C_Ruark

If M and J had actually applied heat to something in their dish, I really think Bouncing Betty and Mia would be gone. Duck + pastry + red/b-vin redux? Ladies, step away from the station. Unfortunately, "palette cleanser" was an obvious wrong sell. Unimaginative. Not a very pleasing visual. Didn't appear as if any component was crisp and/or tart (or herbal/aromatic save the fennel); which would have separated the (horrid) duck from the forthcoming dessert. Just a humble observation from one who enjoys sorbet and unadulterated cheese as p/c nibbles. (typos corrected)

Second on Cook's Illustrated. Invaluable. Food and Wine. I tend to see emerging trends popping up in this magazine before most others. I also like the overall writing. Chili Pepper is another good one.

Helpful advice AM. Thanks very much.

Thanks for supplying the missing words. I didn't quite catch the last part because I was already in stitches. (deleted a bit of extra writing)

Learned a thing or two... 1 - Walnut oil turned out to be a bad idea for this recipe. It didn't become evident until I baked the breads. Could be that the smoke point for unrefined walnut oil is about 85 deg lower than EVOO. The crust carried a bitter nut taste that wasn't too pleasant. 2 - Salt needs to be added to the dough. It was "musty" tasting. 3 and 4 - I can skip leaving the dough overnight in my fridge. When warmed back to room temp, it wasn't as billowy as right after the second rise. Round 2 is coming, I'll correct the faults and see what is happening.

Thanks, corrected my post.

//Some SPOILER info included// Saw episode 5 "leftovers"; guest judge was Chef Michelle Berstein. QF-challenge - Offal - Somehow I picture Fergus H rubbing his head at the duality of the offal challenge. First, the display of skill. Second, the short time-span. What was it? 2 hours? (I got the time wrong before). Most went for sweetbreads. Others went after trotters. (Added) Wasn't a fan of the oxtail/soup preparation as described. Chef B got the winner right; it was just outside-the-box to be interesting, but not too far to be disconnected (that came later in the show). Fritter v beignet? Eh... not a big deal. It looked great. Side note: Chef B's analysis was thorough and well-presented. Elimination challenge - 6 courses for 60 from Social resto's kitchen using leftovers- Yikes. Social surely had a lot of nice leftovers! Cheftestants paired off and it was immediately clear which chefs have a knack for both conceiving and executing a dish and which can only do one or the other. The winning team was an interesting one. They served a rice dish to a large group. Gutsy move. The method was intriguing for sure, and the finished product indeed looked good plated. Who gets booted? Well, you'll have to watch (or read elsewhere) to find out. I will say that IMHO, with personalities aside, the elimination was with total merit and decisive. The failing course was no-where near to being a "just getting by" dish. BTW, Tune in next week! AB is on the show!

Stopped in @ Vicino's. Hole-in-thewall... Italian... ... GOOD EATS.

If I recall, the Finger Lakes area seems to have some decent local vinters on the Cayuga Wine Trail. Perhaps you can get get involved and do a small wine-paired menu section?

Hi AM, Good luck with the challenge! Fruit cakes are indeed yum, especially the German Obsttorten I grew up with. I've soaked the TJ apricots in mead overnight to soften them a bit. Sulphured v unsulphured. Is there a diff other than the orange color tone in the former is brighter?

Thanks! Colorado Kitchen, eh? :shrugs: I might eat the ham napoleon. Does it come with Gillian's tartar sauce?

Chris C, I missed the DC episode. Where did ya eat? ~C

Hi Everyone, I am dabbling in the realm of breadmaking by working a focaccia recipe from "Baking with Julia" (Craig Kominiak's version). Please help teach a cook a few breadmaking tricks! Here are a couple questions about lean bread dough production... Oils - What sort of impact on flavor and dough structure will different oils have on the recipe? The original recipe calls for olive oil, I'm subbing in walnut oil for this first version. My goof (doh!), I grabbed the wrong bottle! Salt - When transcribing the TV version of the recipe, I noticed that salt wasn't added to the mixture. Does this have any serious impact? From McGee, it seems that salt is used to temper yeast's potency so that it doesn't give off as much CO2. Yeast - n changing recipe quantities what do you do about the amount of yeast to be used? If I am halving other ingredient amounts do I do the same with yeast? What do I do if I increase weights? Rises - Why does some recipes use more rises than others? What's that doing to the dough? This recipe has two room temperature rise/punch-downs and an overnight stay in the fridge before shaping the loaves. Thanks for reading! ~C

Oh, Raki :shivers: that stuff is potent. Tentoura (Hahalis Tentoura Kastro) on the other hand. A reddish cinnamon brady cordial that is the perfect appertif. For anyone headed to Hania area, here's few recommendations. 1- "Chicken Georges"; the locals will know. Spit roasted chicken and fries. It's on one of the roads that leads to Calathos from Souda Bay. Down the street is another fine resto which is located next to Crete's best confectioner. In the town: 2- Antigoni - 3- Monisteri's (english sp?); bit of a touristy spot, but the best saganaki around. 4- Souda Bay Fish House; fresh swordfish! Be sure to check out everything on Halidon St. There's a lot of hidden places that have good food. For instance, there's a German restaurant (the owner's an expat anyway). I can never remember the name of the place, but I can find it with my eyes closed.

TB, Congrats on getting the new gig. Can you post some pics and the current menu for your place and the inn? ~C

G-friend and I are going walkabout in S-Spring tomorrow. Think we'll check it out for lunch.

I wonder if the teams knew the target audience had health concerns. It doesn't appear so the way the edited show's airing. I'm not too hung up on "slightly" busting the rules. How else can you make Mom's meatloaf actually edible? Nevertheless, I would definitely 86 Bouncing-B - ice-cream caddy chemical burns and all - for causing a serious health concern! No questions asked. Not for cranking on the sugar. But because the agreed recipe is grossly altered. 2 Tbsp added sugar = 3-4 egg whites if my calorie tables are accurate. And that's per cookie! Even folks locked up in a jail know the rule: Mess with kids and you're asking for it. Can we boot Butterface on principle alone? "Black currant tea crème brule with huckleberry compote" (from the site's bio) is a train-wreck.

Just went there. Blown away! Good call P.

//sound of Klaxons screaming// GAH!!!! Brain hurts... from too much... information overload. Going prompt... critical... ... I just burned two hours on the list. Thanks for the post McA!!! ~C

Oh, which method's that? The sort-of one handed "I'm cutting an apple" style? ~C

Oh, which method's that? The sort-of one handed "I'm cutting an apple" style?

About the challenge and the answer, WOW . I bet it's delish. ~ C

Microwaved popcorn of any kind; any organ of significance to an animal's nervous, pulmonary or reproductive systems; shellfish (an unfortunate allergy); agaric mushrooms.

GOOD IDEA! I second that! Would you consider making basil vinegar? It's highly versatile and adds subtle flavor to everything from the garden, even melons and berries. Read through the thread and saw Miriam mentioned the vinegar, too. Adding orange peel to my next batch. As for the blanching process, you're just shocking the color in, and to a very small degree driving the oils. And it's brief, too much heat will start the oxidation process and things get bitter. Tip from my Cooks Illustrated notes on getting flavor out: Before using basil in recipe processing, place the basil in a ziploc bag, evacuate as much air as possible, and using a rolling-pin with firm pressure, roll over the leaves.

Chris, Just got through the backlog on my TiVo and I am mucho impressed. Love the shirts, love the show. Charleston... Nice shots. Will you print B&W's or sepias of some of your photos? I'm remodeling my kitchen and want to hang some food-related photographs. Thanks! ~C