A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS - 02/11/04

Jazz great John Coltrane made countless recordings of the Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sound of Music tune, "My Favorite Things". For those of us who grew up with the SOM soundtrack, Coltrane's moody melodies instantly conjure up a vision of Julie Andrews singing to her young Austrian charges in the movie of the same name. I have to admit though, that sometimes my Julie Andrews memories tend to bleed together, blending one of those psychedelic Mary Poppins moments with a Sound of Music aria, or vice-a-versa. Maybe that's what growing up listening to the Carpenters, Partridge Family, and The Sound of Music will do to you. Thank god my kids can listen to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake... Possibly inspired by Coltrane, or a Sound of Music flashback, here now, a number of variations on the theme A few of my favorite things...

One of my favorite things is flutes of sparkling wine with caviar body shots, among friends. Scoop a little Sterling or Tsar Nicolai caviar onto a caviar spoon, drop it onto the back of your hand where the base of your thumb meets the base of your pointer finger, and gently lick up the salty pearls. It's the ultimate in casual indulgence.
:: Erika Lenkert ’Äì Food writer and author of The Last Minute Party Girl.

I love eating a ripe avocado with a spoon, dipping the soft flesh into a jar of salty vegemite (or marmite will do) as it makes its way to my mouth. The uptown version is to spread butter and vegemite on hot whole wheat toast, then top with avocado. The best ever lunch!
:: Mellisa Clark ’Äì Food writer for The New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Wine & Spirits, Town & Country, and Real Simple. She is also the author of East of Paris, High Heat, and many other books.

Tracey Ryder, founder of the award winning Edible Ojai Newsletter (listed in the 2004 Saveur 100) favors of martini glass with sections of Satsumas (or other mandarin), doused with a squeeze of orange liquor, then topped with a little shaved chocolate & creme fraiche. The perfect winter (luxury) dessert!

I am crazy for Jacques Torres Wicked hot chocolate, which has ancho chili in it, a frozen hachiya persimmons split at the top with some chopped walnuts tossed on, and some really expensive balsamic on a little of Mitchell's vanilla ice cream.
:: Kim Severson ’Äì James Beard Award winning food writer for the SF Chronicle and author of The Trans Fat Solution.

Roasted jalapenos on top of a Niman Ranch cheeseburger with a sturdy bun, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. The jalapenos offset the juiciness of the meat and spike up the flavor, but the roasting has burned off their sharper edges (He eats them at least 3 times a week).
:: Rosecrans Baldwin - Founding editor of The Morning News

Mary Risely's favorite thing is pinches of raw hamburger with salt .
:: Mary is the founder of Tante Marie’Äôs Cooking School in San Francisco and author of the Tante Marie’Äôs Cooking School Cookbook.

Peter Hertzmann, food writer and publisher of a la carte has a long, long list of favorites. Actually, he can't make up his mind, but he'll do fine with a double hot dog on the streets of Paris, or certain raw fish livers in Tokyo, and raw chicken sashimi in Kyoto. A great Italian-beer (that's not an oxymoron) on a warm night in Venice, fish and chips at the bus station in Bath (UK), and raw oysters within minutes of harvesting in Brittany. Well you get the picture...

Russ Parsons has a long-running debate with friends on the East Coast about crabs, but after spending the last week at Noyo Harbor in Mendocino, he is even more confident than usual in saying that there is only one king of crabs, and that is his favorite, the Dungeness. Choose a good crab, one that still has plenty of heft and fight and where the second leg is still filled out enough that the shell is hard. Put it in a pot with water to cover. Bring the water to the boil and cook 15 minutes. Chill, then crack it and eat it. The only sauce allowed is hunger. Open a bottle of California Chardonnay (this is one food that oak really works with). If you have to include other people, allow one crab and one bottle for each of them.
:: Russ Parsons ’Äì Food writer for the LA Times, and former food editor at the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, is a winner of writing awards from The Association of Food Journalists, the James Beard Foundation, and the IACP. He also wrote How To Read A French Fry, which if you haven't read yet, then don't even think of considering yourself a french fry connoisseur.

I love making fried chicken and saving one or two pieces just so I can peel off the fried skin and eat it. To hell with the chicken!
:: Who else, but the David Sedaris of food writers, David Leite ’Äì publisher of the website Leite’Äôs Culinaria.

One of Paula Wolfert's favorite things is playing with sophisticated kitchen techniques. To name one: low temperature cooking of eggs, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish to achieve silky texture and vivid taste. Using a method called LTLT or low temperature long time, she has poached very fresh AA eggs for an hour (!) at a temperature between 145 and 155 F, and produced the most delicious three-minute eggs.
:: Paula Wolfert is a food writer, winner of Julia Child Award, The James Beard Award, The M. F. K. Fisher Award, The Tastemaker Award, and author of the cookbook classics Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, and most recently, The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook.

I'm a complete chai snob. There's not a cafˆ© that makes chai right. First thing in the morning, I set water to simmer with whole cloves, cardamom, coriander, fresh ginger, whole black peppercorns and a dash of fresh nutmeg. For ease, I add strong black tea bags, steep and then add whole milk, sugar and--always--some salt. Strain it all and have it with well-buttered toast. I can drink cups, but my husband takes it away from me after a couple. There's nothing better (and nothing better to get you seriously wired).
:: Sara Deseran - Senior Editor Food/Drink, 7x7 Magazine, and author of Asian Vegetables and the soon to be released Picnics.

My favorite thing is sprinkling piments d'Espelette (dried red Basque pepper) on top of chocolate brownies. I love the subtle heat and perfume of the peppers as it combines with the chocolate of the brownie, and it makes me savor and enjoy them just that much more. Of course, combined with a glass - well maybe a bottle - of Banyuls, it's hard to think of a better dessert...not to mention, it helps you sleep right through those Partridge Family nitemares, you know the one where you are dressed like Shirley, and you are driving the bus!