dknywbg

I'm a huge fan of the choc chip cookies made by City Bakery in NYC--they're rich and chewy and crispy and almost toffee-like, studded with big ol' shards of chocolate. I've got a recipe that actually tastes pretty close, but I have two problems: 1. The cookies come out flat and crispy, which, while fine in its own way, is not what I'm trying for 2. They're fairly greasy-feeling, with much more butter left on the fingers than CB's version. Today I tried chilling the dough--rolling it into a cookie schlong and slicing instead of scooping--but it only made them crispier. Here's the recipe I'm playing with. Any suggestions would be VERY much appreciated! 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ t. baking soda ½ t. salt ¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces ½ cup sugar ¾ cup tightly packed light brown sugar 1 ½ t. pure vanilla extract 1 large egg, at room temperature 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch chunks 1) Preheat oven to 350. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. 2) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. 3) Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Cream on medium speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. 4) Add the egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. 5) On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until they are just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir them in. 6) Spoon the dough using a cookie scooper 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. 7) Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges, swapping placement and turning the sheets front to back halfway through the baking. 8) Remove from the oven and carefully slide the parchment or Silpats directly onto a work surface. Let cool until set, then slide cookies onto rack to cool fully.

It's Jan-Feb 05. Mine just came yesterday.

My husband is taking me for my birthday, three weeks from tonight, and he made the res a few days ago. The earliest they had for 2 people was 9:00... I'm pretty sure that they only take them a month in advance, max.

I actually know these guys--used to work with one of them. I was as much a skeptic as all of you, but I'm starting to come around. They're really smart, really focused, and (I think) well funded. Quaker Oats is a backer. The one in AZ (on campus at the University) is doing really well, and they plan to open several more in the coming months. I believe Chicago is up next. Wisely, they're staying away from NYC until they've worked out all the kinks in their business plan--they'll come here when they know their formula's up to snuff. I'm going to Philly this weekend (family stuff) and I'm hoping I'll be able to stop by. I'll report back if I do!

This is my first holiday season living with my husband, who's Catholic (we got married six months ago). Last year we celebrated together, but the menorah was at my place and a small tree at his. Now we'll have both--planning to put up the tree towards the end of Hanukkah, so passersby will see the combo. I hope I'm not offending anyone by saying how much I love having both--I was raised Kosher and conservative, and was always extremely covetous of Christmas decorations, so I'm thrilled to be able to mix and match. Thank God my family has welcomed my husband as one of their own (in fact one of my sisters-in-law told me that if I hadn't mentioned his religion, nobody ever would've realized he wasn't Jewish). For just the two of us, we'll have a small Hanukkah celebration one night during the week with latkes and applesauce, and exchange small, jokey gifts each night; on Saturday we'll go to my family for the annual get-together, with brisket and more latkes and presents all around. I have two little nieces, so it's become much more child-oriented in the last few years, which is wonderful. And then on Christmas, we'll exchange bigger gifts, eat chinese food and go to the movies!

This is a great thread! Tons of good ideas. Here are a couple of my current faves: pancake rings: if you make pancakes a lot (and we do) they're really handy squadle: a square-shaped ladle, which for some geometric reason I can't explain gets out every last bit from a round pot ingredient scooper-thing: great for transporting chopped stuff from the cutting board to the pan oxo angled measuring cups: so you can see how much you're measuring while you're measuring--no need to worry about that pesky meniscus also: locking tongs spaghetti server cookie scoop

We went to Fornino last night and really liked it. Neither of us was interested in eating a whole lot, coming off of Thanksgiving and all, so we decided to share a salad and a large pie--the Siciliana, with eggplant, capers, red onions, olives, and sauce. No cheese, which neither of us had noticed while reading the menu, but in the end we didn't miss it (though we were hungry again a couple hours later--the lack of fat/protein, perhaps?). The arugula salad with pears and gorgonzola was pretty damn good--the greens were baby, I assume because they're grown in their greenhouse, heaped in the center of the plate, with the pear slices on one side and the cheese on the other. The olive oil/lemon dressing was just right, tart and light but still intensely flavored. The pears were ok, but didn't appear to have been roasted as promised on the menu. Chopped pistachios on top were a pleasant surprise. As for the pizza, we loved it. It came very close to having too much going on, but in the end the mix of tastes was ideal. By the third slice the center was getting soggy, but overall the crust was charred and crispy and flavorful. We'll definitely go back and try more when we've got bigger appetites. To be honest, though, I'm not sure if we liked it enough to turn our backs on Brick Oven Gallery on Havemeyer--it's closer to our apartment, and the menu there has more to choose from.

Pitchblack70, do you have a good source for recipes? My husband and I have been fantasizing about cooking Ethiopian food for some time now, but we have no idea what's involved!

I couldn't agree more. In this instance, though, it is the nonstick aspect that I'm most interested in--I've got loads of other good quality pots & pans, and when I bought this one I thought it would last much longer than it did. Granted, I helped along its demise by melting that spatula into it, but like I said it was on its way out anyway...

141 for me. Latest additions: Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow Chocolate American Style by Lora Brody Perpetual favorites: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Flavors of Puglia by Nancy Harmon Jenkins How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (the ONLY reason to purchase this product) plus: freshly grated parmesan cinnamon & splenda salt & chili powder diet hot cocoa mix Yeah, some of these may sound weird, but what can I say? I eat air-popped popcorn cuz it's healthy and filling, so I put low-cal stuff on top...

This morning I left the burner on under my Calphalon nonstick skillet and a spatula melted all over it. I'd like to replace it, but I wasn't too thrilled with that exact model--the nonstickiness of it wasn't holding up very well (the pan was maybe 3 years old), and food crusted in the rivets no matter how much I scrubbed. Any suggestions on which brands are best? Or should I just buy a cheap one and accept that it'll only last a year or two?