prasantrin

That's a pretty good guess, too. IIRC, he relatively recently jumped on the Chinese tea bandwagon.

You did post it over here. I only know because I read that post just this morning and looked up the product. I'm hoping to finally get a mixer this year, so I hope to get one of those whisks, too! It's good to have the info about that whisk in different threads, so anyone can find it! eta--it's good for egg whites and whipped cream, but can it also be used for beating eggs and sugar together when you need it to be voluminous? Or would a regular whisk be better?

I thought is looked like someone was making amaretto. What about Wholemeal Crank? That would be more in line with what appears to be the trend in who is blogging.

Ippodo, one of the more famous Japanese tea shops, has many different grades of matcha at reasonable prices and they have online shopping and they will ship internationally. The only problem is that shipping makes the cost of the tea much less reasonable. Don't know where you're located, but if you're in a metropolitan area, you can probably find it at an Asian grocery store or similar. I'm sure a google search will reveal even more sources. I'm pretty sure Uwajimaya carries it, if you happen to be in the PNE of the US.

Agreed, but Platter of Figs was a pretty highly regarded exception. I'm just surprised the people who enjoyed that one aren't looking at this one (or at least aren't talking about it). I don't recall Platter of Figs even being discussed on eG, so it may have been an exception elsewhere, but it wasn't here. Contrary to popular belief, I think what I wrote above applies just as much here as to any other group (although PoF got a few mentions on Chow, so I guess the folks there are one up), perhaps even more so. Like I said, it's a shame.

I'm on my local library's request list for the book, but I'm 6th in line (which means it will likely be another 15 weeks before I see it). I loved Platter of Figs, too, but have only borrowed it from the library. Regarding the lack of discussion of the boo, you have to remember, these days most people don't seem to care about books that aren't by famous chefs or bloggers, or about unusual cuisines or cooking methods (by that I mean unusual for the average European-descended American, like regional Chinese food). It's hard for many people to get excited about a book for which none of those things apply, and it's a shame, I think.

I just realized that I used skim milk instead of whole milk. Shoot! Is there anything I can do to remedy the situation, or should I just bake it off as is and have less-rich slightly-watery coconut domes?

I'm making coconut domes, but am having a problem. I had converted the volume measurements to weights to make it easier to scale up or down and came up with this 110g whole milk 149g coconut 90g sugar 2 large eggs (about 104g) Today I mixed up a batch scaling up to accommodate the 200g bag of coconut I had, and it when first mixed, it was very very soupy. It's been sitting in the fridge for almost 12 hours, and the coconut has absorbed much of the liquid, but it's still much runnier than the last time I made it. If the runny-ness is not reduced further by tomorrow morning, would it be so bad to add a touch more coconut and then let it sit for a bit longer? Or is it better to bake it as is and then just cut the seepy stuff off after baking (as recommended in the recipe)?

Your cake reminds me a little of Helga's cake. It's made with pecan flour, so it's gluten-free, and the chocolate "buttercream" is made in a very different way (in a food processor or blender!). The cake is very flexible, and you can do pretty much anything with it. It's also by Gesine Bullock-Prado in her book (1st edition is called Confections of a Closet Master Baker, but the 2nd edition is called My Life From Scratch). She's not a gluten-free baker, but just happens to have a few spectacular recipes that are gluten-free. She also has a video up where she makes it. If you search for her blog (Confections of a Closet Master Baker), you can find a link to it.

Andie - have you tried the white ones? Do you know where they're from? The New Jersey ones were a first for me, but boy were they good. I guess that's why they call it the Garden State, eh? I've even asked at the produce departments here in Texas, but no luck. eta--satsumaimo flesh isn't really white, but is more yellowish. It's just whiter than the orange sweet potato. Have you tried your local Asian supermarkets? It might be different, but when I think of "white sweet potatoes" I think of satsumaimo (purple-ish skin, white flesh). Even if they're not the same, it might be worth a try to get the Asian ones. They might suit your needs or cravings until you can find the ones you're looking for.

I miss GG, too, but I'm happy to see you blogging! For a gluten-free treat, try Gesine Bullock-Prado's recipe for starry starry nights. As long as you aren't allergic to nuts or chocolate or eggs, I think you'll like them! Do you think you've always had problems digesting gluten, but they've just become worse as you got older, or was yours more of an adult-onset problem? I'm curious about gluten-intolerances--until maybe 5 or 10 years ago, I only knew 2 people with problems digesting gluten, but now I know several dozen.

Nice to see you back, and what a great eating experience to share with us after such a long absence! I've been wondering what happened to you and your eating adventures (no longer part of A Life Worth Eating?), so it's good to know you're still eating well.

The staff at Starbuck's are lying to you if they're telling you their Americano is decaf. Even at Starbuck's, the Americano is espresso with more water. I think they just think you want a weaker cup of coffee, so that's what they sell you.

edited (sorry, didn't read your OP carefully). The disk can't be used with ceramics? I didn't read about it carefully, but perhaps it can. eta--the disk can be used with porcelain, so I'm guessing it's OK with other ceramics. But it sounds like you're not that interested in induction burners, anyway, so we'll never know how well it works!

Even if it's not, you can still get an induction burner. There's a special disk that you can buy to use with non-magnetic pots and pans. I can't remember how much it is--maybe $40? Available on Amazon.

Did you see these http://japanesechefsknife.com/KnifeCase.html I think they'd still be too short for you 19-incher, but the KC-03 sure is pretty.

Did she learn those dishes from Chinese residents of those countries? Plenty of long-term ethnic Chinese residents in the Caribbean and South America, so for them to have melded their home and adopted countries' cuisines would be natural. Or are they dishes of her own creation? I like how she uses "style" in her description, indicating (to me) that the dish is not pure Hunanese, but rather a dish with Hunanese influences.

My mother said she was fed a lot of johk after I was born. Kai pa-lo would be good because it's not spicy. Something with vegetables would be good, too, like a simple gailan dish. You could also make her soup like tom kha gai (easy on the spice) or ground pork with wintermelon soup. I always eat the latter with rice, so it's sort of like johk, but not thick with rice.

I'd get one without hesitation. I love elderflower-flavoured anything. But if you're not into light, floral-influenced flavours, you may not care for it so much.

I was thinking nickrey, too, but he doesn't use parchment under his pizza, does he? Anyway, I don't have any other guess, but what are those black things? I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Johk (congee) is typical comfort food. Kai pa-lo (braised pork and hard-boiled eggs) was also a sort of comfort food for my dad. Both the above are easy to make, and you should be able to find the ingredients rather easily, especially since both are Thai versions of Chinese dishes and many Chinese ingredients are available in even the most ordinary of supermarkets.

I used to be a bit of an epicurean bully about certain things, but as I aged, I noticed that when I, myself, was bullied, I perceived the bullies as pretentious a-holes. So I stopped, lest others perceive me in that way. When people ask me why I use a particular chocolate, or why I make my tea in a particular way, I'll tell them. But I always preface my comments with "I think. . . " and end them with "but others may not agree." I won't insist they follow my example, because different people have different taste buds, and not everyone is willing to put the same amount of effort/thought into food and eating. YMMV, after all.

The fig and olive tapenade on David Lebovitz's website is fantastic. Also, think about sausage rolls. Great when hot, but still really good when served at room temperature. Just use puff pastry and fill with sausage meat (or really, with whatever you want). Spanakopita is also something that's still good at room temperature.

Why not get an Aritsugu knife in Kyoto then? It's easy to find, they have English speakers on staff, it's a "real" Japanese knife (i.e. not make for export), and they're highly regarded amongst foreigners and Japanese. Maybe not as highly regarded as some of the Seki knife makers, but it's an old well-respected Kyoto knife maker. Plus they'll engrave the knife with your name if you like. Snazzy. Do a search for it online and I'm sure you'll find more information.

the prices were right on the website.