jaybee

A couple of months ago we discussed Grimes NYT rave review of the coffee at the cafe at the Neue Museum. We were told it came from Meinl in Vienna. Yesterday mornng I placed an order with Meinl through their website for several varieites of their beans, not knowing which were the prized ones. The order arrived this morning!!!, yes that's right, this morning, from Vienna. I will try the blends and report back on my experience with them. The shipping costs amount to $2 per pound if eight pounds are ordered. The beans range from $7 to $8 minus 20% VAT. The end price is equivalent to Starbucks or Peets premium coffees, maybe less. Stay tuned, java heads. I also ordered two jars of their preserves. They sounded good.

Tommy, I see lots of people standing around outside OTB parlors sharing intimate conversation, companionship and enjoying outdoor cocktails packaged in small bottles in brown paper bags. There are even "ladies" present. There's one of these near the Papaya King on third ave. at 86th street.

Pan, I took my (then) 80 year old father to Paris (London and Rome too) for a birthday present (and to make up for all the years I was mad at him for not being the father I wanted him to be, but that's for another forum). We managed to find an acceptable dish for him at every bistro or other restaurant we chose in Paris. The main problem was that beef in Paris is tougher than the kind of sirloin steak he was used to in the US. If your dad's teeth are good, that won't be a problem. Most all places will have a simple grilled fish or meat dish or some kind of veggie and salad dish that will do.

http://www.wild-harvest.com/pages/morel.htm Good general source of morel and other mushroom information for hunters. Link to "The great Morel Site."

"I got reservations for dinner at Ambassade d'Auvergne, which is right near the Centre Pompidou. It's a Michelin 1-star listed as a good value." The potato/cheese dish is a must, but keep room for it. It will set up like cement in about two hours!

EBAY or UBID mght be worth a look.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-loc....1527141 Everything Penzey's has to say about peppercorns. Suvir, I have the impression you know a great deal about peppercorns. It's interesting how much discussion your question prompted.

From www.myspicer.com

I now do recall buying a tin of green peppercorns that were dry and hard and could be crushed similar to black and white peppercorns. I don't recall the technical name or even where I bought them, but it is likely at Dean & Deluca (who have an excellent spice selection) or Penzeys.

I now do recall buying a tin of green peppercorns that were dry and hard and could be crushed similar to black and white peppercorns. I don't recall the technical name or even where I bought them, but it is likely at Dean & Deluca (who have an excellent spice selection) or Penzeys. Mystery solved! The above description came from myspicer.com

I live near Rhinebeck, where there are many apple trees. Is that the best place to find these gems, or would the generic "woods" be worth a search?

I knew I could count on you, Steve, for a great reply.

Now you mention it, the green are in brine. These are berrries, not actually "peppercorns". I know I have five peppes in the blend, so I'll have to look this weekend to see what they are.

I buy my peppercorns from Penzey's. I make a five pepper mix Telicherry black, white, green, pink and sechuan with a little gros sel mixed in. I keep this mix in an old (1930s vintage) coffee grinder with a bowl under it. This grinder is like a crusher for coarse pepper which I use to coat food before cooking. I also blend this into chopped meat for hamburgers before grilling. I use a separate grinder for muntouk (sp?) white pepper corns and for the telicherry black. I find the white best in soups, the black in salads. I also have tins of wet green peppercorns that I've used in various recipes. But I generally follow recipe directions that specify. The Penzey's catalog has good information about the different grades and kinds of peppers, most of which were "greek" to me before reading this.

Pirate, you had my eyes rolling when I read your post. I recalled a 1959 Richebourg (DRC) I ordered in 1968 at the Blue Fox Restaurant in San Fancisco. It was my first expense- account client dinner. The wine was so rich in fruit, layered with taste and I recall a chalky finish. A thick steak accompanied the bottle. Thanks for bringing that one back to me. I envy you your cellar. Do you have any left? My old Burgundies are all drunk up now except for 1969 Bonne Mares and a bottle of the '69 Clos de Tart.

I mentioned my preference for goose fat as the stuff to slather over the chicken before roasting. I also found chicken fat to work well too. Not that there's anything wrong with butter or oil, just that goose fat really makes it taste good. I'm curious to know why no one commented on this idea. Has it been tried and found wanting?

My experience as well. I have an unopened bottle of Ardbeg 17 waiting for me. The 12 year old is so interesting. I think between Macallan 15 or 17 and the Islays, I could be happy. Oddly, Springbank 12 seems to please my palate more than the 21 year old! I just purchased a tasting ("nosing") glass from the "Malt Advocate". It is superb.

Formidable! (spoken in French).

Ron, thanks for the encouragment. Dinner last night at City Hall was a bit excessive, so the weekend will be much more abstemious! The mouth giveth and the mouth taketh away.

Ditto for me. I played around with their recipe, adding or subtracting some fruits, but on the whole it is a pretty successful dish. In its heyday, I was served a horrid rendition. Too much garlic, not enough sweet, overcooked, and dry. yuchh. It is not foolproof.

Actually, mohel is the correct spelling. Anyone who is expert at peeling testicles probably knows what a mohel is.

Mamster, yes, thanks. I read, filed and forgot that, but I definitley will try it. I did find that drizzling maple syrup on while grilling creates a kind of carmelized crust, but the flour is worth a try. Thanks. Jinmyo, your approach is more toward the savory than sweet. I like it for a later-in-the-day brunch. I bet bloody maries go good with jalapeno french toast. yum.

Steve, your review of the Craft meal was excellent. Thank you. The descriptions of the dishes and the organization of the meal sound like a very enjoyable total experience. I gather there were some real highlights and some solid plates. Your wine list makes me want to hunt for an old bottle of Laguiche's Montrachet. Did you bring your own bottle or buy it off their list? I've been thinking about going to March for some time. Based on your description, I don't see how I can not go. I have fond memories of the place when it was Dodin Boufant. We got to know Karen and Bob Prisker then, and enjoyed many meals there in the 70s. I have one question, after meeting you at Peter Lugers. Eating as you do, how come you don't weight 300 lbs.? Or do you eat just tuna fish and cottage cheese five or six days a week?

(Okay, okay, did you think I could let that one just sit there)? I must admit to being a little out of practice at that. Maybe it's a lost art or a metier? Is this something out of work moile's do? Wilfrid, given a choice between peeling testicles or spatchcocking, which would you choose?

I've done this the result is my fingers have become very crispy and finger lickin' good.