AlliK

Have you looked at Gluten Free Girl? She's got a post about what she's doing for Thanksgiving and I believe it included a gravy recipe using rice flour.

I am origanally from Toledo but we always were up in teh Detroit area to shop and gamble.

I heard that the restaurant in the new MGM Grand downtown is something pretty special. Anyone care to confirm?

Haven't been, but the local press on them so far has been pretty good. There are are few places, including ones run by Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina (in absentia).

I've been wanting to try this recipe from Traveler's Lunchbox for cultured butter. Love her blog...

Hmm, would you be willing to post the recipe for the toasted almond/sour cherry ice cream? I can't get that book from the MoCo library system, and I've heard really good things about it. Sour cherries should be at the Farmers Market this Sat. (fingers crossed) and this sounds like a fine application for them.

I'd rather not post the recipe w/o permission, but you can find links to what some others have posted here, here, and here. Not sure if the almond/cherry is among them, but plenty of other options to play with.

David Lebovitz's new ice cream (and sorbets, granitas, toppings, mix-ins, etc) focused cookbook is a lot of fun to play with too: The Perfect Scoop. I've really enjoyed both the roasted banana and peach ice creams so far and think I'll do toasted almond/sour cherry next.

Not for purchase to take home, but I did have some as a dessert special at Rasika a few weeks back. It was so delicious - much more complex flavor (floral, herbal?) than standard mango.

Vancouver & Vancouver Island is a special corner of the world on a number of fronts, including its cuisine

We too honeymooned in BC and Tofino (summer of 04). It is a great foodie spot for all of the fresh seafood pulled right out of the sound there. Salmon, halibut, dungeness crabs...lots of fond memories.

Patisserie Poupon (in Georgetown)

Hello - does anyone have any more budget-friendly recommendtions for Rome? We're heading there in November, and it's never too early to start planning meals! La Pergola is not in the budget...prefer to stay in the 30 euros and under pp range for traditional, local, authentic eats. Staying in the Campo de Fiori area, but perfectly happy to roam. Thank you!

While I definitely enjoy going to the smaller vendors at markets and market streets more often, it's fun to check out the Grande Epicerie at the Bon Marche department store on the Left Bank. Along the lines of a Harrod's food hall.

There is a great place to buy roast chicken on the right bank near Tuileries garden - Poularde Ste Honoree I believe, on Rue Marche St Honoree. Across from it is a fantastic wine bar, Le Rubis, one of the oldest in Paris I believe - casual atmosphere to grab a tumbler full of wine. There's also an oyster/seafood place within the same block or two that is supposed to be very good - Tom S. reviewed it in the Northwest Airline magazine.

We unfortunately didn't have time to fit Pierre Herme into the schedule for pastries, but that's on my list for next time.

I just go for the whole, wrapped in foil technique for roasting - then peel and slice afterwards. Good with goat cheese and walnuts on a salad, or with orange slices and chives.

Blanquette de veau - (recipe from Balthazar cookbook, veal from Dupont farmer's market - yummy)

Buttered noodles

Sauteed chard

Roasted beets

I had fior di latte and pistachio - apparently the fior di latte is made with the milk of a single herd of grassfed cows from PA (or something along those lines). It was delish! Also had tastes of the coconut milk, fig, and a new Guiness flavor they were trying. I wish we had one here.

Make sure to get some Capogiro gelato! We also really liked stopping for coffee at La Colombe cafe on 19th just N of Rittenhouse Square - European feeling cafe with excellent coffee they roast/blend themselves. Check out the Reading Terminal Market if you have time.

Cut a bit of the height down so that one fits VERY snugly under the handle of an All Clad pot lid. This allows you to pick up the lids by the cork instead of the handles which get hot. They shrink up a little when you wash them, so that's why you want a tight fit to start with.

I just made a stop by there too - 5 block walk from work, which won't be a big deal on days when the weather is a little better than this! Pretty spacious, and lots of cash registers which is nice to keep people moving. Not the biggest produce sections, but staples are there. I wonder if they might have more to put outside too as they were setting up a tent type structure.

Baby arugula wilted in there gives a good peppery kick

Luckily for me DH came home before it burst into flames, but it was deeply charred and the pot completely ruined.

I did something similar - put a pan of water on to boil to make tea, then left the house. To go to the opera of all things. Not exactly a quick trip. I came home to (thankfully not a fire) but an AllClad pot that looked like it had burned all sorts of fun shades upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

I was making a roast from the Sheila Lukens Good Times cookbook and explaining to my husband how one adds brandy to the dish on the stove-top and ignites it to get a great tasting crust on the roast, and a nice sauce. What I did not anticipate was that the cooking process had led to some unseen grease spatters on my clothing and when I ignited the brandy, flames quickly rolled off the roast, followed the spatters across the stove and up my 8-month pregnant belly, finally ending with my singed eyebrows and hair. Fortunately I was not hurt, but stunned speechless is putting our reaction mildly.

We tried making stove-top bananas foster in Breckenridge, CO. We don't know if it had something to do with the altitude (11,000 feet does some strange things to cooking) or if we just added way too much rum, but when we struck the match we had flames about 3 feet wide by 5 feet tall licking up the back of the stove and up around the wood cabinets to the ceiling. Thankfully, it died down pretty quickly, but we did all have visions of starting a massive forest fire thanks to all the propane tanks in the neighborhood!

I'm curious about getting a yogurt maker. And definitely an ice cream maker - I just need more cabinet/counter space before all that!

If anyone would like a reservation for 2 at Corduroy on Wednesday, Aug 16 at 6:30 p.m., please PM me. I'll offer it here before I just cancel on Opentable.

Edited to add that the reservation has been taken.

We have enjoyed Passionfish in Pacific Grove - their focus is sustainable seafood (makes for a good way to end a day having visited the aquarium). Good value here.

A note from a relative involved in the production of this new show...

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Our first "green" TV show Edible Adventure airs on Travel Channel, June 26th at 7pm PST/10 pm EST and again at 10 pm PST/1 am EST. (Check local listings because the time might change with different cable

providers).

The trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IglFGC0PWpU

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Host Stephen Brooks treks off the beaten path and raises awareness of where our food comes from by tracing the course of food from its roots in the field to the plate. In the pilot, Stephen takes on stunning Costa Rica-in the lush jungles of the sultry Caribbean and the pristine beaches on the Pacific coast-seeking out and sampling the country's natural delicacies.

Along the way, Stephen unearths the culture of sustainable farming and organic cuisine, visiting rural farmers, remote indigenous villages, and distinguished restaurants -- all set against the backdrop of a land where the trees drip with fruit and its people with soul.

I second... I think it's been mentioned in the books thread here, but worth noting again. It took me a little while to get into the corn discussion in the beginning, but after that it was very quick reading. Pollan has been picked up quite a bit lately too - in Time magazine with the food section the other week, NY Times magazine about Walmart's organic push, etc.

At 6:30 (exactly) you hit the Palena sweet spot - the meters have just opened up on Connecticut Avenue right near it, and I've never had to wait for a table at the cafe.

Anyone have ideas for a no-bake (relatively easy) dessert? My oven has decided to take a vacation from working and guests are coming over tonight. I was planning a citrus tart sort of thing, so I've got cream, limes, lemons, etc. on hand and normal pantry supplies. Might be able to squeeze a quick trip to the store in if necessary.