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merstar

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    "Cook's Illustrated"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I'm still waiting to find a CI recipe I like.  I've tried some of the baking recipes that people have raved about (a chocolate cake, etc.), but I was disappointed in all of them.  They're usually too sweet for my tastes.

    Have you tried their Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake? That's not sweet at all.

    That was one of the first ones I tried. I can't remember what it was I didn't like about it--I think it turned out too dry and it overflowed in my pan (despite my measuring how many cups the pan would hold, to make sure it was the right size).

    That's too bad. I've made it countless times and it's very moist. Could you have baked it too long? Or maybe you used a higher percentage chocolate? I usually use a 60% - a higher percentage could yield a drier result.

    "Cook's Illustrated"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I'm still waiting to find a CI recipe I like.  I've tried some of the baking recipes that people have raved about (a chocolate cake, etc.), but I was disappointed in all of them.  They're usually too sweet for my tastes.

    Have you tried their Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake? That's not sweet at all.

    Chocolate Mousse Cake or Some other Super Gooey

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    This is technically not a Chocolate Mousse Cake, but the chocolate filling is decadent, creamy, and deep chocolatey. It's a fantastic cake. I usually chill this overnight, and serve it at a cool room temperature, since the filling is creamier than if served cold. If you can get a hold of some ladyfingers (sponge-type), this is more than worth doing, and fairly simple.

    Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cake:

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101955

    Recipes That Rock: 2008

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Thanks to Pierogi, I rushed over to my copy of the October 2007 edition of Cuisine at Home and found the recipe for Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce with Pasta Shells.  I made it on the weekend and it was sublime.  Absolutely wonderful.  I can't wait to make it again.  Thanks for the recommendation!

    Elsie, I also am indebted to Pierogi. I made this last weekend. Not only was it lovely that evening, but it reheated very nicely the next day. The only down side to this dish is that you eventually run out of it and end up gazing sadly at the bottom of the empty bowl.

    pat

    YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!!!! :biggrin::rolleyes::blush::biggrin::cool::blush: I am *so* glad you guys liked it ! And good to know it reheats, Pat. I was so afraid the sauce would break if I tried to heat it up the next day. Good deal !!

    This sounds so good! Unfortunately, I don't have any of my old Cuisine At Home magazines anymore. Would anyone be kind enough to PM the recipe to me?

    Edit: Never mind - I found it!

    http://www.recipezaar.com/250859

    Peanut Butter Cookies - Bake-Off XIII

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I always use natural peanut butter for cookies with no problems. I can't stand the sickly sweet and overly salty taste of the partially hydrogenated stuff, such as Jif, Skippy, etc. Luckily, I found an excellent, very peanutty tasting natural peanut butter after going through many that were fairly bland.

    Cooking with "Cook's Illustrated"

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I haven't made tons of CI recipes, but most of the ones I've made have turned out great, with a few that have been so-so. I've pretty much stuck to their baked stuff, with only one savory recipe. Here's a basic list:

    Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake (This is an incredible chocolate cake, deep deep chocolatey, amazing texture, absolutely flawless).

    Sour Cream Fudge Layer Cake With Chocolate Butter Icing (great cake, so-so icing)

    Super Fudgy Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies (fantastic)

    Dark Chocolate Mousse (the best)!

    Thick And Chewy Double (Or Triple) Chocolate Cookies (excellent)

    Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies (very so-so - too sweet and not crispy)

    The Best Chocolate Butter Cookies (definitely not "the best" - not chocolatey enough - not bad, but not great)

    Pasta With Garlic Oil And Toasted Breadcrumbs (a simple and delicious dish)

    Recipes that Suck: 2008

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Two salads, both of which sounded great, but.... "Edamame, Black Eyed Pea Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette" from Gourmet absolutely sucked, and "Fresh Greens with Roasted Beets, Haricots Verts, and Goat Cheese Croutons" from Fine Cooking was just so-so.

    Brownies -- Bake-Off I

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I made the Brownie recipe fom best ever Brownies from Baking with Julia-recommended on this thread/forum or somewhere. I used 85% Valrhona Abinao instead of unsweetened and some bittersweet..

    After the recommended baking time they were still liquidy and after cooling them down I was unable to cut them. I popped them back into the oven, cooled, and then BACK into the oven. I think they baked for  over an hour. They were eventually baked, but still not a clean cut. They were dense-too dense or heavy. I baked in a white pyrex-could this be a problem?

    What went wrong? I want a dark deep chocolate taste, not very sweet... Any advice? I need a brownie that I can take with me to a dinner party or give to a friend. The ones I made were "family" only cause they looked so disastrous!

    Here are two great ones:

    Chewy Brownies from Fine Cooking

    *NOTE: Just watch the baking times - they're done sooner than the recipe indicates - I do about 32 minutes in a shiny metal pan

    http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes...y_brownies.aspx

    Super Fudgy triple chocolate espresso Brownies from Cook's Illustrated

    (I bake these about 34 minutes).

    http://www.recipezaar.com/41985

    Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I'm also baking to sell.  I baked a batch of CC cookies from the book " The best of better baking.com".  They spread way too much to sell( maybe I made them too big).  I was aiming for a big cookie( ala starbucks)

    Which recipe do you think would give me a big yet sturdy cookie that would keep well for 2 days?

    Have you tried Cook's Illustrated's Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies? I haven't tried them myself (I've tried their Thick and Chewy Double/Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were great), but there have been tons of great reviews on these:

    http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp...=1270&bdc=15240

    And of course, Paul's Brown Butter Muscovado Chocolate Chip Cookies are excellent!!!

    Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I've been up nights in the laboratory working on this one, and I think I nailed it. This is now the best recipe that I've ever tasted.

    It's on recipe gullet, here: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r2108.html

    These are the first cookies I've had that are thick, chewy, not greasy, and that have such good flavor in the cookie itself that i've cut the amount of chocolate chips almost in half, so the choocolate doesn't get in the way.

    They're made with browned butter, light muscovado sugar, and a small percentage of whole wheat oat flour.

    Well, what can I say? These are dangerous cookies. I made them last night, and couldn't stop eating them - I ate so many I almost got sick. Totally addictive.

    Unfortunately, I couldn't find any muscovado sugar, so I had to use regular light brown sugar. I don't know if that affected the taste or not, but I don't care - the cookies tasted great. They had a caramelly/butterscotchy taste, soft and chewy in the centers, crispy on the edges. The 1 cup chocolate chips was the perfect amount for these cookies (I used Ghirardelli's semi-sweet chips).

    I tried the first batch in the 1/4 cup size, as written, and the rest in heaping Tbsp. I preferred the heaping Tbsp - better size for eating, plus they fit into my glass canister - The 1/4 cup size didn't fit through the opening, and I had to bend them in half. I baked the 1/4 cup ones about 12-13 minutes, and the heaping Tbsp about 10-11 minutes.

    Thanks for the great recipe, Paul!

    Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Bake-Off III

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Hey Paul, your cookies sound great. I'm thinking of trying them, but wonder if the texture would be compromised if I made them a little smaller. It looks like they're about 1/4 cup each (correct me if I'm wrong), and I'm thinking of making them about half that size. What do you think?

    I haven't tried making them small, so I can only guess. The baking time would no doubt be less. Would you be interested in making on sheet of big ones and then experimenting with size with the rest? I'd be curious to hear about your results.

    Actually, that's exactly what I was planning to do. I'll let you know how they turn out. Thanks.

    melting valrhona

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Also, when stirring, make sure you stir slowly and gently - if you stir too fast, you'll cool off the mixture. In addition, I find that boiling milk doesn't stay hot as long as cream, maybe due to the lack of fat/thickness compared to the cream.

    Overall, I don't really like the typical method of pouring boiling cream over chocolate. I find the most foolproof way to melt chocolate is by first heating it with a small percentage of the cream, approx. 1/4 or 1/5, in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir until completely incorporated. Remove from the heat, then gradually add the rest of the boiling cream (or half & half) to the mixture.

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