amccomb

Can a curd be preserved? I would like to preserve it and give it as gifts. Do you have a recipe?

I have read about jelly sugar, but have yet to see it in the states. Then again, I live in a small town in the Midwest. Redsugar - thanks for the links to the jam, but I was hoping to make something myself. :)

Hmm...now that I know that the bananas are going to be the overwhelming flavor, I'm not as excited about this recipe. I may still give it a shot, but I was definitely hoping to highlight the passionfruit flavor. I was planning on making another banana jam, anyway. I may give the peach recipe a try, since peaches are in season right now. When the recipe says 10 passion fruits, pureed, does that mean just the inner pulp, juice, and seeds, or the whole thing? I also found a passion fruit strawberry jam recipe that I may try. ANy other passion fruit jam recipes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much for your help!

So, I went to the store today, and they actually had PASSION FRUIT! It was the first time I have seen them at the regular grocery store, but this particular store has started carrying slightly more exotic produce lately, so I was really excited. Anyway, I have also been on a jam making spree, and although I was really searching for a plain passion fruit jam online (which I never did find, if anyone has one, I would be so happy!), I ran across this banana and passion fruit jam recipe which looked interesting. Unfortunately, some of the amounts are...well, out of my league. Can anyone help me translate to something a home cook could use? I do have a scale, if necessary (although not digital). Thanks so much! BANANA PASSION-FRUIT JAM 1 kilogramme bananas 5 fresh passion-fruits 0,05 litre lemongin 500 gramme jellysugar Halve the passion-fruits and ladle out the pulp and seed and put it in a pan. Mash the bananas and add the lemongin and jellysugar. Bring all together. Bring to the boil and cook for one minute (bubble). Keep stirring. Keep the jars cool and dark. Keeping qualities: 4 months

I am of the group that loves chocolate, and loves pecan pie (probably my favorite dessert, actually) but does not like them together! That said, I have heard the recipe for chocolate pecan pie in Alice Medrich's Bittersweet is very good.

I think you're going to right route by just doing chocolate! I think candied coconut would be great. Would candied ginger be too unusual for the girls? Another idea would be kiwi, or maybe pear slices, or dried apricots... You could also add a liquor to the chocolate to make it a little more special. :)

Hi Malachite Awry! This is Psychocandy from ISCA. Do you need to just do chocolate? If not, you could do some different kinds of fondue flavors, like caramel or marshmallow cream or white chocolate. Other ideas for dipping - orange sections, lady fingers, cookies, pecan/caramel clusters.... When I've made fondue, I do just make a ganache, but I sort of do it by site - just adding enough hot cream to a good chocolate make it dipable. You could also do little dishes for them to roll the chocolate coasted goodies in, like toasted coconut or nuts.

I've never made a dessert pasta, but I tasted one at a restaurant. I thought it was awful. It was chocolate ravioli with a chocolate ricotta filling. The dough was watery, rubbery, and tasteless. The filling didn't have enough flavor to make it past the pasta dough. The sauce was a very mild creme anglaise, which was good, but not enough to save the dessert. At the time, I had thought that maybe toasting or frying the ravioli would have helped. Now I am thinking the dough would have needed some work, too. If the dough had been a bit more cookie-like, with enough sugar added to the dough to give it a crisp and chewy texture, and the filling had had more flavor - maybe a truffle-like center, and the creme anglaise had another accent sauce, like orange or raspberry, it could have been a fun and tasty dessert. I think for a more mild filling like sweetened ricotta or marcapone, the fried wontons already suggested, dusted with a bit of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar with a fruit or chocolate sauce would be nice. Or, to have the fruit inside - maybe a cherry and rosemary filling with a port reduction along with a little drizzle of creme fraiche, or perhaps a fig/date combo with a cinnamon, honey, and yogurt sauce.

I thought I asked how you can kill IT, meaning botulism. I must have mis-typed, I apologize. I have read several books (Putting Food By, Mes Confitures, Fine Preserving, A Passion For Preserves, Small Batch Preserving) and have read several online sites, such as the Ball website, www.homecanning.com, and have been following recipes and charts for times, etc. I have been sterilizing everything I am using, and doing the water bath that is recommended for each jam. What I was wondering is, if I am doing everything, and it (botulism) survives high heat, etc, then is canned food ever really safe? Is there any way to tell if a jar has been affected? Will the lid expand or leak? Will the jam turn color? Something else?

Wow. If botulism survives boiling and no oxygen, how can you kill it? I thought I was doing ok by sterilizing the jars and all utensils in the sani-wash cycle in the dishwasher, then boiling the jam for 20 minutes, then processing the jars of sealed jam in a water bath for 5-10 minutes. Do I need to be doing more than this? Can you tell if a jar has been infected with botulism? I was planning on giving these out as gifts, but I don't want to kill off my entire family. I was really enjoying myself, but now I'm not so sure... Edited to add that I have been using the Ball lids and rings so far...

As for the pears, there are several great looking combinations in the Mes Confitures book. I am going to start the Pear with Caramel and Pear with Fig today. Some others I think sound great are Pear and Chestnut, Pear and Chocolate, Pear with Pine nuts and Walnuts, and Pear with Honey and Ginger. Oh, and Pear with Balsamic Vinegar and Spices and Pear with Pinot Noir and Cinnamon. Those may not be the exact titles in the book - I don't have it in front of me - just my list.

Any ideas wher I can get passion fruit puree? I've looked all over town and can't find passion fruit in any form, except nectar. I can find both fresh and frozen mangoes, so I can make the mango puree myself. Also, where can I find the transfer sheets mentioned for the white chocolate, and how does one use them?

I'm interested in hearing ideas for other flavors. So, I saw recommendations to avoid things with fat (such as melted chocolate, however I saw that someone made coconut with coconut milk - sounds wonderful!). I was thinking peanut butter would be a decadent treat, but if the fat keeps it from whipping up, that would be a no-no. Could you whip in the peanut butter after the rest of the mixture is already whipped and fluffy? I edited this post to add that maybe using grade B maple syrup would be a nice flavor - but would the extra sugar cause a problem?

I apologize for having two posts in a row, but I have another question. I was posting elsewhere about how I was planning to try canning several flavors of jam, and listed the strawberry with mint and black pepper jam as a possibility. I was told that black pepper contains a fungus that is not killed during the canning process. Is this true? Should I avoid makign the recipe for that reason? Have others who have made the recipe had any problems because of the black pepper? I really wanted to try it...

I ordered two sets of jars at Sur La Table. The description says, "The one-part lids seal securely and are interchangeable with standard American lids." I just wasn't sure if they would work like the ring and seal mason jar lids, so I bought some to use instead, and they don't fit. So, I was wondering - is it safe to use these one piece lids? It looks like there is a seal, but it's not the usual reddish orange color, instead it's white. It also looks like it has the domed top that will pop, but it's hard to tell. Any ideas?

You guys have totally inspired me and I went out and bought a bunch of books. So far, I like the Small Batch book best. Tonight I made blueberry honey jam and strawberry fig. Unfortunately, I was called away for a moment while boiling the fig and strawberry jam, so a few of the figs got a little carmelized. I had a little taste and it seems ok - I'll keep my fingers crossed. I can't wait to make more! I also ruined a whole batch of plum with amaretto because I didn't realize the copper preserving pan my husband bought me had a protective coating on it. Argh! The directions say to boil the pan with soda crystals to remove the protective coating. What are soda crystals? Lastly, I bought a few canning jars from Sur La, but the lids aren't what I am used to. They are one piece. Can I still use them for canning? I bought some standard lids and rings at the store, but they were too big for these jars. I'm so excited to try some of the Ferber recipes, but I am holding off until I get a little more experienced. Before this, the only canning I did was under the supervision on my mom, and those jams all had the wax stuff on top - no extra boiling time. I have a whole list of things I want to make. I also want to modify the wine jelly in the Small Batches book to include the spices and zests I use for my sangria (orange, lime, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise) for some spiced sangria jelly! My husband is asking for banana, but I'm having trouble deciding which recipe, and rhubarb. Any more experiments out there?

I just started reading this thread, and I noticed someone commented that they weren't sure how this cake would work as a layer cake? I am looking for a really wonderful chocolate layer cake to use as a 10 inch portion of a wedding cake, and I'm wondering if I could make this work. Any thoughts?

I'm supposed to make an upside down cake for a groom's cake for my mom's wedding. Does anyone have a great recipe that would scale well to a deep 14 inch round? I guess I am going to go with pineapple, although I would really like to do something a little more exciting.

So, I have about 2 lbs of beautiful medium rare prime rib leftover after grilling last night. What can I do with the leftovers?

I am planning on grilling a prime rib roast this Thursday, and I need some side dish ideas! i am planning on making a potato dish that contains both red and sweet potatoes with creme fraiche, chives, and a splash of vinegar (not sure what kind I want to use yet). I really want to keep the other side dishes light. I wouldn't mind doing something in the oven, but my preference is for salad type dishes. I was going to make a pasta salad with a grainy mustard vinaigrette with green beans, walnuts, red onions, and maybe some feta cheese, but I made something pretty similar for dinner last night, so I want to go a different direction. I would love some ideas! Also, any ideas for rubs or sauces for the prime rib would be greatly appreciated. I bought a bottle of pomegranate molasses from The Spice House, and I thought about drizzling a little of that over the slices of beef, but I thought it may be too strong and sweet. Thanks!

Here is the menu we had on the last day: Caramelized Sri Lankan Eggplant Wild Steelhead Roe saké, tosaka seaweed, cucumber Charred Pineapple smoked salmon, shichimi togarashi, soy Chilled English Peas ramps, eucalyptus, yogurt, ham Black Truffle Explosion Maine Lobster flavors of Thai ice tea, aromatic bread Hot Fava Bean and Cold Parmesan Purees olive oil, lavender Chicharrones con salsa Elysian Fields Farm Lamb sunflower plant, bag of crispy texture “Cheese ‘n Cracker” Moulard Duck Foie Gras blueberries, cinnamon tapioca, sorrel Raisin Soda Kiwi Seeds - Coconut - Lime Tempura of Maine Shrimp vanilla, cranberry, Meyer lemon Confit of Melysol Melon prosciutto, catmint, sherry vinegar Virtual Shrimp Cocktail Green and White Asparagus chamomile, geoduck clams, apricot Frozen WillaKenzie Verjus - Thyme Ribeye of Prime Beef spring lettuces, morel mushrooms, smoked tongue Transparency of Aged Manchego white anchovies, peppers, arugula Carrot - Mandarin - Smoked Paprika Leather Australian Finger Limes - Sugar Red Wine Braised Rhubarb strawberries, violets, goat milk Warm Ocumare Chocolate yeast, pistachio, flax seed Tripod Hibiscus And I have a quote in that article that yellow truffle posted! Granted, it's a lame quote, but what the heck. My husband and I are Chris and Amanda Hemmerich from Bloomington, IN. I wish we would have gotten to try the other items mentioned in the article. I'm so jealous!

Yes, we did notice a couple of other people drinking it. It was served out of a very distinct container and whenever we saw someone else being served that particular drink, we would comment again on how yummy it was.

My husband and I were in Chicago last weekend and ended up here for lunch. I had the burger...oh my! It was so wonderful! It did not come with the fries, which disappointed me, but I doubt I could have eaten many of them anyway. But I do wish I could have had a taste! We ordered the 3 course dessert tasting and expected three mini desserts. Unfortunately, we ended up with full sized desserts. Don't get me wrong - they were all delicious, especially the chocolate mocha fondant cake...and the pear tart...ok, and the incredibly soft bread pudding. But I was so sick by the time we left (and we took over half of the desserts with us) that I did not feel well again until the next day! Regardless, I would highly recommend the place. The waitress was so nice and attentive, and the chef heard that we had gone to Trio the night before and added his place to our culinary adventures in Chicago because of a recommendation here, and he was so excited and came out to thank us and offered us some wonderful scones for the road. He was very enthusiastic!

My husband and I had the Tour de Force with the wine pairings on the last night (Sat.) as well. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was a night I'll never forget. Now, a question: We left a 20% (actually a little more) tip, but I felt like it wasn't enough. Did we stiff our servers by leaving 20%? A second question: We ordered an aperitif before dinner, and mine was made with some sort of peppercorns and white port. I should have paid more attention to the description. Can anyone tell me what was in it? Also, my husband had a very herbacious tasting drink. What was in that one? We were in love from the first sip.

Thanks for the advice! I have used the gels and pastes to color frosting before, but I never get the deep, rich color that I know my mom is wanting. I made a really nice 16 inch spiderman cake for my nephew (I drew spiderman freehand on top, and I was really surprized at how perfectly it turned out!) and when I was trying to color 2 cups of icing (powdered sugar, eggwhite powder, water, and shortening) red, it took two tubs of gel to get it even close to red. It was red, but slightly on the pink side of red. Is this normal? I had the same problem with the black frosting and ended up adding a tub of black food coloring to chocolate icing to get it to look black rather than plum.