foodie3

madeleines from by p. rigo's american boulangerie. according to his instructions the batter was chilled overnight and the filled pans frozen for 10 mins prior to baking - i got nice "humps " as a result. the cookies taste pleasant and buttery with a somewhat cakey texture. they certainely could use a little extra flavoring, perhaps lemon or orange. now i want to try other recipes.

i am leaning towards p. rigo's recipe from american boulangerie; its a little different from others i've seen in that he doesn't whip the eggs, but rather adds them to melted butter. LT Wong, how do you prepare the butter/flour combo for brushing the pans, is it thick?

i am planning to make some traditional ones, but can't decide which recipe to use - there sooo many; what are your favorites? do you rest/refrigerate batter? do you use nonstick, tin or silicone pans, does size matter?

oh, so the purpose of a long chill is to produce a fine, even texture?

i made brioche again, not quite as top heavy as before, but .. not perfect yet.

i have seen several ways described for the second rise in the refrigerator. what is the "proper technique", should the dough be allowed to rise and double overnight, or should it be flattened during the first hours of refrigeration untill the yeast activity stops?

made some more chocolate canneles this weekend using lindt 70% and valrhona - love the wonderful rich taste.

jackal10, i can see your point - i still have canned jars of jam from 2 and 3 years ago. however, last year i made quince paste and there is none left; i love it with coffee, its also good with fresh cheese.

try french lentils salad. i flavor mine with preserved lemons and add sun dried tomatoes, green onions, fresh herbs, apple, walnuts, or whatever else you like.

try a slice of a wonderful pizza at "cheeseboard pizza" on shuttuck - next to andronico's market.

i have a "breadman" ($40) and love it, use it several times a day for bread, fish, vegetables, hot dogs, etc. and the toaster has been permanently retired.

check out n. silverton's sandwich book, its based on the weekly "sandwich menu" in her restaurant.

i am baking my favorite - mixed starter bread in the slightly sour walnut version, i can eat it daily with good cheese.

made the brioche "tetes" in my new molds - next time i will reduce the size of the topknot, its too heavy. love this n. silverton's recipe, superb tasting.

mjc, they do rise and then fall slightly during the course of baking.

made n. silverton's canneles today in my rosette pan; after an hour and 20 mins at 400F it produced a superb crust and a rich soft interior - better results than with m. roux's recipe.

beans, you will like this pan. its perfectly nonstick, i brush it with a light coat of butter (mainly for the taste), and it produces a wonderful crisp crust.

the first picture is missing from my prev. post, here it is:

here they are - the chocolate canneles. IMG]http://images.egullet.com/u11397/i7677.jpg they taste absolutely divine, crispy on the outside and very creamy inside. thank you nightscotsman for the recipe.

they have the best nibs http://www.scharffenberger.com/products/nibs.htm

the book is available in most libraries - check it out and try a few things. i found it a good read, but prefer m. glezer's artisan baking across america for recipes.

LT Wong, how do you like pascal rigo's book and which recipes do you recommend? i received it as a gift and must try something soon.

you can certainly refrigerate the second loaf, or even both loaves, if that fits your schedule/oven better. as for the oven spring, i have experienced this many times, mainly with my very wet doughs. try preheating the oven to the highest temp. and keep steaming/spraying.

LT Wong, i only used butter. this pan is made of heavy cast aluminum, its completely nonstick and my crust was (as our governor is so fond of saying) fantastic - very crisp and very brown. the top (which becomes the bottom) was getting a little chared after 1hr 20 mins and that is when i removed them from the oven. oh, and i placed the pan on a preheated baking stone.

thanks, nightscotsman and wolfert, i'll be reporting on my canneles progress. you were right these are addictive!