andiesenji

While hunting for something else, I came across this. 8 1/2 quart Calphalon saucier with lid I have this particular piece, however I paid considerably more for mine 4 or 5 years ago. The width is great for browning things evenly and it fits in my small convection oven.

Regarding a nutcracker for splitting walnuts in half to save the shell. A little earlier I went to a "Christmas botique" at the church down the street. One of the booths had a bunch of little ornaments made from walnut shells, acorns, pine cones and other woodsy stuff. I asked the old man who made them how he split the walnut shells so perfectly and he said he uses a thing made for oyster shucking. He said it is just a board with a groove in it and a "square" blade that is hinged at one end. Surely there is a picture of one somewhere on the web. It's probably too late for this year but maybe for future reference..........

I am surprised that anyone has had problems with TJ's milk products. In every store I have visited, and I have been to many in SoCalif., the deliveries of milk, yogurt, cream, cottage cheese and etc., are all wheeled from the truck right into the walk-in refer that has pass-through to the display shelves. The cheeses, meats and other deli items are rolled out on carts in small batches and are rapidly placed in the cold display cases. I have never had a problem with any of their products. I have occasionally found an item that was outdated the same day or next day and have shown it to a clerk and had them take it away and bring out the product with a much later date. I like the packaged vegetables and fruit because I find they have fewer bruises than in regular stores where stuff is tossed around by other shoppers and gets bruised, fingernail punctures and etc. I do look carefully at the items in the packages to make sure they are not past their prime. If you have a problem with any of their products, speak up. They want to know if any customer is unhappy with any of their products. I am a big fan of all of their dried fruit and nut products - I have yet to find any that are not superior to other commercial products. When I don't have time to make my own, these are my choice. Whole foods markets are bigger and have more items and have their produce loose so one can pick and choose. The only problem for me is that there is no WF near my home.

Did you also try the "European Style" dutched before Hershey's stopped making it? If so, how does the Special Dark compare to it? Like I said, I thought the "European Style" was very good for the price. ← Yes, I have tried just about every kind of cocoa ever offered in the U.S, including some terrible stuff sold under the old "Springfield" name quite a few years ago that I will never forget. It had little cocoa flavor, it tasted like cardboard - really weird. Right now I have all four of the ones carried by King Arthur, plus various amounts of Ghiardelli, ScharffenBerger "natural", Callebaut, Droste, Schokinag, and three or four kinds of Cargill/Gerkens (which should probably be tossed because it has been around a long time.) This article has an excellent (and only slightly technical) explanation of why different cocoa products react in different ways. I think I included this link in a post a year or so ago when we had a previous discussion about cocoa powders of various types.

I just took the book(Olive Trees and Honey) down off the shelf and note that it was published in November 2004, so it is not technically a 2005 publication. However, I did not see it mentioned until shortly before I ordered it. It was mentioned on the cookbooks discussion list, CookbooksEtc., and I often rely on the opinions of the members. Most are avid cookbook collectors, all are dedicated to finding the "perfect" cookbook.

I also bought Spices of Life by Nina Simonds at the same time as Olive Trees and Honey and it too has become one of my favorites.

Has anyone mentioned Olive Trees and Honey, by Gil Marks, a wonderful book of Jewish vegetarian recipes? I came across this back in late spring and have prepared many of the recipes that are made with simple ingredients and yet produce extraordinary dishes. The history and explanations of how many of the recipes evolved is a wonderful read and very entertaining. I am non-Jewish but the rich heritage of the foods and traditions fascinated me and often kept me reading into the wee hours.

I forgot to mention that I beat in the softened butter a tablespoon at a time for small batches, for large batches it should be only a fraction of the total volume added and completely beaten in (on high speed) before more is added. You didn't mention how you incorporated it - When I make a buttercream with whole eggs, I do heat the mixture after I have added the syrup to the beaten eggs and continue beating over simmering water until thick, and about 160 degrees F. I then continue beating until it is at room temp then add the flavorings. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. However I seldom use this type of icing now, since there are easier methods for home baking.

Did you try chilling it and beating it again? There are a bunch of icing recipes here and I have used many with excellent results. The cream cheese frostings I have tried are exceptional. some are big recipes for professionals but some are small batches. I have used the coffee cream icing -adding a tablespoon or so of sweetened cocoa for a mocha flavor. Adding liquor to some mixtures can cause curdling.

Which cake?

If you use regular, "non-Dutched" cocoa powder, you must use a little baking powder. Otherwise they don't have the little "spring" that is desirable. Although they do not rise as much as some cookies, they do puff a little and then develop a "crackle" top, which shows up nicely with the powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Also, the cookies do not have the same texture and are not as dark, even plain "Dutch process" cocoa turns out a darker cookie (almost as dark as Oreos) than regular cocoa. This is a very old recipe from before baking powder was around. Actually, the original "receipt" listed baker's ammonia powder, however, because it is so difficult to find for most people, I changed the recipe many years ago. I do use baking ammonia for a couple of cookies but have not altered or published those recipes. I didn't realize that Dutch process cocoa was so expensive. I saw a display of Hersey's Special Dark Dutch process cocoa at one of the markets here for 2.69 for an 8-oz can. If I didn't already have a good supply of the stuff, I would have stocked up. I think the Special Dark is an excellent product.

I found a camel! Here.

Just for information, there are a lot of cookie presses on ebay, including the old Mirror aluminum and the dial a cookie, in addition to just about every kind ever made. Many are "Buy it now" so you don't have to wait for an auction to end. I have several, some very old, some fairly new. My neighbor has a "Pampered Chef" which is all plastic but she likes it because it makes bigger cookies. I have the old Hamilton Beach super shooter which is also mostly plastic and cordless. It works so-so but was great for the kids to use. WearEver also made a super shooter but it was corded - also mostly plastic. I have a Salton with metal discs, but don't recall if it is corded or cordless, haven't looked at it for a long time.

I have ordered the "perfect apple slicer" and will report on its effectiveness. Regarding the thermometer, there is a discussion in this thread that discusses and has links to sites with these thermometers. I have used several and they work but there is a distance limit.

I haven't adjusted any recipe particularly with using the black cocoa. The main thing is that it really reacts well with buttermilk and with sour cream and you get a better rise. regular cocoa requires the use of baking powder, instead of just a little baking soda. I have never used the stuff by itself, it never occurred to me, I wanted something with more of a bittersweet flavor and this works well - it particularly complements cherries, raspberries, etc.

I certainly did not agree with their review of the DLX 2000 mixer, which I have had now for a few years. They did not recommend it at all, refering to it (as I recall, perhaps not exactly) as a "vast wasteland" - - - Too large for mixing whatever they put in it. They described their testing of it but it was obviously not a test that was appropriate for the size of this mixer. It is not and has never purported to be something for "normal" use. It is a mixer for making large batches of bread and other things - It does have the beater bowl for whipping egg whites, and smaller batches and it does a marvelous job on those. But in the steel bowl, you can't mix a regular batch of cake batter. I use it for cake batter when I am filling 4 very large (long) loaf pans, 4 tube pans, 2-3 12 inch layers, or a full sheet pan. Their evaluation, in my opinion, was unfair and I wrote and told them so. I know several home bakers who have the DLX and who do several loaves at a time, multiple batches of rolls, etc., they all love it. I have a KA and have done a side by side test of beating egg whites, using a copper liner in my KA bowl and the plastic bowl with the twin beaters on the DLX. The volume in the DLX was greater than the volume in the KA when both batches were turned out into bowls of the same size.

I have been using it since they began selling it. I use it in my Fruited cocoa cake RecipeGullet cocoa cake Which I usually make for Christmas but also during the rest of the year. I also use it in my cocoa cookies, which is not yet in RecipeGullet, although I have posted it somewhere on one of the cookie threads. When done correctly, with the ingredients as listed - i.e., Dutch process cocoa, these cookies are both crispy and chewy at the same time. I have modernized the recipe and made it in a more reasonable size for today. The original made hundreds of cookies. Cocoa Cookies The original of this recipe is over 200 years old. It has been made in my family for at least that long. These cookies are the most intensely flavored chocolate wafer cookies of any I have tasted - We always had them for Christmas and on special occasions when grandma made ice cream. These cookies are excellent keepers if stored in a tightly closed tin. (however the tin has to be in a locked vault or secret hidey-hole, otherwise they disappear like magic) *Please use only "Dutch-process" cocoa the other kind doesn’t work in this recipe. I recommend the Double Dutch cocoa from King Arthur Flour and often use this mixed half and half with the Black cocoa from the same source. Unsalted (sweet) butter 1 stick Sugar 2 cups cocoa (*Dutch process) 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon egg 1 vanilla 1 teaspoon flour (all purpose) 2 cups baking soda 1 teaspoon cream butter and sugar, add cocoa, water and salt. beat the egg and add with vanilla to the mixture. sift the flour and soda together twice then gradually sift it into the batter, continue beating until flour is completely blended. Turn out onto plastic wrap, flatten to about 1 inch thick, wrap dough tightly and refrigerate at least overnight. I find that the flavor deepens as the dough is stored longer in the fridge. to bake, preheat oven to 350° Allow dough to come to room temperature. Dough can be rolled out between 2 sheets of wax paper to less than 1/4 " thickness. Cut into 2 " rounds, dust with powdered sugar (or vanilla sugar) and bake on baking parchment, or on greased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes but watch carefully, some ovens bake quicker than others - in my convection oven, they bake in 7 minutes-maximum, but often are ready at 5 minutes. Using baking parchment is much easier - just slide the paper off the sheet and allow to cool then ease the cookies off the paper - they should be crisp as soon as they cool Otherwise you have to be very careful removing them from the cookie sheets and the sheets have to be washed and re-greased before the next batch. Option #1 This is the easiest for novice bakers.... Form dough into a rope 3/4 to 1" (Tootsie-roll size) in diameter. cut into 1" sections, roll into a ball, roll in powdered sugar (or vanilla sugar), place on baking parchment, flatten with bottom of a hobnail glass dipped in powdered sugar or the vanilla sugar, bake as above. Option # 2 roll out very thin right on baking parchment. Using a pizza cutter, pie-crust cutter, crimping roller, etc. cut into strips, straight or wavy, or into squares, triangles or diamonds. Slide baking parchment onto a cookie sheet and bake as above. Slide parchment onto a cooling rack. when cookies have cooled enough to touch, roll into cylinders and dust with powdered sugar or let cool and dip one end into melted white chocolate. These wafers can also be broken up and sprinkled over vanilla ice cream. Also can be rolled between sheets of baking parchment to make crumbs that can be used to coat cakes that have been smoothly frosted with buttercream or sour cream or even the old faithful "7-minute" frosting.

You never know when a TJs is going to pop up in your neighborhood. A friend who was out here a couple of years ago for a dog show was bemoning the fact that we had TJs and they had so many goodies that she couldn't get at home. A few months later I got an email saying that she was on her way to an appointment and nearly caused an accident when she saw a Trader Joe's sign and hit her brakes. The Alexandria, VA store had just opened. She said all during her appointment she was barely able to concentrate and as soon as possible got away and made a (very expensive) stop at TJs and stocked up on a lot of goodies. Write to them, get your friends to write, ask and explain the customer base in your area. That is what we did to get one in the Antelope Valley. We sent population distribution statistics. The store has been busy since the minute it opened.

I think I have an answer, or at least a recommended recipe. I was chatting on the phone with an elderly friend last night and mentioned this thread because Susan used to work at Bullocks-Wilshire as a buyer. She retired when the store closed but still gets together with some of the people she worked with for so many years. She said the last time they met, they were discussing things they loved in the Tea Room and how much they missed some of the pastries that were nowhere to be found. However, one of the ladies had discovered that there were recipes to be found on line (those mentioned in earlier posts) and also that the almond filled "coffee" ring was identical to Danish Kringle. It was definitely a Danish dough, not a regular sweet roll dough. Although some bakeries do not make a distinction and call some sweet rolls "Danish", there really is a distinct difference. She sent the link to my friend and Sue just sent it to me, so here it is. Danish Kringle recipe Susan says she was not a big fan of sweets. Her favorite thing was the Chicken pot pie! The best, most flakey crust she ever tasted.

I like mine baked on the griddle or sometimes I use my soapstone comal and occasionally I do bake them in the oven but we prefer the griddle (or spider) as my grandpa's cook called it. We had a huge wood/coal kitchen range and one of my cousins from the UK, who stayed with us during part of the war, showed me how to split them, stab them on a fork and toast them over the coals when one of the lids was removed from the top. If caught, I got scolded and he got paddled. He was a Davies, from New Quay, however the way he pronounced it (Nikke) I could never figure out where it was on the map in our big old atlas until my grandpa pointed it out. When my grandfather came here from England, four of his older children stayed there as they had families and businesses. During the war, the kids such as Enoch, who lived near the coast, or other places that might be in danger, were sent to stay with our grandfather. In Kentucky. At first I couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand us. I think they all went home with a bit of southern drawl grafted on to their own accents. Some of our foods were odd to them but they took to grits, sausage or ham and eggs with biscuits readily, although we did have some confusion about the names of things.

Cocoa cookies for Christmas or anytime! When done correctly, with the ingredients as listed - i.e., Dutch process cocoa, these cookies are both crispy and chewy at the same time. I have modernized the recipe and made it in a more reasonable size for today. The original made hundreds of cookies. Cocoa Cookies The original of this recipe is over 200 years old. It has been made in my family for at least that long. These cookies are the most intensely flavored chocolate wafer cookies of any I have tasted - We always had them for Christmas and on special occasions when grandma made ice cream. These cookies are excellent keepers if stored in a tightly closed tin. (however the tin has to be in a locked vault or secret hidey-hole, otherwise they disappear like magic) *Please use only "Dutch-process" cocoa the other kind doesn’t work in this recipe. I recommend the Double Dutch cocoa from King Arthur Flour and often use this mixed half and half with the Black cocoa from the same source. Unsalted (sweet) butter 1 stick Sugar 2 cups cocoa (*Dutch process) 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon egg 1 vanilla 1 teaspoon flour (all purpose) 2 cups baking soda 1 teaspoon cream butter and sugar, add cocoa, water and salt. beat the egg and add with vanilla to the mixture. sift the flour and soda together twice then gradually sift it into the batter, continue beating until flour is completely blended. Turn out onto plastic wrap, flatten to about 1 inch thick, wrap dough tightly and refrigerate at least overnight. I find that the flavor deepens as the dough is stored longer in the fridge. to bake, preheat oven to 350° Allow dough to come to room temperature. Dough can be rolled out between 2 sheets of wax paper to less than 1/4 " thickness. Cut into 2 " rounds, dust with powdered sugar (or vanilla sugar) and bake on baking parchment, or on greased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes but watch carefully, some ovens bake quicker than others - in my convection oven, they bake in 7 minutes-maximum, but often are ready at 5 minutes. Using baking parchment is much easier - just slide the paper off the sheet and allow to cool then ease the cookies off the paper - they should be crisp as soon as they cool Otherwise you have to be very careful removing them from the cookie sheets and the sheets have to be washed and re-greased before the next batch. Option #1 This is the easiest for novice bakers.... Form dough into a rope 3/4 to 1" (Tootsie-roll size) in diameter. cut into 1" sections, roll into a ball, roll in powdered sugar (or vanilla sugar), place on baking parchment, flatten with bottom of a hobnail glass dipped in powdered sugar or the vanilla sugar, bake as above. Option # 2 roll out very thin right on baking parchment. Using a pizza cutter, pie-crust cutter, crimping roller, etc. cut into strips, straight or wavy, or into squares, triangles or diamonds. Slide baking parchment onto a cookie sheet and bake as above. Slide parchment onto a cooling rack. when cookies have cooled enough to touch, roll into cylinders and dust with powdered sugar or let cool and dip one end into melted white chocolate. These wafers can also be broken up and sprinkled over vanilla ice cream. Also can be rolled between sheets of baking parchment to make crumbs that can be used to coat cakes that have been smoothly frosted with buttercream or sour cream or even the old faithful "7-minute" frosting. ( RG1531 )

andiesenji - I made your brittle last night, with salted, roasted Virginia peanuts - it was fantastic! Just as good or better than stovetop brittle and WAY easier. Never imagined I could make great peanut brittle in 10 minutes. I used the minimum suggested minutes for microwaving at each step. For the corn syrup I substituted King golden syrup. Thanks for the tip on using golden syrup, and for sharing the recipe. ← I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. I demonstrated it here at the office a couple of years ago and now the "girls" make it every so often for a treat (usually when the popcorn is absent). We have a SS surgical tray on a stand on which the Release foil is place. The SS always seems to be really cold so the stuff cools very rapidly on it. At one of the local department stores I demonstrated it a few years ago and they still do it when they are demoing a new microwave. It always impresses the customers. P.S. And speaking of popcorn, you can, if you have good heavy rubber gloves that are well buttered, use the stuff for popcorn balls - or in some cases when it sets up really fast, popcorn slabs.

I have about 40 recipes for Welsh cakes and only about 10 or 12 do NOT list some sort of spice, many just list "mixed spice". Here's another Some of the old receipts in my great grandmother's journals list either nutmeg or cinnamon or sometimes "West Indies pepper" which is actually allspice. You are correct that sultanas were preferred, however sometimes black raisins had to be substituted because sultanas were not available.

Are you referring to this Coffee crunch cake? Note that this site: Message board Has a note about a bakery that sells at least two of the Blum's cakes. some time ago I found a site that has a recipe for Blum's Coffee Toffee pie. I will see if I can locate it and post it later. found it! Nelson family recipes You have to scroll nearly to the bottom. Also more Blum's recipes at Uncle Phaedrus Check 12/26/03 for the crunch cakes recipes. 7/24/03 has the Magic Pan Banana Crepes Chantilly. In fact, if you look at all the lists, there are several Magic Pan recipes I will warn you now, you can spend a lot of time looking just at the lists. I certainly have whenever I have visited the site. I finally resorted to printing out the page with the dated lists to make it easier.

I discovered this recipe about four years ago and have been very pleased with the results. If you need to convert it, let me know and I will post a site that has all the conversions you might need. I have a scale that shows metric as well as oz/pounds. I use a little more of the sweet spice mix than called for. It is a personal taste thing. My spice mixture is made up ahead of time as I grind my spices fresh, then store the mix in a little airtight jar. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/8 teaspoon black pepper Sometimes I substitute cardamom for one of the first three. I also sometimes add some grated orange peel, about 1/2 teaspoon, rounded.