CookBot

Same story here. One taste of a canele and I was obsessed. Two weeks of reading and researching and I was deflated. I'm at peace with the fact that some things should just be left to those with commercial resources. We just don't need to make everything at home. I added up JeffGC's equipment investment listed below and it was almost $600 USD. And that's before the beeswax and the actual ingredients. For that, I could buy myself a really decent oven or the world's greatest mixer -- and get my caneles from a bakery.

I bought 100 sheets of brown, and feel the same way -- but honestly I've never been able to tell any quality difference between the two colors when baking. And ditto on unlined sheet pans for meats & veg. Browning just seems to be better. Yes it does! Some days just have to be that way.

Too cute for words!

I know just how you feel. A Scottish friend sent me a tin of this stuff from the UK, and I've been sneaking it into all kinds of soups and stews. But in truth I think I'm as much in love with the packaging as I am with the flavor.

A steer's highest calling, as far as I'm concerned, and yours look supremely enviable.

I suppose it would be pointless to inquire about that?

Oh wow. Your pork loins have much better marbling than mine do.

Is the pork in that dish from the shoulder slices often sold as "country ribs"?

News to me, and very informative.

@Ann_T, you seem to get such superior browning on your breads and chickens. What sort of oven are you cooking in?

I think it's possible I could drink the juices in that pan as a beverage.

I'm beginning to suspect there's something in the water where Ann_T lives that's simply superior to what the rest of us have. Or maybe she's made a pact with the devil. 😈

Basmati is the nearest kin to what's known here as just "Carolina Aromatic" rice. It's more commonly available than the Carolina Gold.

I have not, but one image search and I'm sold. Since I'm the kind of person who likes her split pea soup so thick that it can be used as a dip, this puree should obviously be on my next meze plate, right next to my beloved muhammara. Thanks for the tip! I was surprised by a statement from this site, which I haven't yet bothered to research: Despite the name, the Greek Fava is a yellow pea, not to be confused with fava bean. ...which made me wonder if the yellow split peas found in standard American markets could be used.

What a perfectly marvelous travelogue, Duvel. Thanks so much for sharing it. Now I want to go to Scotland just to see the vending machine that dispenses cooked langoustines. My boss, an avowed Anglophile, orders cases of those same haggis crisps from a purveyor of Scottish goods in North Carolina. I find them vile, but fortunately she also orders Arbroath smokies and good smoked salmon at the same time. I think I could probably survive an entire Scottish holiday on nothing but smoked fish and jaffa cakes.

If I live to be 500, I'll never understand the British love of mushy peas. But I suppose they might feel similarly about my beloved braised celery.

Holy cow. Where do you put them all???

Yep. That joint was a real treasure, as is she.

I can vouch for the quality of Carolina Plantation rices. Both the Carolina Gold and the Aromatic (basmati style) are delicious, and can be found in better supermarkets in the Carolinas. Well worth stocking up on. Hoppin' John and smothered cabbage: truly Ugly-Delicious. Man, I haven't seen that lovely dish in a loooong time. In the early '80s I used to order it at a wonderful restaurant in San Francisco called Square One.

One my favorite comfort foods, and yours look downright luscious. I like a Hungarian-style sweet/sour sauce on them. Wow, fish sticks coated with pretzel crusts. That's interesting. https://www.iglo.de/sortiment/fisch/fischstaebchen

I guess your upside down steel bowls are going to be getting a break from all their heavy labors, eh? 😉 Your bread photos just absolutely slay me. Especially your ear cuts -- are you using a lame for slicing or just a regular knife?

I was thinking the same thing, Bakewell. You might want to peruse British recipes first, because they seem to use jam in baked goods much more than North Americans do. (the BBC's "Good Food" website comes to mind.) Also, I've used jams and preserves successfully as the bottom (reversed) layer in upside down cakes. When you think about it, the fruit/sugar/butter base that we use for USD cakes is basically just jam anyway.

This is interesting! MasterClass says: In the United Kingdom and Canada, a flapjack is a baked bar cut into slices or squares, similar to granola bars or oat bars. A British flapjack recipe will call for rolled oats, butter, and brown sugar. They are cut into bars or squares and are typically served with tea or for an on-the-go breakfast. This is new information to me. I was asking because I heard a Scot refer to a flapjack and he clearly didn't mean a griddled pancake, but I had no idea it was a bar cookie (traybake).

Did they have any leavening or were they just egg-raised like a French crepe?

Can any of the Brits here tell me -- how do you define the difference between a PANCAKE and a FLAPJACK?