jgarner53
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Posts posted by jgarner53
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For a praline, you definitely want the sugar on the darker side. I don't have my notes handy, but 370ºF seems a bit high for that, and more suitable for use as caramel coloring. The color of your praline looks fine to me, but if you prefer the taste of the lighter, use it.
One thing to consider, too, is that since you are grinding it up and adding it to something (buttercream) that is already sweetened, it may ultimately be too sweet. A darker, more bitter caramel in your praline might be a nice counterpoint.
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Survey time here.
I've heard and read of simple syrups being anywhere from 3 parts water to 1 part sugar to equal parts sugar and water (by volume) to 1 part water to two parts sugar. My pastry instructor has said one cup water to 2/3 cup sugar.
If you google "simple syrup," you get the whole gamut.
I know that different viscosities of syrup have different uses: thinner for brushing cake layers, thicker for uses in mixed drinks or candies.
Is there a definitive answer on what is the basic simple syrup? If you asked an assistant, say, to make simple syrup, would you provide a ratio, or expect that he or she would know which one to make?
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I have the shiny kind and have never had a problem with them. My crusts usually have enough butter in them that releasing isn't a problem either - no need for Pam or buttering the pan.
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Quince beaumes de venise cakes? Wow. Those must be heavenly.
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Katie's Cakery
mmmm.... (all lower case, with "Custom Cakes and Confections" underneath)
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let's think of a bunch of other ways of describing something that's "cooked to perfection."
"GBD" - Golden Brown & Delicious
courtesy of Alton Brown
Of course, this can only apply when the food in question is supposed to be GBD.
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I don't know if you've priced the Silestone and compared the cost to granite, but granite might actually be cheaper. I've heard that Silestone (and its DuPont cousin Zodiaq) are running about $125/sq. ft.
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Now you are assuming that people who are too dumb to realize that something with three burger patties, mayo, cheese and two heaps of bacon is unhealthy, can actually read..
You need a sign to tell you how unhealthy the burger is?People need warnings not to put their toasters in the bathtub. Yes, I think people need signs.
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On Food & Cooking (new ed.)
The Last Course - Claudia Fleming
Bittersweet - Alice Medrich
The Cake Bible - Rose Levy Beranbaum
I'm Just Here for More Food - Alton Brown (just cuz)
The Art of Cake - Paul Bugat (even if it's out of print, it can still be on my wishlist, right?)
King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion
Bread Baker's Apprentice - Peter Reinhart
Les Halles - Bourdain
Gee, can you tell I bake a lot?
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I particularly love the fact that cereals that used to have the word "sugar" in the name (Sugar Corn Pops, Sugar Smacks, etc.) have now dropped the word or changed it (to "honey" in the case of Sugar Smacks).
Like that makes the cereal healthier.
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How do the little salmonella buggies like the freezer? I'm wondering if frozen, then thawed egg whites would be any safer, salmonella-wise? I always have a bunch of egg whites in the freezer.
Of course, if your mousse/bavarian/foam-based dessert has yolks, it's a moot point.
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Well, I'm no expert on mousses, but using/eating raw eggs doesn't bother me at all. If there's an Italian meringue, I at least know that the egg whites probably were cooked enough, but even if they're just made into a French meringue (no heated sugar syrup), it's fine by me.
Pass the mousse, please!
As I understand it, technically speaking (and I think perhaps this is splitting hairs), but a mousse should not contain any gelating, being held together by the amazing power of eggs and whatever your flavoring ingredients are (like chocolate). When you add gelatin to hold it together, it becomes a bavarian.
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I used to be a huge cereal eater. Fortunately (?), mom let me eat most of the sugary cereals I wanted, except for Lucky Charms, so when I went to college, it wasn't quite as exciting to see the bottomless vats of the Cap'n and Cocoa Pebbles.
Most of the time I still eat cereal for breakfast, though I've felt lately like most are way too sweet, and I'm finding I want something more savory (or at least less sweet) in the morning, like steel-cut oats with brown sugar and dried cranberries. Once in a while, I'll still get a box of the sugary stuff (Crunchberries are a fave, as is Boo Berry when it's in season) and eat it as dessert. And if I'm staying over at a friend's for the weekend, where she has a big variety of cereal, I'll usually indulge there.
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Absolutely beautiful blog. Gorgeous, gorgeous food, and how great that you're so adventurous with your charming little amuses and whatnot.
I think that when I was your age (assuming, for the moment, that you are younger than me), doing something fancy meant adding ketchup to the meatloaf.
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If you can find a cave-aged gruyère, it's a revelation. I love all the little crunchy crystalline bits. P'tit Basque is another favorite, though probably harder to find and more expensive. Unstinky, too. Welcome to the world of cheese! Pull up a cracker!
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I got my "in" on the Thanksgiving cooking my first year or so out of college because I was aghast at the idea of buying pies, even from the family favorite chain Marie Callender's (and yes, now I think their pies are awful). Bolstered by an article in the SF Chronicle, I bravely volunteered to make the pumpkin pies, even though my crust-making skills were still, um, in development. But damn if this pie isn't the best damn stuff, and I've been responsible for it every year since. Fortunately, my crust skills have definitely improved. My husband (bless him!) calls me "The Pie Queen."
My husband is in charge of the cranberry sauce, which he usually makes with port. I usually help out wherever I can - mashing potatoes, making rolls, most of the time.
This will be the first year in a long time that we'll be at mom's, since my brother, whose house we normally descend upon, is taking his family to NYC. I've grown to appreciate their more gourmet fare, so mom's boxes of Mrs. Cubbison's will be a change.
But as long as you save the potato water to help thicken the gravy (it's only now that I understand why this is -- I'd always thought it was for flavor!), and use a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet, I'll be helping myself to plenty of the gravy!
And the gravy goes into the turkey noodle soup once the broth is done the next day. I'm as excited for this soup as I am for the dinner itself.
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This is appalling and if you ask me, borders on irresponsible. Given that most people aren't going to bother to check out the calorie/fat content of one of these thing before ordering, and given the number of people who eat fast food on a regular basis, it's like handing a fifth of Jack Daniels to an alcoholic and telling him not to drink it. So what if they're saying, "This isn't the burger you eat every day." People still will, and they're willfully contributing to a nationwide problem.
I agree with bleachboy that nutritional information should be posted as visibly as it is on every bit of packaged food that we buy in this country. If you bought this burger in the freezer section of your supermarket, the information would be there. Even better if they didn't portion out the burger (contents: 8 servings) and told you what you'd get if you ate the whole thing, which you will, with a side of fries and a 32-ounce Coke.
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Why would you need (or want) a stainless steel sheet pan instead of aluminum? Aluminum is a much better conductor, not to mention significantly lighter in weight.
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LMF, how did you and your husband learn about wine? I can barely remember what I drank last night with dinner. (maybe that's the problem
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The only way to eat Lik-m-Aid (or as I knew it, Fun Dip) was to eat as much of each individual flavor as you could get on the sugar baton, then carefully peel apart the dividers and stir the remainders together. And if you were really good, you could get all of the powder with one of the sticks, make your tongue bleed in the process, and still have another sugar stick leftover.
Pancakes and waffles don't get syrup, only butter. French toast, on the other hand, gets both.
When I was in about third grade, and taking ice skating lessons (ahh, what Dorothy Hamill did for skating rinks!), we'd get Abba Zabba bars out of the vending machine and take them into the bathroom to warm them up under the air-blowing hand dryers.
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this is just a fantastic blog! That garlic soup and the next day's goat cheese toasts are making my mouth water.
And your cat looks a lot like my sweet little guy.
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Molasses crinkles (without the spices) from the old red & white Betty Crocker cookbook
I have my grandmother's 1950 edition of this cookbook, and I love these cookies, as well as the molasses oatmeal ones (but without the raisins).
I will play now, as when I typed in this thread post, I was in a hurry and had to get to class (to bake florentines, tuiles, and macaroons, which I'd always thought were just coconut, but have sinced learned are not). Not a big fan of the French macaroon either -- too sweet -- which is my complaint about meringue-based desserts in general.
I love a great homemade cookie and rarely, if ever, buy a commercial or even a bakery cookie. Chocolate chip has to be chewy (warm is even better!) with no nuts. Oatmeal can sometimes get away with raisins, but must also be chewy, not crisp. Brownies, ditto - chewy.
I am, on general principal, opposed to the puffy or cakey cookie. Crispy has its place in sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, and I like shortbread that has a bit of a snap to it before your teeth sink into the buttery heaven.
When I was growing up, one of my favorite cookie treats were VandeKamp's bakery's seasonal sugar cookies (pumpkins at Halloween, hearts for Valentine's). They were more expensive than our usual diet of Flaky Flix, Circus Animals, and Gingersnaps (the animal-shaped kind that when you pressed between your palms, and made a wish, and if it broke into exactly three pieces, your wish would come true) and so a real treat. They were buttery and crisp, with colored sugar sparkling on top.
I don't know if rugelach count in the cookie category, but they're a more recent favorite of mine. One of my classmates complimented me last night that mine were the best she'd ever had.
I have chocolate chip dough in the fridge, right now, chilling. My recipe (courtesy of Alton Brown's chocolate chip cookie show) uses melted butter, so it must sit before being scooped and baked. I've been thinking about them all afternoon.
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We are starting (officially) cookies tonight in school.
What are some of your favorites? Do you like your chocolate chip chewy or crispy? What sells best? Obviously, biscotti and chocolate chip have different purposes (or not) and possibly different markets, but they're both still considered "cookies."
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Tacos - the American kind with the crunchy shell, seasoned taco meat, shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, etc.
The cheese has to go next to the meat so it melts. Duh. Doesn't everybody know that? And sour cream on top to help hold everything together.
Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 1)
in Pastry & Baking
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How would this recipe be adapted for using gelatin sheets? Just do an equivalent weight of sheets to granular?