highchef

I have not made it yet as I am out of cake flour, but will post back tonight with results. Cake 3 cups sifted cake flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup us softened butter 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup milk 350 oven grease and flour 2 9" cake pans. sift flour w/bp and salt cream butter and sugar, add eggs 1 @ a time. beat in peanut butter and vanilla until light. @ low speed beat in flour mix alternately with milk until smooth and spread in pans. bake 30-35 minutes. let cool. frosting 1 cup prepared chocolate syrup 1 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup light corn syrup beat syrup and peanut butter till smooth then add corn syrup. beat until thick enough to spread. frost cake as the usual, add chopped peanuts if wanted for garnish. if you choose to make this before I do, please tell about the frosting....

Thanks for the help, highchef. To form the "meatballs" do I just ball up the stuffing that would go in the heads and drop it in the bisque, or do I fry it first? Should I cook the crawfish balls in the bisque for a long time or add them at the end. I think the heads are a chore to eat anyway so I'd probably like it better with the crawfish balls. ← bake them @400 for 20 min. then put down into sauce. You may have a bit of trouble with folse's recipe, as it is the real deal....and makes for 20! It's the kind of thing that you do when you've got crawfish left over after a boil and you're sitting around cleaning the tails. Somebody will clean enough heads and then you freeze it all until the mother in law is in town and needing something to do to keep her out of your business!! Works every time..

I just decided on a recipe for 'chocolate protein cake' to make for the weekend. You got it..the protein is peaunut butter!! Also has a wicked looking icing with karo, choc.sauce (for icecream) and something else. Butter maybe. If anyone's curious, I'll post the recipe and let you know how it comes out tonight.

Here's a good place to start, and no..if you do it right you can form 'meatballs' instead of stuffing the heads. It's the one dish I love, but have never tried to make..cause I have neighbors who do it for me. It's somewhat labor intensive but thats not what my problem is, it's saving the damn heads. I never have freezer room for them after a boil, so it's a dish I've always got to do 'next time'. Good luck.

did you have a resturant in the past? Were they sucessful recipies at some point? ie, do they have a legacy, or are they just your good made up sandwiches? If there's a legacy, you've made them before and your name is attached to them either in the recipe itself or the menu, then you have to figure out what it meant to you. If you developed these recipes for her, then she's either paying for your time or your recipes. That said I'd say 200 bucks/recipe would be a great deal for both of you if it's just something you came up with out of the blue...

I thought the rain in Spain fell mainly on the plain ← I told you I was rusty!!

There was once a chorizo from Spain that was delivered at 1 in the rain with paprika as spice, and saffron so nice, the paella was declared quite insane! What can I say??? the last time I had to write a limerick I was in 6th grade english class with an Irish nun for a teacher.

Caroline: sorry it took so long to post back, I've been out of town away from my recipes. Heres the Pecans: 2 egg whites from large eggs. 2 teaspoons of orange juice (fresh oranges, you need the peel) 1 1/3 cups sugar 2 tablespoons grated orange peel 2 teaspoons cinnamon (the good stuff) 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 cups fat Texas/LA pecan halves!! spray/grease 2 jellyroll pans, preheat oven to 275 beat whites and juice, then add the spices and salt to mix. cover pecans, stirring well to coat. spread out over greased pans, separating the halves as best you can (it's impossible to keep them all from touching each other, just do the best you can...it's a sticky situation!) and bake 50 minutes, give or take 5. With a flat spatula, turn the pecans while trying to keep them in a single layer, about every 15-20 minutes. This is the hardest part...just set the timer on them so you don't forget to do it. cool and store airtight. I'm going to make some tonight as I just quit smoking again and have put a very serious dent in my holiday chocolate. Nuts are good for you, yes?? tell me how you like them, and if anyone has another recipe I'd love to try it as well. Patty edit: I know this is singing to the choir, but it's imperative that in a spice laden mix like this that you use fresh, check the date fresh, spices. This time of year, I usually take out all ground spices and replace with new..that way they are in place for halloween thru Christmas. I don't throw out the old ones. I used to give them to a friend who was crafty and used them to make spiced oranges that hung on a metal tree with ribbon...used glue, the old ground spices, 1/4" ribbon and a thumnail at the bottom and top. she used cloves to stud the ribbon to the orange after she had rolled it in glue and then the spices. Since she's moved, I just X through the label to note that it the old stuff and throw it in a simmer pot with peels to scent the house during the holidays. It's not wasted. Another gift item I highly endorse is making vanilla extract. I use fresh (3 or 4) vanilla beans per quart bottle of a good kentucky bourbon. I'm sure you can use vodka as well. Just hide the stuff, or mark it well cause the bourbon drinkers really don't check for vanilla beans...they just pour. When this happened after the hurricane last year and I questioned them (the beans had been in the Jack Daniels for over 6 months) they said they noticed but thought they had mixed it with vanilla coke. They drank half the damn bottle before I realized what they were doing!! Cheers!

They are a big Louisiana item..known as alligator pears, or mirltons as Dana mentioned earlier. We stuff them, or cook and cube and mix with seafood or sausage/ground meat and make a 'stuffing'. I usually cook them over the holidays as they're very mild and a perfect blank slate to add goodies to. High in potassium. Check John Folse's site, he probably has a few recipes on there for them. Patty

I put up strawberrys with godiva chocolate liquour...I can them, and use a little extra pectin as the alcohol tends to make them too soft for my taste. a friend does the same with peaches and ameretto (sp) and it's really good. I'm all for ginger, especially with the peaches, but can't think of an additional flavor that would work...

Wow, what timing. I just got back from Houston today and stopped before we crossed the state line. I had 5 starving boys in the back of my car, bitching and moaning how hungry they were. We pulled into a Joe's crab shack after conferring with the cars ahead of us cause that's where they were going. I have never had, smelled, seen or heard of anything this bad before. When the crab cakes appetizers came out half the table fled from the smell. Apparently they tried to use spoiled crabmeat doctored with copious amounts of hot pepper for them. I mean, you could smell that the crab was bad before the dish hit the table. Did they really think we'd try to eat that crap?? The fish taco's tasted like I'd imagine whale blubber would taste. The boys all left 3/4 of their meal on the plates. The only thing that I could see (from 12 orders) that was actually eaten was the fried cheese. It was, without a doubt, the most godawful experience I have ever had in a resturant with the exception of the food poisoning I got from a place outside of Dublin. I learned this is a chain, and apparently pretty popular along the coast. I cannot see how. Crab is supposed to be their main deal and they serve up something a roach wouldn't eat?? I came home and heated a burritto I found in the fridge.

While it's not entirely a vegetarian cookbook, if you can find a copy of 'The Victory Garden Cookbook' from the old pbs series you can get tons of recipes and ideas from it. You'd have to sub in some cases (ie, vegetable broth instead of beef..that sort of thing). It's not macrobiotic, just a book to show you how to use the fruits of your labor. I've had a copy for 20 years, and still go back to it prn. If it's out of print you may be able to find a copy on alibris.com. I'd offer you mine, but my niece has already claimed it!

Thanks, but fig preserves are not what I am looking for. My search is for whole figs canned in light syrup. The preserves undoubtedly will have more sugar than I need. ← That's simply a matter of athetics down here, some cooks like them a bit smashed, and some are careful to keep them whole. I have both in my pantry.The sugar content is the same. However, I think your thinking of a particular type...mideastern grocery store? I don't know how they differ, it must be how they're canned as well as varitety.

Here you go.

I taught my son's girlfriend how to make marshmallows from the now famous thread...showed her the combinations and invited her to have at it. She now makes marshmallows in what ever flavor suits her at the time and makes rice krispy treats with them for her babysitting clients! She's mixed cinnamon marshmallows with choc.chips, cinnamon chips with choc. marshmallows, done strawberry krispies, plain chocolate krispies (choc marshmallows). You get the picture. we're in s.w. LA right down I-10 from you and they keep great. Who are you giving these to? Is it a corporate thing, clients etc, or are you giving it to the clients and their families? That dictates what I give, and whether I need to be kid friendly or not. (like no bourbon in the bbq sauce!) I second the spiced nuts too, you're in pecan country and if you need a very addicting recipe for spiced pecans let me know. They make GREAT gifts because you just can't stop eating the darn things! Patty

I learn something new every single day on e-gullet...thanks! ( I love carrot cake!)

Wow, never heard of this so I googled it. There are tons of recipes, and from what I saw on the ones I read they are using cocoa. They seem to be pretty traditional carrot cakes otherwise, cream cheese frosting and all. If that's what you want for a wedding cake, I say go for it, but I wouldn't try to do the tiered thing. Carrot cakes are pretty heavy, I'd think that putting a bunch of layer together would be dangerous, especially if there was any danger of the cream cheese frosting warming up! Slip sliding away...... There are tons of pro's on this board though, they might well have a way to do it!

Isn't dream mix in a box? I assume you make it first? Before I'd use dream whip, I'd whip a couple of extra egg whites and add them..but that'd make it more of a chiffon type cake. Dunno..go for it and let us know! (I'd try it on a mix cake before I'd risk a scratch cake though)

I peel the peaches, use a bit of tapioca (follow package directions, I think it's 2 teaspoons, but I don't have a box with me) for thickener, or cornstarch. I usually saute' them with a little butter. Flavor the peaches with any spice you like, but I like warmer spices with them..things with a little heat, like cardamon or ginger. Most people use cinnamon. a squirt of lemon freshens up the flavors. If the peaches arn't very sweet, add a little sugar (brown is fine) to taste. I make a lazy cobbler. I just got used to how easy it is, and the kids love it so that's what I make! In a 2 or 3 qt. cassarole dish throw in a stick of butter and put dish w/butter into a oven that you're pre-heating to 350. It doesn't have to be ready yet, just use the preheating cycle to heat the dish and melt the butter. Make a batter: Mix 1 cup self rising flour, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar. When butter in pan is melted, bring it out (hot) and add the batter. Pour the fruit down into the center of the batter, and put into (now heated to 350) oven. bake until batter is brown and the fruit is bubbly around the sides. about 30 minutes.The batter will rise up over the fruit and cover. I know it seems like you should put the fruit in first, then pour batter over, but this way the batter gets all buttery, and forms a lovely crust. It will be on top, don't worry about spreading it around, you'll screw it up. It's as easy as it gets. I usually cut back on the sugar a little, and the butter, but this is the recipe as I learned it as a teen. The rest of the family likes it 'unlightened', but I always feel a little guilty, especially when I bring out the icecream. Hope this helps. Patty

shrimp creole shrimp etouffee' creole etouffee' (just substitute the shrimp for the crawfish) edit: to add links, and suggest file' powder if you have it to finish.

I've used the big giradelli bars for making peppermint bark, but I haven't used it for anything else. couverture chocolate is available at places like sur la table, williams senoma etc. If you live in a larger city then just walk in and lay down the 10bucks a box!! Otherwise, check the websites.

welcome chefJohnny, to e-Gullet! Thank you for that info. You should check out the threads on souos vide. I will start small, so storage really shouldn't be a problem as I'm not running a resturant. BUT..it sounds worth buying a couple extra to poach and store to have on hand. The resulting stock would add a lot to many, many dishes. Thanks

Yes, Finnagans wake is an Irish pub on the Royal Mile. Food is pub food. They have a piper who lures the tourist in playing Amazing Grace etc. But the beers cold and they have fairly cool t shirts! Avoid Grassmarket unless you have young adults in tow, it's a bit rowdy. That said, my son loves it. I found this thread to be helpful, but circumstances didn't allow us to venture far from our hotel. The resturant in the Scotsman Hotel on Bridge st, 1/2 block off the mile is pretty good for a nicer meal. It's also pretty classy for drinks. I had a meal of wine and pate there being jet lagged, and it was just what I needed to get going again.But try the above thread for some tried and true. I am envious, I love Edinbourgh. Can't help with Glascow though. sorry. And I never ran into the fried mars bars...

well, I have a gas cook top, so they're open and allow air through therfore they double as cooling racks for cakes. I mean what's the difference? It beats moving the mixer and everything else out of the way and putting the racks on the counter, besides it's right in front of the double ovens, so I don't have to walk around with a hot pan in my hands. works for me. BUT...no one else in the family has ever turned a knob on my cooktop except me (lazy) so I'm really in no danger of them 'browning' the bottom of my cooling cakes by accident!

I was just thinking about this this morning!! I'm reading 'The World is Flat', while I'm on the treadmill and I was musing on how the internet has 'flattened' the cooking world. Recipes, techniques, ingredients, advice...they're all at your fingertips. I can find a recipe, order the ingredients that I cannot get locally from my laptop, send the shopping list to my cellphone/pda and have an authentic meal that was reccommended from someone from e-gullet who lives on the other side of the world from me. Unlimited information. Makes for a level playing field, and lets everyone to follow their interest as much as they dare. Gotta Love it!