janeer

Happy Birthday, Kerry! And I'm so excited; I love it when you guys do this. You are cooking fiends. I will be interested in hearing, at the end, what your really think of MC.

I love using rose hips. But I gather them from along the shore--wild. You could check with your local agricultural extension through closest university with ag department, but I am pretty sure pesticides penetrate the plant, and would be likely to concentrate in the hip. But if there are lots of bushes growing as hedges, they may not be sprayed at all. Meanwhile, if you get some usable hips, here is a recipe.

I'm more concerned about what makes an appetizing plate. Sometimes I get plates that don't really entice me to eat.

A lovely birthday cake, Mette. Great job! Sounds delish.

Agree. It sounds like you don't want to have your own restaurant, really. But you may be too young to know. You could go to Spain and find out. Or you could go to either job for a few years, confirm things for sure, and then get a degree--many options in food-related education. But don't wait too long. Pay attention.

you say nothing about your objectives. Stay home: no, either way. Whether Four Seasons or Spain (my gut says Spain), need to know more about what you, personally, would like to do in the future.

the pork belly looks fab

I use fennel seed in cookies and crackers.

The recipe (for 2 loaves) called for 1/3 cup (125 g) coarse-grained polenta w/ up to 5 cups (625 g) flour. The polenta was soaked before using it--the recipe calls for adding the yeast to warm cream with a bit of sugar, then after it begins to froth, adding the polenta and letting the mixture sit for a while before proceeding with the recipe. Thanks, Interesting.

I was thinking of mainly as a topping--I like spreading curds on cookies and eating them, one by one...and I like to put them on cheese. Really.

Tacos de papas y chorizo from Kennedy's original book is one of my favorite things; I like it with tomatillo sauce.

I have just eaten dinner but this is all making me hungry--the truffade, the sausage. What a beautiful view you have from your home while you drink wine.

There is a recent thread on this somewhere...

Being a corn person, this appeals to me. What is the proportion of polenta meal to flour?

Don't want to get off-topic but bought a big bag of cheap limes and thought I would make a curd, was thinking a softer curd would be nicer with the strong flavor, so a mix of whole eggs (mostly) and some yolks, like JeanneCake says. Any thoughts? Do you recommend some lemon?

Agree with everything here, particularly about the freezer, because I PREFER to use my brioche dough within the shortest elapsed time necessary, and certainly within a day. If not possible--I freeze.

Worth pointing out, I think, that this and others like it (I have one similar) were aimed at the average housewife. Times have certainly changed.

Glad you found it at Shoprite; Fante's too expensive--groceries not their thing, really.

I live in HOT Tucson, and also do a lot of pie baking in the hot, humid summers of New England. No reason to have tough pastry, in any weather. I don't refrigerate my flour--I use it too fast--but you could. Your fat should be cold (but not frozen) and you should use ice water. And chill your pastry (freezer or fridge) before rolling. But other than that, it sounds like you are over-working. I use my fingers, working rapidly. Try that, or a fork.

Gosh, I can hardly keep up. The two kitchens: both lovely, but the rationale for two?

I'm feeling like booking a trip already. Thanks for doing this and all the photos. Where are the "teaser photos"? I want to see that tatin and your village!

Love babka. You should maybe post these on the brioche thread, too.

Very interesting. Can you tell us about the crust?

Honestly, canned tomatillos are an almost exact substitute for fresh. One of the best.

Believe it or not, my favorite thing to make for a potluck is my best pulled pork. It reheats in a microwave beautifully. I bring little rolls, cole slaw, and barbecue sauce. My second favorite thing to bring is really good cold sesame noodles (e.g., Fuschia Dunlop). Mac and cheese. For Halloween? maybe chili and dinner rolls. Very warming.