cakewalk

RWood, how far in advance to you start an order of that size? Do you mix and freeze the dough in advance? Do you cut them out and freeze? I'm curious about methods people use for such large orders. They look beautiful.

A lotta money! It's an interesting thing. Not meaning to take this too far astray, but it's the way of life that interests me, not just the idea of going on a hunt. There is a completely different way of looking at your world, and I mean that in the immediate sense rather than the larger philosophical sense. I'm city born and bred (I like the feel of concrete under my feet!), but I've always found the idea of a rural existence fascinating and even enticing. It's the middle ground that I've never really understood (i.e., suburbs).

For us city slickers. Thanks for your response.

Great stuff. About how many pounds of venison would you say you got from that deer? Also, about your hunter: does he take any venison home with him? Or at least the pelt? Is he a friend of yours, or is he a "hired hunter"? Is that a regular thing, for people to hire professional hunters to kill and then cut up their game? (You might have addressed this previously and I missed it. If so, can you point me in the right direction?) It's really fascinating to see, and it is such a tremendous amount of work. A far cry from picking out some steaks from the meat section of my supermarket!

I've been thinking about Christmas cookies. And I bought a new cookie cutter a few days ago. Haven't gone beyond that stage yet.

Very beautiful, and this really brought back memories. One of my cousins, when he was in high school, used to prepare jachnoon on Fridays and then, with a friend, on Saturdays they'd go to the beach in Tel Aviv and sell them. They did it during the summers, and made good money, too. I remember him telling me about it (years after he used to do it, it was hysterical listening to his stories about selling this stuff on the beach), but I had never heard of jachnoon. So I said, okay, please to make some for me, I have to try it. It was good, but I have to say, yours look way better!

Nice banana bread. A long time ago Wendy DeBoard, a pastry chef who used to post on eGullet a lot, said that to her, banana bread simply isn't good unless it has a couple of tablespoons or so of sour cream in it. I've tried a lot of banana bread recipes, and I agree with Wendy. The ones with sour cream always taste better than the ones without. (I noticed that the Flour recipe includes sour cream.) My "to go" banana bread recipe of late is an altered version of the Joy of Cooking recipe. I reduce the butter, add sour cream, make a few other changes, etc. The book has all the notes. I don't remember how it all came to that, but I know that when I make banana bread, that's the one I go to.

Agree with pastrygirl, but since you're starting to build up your kitchen stuff from scratch, I'd say go for the 3" pans. They'll do everything the 2" pans do, plus other stuff that you'll eventually grow into if you keep baking. (Although I just looked and I see there's a significant price difference, so that might be a deciding factor.)

During the period of mourning (sheva, which means seven, the 7-day primary period of mourning), the mourners are actually not permitted to cook. So the custom is for neighbors, friends, other family members to bring food or cook for them. Part of the reasoning behind this is that the first week of mourning is meant to be a period of introspection (death is shattering, no matter the circumstances), and so the mourners do not participate in any of the "normal" activities of day-to-day life. This eases up over time, the first month is a hallmark, then the first year, etc. until eventually you ease back into your normal routine. I do think the possible hunter-gatherer connection is a good one, because the laws must have been created in response to certain needs. (But I don't know enough about it.) MetsFan5 - I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your brother.

Do you have a question?

I love cranberries, and I also make sure I have a freezer full of cranberries around now; they'll usually last me through the summer. And I also have never, ever seen cranberries in the freezer section of any store anywhere. My favorite loaf cake is made with cranberries, walnuts and buttermilk.

What do you mean when you say you adhere to eating "kosher/halaal"? These are two very different things. Is one of you Jewish, the other Muslim, and you each want to adhere to your religion's laws? (And why?) From what I know, and I may be wrong, halaal generally refers to meat and the way it is slaughtered. I don't think there is a requirement of religious oversight in the preparation of foods other than meat. Do you know if that is right? Kashrut, depending on the level to which you adhere, is very different. There are Jews who will eat nothing unless it is certified kosher, there are those who will eat food only with specific certifications, there are those who will not eat non-kosher meat but will eat fish and vegetables out, etc. Location can play a tremendous role in deciding what (and where) you will/won't eat. Where are you located?

I agree, I wouldn't toss it so quickly, especially since it's currently in the freezer, where it can live pretty much forever. A few things to keep in mind: you might not like it, but that doesn't mean others won't. If you ever have people over, or if you can bring it to work, etc., it might be enjoyed by others. I probably wouldn't go to a lot of expense or effort to fix it up, but it's amazing how a basic chocolate glaze can perk up just about anything, especially a sub-par banana bread, it's a nice combination.

I was walking through Union Square market yesterday and saw some quinces next to the apples, so I bought some. However, they are small and still lime green. In doing some reading after the fact, it looks like small, lime-greenish quince won't ripen off the tree. I'll try bagging them together with an apple to see what, if anything, happens. Does anyone know anything about quince? Are these useable in any way? Last year I made membrillo, which was lovely. This year I was just planning to make some jelly, but I might have to buy more quince.

I got a hankering to make Andie's "Grandma's Apple Cake," which appears over in the Loaf Cakes thread. The loaves below are in 7x3" pans, and the recipe made four of them. Each finished cake weighs in at a bit over 20 ounces, so they're substantial. They're also very good. It's a soft-textured cake (although that might change a little when it cools some more), moist, not too sweet, and the crunch of the walnuts is wonderful. I already started one, but I'll freeze the other three to take with me on Thanksgiving. Thanks, Andie, it's a good one!

A couple of years ago at the Institute for Culinary Education, Michael Laiskonis gave a class on choux pastry. I don't make gougeres all that often, but I was having the same sort of problem. I just couldn't get the egg quantity right, and wan't totally sure what the consistency of the batter should look like. The class was just for one evening, in what they call their "recreational" course of study. But it was just what I needed. I remember he mixed the batter, got to a certain point and said, "now this needs about another 1/2 an egg or so," and proceeded to add more egg practically in drops, until he reached a consistency that satisfied him. (And satisfied me, because now I knew what I was aiming for.) So teonzo's advice above is right on target. And you didn't even have to pay for a class!!

In brief: I don't think he belongs in academia. He can write another cookbook about "everything," but nothing he has done in the past has any connection to any academic course of study. He's teaching something called "Columbia and Food" - really? It reads like a joke. And I'm sure both he and Columbia will laugh all the way to the bank!

Jack of all trades, master of none.

Biscotti (dried cherry and pistachio)

Rye bread from "Beard on Bread." Good stuff. Straightforward, don't-bother-me bread.

Paul's grandfather. Great movie.

Just a ditto on the grapefruit spoons, I use them all the time for things mentioned, they work perfectly. (I hardly ever eat grapefruit.)

I made brownies, which came out great and are almost gone. We're all sick to our stomachs at the moment, but I'm not sure it's the brownies! Edited to add: since this is the dinner thread and not the baking thread, I also made pumpkin soup from the beautiful pumpkin I got at my CSA's last distribution, and grilled cheese sandwiches on "my" bread. The soup really came out good, it's the first time I ever used a pumpkin for anything other than a jackolantern.

Interesting how this has gone in different directions. A few thoughts: "Culturally clueless" doesn't refer to not knowing things. We're all ignorant of so much, no matter how much we do know. But some of us have an awareness of our own ignorance, and, along with it, an openness to learning. Others do not have that awareness, and in most cases I'm afraid they never will. I think they fall into the culturally clueless category. (This holds true for rich and poor alike, as far as I can tell.) Connected to that, I think the assumption that collards "belong" to the poor south is an example of cultural cluelessness in and of itself. They've been around for at least a thousand years. They're very popular in Portugal and Spain (caldo verde, anyone? I mean, even I've heard of that), and I'd guess elsewhere, too. I have a lot of trouble with the whole concept of "cultural appropriation." I find it usually it means that people are clueless to every culture but their own. "Poor man's food" has been transformed into "rich man's food" long before Neiman-Marcus ever cooked collard greens. This certainly has not set any precedents. I have nothing to say about the disgustingly rich. They can defend themselves.

Location, location, location? Humidity can often make a difference in pastries. Amounts of liquid often need to be adjusted. The cookies look nice, so all's well that ends well.