ChocoChris

JIm, Your link didn't work.

A test turkey is a great idea is alleviate that first time anxiety (so to speak) GordonCooks what stove did you purchase? Do you like it?

I'm sorry to hear that you are unwell. I get tummy problems and sometimes it limits what I can eat. However, I've concocted this easy pick me up that soothes the tummy and spirit... only 2 ingred... coco-wheats (like cream of wheat but with cocoa added) oberweiss (or whatever local brand of choice available to you) chocolate milk. make the coco-wheats with choco milk. When cereal has cooked (takes like a minute or so) stir in more choco milk. eat up and feel better! I see that you are feeling better from your most recent posting but this works for all sorts of maladies. Take care, ChocoChris

OK, I just answered the question about which can withstand the cold. As for overwintering, I try anything I want to keep alive if possible. I will be overwintering many herbs among them thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary and others. I have loads of plants on my enclosed porches -- yipes! Just can't let them go

CathyL, That would be great!! My email is chris@evl.uic.edu Thanks so much! I collect way too many recipes. ChocoChris

Shmoopie, It all depends on your agricultural zone and the variety of the particular herb you have. For instance, I'm in Chicago which is zone 5. THe zone is dependent on the coldest winter temperature (on average, I think). Alaska is zone 1. Lucky folks in the south are in the upper zones like 7 or 8... Anyhow, here in zone 5, most varieties of sage are hardy through the winter for a few years and they eventually just die off. They develop a woody stem as they get older. My plain sage (i.e. not tri-color or any of that) has lasted up to 5 years in my garden. Parsley and Cilantro are definite annuals here. Rosemary is an annual (as opposed to perennial - coming back each growing season) and can be overwintered indoors with difficulty. Most rosemary succumbs to powdery mildew which is grayish powder (Dave the cook mentioned it). It can eventually kill the plant because it prevents the plant from getting enough light through the leaves. Rosemary is very difficult to overwinter altho I will try it....again. Indoor plants need lots of light and good ventilation and moisture. Rosemary seems to be quite fussy in this regard. Thyme comes in numerous varieties not all of them winter hardy in my zone. Common thyme is very very hardy and spreads everywhere here. Lemon thyme, silver thyme and others have not been hardy for me. Marjoram is a tender perennial here (meaning I will bring it inside). So where are you located or what is your zone? That will answer most of your questions. Good luck! ChocoChris

Has anyone ever seen the recipe for brownies layer (topped?) with Andes mints? I saw one a ways back but didn't save it...Always thought it would be a nice combo.

WOW!!! A very beautiful work of art! Thank you for sharing! Was the top made up of the stained glass that Steve mentioned? What type of cake was it? The bride and groom must have been floored. Just exquisite! ChocoChris

Hi All, The cake turned out fairly well. I did enjoy the combination of flavors and used chefette's advice regarding the ganache (altho I did not thin it enough so it was not go on as smooth as in the picture and required some coaxing with a spatula). I required more almond paste to cover the cake than mentioned in the recipe. I'd like to repeat this one but with the adjustments discussed on this thread. I'll be editing the recipe page in the book quite a lot The birthday girl and her guests were happy and enjoyed the cake so I can regard it as successful. I made an almond praline and crumbled it for the top (sprinkling it on sparingly) and that was a very nice contrast to the other layers of texture in the cake. Thank you again for all your wonderful advice. I can't wait to see that wedding cake on the pastryarts site! ChocoChris

P.S. I'm using Callebaut (sp?) for my chocolate -- semi-sweet. I love the stuff as well as Vahlrohna. Also that almond flour idea is good advice!

I thank all of you for your input and support. I will not blame myself entirely as it's obvious that this recipe (book??) has shortcomings. But I sure learned alot so that is very satisfying. I will be finishing up the recipe now. Thanks again!!! ChocoChris

THank you again chefette! When I made the cakes, I folded the whites in completely and then the flour completely so maybe that amount of folding deflated the whites. I tried to be gentle but not gentle enough apparently. I will try your technique. THanks for the advice on the ganache. I will be doing that part today. Again, you all are so great! ChocoChris

You are all just awesome. Thanks so very very much for the encouragement and the advice. I've taken it all to heart. I was monitoring my oven with a thermometer as I know for a fact (repair guy has come out once so far) that the thermostat is loopy. So many variables....Lesley, I'll be interested in your results as well as that of Colleen. Steve I'm dying to see a photo of your amazing creation! Sounds like it should have a thread here when you are finished with it.

Cake #2 also finished about 15 min. earlier than the book advised. Also came out 1" high. Between the two, I can make the cake any number of layers but I'll stick to 3. I would like to try once more with the changes described above. So, end result....do I blame myself and remain discouraged? Do I chalk it up to inadequate instruction? You all seem so knowledgeable -- how do you deal with such a situation. I'm fairly discouraged. I've been baking for years but these things really get to me. Thanks again, ChocoChris

Yes, pg. 82 has the recipe. The order, in the book, for folding in the ingred was egg whites and flour last. I thought adding the egg to the almond paste and then adding the butter, sugar, etc. was an odd order but then again, this is my first attempt with this particular type of cake so I didn't question it. The first cake was about an inch high. Cake #2 is still in the oven so I'll see if the non-greasing idea improved the result. I won't have time to try a third time tonight but the next attempt would be to rearrange the order of mixing as per nightscotsman. It was hard to say if the beaten butter/sugar was white since they were beaten with the yolk/almond paste mixture. I'll report the result in a few minutes. Thanks for your continued input. ChocoChris

Hi, Thanks for all the great suggestions. Yes I used the correct sized pan and the eggs used were fine too. The egg whites were still shiny and had soft peaks when I finished beating them. The sugar with egg whites was recommended in the recipe so that can be ruled out. I read my Simple Art of Perfect Baking and think that it may be that I greased the sides of the springform pan and the book said that the idea is to not grease them so that the batter can stick to the sides and climb up. The recipe source was The Chocolate Bible: The Definitive Sourcebook, Teubner (editor); while it has lots of illustrations, there was not much of a discussion of the use of a torte ring or a springform pan and how to prepare the pan. Well, there was a couple of pictures of preparing the torte ring with parchment on the bottom but nothing about the greasing/non-greasing question. So long story already too long, I'm going with the non-greasing idea but now I also have the question of whether it will work since the only springform pan I have is non-stick. A big learning experience this will be. Wish me luck! ChocoChris

HI, I just made a cake that will be part of an almond torte. I am concerned because it is supposed to be split into three layers and it only looks like it will be high enough to get two from it. Plus it baked in 30 min rather than the 45 to 50 min the recipe said. The steps included creaming butter, sugar, almond paste then whipping to stiff egg whites folding them together and then folding in the flour. Could it be possible that I deflated the batter when folding? I tried to be gentle. Also the recipe called for propping the oven door open to release steam which I never saw before in a recipe but I did and still was careful to monitor the temp. and keep it up at 375. Sigh, there are so many new variables for this one. I'm thinking of making it again tonight and thought I'd see if I could get some suggestions before I made the same mistakes **sigh** Thanks, ChocoChris