Smithy

Mine too! I'll bet that chocolate was just the right note to set everything off to perfection. Thanks for the additional notes on what you'd do differently next time. It's nice to know that tried-and-true recipes (shortbread, filling) can be better than what the published pros recommend.

I'll post later about this hard-to-find item. We stock up when we do find it. For now, here's a photo of two boxes that came out of our stores.... and another that seems to have been retrieved just. in. time. It's in the trash, unopened. I'm glad it didn't explode.

Here is the topic: eG Chocolate and Confection Workshop 2015

Those look like wonderfully dense brownies. I favor brownies that run more toward the dense, fudgy end of the texture spectrum, rather than the airy, cakish end where the line between 'brownie' and 'cake' is nearly indistinguishable to me. It looks as though you're far, far from that line. Lovely photos, Anna.

Just as dried beans get too old to rehydrate properly, I would expect rice grains to do the same...although, if I were asked to bet, I'd be hard pressed to predict whether they would go rancid first. This is speculation on my part, however. I am notorious for keeping beans and rice far longer than the optimum storage time. I usually get away with it, but I've produced some rather crunchy bean dishes and downright rancid brown rice dishes because I kept them too long. In other words, I'm no expert on arborio.

Ha. There was just enough leftover filling for one person's lunch today. Cook's privilege! Edit: the sour cream froze overnight. I forgot to adjust the refrigerator's temperature setting after defrosting it.

We drove south and east from the Salton Sea, passing more dates, acres of row crops (many of this country's winter vegetables come from this area), feed lots and, of course, towns, and eventually drove back up above sea level. If "the big one" hit (the San Andreas fault runs through here) and re-opened this valley to the sea, as it once was, there would be hundreds of square miles flooded. We've moved on into the desert, far from water except when it rains. It had rained while we were at the Salton Sea (and a slimy mess it was, getting out) but judging by the puddles yesterday there was more water here. I wish, sometimes, that the internet had ways to convey aromas. The smell of the desert after a rain is sweet, and I look forward to seeing flowers bloom here soon. One of the reasons we'd been looking forward to getting here was to cook over a campfire, and that was yesterday's plan when I set out to fix dinner. The plan was campfire fajitas. There was a lot of washing, chopping and seasoning to do before I arrived at this: Maybe it's just as well we decided it was too cool to sit out by the campfire and cook. The plan was to cook each vegetable separately and add to a plate to keep warm, while the meat was sizzling. At this time of year it also has to be done by the light of the campfire and the Coleman lantern, because the days are still so short. (I know, it's much warmer and the days are longer than in northern Minnesota and points north of there! But that's why we're here. ) In retrospect, knowing that I used every scrap of counter space and oven, I'm not sure how I'd have made it work without things cooling off too much. There were also greens to spin and whirr with garlic and oil to make a sauce: Dinner was late. I'd considered inviting our quarter-mile-away neighbor to dinner before he cleared out. It's a good thing I didn't, or he'd have had to stay over for the night!

I have a friend who decorates her home with her scarves and has been known to make clothing from her old curtains, a la Maria and the Von Trapp children. It never occurred to me that old curtains (even the sheers) could be used in cookery also! Thanks!

"Glass curtain"? Google has failed me. Is this mica? Please tell more.

When you glue together two 1mm thicknesses, I wonder whether you'll end up with cracking (due to stretching of the outer strip or compression of the inner strip) when you try to bend them. Do you plan to curve them somewhat before gluing?

That's beautiful work, David. The peeled slices remind me of the lacy crisps that one gets from baking shredded cheese in little flattened patties until it's crisp - I forget what those are called (ducks head in shame) but they always look pretty when someone gets them right. Do you think, in retrospect, that the parchment paper blocked circulation? Would these have been more or less sticky if put on a grate over a baking sheet? Would you have been able to get them off the grate when finished?

Judging by the photos, it looks like the right-hand polish/shellac set came out prettier than the left-hand polish/shellac set. Is that the one you preferred?

That looks like something I'd enjoy if someone were to serve it to me. I admire your solution to the 'name in the mold' problem! :-D

Welcome, Chef Ruby. You've come to the right place for discussions such as these!

The Salton Sea Pelican Days Festival (3rd annual) was this weekend. I had hoped to be able to report on an actual tour of the Oasis Date Gardens, which we weren't able to get on our own last week. I'd also hoped for a covered-wagon tour (drawn by mules) of a nature preserve to the north, with information about how the Cahuilla lived off the land back in the day. I know they caught fish on this sea; they used mesquite; they used dates from the native fan palms. Those dates are much smaller and less fleshy than the commercial dates we know and love. The wagon tour ended with a barbecue. I couldn't get a booking on either of those trips. I did enjoy a wine and cheese meeting one evening! Yesterday's dinner was one of those things that belongs in the Journal of Irreproducible Results. Do you ever just throw something together and then wish you knew what you'd done? Last night's dinner was one of those, populated by things cluttering the refrigerator and counters. Onion, Japanese eggplant, broccoli, hot Italian sausage, the remainder of some citrus sauce and chicken juice from citrus roasted chicken, all over a pilaf. We agreed that the Italian sausage clashed slightly with the citrusy notes of the rest of the dish, but that it was well worth doing again. If only I could remember how. My notes consist of a simple listing, with my best guesses as to quantity. *(Screen goes all wavy)* Let the wobbly photo suggest nostalgia for a meal, rather than camera issues. I think it prefers sunsets. Today was, of all things in this desert, a rainy day. It was a great day to defrost the refrigerator and freezer, which desperately needed it, while ribs cooked in the oven. If we can move out of the slime tomorrow, we'll be traveling. I hate to leave this water, but it's time to go.

I'm a novice at fermentation, so most of my knowledge comes from books rather than experience...I hope more experienced people will chime in here. With my batches of sauerkraut I've kept an eye on the liquid level (make sure it stays covered), the odor, and the color / visible texture of the cabbage to see whether it was starting to soften and change color after about a week. The 'sniff test' happens every few days for me. With a clear glass jar I've been able to look see what's going on in terms of color and texture change; with an opaque crock I've had to use a clean spoon to lift the lid and poke down into the cabbage to see what's doing. Whether I *have* to do that so often is another question. After about 2 weeks I start to taste. The only part of these 'tests' that would require you to break the seal would be the smelling and the tasting. The larger issue, to me, seems to be the need to allow gases to escape. During active fermentation the bacteria are generating acid and carbon dioxide. If you vacuum seal your container, would you be leaving some head space so the gases could accumulate? I'm told that ferment explosions are, er, unpleasant.

It's true that lactobacillus fermentation is an anaerobic process; however, it isn't necessary to provide a totally air-free environment in the fermentation vessel. You just have to keep the stuff fully submerged in brine of the right concentration. You may find this article enlightening: Aerobic vs Anaerobic Fermentation Controversy in Sandor Katz's "Wild Fermentation" blog. Among other things, he says: "...lactic acid bacteria...do not require oxygen, but are not inhibited by its presence; in contrast, certain other bacteria (for example Clostridium botulinum) ... require a perfectly anaerobic environment." Unless kimchi is very different from kraut or cucumber pickles, I'd be leery of starting the fermentation in something where I couldn't periodically check the progress and make sure it's fermenting. I have no insight for you on the heat issue, however.

I'd forgotten about removing the backbone! Yes, I usually use shears for that.

I use more knife than shears, but the cuts sound much the same. I separate the leg quarters from the body, slicing between the thigh and chest and pulling the leg outward, then cutting through the joint. Wings get much the same treatment. Sometimes I use shears instead of a knife to snip the shoulder joints. (I haven't decided which works better for me.) Then I cut down the ribs to separate breast from back. If I'm going to do a boneless breast dish then I remove the breast meat from the bone at this stage; otherwise I mash that piece flat to break the breast bone and slice longitudinally down the middle. (My grandmother cut laterally instead, thereby ensuring an intact wishbone.) I've never messed with cutting the leg tendons. I'll bet your birds look better than mine. :-)

You mean the wish bone, as in you pull on it?

Anna, you're killing me. I have *got* to learn to make bread with such a texture. I'm enrolled in an online course; I only need to (a) set aside time and bandwidth, (b) go through the lessons, © do the exercises and (d) assimilate them as thoroughly as you have. That's all I have to do. Ha.

Hassouni, look what I found today! D'Artagnan's has posted Paula's recipe for Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Melting Tomatoes & Onions, with her permission.

I don't know. Doesn't pavlova get hard and crunchy? What would happen when you broke through it to the ice cream below? I think you need to try it and report back, Shelby. :-)

Welcome to eGullet, ChostChef. I'm with you on the 'classic' flavors: plain Ruffles or classic Lays potato chips for me. What does your friend's oven heating do with those chips, aside from heat them up? Do you think they seem more or less oily when they come out of the oven?

I second Haus Murphy's in Glendale. The last time we went they had an oompa band in the biergarten and excellent food inside. We were disappointed because the pork shank and sauerkraut which we'd been eagerly anticipating wasn't on the menu that night. We asked about it, and the watiress said, "Oh, we always have it. It's just that the regulars know to ask for it." One of us had that, the other had the sausage sampler, and we shared. The beer was good, too. That was over 5 years ago. I'm glad to know it's still there.