com A Burberry key chain for those who love the plaid. www.burberry.com An “everything” stainless steel pot set by Chef Daniel Boulud. www.chefscatalog.com An odd but intriguing Baccarat crystal wine glass with an off-set stem, a re-issue of the 1970 Boris Tabacoff original design. A colorful hand-painted “Papillon” ceramic pitcher by Tracy Potter. “All Set for Spring” by Anna Pump with great photos by Mark Thomas It’s fresh, delicious dinners inspired by what’s fresh at the market. Recipes: “Salmon with Peas, Pea Tendrils and Dill-Cucumber Sauce”, “Peas and Pea Tendrils with Lemon Dressing”, “Dill-Cucumber Sauce”, “Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Compote”, “Rhubarb Compote”, “Scallop Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise and New Potatoes”, “Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise”, “Buttered New Potatoes with Chives”, “Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint, Garlic and Lima Bean Puree”, “Lima Bean Puree”, “Parmesan-Crusted Chicken and Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise”, “Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise” “Let’s Do Lunch” by Jeanne Thiel Kelley with wonderful photos by Brian Leatart Bacon and Eggs get all “fancy”. Recipes: “Citrus-Blossom Gin Fizz”, “Goat Cheese and Black Pepper Biscuits with Smoked Salmon and Dill”, “Bacon-Wrapped Baked Eggs with Polenta”, “Spring Greens with Sherry Vinaigrette”, “Strawberries with Lemon Sugar and Lavender Syrup”, “Lemon-Walnut Biscotti” “Think Spring…” by Dede Wilson with delicious photos by Tina Rupp Think sweet, think Spring and Rhubarb, Lemon and Mint come to mind. Recipes: “Mint-Truffle Ice Cream Terrine with Mint and Chocolate Sauces” (Cover Recipe), “Rhubarb Lattice Pie with Cardamom and Orange”, “Lemon Curd Mousse Cake” “An Elegant Passover” by Rozanne Gold with more great photos by Pornchai Mittongtare Bring the traditional seder dinner up-to-date with these new takes on old favorites. Recipes: “Saffron Chicken Broth with Spinach Matzo Balls”, “Halibut with Carrots, Fennel, Lemon and Garlic”, “Sweet-and-Sour Brisket with Shallots and New Potatoes”, “Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust”, “Maple-Walnut Espresso Torte”. “Our Favorite Place” – In this section, Bon Appétit takes a look at the kitchen and comes up with more reasons to spend time in there. “Small Room, Big Remodel” by Victoria Von Biel with inspiring photos by Charles Maraia A Manhattan couple learns that living in close quarters doesn’t mean cramping your style. “Cocktails in the Kitchen” by Mara Papatheodorou It’s a menu for 12 that keeps entertaining simple and keeps them coming back to the kitchen for more. Recipes: “Roasted Herbed Lamb Chops with Orange Marmalade Sauce”, “Bruschetta with Mozzarella and Roasted Peppers”, “Artichoke-Olive ‘Chips and Dip’ ”, “Polenta Cups with Teleme and Wild Mushrooms”, “Zucchini-Rice Torta Squares” “Furniture Forward” by Kim Wong It’s a look at distinctive kitchen tables in different shapes, sizes and finishes. Fast, Easy, Fresh – “Quick Dishes for Every-Night Cooking” Recipes: “Carrot Soup with Orange and Tarragon”, “Pasta with Three Peas”, “Shrimp with Shallot-Tarragon Sauce on Wilted Spinach”, “Mustard-Seed-Crusted Burgers with Horseradish Slaw”, “Roast Pork Chops with Bacon and Wilted Greens”, “Grapefruit-Ginger Sherbet, “Butter Lettuce and Radish Salad with Fresh Spring Herbs”, “Roast Chicken with Artichokes and Gremolata Butter” A side bar points out some new products on the market. Readers’ Timesaving Recipes – From reader Joe Dion of North Charleston, South Carolina: “Fresh Blackberry Napoleons with Cream Cheese Mousse”, “Soy-Sake Shrimp with Ginger Aioli”, “Arugula, Watercress and Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette” From reader Dana Talusani of Longmont, Colorado: “Grilled Steaks with Blue Cheese and Chiles” Feedback – End page Q & A with actress Lauren Graham of “The Gilmore Girls” on the WB. A quote from Lauren: “Angel Food cake is the golf of baking. Looks easy, nearly impossible to perfect.”

I was going to post Williams-Sonoma retro barstools but your link has them at such a better price! Wish I could do a retro kitchen with these barstools and matching kitchen table...

There are a lot of variables that will impact how the finished product will turn out. I used too much oil once and the end product wasn't very good. Use too much oil and you can forget about crispy anything. I added too much salt once and that was a kill-joy, as well. It's better to under-season than to over-season. As previously mentioned (probably pages ago), the type of pan you use to roast the cauliflower will also determine whether you get really browned pieces or just golden pieces. Dark brown pans will give you a more brown, crispier end product. Light colored pans will give you a more overall golden product. I've had both the golden version and the browned version and I think I really prefer the browned version more.

Can you post your recipe? I'd be interested to see what kind of (and how much) fat it uses, as well as how many eggs it calls for.

Dude! Look where you're posting We all want recipes, new dishes, interesting restaurants. Thank you for creating this discussion. It will be an invaluable resource. I agree. I think this would make a great eGCI class, too! guppymo, can you discuss what makes vietnamese food different than the other asian cuisines? How is it different than Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc? Are the ingredients drastically different? Are the cooking methods different? I know it has something in common with the others, but I am more interested in what sets it apart. I am looking forward to more dishes/recipes!

How many times are you flipping them? The original recipe calls for only one flip at the halfway point. Overall, I agree with you because turning the pieces more often than that would be overkill as well as a PITA. I think that's part of the charm of the recipe/method in that it is relatively hands-off once it's roasting. Thank you so much for posting your picture! I can see right away my pieces get a little more "fried"-looking compared to yours when I do the 20 minute version. I am sorry I don't have a camera to post a picture of mine. Hmmm...maybe I can borrow one, which would then make a great post for the "You know you're a foodie when..." discussion. Great, now I am hungry for RC! The red pepper flakes are an inspiration, too. edited to add, I agree. Where cauliflower is completely transformed when roasted, the same magic didn't happen why I tried roasting brussel sprouts. Perhaps I haven't found that perfect recipe yet. I did see an interesting recipe on FoodTV that called for pan frying bacon and walnuts, tossing in the brussel sprouts and then oven-roasting til done. Think I'll give that a try next.

I concur with this menu. I've posted previously in some other thread how my mom makes it. My mom made friends with a woman of Polish decent after she got married who taught her how to make potato pancakes, too. It's not authentically Czech but certainly was a welcome addition on our table. That's very thoughtful of you. Kitchen Karma is a good thing to develop.

I bought their Measure-All measuring cup and I am thrilled with it. At the time I bought it, you couldn't find it in any store. Now I think, if you're lucky, you might find something similar in the nearest BB&Beyond store. And, hey! To go slightly off topic, Alton Brown uses something similar on his show and sells a set of them.

Just wonderful! That starter looks positively decadent. Gorgeous! I am curious as to what kind of spices you used in the stew.

Can someone post pictures of the their finished RC? I'd like to see some of the differences in end product. I am intrigued by the longer roasting times at such a high heat. I'm picturing blackened cauliflower, not just roasted. Quick, someone page Prudhomme! And I've never roasted it enough to actually get crispy RC...that's quite interesting. The only times I've roasted it longer than the original 20 minutes was when I roasted it at my mom's house. And I attributed the longer roasting time (because it just wasn't done) to her oven not being calibrated correctly.

20 minutes at 400 degrees...flipping the pieces at the 10 minute mark. Or you could do a half hour at 375, flipping the pieces at 15 minutes. A long slow oven will give you a golden result. At Christmas I did 45 minutes at 325 or 350 (my mom's oven calibration was off) and the pieces were all yellow gold and yummy. A high heat will give you delicious brown bits. I like both ways... edited to add: 40 minutes at 400 would give you burnt toast.

I believe Wayne used to be a PC in one or more of Flay's restaurants. Perhaps he's still working the gig.

Did she cook the mixture before making the ice cream? In regards to the pips/pits, often it won't matter what's in the mixture since it's usually strained before cooling in the refrigerator (especially if it's egg-based) before the final step. So the seeds wouldn't matter (the pith is another story altogether).

The salad looks refreshing. It seems like it would be a good way to use leftover asparagus. Is that parsley I see in it...or cilantro, perhaps? Is there any other green involved? And how was the dressing? Sweet overtones or savory? The minute I hear "soy dressing" I think of ginger as a natural partner.

Thanks to PBS, Lidia is well known outside of the NY metro area. Her cooking series was wonderful and inspired me to buy two of her cookbooks. She makes it looks so easy and comes across as very encouraging. She's one of my favorite "celebrity" chefs.

Both images were helped by adjusting the contrast and brightening them a little. I also ran them through the Unsharp Mask filter, too. I also increased the saturation a little on the first photo which made it a "warmer" shot. The fruit is more inviting after the adjustment. One problem with brightening a photo using post-processing software like Photoshop, is that the entire picture is brightened equally overall. Sometimes this can make a picture seem flat. What I ended up doing was fading the new adjusted brightended image into the darkened image. It's mostly noticeable on the second photo towards the top and very bottom. This made the center pieces stand out more, giving the image a little "drama", if you will. You say you like dark images. I'm guessing what you mean is you like images that have an overall dark tone to them but still have a subject that is "lit". If everything were dark, it would be pretty boring. I've mentioned this in an earlier post but lighting in a photograph is like a magician's trick. You make the audience see what you want them to see by controlling what is lit and what isn't. I am in hopes that some of the other photographers who've posted their dinner photos in the "Dinner!" thread will talk about their lighting set ups, if any.

You could start with the infamous "The Great Pastrami/Smoked Meat Experiment, Getting to the bottom of things" posted by Chef Fowkes. Pastrami is corned beef afterall, just taken a step further. There are also links in the first post that may help answer some questions.

Heidi has done some great work. She seems to do a lot of shallow depth of field which I find gets boring after a while. It makes a point but why repeat it in everything? Still, it's some very nice work. I ran both pictures through Photoshop and it helped liven them both up a little. I won't post them unless you give permission. I would hate to think you would have to post-process every picture you take. Are all of your pictures this dark? I don't want to make post-processing sound like a be-all, end-all answer to making good photographs. It's not. Like the saying, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" you have to at least start off with something decent to end up with something that looks better than decent. But post-processing can be a great tool to enhance what is there. If you can't afford the full-blown Photoshop CS, which is really overkill for the average photographer anyway, I'd recommend Adobe Elements which uses many of Photoshop's image processing tools.