ludja

That sounds nice too; when I read it I also thought of opening a warm, plain scone, slathering with creme fraiche or such and sprinkling some red currants on top... (might need a little sugar too).

If your doughs are not sweet... can add toasted sesame seeds and little cayenne. Roll out, cut into strips or squares, sprinkle with coarse salt (or not) to make benne wafers.

It sure looks gorgeous! (as did your peach and blueberry pie...) I think most commercial flours now typically don't have be sifted for most basic recipes b/c the there are usually really no lumps. If you ever are in a situation to need to sift (confectionary sugar topping, etc) one can improvise by tapping through a sieve...

It's definately 'to each his own' re: how to incorporate the fat. It can be done well with a number of different techniques and tools. I guess the main theme has come through that with whichever method one uses, one is shooting for fat pieces that might seem larger than desirable to someone new to pie dough making and also to have the fat cold! (I've made pie dough by hand, with two knives, a food processor and with a pastry blender and settled on the last as 'good for me' in accomplishing the desired end. I had a wire pastry blender and did not like that--it was flimsy and did kind of mash and push the butter around. My current one is more solid with blade-like sections--pretty close to what project described... but it's been holding up well so far!

Red currants just came up on the Preserving Summer... thread. QUOTE (trillium @ Jul 15 2004, 10:37 AM) QUOTE (ludja @ Jul 15 2004, 11:28 PM ) As mentioned, I"ve heard of this for awhile but have never made it or eaten it... Since I couldn't find my recipe I looked around the web and there is a wide range of stuff--some of which doesn't sound too good (i.e. made w/pudding mix, etc). Here's one recipe that sounds closest to what I remember and might be good: german 'red grits' or rote grutze I think I'll start a separate thread on this to pan for more info. My mom had some red currant bushes a while back and she she made some nice austrian bar cookies (or 'schnitten') with currants on top--- I have the recipe and can try to adapt it if anyone is interested. (Basically a cookie-like dough with red currants cooked with sugar and thickened on top. Then, this is baked w/sweetend meringue on top. (As I remember it was very good). I definately second or third currant jelly (we made that too) -- very nice for Austrian style cookies for Christmas and also in between layers for some cakes.

Maybe you're thinking of "Rote Grutze" (umlaut over the 'u') ? A kind of pudding-like dish with red currants and raspberries? I think I have a recipe for this somewhere but can't remember where... That is a good idea for using red currants though for those lucky enough to have them!

pistachios for eating out of hand and (almonds in cookies, pecans in pies, pinenuts in a sauce or salad, chestnuts or walnuts in cakes and hazelnuts in gelato or chocolate....) I know this is cheating, but I had to sweat blood before picking pistachios over cashews for eating out of hand!! )

Taken that way all along... I just grabbed a little soapbox re: other reasons I'm not fond of the larger $15 cocktails... but that's probably also been discussed elsewhere.

Another option is to drink more and get that tolerance up there! point taken... the splrit is willing and the liver is fortunately !?! in good fighting shape. I just don't have the total poundage to drink a double at enough speed to keep the drink nice and cold... hence, I prefer a "regular size", straight-up, cold, strong cocktail... And, I'd rather space them out (if necessary) with a club soda in between rather than milk a larger, weak, one that is getting warmer by the minute... Anyway... back to our regularly scheduled programming re: price justification for a $15 dollar martini...

Thanks for the inside scoop Katie... I'll probably try out something along the lines of the first suggestion. I can see the strategy of the second but I'm not too fond of the taste of watery drinks (for cocktails served up). I just want a smaller, cold silver bullet...

Not much to add to all the good advice already... but here's a few thoughts: My go to piecrust is from Bill Neal's Southern Cooking-- half butter and half lard (good lard that you render yourself from pork fat or buy from a butcher, etc). Great flavor (for any filling) and tender and flakey. I wonder how the original recipe would improve just by substituting the Crisco for lard... Definately chill everything down and use ice water (I usually cut butter into bigger pieces first and let chill with flour in bowl in fridge before cutting it in). To incorporate the fat I really like to use a sturdy hand held pastry blender. It is less easy to over process the fat into too small pieces as one might do with a food processor. (A fork and knife are ok too, but I find the pastry blender easier to use and a worthwhile investment even if you aren't baking pies and biscuits every week...).

According to Bugat and Healy (The French Cookie Book) the key is not overbeating the eggs and not having too much baking powder. Then, when baking at high temperatures, the outside of the cookie gets a crust on it before the inside sets. Gases that are trapped inside push to form the hump. (Baking powder releases gas for leavening and beating eggs incorporates air--so I guess if there is to much 'gas' inside the cookie, it will push through and the cookie will deflate. With the right conditions (gas in dough, temperature of baking, etc) things can balance out to get the hump.) In the Patrica Wells/Joel Robuchon book I mentioned above, she avows that it is the chilling of the dough before baking that is important. Cooler temps will keep gases dissolved better and perhaps the starting with the cool dough also helps with crisping the outside of the madeleine before the inside sets as well.... On a different note--just noticed another big difference b/t the Bugat/Healy and Wells/Robuchon recipes besides those I mentioned above. Bugat/Healy ues whole eggs plus and extra egg yolk and has a small amount of baking powder. Wells/Robuchon uses only whipped egg whites (and no baking powder) for leavening... I'm pretty sure the Bugat/Healy recipe would be the more classical--but as mentioned above the Wells/Robuchon ones that I've made have been excellent-- and have the humps! I need to compare the two now! must edit to add: I am not a pro and am going by the books, my chemistry background and a modicum of baking experience!

I'm sure you could find these places on your own too... but if you're interested in doing some hiking, walking, hanging out at the beach in Big Sur here are a few ideas: *** There is a great park/beach with wonderful stone arches in Big Sur--- it really is a special place. I don't know the name of it, but here is how to get there: driving South on 1, just past the Big Sur Ranger Station, then you take the first right onto a small road (it is about 0.5-1.5 miles past the station). You almost have to make a U-turn (to the right) to get onto the road. Drive in ~ 2-3 miles to parking lot. Then it is a short walk to the beach. Great place to bring a picnic lunch and hang out for a while. ***Point Lobos State Park in Carmel. Beautiful short easy walks among wind-blown cypresses, Carribean-style coloring of the sea on blue days, lots of wildlife easy to see--otters, sea lions, etc. ***Andrew Molera State Park: Northern Big Sur (i.e. before ranger station). Can do a short flat hike to the beach along a stream (~ 1.5 miles each way); can make a lovely longer hike by hiking up a bluff with great views of the ocean and also the Big Sur Mountains to the east the whole time (total round trip ~ 10 miles). Also--farther south, stop at julia pfeiffer burns state park to see the spectacular waterfall onto the beach. You might think you are in Hawaii for a moment... There are also nice hikes on the east side of Hwy 1--in the redwoods. I have redwoods up by me so I haven't checked those out yet. Should be info at the Ranger Station though...

On the contrary, great post! I had never heard of "potato cakes" and now I"m salivating for some scones with strawberry jam and fresh cream.... and, um, maybe a bahn mi before that!

I have to say appetizers, I just cannot spell hors d'oeuvres without thinking about it! ...did I get it right??????

A few other favorites: Mike's Pastry in the North End. Besides fresh-filled cannoli, I really like their "pasticiotto" -- stuffed cream cheese/ricotta pies. (I think they sell with either custard or ricotta filling--I'm a huge ricotta fan so I always get the latter). These have a great dough and the overall effect is not supersweet but very good. They have a huge selection--also good amaretti and pignoli cookies... Durgin Park is another classic--one of the older restaurants in Boston. I remember eating hear with my parents before they renovated the whole Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall area-- you were walking through abandonded buildings to get there! The menu is in the link and you can get all kinds of traditional Boston/New England food for reasonable prices--clam chowder, fish cakes, hot dogs, baked beans, fried oyster sandwiches, and indian pudding for dessert! I don't know the name of it, but my sister that lives in Boston now says there is an incredible cheese store at the Haymarket with great selection and very good prices. Maybe this description will ring a bell with some locals. The Union Oyster House (Near North Beach and close to Quincy Market) can be reasonable depending on what you order and is a great place for oysters or clams on the half shell or oyster stew. It is reputedly one of the oldest restaurants in the U.S. and it has a wonderful atmosphere. By chance you could get seated at the booth that J.F.K. (as a junior senator) used to frequent on a weekly basis. Legal Seafoods (a few different branches) is not cheap overall--but they do have a killer clam chowder (creamy, full of clam flavor and not too thick!! (ie. gummed up with flour). If not for a full meal, go to their beautiful bar areas and have a cup of chowder, some great sour dough bread, toss a pat of butter on top of the chowder to melt and some common crackers. Sip a nice Sancerre or Sauvignon Blanc along side.... Hmmm... I wish I were there right now...

Hi Katie-- I have a question for you re: the point slkinsey brought up, namely 4 oz vs 2 oz martinis. After a regrettable instance in which I innocently ordered a Martini before dinner and got knocked off my butt b/c it didn't register to me that it was a 4 oz cocktail rather than a 2 oz... (I know this sounds silly, and really, one can't claim complete "innocence" ordering a martini anyway... ) Anyway--now I pay close attention to the size of the drink as lots of bars and restaurant bars in SF make the jumbo drinks. What is a polite way to inquire on the size of the drink and to ask to have the standard 2 oz pour? Would your bar do it and how would the price differ? It isn't a question of being cheap--but I just don't prefer having a monster cocktail before a good dinner with wine---and neither would the restaurant or other patrons... but that's another story...

I've had good success with Joel Robuchon's recipes in Simply French by Patricia Wells. (commission for egullet if you order thru this Amazon link; nice cookbook overall; elegant recipes from Robuchon but not too fussy or difficult; great writing by Patricia Wells). There are recipes for five different flavors--I've made the honey ones and lemon ones and they are excellent (as mentioned above, served slightly warm). There are also recipes for chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut that I am now reinspired to try again soon. The base recipe for the honey, lemon and chocolate ones contains ground almonds which I find to be really good. (don't think these are in all madeleine recipes I've seen). Another possible distinction in these recipes is that they have honey in addition to confectioner's sugar as a sweetener. Again, I haven't done side by side comparisons, but they sure do taste good... Regarding technique, etc... I have the traditional 3" molds; they are not non-stick, and I think they are heavy aluminum. Using a brush to coat them well with softened butter, then dusting with flour has worked well for me to eliminate sticking. I haven't varied from the recipe's recommendation for chilling the batter in the molds for ~ 1 hour prior to baking. (Have gotton the nice little 'bumps' so I've been happy).

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"atkins friendly"

This is wonderful to hear!! I am lucky to live in a place that has a bunch of good artisanal cheesemakers (N. California; and have been enjoying cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, among others). But it is great to hear from you that there has been such large growth and enthusiasm all over the US. Thank you also for the specific cheese recommendations as well as for pointing out the annual American Cheese Society competition for us. Sounds like a good place to keep up on the "pulse" of American cheesemaking. I also can't wait to look for some of the N.England cheeses when I go back East to visit my family! Thanks for a great response!

I was struck in rereading your book, Steven Jenkins Cheese Primer that you mention in the American section that only one significant "new" cheese" was invented in America- Jack Cheese. This may be a silly question, but are new serious cheeses still being invented as we speak. (We can exclude creations from the vats of chemists at Velveeta, etc) If not, why not? If yes, where and with what success? Thank you Steve!

Thank you for participating in our forum; I also really enjoy your stints on The Splendid Table w/Lynne Rossetto Kasper. I have the first edition of your book, Steven Jenkins Cheese Primer and since it has been almost ten years since it came out, I wondered if you could share what you believe are the most exciting advances in American cheesemaking since then. trends? best new producers or best up and coming cheeses? Thank you!

I agree that the ones I've had are less flavorful than zucchini, etc but that isn't much of a help in your hour of need! I have made a nice zucchini bruschetta that could be adapted to yellow squash perhaps-- cook chopped squash in nice olive oil with garlic, onions, parsely... before placing on bread-- annoint with grated parmaggiano. (the oil, garlic and cheese should help perk up the flavor and the texture of these bruschetta is very nice)

Assortment of free-form fruit galettes (peach, berry, plum) with ground almond-sugar mix under fruit. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Beautiful and keeps well. Another sturdy (and delicious) dessert is an almond tart-- can be served with fresh peaches and cream...