chefcyn

I agree with the general consensus of not putting a meringue on a key lime pie. There are few things I'm irrationally strict about in the world of food, but Key Lime Pie is one of them, here is a link to a recipe for "REAL" Key Lime Pie--accept no substitute! :) http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_keylimepie.htm And only use real key lime juice, bottled or fresh, and don't ever add food color to make it green!!!

Peachtree Schnapps is very Peachy--and Southern Comfort is made from Peaches, too--not as strong a flavor, but pretty nice in general--especially if you don't mind the alcohol. For the Buttercream, has anyone ever used Jell-o for an ingredient in it? They have a peach Jell-o that's pretty good. It has the geltain in it, which shouldn't really hurt frosting an small quantities--and a teaspoon or so might give enough flavor and nice color, too. I may try it and see what happens.

The preference for those particular flours is because they are milled from soft southern wheat. Most other AP flours are milled from hard northern wheat--the hard and soft refer to the gluten quantity in the grains. Soft wheat produces light soft flour with very little gluten--bad for yeast breads but perfect for biscuits and other baking powder/soda leavened baked goods. I got my sister to bring me back to CT some Lily White and Martha White(10 lbs each)when she drove down to Mississippi recently--now I can make some real biscuits! My Mississippi grandma (ever'body called her "Mama") used to keep a big bag of self-rising flour in a pull-out bin next to the stove where she'd open it up, drop in some lard or crisco or whatever she had handy, mix it in with her fingers until 'jes right" then pour in some buttermilk and mix it again with her hands until it suddenly became a mass of dough which she lifted out onto an old wooden board at counter level, patted it, folded it a little and cut out biscuits that she placed close together in a big old dark metal cake pan. Then she put them into a hot oven and pulled out fabulous perfect biscuits every time. She did this everyday for a million years, rising at 4 am to start cooking a massive breakfast for her husband and eight kids, then for the few that still came over for breakfast in her later years, and my family when we managed to get there to Mississippi on the rare and wonderful vacation--she was 98 when she passed, but I got to watch her make these biscuits as well as cook a whole mess of other wonderful comfort foods that I can duplicate today. Someday I might even write them all down--but I'd rather teach my grandaughter how to do it on her own!

My friend must have taken the same class or had the same teacher at some point--it's almost exactly the same--just worded differently. Small world!

I used to make a granola that used barley malt syrup that I got in a natural foods store. It performed the syrup function without a lot of over-sweetness and it tasted great! I'll try to find the recipe when I get home. It was very easy to make--all the nuts, dried fruits and grains were mixed together; the syrup and oil heated to a boil and mixed with the other stuff, then spread on a baking sheet for a while in an medium hot oven until golden and crispy--usually about 15-20 min if I remember correctly. I made it for college students, and had to make it in large batches every week.

My friend gave me this recipe to post here--I haven't tried it, but the ingredients and instructions look viable. Maggie's Chinese Egg Custard Tarts Pastry: 1/4 c butter 1/4 c lard (OR all lard) 1 large egg 6 tbs sugar 2 c sifted AP flour. Cream the butter and lard together. Combine the egg and sugar; add to the fats and beat well. Add flour in two parts, The dough will be mealy. Work quickly with your hands to gather dough into a ball. Knead lightly so the mixture adheres. Wrap in plastic and chill while making the filling. Filling 2 jumbo eggs 3 jumbo egg yolks 1 c milk (NOT low or non-fat) 1/2 c half and half 1 c granulated sugar Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Beat eggs and yolks at low speed until well combined. Do not over beat. Add sugar,beat to combine, then milk, then half and half. Let mixture rest 10 - 15 minutes while you prepare the crust for filling. Skim foam from mixture before placing in the tart shells. Assembly and Baking: Preheat oven to 300. Separate dough evenly into 24 pieces. Press each evenly into the bottoms and all the way up the sides of 24 --2 1/2 inch tart shells. Fill shell with filling almost to the top. Place tartpan(s) on a sheetpan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool for 10 - 15 minutes on a rack. Loosen slightly by inserting a toothpick along the sides. Tarts should unmold easily.

I have Gale Gands "Just a Bite" and I like it a lot, have used many of the recipes in it. I found it to be intelligent and interesting. I didn't buy any of her other books because they just didn't ring my bell, but this one was good. Based on this thread, I just ordered Yard's Secrets of Baking from abebooks.com--after checking Amazon, half.com and barnesandnoble.com, it was the cheapest for a book in very good condition--$12. I recommend them highly as I've ordered books from them several times before, and they always have something I'm looking for at good prices.

Ok, that's it! I have to go into business for myself, too!! I've been reading your blog since stumbling on it this past winter, and it makes me laugh, cry, and yearn for...something un-nameable!! I've been wanting to open my own place for years, but never really felt ready, but your inspiration (heaven and hellish parts included) are pushing me closer. I have an idea and solid plans--just no money. My husband left his 9-5 job last fall to go into business for himself as a home computer help person, and so our budget is dependant on our combined income. *sigh* At least I can still read along and wish. :) Keep it up!! All the best is being wished for you!

Hi everyone, the aftertaste most people find so undesireable in mix cakes is most likely from the leaveners they use. I don't know about you, but none of my scratch recipes include sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or aluminum sulfate. If you make them right, you don't even need baking soda pr powder if you are using a whipped egg white recipe. From the recipes posted I also see a lot of pure extracts for flavors like Vanilla, most of the box mixes use artificial flavorings--like vanillin which comes from pine trees and has a slight turpentine-ish aftertaste to it to me. Some people can also taste the food colorants as well. Now, some people are not offended by these tastes (my absolute favorite cake is Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake--so much so that I love to lick the beater and spatula--I'd almost rather eat the batter than the baked cake! I remember in my first baking class back at J&W a million years ago, I tasted the cake batter for a scratch yellow cake we were making and found it YUCKY! I asked the instructor why it tasted so bad and he said I was probably not used to tasting all those raw egg yolks. Well--I think now that it was those weird leaveners I was missing blink.gif I really like the Betty Crocker Creamy White frosting in the can, too. I find it less sweet, more 'buttery'tasting" than buttercream made with powdered sugar and butter. And that stuff they include with the canned refrigerator cinnamon rolls... rolleyes.gif *sigh* wink.gif Chocolate cake is another issue. I prefer scratch cake there because you can choose the chocolate you use. Dutch process cocoa is really different from regular, dark chocolate is different from milk chocolate, etc. And canned chocolate frosting is just glurky. There is nothing better, IMHO than real chocolate buttercream.

Hi everyone, the aftertaste most people find so undesireable in mix cakes is most likely from the leaveners they use. I don't know about you, but none of my scratch recipes include sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, or aluminum sulfate. If you make them right, you don't even need baking soda pr powder if you are using a whipped egg white recipe. From the recipes posted I also see a lot of pure extracts for flavors like Vanilla, most of the box mixes use artificial flavorings--like vanillin which comes from pine trees and has a slight turpentine-ish aftertaste to it to me. Some people can also taste the food colorants as well. Now, some people are not offended by these tastes (my absolute favorite cake is Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake--so much so that I love to lick the beater and spatula--I'd almost rather eat the batter than the baked cake! I remember in my first baking class back at J&W a million years ago, I tasted the cake batter for a scratch yellow cake we were making and found it YUCKY! I asked the instructor why it tasted so bad and he said I was probably not used to tasting all those raw egg yolks. Well--I think now that it was those weird leaveners I was missing I really like the Betty Crocker Creamy White frosting in the can, too. I find it less sweet, more 'buttery'tasting" than buttercream made with powdered sugar and butter. And that stuff they include with the canned refrigerator cinnamon rolls... *sigh* Chocolate cake is another issue. I prefer scratch cake there because you can choose the chocolate you use. Dutch process cocoa is really different from regular, dark chocolate is different from milk chocolate, etc. And canned chocolate frosting is just glurky. There is nothing better, IMHO than real chocolate buttercream.

I really like the texture--perhaps it's just personal preference, but they do seem different to me when you make the caramel in the bottom, than when you torch the sugar on the top. I also make my creme brulee and creme caramel in the same ramekins--short and fat rather than shallow rounds or ovals. No complaints and many raves, so I must be doing something right (even if technically incorrect). I have made recipes with milk and they just seem flat and eggy (not really a custard fan).

I use this recipe interchangeably for Creme Brulee and Creme Caramel For the Creme Caramel, I omit the sugar at the end for torching, and begin with 1 1/2 c sugar in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat. I swirl the pan occasionally to evenly distribute the heat until it begins to melt and caramelize, thenn I either stir it slowly with a wooden spoon, or swirl it gently to keep the sugar moving and melting evenly. When it's all melted and the proper medium golden brown color(I like it the color of Cream Soda or Bourbon--any darker and it will taste bitter) I pour it into the bottoms of the ramekins and let them sit to harden while I make the custard. Once they are cooked, I cool them to room temp, them cover and refrigerate them for at least 24 hours, preferrably 48 before inverting on the plate and garnishing with some fresh whipped cream and whatever berries or mint leaves and things you like to garnish your plate with. Very yummy! Creme Brûlée makes 6 servings 3 c Heavy Cream 5 Egg yolks 1/2 c. Sugar 1/2 Vanilla bean (or 2 tsp Real Vanilla extract) 1/4 c. Brown or white sugar for the carmelized crust Preheat your oven to 350E. Separate 5 Eggs, setting aside the whites for egg-white omelettes or other projects Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds, combine all with the cream and sugar in a heavy saucepan.. Cook over low heat until it comes barely to a boil. Add a small amount to the eggs to temper. Then whisk the remaining liquid into the eggs slowly--try not to make it foamy. Fill 4 oz. ramekins (for Creme Caramel--ramekins with caramelized sugar lining the bottoms)set in a dishtowel-lined Bain-Marie (a big roasting pan filled with water about 1/3 of the way up the ramekins). Place the bain-marie in an oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Place the ramekins in refrigerator until ready to serve. Spread one tablespoon of brown or white sugar on top of each custard evenly and use a torch or broiler to caramelize sugar (omit this step for Creme Caramel)

622 for me--though I'm weeding it out this year, eliminating duplicates and most of the stuff I bought through the Good Cook Book Club. My collection is narrowing down to Baking and Pastry/Desserts, Hors d'oeuvres/Canapes/bites, and books from the 1930s and older. I have a complete collection of all the cookbooks by Ida Bailey Allen (50+ books) with different versions of several, and a big handful of miscellaneous ephemera (pamphlets, calendars, herb guides) also by her. I started collecting her works with an eye toward writing a biography but haven't gotten around to it just yet ;). I really love reading the older books, especially the ones that are "Household and Receipts" books--I have one from the late 1800s that really clearly instructs in the proper the way of life for the Lady of the House back then (provided you had money and a big house). I do need to do a lot more whttling down though, I have very limited space and have already lost about 20 books to dampness in bad storage! :(

This does say Spring more than your first menu! However--the Lobster course looks more like Late Summer. If it has to be Lobster, then I'd like to see Asparagus or Fiddleheads, Daylily Greens (or some other Spring sprouts) and button mushrooms or enoki instead of the wood ear mushrooms and turnips(very Fall-ish). Day Lily Flower buds are also more Springtime than Zucchini blossoms--at least up here in New England ;) The hybiscus granita sounds lovely!

I make the whole thing at least a day or two before I need it to serve, because the custard will dissolve the caramel so that you get a nice sauce when you invert it on the plate--not to mention that it removes most of the caramel from the ramekin that way, so you don't waste it soaking the ramekins overnight to clean them! :)

That's a good question, because if you squeeze your own, the quality of the oranges has a definite bearing on the taste, as well as how long you keep it before you use or drink it. Oxidation happens to us all ;) Commercial juices, even "not from concentrate" have almost invariably been made from a blend of juices from oranges that come from different places and harvest times. If you squeeze a case of oranges from one grove, it will taste different from that from another grove. Ever see a truckload of oranges driving down Florida highways? What are the ones on the bottom like after a few hours on the road, or the ones on the top after a few hours in the sun? Do they also process the commercial juices in some way, like pasturizing or something? That may affect taste, too.

Here is a recipe I've used for years--I can't remember where I originally got it, but it might have been Pierre Herme. It cooks up perfectly creamy every time, and does freeze very well. I've used it between cake layers, in tart shells with a layer of dark chocolate ganache, in little cshortbread cups, and all by itself by the spoonful! It's rich, but also very tart and fresh tasting. I also have made it with both salted and unsalted butter, and I prefer the salted, but both were excellent. Tart Lemon Cream (2 ½ - 3 cups) 1 c sugar zest of three lemons, chopped very finely 4 eggs 3/4 c fresh lemon juice 10 ½ oz soft butter, in cubes In the top of a double boiler, rub the sugar and zest together until moist and grainy. Whisk in the eggs, then the juice. Cook over simmering water until it reaches 180°and is thick. Set aside to cool to 140°, then strain into the bowl of a blender and blend, adding the butter, five cubes at a time, then continue blending for 3-4 minutes. Will freeze for 1 month, or keep in the refrigerator for 4 days. Hint--line cupcake tins with plastic and freeze the cream in them, wrapping each frozen cupful tightly for storage. Then, to serve, make and cool tuille cups on the outside of the muffin tins and the cream will fit inside to thaw for service.

I've made and stored fresh fruit juice sorbet for up to a week with no ill effects. I think it depends on whether you make it in an ice cream machine or not as far as the texture, and the proportion of sugar to juice/alcholol will all have an effect. Mine were pure juices and simple syrup cranked in an old fashioned electric ice cream maker (the kind with rock salt and ice around the steel tube). I made Blood Orange, Raspberry, Mixed Berry, and chocolate. All stayed creamy and scoopable for at least a week, the chocolate one separated after about 10 days, but I put it into the food processor and whipped it back into shape and it was fine. I also had no loss of sharpness or strength of flavor. My freezer was brand new, with a special computerized quick freeze operation that lowered the temp after each time you open the door. Maybe that helped, maybe not. Good luck.

I thought vegan just meant no meat or animal products? Sugar may be bad for you in excess, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't contain meat. So a good tasting cake can be vegan. Are people using the word vegan to mean "healthy" or "natural"?

I second getting a scale! I just bought a fabulous antique one for $25 that weighs up to 25 lbs and is accurate to the half ounce! I have a smaller one for little batches, I got it at a restaurant supply place that sells new and used equipment for about $10. They're also available pretty often on Ebay, but you have to watch for the shipping charges--people are going crazy with shipping charges these days!!

LOL! I have 2 bars on the way (courtesy of an American friend) and can't wait to try them. ← Where can I find this heavenly product? I live in rural northeast CT, but close enough to Boston if there is some source nearby, or an online source to but a small amount? ************************************************ Ah...nevermind--I found the link to the Scharffen-Berger website and I'm making up an order now!!!

If you process the oatmeal in your food processor with some of the sugar, you get a finer 'crumb' to your muffins, too.

How about laying a big sheet of plastic wrap over the back of a mini or regular muffin tin and pouring the chocolate ofer that--it should run down and cover the cup, then you should be able to pop the tin out from under it and have all the individual cups. I'm thinking it might be pretty messy, but should make cups in a pinch. I like the idea of painting the insides of muffin liners and then peeling off the paper, and I've used the balloon method many times with great success--but the chocolate has to really be tempered for any of these ideas--it's what makes it pop off the mold.

That should be about right, you don't want a watery batter--thick and pourable/scrapeable--I've made it with milk as the liquid, too and it was fine.

This should work fine, and is suitable for all sorts of flavors and variations: Generic Quick Cake mix: INGREDIENTS: * 10 cups flour * 4 tablespoons and 4 teaspoons baking powder * 5teaspoons salt * 5 cup sugar * 1 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk * 2 1/2 cups oil PREPARATION: In a large mixing bowl, with a pastry blender, or in a food processor, mix ingredients until fine. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag and use within 2 months. (Keep in refrigerator) ******************************************************************************************* Strawberry Cake: * 4 cups Quick Mix for Cake * 2 eggs, separated * 1/3 cup water * 3/4 c mashed frozen strawberries (thawed) * 1 teaspoons vanilla * 1 tsp strawberry extract or 2 Tbs strawberry liqueur * couple drops red food coloring (optional, depending on the color you want) * pinch salt * 1/4 cup sugar Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans or a 9x13x2-inch pan. Pour 4 cups of Cake Mix into a large mixing bowl. Mix yolks with 1/3 cup water, strawberry extract and vanilla; beat well and stir into dry mix in bowl. Beat egg whites until foamy and add salt and sugar; beat until meringue forms stiff peaks. Fold beaten egg whites into the cake batter. Pour into pan(s) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.