foodie3

i also like the braised radishes. my latest from the book was spice-rubbed lamb shoulder chops, on the whole very, very good, but next time i'll skip the fennel and add some more onions. i have a couple of small veal breasts in the frig, anyone tried the recipe?

a fudgy brownie is what i am aiming for! think i'll just go back to a. medrich's recipe, though this one was quite tasty - quite sure its the valrhona and scharfenberger chocolates.

when you say "doming" on the bottom, do you mean a large bubble sort of lifted up from the bottom of the pan? it is possible that baking directly on the pizza stone could be your problem. at that high of a temperature, the batter could have seized up on the bottom first and then sort of pushed itself up. i would bake on the rack to let the heat circulate more evenly around your pan. also, rotate halfway through baking. ← this is truly puzzling! made these brownies again, removed the pizza stone from the oven and baked them on a rack - the top is less uneven, but the bottom still has these large "bubbles". i line the pan w/aluminum foil for easy/clean removal, do any of you think this may cause eneven bottom?

when you say "doming" on the bottom, do you mean a large bubble sort of lifted up from the bottom of the pan? it is possible that baking directly on the pizza stone could be your problem. at that high of a temperature, the batter could have seized up on the bottom first and then sort of pushed itself up. i would bake on the rack to let the heat circulate more evenly around your pan. also, rotate halfway through baking. ← thanks, i think the pizza stone may be the problem, though it supposedly minimizes the temp. fluctuations in the oven.

no, i didn't leave out anything, the recipe is: 2 oz. semisweet chocolate 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 5 oz. butter 3 cold eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 3/4 cup flour pinch of salt Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 pan. Melt chocolates with butter. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour. Pour into prepared pan and bake until center springs back just a little when touched, 30 - 35 minutes. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven sprinkle 6 oz of chopped chocolate on top. Spread it smoothly after it melts.

i didn't whip the eggs, just stirred them into melted butter/chocolate mixture. i did bang it on the counter, ran the spatula through it a few times, and poured it very slowly into the pan so that the batter was evenly distributed. i bought a new pan from williams sonoma - "goldtouch nonstick finish", don't think that's my problem. i am truly puzzled, i am not a novice baker and this is just a simple brownie. any other ideas?

i made a simple brownie recipe in an 8" nonstick square pan lined w/buttered aluminum foil, baked it on a pizza stone at 350f for 25 mins (i have a thermometer inside). both the top and the bottom have uneven "doming". any ideas what caused it - never seen this kind of an uneven bottom before?

i want to try the spice-rubbed lamb shoulder chops, any advice?

what is the proper technique for combining cold whipped cream and warm melted chocolate?

i have a question for those who made several different versions - what recipe did you find to be the most reliable?

"I'm in San Francisco and get my E. Guittard through Pacific Gourmet for about $3.50/lb. Their number is 888-652-9252. They will let you do pick-up orders, though I believe they have an order minimum (I usually get my cocoa powder there as well)" i agree about pacific gourmet in sf, i bought some valrhona from them, good prices and no shipping costs.

hi, everyone! just finished reading this whole thread (yes, all 30 pages), great pictures! i am ashamed to admit that i've had the book for a few years now, but only made a few simple things i. e. the chocolate mousse, the madeleines and the financiers - i must try the pave. what are some reasonably priced sources for valrhona?

does anyone here have experience cooking with "innova" brand of enameed cast iron? amazon lists a 7 qrt oval at $50.00 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...KX0DER&v=glance

i bought torani ($6 made with splenda) at cost plus after hearing great reviews as well, all i can say is - yuk, ruined a great cup of vahlrona cocoa.

i've been low carbing for a couple of months now, i eat mostly fresh meats, large salads and/or sauteed fresh vegetables - love both cauliflower and daikon sauteed. i made some "latkes" and omelettes with spaghetti squash. i'd love to bake a cheesecake, but hate the taste of both splenda and the sugar free syrups. got to try carbonara or alfredo with spaghetti squash, any carb friendly recipes for the sauces?

i made this recipe for the first time some 30 years ago (wow!), when i knew very little about cooking and, actually, "mastering the art" was my first cookbook , it never failed. the instructions are to beat the yolks, sugar and liqueur for 3-4 mins "over not-quite simmering water"- i do this at 190-200F with a hand held mixer using a whip attachement. perhaps, "simmering water" was your problem?

i like alice medrich's recipe (from her cookie book) best - shortbread crust and a tangy filling. they are also good next day refrigerated.

made chocolate madeleines this weekend (p. herme chocolate desserts) using valrohna cocoa. they have rich chocolate flavor and are only moderately sweet, definitely best eaten warm.

had no problems cutting at all - after a 24 hr rest i used a chef's knife dipped in starch/sugar mixture.

nightscotsman, my first attempt at substituting sugar (increased by 65gr) for some of the corn syrup (decreased by 1/2 cup) was successfull, so far i detect no difference in either taste or mouthfeel. i may try another 1/4 cup reduction and lemon flavoring. love, love those soft marshmallows!

i'd like to reduce the amount of corn syrup in the recipe, how much of it can be "safely" replaced by sugar without changing the taste and texture? i have found confusing info on the web re substituting sugar for corn syrup - some suggest using same amount of sugar plus a little water, others suggest less sugar because corn syrup is less sweet. what are yor thoughts?

strawberry marshmallows are delightful - light, fluffy, terriffic flavour, thanks nightscotsman!

serve cheesecake with different toppings, berries and chocolate sauce are nice.

made more madeleines today, used recipe from paris sweets by dorie greenspan. the texture is lighter but the humps are less obvious than in p. rigo's recipe, will try her chocolate recipe next.

i am reading paris sweets also, want to try both her classic madeleines and the chocolate version from chocolate desserts by p. herme. the recipe for financiers is also on my short list. here is p. rigo's recipe for madeleines from american boulangerie: 3 cups+2 Tbsp ap flour 2.5 tsp baking powder 8 extra-large eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 14.5 oz unsalted butter, melted 2.75 cups powdered sugar .25 cup light brown sugar, packed 3 Tbsp honey In an electic mixer w/a whisk mix melted butter w/powdered sugar untill smooth, add brown sugar and honey. Add half of the flour/baking powder mixture, mix on low till smooth. Whisk together eggs and vanilla and gradually add w/ mixer on low, scraping sides and bottom of the mixing bowl till smooth. Add remaining flour. Refrigerate the batter at least 4 hrs or up to 2 days. Butter and flour the pans, chill to set butter, fill each well 3/4 full, freeze for 10 mis and bake at 375F for 22-26 mins till golden brown. this recipe makes 35 madeleines.