andiesenji

There is absolutely no question that any writing produced by a fiction or non-fiction writer falls under copyright protection - just as my original paintings and drawings do - these are the product of that person's efforts. A list of ingredients does not fall under copyright protection because these are things that are in common use, public domain. The directions or methods, which are authored by the writer, are under copyright so direct copying is not permitted. However, if one changes the directions, in this case to instruct in how to prepare the recipe in a Thermomix, the altered recipe is considered an entirely new document. Dan Lepard is not the one who started this, it is this guy David Whitehouse, the publisher, who may be doing this on his own. So far, no one has heard from Dan Lepard what he thinks of the reaction this is getting.

You can saw them in half and fill each "cup" with a cherry and brandied cream. Sadly, I can't eat chocolate but one of the (more elderly than me) ladies in my book club does this trick.

Something interesting, for Thermomix folks, is a bit of action on Forum Thermomix that is rather perplexing. Dan Lepard's publisher notified Forum Thermomix that all recipes attributed to Dan Lepard were to be immediately removed. Link here. As I understand copyright law as it pertains to recipes, a list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted - however the directions or method and any photos are of course protected by copyright. What is odd in this instance is that all of the recipes that had been placed in Forum Thermomix topics had all been converted for the TM31 so the part of the recipe that did fall under copyright protection had been altered completely from the original. Nevertheless the person was adamant that no part of the recipe could be on the forum. Frankly, I would have never heard of Dan Lepard, had these recipes not been on the forum. This certainly does not make me anxious to buy any of his books, I had planned to buy one but this attitude has convinced me to find an alternate and I am not alone in this opinion. Thermomix fans are eager to buy books that have easily converted recipes and posting a few recipes seems to me to be good publicity. Other cookbook authors certainly understand this and don't rant about blog and forum postings that "steal" proprietary content. Being an artist, and having had some of my works lifted for COMMERCIAL purposes, I am sensitive about copyright protection, but if an individual uses one of my designs for something for personal use or to donate for fund raising, I have no objections. I know a lot of Peter Reinhart's bread formulas have shown up on various online sites and have prompted people to buy his books. I've never heard of him complaining.

I already weighed out the Sevilles that I need for marmalade, I only had five left to play with. I cut 3 into wedges and juiced the other two - needed another orange to fill up the quart jar so used one navel. I tasted the pulp in one of the juiced ones and it was quite sour but the peel is very aromatic but also much more bitter than the navel. So, in a month we shall see how these turn out. Previously I used little sour oranges but couldn't get any this year.

Mineral oil. I should note that the idea of a "food grade varnish" is absurd: regardless of the blend, once it's cured, it's inert. Period. "Food safe varnish" is just an expensive label, it's ALL food safe. This includes all of the varnishes with metallic dryers, etc. That's all I have ever used and I have a lot of butcher block counter tops, many wood cutting boards and chopping blocks and wood bowls, spoons and dough troughs. Mineral oil has never developed a gummy surface and it never gets rancid - as any oil from an organic source can.

You are welcome, dockhl. I received the crate of Seville oranges today and will be preparing a jar of the salted fruit tomorrow. I'm going to try cutting them into wedges, instead of just cutting them part way through. I've had good success doing large lemons that way, the cure seems to be more even than when they are done the traditional way.

I have one of these it is awkward for me to use as is so I turn it upside down, clamp it to a wood counter and grate the coconut into a bowl placed in a pulled-out drawer that's under the counter. It works quite well. However, since there is an excellent Filipino market in town, I buy grated fresh coconut or even the frozen stuff there. It's as good as the stuff I grate fresh for most recipes.

A guy in the hardware store last night recommended tung oil (over a harder-wearing tung oil blend with urethanes in it that I was buying for furniture) for cutting boards / other foodsafe apps. I'm enjoying your blog, Chris: the chocolates most of all, so far, for me too. Good to be able to share your Eureka moment ETA: as I've posted before, I use edible mineral oil on my own cutting board, sourced from a cosmetics supply outlet online. The only tung oil to use on items that come in contact with food is RAW tung oil. One caveat. Tung oil is pressed from a tree nut and people who have allergies to tree nuts (walnuts, etc.), can react to foods that have been in contact with a wood surface treated with the oil. Depending on how sensitive the person is, the reaction can range from very mild to severe. One of the volunteers at the local senior center had a severe reaction after using knives with wood handles that had been treated with tung oil. She has a severe allergy to walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, filberts &etc. I was called to fill in for her after she was hauled off to the ER. This was just before Thanksgiving last year so it is fresh in my mind.

Yes, Hero is generally pretty good. Still haven't found a quince jam, though, that isn't achingly sweet and tastes of nothing but sugar. I've made quince jam that turned out way too sweet and I modified it by re-cooking it and adding some strong Lapsang Souchong tea to give it a smoky flavor and the tea itself cuts the sweetness. I haven't tried it myself but a friend, after tasting my smoky version, cooked a batch with Earl Grey tea, brewing the tea double strength and says the tea really cuts the sweetness considerably.

I dump the dough out onto a sheet of aluminum foil and pat it into a rectangle (I wear gloves) Then "cut" the dough into squares with a plastic ruler - wrap in the foil and chill. When ready to bake it is easy to break off the squares and place on baking sheets. P.S. It chills more rapidly when it is in a slab.

I know the Berkeley Farmers Market used to have fresh masa - a friend was purchasing it there a year or so ago. Here's a link. Primavera is the "brand" I just phoned a friend in San Jose and she also recommended Mi Pubelo. She shops at the Story road market in San Jose.

There is an extensive topic here on eG about preserved lemons. There is also this site, with a popular variation If you do a Google search for Moroccan Preserved Lemons, you will get a plethora of sites with many recipes. The basic, traditional one takes 30 days but there are shorter versions and you can preserve a single lemon in a small jar to see if you like it, before going all out for the big, multi-lemon container.

I'm bumping this topic up to remind everyone to get out their favorite pancake/flapjack/griddle cake &etc., recipes and dust them off for tomorrow, February 21. I'm going to make a batch of Great Grammaw Sweeney's griddle cakes and a batch of crepes because I am hosting my book club for brunch. Today I am grinding meats for sausage patties and cooking some apples with cranberries for a compote to go with the griddle cakes. Anyone else have a favorite recipe they prepare for Shrove Tuesday? "National Pancake Day" will be celebrated at IHOP next Tuesday, February 28. Where a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes will be offered.

No one has mentioned microwave "baked" apples. I core an apple - especially like Golden Delicious fill the center with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar (I use granulated maple sugar because I buy it in bulk) add pecans, or other nuts, pistachios are excellent, dried cranberries - raisins are okay. I know someone who likes to fill the core with pepper jelly and sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top. Microwave on high (900-1000 watt oven) for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes, longer for larger apples, dense varieties can take twice as long. Top with heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, any cheese that you like, and allow it to "rest" for 5 minutes or so. The last procedure will save you from having burnt lips and tongue (I speak from experience).

I've tried just about every brand of seedless raspberry (and strawberry) jams because I often use them to fill between layers in cakes and to serve with cheese blintzes for brunch. I keep returning to Smucker's - in fact, I buy the seedless strawberry in the 32 ounce jars at Smart & Final because I use so much of it. It is my preferred filling for hamantaschen, thumbprint cookies, etc. and I routinely buy the 18 oz size of both the red raspberry and black raspberry seedless jams for similar applications. My second best seedless strawberry jams is the Knott's Berry Farm, also available in the 18 oz jars. To my taste the Bonne Maman preserves are too sweet. A couple of years ago a friend gave me a gift box of the preserves and the only ones I have opened are the Wild Blueberry and the Blackcurrant, neither of which really suited my taste. The Tiptree jams are also too sweet for me. I think I made the reference to the Rose"s Lime Marmalade (and posted a photo of the stash in my pantry. I buy a case every year as this is another that I use quite a bit and I have friends who expect to see it when they come for brunch or breakfast. It's another one that makes a nice filling for the hamantaschen and is to my taste, the ideal topping for an English muffin or crumpet that has been slathered with homemade butter. I have to add that if you want something really special, and don't mind the shipping costs, the jams made by the Baer company in Wyoming, are superior to others I have tried, although I haven't tried them all. I have the Red (tart) Cherry jam, the Dark (sweet) cherry jam and the Chokecherry jam. I have an unopened jar of the Jalapeño Pepper Jam. I ordered these on the recommendation of a friend who has a B&B in Cheyenne and serves these to her guests.

I've always liked iceberg lettuce - I even like it with the old-fashioned (and totally plebian) thick, "Russian" dressing that I remember from my childhood. I simply slice it crosswise from crown to stem so I have a few similar-sized rounds and some smaller pieces I can break up and distribute on top and then let my guests add their preferred dressings. When I have guests I set out several little side dishes of olives, capers, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and ?? so they can add their own.

My Mexican friends, who used to live next door, make a lot of dishes I would consider to be "casseroles" - take enchiladas, for instance. If you click on this link, and scroll half-way down the page you will see a title for Easy Mexican Casseroles. There is a list of various dishes that are like casseroles but are not identified as such in the language. My friend makes a sort of layered casserole in one of the huge cazuelas, starting the cooking on top of the stove with onions, meat and/or chicken and a basic sauce, to brown the onions and meat, then adding potatoes and various other vegetables, tortillas torn into pieces, slices of cured or pre-cooked meats, cheeses and whole chiles and then pours a meaty broth over the whole thing and puts it in the oven for an hour or so. Sometimes she omits the potatoes and adds rice instead. The way she makes it this serves about 25 people. She doesn't have a name for it but agrees that it is essentially a "casserole" as one is defined. She also makes a dish that starts with burritos that are layered with a sauce, either green or red, and "fresh cheese" and then topped with whole chiles and grated cheese then baked in the oven. I would consider this a casserole. In any event, the web site I linked to should provide you with plenty of ideas.

Usually peanuts have enough residual moisture and oil that they turn into butter at some point but from time to time I have run into a batch that has less moisture. I usually test them by mashing a couple of the nuts between two spoons after roasting and if they remain too grainy, I dump the nuts that are still hot from the oven into a pan of hot water (from the tap is okay) leave them to "soak" for no more than 10 minutes, then into a colander. From there I grind them, no matter the method I use, this works well for me. I do the same thing with hazelnuts, which seem to contain less moisture and oil after roasting. If the nuts have been roasted some time earlier and have been stored a while, I do a small test batch and if the result is too dry, I steam the remaining nuts for about ten minutes. This process does not affect the roasted flavor in any way.

A few may find themselves stuck on the top of some large "presentation" cookies that will be given to a friend who is a long-time Basenji breeder.

I'm bumping up this topic because I just ordered some "custom" M&Ms from My M&Ms.com. They aren't cheap but for a really special occasion - or whatever turns you on - they are fun. I ordered them with one of my basenji drawings (from 1977) on one side. And "BASENJIS YODEL" on the reverse. I chose the colors: orange and white rather than all one color.

If it is a saffron crocus, they do not flower until autumn. I have six and they usually bloom here in late October. In Santa Barbara they bloom about a month earlier. The leaves in the photo look a little wider than on my plants.

My Korean hair stylist friend (has been doing my hair for fifteen years), has a couple of these that she uses on a gas stove top and has a smaller one, similar to the one in your photo, that she uses on a little round charcoal brazier at the table. The meat juices drain down into a drip pan under the stone if it is like hers. I've been to her home a few times for traditional Korean meals where these were used.

First "Ski-Through" Starbucks opens in California. Link Here. Wouldn't you know it would have to be in California! Next, I can see an off-the-beach site for "surf-through" service.

Contact the UCLA library and ask if they can help. At one time they were accepting donations of cookbook collections. Also contact the library at USC. They now host the L.A. Times Festival of Books, (in April each year). Cookbooks It used to be at UCLA.

They are not that expensive - why not just get two? I have one I use on the BBQ but for indoors I use my Cuisinart Griddler.