FistFullaRoux

Berries are kind of a given. Anyone try figs? They make beautiful fig/strawberry preserves in Louisiana. My bet is that would be awesome. The only advice I can offer for the mango is to puree, strain, and maybe reduce some of it to marble into the cheesecake, and develop a sauce based on mangos, or tropical fruit in general to go with it on the plate. With mangoes, that is one way to avoid changing the texture of the cheesecake itself too much.

The market is only going to hold what it can handle. If they start diluting the core business enough, they will find out the hard way. Quiznos and Subway have shown that you can do deli sandwiches in a fast food setting. The prep is a little different, but the construction of a deli sandwich vs a hamburger is close enough to fit into their business model. The main thing about McDonald's is, as long as they can keep their edge with kids, and keep the drive thru moving faster than anyone else, they can pretty much do whatever they want. Edited for a tipeu

FYI, Alabama Public Television will be carrying the show this evening.

Where in Lafayette, if you don't mind me asking? I know Poupart's used to do them. I'd be willing to try Anjo's as well.

I know what you mean. I asked one of the local bakeries about one for my groom's cake, and the baker kind of looked at me like I had sprouted horns. Then I got him interested in it, and he told me he'd try to make one... I told him not to bother. I didn't really have the option of transporting or having one transpot one, so I had a basic chocolate cake made like a Tabasco bottle. I still crave doberge though. I'm going home for Labor day. I see that may have to be a stop... I can get good ones in Lafayette, but they aren't quite the same as Gambino's...

I usually suggest the eating out thing as well. If you still have a lot of work to do to make the place liveable, pizza or Chinese delivery, if feasible. If not, it's a good excuse to ramble around a little to find a nearby restaurant. Also, don't forget the broasted/roasted/fried chicken that a lot of grocery stores do. Nothing wrong with them, either.

I do love me a moon pie. That and the Goo Goo Cluster are the pantheons of Southern pre-packaged sweets. I had one with lunch today. They are even better when slightly warmed. I had a burger and fries, which were served in a styrofoam clamshell type thing. Once I had paid for the meal, I popped the moon pie into the clamshell (still in the wrapper) and hoofed it back to the office. By the time I got there, the fries had gotten a bit soggy, but the moon pie was nicely warmed. By the time I finished the burger, the pie had cooled just enough to re-solidify the outer coating. And all was right with the world. I like the banana ones best, vanilla being a very close second. Don't care for the chocolate, though. Has anyone seen the Double Moon Pies lately? Basically an extra graham and mashmallow layer, smothered in the velvety goodness that is the moon pie coating. One odd thing about the coating, though. It tends to stick to the back of my front teeth. Anyone else get that?

Here's the link again

My guess is as above. The cream was too hot. But did you check (taste) the chocolate before melting it in? When chocolate is past it's prime, the butterfat/cocoa butter will start seperating from the solids. Re-melting will not fix that.

Thinking back on it, I remember someone reporting that she supposedly dealt with people she was annoyed with by answering their questions with another question. Looking back at the Larry King interview (link posted upthread), she must have been a little ticked at ol' Larry there. She never really did that with Pepin or Lagasse.

Besides the brain-freeze headaches, the only thing I've found is Aspartame (Nutra-sweet). One Diet Coke, and I'm done for 24 hours.

I'm always the sort of traditionalist, with a twist. I like the basic canned tuna/mayo/mustard combo, a healthy dose of black pepper, maybe a little hit of cayenne or Tabasco for interest, and it has to have eggs. I mean, I'll eat it without eggs, but I like 'em. I'm not big on pickles in general, the exception being bread and butters, and those I'll have on the side. Onion on a sandwich turns me off. Truth be told, I like more of an egg salad with a little tuna thrown in. Don't know how this would fit into a diet plan, though. Use Creole, Dijon, or spicy mustard if you can get your hands on it, otherwise the big yellow will do nicely. And toast the bread. Always toast the bread.

Hey, I just found the transcript from her Larry King interview. Didn't know that was available. Lots of good reading here. Larry King's interview of Julia Child Aug 15, 2002 heh heh. Quite a lady.

Silicone itself will have a bit of the "greasy" feeling you mentioned. Maybe you are cleaning them too well? Maybe the batter needs to be a bit stiffer? Or they are baking at too low of a temp... All theories, no scientific proof. In the end, they are kind of like brooms. The more you use them, the better they get. If it doesn't get better, try another one. It is possible to get one that didn't cure or cook properly during manufacturing.

As nice as she was, you can bet that she expected things to be done right. I remember Emeril doing a cooking bit with her perched on a chair next to him, and he was doing his traditional ingredient dump - Imagine this in rapidfiredelivery "Salt." Dump. "Fresh pepper." Dump. "Onion." Dump. "Cilantro." "I don't like cilantro." Putting the little cup aside, "The cilantro is optional" and continues the recipe. Supposedly cilantro was the only thing she didn't like. And once again, she didn't drop a chicken or a swordfish or a side of beef. It was a potato pancake.

Ick to raspberry. Never raspberry. Nasty. *spits on ground* Caramel is nice, especially a somewhat salty caramel with a little hint of heat, maybe cayenne. I'm a traditionalist. Carmel, peanut butter, and coconut are the tops in my list. Though I am intrigued by some of the citrus fillings I've had recently. And pretzels. I wonder about a chocolate filled hollow pretzel ala "Combos".

My favorite bit of information learned from her was something she shared with Larry King last year. "Even a hospital can't mess up a baked potato." She was so right. There's always something good to eat everywhere. Her television apperances with Emeril, Jacques, and even on the PBS kid's programming always made me smile. Her earlier series left me in awe. I wonder if Larry King will re-show his interview? He usually does after something like this.

Rest well, chef. And thank you.

I'm playing bachelor tonight. Grilled cheese sammiches. Sandwich sliced potato bread with a slice of mild cheddar and some shredded gouda on each. Browned up in a butter/olive oil mixture. Chips and bread & butter pickles on the side. Mayfield Turtle Tracks for dessert. Life is good.

Also, in addition to the beverages as mentioned, a bag or two of ice from the store is welcome as well. With all the food, the drinks don't get to live in the fridge, so a bag of ice, even in one of the throwaway foam coolers becomes a dern imprtant item. As do plastic plates, cups, napkins, forks, etc. But I've endeared myself to most people by simply taking any kids who live in the house out to the back yard or to a park to play, or maybe springing for a movie. Anything that gets them out of the house, where they are usually stuck, bored, and restless. Then the sick person can maybe actually get some rest, even for a short bit.

The basic method of building one is the same no matter the materials used. But the materials do affect the final product. I've seen them made from old boards taken from a barn (but in south Louisiana you have to be careful, as the Formosa termites have usually either eaten up large chunks of the wood, or the wood has been sprayed repeatedly with insecticides and other gunk) For a good source of used hardwood, find a trucking company. The larger flatbed trailers are covered with big oak (usually) planks, and are replaced from time to time. Very economical, and can be cut to whatever length is needed. I've heard of this same wood being used for butcher blocks. Don't go wasting money on the nice stuff at Home Depot. Find an old building and use pieces of that instead. Works just as well. Stone or brick/concrete will work, but it does affect the heat transfer. Once you got that sucker going though, you could probably cook for a couple of days with one bag of charcoal. All in all a fine way to spend the day, and a great way to have a big old hunk of meat. They do 4 or 5 turkeys at a time in them as well.

Since my wife had gastric bypass, she doesn't eat sugar. She does not want it around. But it is a don't ask, don't tell situation. She goes to bed before I do, and I spend a fair amount of time in our home office, so I have assorted goodies from Nestle, Hershey, and whoever else catches my eye when I'm in a convenience store stashed inside a box of spare/old computer parts. Or in the rack unit my DJ mixer resides in. She has no interest or knowledge of computer stuff, so I hide her birthday and Christmas gifts in and around them as well. Also helps if you buy small items. She likes those gifts best anyway...

Then there was the first guy to eat an egg. He's sitting there thinking, "You know, the next thing that comes out of that bird's ass... I'm going to eat it." (apologies to the comedian I stole this from. And I don't remember the name) Although that does bring me to my own personal theory on this. Maybe early man watched the animals around him, and followed their lead. Possibly to duplicate their abilities. Like the guy in the above paragraph. He probably saw some animal eating birds eggs, and figured it must be good for him too. Or, eating honey or salmon like a bear would, because the thick fur coat would be darn handy to have in the winter, and those teeth would be a good survival tool. Or trying to drag down a gazelle or something, thinking it would make him as strong as the lion. My theory anyway... It's how the Cajuns survived when they ended up in the swamps. They watched and learned from the Native Americans who were already there, and observed what the animal population did. Of course, they also brought knowlege of the roux, and certain seasonings, being of French descent. But it was adapted into what was available. It was impossible to get lobsters, but, "Here's these little guy who looks just like them, only smaller. I think I'll eat it. And a couple of pounds of his friends, too." It's a simple matter of, "We have to eat something or we die. Pass those things I'll call turnips, please."

One major problem is with the sweet ones. Sugar is hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs the moisture from the surrounding environment. This means that they have to be sealed tightly, and probably in a non-humid environment to boot. You biggest problem is going to be moisture, I think. Also, what kind of conditions will they be stored in? As far as I know, puff pastry will not hold up that long, unless it is given some other treatment, or some kind of preservative is included. Would they consider a pretzel type thing instead? Those would certainly give you 40 days or more...

I feel, we've grown so much closer through this... We now know far more about each other and our digestive tracts that we did before... In a strange way, it's kind of touching.