lexy

There's a family story that when my brother and I were little, my parents didn't serve us dessert. Then one fateful day at our grandmother's house, she asked us what we would like for dessert after out meal. "Dessert? What's that?" we asked - and despite my parents' good intentions, it was all downhill (or uphill? ) after that Definitely another vote for licking bowls of icing clean, and hot slices of homemade bread slathered with butter here.

There was an interesting article a while back in the New Yorker about why there's no end of different kinds of mustards, but basically only one kind of ketchup (Heinz). Unfortunately, I can't remember what the author concluded, but it was an interesting read. Like a lot of people here, I find ketchup too cloying and sweet unless it's an ingredient in a dish with other flavours. I prefer salty, sour, or spicy flavours for my burgers or fries (mmm … fries with lots of salt and vineger … *drool*)

hmm, this is more complex than I'd thought - good thing I asked! Thanks for the suggestions, I'll probably try kjente2's Coyote Cafe recipe since it looks good without being too much work

I have a recipe that calls for chipotles in adobo sauce. Since I have dried chipotles on hand, I thought I'd soak them and then mix the water with tomato paste, adding the chopped up chiles to create 'adobo'. Any thoughts on this? Is there a better way to do this? Thanks!

Good to hear that there were nor problems returning it, there's nothing worse than having an argument with a shopkeeper over food that is clearly bad but that they refuse to acknowledge as such

oooh, yes Also: gooseberry crumble, fresh-picked raspberries, good blue cheese (especially Stilton & St Agur), and toasted almonds

Any tips for where to look for them wild (i.e. do they like shade? damp?)? I'd never thought of hunting some down before.

Another vote for coffee. I don't particularly like the taste, and to boot, I can't seem to handle the acidity, so I feel slightly nauseous for hours after drinking some.

What about fiddleheads as a mystery ingredient? They're spring-y, in season here in Ontario (and available, I'm guessing, in New York), and perhaps a less obvious seasonal ingredient choice.

*grabs a bag of popcorn and settles in for a good foodblog/battle royale*

Not exactly a health food, but I love those little packets of sesame crackers that are always sold by the cash at corner stores - tasty sesame flavour, and a quick mid-afternoon sugar buzz. (I also love that they're cheap enough for me to buy them with whatever change I can find in my pockets )

You may want a heart defibrillator on hand just in case

Yes! Root beer is foul - tastes like toothpaste to me.

Or you could chop them up and substitute them for chocolate chips in cookies or bars. edit: DiH beat me to it

I remember reading about that in one of the books. I will see if I have it. That would be a good thing to do if I hit the mother load. Then some of that syrup would be available for making the drinks when the hot weather sets in. I remember reading that it is very refreshing. Definitely try this is you have a chance, it's very tasty - light and refreshing, perfect for a light summer meal.

These sound tasty, would you mind sharing what's in the dumplings? And have fun on your trip, it sounds fantastic! ← Hi Lexy, Traditionally pakori are dumplings made with chickpea flour (besan), spices and water and then deep fried. Now I didn't have chickpea flour but I did have leftover chickpeas, and I just went from there. I generally make things up as I go when cooking using sight/smell as guidelines, so I don't have measurements. In a food processor I blitzed a handful of chickpeas with about an equal amount semolina and seasonings. I used cumin, coriander, fresh parsley, salt, etc. The mixture should look like a coarse meal. Add enough water to make a thick paste, maybe a couple tablespoons. Bring stock or water to a boil. Just before cooking the dumplings add a pinch of baking soda and blitz one more time. You want to encorporate air into the batter so they are nice and light. Drop them by tablespoons into the stock/water and cook for about 4-5 minutes. The dumplings will be completely irregularly shaped and they should be floating. Remove with a slotted spoon. You can then simmer the dumplings in a sauce of your choice. I enjoyed them, and they reminded me of a light type of gnocchi. I used semolina flour because I figured it was closest to chickpea flour, you could also make your own chickpea flour or use another type of flour. Or make a real kadhi dish like this recipe. Whew, now off to the airport! ← Thanks for the recipe. I actually happen to have a little leftover chickpea flour sitting around, so this looks like the perfect way to use it up.

What an interesting theme for a foodblog - I'd never even really considered foraging for food. Since I live in a totally different ecozone than you, you probably don't have much specific advice, but I'm wondering how I might go about discovering what local plants are edible. Did you do much research when you started out, or were you working from local knowledge?

There are at least two shops in Kensington market, Toronto, selling a wide variety of Latin American ingredients. I can't get there until next Sunday, but I'll be stocking up then, and we'll have a few more ideas listed here... ← Yes, I can't remember their names, but there's 2 places on Augusta just above Baldwin, as well as Emporio Latino, also on Augusta, just below Baldwin. Well worth checking out - you can get a great selection of peppers, as well as Mexican chocolate, tomatillos, and corn tortillas.

These sound tasty, would you mind sharing what's in the dumplings? And have fun on your trip, it sounds fantastic!

That's what I did tonight Any tips on cooking the couscous evenly? Mine are not all the same size, and while some cooked nicely, others were a little underdone.

Wow, great work! I wish my graduation party had been more like that (plastic cheese and keg beer anyone?)

ooh, I'm jealous. It is sweet (well, sweet for a vinegar) like ice wine?

wow, seafood for 100 people must be pretty pricey. Or do you get your seafood fairly cheaply because it's local?

My starter began with just flour (standard supermarket bread flour) and water. I read through the sourdough Q&A (thanks glossyp), and I think the problem was just that my house is too cold (61?F/16?C). I put it in a warm water bath, and it's rising nicely now. Thanks for the advice all

I'm hoping I can get some advice on this thread. Since I have some time on my hands, I wanted to try a sourdough, and thought I'd try the recipe in BBA. With the sourdough starter, Day 1 was fine, Day 2 the starter doubled nicely, Day 3, it got foamy and rose a little bit, but it did not come close to doubling. I left it another 24 hours with no change, and then moved on to Day 4 (I figured since it was foamy and had a sort of yogurty smell, I'd take my chances). I've left it for 24 hours, and like on Day 3, it's foamy and sour-smelling, but it hasn't risen more than a centimeter. Should I leave it some more and hope it rises or just scrap it and start again? Thanks!