Tagine Along? (and unusual culinary instruments)

Wow! Commercial sized!

[Jenise]

There are parts of France and Belgium where lots of seafood-specialty bistros use these devices for a cold mixed seafood service. Never seen them used in the U.S.

Me and a plateau at Artisanal, in NYC, for a friend's birthday:

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Not surprised! If they're going to be anywhere, they're going to be in NY. Lucky you.

Wow! Talk about drama on a table.

Artisanal is my wife's favorite restaurant, but every time we go she just cannot force herself away from the cheese flights (except for the odd foray into Fondue Land). I'm a bit more prone to trying their other selections - the simply named "fish fumet" I had there was one of the best fish soups I've ever had - so perhaps someday I'll order this extravaganza all for myself. Yes, I can fit it all in....

I think plateaux de fruits de mer are cool.
But dangerous.
I remember a dinner at a place off Park Ave (Park Ave cafe, they had an affectation where they changed name seasonally, so Park Avenue Spring or whatever). Robin and Mary were in town, greeted by Bob Ross, Jay Miller, and us (Betsy had opera, joined us for early part of dinner). Waiter suggested plateau, we said sure. Great with the whites (including a '73 CSH that was outstanding). But a collective big gulp when bill came. Violated my "always ask re price on the special"" rule.

Another one I found in the sideboard - see if people know what it is for (no, not prodding the person beside you at table to wake them)

[Jenise]

Whatever that is, I've never seen it before. It has an auger-like twist to it, though, so it's meant for digging and extracting. Escargot?

I vaguely remember seeing something like this in an old history of place settings book. I think it was used to either spear frozen butter pats, or maybe lift the cold curls of butter without breaking them, back when having cold butter was considered a status symbol. A "butter spear" was it? Or maybe pick?

I vaguely remember seeing something like this in an old history of place settings book. I think it was used to either spear frozen butter pats, or maybe lift the cold curls of butter without breaking them, back when having cold butter was considered a status symbol. A "butter spear" was it? Or maybe pick?

We have a winner!

Other than in an institutional (hotel) setting, when was the last time you saw neat pats of butter? If I ever want to use it, I'll have to tell people it is an olive spear and send them fishing in the jar (I think they'd just slide off again). I keep discovering more and more of this stuff I own - will post some more pics soon.

[Jenise]

Other than in an institutional (hotel) setting, when was the last time you saw neat pats of butter?

Doesn't happen. Though yesterday at West (on Granville), we did get a perfect half sphere of butter. Not scooped, but from a mold. And shiny. It's been awhile since I've seen anyone do anything fancy with butter, in fact it's rarely served anymore outside of purely French restaurants.

Woo hoo! See what years of being rejected by women allowed me to concentrate on? Yes!!

God, I hated those stupid bowls of butter pats and ice cubes restaurants of my youth used to set out at every table. Unless the bread was frozen solid too, there was no way to keep from tearing right through it. I'm glad it's gone the way of kiwi fruit and vertical food. Now to address the "gluten free" mania....

It's been awhile since I've seen anyone do anything fancy with butter, .

You obviously hang out with the wrong crowd!

Tom, I sympathize - what are you supposed to do with a frozen pat of butter except plop it on a bun and wait an hour?

Ever see vintage butter moulds? Create a fancy pattern on the butter then chill it to put on the butter dish at dinner? Take a look at ebay for dozens of them (I don't think I have any....)

Tom, I sympathize - what are you supposed to do with a frozen pat of butter except plop it on a bun and wait an hour?
Ever see vintage butter moulds? Create a fancy pattern on the butter then chill it to put on the butter dish at dinner? Take a look at ebay for dozens of them (I don't think I have any....)

I have seen some of those molds! Some are really miniature works of art in and of themselves. Haven't seen any in use actually, but they're pretty nifty (I think the CIA in Hyde Park has a display of them in a case down one of the hall, if I'm not mistaken).

it's gone the way of kiwi fruit and vertical food. Now to address the "gluten free" mania....

I know what Chinese gooseberries are, but what is/was "vertical food"?

-Paul W.

I know what Chinese gooseberries are, but what is/was "vertical food"?

-Paul W.

About a decade or so ago some famous chef came up with a dish that was a series of layered ingredients piled one atop the other, served that way as a tall cylinder on a plate. It got rave reviews, so of course restaurants around the country suddenly started piling food higher and higher on THEIR plates also. Of course, what they neglected to copy from the original dish was the care taken to make sure each layer matched the others, with the overall effect being one of harmonious complexity. So it really got pretty damn awful for the poor diners who were presented with a mound of mismatched tastes and textures frequently.

Oh yeah, two other trends I'm glad have died down: cupcakes, and bacon. Sheesh.

We could start a whole new thread on culinary affectations now gratefully passé.

One of the more annoying that I recall was perpetrated by my favourite restaurant - sticking great boughs of rosemary into the food like a flag sticking out of it. Sadly, the owner completely missed my muttered reference to Birnham Wood coming to Dunsinane (soldiers camouflaged with tree boughs in Macbeth) every time he presented his mini-forest.

Oh, cupcakes and bacon may have cooled-off a bit but they haven't gone away. I think there's still a mini-cupcake shop on 14th Street. And my own circle of friends had a casual bacon bake-off this past December.

Butter, on the other hand, is lovely stuff. At room temp, of course. I recently tried Beurre de Baratte from Rodolphe Le Meunier and it is fabulous stuff. (...despite the comically overdone name)

[Jenise]

Butter, on the other hand, is lovely stuff. At room temp, of course.

I must step in and defend cold butter! There is an absolute magic to the taste of cold butter that's juxtasposes the sweetness of cream with the slightly sour flavor of superfresh butter, and that's more pronounced and interesting when unevenly applied and some parts are thick and still cold in the middle when you bite through them. But on piping hot bread. If the bread's unheated, then the butter doesn't really matter.

I have 2 or 3 silver Stilton Scoops, fancier than this one. I've kind of wanted a tomato server but never actually bought one.

For what it's worth I don't approve of using a Stilton scoop -- it wastes the outer edge because everyone wants the succulent bluest part in the center.

The tomato server reminds me of something else I do have -- to serve Absinthe you want a pierced spoon to balance on the glass so you can trickle the liqueur over a sugar cube. Similar design to the tomato server but much smaller.

[Jenise]

A Stilton scoop?????

Bill, you have too much stuff.

A Stilton scoop?????

Bill, you have too much stuff.

"Bill" probably does but it's me with the Stilton scoops. I blame eBay.

[Jenise]

Oops! Bill and you need to compare collections.

While fetching my ice cream maker I pulled out one of my very favorite kitchen tools. A video would make my case better but, anyway, here are two pictures:

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A grad school friend of mine found this to be utterly delightful, even moreso than the spring-loaded tea strainer.

Olive or cherry pitter, Jeff?

Olive or cherry pitter, Jeff?

Correct on both counts (both were on the package).