I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
translating ingredients.

Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
peppers?

I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.

We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.

What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
substitute (if any)?

I look forward to finding these things out!

The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
>which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
>American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
>translating ingredients.
>
>Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
>peppers?
>
>I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>
>We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
>so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.
>
>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>substitute (if any)?
>
>I look forward to finding these things out!
>
Congratulations on winning the prize. We USAians use the term red
pepper to refer to what you call chilli and Texans call chile.

Do you suppose fontini might be fontina?
--

modom

http://www.koyote.com/users/modom/home.html

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
>which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
>American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
>translating ingredients.
>
>Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
>peppers?

No. Red pepper flakes are from mildly hot chiles. US "bell peppers" is
a catchall for green, red, yellow sweet peppers.

>I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.

I can only assume that the two are similar and could be used
interchangeably. I also assume that de Laurentis is calling for the
hot pepper flakes.

>We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
>so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.

If Kiwi stores carry frozen or refrigerated pizza dough, you could use
that for breadsticks.

>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>substitute (if any)?

Most likely Fontina as another poster surmised. There is both Italian
and Danish fontina. Young (not aged) Dutch Gouda would be a possible
substitute.

Steve Wertz wrote on 28 Mar 2007 in rec.food.cooking

> On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife wrote:
>
> > I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
> > which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
> > American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
> > translating ingredients.
> >
> > Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
> > peppers?
> >
> > I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>
> They're chili pepper flakes (usually with seeds)
>
> > What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
> > substitute (if any)?
>
> Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>
> -sw
>

The crushed red pepper flakes are effectively crushed cayenne pepper
flakes (including the seeds in some commercial brands). They are a hotish
dried red chili flake. Perhaps you may have seen them in old style pizza
joints where the parm cheese and red pepper flakes shakers were on the
table.

Not at all similar to the sweet mild tasting Capsicums.
Closer to a dried Indian Saan chili in heat, but a tad hotter IMO.

TheGolfersWife wrote:
> I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
> which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
> American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
> translating ingredients.

You might want to have a look at "The Cook's Thesaurus"

http://www.foodsubs.com/

This site has all sorts of information on what foodstuffs are and what
you can substitute for them if they are not available locally.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

> Subject : Can someone translate please?
> From : <Steve Wertz> ost

> Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>
> -sw

My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the most
vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and tasting so try
it out at your delicatessen's first.

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:54:10 -0700, Jed
> wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
>>which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
>>American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
>>translating ingredients.
>>
>>Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
>>peppers?
>
>No. Red pepper flakes are from mildly hot chiles. US "bell peppers" is
>a catchall for green, red, yellow sweet peppers.

The container of red pepper flakes I have exhibits a red capsicum but
has no actual ingredients listed. I have used these before and they
have flavour all right, but no heat whatsoever.
>
>>I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>
>I can only assume that the two are similar and could be used
>interchangeably. I also assume that de Laurentis is calling for the
>hot pepper flakes.

Well it seems not here in New Zealand if what I said above is anything
to go by. I like to gauge the amount of heat I use in all dishes,
and am not overly-keen on Italian dishes that have hot pepper in them
(whether it be cayenne or chilli peppers). I actually don't ever
remember eating spicy hot dishes in Italy - but then I am normally in
the north of the country. I think a lot of the recipes in the book
are what some American cooks term "American-Italian" cuisine. And
that's just fine so long as I know!

I have some powdered mild chilli - and I can experiment with that.

>>We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
>>so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.
>
>If Kiwi stores carry frozen or refrigerated pizza dough, you could use
>that for breadsticks.

No I've never seen that. You either make your own pizza dough here
for bases or you buy them ready-made. I might make some dough myself
and freeze batches for bread sticks. I think that might work.

>>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>>substitute (if any)?
>
>Most likely Fontina as another poster surmised. There is both Italian
>and Danish fontina. Young (not aged) Dutch Gouda would be a possible
>substitute.

I will try the young Gouda - or perhaps gruyere.

Thanks for your post.

The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

Benny wrote:
>> Subject : Can someone translate please?
> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>
> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
> >
> > -sw
>
> My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the
> most vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and
> tasting so try it out at your delicatessen's first.

Gruyere is not intended to be used in potato gratin. It's a swiss cheese
akin to Emmathaler and works best (if not just for snacking) in fondue with
a little dry white wine or kirsch.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Benny wrote:
>>> Subject : Can someone translate please?
>> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>>
>> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>> >
>> > -sw
>>
>> My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the
>> most vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and
>> tasting so try it out at your delicatessen's first.
>
> Gruyere is not intended to be used in potato gratin. It's a swiss cheese
> akin to Emmathaler and works best (if not just for snacking) in fondue
> with
> a little dry white wine or kirsch.
>
> Jill
>
>

What? Since when? It's one of the go to cheeses for gratins as well as
fondue and grilled cheese sandwiches. It has wonderful melting properties.
Maybe this fellow got a bad batch but to suggest that it is not "intended"
to be used with potato gratins is just plain... well... ill-informed. On
what could you possibly have based this answer? I have dozens of cookbooks
that have gratins made with gruyere and/or emmental plus it's frequently
used in French onion soup gratinee and cheese quiches.

Kate

Kate wrote on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:11:21 GMT:


KB> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
KB> ...
??>>
KB> What? Since when? It's one of the go to cheeses for
KB> gratins as well as fondue and grilled cheese sandwiches.
KB> It has wonderful melting properties. Maybe this fellow got
KB> a bad batch but to suggest that it is not "intended" to be
KB> used with potato gratins is just plain... well...
KB> ill-informed. On what could you possibly have based this
KB> answer? I have dozens of cookbooks that have gratins made
KB> with gruyere and/or emmental plus it's frequently used in
KB> French onion soup gratinee and cheese quiches.

I wonder what cheeses *are* unsuitable for use in melting or
gratins? Off the top of my head, I can't think of many but
perhaps feta and those containing water like cottage cheese.
However, cream cheese and cottage cheese can be incorporated in
baked mashed potatoes. I've never tried feta there!

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not

"James Silverton" <not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> wrote in message
. ..
> Kate wrote on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:11:21 GMT:
>
>
> KB> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> KB> ...
> ??>>
> KB> What? Since when? It's one of the go to cheeses for
> KB> gratins as well as fondue and grilled cheese sandwiches.
> KB> It has wonderful melting properties. Maybe this fellow got
> KB> a bad batch but to suggest that it is not "intended" to be
> KB> used with potato gratins is just plain... well...
> KB> ill-informed. On what could you possibly have based this
> KB> answer? I have dozens of cookbooks that have gratins made
> KB> with gruyere and/or emmental plus it's frequently used in
> KB> French onion soup gratinee and cheese quiches.
>
> I wonder what cheeses *are* unsuitable for use in melting or gratins? Off
> the top of my head, I can't think of many but perhaps feta and those
> containing water like cottage cheese. However, cream cheese and cottage
> cheese can be incorporated in baked mashed potatoes. I've never tried feta
> there!
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not
Quick follow up. I just checked Epicurious and did a search for potato
gratins a huge number resulted in dishes containing potatoes and gruyere. I
certainly can think of some cheeses I wouldn't use in gratins, particularly
those with poor melting properties, of which gruyere is *definitely* not
one.

Kate <---totally bewildered by Jill's response

James Silverton wrote:
>
>
>
> I wonder what cheeses *are* unsuitable for use in melting or
> gratins? Off the top of my head, I can't think of many but
> perhaps feta and those containing water like cottage cheese.
> However, cream cheese and cottage cheese can be incorporated in
> baked mashed potatoes. I've never tried feta there!
>


I once tried a Greek shrimp dish with tomatoes and feta in in. The feta
melted and was quite tasty in it.

On 2007-03-30 05:48:22 -0700, "jmcquown" > said:

> Benny wrote:
>>> Subject : Can someone translate please?
>>> From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>>
>>> Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>> My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the
>> most vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and
>> tasting so try it out at your delicatessen's first.
>
> Gruyere is not intended to be used in potato gratin. It's a swiss cheese
> akin to Emmathaler and works best (if not just for snacking) in fondue with
> a little dry white wine or kirsch.
>
> Jill


It's heavenly in Quiche Lorraine.

--
MaryMc

(remove the obvious to reply)

Dave Smith wrote:

>
>
> I once tried a Greek shrimp dish with tomatoes and feta in in. The feta
> melted and was quite tasty in it.

I like feta cheese with mussels too...

Might have posted this before, but here goes:

Title: Midia Sahanaki (Greek Recipe for Mussels)
Servings: 1

---
Ingredients
---
1 kg Mussels (fresh if
200 g Feta cheese
Green chilli (to taste,
1 lg Tomato
Parsley
Oregano
Olive oil
Water

---
Instructions
---

For those of you that like mussels (and for those of you that dont,
shame on you!) heres a Greek recipe, found widely in Northern Greece,
but not in Southern Greece or on the islands, which are the most
common holiday destinations - so dont expect to find it if you go to
Southern Greece on holiday... THE MESSY BIT: Wash the mussels
individually (dont forget behind the ears!!), making sure no pieces
of shell are still attached, and no sand is left in the flesh. Also
remove the tiny thread you sometimes find in them - it is reported to
be irritating to the stomach if ingested. THE GOOD BIT: When the
mussels are thoroughly washed and checked, put them in a pan and add
just enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil, and boil for
about five minutes. Then add three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and
the chilli chopped into ringlets, as well as a handful of not-too-
finely chopped parsley. Grate the tomato, with or without the skin,
it is up to you, and add. Add the salt and pepper (not too much salt,
the mussels have their own). Boil for another fifteen minutes (but
not longer - the mussels will toughen up if boiled too long - theyre
funny that way!). About three minutes before taking the pan off the
heat, add the feta broken up into small pieces and stir. Add the
oregano just before you remove the pan from the heat. THE GREATEST
BIT: Taste it... (8v))) This dish is very quick to make, the only
hassle being making sure the mussels are thoroughly clean, of course.
It can be reheated over a careful heat (too much heat will make the
feta cheese in it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn) or in a
microwave, without the flavour losing anything. Posted to CHILE-HEADS
DIGEST V3 #186 From: Bryan Hollamby >
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:58:59 +0200 (EET)

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

In article >,
"James Silverton" <not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> wrote:

> Kate wrote on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:11:21 GMT:
>
> KB> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> KB> ...
> ??>>
> KB> What? Since when? It's one of the go to cheeses for
> KB> gratins as well as fondue and grilled cheese sandwiches.
> KB> It has wonderful melting properties. Maybe this fellow got
> KB> a bad batch but to suggest that it is not "intended" to be
> KB> used with potato gratins is just plain... well...
> KB> ill-informed. On what could you possibly have based this
> KB> answer? I have dozens of cookbooks that have gratins made
> KB> with gruyere and/or emmental plus it's frequently used in
> KB> French onion soup gratinee and cheese quiches.
>
> I wonder what cheeses *are* unsuitable for use in melting or
> gratins? Off the top of my head, I can't think of many but
> perhaps feta and those containing water like cottage cheese.
> However, cream cheese and cottage cheese can be incorporated in
> baked mashed potatoes. I've never tried feta there!

I do a lot of gratins, especially when the garden is doing nicely or
when local produce is available. And, I use *lots* of different cheeses
too, though I don't get any kinds of processed, low fat or non-fat
cheeses for anything (ugh!). Cheeses with even a moderate amount of fat
are going to melt well. I tend to sprinkle drier cheeses like parmesan
or asiago, on top when the gratin is nearly done roasting to prevent
premature browning or burning, however.

On Mar 30, 8:31 am, Chatty Cathy > wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>
> > I once tried a Greek shrimp dish with tomatoes and feta in in. The feta
> > melted and was quite tasty in it.
>
> I like feta cheese with mussels too...
>
> Might have posted this before, but here goes:
>
> Title: Midia Sahanaki (Greek Recipe for Mussels)
> Servings: 1
>
> ---
> Ingredients
> ---
> 1 kg Mussels (fresh if
> 200 g Feta cheese
> Green chilli (to taste,
> 1 lg Tomato
> Parsley
> Oregano
> Olive oil
> Water
>
> ---
> Instructions
> ---
>
> For those of you that like mussels (and for those of you that dont,
> shame on you!) heres a Greek recipe, found widely in Northern Greece,
> but not in Southern Greece or on the islands, which are the most
> common holiday destinations - so dont expect to find it if you go to
> Southern Greece on holiday... THE MESSY BIT: Wash the mussels
> individually (dont forget behind the ears!!), making sure no pieces
> of shell are still attached, and no sand is left in the flesh. Also
> remove the tiny thread you sometimes find in them - it is reported to
> be irritating to the stomach if ingested. THE GOOD BIT: When the
> mussels are thoroughly washed and checked, put them in a pan and add
> just enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil, and boil for
> about five minutes. Then add three tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and
> the chilli chopped into ringlets, as well as a handful of not-too-
> finely chopped parsley. Grate the tomato, with or without the skin,
> it is up to you, and add. Add the salt and pepper (not too much salt,
> the mussels have their own). Boil for another fifteen minutes (but
> not longer - the mussels will toughen up if boiled too long - theyre
> funny that way!). About three minutes before taking the pan off the
> heat, add the feta broken up into small pieces and stir. Add the
> oregano just before you remove the pan from the heat. THE GREATEST
> BIT: Taste it... (8v))) This dish is very quick to make, the only
> hassle being making sure the mussels are thoroughly clean, of course.
> It can be reheated over a careful heat (too much heat will make the
> feta cheese in it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn) or in a
> microwave, without the flavour losing anything. Posted to CHILE-HEADS
> DIGEST V3 #186 From: Bryan Hollamby >
> Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:58:59 +0200 (EET)
>
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

This sounds like a tasty recipe. How in the world do you "grate" a
tomato?

Susan B.

sueb wrote:

>
> This sounds like a tasty recipe. How in the world do you "grate" a
> tomato?

LOL. That was my question... However, if you have firm fresh tomatoes -
just slice the tops off, put the "open end" on the grater and start
grating.. (I have an old-fashioned "box grater"). It goes all "mushy"
and the skin sorta stays behind. But I suppose you could skin the
tomatoes and then blitz them in a blender or something....

It was very good, BTW.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
>which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
>American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
>translating ingredients.
>
>Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
>peppers?
>
>I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>
I guess it depends on the recipe. It didn't specify "hot" pepper
flakes?

>We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
>so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.
>
Make your own dough in that case. She's just trying to suggest a
short cut.

>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good

You mean Fontina? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina_cheese
>substitute (if any)?
>


--
See return address to reply by email

On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:40:44 GMT, Benny >
wrote:

> > Subject : Can someone translate please?
> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>
> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
> >
> > -sw
>
>My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the most
>vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and tasting so try
>it out at your delicatessen's first.


I don't like gruyere either. Jarlesberg is my favorite all around
cheese and it would be a decent substitute for fontina too.

--
See return address to reply by email

jmcquown > wrote:

> Gruyere is not intended to be used in potato gratin.

Eh? It is the cheese traditionally used in gratin savoyard, the most
famous potato-cheese gratin of them all. It is made with consommé, BTW.
Some poor befuddled people, one of them a certain Auguste Escoffier (a
native of Provence), confuse it with gratin dauphinois which, however,
is supposed to be made with cream or milk instead of consommé and with
no cheese. In French potato gratins that call for cheese, Gruyère is
usually the default. BTW, it is both a Swiss and a French cheese,
produced on both sides of the border.

Victor

James Silverton <not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not> wrote:

> I wonder what cheeses *are* unsuitable for use in melting or
> gratins?

In gratin auvergnat, bleu d'Auvergne is used, but other blue cheeses
would work very well, too.

Victor

On Mar 30, 10:18 am, Chatty Cathy > wrote:
> sueb wrote:
>
> > This sounds like a tasty recipe. How in the world do you "grate" a
> > tomato?
>
> LOL. That was my question... However, if you have firm fresh tomatoes -
> just slice the tops off, put the "open end" on the grater and start
> grating.. (I have an old-fashioned "box grater"). It goes all "mushy"
> and the skin sorta stays behind. But I suppose you could skin the
> tomatoes and then blitz them in a blender or something....
>
> It was very good, BTW.
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Couldn't you just julienne them? I'm having trouble visualizing what
is left, other than mush, after you grate them.

Susan B.

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:33:48 -0700, sf wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
>>which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
>>American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
>>translating ingredients.
>>
>>Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
>>peppers?
>>
>>I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>>
>I guess it depends on the recipe. It didn't specify "hot" pepper
>flakes?

No - just a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
>
>>We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
>>so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.
>>
>Make your own dough in that case. She's just trying to suggest a
>short cut.

I will get one of my daughters to do it for me because she makes
really really good pizza dough!
>
>>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>
>You mean Fontina? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina_cheese
>>substitute (if any)?
>>
I will try gouda or gruyere I think for starters. Or even a grated
mild colby or edam.

Thanks for the post.

The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:36:16 -0700, sf wrote:

>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:40:44 GMT, Benny >
>wrote:
>
>> > Subject : Can someone translate please?
>> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>>
>> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>> >
>> > -sw
>>
>>My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the most
>>vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and tasting so try
>>it out at your delicatessen's first.
>
>I don't like gruyere either. Jarlesberg is my favorite all around
>cheese and it would be a decent substitute for fontina too.

I find Jarlesberg has absolutely no flavour and of course no bite at
all. It is a good texture cheese and my grandchildren like it -
probably because it is so mild.

The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

<TheGolfersWife> wrote in message
...
>I have just received a copy of Giada de Lorentis book Everyday Italian
> which I won in an internet contest! It is lovely, but I as it is
> American and I am in New Zealand I would like some help with
> translating ingredients.
>
> Are red pepper flakes from what we call capsicums and you term bell
> peppers?
>
> I have both red pepper flakes and chilli pepper flakes in my pantry.
>
> We do not have any sort of store-bought dough for making breadsticks
> so far as I know. Another Kiwi may be able to help me here.
>
> What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
> substitute (if any)?
>
> I look forward to finding these things out!
>
> The Golfer's Wife
>
> "For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

Try this:

http://www.foodsubs.com/SpiceHisp.html

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:13:37 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:33:48 -0700, sf wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>>
>>>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>>
>>You mean Fontina? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina_cheese
>>>substitute (if any)?
>>>
>I will try gouda or gruyere I think for starters. Or even a grated
>mild colby or edam.
>
All of the above *except* colby will be fine. Colby (which I'm
surprised you can find) isn't even in the ballpark.

--
See return address to reply by email

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:14:52 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:36:16 -0700, sf wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:40:44 GMT, Benny >
>>wrote:
>>
>>> > Subject : Can someone translate please?
>>> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>>>
>>> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>>> >
>>> > -sw
>>>
>>>My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the most
>>>vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and tasting so try
>>>it out at your delicatessen's first.
>>
>>I don't like gruyere either. Jarlesberg is my favorite all around
>>cheese and it would be a decent substitute for fontina too.
>
>I find Jarlesberg has absolutely no flavour and of course no bite at
>all. It is a good texture cheese and my grandchildren like it -
>probably because it is so mild.
>
In that case, you won't like fontina, provolone or gouda either, so go
with the gruyere.



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Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great (and sometimes not
so great) words of knowledge:
> On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:14:52 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:36:16 -0700, sf wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:40:44 GMT, Benny >
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>> > Subject : Can someone translate please?
>>>> > From : <Steve Wertz> ost
>>>>
>>>> > Use gruyere(sp) or aged provalone (but not dry provolone).
>>>> >
>>>> > -sw
>>>>
>>>>My wife used gruyere in a potato gratin last week. It's one of the most
>>>>vile foods I have ever had the misfortune of smelling and tasting so try
>>>>it out at your delicatessen's first.
>>>
>>>I don't like gruyere either. Jarlesberg is my favorite all around
>>>cheese and it would be a decent substitute for fontina too.
>>
>>I find Jarlesberg has absolutely no flavour and of course no bite at
>>all. It is a good texture cheese and my grandchildren like it -
>>probably because it is so mild.
>>
> In that case, you won't like fontina, provolone or gouda either, so go
> with the gruyere.
>
>
>

And you DEFINITELY will not like assagio (spelling ? ) cheese. This is
the cheese that Olive Garden puts in a lot of their dishes.

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 02:07:37 GMT, Ted Campanelli
> wrote:

>
>And you DEFINITELY will not like assagio (spelling ? ) cheese. This is
>the cheese that Olive Garden puts in a lot of their dishes.

the only thing that's good about Olive Garden is the size of their
"regular" Bombay Sapphire (gin) martini. It's almost as big as a
bathtub. I found a larger one at a place I'd actually eat at gladly
last weekend.

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Kate replied to Jill:

>> Gruyere is not intended to be used in potato gratin. It's a swiss cheese
>> akin to Emmathaler and works best (if not just for snacking) in fondue
>> with a little dry white wine or kirsch.
>
> What? Since when? It's one of the go to cheeses for gratins as well as
> fondue and grilled cheese sandwiches. It has wonderful melting
> properties. Maybe this fellow got a bad batch but to suggest that it is
> not "intended" to be used with potato gratins is just plain... well...
> ill-informed. On what could you possibly have based this answer? I have
> dozens of cookbooks that have gratins made with gruyere and/or emmental
> plus it's frequently used in French onion soup gratinee and cheese
> quiches.

Jill frequently writes as if her personal tastes were the same as
everybody's tastes, or as if she's some kind of culinary authority, even
when she's demonstrably wrong. Sheldon does the same thing. Just shows how
self-centered they are.

I agree with what you wrote as to gruyere's uses, though I'll add that it's
also my go-to cheese for topping French onion soup.

Bob

On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:53:18 -0700, sf wrote:

>On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:13:37 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:33:48 -0700, sf wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:08:32 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>>>
>>>>What type of cheese is fontini please? What would be a good
>>>
>>>You mean Fontina? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontina_cheese
>>>>substitute (if any)?
>>>>
>>I will try gouda or gruyere I think for starters. Or even a grated
>>mild colby or edam.
>>
>All of the above *except* colby will be fine. Colby (which I'm
>surprised you can find) isn't even in the ballpark.

I don't recall what cheeses I saw in supermarkets and those other
healthy food stores in the US when I was there in June. I do remember
a lot of cheese was sliced and there was more processed cheese than we
have here (in New Zealand). I bought some sliced Swiss cheese to eat
with some crackers once but I don't think it was memorable! I didn't
manage to get to any specialist cheese shops in the US but I know they
do exist and many cheese types are available. I would have liked to.

Cheese is made here and exported, but we can buy many imported
Italian, Dutch and Danish cheeses. I prefer Italian parmesan,
pecorino and some gorgonzola, although all of these cheeses and most
of the other popular types from France and Denmark and even England
are made here in New Zealand (but we are not allowed to give them
their original names - only a subtitle in brackets!)

Our cheaper supermarket block cheeses tend to be cheddar tasty, edam,
colby and cheddar mild. We have most if not all of the French cheese
types but no cheese made from unpasteurised milk. This is because
historically and long long ago there was TB in some dairy herds in NZ
and all milk had to be pasteurised for sale and no cheese made from
unpasteurised milk could be sold. I don't know if some cheesemakers
ever made any for their own use. Probably! This outdated policy now
needs a revisit because TB-testing of herds is mandatory and there has
been no sign of the disease in cows for over 35 years!

We have buffalo mozarella from one cheeseemaking company - and it is
excellent. And we have super feta cheese and ricotta. So we don't
miss out. I have never seen fontini cheese anywhere, so there cannot
be a demand for this cheese either imported or locally made.

I buy Italian gorgonzola for its crumbling quality when I want to make
bleu cheese dressing, but buy NZ gorgonzola for the table (it is just
as good and half the price). I buy English Applewood smoked cheese
for its taste and quality because I haven't yet found a good local
one. And there is nothing quite like Italian parmesan or pecorino.


The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:36:38 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:

>Our cheaper supermarket block cheeses tend to be cheddar tasty, edam,
>colby and cheddar mild.


I'm completely agog that you get colby in new zealand!

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On Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:40:12 -0700, sf wrote:

>On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:36:38 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>Our cheaper supermarket block cheeses tend to be cheddar tasty, edam,
>>colby and cheddar mild.
>
>
>I'm completely agog that you get colby in new zealand!

I can't find your newsgroup email address to reply to because I dont
think other posters are interested in our "conversation".

Colby cheese has been made in NZ for many years and sold widely. I
can remember it as a child. I don't particularly like colby cheese -
it's a bit bland for me. But lots of people buy it obviously because
there it is year in and year out in large and smaller blocks on the
supermarket shelves.

Cheers


The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:06:19 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>I can't find your newsgroup email address to reply to because I dont
>think other posters are interested in our "conversation".

What interface are you using that you can't simply "reply"?


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On Mar 30, 2997, sf wrote:

> the only thing that's good about Olive Garden is the size
> of their "regular" Bombay Sapphire (gin) martini. *It's almost
> as big as a bathtub. *I found a larger one at a place I'd actually > eat at gladly last weekend.

Assuming you're referring to a SF Bay Area restaurant,
woul you mind saying which one and where? (not Olive
Garden, the other one where you'd gladly eat)

On 31 Mar 2007 07:37:21 -0700, "KevinS" > wrote:

>On Mar 30, 2997, sf wrote:
>
>> the only thing that's good about Olive Garden is the size
>> of their "regular" Bombay Sapphire (gin) martini.
>> It's almostas big as a bathtub.
>> found a larger one at a place I'd actually
>> eat at gladly last weekend.
>
>Assuming you're referring to a SF Bay Area restaurant,
>woul you mind saying which one and where? (not Olive
>Garden, the other one where you'd gladly eat)


It's called Central Park Bistro in downtown San Mateo (kitty corner
from Draeger's). http://www.centralparkbistro.com/
PS: their glasses have a nice shape too... it's all part of the
martini experience.

Be careful if you're driving! I went home and slept for hours after
just one.

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On Mar 31, 2007, sf wrote:

> It's called Central Park Bistro in downtown
> San Mateo...

Hey, thanks! I'll check it out next time I'm in the 'hood.

> Be careful if you're driving! *I went home and slept for hours
> after just one.

For the most part when I go up to SF or points in between,
I do some combo of VTA, Caltrain and/or BART.

On 31 Mar 2007 13:10:14 -0700, "KevinS" > wrote:

>On Mar 31, 2007, sf wrote:
>
>> It's called Central Park Bistro in downtown
>> San Mateo...
>
>Hey, thanks! I'll check it out next time I'm in the 'hood.
>
>> Be careful if you're driving! I went home and slept for hours
>> after just one.
>
>For the most part when I go up to SF or points in between,
>I do some combo of VTA, Caltrain and/or BART.
>

You're good to go then, Bon Appetite!

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On Sun, 01 Apr 2007 11:56:08 -0400,
wrote:

>On Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:36:38 +1200, TheGolfersWife <> wrote:
>
>>of the other popular types from France and Denmark and even England
>>are made here in New Zealand (but we are not allowed to give them
>>their original names - only a subtitle in brackets!)
>
>OK, I have to know the story behind this.... What is the reasoning behind it???
>
>Whats the big deal if its says Parmesan Made in Nz or Parmesan Made in Italy.
>
>Consumers can choose based on the source and/or cost if its
>
>This reminds me of the whole champagne v. sparkling wine BS.
>
>champagne is champagne is champagne, its all bubbly or "sparkling" wine. You can
>see where its made by reading the label.

Well you might like to tell that to the French wine authorities, and
likewise the Italian cheese authorities. The French will NOT allow
the term Champagne to be used on any bottles of bubbly pinot noir
(which is what Champagne is) because Champagne is a territory in
France.

And yes you can see where its made by reading the label, but the
French are very precious about all this and feel they actually hold
the market in the top champagnes - and I think they do have the best
because their grapes are so old, and not because they have the best
method of making it.

Likewise the French will NOT allow the term Burgundy to be used on
pinot noir - which is what Burgundy is!

You and I know the difference. The Australians know the difference,
and all these other wine-making countries can do with champagne is to
call it Methode Champenoise. Now isnt that stupdi?

The Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheesemakers made strong overtures to
whoever is in control of trade names (the World Trade Association?)
that New Zealand parmesan cheesemakers could not use the term Parmesan
because it is a registered trade name of a cheese in Italy. I think
that this has not been totally followed up (unlike the business with
French wines) and some of the local cheesemakers here do call their
Parmesan just that.

I don't see the French objecting to our Camembert and Brie cheeses -
so with the French it seems confined to wines!

One could argue for a long time about it, but in the long run you and
I will buy the type of wine we like best wherever it comes from! How
about that?

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The Golfer's Wife

"For as many men, there are as many opinions." - Seneca

TheGolfersWife > wrote:

>And yes you can see where its made by reading the label, but the
>French are very precious about all this and feel they actually hold
>the market in the top champagnes - and I think they do have the best
>because their grapes are so old, and not because they have the best
>method of making it.

>Likewise the French will NOT allow the term Burgundy to be used on
>pinot noir - which is what Burgundy is!

>You and I know the difference. The Australians know the difference,
>and all these other wine-making countries can do with champagne is to
>call it Methode Champenoise. Now isnt that stupdi?

Oddly enough the BATF protects the designation "Cognac" (it must
be French of the correct origin). But Champagne, Burgundy, Chablis
and a host of others are not protected.

The U.S. could improve foreign relations overnight by protecting
designations such as these.

Steve