Marcia

Hi Franci, ooooh I'm afraid I'm not your old friend but I can be your new one! I'm married to an Englishman, that's why I live in UK. We're in Taiwan because my husband is in a business trip and I'm accompaning him. How funny that your friend has so much in common with me, I'm from Sao Paulo too, where the biggest japanese community lives, actually. Are you still in touch with her? Dejah, I haven't made the coconut pudding yet... I went to the supermarket last night but couldn't find the gelatine . You also know a brazilian-japanese! We are everywhere I think! Oh everytime I mention Dofu-fah my husband laughs because at the banquet it turned into a joke! I enjoyed so much the dessert, I was praising it's flavour all the time, and because we were with good old friends on our sides, I jokingly asked to one of our friends "Are you going to finish that yourself or do you need help?" with my spoon halfway to steal some of his pudding. He laughed and pushed my hand away, and our other friend called me dessert monster and made an (exagerated) mimic of me devouring puddings and everyone laughed. Then one of the Taiwanese guests in our table stood up and rushed to the waiters. And he returned with another Dofu-fah ramekin and placed it in front of me!!!! That's what I needed! The whole table bursted in laughs and I couldn't be more embarassed!! Marcia

Dejah, Thank you for your recipe, I was thinking of just trying to make a good ol' coconut flan with mango puree on top (yours seems easy to make and delicious - and the mango pudding even more!) but somehow I was convinced that the one we had at the banquet (Cantonese cuisine) was different from any flan I've ever tasted. The dessert was incredible light, no jelly or custard consistency, it was something different, something smooth and delicate, it could hold it's shape nicely inside the ramekin but it would colapse after the first spoonful and the mango puree would invade its once hidden realms. That's what intrigued me. And that's why I thought I should try my fellows e-Gullers . Dofu-fah! That's certainly the answer, Dejah. Thank you so much for the enlightenment! It all makes sense now, the lightness, the flavour, the consistency. ------------------ I found this recipe on the Internet: 3 1/2 cups of water 1 1/2 cups of soy milk (or substitute with Milk) 2 ounces of Agar (or substitute with 6 ounces of gelatin) 3 tablespoons of sugar some chilled fruit (optional) 1) Bring water to a boil. 2) Add in sugar and Agar, bring to a boil for 1 minute. Depending on the form of Agar, you may want to crush it into powder or cut it into smaller pieces. Add more Agar (or gelatin) for firmer gel or reduce liquid ingredients. 3) Turn off flame, add in soy milk. 4) Let cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator for three hours. 5) Serve plain with some soy milk or add chilled fruit on top. Good fruits are usually seedless grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, cherries, guavas, papayas, and mangoes. --------------- Does this recipe sound like the real thing (Dofu-fah)? I believe that the traditional recipe would include making your own soy milk. Marcia

Hi All, I'm in Taiwan at the moment and yesterday my husband and I were invited to a nice banquet at a Dim Sum restaurant. The food was fantastic and at the end, among many other desserts, they served ramekins with a snow-white pudding with pureed mango sauce on top. If I'm not mistaken, there was a hint of coconut in the pudding and the texture was really silky, creamy and light. I asked what was that made of but the local girls beside me could only say that it was "mango pudding" although I'm pretty sure there wasn't mango in the pudding itself, only in the sauce. I love it and I'd appreciate if anyone could share the recipe of that simple yet beautiful and delicate dessert. Thanks! Marcia

Hi All, I'm not cachaça expert at all, I like caipirinha but actually I can't even drink it too much... I just want to say that I'm Brazilian and my dad used to own a bar in São Paulo. No, not that kind of bar with bartender and fancy shakers, god no. But a small snack bar to serve the working class, very simple place, formica tables, dusty calendars on the wall and things like that (and delicious food made by my mum). So I'd be glad to help you with some of my experience there, if I can. He used to sell lots of cachaça (is called "Pinga" in Brazil, we only use the name "cachaça" or "aguardadente" to talk to foreigners) and caipirinha. But as I said, the majority of our customers were very simple, minimum wage workers, so my dad never used to have the prime quality cachaça in stock. The cheap brands we used to sell were: Pitu, Tatuzinho, Três Fazendas, Jamel, Velho Barreiro and Pirassununga 51. And the "first class" ones were: Ypioca, Engenho de Minas and Caninha da Roça. Pirassununga 51 was by far the most popular and the favourite for caipirinhas (it doesn't mean it's the best quality but I believe it's good enough and it's cheap, so maybe that's why it's popular). Pitu was by far the worst, it's even a joke in São Paulo. Those were the ones my dad used to sell. There are really dozen of other brands in Brazil I don't even know of. The state of Minas Gerais is famous for the "artisanal cachaça", aged in wood barrels, most of them are sold in clay bottles that you find in airports' shops. Ypioca Ouro (Gold - not the Silver) is also very famous for its quality and one of the favourites among brazilians, my dad always gives my (british) husband a bottle when we go there visit them. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the difference in taste and quality as I'm not into spirits. All I can do is to tell you the things I know from being a native and help you with translation or something like that. And I'd be glad to do that. Or in case you want to talk about brazilian food... By the way, my dad no longer owns the bar, he's 72 year old now and he still works. He's now an attendant of a bakery (padaria). Those who had the chance of visiting São Paulo and tried the "padaria snacks and sandwiches" know what being a "paulista" means. Marcia

Hi All, Can I join in? I'm from UK but my husband and me have been living in Taiwan/ROC for three months now. The fruits are really gorgeous here and yesterday for dessert we had this delicious mango: It was in its right ripenesss, sweet, juicy and the flesh was so smooth... Marcia.

My lunch today. Ultimate comfort food.

OH NOOOO Oh well, now I know. Noodles on the way, I guess. Thanks Hiroyuki. Marcia. PS: Husband just opened the bottle and said he doesn't like it (he has no idea what's inside, but he deslikes konbu. I though if I wouldn't tell him there was konbu he wouldn't notice, but the plan backfired... ). More disastrous shopping trips soon. I belive that the security cameras in the supermarket might be recording some funny images of a silly woman holding a Hiragana alphabet trying to read the labels... And still buying the wrong product!

Ok. I've been to the supermarket again and found this cute little guy here: I thought that it was a kind of Ponzu but now I've checked on Mizkan website and I think it's something else . Is this another kind of dipping/pouring sauce? I apologize if this is off-topic. Hiroyuki, I don't know anything about Ponzu ingredients .... I apreciate your explanations, thanks. Marcia

Thanks Helen for your quick reply! Hiroyuki, thanks for the link. I tried it on Pak Choi and it's not so sour but it has a strong aroma of something like concentrated lime zest. It might be very good in fish dishes. I might try the kombu version too, I think I'm looking for something mild yet tasty with a bit of a kick and the kombu might be the one. Oh, another question: there was a similar Ponzu in the supermarket with a illustration of a yellow citrus fruit. Is it from a different fruit or is it Yuzu too? And how does Yuzu Ponzu compares to Aji-Pon? thanks! Marcia

Hi All, I've been reading the Japan thread eagerly and for days I couldn't thinking about anything else than Ponzu (ordinary life, i know...). I just love the little light sour sauce they serve with the veggies here in Taiwan and I'm quite sure is a kind of ponzu. So I went to this japanese shopping mall (Ta Lee Isetan) and went on my mission to find a Yuzu Ponzu. I wrote down the name as Kristin has posted here (ポン酢）and took it with me. Although I can't read or speak Chinese, I can read a little of Hiragana Japanese and spent hours at the shelves trying to find it. I came across with this one: And i could read "Yuzu Pon... something" Would someone kindly tell me if I bought the right thing? It tastes great and i'm going to use it a lot, but I just want to make sure it's the proper one. Thanks in advance. Marcia

Wonderful loaf, Elie, just like the one in the book! Well done! Marcia

Vengroff, absolutely fantastic bread!! The close-up picture of the crumb makes it almost edible in my computer!! Well done!! Looks great and I'm sure it tastes delicious. It's so nice when we things turn out so good as this one, isn't it? I-want-a-Kitchen-Aid. Marcia

Thanks Elie for your congrats on my loaf! Yes I followed PR's (not PH! PH is Pierre Herme, isn't it? How silly I am, hohoho...) Seed Culture instructions and Basic Sourdough Bread recipe. McDuff and Jake, well done with your loaves, they look great! I'm baking another sourdough tomorrow, it's retarding in the fridge right now. Anyone else is baking a loaf this weekend? Marcia

Thanks Glossyp and Behemoth for your comments! I also struggle to make the slashes and cuts. And I agree that the book is not very clear to give some instructions. I just wish PH could produce a video, it would be so much easier to understand... Mmmm, I had the sourdough bread for breakfast today and it made a very good toast! Marcia

Hi there everyone! It's been a long time since I posted here and I'm happy to see that some more people joined us with their brand new BBA book! Welcome, can't wait to see your first loaves! Well, since my first disastrous attempt to make the sourdough bread I've been reading a lot about it. I tried to make it again and for the second time the bread had a good rise but with a completely grey and dense crumb. I was about to give up but instead of throwing away my starter for the 3rd time, I decided to put it in the fridge and forget about it. Few days passed and the jar with the starter was there in the bottom of the fridge alone with its hooch on top. Then one day I noticed that on the top of that hooch there was a layer of big bubbles ! I took it out from the fridge and discarted the hooch, then discarted most of it and fed with fresh bottled water and flour. Then BAM! It grew up so fast, with tons of foam and bubbles!! I baked a sourdough bread today and the result... was FANTASTIC!! Very very light cool crumb, delicious taste and crunchy crumb! Hooray! I'm so absolutely happy!! I actually very pleased that I had so many failures because they make me treasure this good result even more. Thanks everyone for your lessons, tips, support and encouragement. I'm now looking after my starter with great enthusiasm . Marcia

Because my sourdough was a completely disaster, today I baked the French Baguette using comercial yeast: I'm happy with the crumb. This way I've recovered my self-esteem. We had those loaves this morning, with butter, mild indian cream cheese and strawberry jam. And cups of cappuccino. Have a great wekeend everyone! Marcia

thanks jackal and elie. I'll take more care next time. I was just so impatient to bake the bread! --- Today my starter had separated in cream and 1cm of hooch. It was left at room temperature all night, last feed was around 8pm. I mixed it, added 3x four and water and now it looks greyish and flat. I'm really really feeling like thowing that away and start again... Apart from its second day of life, it showed just very few bubbles... *sigh*... oh well. cheers, Marcia

SethG, Thanks for your explanations, everything you said makes sense about my bread. After reading your comments I believe that the biggest problem was that the dough was underproofed. I left it outside the fridge for 4 hours but I was folding it every hour (like Dan Lepard does), not leaving room enough for it to prove properly and that might also explain the huge bubbles. Yes, I think you're right. I'll practice the basics for a lot longer before try to copy the masters I baked at 220C, the hottest my oven can get. I used 2 layers of quary tiles under the dough and a pizza stone on top shelf. I've just fed the starter. I think it was too young. Thanks again for you inputs. I thought it was a good idea to post my disastrous bread because that way everyone can also learn with my failure and hopefully endure in the same journey to make a good bread. Marcia

Thanks Glossyp and Ellencho for your support . The dough was quite wet because my starter was very wet as well. I did the windowpane test after the second kneading, it was streching well. Coming to think now... Yesterday for the first time I proofed the dough inside the oven with the light on (but oven off, of course). Maybe it was a bit too warm... Marcia

Hi All. Some of you might know that I've been trying to make my first ever Sourdough Bread. Well, after days trying to get the seed culture alive and kicking, and carefully following the instructions, I bake it today. And I'm afraid to tell you that I'm very disappointed with the results... I made only half recipe: 1/2 cup refreshed starter 1 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup water 1 tsp salt Mixed by hand for 10 minutes. Rested. Added salt and kneaded for another 10 minutes. Made the turning and folding for 4 hours during the bulk fermentation. Shaped and put it in a basket. Retarded overnight in the fridge. Here's the dough after the retardation, straight from the fridge: Put it in the oven for 35 minutes. It rose nicely and the scent was lovely. At this stage I was really excited and happy: But then, after one hour I cut it and... The crumb was dense, rubbery, grey, with big holes and tiny holes. It tastes good, though a bit too sour to my taste. My guess is that the starter wasn't so active but I'm not sure because the loaf wasn't flat at all... Anybody else would like to comment about it or guess what could have happened..? i'm gutted... i dedicated so much energy and hope in this bread... on to next time... Marcia

Jackal10, I live in Bournemouth, Dorset (I'm not from here though and my husband is from Cumbria, so we are nicer than our sea-side fellows LOL). Here are the pictures of my starter: Day 3: Day 4: Very wet, isn't it? Marcia

Jackal10, thank you for your reply. I turned on the oven and now the room is warmer. I'll buy some bottled water. I was using filtered tap water but I live in a area of very hard water and maybe it's not very good... Do you feed it twice a day? I was feeding only every 24 hours like the book says. How much should I feed it? It weighs 16.5oz right now. Should I give 8oz (flour + water) twice a day then? But then... what about all this thing about double or triple the original size...? Am I not suppose to wait for that before feeding it? Bit confused now... Thanks again for your help! By the way, i read your thread on eGCI about sourdough bread 1 billion times . I saw your starter in a the Tesco bag, is that from UK? Marcia

Hello everyone! I'm currently trying to open the door of the Wonderful World of Sourdough Bread. But I'm still struggling with the key (the starter) and I do need some help... I'm on my second attempt of making the sourdough starter, using the Seed Culture recipe on page 229. The first attempt was disastrous as on the second day part of the starter found its way out during the night (the container was too small) and the next day it completelly stoped making bubbles, so I threw it away and started again. Here's my diary of this new attempt: Day 1 4.25 oz Rye Flour 6 oz water Day 2 After 24 hours: some rise, just a bit, the starter looked puffed. Added: 4.5 oz Strong Bread Flour 4 oz water Day 3 After 24 hours: huge rise, it's triple the size and lots of bubbly froth on top. Discarted half of the starter. Added: 4.5 oz Strong Bread Flour 4 oz water Day 4 - TODAY (14th March) After 12 hours: little rise, some few bubbles on surface but no froth at all. According to the book, it should double or triple the size today and for me, the starter looks flat and not very excited to grow up... My questions: Am I doing something wrong? Was my starter read on Day 2? I felt so bad throwing away half of that... Temperature here inside our flat is around 22ºC (71.6ºF), is that the reason why my starter is so slow? My MAIN question: What should I do now? Should I wait until it doubles the size before I feed again? Even if it takes longer than 24 hours? Any inputs or comments will be very appreciate! Cheers, everyone! Marcia

Glossyp, i'm sorry that your pain a l'ancienne didn't turn out well... Maybe you can combine the remaining dough, stretching and folding like ciabatta and let it rest for another hour or so? I'm not sure, it's just a thought because in the recipe PR says you can let it rest for another hour and it will get a ciabatta style bread...

vengroff, wonderful job, thanks for your pictures! Your Pain a L'ancienne looks fantastic and I bet it tastes great too! Behemoth, your ciabatta looks nice too. You would love Pain a L'ancienne, it's easy to make and you normally get a rewarding result. SethG, nice to see you around here! I read all the threads from the PR's Q&A and everyone there seemed so professional. I love the part in the book where he says that teaching someone is to hand the power to this person, it's really touching. Oh, and if you happen to make a sourdough please post here too, then maybe we can all get inspired and learn a bit more too. Elie, wow great multigrain loaf! Lovely colour and the texture looks so fluffy and light! -- I've been baking Pane Siciliano again and again . I just wanted to be sure it wasn't first time luck, you know? It's my favourite bread so far and I'm so happy that now I can actually make and eat my own bread, that it's far better than most of the poor breads you find in this town... It really lifts my mood . Marcia