Jaymes

Why would anyone anaesthesize a fruit fly? For goodness sake, just swat the bugger! You know, now that I think about it, the fly anaesthetic is triethylamine, not triethanolamine. And nobody corrected me! It is positively apalling what this crowd doesn't know about fly anaesthetic!!!

It's nice with a dash of orange bitters (Fee Brothers, not Collins) too. And you can call it something else if you'd like, I won't mind. Right-O. Wouldn't want to offend any witches, now would we???

Right. And it took me a time or two (years ago) to figure out that the custard type of flan didn't work too well in that cute little white fluted "flan" pan I had bought.

This is a recipe I make every Christmas. Works out well. I know that it's heretic for me to suggest this, Monica, but maybe your recipe is too "eggy" because of all the yolks.... Pumpkin Flan 1 C sugar 1 1/2 lb pumpkin (I buy the small cooking pumpkins) 5 whole eggs 1 C condensed sweetened milk 1/2 t cinnamon 1/4 t ground ginger 1/4 t ground nutmeg 1/8 t ground cloves 1 t vanilla 3/4 C whole milk Caramelize sugar in skillet (actually, I do it in a microwave) until golden. Pour into 8x1 deep cake pan (not glass). Cool completely. You want 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree. I cut and bake the pumpkin and then scoop out the flesh, process it in the food processor until pureed. Cool completely. Beat whole eggs by hand until well combined, but not at all frothy. Add condensed milk, puree, all spices and mix, by hand or on low speed, just enough to blend well. Add whole milk and mix on low speed just until well-blended. (Obviously the goal here is to thoroughly combine without adding a lot of air that would make air bubbles in the flan.) Pour into pan with caramel. Place in larger pan and add water to larger pan until it comes 2/3 up side of pan with flan. Place in middle oven rack in oven preheated to 350º. Bake for 50 minutes. Flan is ready when you move the pan and there are no "waves" in the center. Remove pan from water bath and refrigerate at least 48 hours. To unmold: press down sides of flan gently with back of spoon to release flan from sides of pan. Get a large serving platter and hold over flan and invert. Caramel will have softened and will drip down sides of flan. Garnish with whipped cream (if desired) and sprinkles of cinnamon.

You must tell her at once that due to the "off-topic chats" she would not like eGullet at all, and that she must stay away. (Until after the book is published, of course.)

Well, when I was a girl cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother, she always lined the bottom of the cake pan with waxed paper, especially when she was making some sort of layer cake that required nice even bottoms. So that blows my theory, I guess - unless it's got something to do with what Rhea says about the paper being completely covered with batter. Which, of course, it would be in the case of baking a cake.

I'm sure there will be smarter folks than I offering more in depth analysis than this, but the first thing that comes to my mind is that I use parchment paper to bake things in - fish, tomato slices, etc. I'm sure that the wax from the waxed paper would immediately transfer itself to my fish and tomatoes as soon as the oven got hot. Other than that, beats me... I turn out my caramel corn and pralines onto waxed paper, and have never tried it with parchment, but since it costs much more, would probably not be interested in trying it.

Here's another recipe for cookies that is traditional in our family through the holidays - and frankly, pretty-much all through the year, because they are so easy to make, and the ingredients are always on hand. The flavor is kind of butterscotchy/caramely, and they are addictive for sure. Brown Sugar Drop Cookies 1 1/2 C brown sugar 1/2 C butter, melted 1 t vanilla 1/2 t salt 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 1/2 c sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup pecan halves (or other nut, or shredded coconut) Combine well, drop by spoonsful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 11-12 minutes. They burn quickly, so don't get distracted!

Box?? Where do you get that? We get 8 sheets in a plastic bag and they coset over 6 dollars. Is that about right? Suvir - I buy unbleached parchment paper at a local grocery store. It comes in a roll, in a box, just like waxed paper. I don't recall exactly which store it was, although come to think of it, it may have been Whole Foods where I shop from time to time. I don't recall exactly how much it was, although I do remember thinking that it was more expensive than waxed paper. However, it is a big roll and it lasted me a year. The brand I bought is "Beyond Gourmet" imported by A.V. Olsson Trading Company, Old Greenwich CT 06870 This is some special kind of "environmentally friendly" stuff, "developed for Kosher Food Processing." I remember thinking I could probably find it cheaper if I looked harder, but was in a hurry, so didn't. I cannot help but believe there is a better way than your 8 sheets in a plastic bag for $6.

Hey Jude - Thank you for that link. The cookies look great and I am going to try them out. Further down at the bottom of the recipe, it says "potash is also called potassium." You say your recipe does not call for potash. Does it call for anything like potassium??? Do you know that potassium/potash is baking powder??? Do you have any idea where I can find potash here in the States?

Both of those should be available at a large supermarket. Parchment paper in the same section as the wax paper - crystalized ginger with the rest of the spices.

I do roll-out Christmas cookies with the following Sugar Cookie dough: 1/2 C shortening 1/2 C butter 1 C sugar 1 egg 2 C all-purpose flour 1/2 t cr of tartar 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1/2 t vanilla Combine all ingredients in the order given. Mix fats, add sugar and cream in, add egg and mix till combined and somewhat fluffy, add flour until well combined, add remaining ingredients. Combine into ball and roll out. Cut into shapes. Dust with sugar, or colored sugar, or dot with balls or other decorative garnishes. Bake 350º for 10-11 minutes, watching closely, because they burn easily.

Why don't you just buy a jar, take it home, open it up, stick a spoon in it and sample??? That way, you could make a direct comparison to what we in the States call molasses. If it is darker and thicker, maybe it's similar to black strap. I've used black treacle in several recipes, but not lately, so can't make any direct observations... But I can't see what difficulties would be presented by just buying a jar to sample. There might well be some recipes on the jar that you could try. And if not, well.... as our friends in NYC might say, "couldn't hoit."

Texture and flavor and lots of the gooey sauce.

Maggie - did your Caramel Corn come out dark????

You know, I've been thinking about this, and my Caramel Corn is not a deep brown color at all. It is golden - nowhere near a brown molasses color, nor as dark as Cracker Jacks.... I would say that maybe, Malawry, you cooked it too long, or maybe your oven was too hot? But even when it comes out a light, lucious, golden (and in fact, almost a shimmering iridescent) yellow, my Caramel Corn is not sticky, so it's still probably not what you're looking for.

Delete molasses and cook it less??? Maybe cook the syrup less? and then also in the oven less? Actually, what you are describing now sounds more to me like popcorn balls - sticky - you have to pull them apart. I prefer the Carmel Corn, and so know nothing about the popcorn balls type. If you get no responses here, you might Google popcorn balls and look over the recipes you get. Then, you can compare it to mine and see what you can come up with. Edit: I've also had Popcorn Cake - sticky golden caramel - and you make it in a round sponge-cake pan. The version I used to make for the kids' B-Day parties also had M&M's. It was delicious, sticky and caramely and looked very festive, as you might imagine. Looked for that recipe a while back but couldn't find it. I think these are closer to what you're looking for rather than just regular caramel corn.

Or you could just follow Rachel's excellent recipe.

Breakfast at my grandmother's house usually went like this: She got up early before anyone else and cooked some sort of fatty pork in the cast iron skillet - bacon or sausage or something. Then, she set that aside and got the pan with the drippings really hot and poured in her cornbread batter, and set it in the oven to bake. She often added this or that to the cornbread - depending on her mood. Her cornbread was fabulous.

Wilfrid - This has me puzzled. Assuming you're following some sort of actual recipe, and not just winging it, you shouldn't be having any trouble. I, too, thought that the "corn flour" was the problem since I'm not familiar with it, but it sounds like it's a finer grind than cornmeal, which I've always used. As far as adding sugar or a sweetener - by and large, folks in the U.S. south don't like sweet cornbread and so, don't ever add sugar, and the bread is not sour. I can see why some people DO add sugar and many of the packaged mixes do, but you shouldn't HAVE to. I'd suggest that you go to the store and buy two or three of the packaged varieties, like good ole' Jiffy, and one without sugar (Jiffy has it), and bake up a couple pans. Taste and compare them to what you've been making so at least you have some idea as to the taste, texture, etc., of the overall finished product. These mixes are very inexpensive and easy to throw together. You can use the resulting cornbread to either eat as is, or have some cornbread cereal or make cornbread salad the next day to use it up. Even if you just toss it, you won't have invested much. Then, armed with the info as to what it should taste like, begin searching for a basic "scratch" recipe that sounds promising. After you do that a time or two and have it down pat ("in your hands," as the pianists say), you can begin fiddling and experimenting with adding sour cream or a can of creamed corn, or chiles, or whatever, until finally, voila, you wind up with your own, from scratch, version.

You should talk with Susie. By her own count she now has about 300 - in the house Sounds as though your house might be a risky place in which to back up.....

I see someone's been eavesdropping on us Texans.

Jaymes: Thanks so much for this great sounding recipe....reminiscent on the about-mentioned Hermits, but richer. You go! Second recipe of your I've printed in the last 24 hours! I swear we were separated at birth.

Sad to hear that. I don't get right downtown all that often, but Louie's 106 was a favorite. So, what's in a chocolate martini??