chefcyn

Hmmm...looking at the recipe, I see it calls for water and lemon juice to make the caramel. I never used anything but just granulated sugar. The water may make it chewy if it's not cooked all the way out. The lemon juice is to help prevent the sugar from crystalizing in the water as it boils, so that may contribute to the chewiness--you could do without that and the water and make a nice simple caramel. Other than that, the desired effect is for the caramel layer to dissolving into sauce when you serve the custard. What makes that happen is making sure it's really caramelized to very dark golden brown--like the color of good mapke syrup or very dark honey, and then, making sure you're using the proper size ramekins--too narrow will make it very thick and it will take much longer to dissolve properly in the moisture from the custard. The next thing is making sure you wait long enough before inverting it. The longer you wait, the more it "melts" into the caramel sauce when you invert it. At least that's been my experience. We always made them at least the day before we needed them to be sure to get the maximum 'sauce' out of the ramekin when we inverted them onto the plates. I never had it come out chewy no matter what I did or what recipe I followed, because whatever didn't scome out as 'sauce', stuck to the bottom of the remekin and had to soak for hours to remove.

Here's the ingredients list with conversion to US ounces (weight not volume at the top, volume for the liquids) 250 gr de sucre 8 oz sugar 1 pincée de sel a pinch of salt 4 œufs 4 eggs 200 gr de noix de coco râpé 7 oz coconut 200 gr de farine 7 oz of flour 1 càc de poudre à lever 1 tsp baking powder ou 5-6 fruits de la passion, pulpe détachée des coques avec une càc (donne 1 ¼ dl) 5-6 passion fruits (4 oz(volume) passion fruit puree) 1 ½ dl de jus d’ananas 5 oz (volume) pineapple juice fat:10g protein 4g carbs 28 g calories: 215 preheat to 350F

Here's yet another Translator: Dictionary.com

I saw a reference to a semifriddo describing it as a cross between a mousse and gelato. There's one more thing to research!

Whisky Fudge This recipe is from the website http://www.scotlandforvisitors.com/wfudge.php and I've varied the instructions just enough to publish here, added the American weights and measures in the ingredients list and added some storage and freezing hints. Whisky Fudge Ingredients: 1 Kilo white sugar (2.2 lb) 300 grams butter (10.5 oz) 1 tin Nestles sweet condensed milk 1 tea cup of (Scottish, Scotch) whisky (5 oz) 2 pints of freshly made, plain, hot tea Method Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add the tea. Add all sugar stir continuously until all the sugar has melted. Stir in the milk and whisky and stir continuously until the correct consistency is reached (about 10 to 15 min.--soft ball stage on a thermometer). Without a thermometer, to check the consistency have a cup of ice cold water handy and add a teaspoon of the mixture to it from time to time until it sets firm in the water--makes a "soft ball" Pour into a large buttered tray and when just firm enough to keep the shape, cut it into bite sized squares. Layer for storage between waxed paper, tin foil or parchment in an airtight container. The fudge can be frozen to keep for up to three months, wrap well with plastic wrap and put in an airtight container. Keywords: Candy, Intermediate, Chocolate, Snack ( RG1664 )

I'm a little jealous of that find--I bought the very same, one brand new, last year on sale for $18.95! I really, really wanted to make some spritz cookies, and couldn't find my old one anywhere! Of course, just after all the cookies were done and out of my system, I found not one, but two old aluminum spritzers with all the dies and stuff! It made me reorganize all my kitchen cabinets, to know where everything is again!

Whisky Fudge Ingredients: 1 Kilo white sugar (2.2 lb) 300 grams butter (10.5 oz) 1 tin Nestles sweet condensed milk 1 tea cup of whisky (5 oz) 2 pints of freshly made, hot, milkless tea Method Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add the tea. Add all sugar stir continuously until all the sugar has melted. Stir in the milk and whisky and stir continuously until the correct consistency is reached (about 10 to 15 min.--soft ball stage on a thermometer). Without a thermometer, to check the consistency keep a cup of cold water handy and add a teaspoon of the mixture to it from time to time until it sets firm in the water Pour into a large buttered tray and when just barely firm, cut it into bite sized squares.

Here's a site full of recipes from Scotland for Visitors: scottish recipes

Is there any non-commercial place to get liquid glucose in fairly large quantities (read: inexpensive)? I think I've seen it with Wilton cake supplies, but it was a pretty small bottle. I live in northeast CT, so I can get to Boston or Providence pretty easily. Or an online source?

Smacking it with the rolling pin can also put dents in your rolling pin--even a good hardwood pin wil dent if hit just right.

Here's a link to their actual recipe: Jell-o Ribbon Mold Recipe

Do they look like these? burekas

Did it look like this? mostaccioli

I would like to insert here some information about being a non-traditional chef. I've loved food and cooking since I can remember and have been cooking for my family since I could read a cookbook and reach the top of the counters! I used to spend my babysitting money on interesting ingredients to make "exotic" foods like Shrimp Tempura and Indian candies, like Burfi. Back then, I'd never even eaten in a Chinese Restaurant, or much of anyplace besides McDonald's--we had a big family and no budget for "dining out". But I read cookbooks and grew veggies and ate my grandmothers' cooking (one from Canada, one from Mississippi--with all that that entails in variety). I grew up and got married, and learned how to cook "normal" food like macaroni and cheese from scratch, meatloaf, spaghetti, etc, because we didn't have a lot of money then either. Then I found myself a single mom and faced with finding out what I wanted to be when I grew up--now. I went to college and took accounting, then, when that proved a bad idea, I took sciences, art, history, everything I could try because I just had no clue what to do for a living--I had job experience at McDonald's and in retail till then. What I'd really like to be is a profesisonal student! One day when I was whipping up some trays of fabulous canapes for a Hallowe'en party, my best friend said "Why don't you go to cooking school?" I'd never even thought of it before, didn't really know anything about it--I had a vague idea about Cordon Bleu and France, but that was way out of my range of possibilities. Well, I ended up going to Johnson and Wales in Providence, got a restaurant job after my first semester and kept on working to pay my way through school. In the ten years that followed my graduation, I worked in fine dining restaurants(in the pantry because it seemed to be where they hired women to cook back then, if you weren't in the FOH), as well as on the line when I finally got a clue and stood up for myself, family restaurants, fast food, and small concessions, private eating clubs at a college, Fraternities and Sororities at universities, foodservice director at summer camps, and have been Exec Chef at a couple of places as well, from casual dining to Upscale Inn. I burned out of food at about the average ten-year mark, and went back into retail, which I still enjoyed, and about 6 years later I yearned once again for the smell of fried things in my hair, and went back to work in kitchens. I now work in a private residence where I get to cook anything I want, make my own schedule, do all the shopping and dishes, clean some, and get to spend time on the computer or watching TV because I can multi-task my menu through the day, making my time my own. I get paid a more-than-decent wage with great health insurance and 2 wks paid vacation time, and I like it. I think of myself as semi-retired sometimes, because I play more than I work in a given day. All this is just to say that slaving/stressing in a hot restaurant kitchen for 40-60+ hours, while fun for some, isn't the only way to make a living in food. True, I'm not raking in millions, but I have everything I need and a little more for fun. How much more can anyone ask out of life? I wouldn't push your daughter so hard you scare her out of the industry or make her end up hating food. France may be very different from here, so I don't really know how to advise you, but thinking outside the box can also offer some solutions. Though, if you are trying to scare her back into studying and working harder at school, it might just work!

One definition of the word is "conducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-being" which, when referring to food, should lean more toward "healthy" than "hearty necessarily--"hearty" usually implies lots of meat and fat, which is not particularly healthy ion general, though these two definitions may seem otherwise: " providing abundant nourishment; "a hearty meal"; "good solid food"; "ate a substantial breakfast"; "four square meals a day" endowed with or exhibiting great bodily or mental health; "a hearty glow of health" To me, personally, when I think hearty, I think beef stew. When I think of wholesome, I think of wholegrain bread.

The thread you posted this question into has a whole bunch of recipes and test results, have you read through it? Or were you looking for more, or different, information than is here? Just curious.

Marshmallows would be cool, but I am a vegetarian, so I don't eat gelatin. A vegetarian recipe for marshmallows would be really cool, though! How did you make egg nog, though? Is that a vegetarian recipe? ←

I did a Google search on tins rather than cookie tins and came up with more results for empty tins, rather than those filled with stuff already. Check out this site--they have a lot of different tins (scroll down to the table at the bottom and click on Metal Tins for the larger selection: SKS Bottle Co. or either of these two, but thay don't look as attractive as SKS: Tin Box Co. Atlantic Sales I haven't bought from any of these companies, so proceed with caution! Good luck!

I freeze cake layers all the time, as the guys I cook for eat like birds and won't even finish a half of a two layer cake. I freeze the layers separately wrapped twice in plastic wrap, and when I want a half for dessert, I unwrap one, cut it in half, wrap the rest and stick it back in the freezer. Frozen, they cut like a dream with a long thin chef knife, not even serrated. Then I quickly slice the half layer into two thin layers and place one on the cake plate (I have a semi-circle one!) and proceed to do things to them like sprinkle both cut sides with Blackberry Brandy, spread the bottom layer with Blackberry preserves, place the top layer on and frost lightly with just a thin layer of buttercream. That's their favorite--not overly sweet with too much frosting. I cut them into four pieces while still mostly frozen and the pieces come out looking great--no crumbling or raggedy edges. Sometimes I place a layer of ice cream in between the half-layers, frost the top with the buttercream and freeze again.

Cake flour will give you a somewhat tender cookie, but there are a lot of other factors involved. The sugar(brown or white) the fat( butter or shortening) whether it has any liquid in it(milk or water or whatever) and how much you mix the dough, whether it has time to chill in the refrigerator, or is made immediately. Each recipe will have its own characteristics--so what kind of cookie do you want to make, and I can suggest a method to get the results you want.

I have been trying to make time to make tons of cookies for Xmas for the last few years, but only manage to make a few, sadly! I'm thinking of starting a new New Year's Cookie Tradition and make time that way! Anyway, here is an old family favorite, it's similar to the Fruitcake Cookie, but easy to make and a very good keeper/shipper. If you don't want the alcohol, you can just soak the raisins in hot cider or hot water--though the baking burns off the actual alcohol, leaving behind the interesting bourbon flavor. If you prefer, you can use rum instead of bourbon, and Marsala might make for an interesting flavor as well. Whiskey Lizzies Place 1 1/2 c seedless raisins in a bowl, add 1/4 c bourbon Mix and let sit for 1 hour. Mix and sift: 1 1/2 c flour 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cloves Mix: 1/2 c butter 1/2 c light brown sugar Add 2 eggs, beat. Beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the Raisins and... 1/2 lb pecans-in halves or large pieces 1/4 c candied citron 1/2 lb candied cherries Place spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for about 15 min. Makes about 6 1/2 doz. We've made them with other nuts like Brazil Nuts, Hazelnuts, and Walnuts, and other candied fruit than the cherries, too, like pineapple and they were good--like bites of fruitcake.

If you don't mind doing another very rich, decadent Chocolate cake try this one. It freezes very well and You can cut it frozen as well, to just serve a piece or two as needed. I had one double-wrapped in the freezer for about two months and the last piece was as good as the first. If you want it to really have it's best looks, thaw it completely in the refrigerator before showing it off--to avoid condensation from beading up on the glaze and making spots. It does contain whisky in it, so the kids might not like it, but most of the alcohol may bake out of it. I haven't tried to substitute anything for the whisky, but perhaps a 1/4 of cider instead of the 1/2 c whisky. Black Velvet Cake (10" Springform Pan) 14 oz semisweet chocolate in small pieces 1 c soft butter 1/4 c water ½ c + 2Tbs ground hazelnuts or pecans ½ c + 2Tbs ground almonds (grind the nuts with some of the sugar to prevent making nut paste) ½ c + 2Tbs pastry flour 6 eggs separated 1 1/3 c sugar ½ c whisky Ganache Glaze: 1 c chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate 1 c heavy cream White Icing 1 c confectioners' sugar 2 Tbs milk ½ tsp vanilla Butter the springform pan, dust it with flour and line the bottom with parchment. Melt the 14 oz chocolate and stir in the butter a little at a time until smooth. Add the water. Combine and set aside the nuts and flour. Whip theyolks until light and fluffy, gradually add the sugar, then fold in the chocolate mixture. Whip the whites to a soft peak and fold into the yolk mixture. Alternately add the whisky and the flour mixture in three batches. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325°F for 45-50 minutes. When done, let sit on a rack until cool. Invert on a plate and glaze with the ganache, and drizzle with the white icing.** Ganache Glaze: Heat the heavy cream to boiling and add to the chocolate in a bowl and stir until smooth. Stir occasionally till somewhat cooler and thickened, but pourable. Pour over the cake on a rack to make a smooth shiny glaze--don't over handle it by spreading, it will get cloudy; just pour quickly into the center of the cake and let it flow over the sides evenly. White Icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar with the milk and vanilla and pipe out in thin crisscross lines across the top of the cake. Butter the springform pan, dust it with flour and line the bottom with parchment. Melt the 14 oz chocolate and stir in the butter a little at a time until smooth. Add the water. Combine and set aside the nuts and flour. Whip the yolks until light and fluffy, gradually add the sugar, then fold in the chocolate mixture. Whip the whites to a soft peak and fold into the yolk mixture. Alternately add the whisky and the flour mixture in three batches. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325°F for 45-50 minutes. When done, let sit on a rack until cool. Invert on a plate and glaze with the ganache, and drizzle with the white icing.** Ganache: Heat the heavy cream to boiling and add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir occasionally till cooler. Pour over the cake to make a smooth shiny glaze. White Icing: Mix the confectioners' sugar with the milk and vanilla and pipe out in thin crisscross lines or swirls across the top of the cake. Optional garnishes: silver dragees sprinkled sparingly on top, and/or little flickers of edible gold leaf

Here are two recipes, both of which produce the lightest airiest sugar cookies I have had. I make them often as they are so easy to put together--I use a cookie-sized ice cream scoop to portion them out. Makes balls about the size of a walnut. You can also vary them by using dry jell-o mix for the sugar when pressing them down., or use colored sugar or sugar crystals--grease the bottom of the glass well to pick up the larger sugar bits. They are a tad chewy fresh out of the oven, but once they have a little time to cool completely and evaporate any moisture, they crisp right up. They aren't so delicate that they can't be handled either, they pack and ship well--put two together bottoms touching and wrap loosely with plastic wrap, use thin foam packing material etweel layers of the pairs and pad the walls of the box well so they don't get crushed.. Oil Sugar Cookies 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 c a.p.flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 2/3 c light vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon zest 3/4 c sugar Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients and beat until thick. Mix in the dry mixture, blending well, and scoop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass in oil and wipe off excess--you want just enough to stick sugar to it. Dip the bottom in sugar and press gently onto each cookie, dipping in sugar each time. The oil in the cookie will continue the stickiness of the glass. Bake at 375 for 8-10 min, or delicately colored on the bottom. Slide the parchment off the pan onto a rack to cool the cookies on the paper. Slightly longer baking will make them even crispier and lighter. If you overbake them to brown color, they are still good, but have a more caramelized sugar taste. -OR- Oil Sugar Drop Cookies 2 1/2 c flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 c sugar 3/4 c vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Same directions as above.

My favorite is from Rose Levy Berenbaum's(sp?) Pie and Pastry Bible--she makes a cream cheese crust, and there's a layer of ground gingersnaps in the bottom before putting the filling in--very YUM! Best and easiest Pumpkin Pie I've made (I like the addition of a little bourbon, too--it does add a certain something). I also change the spices because we don't like it too strong, I leave out the cloves and use a little less of everything else, the gingersnaps add enough ginger flavor, too.

Funny I should find this question today--I'm teaching a class tonight called "The Incredible Edible Pumpkin" and plan to have my class cook as many of these as they have time for: Blatschindas--Spiced Pumpkin Turnovers Pumpkin-Apricot Muffins Pumpkin Fluff Dip Pumpkin Biscuits Chick Pea and Roast Pumpkin Soup Pumpkin Mushroom Bisque Creamy Pumpkin Polenta Poached Pumpkin in Syrup Inside-Out-Upside-Down Pumpkin Pie (sort of a souffle) 5-Spice Pumpkin Pie 1- Minute Pumpkin Cheesecake Moroccan Pumpkin Soup Pumpkin Loaves with Orange Butter Fettucine with Pumpkin and Chicken Candied Pumpkin Pumpkin Pickles Pumpkin Fudge Pumpkin Marmalade All are pretty yummy--I particularly like the biscuits (they're good with orange marmalade and the Pumpkin Fluff Dip) and the Pumpkin Mushroom Bisque. If anyone wants any of the recipes, I'll share after the class when I have a breather to post them.