andiesenji

I posted this earlier in Classic Cakes that need Resurrecting. It keeps very well, stays moist, is dense and a little goes a long way so it will serve quite a few people. For shipping, I would bake it in rectangular pans filled only half way, so this recipe should be divided between two of the standard 9 x 11 cake pans. Wrap each in foil (the new "Release" foil is excellent) as soon as they are completely cool then stack them and wrap in heavy duty foil, then place in one of the Jumbo bags with the zip closure. The Hefty One-Zip is 2 1/2 gallons, bigger than the other jumbo bags, and will hold this easily. There is no need to glaze it, the cake is rich enough to stand on its own without icing. Speaking of resurrecting "classic" cakes, this one is truly ancient. Here is a very old family recipe. The earliest mention of the cake is in one of my ancestor's journals ca. 1690. My great-grandmother found the "receipt" and deciphered the recipe in about 1880. Although it was prepared at other times of the year, it was always called Christmas Cake. I brought it up to date about 20 years ago when I was allowed access to my great grandmama's journals. I have continued to refine it right up to the present. Like many cakes of that era it contains dried fruits and is fairly heavy. You can use a combination of dried fruits, but the larger ones have to be chopped so all pieces are about the same size. I have used cherries, cranberries, blueberries, black currants, Zante currants, sultanas and my home-dried extra sweet seedless red grapes, dried plums, dried persimmons, peaches and pears. As long as the total amount is as listed in the recipe, it doesn't matter about the combination. I often make this for parties and most people love it. Technically it is a "fruit" cake but even people who do not care for fruitcake will eat this. Also like most of the English cakes that are served at tea, it keeps very well, as I have noted in the recipe. FRUITED COCOA CAKE original recipe ca. 1690 Notes: It is important to use Dutch process cocoa. I use King Arthur Flour's Double Dutch Cocoa and Black Cocoa Half and Half. However any Dutch process cocoa will do. 1 cup BUTTER unsalted 1-1/2 tsp SALT 1 tsp CINNAMON 1 tsp CLOVES, ground 1 tsp NUTMEG, ground 1 tsp ALLSPICE, ground 1/3 cup COCOA, Dutch process 3 cups superfine SUGAR 4 extra-large EGGS 3 tsp BAKING SODA 4 cups unbleached FLOUR 1-1/2 cups CURRANTS 1-1/2 cups DRIED CHERRIES 1-1/2 cups WALNUTS, chopped or pecans or macadamia nuts, etc. 3 cups APPLESAUCE, unsweetened chunky style if you can find it, even better is homemade. Preheat oven to 350 F Grease and flour a deep 11" x 15" pan or 2 10-inch square pans or 2 holiday mold pans. In a large mixing bowl (or mixer bowl) cream together butter, salt, spices, cocoa and sugar. beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Mix baking soda with flour and sift, reserve 2 heaping tablespoons. Instead of sifting the flour you can simply put it in a large bowl and run a wire whisk through it which does the same as sifting, i.e. fluffing it up a bit. Add flour to batter alternately with applesauce. Sprinkle the fruit and nuts with the reserved flour, toss to coat well and fold into cake batter. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cake tests done. (deeper pans will require longer baking) ORANGE GLAZE (Optional) GRATED PEEL OF 2 ORANGES 1/3 CUP SUGAR 1/4 CUP WATER 1 CUP ORANGE JUICE 3 TABLESPOONS GRAND MARNIER LIQUOR OR BRANDY Combine ingredients in saucepan, bring to simmer, stirring constantly, continue cooking until liquid is reduced by 1/2. Drizzle over cake ( I use a turkey baster and a perforated spoon as the glaze is too hot to dip my fingers into which is usually the way I drizzle icing) . After the glaze has set, decorate edges of the cake and the plate edges with powdered sugar sifted thru a fine sieve or use a cut-out pattern or paper "lace" doily.

I have a Villaware but I seldom use it just for myself. It is easier to use my grill pan with sear top (press). I use the electric one when I entertain and set out various breads, rolls and fillings so people can make their own.

A cup of strong tea (milk and suger(Splenda now that I am a diabeatnik) and a hunk of crusty bread slathered with home made or Euro style butter.

Baveuse? That's it: baveux thanks for the memory assist.

These guys have peppers which are a habanero/scotch bonnet cross. http://www.peteshydrohot.com/fresh.htm I know there are several people on the Chile-Heads list that grow Scotch Bonnets but I don't know if they have them for sale. Sign on to the list and post the question. They are a helpful bunch. If the information is out there they will provide it. I have been a list member for more than five years. Have attended hotluck meetings, great people. http://GlobalGarden.com/Chile-Heads/list_info.phtml This page has a huge list of links. http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Food/Condiments/S...Hot_and_Pepper/ email Susan Byers, The Chile Woman chilewmn@bluemarble.net She has over 100 varieties of chile pepper plants - great person to deal with. I can't find the printed catalog right at the moment but she may have the plants. They grow rapidly and do well in pots so you should be able to get a crop this year.

I used to go every year, always on Friday. I was showing dogs then and had a motorhome. The Santa Barbara shows were on the prior weekend Saturday through Monday in Buellton and I would stay with friends in Paso Robles on Tuesday and Wednesday and drive to Gilroy on Thursday, spend all day Friday at the festival and drive on to Livermore for that weekends shows. Needless to say everyone knew I had been at the festival. One year, while I was having photos taken of a win with one of my dogs, the judge remarked that when he walked up to examine my dog for the first time the aroma took him back to his first trip to France and his introduction to aioli. The dogs never complained........... I haven't been in recent years because it is difficult for me to walk around for more than a few minutes but I certainly enjoyed every time I did go.

This is the reason I microwave the mustard I make to adjust the flavor and lessen the bite. When it is first mixed, it is so strong that it can irritate the stomach. Heating will lessen this effect and you can use more. Your recipe sounds very flavorful. My other reason for heating is that the mustard will then keep much longer. And of course with processing and sealing it will keep indefinitely. I started growing my own many years ago. I was actully growing it for the greens but was away on a dog show circuit for a couple of weeks and the entire patch bolted (went to seed). I came home to 5 foot tall plants loaded with long seed pods. The stuff grows like a weed and because of our long growing season I can get three crops a year. I pick the leaves from the base of the plant while they are young so I actually get a double crop out of them. Nice!

If the jars are properly sanitized and the filled jars placed in a water bath afterwards, can the unopened mustard be stored in non-refrigerated storage? Nice recipe, Ihope to try it soon. Yes, that is the way I process them. The mustard itself is a preservative and will keep without refrigeration after opening as long as nothing is introduced into it that can spoil. In other words, use a clean spoon to take the mustard from the jar. Don't do as one of my friends did, use a knife to spread mayonnaise on a piece of bread then stick the same knife into the jar of mustard carrying a bit of mayonnaise along. When I yelled about it, he said he would just keep the jar of mustard in the fridge. He had no idea why I was so upset.

I forgot to mention that I also combine apricot jam with my homemade mustard sauce. Everyone who has tried it thinks it is super. I can't get into ImageGullet so can't post the pics of my mustard making. Or the apricot processing.

I have been cooking apricots, for the past couple of days. I also have both my dehydrators full of split apricots. I combine apricots with rocoto (also known as Manzano) peppers. Some people think they are hotter than Habaneros, but I don't. They have an apple flavor and the ones I grow are the same color as apricots when ripe. They are the only pepper with black seeds and I leave a few seeds in the conserve to identify the hot stuff, just in case the lable falls off. Some of this I combine with red onion/garlic marmalade which makes a killer sauce for grilled chicken or pork. I also combine apricots with lime marmalade, layering it in the tall "quilted" jelly jars to make it look like a parfait. I make a jelly from an infusion of anise hyssop (the root beer plant) and mix that with apricot preserves. However, the most popular combination I make is apricot/ginger.

If you are referring to a thin basting liquid, yes I do, but only on meats I am cooking with indirect heat, not on meats directly over the fire. I occasionall mop cold-smoked meats also, if the surface appears to be drying too much, too quickly. I start the meats with a dry rub and about half-way into the cooking I begin mopping every time I turn the meat. One would get flare-ups if mopping over direct heat. I have seen it done but prefer to do it my way.

At the first French method class I attended the chef instructed us in how to make a puffy omelet using no utensils, the pan had to be swirled a few times as the omelet puffed and then the omelet was flipped and returned briefy to the heat then almost immediately slid onto the plate. He did not want the eggs fully set, they had to be very soft. He used a term for this that escapes me at the moment. (Senior moment?) My first few tries were less than perfect, one was a disaster, omelet drape over the handle and my hand, ouch, but eventually I got it. He gave me my first "real" omelet pan, thin steel that practically has to be dipped in oil to keep it from rusting - I still have it....

I chop them and toss with a medley of steamed wild and brown rices along with crumbled crisp bacon. Tucked into pita this is very tasty.

So, Episure, What kind of mustard do you make?

It's nice to know that there is another enlightened soul who uses caramelised onions in homemade mustard. I love the flavor of carmelized onions, shallots, garlic, etc., etc. The flavor of oil roasted garlic is also wonderful. I am reluctant to take a chance on cold infused oil because of botulism so I roast garlic in a large glass Dutch oven in a slow oven for a long period. The garlic carmelizes in the oil, flavors the oil which can be bottled and sealed and doesn't need refrigeration. The garlic itself is canned in just enough oil to cover and it also makes great gifts. My kitchen is redolent of garlic until the exhaust system is able to filter it out, however I love it so no complaints from me.

I have never tried the greens bags, however when I have a lot of leafy greens from the garden, I wash them, then tuck them)5{-washed and bleached pillow case and place them on a plastic filing tray (just a grid, to allow air to circulate under the bag) on a middle shelf in the fridge (fridge has glass shelves.) I do dampen the bag with a spritzer if it dries out completely because of the fan in the fridge. They keep very nicely for at least three days. For iceberg lettuce, I have an ancient Tupperware lettuce keeper with a spike in the bottom which keeps the lettuce crisp and good for a very long time. I had a larger no-name one that worked even better, but a friend "borrowed" it and it has yet to find its way home again.

The base is always a bit sweet. That helps in the cooking to adjust the amount of bite in the mustard. The sweetness then can be tempered by adding other flavors. Capers or caperberries, some of the bitter herbs, horseradish, etc., I also add citrus zest or candied peel, chiles, ginger, garlic roasted in oil, carmelized onions. I have made mustard with stout, for a friend who likes it made that way. The possible variations are endless.

This may seem a bit simplistic, but if you remove the crisper drawers, put a thick terry towel on the bottom of the fridge, you can get a lot more produce in that space, you just have to be sure and put the heavy stuff on the bottom.

Just a thought, have you had your oven calibrated recently? Or do you have an accurate oven thermometer in the oven?

If you portion it out with a #30 scooper, onto a sheet pan in which you have scattered a layer of sweet rice flour. You can then put on a pair of the snug food-handler gloves, pat the gloves in the rice flour and roll the mochi between your palms. With the little scooper you will have portions all the same size and the rice flour makes it easier to handle the mochi.

MASTER MUSTARD RECIPE an Original Recipe by Andie First let me say that I grow my own mustard because I like to, however it is not necessary. You can find whole black and brown and white or yellow mustard seed in any Indian market and there are plenty around so you should have no difficulty finding a source. This is the basic mustard recipe I use - it is easy to adjust it for your taste and add various spices, herbs, condiments that make it to your taste. I use mostly black and brown mustard, however a yellow or white variety has crept into my mustard patch in the last few years and it now makes up about 5% of the total. (I am not going to pick them out one by one.) I do not use honey because one my friends has a severe allergy to honey or something in honey - so I use apple jelly for the basic sweetener in sweet/hot mustard, or half apple jelly and half orange marmalade, or whatever. This is for a coarse, homestyle type mustard which will not be creamy. Measure out 2/3 cup of the mustard seeds, dump them into a fairly fine wire strainer and shake to get rid of any bits of stem or hull that has not been removed in the threshing. Rinse with cold water and leave to drain in the strainer. In a glass jar with tight fitting lid place the following 1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar (seasoned or unseasoned). 1/2 cup sweet mirin or any sweet white wine. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon sugar - brown or white Add the mustard seed, close tightly and shake briefly Set aside and allow to soak overnight or at least for 8 hours, (you can leave it for days or even weeks, the seeds will not spoil, they will just get softer) If you are around, shake the jar a couple of times in the interval or stir it with a long handled spoon but if you don’t think of it don’t worry it is not absolutely necessary. Pour into blender and start on low speed, gradually increasing speed as the seeds break up. The mustard will begin to thicken, stop after a few minutes and stir to check on consistency, you may have to add a bit of water if it becomes too thick. (If the seeds have taken up all the moisture then you will have to add some liquid.) When the mixture just begins to hold its shape, stop blending and add 1 cup of either apple jelly, orange marmalade, red currant jelly, apricot jam - or a mixture of any or all. Continue blending until you can no longer see any whole seeds in the mix. Pour into a glass jar, cap tightly and refrigerate for a day or so the mustard can mature and mellow a bit. At this point this is going to be a fairly hot, sinus-clearing mustard. The mixture will thicken a little but should still be somewhat runny and will have a sharp bite. (tastes a bit "raw") THE NEXT STEP IS IMPORTANT! At this point it has to be cooked a bit to modify the flavor, reduce the "bite". You can cook it in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water until it thickens to spreadable consistency. OR You can do it in the microwave in just a minute or two. In a wide bowl or casserole dish, which will allow the mustard to foam up 3 times its depth without going over the sides, pour the mustard so it is about 3/4 inch deep. At 50% power, nuke it for 20 seconds- stir, repeat the 20 second cook, stir again and repeat....... This should take a total of perhaps 2 minutes (at most) cooking time. As you stir the mustard back down after it has foamed up, you will begin to notice that it is thicker and has begun to look slightly translucent and shiny. At this point let it cool and taste it. Some of the harsh bite should be gone but you should still be able to taste the spiciness. MOST IMPORTANT! This is the way to adjust the taste of the mustard. If you cook it too long the flavor will be gone. If you plan to add anything to it, such as mayonnaise, or mix it into sour cream or cream cheese or ??? leave it a bit spicer than you would if using it straight. The additive will lessen the pungency of the mustard and you will lose the "bite" of the mustard. Put the finished mustard back in the (washed and scalded) jar, cap tightly and store in fridge. Now you have a basic mustard to which you can add green peppercorns or horseradish, or cranberry relish, or chutney, hot peppers, etc. If you have an Asian market buy some of the sweet chile sauce (Mae Ploy is my favorite brand), which is not too hot and add some of this for a little different flavor, absolutely fantastic with pork or sausages such as bratwurst. You can mix it half and half with sour cream, mayonnaise or Miracle Whip for a mustard dip. Try it with veggies, with fried or grilled chicken strips. If you mix it with tartar sauce it makes a great dip for deep-fried crab balls.

I spent part of the morning mixing, blending and processing mustard seed into the base product that I will later "flavor" with various ingredients, then put up in jars and finish in a hot water bath. I have been making my own mustard for many years, it is really quite a simple process and I can have the flavors I want. It also makes a nice gift for a hostess or an addition to a holiday (or other occasion) gift basket. This mustard happens to be home grown, but mustard seed is readily available and I wondered why more people don't make their own, instead of paying some of the outrageous prices for some of the "trendy" mustards. I took a couple of photos, but ImageGullet is not available at this time so can't post them. Have you made mustard, either from mustard flour, or starting with seeds and if so, how did your product turn out and what varieties have you made?

Unless I am mistaken, the chef was only here for the period stated in the notice: Master Baker James MacGuire is here to answer all of your baking questions from June 1st thru June 6, 2004. That being said, let me answer your question. This vendor carried the almond powder: http://design-emporium.com/storefront/prod.../Mixes/4421.htm You can make the almond powder yourself by working small amounts of almond meal in a blender in brief bursts, then sifting the result through a very fine mesh sieve. It should have the texture of cake flour.

They look wonderful. My cherry varieties are coming along at about the same rate as most of the standards. The only one that is almost ready to pick is Celebrity, and it is loaded with fruit. I took this pic yesterday. Most of today I have been busy processing apricots. Because of the high temps we had earlier this month they ripened about 3 weeks ahead of schedule. I split and pitted 13 trays full that are now in the two Excalibur dehydrators. I pitted 7 pounds and cooked them down until I could put them through the food mill to remove the skins. That batch is in a large container in the freezer for later processing into preserves. I still have a bushel basket full and have to do something with them tomorrow. The pickers worked all day yesterday and will be back Monday to strip the tree. There are still a lot left but they are up in the higher branches. This is a very big tree, nearly 50 ft at the very top.

I suggest that you go to the library, get the April 2004 issue of Gourmet magazine and read a brief article on Page 49 about Chef Govind Armstrong. He was only 13 when Wolfgang Puck gave him a summer job at Spago in 1982 after seeing photos of hors d'oeuvres he made for his mother's parties. In high school he worked at City Restaurant for Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken. He recently opened his own restaurant in L.A.