kitwilliams

I adore my Cafe Beaujolais cookbook (ever tried the red cabbage salad?)! Just never tried her version of those cupcakes....I think I'd better go with it next time and try the vinegar/water as opposed to the buttermilk since you say the chocolate tends to lose some power in the buttermilk version. Thanks for the tips!

I was reading an article in the LA Times about a 100-year old family owned Mochi business in LA's Little Tokyo. New Year's Delicacy is Bittersweet for Family They do a version with the mochi balls topped with a tiny tangerine, filled with sweet red bean paste, etc. As much as I love sushi, tonkatsu, udon, etc., I've never had a fondness for Japanese sweets. HOWEVER: I'm sure this is probably an Americanized version (correct me if I'm wrong) BUT has anyone tried the ice cream mochi at Trader Joe's? The gummy rice exterior takes some getting used to but I've become very attached to the Green Tea and the Mango ice cream mochi!

Yes, nightscotsman, those are great cupcakes. We call them "black bottom cupcakes" and they've been a work in progress ever since I first ate them at Just Desserts in San Francisco in the late '70s. I'm pretty satisfied with the cake as I currently have it but I remember the Just Desserts cake as being a bit denser yet very moist and not at all heavy. Does that sound like your cupcake? The acidity and the liquid in my recipe comes from buttermilk rather than the vinegar/water in yours, and mine also contains a couple of teaspoons of espresso powder, which I like in chocolate recipes. The remaining ingredients (and the proportions) are pretty much the same. And I don't add nuts to the filling. Anybody else eatem the Just Desserts version of this cupcake and if so, have any attempts at duplication of that moist and sturdy cupcake come close? And you are so right, nightscotsman -- everybody loves them. the crew of "Friends" dubbed them "gourmet ding dongs". I think they meant it as a compliment!

It's New Year's Day, I'm sick as a dog (truly sick, NOT hungover (unfortunately)), there is nothing in this house that sounds appetizing to my non-appetite with the exception of Split Pea Soup. And we have none. I should have known better than to check out what's happening on egullet tonight! Happy New Year all!

Thanks for putting sabayon in my head, Laura. I've been wondering what to do for New Year's Eve and think I'll do warm gingerbread with cider sabayon. And hope there will be leftovers for breakfast.

So, if you are accepting out-of-town contributions, where would we send them? Any LA egulleteers want to try this? (I'll start a thread on California page)

Such fun to find someone else who has the Betty Crocker Boys' and Girls' cookbook! I adore those lemony sugar cookies HOWEVER I want you to go back and look at your copy and tell me if there truly is nutmeg listed as one of the ingredients.... it is not in mine. Or is it something that you yourself added? I don't think I've ever used lemon and nutmeg together... should I try it? Have I been missing something extraordinary? As for advice on decorating holiday sugar cookies, Bond Girl, I have none. I hate doing it and simply put different colored royal icing in squeeze bottles and do zig-zags over the cookies: red and white on the candy canes, green and white on the trees, blue and white on the stars....and if you want to use up all that colored sugar of yours, sprinkle it on the icing before it dries!

mmmmm. split pea soup. am eating a bowl as we speak. lovely ham flavor with lots of long, stringy bits of ham, creamy and not at all mealy, thick, lots of pepper, little bits of carrot (the celery and onion have melted away and just left flavor). we're having it with simple grilled cheese sandwiches (welsh farmhouse cheddar on (heaven forbid!) storebought bread (but it is Orowheat Honey Wheatberry which I love!) and, since it is my dad's birthday, for dessert: chocolate souffle with custard sauce. there's plenty here...you're all welcome!

Since Nickn doesn't have his recipe written down I thought I'd post mine in the meantime in case anyone wants a simple, classic, split pea soup recipe. I assure you it is comforting and delicious in its simplicity. Split Pea Soup 8 cups water 2 cups split peas ham hock(s) or ham bone with plenty of meat remaining 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1 med. onion, finely chopped 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped Wash and sort peas. Heat all ingredients to boiling. Reduce to simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Remove hocks or bones and shred or chop meat and return to pot. Taste for seasoning. I add lots of pepper. Amount of salt depends on the ham, of course. Needs no pureeing. Gets very thick upon cooling but thins (a bit) when reheated. It is so good that I always double the amount. I imagine it would be even better if I had a woodshed for it to cool in!

Oh! I want to participate! Are Californians allowed and if so, does anyone have a Hobart and ovens I could borrow? If not, anybody in Southern California want to try the same thing?

New favorite item at Trader Joe's: Candied Tomatoes. Has anyone else tried these? A product of Thailand, they are small, whole, dried tomatoes which have gone through the same sugaring process as candied ginger. Chewy, sweet and slightly acidic. I end up eating most of them out of the bag but managed to chop up an entire bag and put it in my mincemeat this year.

mmmm. split pea soup. it's just getting cool enough here in southern california to make it and I was thinking of running out to the Honey Baked Ham store to get some bones. They are usually pretty good about leaving a decent amount of meat on the bone. I do not soak my peas overnight. And I don't puree the mixture. I like a little texture in my split pea soup but it isn't at all what I would call mealy and the peas really do break down on their own and don't need assistance from blender/processor/whatever. And if it sits for a day or two it gets even thicker and creamier (does yours really sit in the wood shed, nick? I'm jealous.). Also I just use water, not stock.

Well, you are welcome over anytime! Just give me a few hours notice! What city/state do I need to be in to avail this welcome? To be specific, Belmont Heights in Long Beach, California. D'ya have a trip west in the works?

As I said, Mog, the meal was fabulous and I had no complaints about any of the other staff but it was unfortunate that our waiter was a tad on the snooty side, to say the least. I was dining with my solicitor that evening (I'd had a nasty accident on a visit earlier in the year when a young woman lost control of her car and hit me in my rental head-on, but that is another story!) and she and I are both women. We were certainly dressed appropriately but, and I hadn't even thought of it until now, perhaps it was the fact that we were women. Anyway, the meal was so wonderful that I wouldn't hesitate to go back as long as the finances are available! And it is great to hear that you had such a terrific experience all-round.

Glad to hear you had a great experience there...I had a stupendous meal there about two years ago but it was hampered by an extremely arrogant waiter. I'll be happy to give them another try when I'm next in London!

Well, you are welcome over anytime! Just give me a few hours notice!

I'm of the group who prefers puff pastry for my tarte tatin, however I bake the pastry on its own and not on top of the apples as I find baking it on the apples it never gets as crispy and sometimes tends to be doughy in the center (anyone else experience this or is it just lame-old me?). So I bake them separately then I invert the apples onto the pastry lined serving platter. Gee, Suvir, you sure have started something here...I'm absolutely DYING for a tarte tatin now!

I'm with you, cakewalk! Cream of Wheat only I cook it with milk, top it with brown sugar first and let it melt before adding the cream just around the edges. If you put the cream on before the sugar melts, the sugar gets washed away. I very often have it for a comforting supper!

Box?? Where do you get that? We get 8 sheets in a plastic bag and they coset over 6 dollars. Is that about right? Suvir: The boxes of parchment are the size of a full sheet pan. 1000 sheets for between $30 and $40. Tear the sheets in half and (duh) they fit half-sheet pans which is what I use. Comes in handy for so many other uses as well. Cooking in parchment, keeping work surfaces clean, wrapping christmas cookies and tying with raffia... Should be able to find them at any restaurant supply store. Here in the west at Restaurant Depot, Costco, Smart & Final. Bridge Kitchenware must either have them or they could tell you where to find it. I love that store and everyone who works in it!

Jaymes: I was looking up potash and found the following link. Very interesting! Comparison of Leavening Agents

mmmmmm. steamed treacle pudding. with custard.

Both of those should be available at a large supermarket. Parchment paper in the same section as the wax paper - crystalized ginger with the rest of the spices. I know Trader Joe's are not as prolific back east as they are here but you can even get candied ginger already chopped at TJs. Most other places have the larger chunks which you'll need to either chop or snip to the appropriate size. Other than your supermarket which should have parchment, specialty kitchen shops would have it. Better yet, you'll probably get the baking bug with all your new found recipes here so invest in a whole box of parchment at your local restaurant supply!

So is it your basic, buttery, roll-out Christmas Cookie dough with the exception of adding lots of freshly grated nutmeg? If so, I'll try it with my own recipe....if there is something special about it...will you share??? Anything that "stands out" on a plate of Christmas cookies is well worth knowing about!

You're welcome Maggie and 201 and whoever else makes these addictive cookies this weekend! I'm doing something rather decadent right now: I usually dip my shortbread in bittersweet chocolate but someone in this thread mentioned the word "fudge" so I'm baking a pan of shortbread and then covering it with a thin layer of fudge. Neither me nor my family like nuts in our fudge but even us purists want a little crunchy contrast to the creamy richness every once in awhile! And another thought. Anyone loving nutmeg should make the nutmeg cookies in Rosie's All Butter, Sugar-Packed-whateverthehellthenameofthatbookis....big, soft, cake-like cookies with a lovely little browned butter glaze. They don't travel well (you can't stack them as the bottom of the cookie on top sticks to the glaze of the cookie on the bottom -- anyone know how to resolve that other than putting a square of patty paper between them?) but that nutmeg flavor intensifies if you can wait a day before eating them. I rarely can.

Can you post a recipe? I'm incredibally inept at baking/cooking/following directions, but I'm trying to learn and I'm a big fan of ginger!! Happy to oblige! Chewy Ginger Cookies 4 oz. butter 1 1/3 c. sugar 1 egg 1/3 c. dark corn syrup 3 Tbsp. light molasses 2 Tbsp. milk 4 c. flour 2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. ground ginger 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves (I'm not a huge fan of cloves so I use 1/4 tsp.) 4 oz. chopped, crystalized ginger Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets w/parchment. Cream butter and sugar 'til light and fluffy. Add egg. Add molasses, corn syrup and milk. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix briefly. Add chopped ginger and mix to evenly combine. Chill. Roll into 1 1/2" balls (I use a small ice cream scoop) and roll in granulated sugar. Bake on parchment lined sheets for 12 - 14 minutes. As the dough is dark it is hard to determine doneness by color but you don't want to overbake these as they will then be hard rather than the soft and chewy you are looking for. Hope you love them as much as we do!