We don't do Mardi Gras, but do celebrate Shrove Tuesday (known in the local restaurant trade as "National Pancake Day"). While the kiddoes prefer ordinary buttermilk pancakes with faux maple syrup, they don't seem to realize the concept of "cook's choice", so will be disappointed come supper time. I can't face such sweet fare that late in the day. My plan is to make savoury pancakes with sweet potatoes, topped with a bleu cheese mushroom sauce. My recipe recommended a roasted tomato sauce, but tomatoes are pretty woody and pricey here this time of year.

Wow, what a turn this thread has taken. Alex, I've looked through my "Classic Cuisine of Provence" cookbook and one recipe looks very good, and very Southern France. Below is taken directly from the book. I've never made it, but I will. Pan Bagnat "Literally, 'bathed or moistened bread', the name is so much more picturesque in the ancient language of the Provencaux. Nearly a salade nicoise in a bread roll...the secret is the drizzled olive oil. Great for a picnic lunch. Pan Bagnat 1 Crusty round bread roll, or 1/4 of a baguette 1/2 clove garlic 3 TBS olive oil 2-3 lettuce leaves 1 tomato, sliced 1/2 hard boiled egg, sliced 1 tbs flaked, canned tuna in oil 6-7 black olives, pitted and halved 8 slices cucumber 2-3 strips green pepper 3 anchovy fillets salt black pepper serves 1 Cut the bread in half and discard the soft crumb in the center. Tub the bread inside with garlic. Drizzle a tbs or so of olive oil over the base of the inside, and rub a little over the top, making sure it is absorbed. Place lettuce leaves on the base, adding slices of tomato, egg, tuna, olive, cucumber, green pepper and anchovies. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add another layer of lettue leaves. Place the top of the roll in position, cover with foil, press firmly with a light weight and stand in a cool place for 10-20 minutes before serving. The longer it stands before you eat it, the more moist and delicious it becomes." Jo

It will be interesting to hear your recipe, trailrunner! I just made a small batch (way too small as it turned out), this was enough for two pizzas. Minced garlic from 2 heads, simmered slowly in around 1/4 cup olive oil, for 5 minutes only, being carefully to not let brown. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was almost equal parts garlic and XV olive oil. Then, added a small can of tomato paste, 1/4 cup sugar and a couple Tbsp of water, and 1/4 tsp of oregano and pepper. The crusts do look different but I'm pretty sure they are both the Baguette recipe (which I must attempt this week, having found my pans). The second crust looks more like the Bittman recipe, but that was because it was made in a square pan, more deep dish style. I wasn't thrilled with either crust this time. We had a hockey game in the middle of the day so I made the 4 batches of dough in the morning and let them proof in the fridge, then skipped the second rise for the baguette recipe. Maybe they rose too long? Next time, I'll shoot for around two hours before oven time. Then again, I tend to not eat when I am hosting, so maybe I am imagining the difference. Everyone else loved the pizzas, which is all that counts. Between the two, I like the baguette recipe a little better but DH likes the MB.

Had lunch with my Chinese friends (in a pizza joint LOL) Got another lesson in dim sum culture: 1. Dim Sum does not really mean âÂÂa little bit of heartâÂÂ, âÂÂsmall heartâÂÂ, etc. it is a common misinterpretation of the essence of the concept. Dim means to point, or to focus. In other words, itâÂÂs all about the heart. 2. Dim sum is not about eating originally. Even today, a Chinese will not invite you to eat dim sum, instead, he/she will say,â LetâÂÂs go sip teaâÂÂ. 3. WiKi is inacurate in saying that: â At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacksâÂÂ. It was a common greeting in China, â Hey, congratulations, looks like you have gained a few pounds.â Fat was considered a very good thing, because you would be looking like Buddha. 4. Not too long ago in China, dim sum eating was a different thing. In the morning thatâÂÂs where scholars would meet, with their pet canary birds in exquisitely crafted bamboo cages to compete to see whose bird could sing better and they would exchange poetry and artwork. Commoners would bring their pet cricks in highly decorated boxes to have cricket fights with each other. Much like dog fights elsewhere, a lot of money would be involved, and the well known lineage of crickets could be very expensive. Little kids would bring their per spiders in match boxes, a special kind of spiders known as âÂÂGolden hair catsâÂÂ. They would have spider fights also. House wives and concubines would walk around the room to chat with relatives and friends they knew. Matchmakers would also be around to drum up business in arranged marriages. Cricket fights Such picturesque imagery. I asked him to recommend a few movies which would depict China in the old days. Hopefully with subtitles of course. dcarch