Unknown Spice Finally Revealed & Capers

That spice i bought in the Chaguanas market finally has a name of Tonka Bean. It only took me 1.5 years to figure it out. It is banned for food use in the US and is mostly grown in Venezuela. Any recipe ideas?

Also, link on capers. The "caper" is the flower bud of the plant and the "caper berry" is the fruit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonka_bean


http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Capp_spi.html

Chef on YouTube.

YouTube video from Seattle? of Chef McDonald doing a demo. He was the head kitchen chef instructor of the culinary program back when i was in school....so i had to sit through about 100 demos like this. People turn up on the internet in odd places, i am not even sure how i found this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfOWD_tuUIs

Uruguay Dessert Wine & Cauliflower Gratin

Note to self...
find this wine (Vinedo de Los Vientos) again to drink and cook with. For sweet corn tamales, foie gras, and sauces. Also, note to make cauliflower gratin as at the restaurant on Saturday past.

And tea poached eggs? and what's up with Masa Restaurant (http://masanyc.com/) NYC?

http://www.anconaswine.com/sku13627.html

Restaurant Bar Americain NYC...

http://www.baramericain.com/
http://www.baramericain.com/pdf/Dinner%20Fall%202008.pdf

Running, Eating, & Puking for a Good Cause?

Interested Rachel?

Jogging 4 miles and eating 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts in one hour?
i am sure i could do neither in one hour.

http://www.krispykremechallenge.com/about.html

Slash & Burn...

Slash...
The Knife Merchant has a great and reliable "tips-hints" or recommendation page for various knives/tools for kitchen work. They have the best selection of cooks and butcher knives/tools. If you find yourself in a position where you have to spend a good portion of the day hacking apart fish heads that weigh 20-30lbs. or other carcasses...this site is a must. Or maybe you just need to cut a lime.
http://www.knifemerchant.com/index.asp
Burn...
It being Thanksgiving i was reminded of the trip and the food from the Yucatan last Thanksgiving. The El Yucateco sauces are becoming widely available in the US and are a favorite out of the commercially produced sauces. The habanero chile makes a very flavorful sauce both hot and intense fruit...and it goes well with more of a variety of foods than say Tabasco or similar sauces. I thought about going to the factory in Merida but i guess there was a lot to do. Merida is gem of a town and the slash and burn smell isn't so bad.
http://www.elyucateco.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9rida,_Yucat%C3%A1n