Poutition

Poutinne seems to be a trendy dish in Portland restaurants. I am familiar with 4 restaurants that have it on their menu and there may be more. Here is a video that suggests the trendiness is even stronger in Canada   Poutition

Parsley. Curly vs Flat Leaf

My parents had good friends who were Lebanese. As a result, I grew up eating kibbeh naye, hummus and tabbouleh.  The parsley they used for tabbouleh was curly leaf parsley and it was only recently that I entertained the possibility that this was most likely due to the unavailability of flat leaf parsley in northern Maine in the 1950's. While lebanese recipes found on the internet and cookbooks usually call for parsley (unspecified as to curly or flat leaf) I have found sources that claim that flat leaf parsley is preferred in Lebanese cuisine. I will make 2 batches the next time I make tabouleh with a different type of parsley in each one and see if people have a preference.

Shucking Corn--Clean Ears Ready to Eat

Easiest, Quickest Way To Get An Ear of Corn From Store To Your Mouth

Caperberries

I was in my late 60's before I had my first caperberries. Stumbled on them when Whole Foods came to town. Not the same thing as capers. Size of a grape. Sour flavor that I find useful to cut the sweet hit of  pasta & potato salads. Goes really well as an accompaniment with smoked trout. Excellent in Bloody Mary's. 
 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-caperberries.htm#lbimages

Steamers Taste Better With Head Warmer Removed

Article in New York Times today on a longtime New Yorker who has moved to Maine and learned new culinary tricks. One of her suggestions has to do with cooking clams and she describes "the simplest method is to pluck a just-steamed steamer straight from the shell, swish it in hot water, dip it in melted butter and slurp it down". No mention of removing the neck warmer before before swishing, dipping or slurping. One possibility is that she forgot to mention that she does remove the head warmer before eating clam or actually holds the clam by the head warmer and just eats the belly or does not  know the head warmer is supposed to be removed and eats it along with rest of the clam.

Restaurant Reviews & Low Back Pain

I cannot remember seeing a restaurant review that commented on the comfortableness of the seating. Maybe restaurant reviewers are immune to low back pain. I have had two experiences with seating this past year that seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the experience. One, involved a new french bistro that selected aluminum patio chairs for their dining room and the other was a restaurant that used schoolhouse side chairs. Interestingly, the food was excellent in both places. None of the reviews received by either place mentioned the uncomfortable seating. As the graying of America continues, I would think that some restaurant owners might want to give more consideration to the quality of their seating.

Cold Lobster with Remoulade Sauce

For a great way to eat cold lobster meat, try it with remoulade sauce. See www.food.com/recipe/randys-easy-remoulade-sauce-153253 for a easy remoulade sauce recipe.

Aleppo Pepper Substitute

4 parts sweet paprika to 1 part cayenne pepper