ChocoChris

Well, as it is, I did make a cherry buttercream following the CHocolate Passion Cherry Vanilla Buttercream. It was a nice color and had cherry pieces but the flavor was not as pronounced (or at least a stronger suggestion) as I would have liked. But I am going to look into the cherry emulsion or compound options. Learning something new here all the time... Thanks again! Chris

Thanks Lysbeth! I've never heard of a compound before.

Thank you for sharing the recipe, Sinclair. I was going to use frozen cherries but do you think that canned might be a better choice? I will be happy to post the recipe here. I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate for the thread. Thanks again! Chris MANGO BUTTERCREAM (from Better Homes and Gardens Spectacular Desserts, 1992) 3 to 4 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and chopped 1 c. sugar 6 egg yolks, beaten 3 tbsp. orange Iiqueur or brandy 2 c. unsalted butter, softened Blend or process all the mango pieces in a blender or food processor until smooth. You should have 1 1/2 cups puree ( a little more is fine.) Gently simmer the mango puree in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat till reduced to 1 cup. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching (and watch for the bubbling puree that jumps out of the pan -- it's hot.) Remove pan from heat . Stir 1 cup sugar into the mango puree. Cook and stir over med. heat until sugar is dissolved. Carefully stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks a little at a time. Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Bring up to a gentle boil and then reduce heat. Cook and stir for two more minutes, remove from heat, and stir in the liqueur. Cool to room temp. Beat 2 c. butter with a mixer on medium to high speed until fluffy. Gradually add cooled mango mixture into the beaten butter. The mango adds a very light color to the buttercream.

I've actually made mango buttercream and it is fantastic. I can email the recipe to you if you want. Chris

Hi, I am wondering what the best way to make a cherry buttercream would be. I was thinking of starting with a cherry puree but I'm concerned that the cherry flavor will not be strong enough. Should I add a liquor? preserves? I would mix that (the puree) into the buttercream. I figured that following the method for making another fruit flavored buttercream would probably work. Maybe?? Thanks, Chris

My recipe actually came from Fine Cooking. I had made the cake in the past with no problem...

Hi, I am so disappointed because a chiffon cake that I was making for Thanksgiving dinner fell out of the inverted pan after 7 minutes of cooling. I caught it and it broke into three big chunks. My husband put the pieces together in an attempt to convince me that it could be salvaged. My guess is that it did not bake long enough even though it seemed to be firm to the touch on top. Maybe still too moist in the middle. So two questions: 1) Does anyone have any advice on what may have happened? 2) Should I rebake it or salvage it... a) if salvage it, could I "paste" it together with some glaze between the pieces b) is there another way to hold it together that would be better? Thanks for your advice. I'm feeling so discouraged right now and wondering what I did wrong. I need to make it tonight because tomorrow we will be traveling. Chris

I know that it has been a while since anyone posted to this thread but since it was less than a month ago, I'll add my two cents. I baked the KA cake this morning. Mind you, this was before eating breakfast. I add that caveat because on my first tasting, after taking them out of the pans, came from a layer that was not fully cooled. I did try another piece later after it fully cooled. I baked 2 9" cakes - one in a stainless steel pan and the other in a nonstick pan. I noticed that the nonstick finished a couple of minutes before the stainless steel which I would expect since the pan is dark gray. The stainless steel one could have used a few minutes so I think the center was a tad softer than the edges. For some reason I obsess about height and use it, among other factors, to gauge success. These layers came in about 1 3/4" high. I am concerned that they should have been higher. I left my butter out over night and it got fairly soft but I don't think that it should have made a difference in height - or could it? I also forgot to sift the flour. I used weight to measure out the ingredients. The taste was pleasantly vanilla and while not too sweet, I did think it a bit on the sweet side. I'm wondering how it will taste with frosting. I did have a slight doming but nothing too pronounced and no cracking. Tops were nice and smooth. Here's a pic of cake from stainless pan.

Mmmmm warm bread freshly baked. I love the ends loaded with butter -- a crunchy/chewy delight!

Hi All, I thought that a follow up report would be in order. I'm on my third day past surgery and second day home. So far cream of wheat, grits with parmesan, and thai soups have served me well. Even the thinnest of rice noodles is hard to chew and bread has to be soaked well to be consumable. I had a nice tomato bisque from Whole Foods that worked out. Hubby made the thai soup but its so frustrated without the noodles which I love. As noted above, sweets are so much easier...puddings, ice cream, chocolate syrup... Thing is, these foods don't seem to last very long so I am eating (sipping?!) more smaller meals throughout the day. Thanks for the great advice! Chris

Thanks so much for the great suggestions! I knew that the people here would surpass the ordinary! I am interested in the details of the red Pepper bavarois. The beer and ice cream are good options too altho I don't know what meds I'll be on. This will be a great opportunity for some experimentation. if you get any more inspiring thoughts, please post them. Take care!

Hello all, I am going to have surgery to remove one of my salivary glands in mid August and as the incision will be long and go along my lower jaw line, I am anticipating that the chewing action will entail some pain right afterwards and for a couple of weeks thus requiring me to assemble a list of food possibilities for the recovery time. In reviewing some foods possibilities, we've come up with hot cereals, puddings/custards, soft fruit or mashed fruit, jello, etc. but I was wondering if any of you had some creative ideas within this soft category. For instance, today we found that Fox and Obel has this wonderful bittersweet pudding that is practically the consistency of peanut butter -- almost too thick but yummy! I told my husband that it would be a cheery gift for me after surgery, however, it is also $9/lb ! Also, while desserts offer a range of soft possibilities, I should include some savories in my list such as dinner items, snacks... So there's the challenge/request. I know that egullet folks are up to the task.. Anyone have some thoughts? Thanks! ChocoChris

Vanilla extracts can get pricey. I love to garden and whenever I see a way overpriced food in the produce section, I tell my husband, I'm gonna grow it. Many red peppers, edamame, heirloom tomatoes, alpine strawberries and golden as well as red raspberries later, I've been enjoying the 'fruits' of my own gardening at a fraction of the cost. Also, as mentioned above, any ethnic food from a mainstream grocery store is way overpriced as a trip to a produce market will show you. It's amusing.

Hi All, It's so good to hear people be relaxed about tempering chocolate. I recently experimented and part of the experiment was seeing if I could temper enough chocolate that I would feel more confident in myself. I tested with the smear on waxed paper and even doubted that result so that I tempered one batch a couple of times and drove myself batty trusting the result. I did manager to temper different types of chocolate with different techniques successfully but not without standing next to it holding the digital themometer saying to myself...ok 87, 87, 88, 88, 88,.....89....D'OH it's ruined! Do over!! So long story long -- I will keep this post handy so that I can try to relax about it more.

Steve and Colleen, Have you documented your work from this event? If so, is it posted where we can admire it appropriately?? ChocoChris

Sounds good! I luuuuv puddings/custards. I'll try this one tonight. Thanks!

I make cookies that vary each year. However, there are two that are mainstays. One is Cuccidat which is a traditional Sicilian fig cookie (almost a cake) that takes a couple of days effort but the recipe makes alot of them. I make them with my 93 year old great aunt whose mother brought the recipe from Sicily. I also make molded cookies called springerle. I'm looking for some more unusual or pretty cookies to make in addition to these.

You guys are awesome. So many great suggestions! We've been doing these trips to Georgia since I met my hubby, so we figured out the garbage bag, baby wipes necessities and when I started hording plasticware in the glove compartment, he wasn't thrilled. I'll be showing his this thread for sure! Utilitizing the side items at fast food places is a great tip. You do have to think creatively. We analyze the side offerings and sometimes, if you get lucky, you can make a great inexpensive and fairly low in fat alternative by combining certain side dishes into a meal (as Ellen mentioned). That Opinel knife looks great. I'll have to check it out for the next trip. Looks like a good stocking stuffer, tho. My bread for sandwiches is in the freezer as I type. Thanks again for the suggestions!

Great suggestions...thanks! Is the dressing a simple oil and vinegar?

We are driving to Georgia on Tuesday and I would like to make a savory snack that is not very fattening (sitting on our butts for 13 hours) but will tide us over through the meal breaks. Last time I made savory scones. They were good but a little dry without something to spread on it. It's a short visit so we are packing light and won't be bringing a cooler. Thanks for your suggestions. ChocoChris P.S. Roadkill cooked on the heat of our engine is not an option

I know that Penzeys sells soup bases. I have not tried them yet.

I know that Fine Cooking's web site had a great article about this topic. I followed their advice and the pizza came out very thin and crispy (my goal) and very tasty. The article is worth a read at least. www.finecooking.com Good luck. It's a worthy pursuit!

Actually I borrowed the quotation part from an Xfiles episode. Put coupled with stuffing the chops and you can take that wherever your heart (etc...) desires

jaybee, Any change that you can share your stuffing recipe that started this thread? Sounds yummy! ChocoChris P.S. Dave .... there's nothing like "snapping on the latex" when stuffing them chops

Oh I forgot the best part... top it off with some of that canned chocolate whipped cream...it's made with skim milk