Abra

I forgot to mention Beemster Triple Aged Gouda. Aged 2 1/2 years, it's full of crunchy sweetness, a total pleasure to eat.

Worm's Whole Foods is definitely a serious cheese shop. They have a fantastic selection. My current fave, which I get at PFI but they might also have at WF, is Affidelice de Berthaut. It's a Chablis-washed relative of Epoisses, and I find it absolutely irresistable. You need a separate fridge for it, though, as it's so...fragrant.

I used to live in Saskatchewan too - they have tunnels at the airport now??? Wusses! It's so worth it to raise kids with good food. And I showed in my blog, my stepson came to me eating only Spaghetti Os from a can, and now is an expert pasta-maker in his own right. I think we can expect great things from Noah. We've been to Vancouver several times, but now I'm really looking forward to our next visit, now that I know you guys, and now that Moosh has shown so many delicious places to visit that I'd never heard of before.

I haven't made these myself, but a lot of people swear that these Moomie's buns are the best that you can make at home. I think I'd make this recipe myself, if I were trying to make BBQ buns at home.

See, Jack? Told ya so! Squishy white bread is where it's at.

That Filipino lunch food looks so good. The only "Filipino" food we get here, even though we have a pretty good Filipino-American population, is bland, gummy pancit and forgettable, greasy lumpia. I wish I'd been at that lunch, and than at the Chinese dinner, which includes some dishes I've never seen, much to my regret. You guys sure eat well up there!

Beautiful photos of your striking library and mouth-watering breakfast!

Use it to make a savory pastry shell for something good. Use it for sauteeing vegetables.

As far as I know, the clostridium botulinum spore is found in the soil, hence my plan to exclude any element that might have had soil contact. Is anyone here a preserving expert? I oughta know this stuff better!

I love Vancouver blogs! Being just a couple hours south of y'all, it's a little vicarious vacation to see your town. And since you're the Moosh household, and she's rather a large and imposing cat, I'd call her...Smoosh.

I'm pretty sure that absent garlic or fresh herbs, there's no vector for botulism, but that doesn't mean that it can't spoil in other ways. Jay, do you have a reference on that water issue? I'd love to see something definitive. Actually, I'd love to see a bunch of people saying "go ahead, no problem, we do it all the time!" DRColby told me he's kept tuna confit for a couple of months in the fridge, and that it was only poached in the oil for 10 minutes. He's very much alive, but I wish I had a few more warm bodies to reassure me.

Paula, you have cheered me up! I just hated to think of all that vin de noix going down the drain. I'm going to taste it tonight and see if it's mellowing.

I don't know about the texture change, if it's been cooked, and is in oil. I'm hoping that someone has experience with htis sort of dish. And really, I want to leave it sealed for a couple of months, as opposed to dipping into it regularly - I should have been more clear about that part. I have a special Thanksgiving-time dinner party that would really benefit from this dish.

I've lucked into a bunch of fresh-caught albacore (thanks, DRColby!), and I want to make it last. I've been thinking of tuna confit, but all the recipes I've found say to use it, even though it's in the fridge, within 3-10 days of preparation. Here's one recipe, edited to meet guidelines. Incanto's Tuna Confit 2 pounds albacore or yellowfin (ahi) tuna, in one piece 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground fennel seed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seed 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes 2 sprigs each fresh thyme, parsley and basil 2 bay leaves 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled Zest of 1/2 lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler Extra virgin olive oil to cover, approximately 11/2 quarts Basically you marinate the tuna in the herbs and spices, then cover it with oil and oven-poach for half an hour. I'm wondering how to make it last for a couple of months. If I leave out the garlic (and possibly the fresh herbs) and put it in the fridge completely covered by the oil, do I need to worry about spoilage? Should I freeze it in the oil? Should I give up on this idea?

I find the shaping technique fascinating. Since it's a very wet dough, I naturally compare it to the Crocodile Bread. That, however, takes 3 days to make but never sees any time in the fridge. The notion of having a chilled dough to shape is very appealing. And that stretching technique is not like anything I've seen - it's quite cool!

Wow, bravissimo! Now that is a recipe. It's haute turducken. Tres haute. Very impressive!

Nice demo, Moby. I haven't had good luck with puff so far, but I'll follow along with you and see it I do better. How about the recipe for that luscious-sounding tourte?

Thanks for blogging during such a hard week! It was a wonderful little peek into a corner of the world I never get to see.

Relax, you can't get botulism from marmalade!

That's a really unusual technique, Becca. I printed it out and might have to try it. Jack, I did throw 1/4 cup of water on the floor of the oven three times, but it sounds like you'd recommend a full cup just once. I normally do rtard doughs, and maybe I'll try retarding this one after the loaves are shaped. IrishCream, I reduced the flour because generally I find that slack doughs make better breads. I might increase it ever so slightly the next time, but I don't think that will make the crust crisper, just make the dough easier to handle. I'm wondering whether the rice flour proportion is optimal, but I don't know how to tell, other than endless comparison trials.

What would be your take on getting a crisp crust, Jack? Just less proofing?

I'm watching your trials with interest, since I'm trying to solve my own baguette problem. If any of you serious bread bakers have a minute to look over here, and give me advice, I could really use the help too. Jack, have you tried the Crocodile Bread recipe from Carol Fields' Italian Baker? It yields the biggest hole/bread ratio of any bread I've made. It gets 17 minutes of kneading with the dough hook, which is pretty different from the quick-whiz in the processor technique.

Just gorgeous! Please do PM me the tomato pancakes. I have a party coming up that could really use those. What else would be good with them, other than caponata? Nothing at all against caponata, mind you, just wondering what the alternatives might be.

I see that Marya beat me to identifying the cataplana, and here I made myself a caipirinha as a prize for good guessing. So, now this one's for you, johnnyd Those mussels look killer, and similar to some I make with Pastis, fennel, and saffron. Corn is an inspired accompaniment - I'll have to try that. What a delicious blog you're cooking up!

The crumb was very light when the bread was fresh, but today, after 24 hours, it's relatively dense. And there's no remaining vestige of crispness. I guess it's a given that baguette only lasts a day, so that doesn't worry me a lot, but I'm wondering how to get a crust that will stay crisp/brittle, while keeping the fluffy open crumb I have already.