zaskar

McCormick & Schmicks in the Inner Harbor isn't bad. It's touristy, but not as mucha as Phillips. It has a lot of outdoor seating and a pretty good view of the harbor. they are a nationwide chain: http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/

I heard Edward Kim is back in town from DC. He was chef at xicia (I'm sure I butchered that name), and at Soenge (butchered that to) in Federal Hill.

I'm with K8 on this one -- I'm thinking that this is pourable fondant based on the ingredient list. ← So how would you make it pourable? What liquid would you add. It's very stiff. I'll try to take a picture to show everyone. I'll also call the place I purchased it from to see what they say. ← Pourable fondant is used warm. Heat it to about 105F to 110F. Test the consistency by dipping in a spatula and letting it run off. It should form thin "sheets" as it runs off the spatula, and you should be able to see through the sheet. Too thick and it will glob on your cakes. Too thin, and it will just run right off. If at 105F, it is still too thick, add some corn syrup to the mix to thin it out. Go slow -- its one of those things where a little goes a long way. ← Thanks for everyone's help on this. I'm going to call the baking supply place I purchased this from. I'll try heating it up and pouring it over. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

I'm with K8 on this one -- I'm thinking that this is pourable fondant based on the ingredient list. ← So how would you make it pourable? What liquid would you add. It's very stiff. I'll try to take a picture to show everyone. I'll also call the place I purchased it from to see what they say.

What brand fondant is it ? ......that is a really good price!! I make my own rolled fondant. ← I got it from a local baking supply store (Ruhl Brothers) they're in Maryland. More than what I need. But I just bought it to practice with. I just want to put a really thin layer of fondant over the cake.

Poured fondant is semi-liquid, and is poured over the cake. Rolled fondant is like clay -- its rolled out and placed on a cake. ← I have the rolled fondant. Which one is better, or is it just preferance?

Not sure how would I tell? It came in a 50lb. box with the fondant eclosed in a bag. What is the difference?

I purchased some premade fondant (made of sugar, corn syrup and water), it's called Creme Fondant. I added color to it by putting some liquid coloring in the stand mixer and the color came out fine. My problem is rolling it out. It sticks to my Silpat and my silicon folling pin. Does anyone have a suggestion or tips for rolling out Fondant. I tried using cornstarch and powdered sugar put I think I used too much because it began to crack a little. I heard the cornstarch works better than powdered sugar, I know ps has cornstarch in it. Thanks for any help. -jim

I rarely contribute here because I'm seen by some as too negative about Baltimore, because I think similar or smaller size cities simply outclass us, however, I must plunge in. 1st, almost but not always, anything M. Karzai (brother of the Prime Minister of Afghanistan) puts his mind to - eg Helmand + Tapas Teatro comes up smelling like roses. 2nd, for me (granted, jaded by genuine neighborhood bistros), Petit Louis is just not there, nor sadly is the Brasserie Tatin. 3rd however, there's a nifty, relatively new wine bar - called The Wine Market that does seem genuine - for more see here. A place no one has mentioned is Pierpoint where I haven't been in quite a while but is chef'd by a real great female cook Nancy Longo. Finally, hope the surgery goes well - it's a good city for medicine. ← I'd skip the Wine Market, the food is average to good, but the service is SO SLOW. a lunch or dinner can take 3 hours or more. I don't know what there problem is but their kitchen needs to get it together. Three other people I know have had the same problem with this slow service. I wish Baltimore would be able to get some of the "crappy - touristy" restuarants out of the harbor and put one or two nicer ones in, but I guess you have to cater to the TGIF crowd.

There is a very good Indian restaurant Baltimore called the Ambassador Room, fine dinning, and has some outdoor seats. Charleston in Fells Point (Baltimore), about 5 minutes tops from where you are. There is also Roy’s and Pazzo is very good, probably the trendiest restaurant in Baltimore. I’d stay away from the cheesy restaurants around the Inner Harbor; they are very touristy, unless that’s what you are looking for. I’ll try to think of some otheres.

I'll be making some Dim Sum for a dinner party and I was wondering how far in advance the dumplings can be made with out the "stuffing" seaping through the wrappers. I'll be making the yeast based dough for steamed pork buns, shu mi (sp?), and others using the premade wonton wrappers. I plan on making the "stuffing" ahead of time, I was wondering about filling the dumplings/buns the night before and placing them in the refrig.? Although, I think this may compromise the "wrapper"? Anyone have any thoughts on this? Or should I just stick to making the stuffing the day before? -z

Good work H, I had a dish similar to this in Shanghai this past december. The version I had was very similar, but used minced pork (not ground) with an XO based sauce. It was great. I've maded it at home since, I think mincing the pok with a knife makes a huge difference than using ground pork. Of course this adds a little more wwork/time. -z

I picked that up when I was in Bejing in December, it could have been a similar/same store. It was a bookstore for foreigners. It's pretty good the few I've tried. -z

I bought a 50lb box of fondant for $20. I haven't opened it yet. I was wondering if anyone knows if you can add color to it, and how? Would I use powdered color or a liquid color? Thanks, -z

Does anyone have a good recipe for Sweet & Sour Pork/Chicken that doesn't use ketchup? I always find that they always use too much ketchup, i'd rather not it have any at all. When I was in China in December the seet and sour pork didn't have any ketchup in it and it was great. Thanks, -z

I tried looking for this online and wasn't able to find the bull's head brand, does anyone have a source for this online?

Bull-head brand Sha Cha Sauce, is that the silver can? I can see it says bar-b-q sauce on the can, just wondering. Where did you get it from?

I just bought back a bunch of szechuan peppercorns fom china and was looking to cook w/ them. If I throw them in whole, they tend to make to dish feel "griity", kind of like dirt is in the dish. My wife doesn't care for it that way. Anyone have any suggestions for making them seem less "gritty"? -z

Does anyone have a recipe for making the sauce - Sha Cha Jiang? I've looked but haven't really found one. SeIs it similar to XO Sauce?

I'll answer my own question. It won't do fresh pizza, only frozen. I did attempt a fresh pizza, it rose too much, but did do a very good job. -z

Has anyone heard anything about the PizzaMax Pizza Oven? I thouht about it, thought maybe using it for pizza and as a salamandor. http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_shoppin...fcfkjdgoodfkh.0

Velveting/Hot Oil Blanching Not sure if anyone mentioned this but it's the method of cooking meat and seafood also in hot oil about 240F until it's almost cooked. It's suppose to give it a luxurous look I've only seen this mentioned in a Chinese Cookbook I picked up for 50 cents at a public library sale, the book is from the 70s or very early 80s. I forget who it was by. It is also mentioned in the Wein-Chaun cookbooks. -z

hzrt8w, Thanks for this recipe! It looks very similar to the one I was asking about in April http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...64646&hl=zaskar

Can Malt Syrup be substituted for Maltose (Malt Sugar)? I bought some Malt Syrup from a Korean Market in Baltimore. One is clear, made with Corn Starch, Glucose and Water. The other is darker, made with Malt, Glucose, Fructose and Water. I know Barley Malt Syrup is used in bread baking and in other forms to brew beer.

I live in baltimore and was able to find it at Seoul Plaza. On the packaging they have a phone number (Alexandria, VA) and also a web address which also has an online store, the store doesn't have much, but they have the molasses. I think I paid about $3.00 for it. phone: 703.750.2960 http://www.asmars.com and the store: http://asmars.com/store/zen/index.php