• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed (or 1+ tsp ground)
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, crushed (or cracked or ground)
• 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed (or cracked or ground)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp soy and/or fish sauce
  Warning — high sodium ingredient!
• 1 - 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped into 2" pieces and crushed
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp Ancho chili pepper, ground
• 1 green onion, sliced fine
• Pork loin chops, whole or cubed

Combine all ingredients except the pork and green onion to form a marinade. Place in plastic sealable bag with pork and let marinate 6-12 hours, turning every couple of hours.

If pork is cubed, place on skewers. Grill pork on a grill or in a grill pan until desired doneness. (Make sure the internal temperature is at least 145°; Trichinella spiralis dies at 137°, and you don't want to risk letting any of that live. The USDA recommends a minmum of 160°, resulting in medium doneness; California state law requires 145° unless the customer requests otherwise [CURFFL §113996(a)(3)]. Note that the chops will probably cook up another five degrees after being removed from heat.)

Notes: Originally I had written this with 1/2 tsp of five spice, not 1 tsp. That probably would have been a better option. The spice balance was off. I also probably should have ground the peppercorns a bit finer; the texture of cracked peppercorns was sometimes palate-skewing, especially with the slight anesthetic action Sichuan peppercorns have.

I also was planning on this being a bit sweeter, to more emulate the Caramel Pork dishes I'd so loved back in my New York City days (thanks again, jwgh). I did get some of that effect by finishing the plate with a bit of crumbled caramel rice-and-corn cake, but this dish would have been better had I put something like a little maple butter in the marinade and served with a mound of Spanish or Mexican-hinted rice (maybe made with cilantro leaves and a touch of ground coriander and/or cumin).

I did use 1/4 tsp of fish sauce in the marinade because it is so tied up with the classic flavor of Vietnamese cuisine. However, that mere 1/4 tsp dumped 100mg of extra sodium into my marinade, and most of that marinade did get onto the chops, thus adding about 30mg of sodium per chop! (Yes, that's right, fish sauce easily tags at 1,200mg of sodium per tbsp. A great condiment when used correctly, but it's anathema to the very low sodium way of life.

I completely forgot the green onion at the end. Oops.

Mix mustard, oil, and Sunny Spain seasoning to form a marinade. Rub liberally over steak and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Heat a skillet to medium and cook steak to desired doneness. Remove steak and keep warm. Into the same skillet, add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Saute until tender. Stir in peppercorns, wine, and broth; bring to boil. Let boil for approximately 5 minutes or until sauce has reached desired consistency (although the sauce must boil for at least 2 minutes to evaporate alcohol and ensure safety). Return steak to pan to heat surface and coat with sauce. Remove pan from heat and serve immediately.

Notes: Whole peppercorns were a bad idea. They stayed in the sauce and were not fun to bite into. Reducing to a 1/2 tsp of fresh crushed black pepper would have probably made more sense.

When I took the steak off the heat, I put it on a plate and covered it with a dish. Kept it warm, alright; it sealed in everything, thus causing a steamer to form. I had it off heat for 20 minutes, so the steak steamed for 20 minutes; just enough time to take it from medium-rare to medium-well. The steak wasn't entirely ruined, as it was still mostly tender, but I definitely was looking forward to a rare or medium-rare steak.

I cut the onions way, way, way too big. The should definitely have been almost diced. The mushrooms turned out great, but the big honkin' onion pieces took forever to cook, never fully carmelized, and really unbalanced the dish. I had originally spec'd out 1/2 onion, and I think that was correct, but with the dice-size pieces.

This was also my first attempt at using Herb-Ox Salt Free Beef Bouillon. An hour or so after eating dinner, my stomach was a tad disquieted. Given the number of non-natural, freaky additives in the bouillon packet, my initial guess would be something in there disagreed with my system. I am leery of conducting further experiments, but how else will I learn?

Other than all of that, it was pretty tasty. It could have been better, and I'm still trying to figure out how to make it work.

Trim roast of all extra fat. Mix yogurt, vinegar, and seasoning; coat meat with mixture and let marinate for 6-24 hours.

Assemble bay leaf, lime leaves, galangal, coriander, fennel, black pepper, tarragon, savory, and thyme in a small cheesecloth or linen pouch to form a bouquet garni. Set aside.

Remove stems from the mushrooms. Dice stems, slice caps, and set aside in two separate piles.

Heat a Dutch oven to medium-high, about 350°. Add oil to pot. Once the oil is warm, sear the meat, turning often to ensure even browning. Once browned, remove from heat and reserve. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion; cook until they have reached a deep golden color. Add carrots and celery; cook until browned.

Mix curry powder with an equal amount of water to form a paste. Combine the broth and coconut milk; mix in the curry paste and add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer; add roast, garlic, mushroom stems, peppers, and bouquet garni. Cover and let simmer until tender (approximately 2 - 4 hours), basting and turning frequently.

Towards the end of the braising, set a small pan on medium heat and add the butter and flour to form a roux. Cook while stirring until roux is brown and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and let cool slightly; do not refrigerate.

Remove roast from pot and set aside, preferably on warming plate or food warmer. Remove bouquet garni and discard. Heat saucepan to low heat. Strain sauce from pot into saucepan, reserving solids; add mushrooms, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and add roux slowly while stirring until desired sauce thickness is obtained. Let simmer for another 5 minutes; remove from heat and serve with roast.

Take reserved vegetables from strainer and do something cool with them.

Notes: The marinade is not right. I need to come up with something better.

Also, the sauce got almost pedestrian towards the end. I wonder if I should have skipped the roux, which may have masked some of the more intricate flavors, and instead just boiled it down and accepted a thinner sauce. I'll have to ponder it; the bottom line is that the amount of work that went into the delicate flavorings was not reflected in the final product. What was completed at the end was pedestrian enough that it could have been nearly the most perfunctory pot roast recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook. I'm not sure a blind taste test would result in a single person coming up with the word "Thai" as the influencing cuisine.

Alinea is another hot new Chicago restaurant offering immersion in post-modern cuisine. There's a (no longer) recent review that actually highlights a lot of the cuisine that I sampled that night — and sampling it was, as we went for the "tour," which that night was a 26-course tasting menu that lasted five hours. It was worth the hype and every penny, however; it's simply a phenomenal place. Many courses were "really good" or better; the consistency was unexpectedly high throughout the entire meal. Perhaps my favorite course was squab in mushroom soup with foie gras foam, the extra details of which I could not recall at this moment I wrote the review up (it was simply too difficult to keep in my head; unlike moto, there are no printed menus from which to pull notes, and I didn't keep a notebook with me through dinner). I've been a fan of Grant Achatz's since his tour at Trio in Evanston; as seems to be the pattern (set perhaps by Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand when they went off to start Tru), a fair number of the highly-skilled waitstaff there were from the old days of Trio. Service was precise and elaborate; the room was modern and gorgeous — the entryway is simply amazing in and of itself! Although the food did not peak at the levels that moto peaked at, I felt it was more consistent (though not due to a lack of experimentation and risk) and still ended up placing Alinea as one of the five best restaurants in Chicago today. (If you're looking for the other four in my highly-subjective, highly-opinionated, ephemeral list: Moto, the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carleton, Charlie Trotter's, and Les Nomades.)

Yes, $175 is a hefty price for a tasting menu — but what a tasting menu! It's also perfectly in line with the other new stellar greats in the US, such as per se in New York, and is in fact perhaps "a deal" when compared to Alain Ducasse's restaurant at the Essex House or many of the stunning French restaurants or Michelin three star restaurants out there.

The bottom line? If you are a lover of exciting, dynamic, and post-modern cuisine (and live in the Chicagoland area) — make a reservation (which you'll need to do well in advance) and go.

The next spring, on April 5 (my little personal historical marker of terrestrial position with respect to the sun), we went back. That time was notable in two extra ways: first, I did the wine flight along with the tour; second, I got a copy of the menu to take home as a keepsake (a little thing I like to do sometimes — call me sentimental, I guess). So I figured I'd just share the menu and review it as best as I could remember (bearing in mind that I was already up past my bedtime and was barely staying awake even as I type this), before too much time passed and I lost the thread of it entirely. I was far too tired that night to attempt such a herculean feat. Even with memory fading, it took all the free time I had over the course of two four days.

HOT POTATO, cold potato, black truffle, parmesan
paired with Pascal Doquet Premier Cru Brut Rosé, Vertus

A one-bite course with a thick slab of black truffle on the top. Anything with a thick slab of black truffle on the top is a portent of a heavenly meal. This was a fantastic melange of textures, tastes, and temperatures on the palate all at once. Heaven in a bite! The accompanying champagne was full but still light enough to start a meal cleanly (I'm not usually a fan of rosés, but this one did make the grade nicely.

PINE NUT, radish, balsamic, olive oil

Each item was in some gelée, purée, or other alternative form. Another one-biter, this was heavenly, and if I recall correctly, was served as a spoon balanced in a ring-dish that had no bottom.

SALSIFY, parsley, smoked salmon, steelhead roe
paired with Wieninger Nussberg "Alte Reben", Vienna 2001

The wine was light and nice, different and refreshing. The dish… this was an amazing amazing experience. Another one-biter. Every flavor was in perfect balance (this is saying something for me, as I usually fervently object to parsley).

LOBSTER, coconut, hearts of palm, yuzu
paired with Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru "Clos de la Pucelles" 2002

A fine little salad, with some excellent poached lobster and hearts of palm, plus a few other surprise delectables, all under a long, rectangular sheet of coconut so thin that it was translucent. I am a big fan of Montrachets; this one was a very good one indeed.

MUSSEL, chamomile, cucumber

A nicely balanced course; the chamomile was not overpowering, the mussel not fishy, and the cucumber strong enough to hold its own.

SKATE, caper, lemon, and brown butter powders
paired with François Villard Condrieu "Terrasses du Palat", N. Rhône 2003

The wine was an excellent pairing for this dish, though I'm not sure how fond I was of it solo. But I can hardly remember, because of how perfect this skate was! I am not a fin fish kind of eater, historically, but this was done absolutely to perfection — a long, thin ribbon of wavy skate, with powders for each of the typical condiments alongside. Yes, this is a hallmark of any post-modern restaurant What distinguishes moto is their condiments; what distinguished Alinea was the perfection of the skate.

PEAR, celery leaf & branch, curry

This was served like a truffle on a little stand, taken as a shooter like an oyster. It was… am I using words like perfection too much? Well, it was really stellar. Let's say it that way. Wonderful consistency, absolutely stunningly balanced flavors (and I don't like pears most often, although I simply adore all things curry and celery both)… Grant really has a beautiful touch with the subtle combinations.

LAMB, akudjura, niçoise olive, eucalyptus veil
paired with Bodega Mustiguillo "Finca Terrarazo", El Terrerazo, Spain 2001

A very small amount of some beautifully done lamb, with heady aromas and exotic tastes that did not overpower but subtly and artfully complimented the flavorful lamb. The wine was heavier and more potent, forward, and yet, again, complemented things simply magnificently.

BISON, braised pistachios, sweet spices
paired with Bodegas Weinert Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2000

The wine was heavy, almost too pungent for me. Not my favorite, though interesting. But I have to admit, it went well with the bison. It also made me feel a little off almost immediately, so I backed off from it. The dish… there were three different preparations of pistachio on the plate; in a sauce, braised, and ground fine.

SWEET POTATO, bourbon, cinnamon fragrance

This was a nice little dish that came at a time when I was reacting not so well to the Mendoza. In short, I don't remember any details. (*wince* sorry)

VERJUS, lemon thyme, beet
paired with Dashe Late Harvest Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2005

The late harvest zin was fuller than I expected (I'm not very experienced with zinfandels). This was a cute little one-bite course that was pleasing but gone all too soon; not earth-shattering, but elegant in its simplicity. It was served on a counterbalanced long skinny steel rod they call "the antenna"; the method of consumption was to lean forward, enclose it in one's mouth, and then pull it off the thin rod by moving your head back. As the waiter quipped, "don't sneeze."

SPRUCE, pomelo pith, young walnut

This was a heady aromatic one-biter that really encompassed its flavors very well.

YOGURT, juniper, mango

Of all the dishes, this was the only one I didn't like and didn't finish. It was presented in a highball glass, with a pool of mango at the bottom, juniper emulsion mixed around it, with tentacles that looked like the Flying Spaghetti Monster coming out of it made of freeze dried yogurt. The trick was to mash it all together in the bottom with the spoon and eat it. The tastes didn't mesh, and there was a very weird oily taste in there that didn't seem quite right. It was actually quite unappetizing.

YUBA, prawn, miso, orange

Another dish laid out on a long rectangular plate with "stations" of various items that can be mixed experimentally to find heavenly taste combinations. Wonderful stuff. The prawn was delicious, and the reduced miso (not a gel, but denser than a foam) was fantastic.

ASPARAGUS, egg yolk drops
paired with Albert Mann Pinot Auxerrois, Alsace 2004

This was wonderful! There was a light broth that the egg and asparagus was in that was just heavenly. The only comparison I have for the eggs, in size, appearance and texture, is to a weird confection known as Dippin' Dots. However, these eggs were not flash-frozen; they were in fact all apparently hand prepared. I had burned out on eggs 20 years ago but this was delicious, wonderful, and I would gladly have this far more often. The Alsatian wine was heavier than some, given the combination with the pinot blanc grapes, but unlike the other malbec I had that evening, this was quite enjoyable indeed, and (you knew it was coming) went wonderfully with the egg and broth!

PORK, grapefruit, cornbread, ohio honeycomb
paired with N. Joly Savennieères "Clos de la Coulée de Serrant", Loire 2003

Wonderfuly tasty, but I remember almost nothing about the preparation itself. I do remember thinking "this doesn't taste like pork." The wine was also nice, but equally unmemorable (which is not to say that it isn't a stellar wine, but given the amount of alcohol I had already consumed and how many other stellar courses I had already ingested, this simply didn't stand out in any way I can remember a week later).

KOBE BEEF, honeydew, cucumber, lime rocks
paired with Josef Umathum Zweigelt, Burgenland, 2003

Now, technically, I remember him saying that this was an American Kobe, which should made it Wagyu, no? (Much like "sparkling wine" vs. "champagne".) However, Alinea is pretty serious about their ingredients. Perhaps I'll email them and follow up about this. Regardless: it was wonderful. It came on a small plate with a thin cucumber sheet covering everything (superthin, translucent); the lime rocks were interspersed underneath the slices of beef, honeydew and other delicate accompaniments. (The lime rocks were dried lime preparations in lieu of salt; the tanginess of the lime made salt unnecessary for this dish… in fact, the lime rocks were almost too strong to be used! Still, I made the noble effort to do so, and was well rewarded.) The Zweigelt is not a wine I would drink in quantity but it had a nice offset to the richness of the waygu beef and the pungency of the lime rocks.

FOIE GRAS, hibiscus, licorice, blueberry soda

One shot of foie gras and morsels, followed by a quick upending of the small container to get the blueberry soda, which gave an interesting finish to the dish (since it still had traces of the oils from the foie gras and essences of hibiscus in it). Surprisingly (or perhaps not), the Zweigelt actually provided a nice finish for this as well.

DUCK, apple, onion, pillow of mace air
paired with Clos Vougeot Grand Cru "Musigni", Gros Frère & Soeur 2001

The pillow of scented air is a hallmark of Alinea's. A fine paper mesh pillow, open at the bottom and filled with a spice mist, is placed under the course. The pillow slowly deflates over the time of the course, with wisps of white "smoke" coming out the bottom and curling around the pllow (which is just finely powdered mace). This causes an olfactory loading of mace that adds to the spicing of the dish overall. The interaction on one's palate is just amazing. The duck itself was good, very nicely done; it was the presentation that made it all truly special. The wine was good but, again, I was not seeing anything screamingly unique about it at that point. (Overload of brilliance?)

PINEAPPLE, tamarind, thai basil, chinese sausage

This came on a bow-like steel device with three wires; two curved ones on which it sits, and a straight one between those two ends holding tension and, attached like a clothesline, the dish. This is what they called their "adult fruit rollup": it was a pouch of pineapple leather, containing the tamarind, basil, and sausage, a tiny bit of each. You pulled the pouch off the steel wire, and ate the whole thing at once — again, no silverware. A fun dish, and tasty, although I think the pineapple overpowered the basil and the sausage. Then again, I like chinese sausage, and I love pineapple and thai basil. So there was really no "losing" for me with this dish.

SABLÉ, jasmine, toffee, plantain
paired with Ochs Blaufränkisch Eiswein, Weiden-am-See, Austria 2004

The first of the desserts. Nice, but nothing amazing that I recall. The Eiswein was nice, although I wouldn't want to drink too much of it; fortunately, that was a really small pour.

ARGAN OIL, white chocolate, sumac

I remember this tasting really nice, much lighter than I expected, full of interesting palate interactions, but I have absolutely no memory of the presentation.

CHOCOLATE, kola nut, chufa, date
paired with Elio Perrone "Bigaro" Brachetto/Moscato, Piemonte 2005

This was a singly long pliable ribbon of chocolate mousse (it held internal tension like a spring, and in fact had been wound up on the plate interestingly), with little powders and sauces of kola, chufa, date, and chocolate garnishing. It was very nice, though not any sort of breakthrough dish. The wine was interesting in that with the addition of the brachetto, it had a much darker color (not at all your standard Moscato d'Asti) and fuller flavor without too much heaviness. It was really nice, and I finished the whole thing barely in time for the next course.

COFFEE, mint, buckwheat, passionfruit
paired with Toro Albala "Don PX" 1971 Gran Reserva, Montilla-Moriles

Interesting; a good mix of flavors that almost hit the mark but just didn't quite make it. The coffee was in a freeze-dried log surrounding a watery mint crème, surrounded by frozen buckwheat and buckwheat gelato (which was nice) and the passionfruit reduction and powders. The Don PX was very interesting, however; exceptionally sweet, almost like a tawny port, but without any of the acidity or heaviness; eminently drinkable. Again, I had already drank quite a bit, but I gleefully finished this one off.

PEANUT, five other flavors

Five steel rods docked in a very small steel base, each of which could be pulled out and the morsel (roughly each the size of single bean) consumed straight off into one's mouth. I'm not a huge peanut fan, so I recognized that this was a good course, but not really to my taste, and nothing truly "special". But that was okay; I was already saturated with amazing food.

In short, was this the best meal I had ever had? Absolutely not. I have had meals of pure perfection at Charlie Trotter's and Daniel's. Was this in the next level down? Absolutely. It's a great experience, with some stellar, amazing, wonderful, exceptional food, and some incredibly good dishes. (And one stinker that second time.) Was it worth the $175 tour price? Absolutely, if you're into the finest kind of dining adventure. Was the wine flight worth it? Yes, but only on special occasions (but then, I don't drink much any more anyway). In this case: absolutely. A memorable meal, a nice evening, a gorgeous room and building. Oh, and as opposed to last time: this one only took four hours. Record time!

I could have written more, or found more links for the wines, or any number of things, but it had already taken a week, and I felt like if I take any more time, it might never get out. So: I'd love to hear specific questions or feedback; leave comments, and I'll respond in kind.

This is a hybrid of two reviews I originally posted on 16 September 2005 and 12 April 2006 to daily babble under the titles "five hours of culinary splendour" and "ex facto post: alinea".

We had the "gtm", the Grand Tour Moto, which is the largest of their three degustations (all they offer as alternatives are the aptly-named "five" and "ten" — guess how many courses come in each?). The gtm is a shifting 15 to 20 course tasting spectacular; tonight it was an 18 course festival of taste, texture, temperature, and trickery.

Yes, he's famous for mad inventions of his own, such as edible inks that he prints via inkjet onto edible paper that incorporate with various dishes, and repurposing other technology, such as a cook-at-the-table 400° NASA-designed-polymer steamer that offers spicing of two courses via aroma while you watch it cook a third course (without any heat source other than the 200° sauce in the bottom compartment) in front of you.

More importantly, though: he's an artist. He understands the subtleties of the holistic dining experience and presents them in a way that transcends description. He's no mere technician or trickster; he's the genuine article, capable of taking you to a state of culinary bliss that I've only experienced in four or five restaurants before.

In fact, during the third dish, I hit a place that I truly hadn't found in perhaps six or seven years, in terms of dining. I recognized a resonance that I hadn't felt, gastronomically, since the height of Charlie Trotter's in the 90s. So it came as no surprise when we asked "Where was Chef Cantu before here?" and one of the first answers was Trotter's. Clearly, tutelage under the master worked wonders for Cantu; you can see the touches in the waitstaff's attention to detail, in the nature of the tasting menu, and in the daring of the dishes. But Cantu takes it to the next step, truly embracing the "postmodern cuisine" phenomenon full-tilt. Edible info blurbs float like hypertext on your dishes (we had no less than three expositories in our dinner); he even had a nod to the very concept of hypertext in the name of the first dish — "MAKI in the 4th dimension". An artichoke and macadamia nut morsel that came on one spoon as a combination of purée and sorbet, shaped like a little snowman, designed to be eaten in one swift pop into your mouth. A carbonated half-orange that you squeeze yourself over a portion of lobster sitting next to a sphere of brown butter, all resting on a small cake of lobster sorbet. Chips, in the form of a small ball of purée, and salsa, in the form of a small translucent gelée cube, on one spoon. Every dish, every single dish, had some flair or distinction to it.

It was a blissful, almost holy experience. I'll end this post with a repost of the menu for illustrative purposes. Although it's one of the more expensive restaurants I've ever eaten at, if you are ever in Chicago and want a dining partner for a truly transcendent dining experience, just let me know. Yes, it truly was that off-the-charts good.

• MAKI in the 4th dimension
• CHAMPAGNE & king crab
• CORN soup with mexican truffle
• LOBSTER & orange
• SWEETBREADS & cheese grits
• ARTICHOKE & macadamia
• SWEET potato pie
• BASS baked tableside
• QUAIL pull apart
• MARGARITA with chips and salsa
• BEEF with braised greens & garlic
• BACON, horseradish & amaranth
• EDIBLE literature of explorateur
• SHARLYNE & crenshaw melon with frosted anise hyssop
• STRAWBERRY, rice pudding, peanut & soy ice cream
• FREEZE dried pina colada
• DOUGHNUT soup
• CHOCOLATE cake with hot ice cream

This review originally was posted on 16 August 2005 to daily babble under the title "bliss, heaven, and genius in 18 strokes".

• 1 - 2 poblano peppers, halved, stemmed, and seeded
• 1 - 2 bulbs fennel, thickly sliced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 - 10 tomatillos, husked (and, optionally, cut in half)
• 2 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 - 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried summer savory leaves
• 1/2 - 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp fresh dill (optional)
• black pepper, to taste

Remove leaves from fennel and reserve. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix oil and vinegar, being sure to blend thoroughly (a fork works well here); coat peppers, fennel, carrot, garlic, and tomatillos with mixture and place in roasting pan. Optionally, grind some pepper over everything. Roast in oven for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven, cover, and let cool. Optionally, remove skins from tomatillos and/or peppers. (It is much easier to remove the skins from the tomatillos if they are cut in half before roasting.)

Put remaining oil & vinegar mixture and butter in pot on medium heat. When butter is melted, add onions and saute for 4 minutes or until translucent. Add mushrooms, tarragon, savory, and thyme to pot; grind on a little fresh pepper if desired (but be aware that the savory will be lending a pepperiness to things, so grind with care). Cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms give off their liquid. Add stock and roasted vegetables; bring to boil for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low, add bay leaf, fennel, and dill, and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Purée and return to heat; stir in cream slowly. Keep warm on minimal heat until ready to serve. Top with fresh ground pepper to taste upon serving.

Notes: Because of a request to make this a non-cream soup, I held the cream back from the main recipe and instead chose to mix a little in per bowl just after dispensing. As a result, the amount of cream I have listed in the recipe is an estimate and might be wildly off. However, having tried it both with and without cream, it definitely is better as a creamed soup. Either way, this soup turned out to not have the world's most appetizing color but is amazingly vibrant and sweet. The texture is a bit rougher than I'd hoped for, but perhaps since I used an older Cuisinart, that's simply the fault of the machine. (I tried to strain it after puréeing and almost nothing went through the sieve, even when pushed with a wooden pounder. I gave that idea up quickly.)

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup Smoky Red Sauce
• 1 - 2 tbsp Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
• 1 - 2 tbsp heavy cream (amount very flexible)
• 1/8 tsp celery seed, ground
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp lemon pepper blend (optional; I used Sunny Spain Seasoning)

Mix broth and sauces in pot; simmer covered for 10 minutes. Pour in cream slowly, while mixing, until desired creaminess is obtained; reduce heat to low and stir. Add spices and stir; cover and keep on heat for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for another couple of minutes. Stir and serve.

Notes: I have been trying out variations of this for a quick, warm breakfast soup over the last couple of days. Most of this recipe was done without precise measuring and is variable with the spice levels of both the red and tomatillo sauces, so I encourage you to sample while cooking and do everything to taste.

• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 cloves roasted garlic, smashed and minced
• 1/4 tsp malt vinegar
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 3-8 sprigs cilantro, minced (to taste)
• 1 tsp salt-free adobo seasoning
• 1 tsp ancho chile, ground
• 1 tsp chipotle chile, ground
• 1 tsp Aleppo chile, crushed
• 1/8 tsp New Mexican (Anaheim) chile, ground
• 1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• black pepper, freshly ground to taste
• 1 tbsp marinated sun-dried tomato, minced (optional)

Mix everything in saucepan. Heat to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Notes: I haven't even tasted this sauce yet since it had time to cool and the flavors permeate, but the spatula test (i.e. licking it on the way to the sink during cleanup) indicated that it was nicely warm but not as smoky as I had wanted and also stlll tasted too clearly of tomato. Perhaps more fluid ingredients will be necessary.

Topolobampo has a wonderful smoky mussel appetizer on the menu this month; it truly is amazingly smoky (and amazingly delicious). I learned today that the smoke comes from chipotle peppers (which I used) and smoked tomatoes which are smoked in the kitchen's smoker on-site (which I did not even think of). I love smoked foods, but usually they are also salted; perhaps I need to invest in a small kitchen stovetop smoker for the purposes of experimentation.

The best brunch in the city of Chicago will be ending, and it's a sad thing indeed. If you have the money, time, and interest, you may want to go for their last holiday blowout, the 2006 Christmas brunch. Seatings are at 11:30, 2:30, and 5:30 and they are taking reservations.

Unlike the classic Thai coconut milk soup, tom kha, this is a Thai hot and sour soup with many of the same ingredients but no coconut milk and more heat. It, too, traditionally has a very highly salty component; usually moreso than tom kha. This turned out quite nicely, actually, and has very little sodium indeed (especially if you use your own homemade broth).

• 3-4 cups water and/or vegetable broth
• 2-8 mushrooms, whole, halved, or sliced
• 1-2 stalks lemon grass, cut into short lengths and bruised
• 1 in galangal, sliced
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 2-4 tbsp lime juice
• 4-8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 3-6 Thai chiles, bruised
• 0-2 Thai chiles, sliced
• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp Sucanat (optional)

Put liquid in pot on stove. Add chiles, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Sucanat, and curry paste; let boil for 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp lime juice and mushrooms; reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Add lime juice and cilantro to taste and serve.

Tartufo cheeses — cheeses with shavings of white or black truffle in them and/or treated with truffle bits or oils — are a heavenly thing indeed. They are not low sodium; there's only a couple of cheeses out there that are. However, even a small bit goes a long way, and at the prices they fetch, you can't really afford to overdo it. Fox & Obel sells the above Sottocenere di Tartufo for $30.00 per pound. I purchased a 4 oz. slice; I seem to find myself eating about a half of an ounce at any given treat session. Master cheesemonger Steven Jenkins describes it as “a Fontina-like cheese from the Veneto, liberally spiked with white truffle”; Fontina has about 225 mg of sodium per ounce, which means a half-ounce treat might have in the neighborhood of 110 mg of sodium — a big splurge, to be sure, but not the end of the earth, especially if one takes care with the rest of the day's intake.

But we're not here to talk about sodium right now. We're here to talk about creamy, earthy, melt-in-your-mouth slice of heaven that makes vicodin seem like a Good 'n Plenty. I started my obsession with these amazing cheeses when Osteria via Stato put a tartufo cheese into heavy rotation in their cheese selections. They are truly like drugs; after the first hit, I was hooked.

Interested in more? Try looking at this interesting list from mom-mom.com. I'll also post more experiences as I (slowly) work my way through the selections from the local specialty cheese departments.

• 1 1/2 cups strained tomatoes
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, minced
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
• 1 - 2 tsp Kalahari Rhino Peri-Peri Hot Pepper sauce
• 1/4 tsp ancho chile, ground
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chile, ground
• 2 tsp Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
• 1 - 2 tbsp heavy cream

Combine all ingredients but cream and stir. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, and reduce liquid until consistency is somewhat thick. Remove from heat; once simmering ceases, add enough cream to achieve desired consistency and stir. Consume promptly.

Notes: I was hungry late last night and wanted dinner but was not up to making anything huge. Answer: open the fridge and see what jumps out at you. This was made completely from raw ingredients or sauces in the fridge (except the spices, which were still out on the table).