sanrensho

Or just chiffonade and use them in a salad or as a finishing herb, just as you would basil. You could also tempura the shiso.

I would say the galangal is OK, shiso no (think of basil). My guess is that the curry leaves would be fine.

Hi Kris! I have the reverse question: What items do you bring over from Japan for your relatives and parents (sembei/crackers? candy/snacks?)? Also, have you had much influence on their diet in terms of getting them to incorporate Japanese food into their lifestyles?

I'm no pastry chef, but my laundry list of building block recipes would be something like this: Baking: -Basic yellow butter cake -Chocolate butter cake -Plain genoise -Chocolate genoise -Sheet biscuit recipe -Choux pastry -Pate sucree Fillings: -Whipped ganache -Basic pastry cream -Ganache glaze -Creme anglais -Base bavarois recipe (extension of creme anglais) -French and Italian meringue buttercream There are a ton of others, but those would be a starting point for me.

I was actually wondering about the opposite. If you make iced green tea using the cold steeping method, do you gain the same antioxidant benefits as brewing the tea?

Send a PM to Octaveman and ask him to reply to this thread. He will have the answers you need.

There are a couple of ways to make iced green tea, but my method is to just brew sencha leaves for 2-5 minutes (before bitterness sets in) at around 70 degrees Celsius, then strain the leaves. Cool to room temp before placing in the refrigerator. Water it down if find the brew too strong. I usually make large quantities at once. Although delicious, I must warn you that drinking large amounts of iced green tea will have you going to the bathroom very frequently. Much more so than coffee or tea, I find.

After picking up a cocktail shaker over the weekend, I have to say I'm a huge convert to the caffe shakerato style of iced coffee. Very quick and requires minimal fuss with ice cubes/crushed ice. I found the results to be excellent made with a mokka brew, and the foam is also nice. Can't wait to try the same method with cafe sua da.

The baker's grease mentioned in the post above is shortening, flour and oil, if that's what you're referring to. I use this almost exclusively, thanks to Chefpeon's post.

No. The fruit flies drown in the solution and have no way of getting out. It works.

I'd like to see that as well, but suspect that it might by Landis instead. Therefore, I suggest some good 'ol American apple pie. Should be especially appropriate for the TT stage tomorrow!

You might want to throw in some good 'ol American apple pie, because we could see another US rider (or a score of them) on the podium again this year!

I usually just slice/quarter and toss with olive oil, S&P. Same as the infamous roasted cauliflower, you can roast them together. The roasted fennel tastes amazing when dusted with parmesan or pecorino out of the oven.

Never had that problem picking raspberries in Langley. Unfortunately, we only managed 15 lb between me and my 8-year old daughter (one of my pickers...er, daughters, fell sick, wiping out half of our available crew). I'm glad I wore a long-sleeve shirt, as I escaped with just a few scratches to my knuckles. Raspberry u-pick should be good for at least another week or two. Thinking of heading out next weekend to pick a few pounds for freezer jam.

I'm trying hard to imagine what this is, without bordering on *censored* territory. Er, could you break the code for me?

The topic of whether American (powdered sugar) frostings are "buttercreams" has been discussed quite a bit in the past. They are not buttercreams, but the fact remains that many people equate those frosting with buttercreams and call them such. I can say with some confidence that Sugarella knows the difference between a real buttercream and an American buttercream.

I think I'll tape right to my elbows, thank you, to protect my forearms from those thorns.

Picked 15+ lb at Driediger's today. Plenty of ripe berries but not particularly big. Not a concern, since mine are for freezer jam and some IQF. Interestingly, they had no strawberries for sale, only u-pick. A lot of people were disappointed due to the lack of strawberries for sale. Raspberries are also going, but Driediger's was picked out today. I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Chopping the cilantro in and of itself won't cause the leaves to go black. If the cilantro is old, then it will turn black regardless of whether you chop it or not. I often chop up cilantro in advance and keep it stored in the fridge. As long as its fresh and there's some moisture, it will store fine.

I've done u-pick rasberries in Richmond, so I know it definitely exists. However, I think it's at least a week or two away. Look for the signs along Steveston Highway. The place I went to was south of Steveston Hwy. I don't recall any raspberry u-pick along No. 6.

When I say "authentic," I mean that both the bread itself and the flavor combinations wouldn't be out of place in a typical Japanese pan-ya. Having said that, I don't recall every having strawberry an-pan, banana pan or coffee melon pan when I lived in Japan, although that was a few years ago. (And I visited _a lot_ of bakeries back then, mostly in Tokyo.) The bread used in the pastries is actually a little less chewy than typically found in the Chinese bakeries around here. The texture reminds me of the pastries that I used to get from the Japanese Saint Germain chain, a little on the dry side but not unpleasantly so.

^^^Ling, where would you say the Thomas Haas chocolates fall in terms of sweetness level, compared with French or Belgian (or American)?

My wife made it over to Kei's Bakery today, so we happily munched on the following buns tonight: -Matcha pan -Coffee melon pan -Strawberry an (red bean) pan -Regular an pan -Cream pan (filled w/custard cream, actually the kids ate this one) -Banana pan We also picked up some sliced white bread, which we'll sample tomorrow morning with homemade strawberry preserves. Overall, I'm pretty impressed. Flavours and textures seem spot on and "authentic." The breads are definitely distinct from what you'll get from Chinese bakeries, and the prices seem reasonable. My wife had a pretty good talk with the owners. They're still working on getting a convection oven and are using a smaller oven in the meantime.

It sounds like a basic ganache? There are a number of variations including those that use cocoa powder, chocolate and cream or butter.

Your sarcasm is completely unnecessary. However, I don't regret my original comments, since it induced a post that I found informative and entertaining. I haven't tried the pho at Petit Saigon but will make a point of checking it out. I would love to learn the name or approximate location of the "little white wooden house" you mentioned, if you happen to remember it. Cheers!