tmgrobyn

No. I don't have any idea on the shelf life due to rancidity claims. They're never around long enough!

The Freshman! Could've taken some chicken and dressed it up to be some rare species only the rich and famous would dare eat!

Oh duh. Should have read the title of the thread! aack. My recipe is pretty straight forward. 4 cups of nuts, 6 cups of water. Boil water, blanch nuts for two minutes, drain. While water is boiling, heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil (or a good nuts oil) in a pan to 350 degrees F. Drain nuts and place in bowl. Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Roll nuts in sugar until sugar dissolves. Once sugar is dissolved (it cannot still be grainy) add 2 cups of the nuts to the oil and allow to fry for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. The nuts will continue to cook while they are cooling. Once golden brown remove from oil with a slotted spoon into a sieve. I have a flat metal sieve that I use for these as they cannot be drain onto anything paper as the nuts will stick to it (learned that the first time I made them!) and be a mess. Fry the remainder of the nuts. Add slat to the nuts once they are cool and package into cellophane bags. You can also put them in plastic or glass jars for sales or gifts. Note: please make sure to keep your oil hot. If it cools or the nuts do not get hot enough while cooking you'll have the stickiness problem. The meringue version is taking the nuts and rolling them in mixture, then baking it in the oven to dry out the meringue. Recipe: 3 egg whites 2 tablespoons water 3 cups walnut halves 2 cups pecan halves 1 cup whole unblanched almonds (or any combination of the three varieties or just one nut) 2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and water until frothy. Add nuts; stir gently to coat. Combine the remaining ingredients. Add to nut mixture and stir gently to coat. Spread into two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container. I usually add a bit more of the sugar mixture into the meringue as I like mine to have more coating than just a slight coat. Either way they are good. Some people add other spices and you can do a spicy hot version instead of the holiday spice mix also. Hope this helps. Of course, I have listed home kitchen recipe, but they can be made in larger quantities easily.

My first question is the sugar coating a crystallized coating or a "candy" glaze? I make a glazed walnut during the holidays that never sticks together once they're cooled. I also make a somewhat crystallized coated nut using a meringue as a base, then baked. But before I go into technique It'd be good to know how you want those nuts sugar coated. I'd be willing to share either recipe/technique once you need is known.

heh David. I'll try to to laud too many compliments! On the "I know it just doesn't work" comment; I wanted to say yes and the chocolate with bacon is a big bomb too.

Oh David your ruminations on the episode are spot on. Especially with Zoe. I enjoyed this one the best so far and can only hope the next few weeks will continue to raise the TopChef bar. Ryan as Tom Cruise, totally.

Oh ugh. Last nights episode was a mishmash of editing! Watching Andrew fidget my therapist husband said "the guys on meth". Don't know if it's the case but man Andrew, chill! Then he has the nerve, guts, b*lls, to say "this is my house and I'm not leaving" What???!!?! Moving on to Jennifer's "pasta salad doesn't win you Top Chef comment. Gah. Maybe not, but fried wontons rarely do either. However, Stephanie ran away with it again because of those wontons. The rest is just a product placement nightmare. The glad wall, velveeta mountain and spicy italian dressing, oh my! Yes, shows do get ad dollars for product placement but this one takes the cake. Richard was surprised at the suggestion of his product now being on the menu at Bayless' place it seems after reviewing last night's episode. I really think it caught him by surprise. And, wow you could almost see how led the cast was by the neighbors pantries. I can hear Colocchio saying, "okay some mac and cheese, some pasta salad, a bbq dish, some hotdogs for good measure". We'll see how bad they do with this one. Because it was obvious they were looking for the chefs to step up and take ordinary foods and make something better from the example of the quick fire challenge. No one really did that. And then the cheftestants comment how it's just mom and pop america and they don't care what they eat. aaaack!

RAHiggins1 - I have quinoa at least three times a week. It cooks up well, matches to about any flavor profile, sweet or savory, I've found. I have used it for vegetarian selections, meat - mostly chicken dishes, and breakfast food. I cook it up for breakfast add dried blueberries and cream. It's great!

"I did forget to mention how much I would have liked to try the sardine/quinoa appetizer. I too am pulling for our Kiwi buddy......which of course means they'll edit him as a total ass any time now." Oh man me too! That looked so good. The other thing I really wanted to taste was that beet stuff Rick made. Both looked very good.

I totally noticed it. I guess the director's rendition of amuse bouche! I liked the zoo challenge quite a bit, even if it was a bit contrived. Totally noticed a whole new Andrew. Weird, I think the old one returns next week tough. And, it looks like a dustup for sure next week. I was quite entertained last night and am still waiting for Padma to ask someone "you expected me to taste it? And you didn't?!!?" Rick Bayless should notch it up a bit next week.

Exactly why I gave him points for it. Not so much for the plastic wrap and poor presentation, but because the guy next to him was like "holy crap! I didn't see this coming!" expression. In a sea of 16 or so competitors, it's nice to get yourself established quickly as to stepping outside the box. Or at least keeping abreast of Food TV shows that had cool tools! I can hardly wait for next week. Rocco looks like Julia Child. ROFL best line of the week. I just wonder if he has ever asked himself if he could undo the face job?

Ooooo fun! Looks like we're going to have a good group for discussion! I agree with most everything said so far. The swearing guy has got to go. aaack. Are we still in high school? You are not Bourdain. Get over it. The mayo debacle. He didn't look like he knew what he was doing. Maybe it was just editing but he used that macerator forever. My faves so far are Rick, Stephanie, Erik, and Rick long lost sister Jennifer. (no relation I know, but boy they could be!) The smoked crab cake looked amazingly good. Nimma was her own worst enemy. First Rocco tells her the pizza needed salt and then she doesn't taste her shrimp and it is too salty. Looks like a fun season, if the producers wouldn't make it so obvious about who is going home in the first ten minutes.

Like this? Tart Tamper or this? Wooden one I have the wood one, and am going to try the stainless steel.

I am doing the happy dance! I got Grewling's and Wybauw's books for Christmas. I'll be joining you all in the fun soon! WHen I flipped through Wybauw's book I actually got goosebumps! Everything in this thread has me thinking I can do this. Thank you all for your sharing and experience in paving this road for me!

I am in love with Trish aka "Cupcake Momma" at Flickr. Cupcake Momma has some of the most interesting cupcakes around. Lately she is showing tiered cake stands she is using for displays. Check her out. Also as far as cake boards, I use the wilton boards. Glue a few together with hot glue and cover them with a foil or fabric that matches the theme. There are professional suppliers we use, but you have to buy in quantities of 50 or more so that may not be an option for you. The Nigella cupcakes sound good however, once a cherry is frozen, it kind of loses it's strength and turns to mush pretty quickly. You may want to go a different route. (IMO) However, your ganache can be fluffy, just whip it more when you are ready to use it. It should also have a higher ratio of cream to chocolate. Not to continue to send you other places than eGullet, but Cupcake Bakeshop has some amazing recipes. She is formally trained at the CIA and has tested her recipes well. She'll answer an email as far as freezing etc too. I have enjoyed Cheryl's work for years. Good luck with your task!

I would try Casa de Fruita to purchase California dried fruits. They will have a good selection at a good price. We have used their fruit before and really have appreciated the quality. They also have a good selection of nuts. A second alternative to Casa de Fruit is Torn Ranch. They have really high quality fruits and nuts and will offer the best you can buy. However, their price will reflect it. I especially enjoy their dried pears and apricots. Best there is. There is also Davis Lewis dried fruit company, but their product line is more of a mass market level and not as high quality as I like (more of a bottom tier in my opinion). I'd say try Hadley's in Cabazon, but they've changed vendors and are buying all their stuff from Davis Lewis. Not nearly as good as they used to be. The mezzaluna is probably your best choice unless you have one of those herb rollers they sell on tv (and the cooking spray is a great idea!). Scissors are a great second choice. You are correct in your assessment of the maceration of a food processor; too much power to quickly and then you've got paste instead of fruit! Good luck in your search and with your project. (p.s. I don't work for any of these firms, just in the business itself)

One last thing. Try using a different flour.The higher the protein the higher the gluten level and the stretchier the dough will be. If you aren't already ready using one, try a pastry flour. I have had good luck with King Arthur Pastry Flour has worked well for me.

Is this for a special occasion? Or are you looking to upgrade your choices? Depending on the quantity prices can be really high or lower with price breaks for high numbers. I've used Glerup-Revere in the past and really got good results for lower quantities. For bakery specific items I'd choose Qualita they are sometimes a bit difficult to understand on the phone, but I've never been disappointed with their service and quality. When I needed larger quantities I've worked with a west coat based firm called Marfred They did custom packaging and it was reasonably priced. However, we were ordering in the 20 to 40 thousand quantity range when we chose to go with Marfred. Good luck with your search. Let us know what you choose when you make the decision.

These guys might be glad they got the food network gig as the writer's strike is going to shut down their day gig. Caterers all over LA are crying the blues, and I bet these guys aren't on the A-list.

For cute and for kids no one beats Cupcake Momma She also has a flickr page here Cupcake Momma's Flickr page I bow to her greatness.

My fave simple treat is a spritz cookie. I love that you can color the dough, press it out with differnt shapers, and it all tastes the same! the buttery goodness is so good I can only make them during the holidays. If not for that rule, I'd be as big as a house! The recipe is so easy and it makes a gazillion cookies at once. 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 egg yolks 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside. 2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Fill a cookie press with dough and shoot cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you like, decorate with sugar or sprinkles at this time. 3. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven.

I think it's a great first effort! Seeing it and reading the back story tells me You'll be Back! It's like a sickness almost, you just can't not do it. The pastry bug has bitten and there is no cure!!!!!

Third episode, improving. However, as stated by Darcie B, forget all the recapping. Good greif Fox, take a good look at the BBC version. If we're watching it's not because of Hell's Kitchen, it's because of the BBC version of Kitchen Nightmares. This is definitely a TIVO show. That way you can skip all the recapping and really see what Ramsey is trying to do. I cannot believe they kept that manager! Accccck!

Phew! Wow. I thought for sure I was going to be upset (again, as I seem to be the kiss of death when I root for someone) that Dale pulled it out at the last minute. Alas, Hung won and that is good. As is has been said each of these chefs had their high points and low points along the way and each will be successful in their endeavors. Like Hung said, each has grown from six months ago in ways they could not describe as yet. I loved the sous chef addition. It was very frustrating to see hard work punished by petty jealousy like in TC2. The ending certainly could have improved, please, dark shadows anyone??? Hung really seemed to turn his show around with the departure of Tre. He voiced the lack of competition when Tre was sent packing. I think he actually summed up the competition and barring any huge gaffs on his part TC3 was his to win. He then began to relax and find his groove. He played well with others last night and presented an excellent meal. Michelin 3 on the duck. Way to go Hung. I loved seeing the simplicity of plating, albeit the foam. Was that his homage to Marcel? Silly. Still any three of these, and likely any 9 of the beginning 12, could throw Hell's Kitchen cheftestant winners under the bus and not look back. I'd eat anywhere these people work. TC3 is my fave so far.

I love the idea of the tiered cake. It could easily show a progression of time. You'll definitely want to talk to him about his life, discover a theme of sorts, that followed him through out his journeys. It could be a hobby, inspiration or pursuit of his through the years. Did he enjoy success in a field of endeavor, was his a traditional role as son, father, grandfather, mentor? What were his high points? Of course the diamond is the longevity symbol. The cake could travel up in color from diamond in the rough to a traditional diamond covered in sparkley luster dust of glitter. I'd probably choose this theme more for a woman than a man, but hey you never know it could work. Good luck in this endeavor, and please keep up posted on your progress and pics when you're done.