onehsancare

Had dinner there a few months ago and were VERY pleased.

Yes to Osteria Sfizio and Rabbit Bistro (now moving), Markets of Choice and Sunrise. Still happy anytime anyone says "Let's go to Marche!"

I had a very similar first experience. My guardian angel was really looking out for me -- the patio umbrella was just far enough away from the 3' high flames to avoid a complete disaster. Still looking for the perfect side table and a really good spotlight (we tend to start cooking after dark), but the higher heat is making a wonderful difference in flavor.

I got malt powder at the home brewing supply store.

I'm scheduled for a procedure on Friday that requires clear liquids all day Thursday. (Yes, I turned 50!) I know that I'm not going to be happy with tea, apple juice, and popsicles alone. I've already decided to make a chicken broth with garlic, ginger, chiles, and kaffir lime leaves, then strain it for one "meal," but I thought I'd ask for more ideas from all of you. Nothing red, blue, orange, or purple allowed. Ideas? On second thought, I'll go light on the chiles.

Hummus. I use Martha Rose Shulman's recipes from Entertaining Light or Mediterranean Light (they're similar, but not exactly the same). Roasted red pepper hummus if you want some variety.

Abra, what if you post the label for us to look for, too?

I haven't seen ramps in the markets, but I found them on line: ramps Maybe I can talk Mr. Care into a road trip next weekend . . . what's five hours on the road for the chance to buy fresh ramps? (My guess is he'll vote for FedEx!)

I don't know how you remove your cake. Me, I chill my cake, then warm the bottom and sides with a wet cloth, then sloooooowly open and remove the springform, then flip it, then warm the bottom again, then slooooowly remove the bottom, so there's lots of room for awkwardity, especially given my natural leanings that way! If it's no big deal for you, then just take the cake in the springform and deal with it there. (But then, why are we talking about it? )

I'd rather remove the cake from the springform at home than at someone else's house (I'd rather look awkward without an audience!). Are you going to decant it onto a cake round or onto a plate? I make my flourless cake in an 8" springform pan. After I decant it onto an 8" round (which is always a little bigger than the cake), I've transported it on the round in an 8 1/2" springform pan, so the sides are protected, but the whole thing isn't slipping around. (I put a piece of green no-slip fabric under the round, even though it isn't really necessary.) If you put the cake onto a plate, you'd need a bigger pan, of course. Aside: I adore my cake carriers. It's a little late now, but my Sunday paper usually has an insert for Michael's Craft Stores, with a 40% off coupon for one item. Wilton's round cake carrier is then an incredible bargain. (But it's only $10 at Amazon without a coupon--Wilton Cake Carrier)

Mmmmm. . . . . duck fat and popcorn salt--no need for butter. Yum!!! I follow Maggie's pop-one-kernel method (because that's the way my dad did it--I don't think I've ever tried another method!). Sunday night is popcorn night because that's the night we watched the Wonderful World of Disney and ate popcorn from our popcorn bowls (little wooden salad bowls that were used for nothing but popcorn). Sweet memory.

Since I can't afford to buy all the pans I want when I want them, though, I've been buying 3" pans first--since I can fill them as though they were 2" pans. It doesn't work in reverse, though!

In case you're not successful in locating the diamond-shaped pans, you can cut a square cake on the diagonal and then butt the bases against each other to form a diamond. How frustrating, though, to know they exist and not be able to find them!!

Report: The construction worked out just fine. After putting together the larger cube, I realized that putting the smaller cube on top would look disproportionate--sort of pinhead-y and tower-y. So, I put it next to the bigger one, and I was satisfied. The dowels were easy. K8 was right--I severely underestimated the effort and skill needed to smooth sufficiently, and I'm not particularly happy with what I settled for, but it was late and time to say good enough. The other problem was the texture of the icing. I have only myself to blame for this--instead of using a buttercream that I know pipes well, lays smooth, and holds, I used a coconut cream cheese frosting that everyone loves that I make with sweetened coconut cream in addition to the cream cheese and butter. It tastes divine, but boy, is it soft! I ended up adding some extra confectioner's sugar to stiffen it before icing the entire cake (probably not enough), but needed to add cups of extra sugar to stiffen the colored icing enough so it wouldn't slide off the sides of the cake. So my piping (which only gets a B+ on my best days, anyway) isn't anything to write home about. (And, in retrospect, my judgment at 1:00 am was impaired--I should have spent the five minutes to find the star cookie cutter rather than free-handing a star shape.) I'm at the office (where I dropped off the cake) and will post a photo when I get home. THANKS for all of your help--I wouldn't have felt confident enough to try it without you all!

It wasn't until I saw your highlighted text that I realized I'd left out the part about using the 8" square pans. (I just meant the batter should fill three 8" squares.) No wonder you were concerned! Thanks for all of your help. You're right--the first time for anything is going to be ten times as hard as the second . . . which is why I'm asking for all this hand-holding here!!