Shelley G.

Thank you! Reservations have been made. I love Peking Duck, though some have suggested that such a fondness is banal...

I just accidentally posted this query on the Eastern Canada board We are going to Toronto the day after tomorrow, and have discovered that the place which we adored for Peking Duck is closed. Sigh. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

We are going to Toronto the day after tomorrow and discovered that a place where we used to love the Peking Duck (it was not only yummy but served with impressive ceremony) has closed. Suggestions would be very warmly received!

This is all extremely helpful - I am always appreciative of the consistently thoughtful responses to questions of any sort on egullet. The barbeque sauce competition is part of a weekend-long blues festival here in Nova Scotia. I lived for several years in Texas and have adored barbeque in Tennessee as well, so I am probably a bit biased in favour of those two regions. My partner happily noshes on barbeque in KC whenever possible, but I have yet to try. What you have said so far tallies perfectly with my thoughts on sauce, but I know that there will be lots of competitors, trying all sorts of things. One of the most gorgeous sauces I have tried in my travels involved a wee bit of herbes de Provence. Amazing.

I am on a panel of judges for a barbeque sauce competition in my community (the local press gang wouldn't take no for an answer) I love the stuff, but would also love your thoughts on what are the vital attributes of a really great sauce - complexity, heat etc.

A tiny manila envelope with "The Damage" on the outside - I always smile.

What about Cool Brittania? All those strawberries and little chocolate-covered shortbreads - did Tony Blair pilfer that name for his campaign slogan in the U.K.? And Phish Phood... And Wavy Gravy. Yum.

First, I roast a little pie pumpkin - the variety I like is called "Sugar Pie". Cut in in half, and roast for about 35 min. One pumpkin usually makes one lovely deep dish pie. After cooling and removing the seeds, I puree the flesh and allow to sit in a sieve for at least an hour (overnight is fine). The texture is entirely different from tinned pumpkin, much silkier. I too am a fan of a wee bit of bourbon, and I use a little cumin in addition to the usual cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and cardamom. The customers at the restaurant start making soulful requests for it in September, but we all have to wait for those Sugar Pie pumpkins.

Thank you all! I experimented with the potatoes for tonight's Thanksgiving dinner - riced them into the slow cooker which I turned to the "Keep Warm" setting. I added about half the fat I normally would, and added the rest right before serving. Perfection! I should have mentioned that I have just started offering dinner at my little restaurant - we are very busy at lunch, but dinner is pushing the envelope because the kitchen is unbelievably tiny. The supper menu is decidedly along the lines of bistro-like comfort food, and I really want to offer a special mash sometimes. I think it's a go!

I'd like to make mashed potatoes (with variations and savoury additions) in advance, and hold them, without impairing the flavour and texture. Any thoughts?

Yes, of course - here it is, and enjoy it! Sift into Kitchen Aid: 4 cups flour 3 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp. ground ginger 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 2 or 3 twists freshly ground pepper Add: 1 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups molasses 4 eggs Beat on low until ingredients are combined, then beat on med-high speed for 1 min. SLOWLY add 2 cups boiling water, beating on lowest speed until incorporated. Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350. Let cool on cooling rack for 25 minutes, and turn out. It really is a lovely gingerbread, and the baking grease works like the proverbial charm. Enjoy!

The recipe Ling posted was basically fine, but I will suggest (after many happy years eating my mother's superb Butter Tarts, that raisins are a no-no. Currants are the thing, and also a teaspoon of vinegar. Believe it or not, the vinegar makes a huge difference. Make, eat, and swoon...

Well, this summer I bought many buckets of sour pie cherries to make fresh almond-cherry crumble for the restaurant. The cherries are frozen with a little sugar to prevent discolouration, and when thawed, exude a lot of juice. So yesterday we made fresh cherry juice floats, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, over which was poured half each cherry juice and soda water. Yum! I realize that it is not baked, but still...

Honeycrisps are arguably one of the best eating apples out there, but I wouldn't use them in a pie, or any sort of baking. I really like Paula Reds or Ida Reds.

BTW - the baker's grease has added a sort of very attractive slightly glossy appearance to the surface of the cake, which definitely didn't happen with the shortening/cocoa dusting technique. I like it a lot.

Well, you'd REALLY have to grease a pan that isn't non-stick......I always say, "Hey, if ya got the non-stick, use it.....it makes life easier, even if you still have to grease it....." ← Well, chefpeon, you are a very clever woman - and I am a very happy cook! The bakers' grease worked like the proverbial charm, and I have made a big batch for the restaurant kitchen. I used a pastry brush to apply it, instead of my hand, which is what I used to do with the shortening, before dusting with cocoa. Anyway, the beautiful cake popped right out of the pan... I am very grateful, and the customers will rise up and call you blessed. Honestly, it was pretty embarassing. We make many more complex things with nary a hitch, and because my pan was actually not that old and I treat my tools well, I had not thought about invisible scratches. I knew that I could have done it as a sheet cake, but honestly, the bundt form looks so lovely on the plate... two nice slices overlapping, and a cinnamon maple leaf stencil, and a sort of cornucopia of whipped cream. Anyway, I've blathered enough, because I'm tired, and I still have a bunch of things to make tonight. Thank you.

What a good idea! It doesn't happen too often at my restaurant, but there is the odd goof. We have lots of regulars who love their particular treat - I would never put out anything substandard. Never. But I like your idea a lot, and will implement it next time (though we always hope there will be never be a next time)

Bless your encouraging words - I am about to make up the bakers' grease and have at it! BTW, it is in fact an exceptionally fine gingerbread, with a lovely fine crumb, and no coarseness to speak of. I adore e-gullet. This is the first time I've asked for help, and appreciate the unstinting nature of advice rendered.

I should have mentioned that I always first grease, then use cocoa. Perhaps I should try a mixture of flour and cocoa. Thank you for the advice. What about using a pan that isn't non-stick? I am much less cranky this morning!

My frustration has knows no bounds at this point. For several years, I have been happily making gingerbread for my restaurant in a non-stick bundt pan, and it has worked beautifully. The customers adore it. And the food cost is excellent, so I am loath to abandon it. For quite some time now, when I turn the cake out, the bottom stays with the pan, not with the rest of the cake, rendering it unusable. The pan is in good shape. I cool the cake for the same 25 minutes I always have, loosening it gently around the sides first. I have tried adjusting the oven temperature a bit, and the rack position too. I have tried reducing the number of eggs from 4 to 3. Sometimes it works, but usually not. Needless to say, the making of the gingerbread is now fraught with anxiety. I would greatly appreciate any ideas that anyone might have. The customers will sqawk bitterly if they're deprived of one of their favourites. BTW, I am reluctant to abandon the Bundt pan because it presents so beautifully on the plate.

I, too, liked L'Echaude, and for breakfast, Le Cochon Dingle. Had yummy eggs benny only with brie and asparagus...

A puff pastry tart with fresh goat cheese, prosciutto and quartered figs, sprinkled with fresh thyme and drizzled with a little very good balsamic vinegar. Served with slices of cold and perfectly ripe melon, it's heavenly.

I am a huge fan of the food processor - the trick for me is to have the butter cubed and frozen, and I also put the dry ingredients in the freezer for at least 1/2 an hour. We're making lots of fresh cherry hand pies right now, so the processors are getting their workouts...

Do come - you definitely won't starve!

A bowl of fresh sour cherry and almond cobbler, still warm, with homemade vanilla ice-cream. Yesterday it was a plate of heavenly ratatouille, a bit warm, with a crusty baguette.