Patrick S

Regarding the migration of PFOA from PTFE-coated cookware under more realistic conditions (i.e., conditions similar to cooking, that don't involve grinding the coating to powder and using powerful solvents), here's the abstract from a recent paper: Powley et al, 2005. Determination of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) extractable from the surface of commercial cookware under simulated cooking conditions by LC/MS/MS. The Analyst 130, 1299-302.

I'm pretty sure this is not true. According to the EPA release, PFOA "is an essential processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers, which are used in the manufacture of a wide range of non-stick and stain-resistant surfaces and products . . ." and "may also be produced by the breakdown of fluorotelomers, which are used to impart water, stain, and grease resistance to carpets, paper and textile." It's not generally present in cookware as purchased. According to the Dupont web site: "A published, peer-reviewed study (April 2005) in Environmental Science & Technology found no PFOA in Teflon cookware. No PFOA was detected even when the cookware was scratched with a knife." Dupont does qualify: ". . . according to a recently published study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), PFOA was detected in minute quantities in cookware using extreme and abusive test methods--methods that do not reflect what happens when consumers use cookware." ← I want to underline that last point: the article they are referring to, recently published in Food Additives and Contaminants, did not state that PFOA migrates from PTFE during normal use. In fact, they clearly pointed out that in previous studies designed to simulate real-world conditions, the migration of PFOA into food simulant was either nonexistent, or so low that it was below the detection limit of currently available analytic tools. What the most recent study did was use a grinder to grind off all the PTFE coating into a powder, and then heat the powder in solvents like hexane for an extended period of time. They proved that under those conditions, you can extract an extremely small amount of PFOA, and therefore there is an extremely small amount of PFOA in PTFE cookware, on the order of a few ng per kg of PTFE. Begley et al specifically point out that "PTFE coated cookware does not appear to be a significant source of PFOA." Begley et al, 2005. Perfluorochemicals: Potential sources of and migration from food packaging. Food Additives and Contaminants 22, pp. 1023-1031.

Droste should not taste charred or smell like charcoal. I've used a few boxes of it, and "charred" or "smokey" are not adjectives I would use to describe it. I wonder if you got a batch made with over-roasted beans or something.

I use the tables in the back of the Cake Bible. When I have checked her numbers against my own, I have found them to be very accurate. Using the example of cocoa, for instance, RLB gives three weights: sifted, spooned, dip-and-sweep. Obviously the weight is different depending on how you fill the cup.

I've been making tart shells with some diferent pate sucre recipes, trying to make one that's perfect. Today I filled one with caramelized rice puffs, put some caramel ganache on top of that, and garnished with some more caramelized rice puffs. It was pretty good.

That recipe is almost identical to the "Ms. D's Chocolate Cake" I tried a few months back. While maybe not my favorite overall, Ms. D's had in my opinion a great buttery flavor.

In medicine, aspiration is usually used to mean the inhalation of foreign stuff, like vomit, into the lungs, usually by unconscious or semi-conscious people.

They taste too strong this way though. ← Sure, I agree. I was just pointing out that it would work. Now if you'll excuse me, it has just occurred to me that it is 8PM friday night, and I am fresh out of vodka, my familiar spirit, as well as the rum and whiskey I bought for holiday cooking. Off to the store I go !

Flavored Jello made with booze instead of water. ← You can't substitute all booze for the water or I think they won't set up ← Sure you can, you just need to use a lot of Jello. I've had Jello shots made with all vodka, which is usually 60% water anyway. Just to be sure, last night before bed I mixed several tablespoons of very hot vodka with a good tablespoon cherry jello. I checked in the fridge this morning, and I had a fully set jello shot. So, absolutely you can do it with 80 proof spirits.

Actually, its no problem pressing the puff pastry into the wrappers, because they are set inside muffin tins. So the pastry is being pressed agains the muffin tins. My wrappers did have a very slight sticking problem though. You had to peel the wrappers off carefully.

Can you give me any rules or tips as to when you can or can't substitute corn syrup for glucose?

Flavored Jello made with booze instead of water.

I made custard tarts using filipe's recipe last night, and they were quite good. I ate three last night, which is unusual for me. They're still pretty good the next day. I added about 1t vanilla to the custard. I baked them, in regular-sized muffin cups, at 550F for about 9 minutes, then turned on the broiler for a minute to brown the top. Thanks for sharing the recipe, filipe.

The H5N1 flu virus has been around a while without causing a pandemic, true, but there are other things to consider. First, H5N1 is infecting a lot more birds now. This is significant because as more birds are infected, more copies of H5N1 exist in the world, and there are then more opportunities there are for the "right" mutations to occur, and the more opportunities there are for transmission from bird to human. And as the number of human infections increases, there are more opportunities for H5N1 to recombine with other viruses that infect humans, giving rise to a more virulent strain. There is no certainty at all that any of that will happen, and its impossible to really even say how probable it is. The point is just that as the virus increases in prevalence, the risks increase. Coincidentally, the oldest known sample of HIV-positive blood also dates to 1959, taken from a Congolese man, IIRC. This is not to make an analogy between HIV and H5N1, but just to point out that a virus might be around for a while before some change, either in the virus itself or in some other factor, causes it to spread or become more pathogenic. Another thing to consider is that not all H5N1s are identical. Like all RNA viruses, flu viruses have a high mutation rate. We are seeing new variants. The variant that is currently causing the epidemic in birds (or more precisely, an 'epizootic') and is also infecting some humans is not that same H5N1 that was found in 1959. According to the Wikipedia article on H5N1: Some of the mutations observed already are cause for concern. Just last week, for instance, H5N1 that caused an outbreak in Turkey was reported to have mutations that may make it more infectious to humans. As reported in the journal Nature, one of these mutations is an amino acid substitution on the H5N1 haemoagglutinin receptor protein that gives H5N1 a greater affinity for human haemoagglutinin receptors. There is also a glutamic acid>lycine substitution in the H5N1's polymerase protein. The article says: H5N1 may well, in the end, be eradicated without causing many deaths. Or it may become pandemic, but in a form that has much lower mortality. Or it may become pandemic in a form that has high mortaity. The truth is that nobody knows for sure what will happen.

Michelle, Did you bake your custard tarts in the cupcake wrappers?

Yum!

Its only a matter of time. There will be more influenza pandemics. I don't think most people realize that influenza (or flu-related complications, usually pneumonia) kills an average of 36,000 people in the US, per year, according to the CDC. Even in the best of years, it is a significant cause of death. Compare that to a global vCJD death rate of something like 20-30 people/year. On a bad weekend during flu season, the number of Americans that will die of the flu is greater than number of people world-wide who are known to have ever died of vCJD (currently, something like 170 people). Regarding the H5N1 flu strain, we can't say for sure what will happen. I basically agree with Pan. What you can say is that any virus with a ~50% mortality rate is worth keeping a very close eye on, particularly when it is thought that a relatively small number of mutations could make it more easily human-to-human communicable. Interesting factoid: I don't know when the first case of human sickness from H5N1 occurred, but the first poultry outbreak from H5N1 was actually recorded in 1959, in Scotland, according to WHO. So the strain has actually been around for at least that long.

I second that. That's probably my favorite lemon cake. ← Sounds heavenly... Can anyone post that recipe? ← You can find the recipe here (scroll half-way down). I usually double the zest and juice.

Sure. The recipe I use is Herme's. Its been posted here.

Lemon chiffon cake from Rose Levy Berenbaum. Heaven. ← I second that. That's probably my favorite lemon cake. ← Do you embellish it at all, Patrick, or do you serve it au naturel? I'm making one for an office birthday next week and am considering a simple lemon glaze. ← Its great all by itself, but I have served it in slices with a little lemon cream on the plate, and a few berries, it was lemony bliss.

I haven't done much lately. I'm waiting for inspiration. But I did make these vanilla bean cupcakes with white chocolate ganache. The cupcake recipe is attributed to Michelle Gayer Nicholson. If you are careful not to overbake these, it makes a very good white cake. I got almost 2 dozen cupcakes out of the recipe.

Very creative, filipe.

I do this all the time, and it works fine.

Lemon chiffon cake from Rose Levy Berenbaum. Heaven. ← I second that. That's probably my favorite lemon cake.

Cook's Illustrated has several recipes that I can highly recommend. Their lemon bars are great, and so is their recipe for lemon bundt cake. One of my recent favorites has been the lemon cheesecake