CookBot

Wow. That's devotion. Is that because they're known to have short life expectancies, or just a hedge against discontinuation? Have you had one crap out on you yet?

Bummer. How old was it? And was it common for people to purchase a spare one?

That is an absolutely gorgeous Descoware pan. It looks totally unused. And it's 11 inches wide! I have a huge collection of vintage Descoware cast iron. I got obsessed with it after rewatching old Julia Child shows about 20 years ago and seeing it all over her kitchen. I find it more durable than Le Creuset or Staub, and the grey interiors don't discolor as easily, either.

Best gadget post EVER! 💗

Amazing essay. I might even screw up my courage and give them a try again one day, after that illuminating read.

I wondered the exact same thing! Typo? But if there's a way to get melon into a pie, I wanna hear about it....

Both of those look like such FUN meals. My idea of great holiday dinners that really embody the idea of feasting.

Memories! You're quite right, it used to be ubiquitous and now I never see it anywhere. It takes me right back to the funky old seafood joints along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. (Although yours looks better than theirs usually did.) I also wanted to compliment your obviously vintage Pyrex baking dish. That thing looks like it weighs at least five pounds, the way they used to. Don't feel alone. I've lived in major cities all over the U.S. and don't recall ever seeing a lamb liver anywhere, or lamb offal of any kind except (rarely) kidneys. Is the liver as gamey as the kidneys are?

Do you have a clear recollection of its taste, Anna?

Hey, how come Heinz gives THEM a mayonnaise with garlic and caramelized onions but doesn't give it to US in the States??

So your cake roll would be embossed with a bark imprint? Like those elaborate Bundt pans that NordicWare makes? Come to think of it, I'm surprised NordicWare hasn't come up with buche-style pan. God knows they've made every other shape imaginable, from Roman coliseums to animal forms. Edit: OMG, I just looked at your website link. You're an actual pro! Now I'm embarrassed to even show my buche. 😒

I can actually show you now, since it's going to be a duplicate of the one I made last year. Almond dacquoise sponge, espresso buttercream filling, ganache icing. I went bonkers with the meringue mushrooms on that one because I was so happy with a new technique I'd just learned from Stella Parks (Bravetart).

Good for you! I was beginning to think they were passé and that I was alone in my efforts. I made my sponge layer yesterday, and making the coffee buttercream today. Then I can just do mushrooms and assembly in one day later this week. @Anna N mentioned in another thread that she thought people were mostly buying them nowadays, and I suspect she has a point. They are a royal pain in the arse to make. The combination of orange/chocolate/hazelnut sounds divine to me. I've never made one using a mold. Do you prefer that method? What kind of mold do you use?

No doubt. I understand any cook's desire to innovate, and I have no objections to modernism, but I'm afraid that something like this just isn't going to satisfy my buche craving: https://www.tastetoronto.com/guides/the-best-yule-logs-in-toronto

Did buches de noel fall out of fashion after 2019, and I'm being terribly out of date by making one? 🤔

I would cover my oven rack with slices of plain bread and bake them to check for hot and cold spots. And I'd check every quadrant of the oven with one of those infrared temp guns. I'm fascinated by the one that blew out (middle row, far left.) Interesting how that might happen. Did it rise and then fall, or did it never rise? (And for the record, I'd still happily eat them all.)

Is anybody making a Bûche de Noël for the holidays this year, 2022? I'd love to hear about any plans you have. (I wasn't sure whether the protocol would be to resurrect this ten-year-old thread or start a new one.) I'm making my cake roll this weekend (dacquoise) and the coffee flavored French buttercream filling, so that I can just assemble later this week. Pretty much like this one I made last year: ...except rather than just the ganache frosting, I think I'll create shards of chocolate "bark" for the final covering. I went a little overboard with the meringue mushrooms last year, because I was so pleased to finally get them looking appropriately brownish (just dust with a pastry brush and a little cocoa). Anyone else going the buche route for Christmas sweets?

Thanks very much, Anna. Not sure why my search didn't turn that one up.

Is there a thread on Christmas baking somewhere that I'm not seeing? I was hoping to see some discussion of Bûches de Noël and croquembouches.

I'll bet those are superb! I have a friend who makes hojicha burnt Portuguese cheese cakes. I must say, the color isn't terribly appetizing, but man, are they delicious. That deep, smoky flavor is so satisfying.

How in the world do you find crawfish boudin in Kansas??? I'm in the South and I can't even find it in the Carolinas. (Although, now that I think about it, I'm probably only as far from Louisiana as you are, mile-wise.)

If anything could make me regret not getting back on that horse, it would be these photos and this post. That looks like the pinnacle of canele.

Standing rib roast for $6/lb??? I don't think I've seen it that cheap in my area for ... maybe 12 years? That is absolutely gorgeous. Would we know ocean trout by some other name? Is it in the tuna family?

Replace that romaine leaf with some potato chips and you have my ideal tuna sandwich, accompanied by my favorite soup.

OMG, so yours was truly a blind obsession. Well, they are magical, if you're any kind of custard and caramel fiend, and those are my two dessert compulsions. But still, I felt like I had to let it go. For the sake of my own sanity and my savings account. I could let someone else perform the magic trick, and just enjoy the results. Lie down and take deep breaths.