mukki

I have the Sitram Profiserie line (got the boxed set at Costco a few years ago) and am in the process of weeding it out of my collection. I just don't like the disk bottoms. I get burned marks sometimes around the inside of the pan where the disk ends (even when keeping the flame low) and, when pouring hot liquid out of the saucepans, it oftens spatters when it hits the sides of the pan. I'd much rather use my small Creuset pot for making soup (2 3/4 qt). I also just picked up a Staub 2 qt. cocotte at Amazon for 1/2 off ($49.99) which I'll also use for small batches of soup.

I strongly second this. His crust recipe is really wonderful. Two random tart recipes that I've really enjoyed are actually in "The Cook and the Gardener" by Amanda Hesser. The plum tart with a walnut-nutmeg-cream filling is wonderful if you have great plums and the apple tart (caramelized apples weighed down during baking) is very tasty, as well.

My 33 lbs of E. Guittard chocolate arrived on Friday, so I made the rochers. They're called something else in the book -- but essentially are almonds, pistachios, candied orange peel, and rice crispy cereal mixed with tempered white chocolate and cocoa butter and then formed into mounds. I'm sad to say that I'm very disappointed. The end result ended up tasting worse than than the individual ingredients. I munched on the homemade peel and pistachios which both tasted great, but the resulting rochers just tasted boring. Cereal didn't seem to add much crunch and I wonder if the cocoa butter could have possibly washed out the chocolate flavor. I really like the rochers/grignottines I've gotten at Chuao Chocolatier where they're made with caramelized almond slivers, pistachios, and orange peel. Perhaps the caramelization and dark chocolate make a difference.

I highly recommend the Dordogne. We took the train to Bordeaux, picked up a car, spent a night in St. Emilion and then drove around the Dordogne. You can find a few pictures in my trip report here.

Well, like I said earlier, I've eaten here many, many times over the years. Sometimes the food is just off, particularly with the spicy won tons. The beef noodle soup has its ups and downs, as well, and the broth can taste insipid. Overall, though, I find it to be very good.

How can you tell if it has de-anodized? I have an All-Clad LTD non-stick saute pan that has suddenly turned a disturbing light grey on the interior. I was thinking of getting rid of it, but if I can exchange it, all the better.

This has been one of our regular restaurants for years! Love the spicy wontons.

I enjoy a lot of the blogs that have been mentioned, but I tend to switch around a lot. Chocolate & Zucchini was a favorite in the beginning, but I don't look at it much anymore. I just discovered Kuidaore, which has been mentioned before, and have been going through the archives. Great photography and she makes a lot of the recipes I'm interested in (particularly pastry).

Well, what's currently called the Pro 600 is not what you linked to on the Costco website. The Pro 600 has a 575w motor and a 6 qt. capacity bowl. Since the one of the Costco site is $399 and the Pro 600 price at retailers like Williams Sonoma is also $399 (minus a $30 rebate), you'd be better off with the stronger model. ← WHOOPS! I just saw that the mixer you mentioned is on Costco's Canadian site and, therefore, the price is CDN$. I knew there had to be *something* wrong there, but didn't take the time to figure it out.

Well, what's currently called the Pro 600 is not what you linked to on the Costco website. The Pro 600 has a 575w motor and a 6 qt. capacity bowl. Since the one of the Costco site is $399 and the Pro 600 price at retailers like Williams Sonoma is also $399 (minus a $30 rebate), you'd be better off with the stronger model.

From the description on Amazon, it doesn't sound like there is anything new.

Emily Luchetti has a new book coming out called Classic Stars Desserts: Favorite Recipes by Emily Luchetti, which combines the best recipes from her Stars Desserts and Four-Star Desserts (which are both out of print). I don't have either of those, so I'll probably check out the new one.

I'm going to add one more (even though I made them after New Year's): Bouchon's TKO/Oreo recipe. Rich, chocolately cookies sandwiched with a white chocolate ganache.

I thought that a lot of the Penzeys hype was just that until I compared some recent purchases from Kalusytan's to my past Penzeys purchases. I have to say that the mace and nutmeg from Penzeys taste a lot fresher, more pure and just plain better than their Kalustyan's counterparts. In fact, I'm throwing out the nutmeg and mace from Kalustyan's; they're just not worth eating. Kalustyan's certainly has a lot to offer, but for some spices, I think the quality at Penzeys is much better.

1. El Bulli (Roses, Spain) 2. Jean-Georges (New York) 3. Per Se (New York) 4. No. 9 Park (Boston) 5. St. John (London) 6. Cinq Sentits (Barcelona) 7. Gordon Ramsey at the London (New York) 8. Lucques (Los Angeles) -- suckling pig with blackeyed peas was delicious; perfectly-done salads 9. Stonehill Tavern (Michael Mina) (Dana Point, California) 10. Otto (New York) -- salad, pasta and olive oil gelato made for a memorable and satisfying meal

Probably "The Gastronomical Me" because I'm fascinated with her descriptions of growing up in Whittier (near where I grew up) and spending her summers in Laguna Beach (near where I now live). There's just something about these stories that I find very warming and comforting, which must have to do with my childhood. "Among Friends" is one of my favorites, as well.

I agree. I was hoping for that recipe too. It sounded great. ← The recipe will supposedly be included in tomorrow's food section.

Yes, the hot water step is just to warm up the egg whites. I whisked them lightly while warming; I didn't use a thermometer, just heated till warm to the touch. Then, after removing the whites from the hot water bath, you whip to medium soft peaks. As for your texture question, what stage are you referring to? After baking? The baked macarons didn't have any noticeable large air pockets -- they were just light and puffed. A thin, light crunch on the outside, with a slight chew on the interior. I've tried some macarons that have a large air pocket between the crust and interior, but these were not like that.

I had a really nice tea cocktail at Eleven Madison Park recently. I can't remember all that was in it, but I had two and they were quite delicious and well-balanced.

Here is the LA Times recipe, but you might have to register to view it. The recipe actually calls for blackstrap molasses. I used whatever is available at Trader Joe's. LittleIsland -- thanks! I've tried a few other macaron recipes, but this one yielded the prettiest results -- probably a result of LAT/Sherry Yard's clear instructions and learning from past mistakes (e.g., beating the egg whites until they were too stiff).

This year it was gingerbread macarons (I posted a picture in the macaron thread). Last year, ischl tarts were the big hit.

This morning I made Sherry Yard's gingerbread macarons, recipe courtesy of the LA Times. The meringue is flavored with cinnamon, ginger and molasses. Filling consists of a not-very-sweet apple compote. Results were pronounced delicious! I also found the recipe very easy to work with.

This book might be my favorite cookbook purchase this year. There are so many recipes I look forward to trying. The Spiced Sour Cream Apple Cake is delicious! I've made it three times in the last month. The spicing is perfect (maybe it's the allspice) and the turbinado sugar adds a wonderful crunch.

I totally agree with you. I remember stopping by the Crab Cooker as a kid with my parents after a long day at the beach. Highlight for me back then was probably the soda crackers! I recently went back and, nostalgia points aside, was terribly disappointed. Overpriced, bland food. And I wasn't even expecting much. Ruby's has also taken over the Crystal Cove Shake Shack (for better or worse); I'd eat there anyday over CC. Great setting, too.

I have a Cuisipro, which I got at a WS sale a few years ago (I think it ended up being around $35). It's very sturdy so far and a snap to clean.