Fernwood

Erin, This recipe sounds yummy and I want to make it! As posted on Epicurious, it calls for 10 oz of chicken for 4 servings. Would you please look at the recipe and tell us if you use more chicken in proportion to the other ingredients? Also, I am a little blank about the prep for the cucumbers, "sprinkle the cucumbers with a few pinches of salt, rubbing it into the flesh, then rinse. This lessens the aroma of the cucumber and gives it a good green color." I am guessing these small cucumbers are not the same as the standard American supermarket ones, but do we assume that they are peeled before they are rubbed with salt? Any additional insight about this step? Thanks, Fern

I came across this one just a week or two ago and printed it out to paste inside my pantry door. From the Fantes Kitchen Wares Shop website. I can't vouch for the information, but I like the format. Maybe some eGulleteer who knows the field will look it over and tell us if we should take it seriously. Fern

I am looking at a recipe for Crab Curry which specifies separate quantities of "brown crabmeat" and "white crabmeat" to be treated differently in the course of preparation. I didn't know what brown crabmeat is, so I googled a bit and found many references, most of them on British sites. (The recipe is attributed to Jamie Oliver.) On this page Gordon Ramsay describes how to extract white crabmeat from claws and body, then he says to "scrape out the brown meat inside the main body shell...." It sounds to me as though white could be equivalent to "lump crabmeat" in US retail. Is brown crabmeat commonly marketed in the US? I live in New England and eat soft-shell crabs often enough, but I guess I don't have much experience in dissecting crabs and classifying the meat. Is the brown crabmeat actual muscle meat, or is it really the 'other stuff'? Please educate me! Fern

Decimal check: 0.1 mg/kg would be only ~6 mg for that 135 lb person. Based on your formula, if just 1% of the tonka beans' weight is extractable coumarin, you could be getting something like 28 mg/oz in your bitters, putting your content per teaspoon very close to the "tolerable daily intake." But that is only a hypothetical exercise; I have no idea how much coumarin might be extracted from 225g of tonka beans.

For Easter dinner I am trying to channel a dessert my godmother used to make decades ago. We all remember lemon filling, meringue, almonds on top. I think there was a layer of cake involved, as well. Googling around, I came across this recipe for Blitz Torte. It may not be quite what my godmother made, but with a lemon filling I think it will be close enough. Well, it would probably be close enough, but I can't resist the temptation to tweak a bit. I would like to make the cake layers almond-y. I think I would like a bit more meringue in proportion to cake. Can I bake a meringue topping over any butter cake-type batter? The linked recipe proportions are 4 oz butter : 4 egg yolks : 3.5 oz sugar : 4.5 oz flour : 1.5 oz milk and they refer to it as "stiff." Should I just add almond extract to the recipe given? Can I add ground almonds, as well? Is there an almond cake recipe that I should consider, instead? Would it be OK to increase the meringue volume by 50%--is it likely to affect the way the layers bake? I have already made the Pierre Herme lemon cream for the filling. I assume that these meringue-topped layers would not do very well baked (one day) ahead, but I'd love to hear otherwise. I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks, Fern

I baked the Peanuttiest Blondies for the first time this weekend. They were delicious, and very well-received. While they were baking I was a little surprised at how much they rose, but this evolved into a top crust that set up crunchy and levitated over a chewy moist base, with a substantial air gap in between. It all tasted great, but it made them awfully hard to cut neatly. Did I do something wrong? I think I was quite faithful to the recipe (I used Skippy creamy for PB and mini-chips for chocolate). I prepped the pan and put it on a baking sheet as specified, though I don't think the extra sheet is necessary in my oven; I always use my single layer sheets in preference to the insulated ones for cookies, otherwise they don't brown enough underneath. Less leavening? All advice welcome. Thanks, Fern

If you have America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook it explains it. I can't remember the reason off hand but I believe it has to do with the method of combining ingredients. I'll try to look it up in the next day or two. ← I would really appreciate more information about this. Fern

I wonder if this correction for altitude remains valid as the target temperature gets higher and higher. My understanding of the physical chemistry is that an adjustment is necessary to compensate for the fact that water boils at a lower temperature as the altitude increases. Could it be that there are other processes occurring in the cooking candy that are not subject to the same correction and may weigh more heavily in the results when the target temp is farther away from the boiling point? I'm just speculating, though I'm sure there are food scientists who would have detailed answers. If I was significantly above sea level myself, I would research this more.... Fern

Thank you all! I was wondering whether Seven Minute Frosting was a reasonable choice. I'm not sure I've ever actually made it, but it looks totally do-able. Two questions: 1. Does anyone have advice about the Kitchenaid version (make warm syrup, beat eggwhites separately to start, add syrup while beating), vs. the traditional hand-held mixer over the stove approach? 2. If I'm covering a light-textured chocolate cake, should I be doing a crumb coat first? If so, do you think there are any compatibility issues? (Is the 7MF going to slide off of a layer of something else?) Thanks again, Fern

I need to make a birthday cake for a family event this weekend. The cake will be chocolate chiffon and I would like to use a somewhat fluffy, vanilla-flavored frosting. I have proven several times that meringue buttercreams are not a good idea for July here. What frosting type might be better in heat + humidity? Thanks, Fern

Please give a hint about locations. We visit Cincinnati with some regularity and I would love to know where I can at least hope for a competently made cocktail. Thank you and welcome to eGullet! Fern

and humans. Let's try not to blame all our sanitation problems on other species. Fern

When my son was in preschool families took turns making playdough for the class using a recipe like this and I was the lady buying a dozen tiny jars. If they had given me more notice I'm sure I could have ordered a large package much more cheaply. Fern

Who likes mincemeat? My husband does; I haven't eaten it enough to have much opinion. Maybe next year I'll be able to make my own, but right now I just want something from a jar so I can do some quick tarts to please the hubby. I found two jars yesterday. One is his 'native' brand, Nonesuch (Borden, from Ohio), the other is something from the import section but the name escapes me at present (not Crosse & Blackwell). Any feedback about using the jarred stuff? The Nonesuch seems quite wet and loose, the import looks denser. I guess wet may be OK for an open tart? I was thinking of using a cream cheese crust recipe, though the easiest thing to do would be to thaw a disk of my standard (all butter) crust. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks, Fern

I love, love, love the Cook's Illustrated bars the day they are baked, but I am having a problem with the topping weeping when I try to keep them overnight. I suspect it is inevitable that the crust will pick up some moisture, but I am getting such a puddle on the top of the custard that I had to blot with several paper towels before I dared sift the sugar over. This last batch were definitely not overdone and they were well-cooled before they were covered. They were at cool room temp overnight. Any suggestions? I do feel that there is a temp and/or time discrepancy between the Test Kitchen and mine; both the base and the topping took longer than specified to bake. Next time I think I will try nudging the temp up and letting the topping go a little farther.

Sony, In New England, soft-shell lobsters are the same creatures as hard-shell "Maine" lobsters (Homarus americanus), just the ones that have recently molted. Since they're growing into their new shells, there is less meat for their size and they are tend to be more watery than hard-shells. They are said to decline faster in storage, so I think the shopping tip would be 'look for a lively one.' I don't believe the flavor of the meat itself is appreciably different. I don't know whether there is any significant difference in the flavor that can be extracted from the shells in a bisque preparation, if that's what you're getting at. But I'm willing to bet it will be yummy, regardless. Of course, if you live in a different part of the world and soft shell lobster means something else entirely to you, then please disregard. Fern

I made my first pie of the season after we went apple-picking Sunday. I like to keep a stack of dough disks in the freezer (RL Beranbaum's all butter crust) and thank goodness I had (just) two left. I used a mix of Stayman-Winesap and Cortland apples and I don't think it could have been tastier. Prettier definitely, but the flavor was fantastic. The Staymans are dense-fleshed and don't soften as fast as some so I think I will do the two-stage baking a la Joy of Cooking for the next one so the crust doesn't brown so fast. I like the apples to be very tender. I'll try for a photo next time. Fern

Thank you all very much. That gives me a frame of reference. Fern

Any advice about salad portions? I need salad to serve about 25 at lunch for an organization; I expect the rest of the menu to be nothing more than lasagna, bread and dessert. Diners are all ages. I invariably have difficulty judging salad amounts for small dinner parties, so I am stumped about what quantity of greens to start with here. As the menu is limited, I want a generous amount, but I am just as likely to make 3x too much. Do the pros have a rule of thumb? Thanks, Fern

Mashed potatoes reheat quite well; french fries I wouldn't even try, though the children do sometimes. But what about when you have nice roasted potatoes left over—is there a trick to reheating them that ameliorates the weird taste/texture change that seems to happen in the fridge? Fern

Is your "big third" Modern? For take-out, Modern Apizza on State Street is our number one resource. Excellent pie and very efficient, consistent service. Twice in about a decade they have told us "25 minutes", otherwise it's always 20 and the pizza is almost always ready before that. Bru Rm at Bar is a fun brewpub and I do enjoy their pizza but it is not what you are looking for. Crust is ultra-thin and toppings get rather creative (mashed potatoes!).

Kim, What brand of peanut butter did you use? I have seen recipes from various sources that specify, or at least warn about using natural vs. "regular". I guess it can make a substantial difference in some formulas. I agree with you that it's surprisingly difficult to get both the texture and the flavor right with PB cookies. I'm looking forward to trying your recipe. Thanks, Fern

Google and you shall find. Penzey's Apple Bread Here it is on a different site It's posted several other places as well. I'm pretty sure this is the one I used. It's a moist quick bread with pieces of apple and a streusel topping. No surprises, but yummy. Sorry I didn't do the Googling the other day. Fern

Wendy, I had very enthusiastic responses in the past to a recipe I got from Penzey's (spice vendor, for those not familiar with them). However, I know they published it several years ago and it does not appear to be currently available on their website. I MIGHT be able to find it at home, but I can't promise that I can even do a thorough search before the weekend. So I hope you get some other responses. How frustrating that your neighbor has not been forthcoming! Fern

Yes, there are different soapstones, with different hardnesses. When I was choosing countertop material, I had samples of soapstone from two different quarries (on different continents), from M. Teixeira. I picked the harder one. After a couple of years of hard use, our counters have seen plenty of little scratches, but none that I consider a serious issue. I think that mikec's counters must be significantly softer than ours. When a plastic bucket of water was slid across our counter, grit embedded in the bottom did cause scratches, but they weren't noticeable after a little oil touch-up. I have never seen a crumb scratch the counter and I cannot scratch it with my fingernails. But mikec is absolutely right: don't get soapstone if you can't deal with scratches. My advice: if you're going to spend a bundle on countertops, whatever the material, get a sample and fool around with it to be sure you're comfortable with how it wears. I know my husband thought I was truly obsessive during the design & specifications phase of our remodel. But I figured I had to get it right the first time, as I would never muster the energy (never mind cash) to change it again, once it was all done. Fern