M. Lucia

Percy, can we say mouthwatering? I knew that polenta looked indulgent, I just looked at it and thought: cream. Yesterday was one of those no good very bad days. The kind of day where you want to take it out by beating up on some dough and than eating something indulgent and cheesy. So, of course, I made pizza. Neopolitan dough, a bit of tomato sauce, basil, and lots of mozzarella. Normally I just do a sprinkling of cheese on my pizzas, but not yesterday. Today was just some marinated and baked tofu (tamari/sesame oil/ginger) and some steamed broccoli and beets.

:sigh:

Wow! Is that chocolate recycled back through the waterfall? It seems like a pricy display to keep up, of course, not like you guys have a shortage of chocolate or anything.

yesterday: a mango that has been riping on my counter for the past few days who knows where it was imported from, but it was so juicy and flavorful today: despite the surrounding madness, City Bakery hot chocolate yes, it's just that good

When I make the cake for coconut cake, I always substitute coconut milk for the cream or liquid listed in the recipe. Coconut milk is not the same as cream of coconut mentioned by Darcie, (which I believe has added sugar), though that would make it even more rich. I frost my cake with an Italian meringue made with coconut extract and topped with grated coconut. Much better than some plain cake with a little bit of coconut thrown in, and moister too.

We used to own a house in the Boothbay vicinity when we sailed and we still go up every year to stay on Monhegan Island. There are lots of great places in Boothbay to rent, and lots of good eating options as well. Ocean Point Inn is a nice little place, and there are some other (more expensive) places I could also point you to.

Oh yes, after I make the mousse, I might make the chocolate sparklers, simply because I have all the ingredients on hand. Has anyone made any of the truffles yet?

Haha, great story Dorie. I did wonder about the piping because I think of a sable as a very stiff dough. Patrick, I don't think the texture of the chocolate cream would be right for eclairs or tarts. It was not creamy enough, at least not when I made it. I think if you didn't add quite as much chocolate as the recipe calls for it would be less dense and more creamy. It would be good with a less bitter chocolate, though it should still have some bite to it. I think it would pair very well with something that has a contrasting texture, like the crunchy waffle (pictured on page 142) or some rice crispies (like the whisky capuccino). It was plenty enough for me to have it just with some whipped cream. I don't know if I'd pair it with ice cream though (like in the coupe malsherbees). Go ahead and make the cream on its own and then see what you think.

Wow, that is quite a list of kibbe! I'm learning so much. Ohh, yes, yes please do share any recipes if you get a chance Elie! I'd love to have a fish or vegetarian recipe. And I vote for koussa mehshi bil laban next, though I really love bathinjan mehshi.

It takes an hour to make runny dulce de leche sauce, I do it that way to pour over ice cream. I've never done the solid version myslef but sounds good That is definately a southern as in south-of-the border thing. I wouldn't say it was a typical southern thing, but it is good Ice box pie, of course! grasshopper pie anyone?

My mom always made royal icing with egg whites and as I child I ate gobs of it, so I have no qualms about the stuff. From what I understand egg whites are very stable and are much less likely to carry any bacteria (that would be in the yolk). Leave 'em out uncovered for days, you'd be fine. Though I am not a pastry chef, I would guess most pc's use raw egg whites (correct me if I'm wrong). Heating egg whites does change their chemical structure, but I would note that in an Italian meringue or in marshmallows the egg whites are cooked by the hot syrup. So, I wouldn't worry about it (of course, I wouldn't advertise raw egg either).

I like that idea of combining lentils. I am going to make some lentil soup this week- I already have puy lentils so I am going to pick up some red lentils (they do break down quickly). In the meantime, I'll be making some pizza and for the week ahead a butternut squash soup. When I have leftover soup, I like to add somethings to it to stretch it out. For example, maybe add some greens to the lentil soup the 2nd or third day. This keeps some variety going and stretches out the dish's utility.

Most people don't measure salad greens, just guess-timate. As suggested, plate it out or just go by handfuls. In fact, measurements for any part of a salad are just guidelines, so use your own judgement. With experience, you won't need to measure. However, if you are cooking greens, know that they cook down a lot.

I can't believe no one has mentioned my favorite: Pompano flavorful and luscious without being overly fatty, it is wonderful It is also hard to find in groceries, and I am lucky to get it at Citarella in New York. If you haven't had it, I urge you to search it out. I also used to love the tilapia I used to get in South Carolina, but I find the proliferation of the farmed tilapia to be too tasteless. I like to do it en papillote, but these days I use sole. And of course salmon, roasted is my favorite, but hey smoked is good too.

Haha, why does this thread remind my all those incarnations of Law and Order and CSI? ahh, the spin off... Actually, it's great because I always have dessert. Heck, sometimes I have more dessert than dinner. Tonight it will be some more of Herme's deep chocolate cream. I think this will be the last of it, simply because it is very rich and (gasp) I am not a huge fan of chocolate on its own.

Wow, I can't believe I haven't been following this thread. I guess it's because I make soup all the time, my friends call my soup queen. Anyway, this week I made tomato and roasted garlic soup, so good and flavorful. Some of my favorites are green lentil soup, spinach soup (or any other greens), and ribollita. I would really recommend Lee Bailey's Soup Meals, it has lots of good ideas, including a great white bean and sausage soup and a beet and orange soup. This week I'll be making my butternut squash soup (a similar method to Thimas Keller's recipe) and I look forward to trying the mushroom soup recipe soon.

Patrick, thanks for the help. I have a mac and I found that if you click and hold on the image a menu pops up, you then choose "open image in new window" and the actual URL will be displayed. So the pictures (quality courtesy of my cell phone), at least give an idea of the thing:

I just got my copy of the book, and I made the deep chocolate cream (p. 224). It was very dense and very rich and had a lovely texture. When making the creme anglaise, it didn't thicken as much as I expected it to. However, when I combined it with the chocolate it was the right consistency, though not as "creamy" as I might've liked. I didn't strain the creme as the recipe directed, and it was fine, though I can see how this would make it even more smooth. Because the chocolate is the main flavor base, the quality of chocolate you use is key (I used Scharfen Berger). I took a picture but I am battling it out with Image Gullet (there is no option to "view URL" in my album), so I will post when I can- though it in no way compares to Patrick's artistry. I plan on making the chocolate mousse tomorrow with my leftover egg whites.

I actually love braised vegetables, it is a good technique for things beyond the trad. meat cuts. Braised brussels are great (with shallots) and braised leeks are a favorite (with butter).

Um, have you been following this thread? In Praise of Out of Season Fruit

Birthday cakes are one of those things that are more endearing when they have the homemade look, so don't stress too much about it. Just try and do something simple and nice. Cream cheese frosting will soften at room temp, so it depends how long you want to hold it. Definately put the frosting on the cake and then press on the coconut, it will give the cake a nice textured look. If you mix the coconut into the frosting it will just look like lumpy frosting. Decorate with some pecan halves. Perhaps you could share the recipe? And do let us know how it turns out.

Oh, yes, Craft's sticky toffee pudding is delicious. Today, it was a slice of Italian rum cake I shared with a friend, boozily good.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this is just WRONG! ← Oh, I am glad someone else had the courage to say it. My reaction was the same to the bechamel idea. And I am holding out on the vegetables in microwave, though some have more respect for vegetables than others. Ok, so microwaves are good for defrosting (meat, stock). And occaisonally reheating, though not necessary. I see how you did the reducing andie. I suppose I would just rather do it on the stove top, it would take about the same amount of time and I feel more comfortable being able to regulate the temperature of the flame on the stove. Personal preference. Perhaps part of the reason I don't like microwaves is lack of control, I just don't trust them. Especially with the fact that liquid heated never boils, there is just something wrong with that. I know there is rhetoric floating around about microwave radiation being dangerous and about things loosing nutrients in the microwave, but I don't know if there's any truth to that. I think a lot of people use the microwave because they are used to it. As many have noted, if you were suddenly microwaveless you might be surprised at how easily you could get along without it. Does anyone have any bad microwave stories? Or do you know more about the technological basics (here is a bit of info) and why it makes things taste funny? Do you have anything really unusual you use the microwave for?

How do you reduce liquids? I am wary of heating liquids in the microwave because I think it can be dangerous.

Nice heart shaped macs! In my experience, just using some food coloring in the macarons and having flavoring in the filling gives plenty of flavor. Because the macarons are so delicate, you don't want to overpower them. Just fold some jam into your filling. Marshmallows are also good and light and are easily cut with cookies cutters, and I do lemon-poppyseed shortbreads as well.