[Baking (Etc.) with David Lebovitz's "Ready for Dessert"]

Bricktop is right; the Fresh Ginger Cake is seriously good. I actually find myself craving it. I had one guest spontaneously exclaim that this was the best cake she'd ever had. It is an adult cake, definitely not shy on flavour. I can't imagine that kids would find it palatable though.

I've also made the Buckwheat Cake (minus the poached apples). It's a simple, homely cake - in a good way. I liked it best for breakfast with a mug of milky black tea. When fresh, I'd call its taste subtle. As it aged the flavour bloomed and I actually found it to be at its best in the third day after baking, just as we finished it off. Be warned; as DL says, the batter is VERY thick. I had a hard time imagining that it would have any rise, but it did.

The Very Spicy Baked Pears with Caramel was richly flavourful. It was hard not to lick the pan, it was that good. I'm not sure that the "very" in the title is warranted. I can't imagine even the most spice averse would find it unpalatable. It's a fantastic fall/winter dessert that I know I'll repeat again and again.

Kathy

[Cooking with Dorie Greenspan's "Around my French Table"]

My copy of "the" book arrived last week and my first perusal resulted in a long list of things I want to try. We're fortunate enough to be spending a week at a cottage up north next week and I'm planning to do a lot of cooking, reading, cooking, photography, cooking. You get the idea.

I couldn't wait until next week to start working on the list though. First up were the grated carrot salad, the curried chicken etc in papillote, and marie-helene's apple cake.

The carrot salad couldn't have been quicker. Using the food processor to grate the carrots and then mixing up the vinaigrette in the same bowl was extremely efficient. The only change I made was to substitute pecans (toasted) for the walnuts. Using multi-coloured heritage carrots, as suggested above, made the salad a visual treat. It tasted great the first day and almost as good the second day.( I, like Dorie, like a little crunch to my carrots.) My husband's comment was "please don't lose this recipe". It will go into regular rotation. It's good enough for company but not "too fancy" for just us.

The apple cake was a real winner too. I've been looking for a recipe that makes the apples the star, not just part of the supporting cast; and this is it. Using the "divers' apples was really the brilliant touch. I used Empire, Mutsu, Ida Red and Smoothee (really) - it was akin to a Golden Delicious. Because the apples are in such significant chunks the variation in texture and flavour was very apparent. Like the carrot salad, this is homely enough for weeknights but more than presentable for guests.

I had a few reservations about the curried chicken - mainly due to operator error, I think. The parcels were charming but I overcooked them somewhat and, like Chris, my chicken stuck together in clumps. The chicken breasts I got were really huge, over 2 lbs for the two, and even though I didn't use all the chicken I think the meat to vegetable ratio was off. Maybe that was the source of the problem. I'd also boost up the seasoning. My curry powder was lacking in punch. I'll try this again but perhaps I'll try the salmon-tomato papillotes first.

I think that this book is going to become as much of a favourite go-to recipe source for me as "Baking".

Thanks Dorie. You've done it again.

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 3)]

Add another one to the list.

It's plum season and I tried the Flip Over Plum Cake. Another winner! Easy too. It does, in fact, have a rather puddingy texture with a delicious caramelized, buttery outer ,um, how to describe it?.. skin? Crust doesn't seem quite accurate given the texture. It's actually a bit chewy.

My plums were quite tart so I decided to go with the full amount of sugar suggested in the recipe. We did find it overly sweet for our tastes; so, next time the sugar added to the fruit gets halved. I'm wondering if the sugar in the batter could also be diminished somewhat without affecting the texture.

A topping of some lightly whipped and barely sweetened cream complemented it perfectly.

Kathy

["The Perfect Scoop" by David Lebovitz on ice cream]

I made the Butterscotch Pecan ice cream while on holidays last week. All I can say is WOW!. I had four very happy guests and, thankfully for my waistline, not a lot of leftovers.

I think that it may just become an annual cottage tradition. (and, yes, I did schlep my ice cream maker up to to cottage.)

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 3)]

I just returned from a wonderful cottage week on Georgian Bay in Ontario. Crystal clear water and gorgeous rocks - and, really, the first nice summer weather of the season. It's always a bit of a crap shoot in regards to kitchen equipment in a rental cottage so I load the car up with far more stuff than I think I could possibly use. I even packed in "the" book, as I think of it. This particular cottage, though great in every other way, was, to put it kindly, kitchen deficient.

I do like to inaugurate the corn season with Dorie's corniest corn muffins and, of course, there was no muffin pan and nor had I thought to bring one. I did bring a 9X2 baking pan though - so I made up the batter, poured it in and baked it for 25 minutes. It turned out fabulously. DH thought it was the best corn bread ever; and, I have to agree with him. I'll be making it like that in the future even if a muffin pan is

right at hand.

Kathy

[Battle of the refrigerator-freezer designs]

We have a 3 year old 22 cu ft GE Profile bottom mount fridge that seems to be decomposing rapidly. The motherboard has gone (an approximately $500 repair) and, on top of that, the interior plastic shelf supports are breaking off - so far the deli drawer support and the whole bottom shelf. And this is in a household of two rather careful adults . Now the decision is whether or not to repair this piece of junk and, if we do replace it, what to replace it with. We need a fridge of about 32" width and really can't expand the space available for it. Any suggestions?

Kathy

[Minimalist No-Knead Bread Technique (Part 2)]

I've made about 8 loaves using the Cook's Illustrated modifications--as mentioned up thread, they reduce the water, use lager and vinegar, reduce the first rise, and do the second rise on oiled parchment paper which is then lifted into the dutch oven for a no mess transfer.

The loaf is easier to handle since there is less liquid. 15 hand kneads are advised before the second rise, and this is easy on a floured surface since the dough is less wet and messy.

I've been using wheat beer and cider vinegar. The flavour is definitely improved over the base recipe.

I also used the toasted walnut and dried cranberry varient. Great toasted for breakfast.

I chopped some Rosemary in one loaf and that boosted the flavour as well.

There is a somewhat denser crumb using the Cook's Illustrated varient, but not gummy or heavy--still springy and smaller air holes.

All in all, a very satisfactory varient on the base recipe. I plan on using different flavoured vinegars and different ales in the future just to have fun.

But it's nice to get the thing kneaded and rising after 8 hours instead of having to wait 18 or longer--although you still can, of course.

Nice to get back into this bread baking technique a year or more after the initial excitement was over.

Cheers,

L.

[Monterey to San Francisco]

Thanks to all for your help so far. I've come to the conclusion that we just don't have enough days to eat everywhere that we want to. What a surprise, eh?

Now L has proudly announced that we have tickets for the San Francisco Opera on Saturday night. Being Wagner it's going to be a marathon session starting at 7 o'clock. That means we're going to have a very late lunch/very early dinner and it can't be so heavy as to set me snoring before the first intermission. What would be recommended within an easy walk of the opera?

TIA,

Kathy

[Monterey to San Francisco]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies so far.

Carolyn - it's acutually your mini-blog that put me on to Aziza. It doesn't sound like anything that we'd be able to experience elsewhere. I've been following your food adventures with much interest (and envy). It sounds like SF has endless possibilities for the food obsessed.

Zuni is on our list for late lunch/early dinner on our first day in the city after Manresa - I thought that we'd need some simpler food after Los Gatos. Alas, we are no longer up to consecutive tasting menus from either a digestive or budgetary point of view. Or would Tadish Grill fall into that category?- good food, simply prepared.

It's hard for me to imagine missing Chez Panisse if we're in the vicinity - it's as much a pilgrimmage as anything else. I'm leaning towards the Cafe as it's a bit more casual in nature.

I'm curious, too, to know if anyone who has eaten at Manresa has also eaten at Eleven Madison Park. We were fortunate enough to eat there earlier this summer and Daniel Humm's cuisine seemed quite "west coast" to us. It was a wonderful dining experience in every way. We'll be thrilled if Manresa can deliver a like experience.

Incanto and Ame also tempt, but it's a case of too many meals, too little time - unless someone can convince me to skip one of the choices above.

I've got the whole of Saturday morning set aside for the Ferry Market and I intend to arrive pre 9am - is there any point in arriving earlier? Poor L. does have to attend at least some of his conference (our excuse for the trip in the first place) so will miss out. I might bring him back a few treats, though.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Monterey to San Francisco]

L& I are going to be travelling from Southern Ontario to the Monterey Penninsula and San Francisco for 10 days at the end of September and I'm hoping to refine our eating itinerary with your help. As you will see, our existing plans are already heavily influenced by my reading on this board.

We're stationed in Moss Landing for the first several days. I've made a dinner reservation at Passionfish in Pacific Grove and we're thinking about the Moss Landing Cafe and Sea Harvest for more casual and convenient eats. Can anyone tell me what sand dabs are like?

Tuesday is Manresa and we'll stay in Los Gatos. I figure that we'll be too stuffed to consider travelling any distance.

In the city Aziza, Zuni and, of course, Chez Panisse are on the list. Does anyone have comments on the Cafe vs the Dining Room at Chez Panisse?

I've set Saturday morning aside for the market - I'm planning to buy a whole bunch of Rancho Gordo's beans to pack home with me.

TIA

Kathy

[NYC Food Tours]

Over the last several years L & I have done a number of the tours mentioned above. As far as we're concerned they're one of the best values available to a tourist in the city. In fact, in our week this year we did two - the Central Village with Food Tours of NY and the "Slice of Brooklyn" Pizza Tour.

The Central Village tour took us to places like Joe's Dairy (fresh hickory smoked mozarella and Grandaisy Bakery (white pizza) and numerous other spots, all with prearranged nibbles. By the end of the three hours we had a good working knowledge of a neighbourhood that we weren't familiar with and, as well, we'd had eclectic selection of interesting and good foods. Most people would have been stuffed with the tour food - we, however, had enough room to grab a "Pinnochio" at Alidoro. The sign at the counter listing the items "We Don't Have" (ie DON'T ASK) still makes me laugh when I think of it.

The Brooklyn Pizza tour was an absolute hoot. Tony and his business partner, Jimmy, have done a wonderful organizational job. Grimaldi's, at noon, with no wait; and later, L&B. We asked about DiFara's and they said they'd love to do it but that that service was too slow to consider including it. (I knew that). Possible dead times in transit are filled in with pertinent film clips. I loved driving under the El just as the famous chase scene from The French Connection was being screened.

I think New Yorkers, if they could stand the embarassment of being identified as tourists, would find a lot to enjoy about them too.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Casellula]

I'm surprised how little note Casellula has received on this board given the quality of its offerings and its pleasant, low key atmosphere. It calls itself a "Cheese and Wine" cafe, with the emphasis on the cheese - and rightly so. It's a small, brick-exposed bistro setting with welcoming, efficient staff, including a cheese sommelier. We arrived early, sans reservation, and that was fine, although it did fill quickly. Many of the other diners, uh, nibblers, seemed to be there for a platter of meats or cheeses and a glass of wine before moving on for the evening. Fine, it's well situated for pre-theatre, but the food is definitely worth lingering for. L. had the Chilled Carrot Consomme that was zinged with ginger. Perfect for a steamy day and so good and full-flavoured that I was denied even a taste. Cooled down, he moved on to the Mac and Cheese. Three cheeses (Fol Epi, Comte, and Chevre) with lardons and carmelized onions. This I did get to share and it was great- rich but somehow not too rich. We agreed that it rivalled the mac and cheese at Bar Etats Unis, until now our touchstone of comfort food. I started with the Endive salad. Be warned, this is not a "lite" plate of salad. As well as the endive there was an unholy but delicious amount of blue cheese (Roaring Forties Blue) with pear and macadamia nuts. Normal eaters would find the salad alone a satisfying meal; however, we're not and I was unable to resist the Pig's Ass Sandwich. Basically ham and cheeses made homey with the addition of bread&butter pickles. Good stuff, especially when dipped into the unshy chipotle aioli. I'm embarrassed, even in this company, to say we didn't stop there. We went on to share a cherry clafouti with lavendar ice cream ( I couldn't detect the lavendar) and a plate of three goat cheeses, the star of which was a French Tarentais.

If I were in the neigbourhood very often my cholesterol levels would be in peril.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Casellula]

I'm looking to fill a few holes in our dining schedule for the upcoming week. This was reviewed in the latest issue of The New Yorker and I'm wondering what the eGullet opinion is. At this point, if we arrive for early dining, are we likely to need a reservation?

We're already booked for Lupa, Artisanal, EMP, The Little Owl and the Bar Room at the Modern. Hoping for neighbourhood eats at Kefi or Celeste and lots and lots of gelato.

Any feedback?

Cheers,

Kathy

[Devi or Tabla?]

As to menu choices at Devi, do what my SO and I did, have the tasting menus - one with meat and one vegetarian. If both of you are willing to share (and I warn you that's going to be a challenge) then you get to taste the widest range of what they have to offer.

I'm a confirmed carnivore and I had the vegetarian menu. I was absolutely delighted with it - and would have been even if I hadn't been able to strong arm a few bites from hubby's meat dishes.

Have a happy birthday,

Kathy

[Recommendations near BAM?]

Is there anything new to report near the theatre? Or, is Thomas Beisl still the best and most convenient option?

TIA

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 2)]

I thought I'd give the chocolate gingerbread a pre-Xmas run through and it turned out very well indeed. I added the suggested glaced orange peel, though not the raisins. The layering of flavours was marvellous - ginger, chocolate, orange. If this was wine you'd say it had a great finish

This is a gingerbread to serve to people (like my husband) who think they don't care for gingerbread. He's now converted.

As I was making the gingerbread I realized that one of the special things about this book is that Dorie anticipates just when you think you might have gone off the rails. OK- the batter has curdled, but that's just fine. The cake might raise and crack in the middle but will settle back down as it cools- check. You can trim off the edges if they're over-browned -yup. This is all so reassuring. Just as if she's standing over your shoulder.

Now, the one thing I'd like to add to my next go with this is some toasted black walnuts. I'll have to see if the squirrels left me any.

Kathy

PS: I just decided to treat myself to a gift of a madeiline pan. It'll be the Earl Grey Madeilines as soon as it comes.

[Beans, beans, they're good for your]

I've searched every which way I can think of to track down Miagai's BEP recipe that's been lauded in the above posts - and I haven't been successful. Could someone be so kind as to post a link?

TIA

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)]

Hi all - the Lenox Almond Biscotti (with the addition of dried cherries flamed with brandy) are cooling as I type. The aroma is heavenly. My husband -"Do they really have to cool to room temperature?" Me- "Yes. Delayed gratification will only make them taste better".

If I can figure out the procedure I'll post a photo later.

Since I last posted I've made the Coconut Tea Cake, the Apple Spice Bars and the Cream Scones.

The Apple Spice Bars, as expected, were a winner. A bit sweet for my personal taste; but, man, did they go over big at the office.

I guess that I'm like Dorie's friend who prefers "dry" cakes. The Coconut Tea Cake (in its unaltered form) was awesome. "Just one more slice" and, can you believe it, it's all gone. This is a definite repeater.

The Cream Scones are classic. A beautiful Sunday morning breakfast with a strong cup of Assam tea. After making the Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones and these I'm really beginning to believe that I can make scones reliably. Thanks for instilling the confidence, Dorie.

I don't think that I've ever had another cookbook that has inspired me to make so many of the recipes (9 and counting); and, ALL of them have been very successful.

Thanks again, Dorie.

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)]

Dorie, your book is well on its way to creating a monster.

My husband, who works out of town during the week, arrived home on Friday night and the first words out his mouth were "What are you making out of Dorie this week".

He knows good things are in the offing when he sees "the book" open on the counter.

First up was the Amaretti Torte. I had my moments with it. I don't own and couldn't find a round 8X2 pan so I baked it in a ceramic 8 inch pie plate. I think that led the upper, tapering edge to be a bit over-baked - as well as the finish being less than professional looking. But, hey, it is home baking after all. The wild card was that when I broke the 3 eggs into the food processer, not one, but two of them were double yolkers. Mucho egg. Next time I'll break them into a bowl first. It took some extra time for the torte to bake because of that I think.

Regardless of the above, the torte was deemed "fantastic". The flavour is truly amazing, richly chocolate with the almond singing through. I was thinking about toasting the almonds before grinding them but the flavour is so intense I don't think that it could add a great deal.

Then, this morning, I made the Oatmeal Nutmeg Scones. They were a winner too.

Actually, almost my favorite thing so far. The bonus is being able to freeze half of the batch to bake when I'm lazier about getting up.

The great thing about this book, Dorie, is that you make things so accessible and friendly that everything seems, and is, do-able. I've made five recipes so far and all of them have been a success. The list of things that I want to try just keeps growing.

My husband will be happy.

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)]

Dorie, I have to reveal that I have a deeply engrained fear of making biscuits. Previous efforts have resulted in dense, barely edible hockey pucks. So it was with no small amount of trepidation that tried your Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits this morning. Anxiety rose when the batter seemed drier than than the "very soft" indicated in the instructions.( Canadian flour maybe?) But I soldiered on and the end result was a batch of light, yummy, rustic looking biscuits. They had a great exterior crunch and a light. soft interior crumb. Flakey? no-but still the best I've ever made. I don't think that I'd want to load them up with anything other than lots of butter though. I'd hate to mask the lovely, delicate maple flavour that comes through. If I can master the technicalities I'll upload the photos I took.

I'm well on my way to conquering my fear of biscuit making thanks to you. Next - rolled biscuits. If they turn out as well as these there will be no stopping me.

Kathy

PS: I want to make the Chocolate Amaretti Torte and I have a question about the cookies. I couldn't find the Lazzaroni brand and I'm wondering about the size equivalency. The brand I found is Montebovi and the cookies are about 1.5 inches in diameter. Would 12 of these be equivalent to the 6 "doubles" that you recommend? Thanks, K

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)]

It's two for two for me too.

I made the Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake for our Thanksgiving gathering today.

The universal reaction was "WOW, this is really good". In fact, it was so good that it totally disappeared without the opportunity for me to photograph it. You'll have to take my word that it looked as good as it tasted.

I used my favorite baking apple, Liberty, in place of the Golden Delicious and the flavour and texture were excellent.

Hmmm... what to try next?

Kathy

["Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)]

My copy arrived just in time for me to nab the very last of the fresh corn for the corniest corn muffins.

I could tell, as I mixed the batter, that things were coming together well. The muffins baked up with a nice firm crumb but were surprisingly light, almost delicate. I had expected them to be on the heavy side considering the corn kernals, but not so. And the aroma was wonderful - it brought the last of summer into the kitchen on a dark rainy day.

One was not enough. We each ate two, dripping with butter.

The diet can wait.

Kathy

PS: My husband said "make sure that you thank Dorie". So, thank you, Dorie.

[Halifax]

One thing that we brought home with us from NS (actually we had them shipped) was a selection of condiments - jams, salsa, chutney, mustard etc - from the Tangled Garden in Grand Pre. I'm not sure whether or not she has a distributer in Halifax but she was at a Halifax craft show on the waterfront when we were there.

The garden itself is well worth a visit. The owner is a true artist of the garden. The preserves etc are made with ingredients harvested from the garden. Think Strawberry Lavender jam, Cherry Anise Hyssop Jam, Lemon Horseradish Jelly, Hot Peach Salsa etc. Interesting and well-balanced flavour combinations.

My plan was to use them for gift giving but I suspect that very few of them will actually leave my grasp.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Halifax]

I'll second the suggestion of a stay at Cambridge Suites. We stayed there this summer. It's a fantastic location- you can easily walk to any number of good restaurants. As well, I think it would be especially good when travelling with a little one - the room comes equipped with microwave and fridge and, although not a "suite" there's plenty of room to spread out. As a bonus "Bud the Spud" sets up just around the corner - fantastic fries.

I don't have any suggestions for kid friendly restaurants, that not being something I have to seek out. However, if the great aunties can be persuaded to babysit for an evening both Fid and Chives Bistro made us happy, very happy.

Cheers,

Kathy

[Restaurants in or near Stratford, ON]

Well, we're just back from our first foray to Stratford this year and it was a fine start to the season (Coriolanus, Oliver and The Glass Menagerie).

On the strength of the upthread review we decided on dinner at The Globe and we were not disappointed. Of the 6 predessert courses we sampled (we're fressers) 5 were outstanding with one, the Lobster Ceviche, being merely OK.

We started with Olive Oil poached Baby Fennell with light lemony goat cheese and parmesan cheese. It was a lovely light spring combination. Along with that we had the "Pancake Stack" described above (we both gave it top marks) and the Lobster Ceviche.

The second round included Ocean Trout Gratinee topped with crab and asparagus salad. Again, this was a dish suggestive of spring with the richness of the white wine sauce adding some nice, slightly acidic, depth. This was followed by the Venison Carpaccio described upthread. I will only say that it elicited sighs from both sides of the table.

Not quite finished yet, we went on to Sauteed Beef Tenderloin served with roasted red mini potatoes and fiddleheads seasoned with pesto. Simpler than some of the other plates, it won kudos for the quality of the ingredients.

Each dish was a little work of culinary art for the eye as well as the palate.

The desserts we had weren't quite up to the standard of the mains. I had the toffee pudding with vanilla icecream and, while good, it wasn't over-the-top gooey enough for my taste. L's warm lemon sponge filled with lemon curd looked very pretty on the plate but the dryness of the sponge detracted. The coffee to follow was very acceptable.

We accompanied the meal with 1/2 litre of 2000 Studertprum Reisling and a single glass each of a red (details escape me). They have small but very interesting list of wines all available by the glass, 1/2 litre or bottle.

For all of this the bill came to roughly $144, with $44 being attributable to the wine. We felt it very good value for the level of the food presented.

The plates are not large which may leave dedicated trenchermen disappointed. However, it was a perfect pre-theatre meal that did not leave us snoring through Coriolanus.

And, most of all, eating there was a lot of fun - something that's missing from a lot of dining experiences.

Cheers, Kathy

PS: I really admired the front of house service. They were enthusiastic and patient in conveying, repeatedly, the concept of small plate dining to a room full of diners who were largely unacquainted with it.