kmm

I made crème brulee for mother’s day and it turned out really good for a first attempt, but the layer of sugar did not crisp up to a hard shell. What is the trick for finishing? I used Domino dark brown sugar and a torch. I am guessing that I need a finer sugar but I am not certain.

I have one ramekin of custard left and would like to try again tonight.

Thanks in advance!

painfully easy and delicous strata from bh&g: ham and asparagus strata. i did not use the caraway and if i were to make it now i would use both white and green asparagus...

Asparagus risotto w Royal Trumpet mushrooms, ramps, chives and zest from the last Meyer lemon driven from a backyard in California to Maryland.

Green grapes.

that sounds awesome!

Shrimp and Cheddar grits from Real Simple [substituted a spicy sausage for the bacon]. My Southerner wife did not like the texture of my Northerner grits so she thinned them with some cream.

We had an ’06 Barthod villages Chambolle. This is the fourth villages ’06 that we have had in three weeks and they are starting to show really well right now…

I expected to be disappointed (flashback to 1980's Soave Bolla ads)

I was not aware of soave's negative history until after I found Stefano Inama's wines. He makes three: "Classico", "Vigneti di Foscarino" and "Vigneto du Lot". All are outstanding and I was surprised to learn the reputation the varietal had. Grappoli Imports [an impressive Italian portfolio] brings them into this market. They range from about $15 to $35. I buy them at Arrowine in Arlington. It is worth seeking them out!

Wow, I guess that means I will be able to BYOB to Mark's Duck House in the near future.

lol - i always wondered how they got away with that!

last night and leftovers shortly - pat's suggestion of james beard's coq au riesling.

substituted pancetta for salt pork, pearl onions for white onions and brandy for cognac. also did not have a "sweet" alsatian riesling so used a drier alsatian one instead. the description talks about the german influence of noodles to the region. a friend suggested going to the german gourmet. ironically on my way there my german/alsatian friend called me and he said to not waste my time an just put it over egg noodles but i was almost there and committed. ended up using spaetzle since they did not have a "fine" noodle.

this was a very simple recipe and had very nice delineation of flavors. it turned out better than my cooking abilities!

thanks pat!

does anyone know how much difference would have cognac made?

Ever since I've been going there - so, let's say, the 6 1/2 years since I moved to NoVA - I've always felt Rio Grande was expensive for what you got.

i agree -

i use to live two blocks north of the rio grande in the early to mid 90's [before there was a light at every intersection on fairfax drive] and ate there a lot. i always thought they were expensive for what they were but i liked the food and it was convenient. in the blizzard of '96 i did not mind paying a lot because i was thankful to have somewhere to go!

i have been maybe four times in the last ten years and most recently a few months ago - the experience was not as good as it use to be and seemed even pricier.

one thing that was consistent from my lapse - they still charge for a side of cheese

If you want to squeeze them yourself - Balducci's on Old Dominion has them for 3.99/lb...

Last time I want to Italy I had a Blood Orange soda similar to Orangina that I would love to find here!

I didn't use a recipe - I just used what I had in the kitchen: a jar of beans (16 bean soup mix, home-canned and ready to go at a moment's notice), half a Savoy cabbage, and a rather sad looking potato from the counter. I started with mirepoix and vegetable stock, and there was also some red wine from deglazing the mirepoix. I had no idea I was making a "real" dish!

you must have basque ancestry . i found this on epicurious: Cabbage and White Bean Soup. i think my wife followed something from a magazine...

Cabbage, potato, and bean soup. Sounds weird, but tasted pretty good.

Sourdough bread from Caboose.

It is a Basque regional dish that is usually flavored with ham hocks. My wife has made it before and despite my reluctance it was surprisingly good! What recipe did you use [she used bacon and not ham hocks]?

Does anyone in DC make an authentic version [with candied fruit not citron]?

Get to work and stop procrastinating!

My wife and I made the Julia Child’s version about two years ago: julia. We had fun doing it together but in the end we thought it was not as good as the effort!

Depending on how much you like your friends - Burgundy goes really well with Coq Au Vin. Conservatively, you would probably need about 4 bottles for 15 and it could get pricey.

Major short cut - I saw it the other day behind the counter of Balducci's in McLean for $8.99/lb.

thinking of charleston -

firefly sweet tea vodka on the rocks cut with a lemon wedge.

To my dear friend's mother who just passed a few days ago.

The first wine to make a "wow" impression on me was an Alsatian Gewurztraminer that she served us in her sister's home in Zellenberg. Tonight we opened a Trimbach Gewurztraminer "Cuvee Des Seigneurs De Ribeaupierre" in her memory.

Pepsi's natural sugar is a blend of both cane and beet: throwback review. They also have a product called Pepsi Natural which I believe is 100% cane sugar. I think I had one of those two years ago in Chicago. That version reminds me of what I had in the 70's. The throwback is much better than HFCS but not as good as the Natural. I too think they have changed the throwback formula a few times or my memory is comparing to the Natural version.

I have a PHD friend at Harvard who has a colleague working on "mutations in humans caused by the increase amount of corn in our diets". His friendship with that person and their conversations has made him stop eating processed food entirely. He follows a raw diet now.

I don't think I could do it!

CVS has had the Throwback Pepsi ever other month for the past year or so. I am drinking one right now with an Italian Store Milano

When he left, he had plans to travel some and eventually start his own business. I haven't heard any specifics, other than he did spend some time in Europe. It occurs to me that on the phone, you may have mis-heard someone saying "Scott is gone."

This summer he was working at the Bethesda Crab House...

MJ has done a great job filling his shoes!

Recently, I experienced a maitre d checking up on “the table” as if he were on an audition. He placed his hand inside of his jacket at the middle of his lapel like Abraham Lincoln, leaned his torso into the center of the table to get everyone’s attention and said in a very deep radio announcer voice that was not the same as when he greeted us at the door - “Gentlemen, how are we enjoying the flavors?”

You probably had to be there, but it was very rehearsed and unnatural sounding. It made the whole table laugh pretty hard when he walked away!

'01 Domaine de Monpertuis Chateauneuf du Pape 'Tradition'

I think it was a gift and I do not know anything about it. This is outside of my realm but I really enjoy it with a lot of grenache flavors.

I sent an email to my Roman cousin. This is what she wrote...

about your friends...

"matriciano" Via dei gracchi, 55 (near basilica san pietro) tel. 06 3213040

"piperno" Monte de Cenci,9 (quartiere ebraico) tel.06 6880 6629

"bolognese" piazza del popolo tel.06 3222799

"quinzi e gabrieli" Via delle Coppelle, 5 (near piazza del pantheon tel.06.6879389 (really good fish!)

"Trattoria al Moro" 13, vc. Bollette (near fontana di trevi) Tel. 06.678349.

"Nino" Via Borgognona, 11 (near piazza di spagna) 06.6 786752

"Tullio" Via San Nicola da Tolentino, 26 (near Via veneto)

06 474 5560.

Michael Stephens is one to know. He has added Domaine Brocard that is not listed on his site but the cost to value for their Chablis' is hard to beat!

Federal law allows a 1.5% tolerance on the label for wines below 14% and a 1% tolerance for wines at 14% or over. Dave, this is a very helpful link on label basics: http://www.winepros.org/consumerism/labels.htm

Thanks for posting this link - it has enough wine geek information for me!

Indeed, the alcohol percentage noted on the label tends to be imprecise for the reasons stated here. (They can also be hard to find, printed in very small type.) And I certainly would not have the chemical wherewithal to verify alcohol levels (I barely have enough time to write the darn columns!) I asked a winemaker once if there is a test-strip kind of device that would be an easy way to verify alcohol levels, like checking the chlorine in your swimming pool, but he wasn't aware of any way other than sending to a lab for analysis. Anyone know of an easy method?

Don is not the only one who purposely avoids wines over a certain alcohol level. Given the wiggle room allowed by federal regulations, would it be useful to have the alcohol (as stated on the label) included in WaPo reviews, or would those who care simply make that decision at the store when they see the label in person?

That is why I asked because I think it would be impractical to track down the winemaker and get the number. So even if you write the label's ABV the variance of 1.5% really makes it impossible to get a real indication.

I have really enjoyed this discussion!