Samantha

From Thursday night until Saturday really shouldn't be a problem for the green tea shortbread and korova cookies - the thumbprints will probably not be quite as tasty as they were the day they were baked, as the curd tends to dry up a little. You could add a little fresh curd on each cookie on the Saturday.

Here are my Christmas Cookie photos! The green tea shortbread from up-thread: Green tea shortbread with various toppings - browned butter icing, green tea icing, caramel drizzle, crushed candy canes: Passionfruit curd thumbprint cookies: Korova cookies: Other photos can be seen here, and all recipes are available here.

Rather belatedly, here is the recipe for Green Tea Shortbread w/ Green Tea Icing. The shortbread recipe comes from the inimitable Martha. The icing is my variation on another icing recipe. The only hard-to-find ingredient is the green tea powder, which is sometimes sold as instant green tea. Martha does say that if you cannot find green tea powder, just use a spice grinder on Japanese green tea leaves. I'll try to get a photo later. Enjoy! <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe2679"><b>Green Tea Shortbread</b></a> <b>Green Tea Icing</b> ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar 3 teaspoons green tea powder 4 teaspoons milk Beat butter for 30 seconds. Sift in confectioners' sugar and green tea powder. Beat in enough milk to create a spreadable consistency.

Some friends and I are getting together this Sunday for a Christmas Cookie Collective. Now, since I bake a great deal throughout the year, I was aiming to bake some non-traditional cookies with unusual flavors. Here are the cookies I intend to contribute: Green tea shortbread with green tea glaze Vanilla thumbprint cookies with different fillings (lime curd, lemon curd, jams) Korova cookies (always delicious, especially with Maldon salt!) Chocolate-dipped pistachio and cardamom cookies Any other suggestions?

So what say you? Should croquettes be considered a potato pancake? They are made from potatoes and are vaguely pancake shaped.

With the end of the year approaching, I've been spending some time thinking about what I'd like to accomplish in my kitchen in 2006. To that end, I'm trying to compile a list of dishes, desserts, or foods that are difficult to cook well. So far on my list I have French macarons and dim sum. Can anyone contribute their ideas on dishes or foods that are hard to make well?

I got mine at Fairway, which is in New York. I've been told Whole Foods carries it, but YMMV. I couldn't find it at my local Whole Foods. Your best bet is probably to call ahead and ask. If you have the time, you can also get it online at <a href="http://www.thespicehouse.com/product/product_Orange-Flower-Water.php">The Spice House</a>.

Quick clarification on the above: the 32nd Street location does not have these cookbooks. At the 45th Street Jack's World, the prices seem to be as follows: - Bittersweet: $9.99 - Hot Sour Salty Sweet: $12.99 - The French Laundry Cookbook: $12.99 - Bouchon: $12.99 - Frank Stitt's Southern Table: $12.99 - Home Baking: $12.99 - Anatomy of a Dish: $9.99 These are amazing deals, and I ended up getting a copy of each of the above.

Hi all, I've been looking for a good source of loose tea in the NYC area, Assam tea in particular. I just don't like tea bags as much. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks, Sam.