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merstar

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Posts posted by merstar

    ISO Vanilla appetizer recipe

    in Cooking

    Posted

    The questions/comments:

    "I wish I had been invited" 

    I tend to make things because of a reason...so come to the mountains of southern New Mexico and give me a reason :)

    I would love to visit New Mexico - I've never been there - I may just take you up on it. I'll make the dessert!

    ISO Vanilla appetizer recipe

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Here are a few ideas, including a soup and salad recipe:

    Vanilla Melon Soup

    http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2006/07/...lla-melon-soup/

    Warm Spinach Salad with Sweet Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette

    http://www.sandiegorestaurants.com/recipe....BeanVinaigrette

    VANILLA SHRIMP CROSTINI

    http://www.foodreference.com/html/vanillashr.html

    Asian Spiced Chicken in Wonton Cups with Vanilla Apricot Sauce

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Asian-Spiced-...uce/Detail.aspx

    Curry Powder

    in India: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    I'm staying in central Vermont at a friend's guest house, and I decide to make us all some curry.  Back in Philly, I get fresh, store-made curry powder at the Spice Corner in the Italian Market, and I know I'm gonna have to go w/supermarket bottled powder.  No big deal, I thought.  At the store, I reach for the venerable Spice Islands curry powder, check out the ingredients, and find the following: "Red Pepper, Turmeric (for coloring)".  I check out the lesser brands and find the same contents.  Screw it: I'm not paying $6 for a bottle of colored pepper, and I decide to make do with any ancient spices back at the house.

    Upon my return to the house, I locate the spices and -- voila -- there's an age-old bottle of Spice Islands Curry Powder.  I check the ingredients: "Cumin, Coriander, Fenugreek, Ginger, Turmeric, Dill Seed, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Mace, Cardamom, Cloves".

    So, when did Spice Islands dumb down their curry powder?  And why?  Is a mix of the old formula that much more expensive?  Is it ethical, fair, whatever to market colored pepper as "curry"?  At a minimum, Spice Islands has lost me as a customer forever, since I apparently can no longer trust any of their spices to be authentic.  Thoughts?

    I posted a response at:

    http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...0entry1432330

    Spice Islands Curry Powder

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Hi,

    I never realized they had changed the labeling. I just checked the ingredients on my current Spice Islands curry powder, and it says, "SPICES, Turmeric, and Red Pepper." Apparently, they don't want to reveal which spices are included, as they did in the past. However, I've been buying this curry powder for years, and have not noticed a significant difference in taste. Regardless, I think the consumer should know exactly which spices are in there, but I do see this sometimes on various labelings, and wonder why? Maybe they don't want another company "stealing" their formula? But that's ridiculous, because only the ingredients are listed, not the ratios.

    Pernigotti Cocoa Powder

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I was recently looking for cocoa powder advice from the chocoholic geniuses at seventypercent.com.

    One tip I got was that the higher-fat cocoa powders are delicous but quite perishable; you can't keep them around as long or they lose a lot of flavor.

    Another point was that high fat cocoas can diminish volume in desserts where the cocoa is folded into whipped egg whites.

    There seems to be some consensus that the Cluizel cocoa kicks ass, but that it may not be available in anything more reasonable than 3kg bags. If anyone knows how to get a reasonable volume of this, I'd love to hear it.

    Or we could chip in and split a bunch. 8oz would be good for me (it's high fat/low shelf life). A $77 3kg bag would make 13  8oz+ portions for $6 each.

    I'd also like to try the Pernigotti. Anyone know if that's available locally in NYC?

    I love seventypercent.com. Interesting info on high fat cocoas.

    You can find Pernigotti at Williams-Sonoma.

    Brownies -- Bake-Off I

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Ninth try was the charm!

    I finally got my brownies to come out with both the right flavor and texture. Posted here, with some background, for anyone interested.

    These will appeal to you if you're crazy for dark chocolate.

    Congratulations! They sound great!

    Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I've been dieting for a couple of months, and have pretty much completely deprived myself of desserts. This week I reached my target weight, and decided to celebrate with some doughnuts. These were filled with strawberry jam. Recipe here.

    gallery_23736_355_20006.jpg

    Oh man - you're killing us here! My husband and I are drooling - send some over!

    Ice Cream vs. Gelato vs. Sorbet

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    In an effort to appear natural and home made, Haagen Dazs uses molecularly altered milk proteins for stabilization (so they don't have to list anything besides cream, milk, sugar, etc. on the ingredients ...)

    Interesting - I didn't know that. I'm glad I make my own ice cream, with one occasional exception: Julie's Organic Blackberry.

    By the way, how are your brownie testings/tastings coming along?

    in search of the perfect caramel pecan brownie

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I read thru the very long brownie post as much as I could take, but then got tired and decided to ask my own selfish question...

    Has anybody ever perfected a technique for the perfect caramel brownie? What I'm looking for is a brownie that is marbled with distinct areas of caramel. I've tried several times and failed. Usually, the caramel just sinks to the bottom. I've resorted to putting the caramel and nuts on top after baking, but then you lose that wonderful top crunchy brownie goodness. Ideas?

    Check these out:

    Caramel Ripple Brownies

    http://landcrofthouse.blogspot.com/2007/04...e-brownies.html

    If you need to convert from Metric to US, here's a converter:

    http://www.recipezaar.com/library/calc.zsp

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