Badiane

Plus they have a nasty tendency to stain everything they touch... How about a nice curried butternut squash? You could even turn it into a soup if you wanted Helpful, aren't we? To answer the original question, I would roast the mirepoix...but it will make for a sweeter soup, so you might want to add a little hit of vinegar or something.

I would toast the nuts in the oven and then just add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the brittle when you throw in the nuts...much easier than trying to get salt to stick. Curly Sue...I wish I had an answer for you...but there are some real sugar experts here that no doubt will be able to tell you what kind of chemistry you created there I personally love the pull your teeth out stuff!

You can use gelatin...but it's way easier to just toss in a tablespoon or so of instant vanilla pudding powder. I know people roll thier eyes at that, but really, it works like a charm. Don't use sugar free, it makes little lumps, but the regular stuff works great. Or Dr. Oetker has a whip cream stabilizer, usually found around the other Oetker flavorings and whatnot in the baking aisle. Pudding is cheaper.

← I always use fleur de sel for everything, including boiling potatoes...I have a glass jar handy in the cupboard - never really thought about it...but I guess it is sort of expensive-ish. Crushed Altoids and crushed mints of other varieties seem to be frequent fliers in British recipes...my husband was a confectioner for many years and has a dozen or more recipes in his repetoire that call for crushed mints mixed into the batter or fillings of cakes and pies. Not a big leap to the lamb from there, and in fact, I may try that at the weekend!

Ahhhhh....looking for a toffee texture...I would venture the guess that you a) overcooked it slightly and b) added the peanuts too early, which may account for the 'burnt' taste. Fortunately the ingredients don't cost the earth and you can try again! I would imagine your mother has made it successfully, which is why you are using her recipe. When I make straight peanut brittle, I don't add the nuts until the last minute of cooking because I use already roasted ones. Are you testing the mix in a glass of cold water, using a candy thermometer or just guessing? I use a glass of cold water, test every minute after it comes to a boil and when it's just a shade off what I want, I toss in the nuts, stir and then remove from the heat and wack in the soda. Works most of the time If you want something that is actually chewy, this is a recipe that I have for peanut toffee...I'm sure it came off the internet and I tweaked it a bit. 2 c. brown sugar 1/2 lb. butter 3/4 c. golden syrup ( I use whatever corn syrup I have in the house) 1 300 ml tin Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk Peanuts - some people like lots, some not so many, so you decide how much. Bring to boil in heavy pot. Boil hard, stirring constantly until toffee threads in cold water (about 20 minutes). Stir in nuts. Pour onto buttered baking sheet. Cool. turn sheet upside down and break into pieces. Nuts may be added to pan before toffee is poured. Good Luck!

Can you be a bit more descriptive than 'hard and gross'? Perhaps we can help you tweak your recipe...do you think something went wrong? How thin did you spread it? Did you add the baking soda? If you go to google, and search for 'soft peanut brittle' you will get some interesting hits...depending on what you are looking for, of course. Would be happy to help you tweak if you like And I see this is your first post...welcome here!

That's just saladist....nothing says 'salad' like a big jiggly mass of lime jello, green peas and cottage cheese on a lettuce leaf. Unless of course it's orange jelly with crushed pineapple and grated carrots...now THAT is a salad!!

Highchef... Unless your client or whomever you are baking the birthday cake for requested a holiday theme, you might consider avoiding that. People who are born around Christmas always get screwed...cakes that look like Christmas, only one gift because it's too close to the holiday, holiday parties instead of birthday parties...you see where I am going with that...my mom is a Christmas baby and she's always saying how badly it bites I'd say it's worse for children than adults, but apparently not...my 60 year old 'Christmas Day baby' cousin switched to celebrating in July because he was tired of getting the shaft, and my mother is nearly 80

For the chocolate separating issue, when I make mine at home, if I have the patience and time to spend grinding nuts, I dust (dust, not smother) each partially set tray of toffee with ground nuts of whatever variety I am using. This gives the chocolate something to cling to and soaks up a bit of the oil. My other method is to wait until they are partially set and run over the tops with a docking roller to make perforations for the chocolate to grab onto. Blot after docking.

That is sad...and I bet they are still using the same chairs...I hate those chairs!

Sadly, yes. Yes, I do know how to make Beer Can Angels...and snowmen. Sigh. My Martha Stewart gene has gone sadly askew, and seems to specialize in trailer trash decor. You will need a styrofoam ball for a head, a coat hanger, some quilt batting, glue... Do you really want me to go on?

Having made a lot of strawberry jam in my life, I can tell you this...there are faster ways, less labour intensive ways, than the Ferber method. You can boil 6 cups of crushed fruit with 7 cups of sugar and add certo. You can do sugar and splenda and put it in the freezer...lots of easy and quick methods. But to me, the results compared to the Ferber method are inferior. Sure it's okay jam, but it's just okay...it's not stunning. Try a batch using the recipe on the certo box. If you like it as much as the Ferber method, go with that. But I am guessing you will see a huge difference in quality and texture.

Thanks for all the great threads and advice...I will keep my mucky paws off them and just let them do thier thing!

Okay, I can admit it, I have taken the simplest of things to make and messed it up. But I'm not too proud to ask for help. I was doing some preserved lemons for the first time tonight...and while I read the recipe I didn't print it, so was kind of going from memory...the recipe says sprinkle the cut sides of the lemons with salt. For some reason I took that as 'cram in as much salt as they will hold'. Sooooo....each quart jar of lovely lemons has about 3/4 of a cup of salt settled at the bottom. I'm wondering if this will work: Empty the jars. Separate the lemons from the juice. Let the salt settle to the bottom of a jug and pour off the juice. Clean, sterilize and repack the jars, using just the incredibly salty lemon juice. Do you think that would work or do I just have to start again? On the upswing, my hands smell great and my trash can has never been so lemony fresh

Memo, that is truly the best thing I have seen all day. Very very entertaining. Feenie kissed me once...unfortunately it was not in a romantic way, more in a 'thanks for the cookie' way. But still... And I've seen him in bicycle shorts...

In addition to Bravo in Chilliwack, I have to give a nod to the Mill Street Cafe as well - very nice place. And of course there are one or two very good places that could not even remotely be described as fine dining, but are really excellent.

My family is pretty great...even when they don't get it. My sister is a never ending goldmine of exotic ingredients, wierd recipes and the giver of the best jam making pot ever. My brother just let it slip that my Christmas gift is a tagine that he hand carried from Morocco, because 'everyone over there has one, so I figured you would find it interesting'. Other brother and I swap jam and have a great jam making rivalry going. Our one piece of common ground. My mother still doesn't think I can cook, and am too young to be left alone with a hot stove and a sharp knife. Doesn't let the fact that I worked as a chef for years and I am 40 years old get in the way But accepts my food opinions and has just agreed to organic turkeys - fresh AND cold smoked! for Christmas. She has even agreed to let me cook them...but I have to do it at her house so she can supervise My Dad, who is now 82, has endless time on his hands and calls me to tell me about all the freaky fruit he saw at the market and yesterday, to say he bought me some shallots 'the size of a softball' because he'd seen the 'puny' ones I had been working with And my wonderful wonderful husband...who eats all that is placed before him, and then does all the dishes. Who drives around to crazy places every weekend with me, looking at food. He has become an addict as well, which delights me. He is still talking about our haul at the farm market last weekend...three giant yams, a squash, a purple kohlrabi and 6 onions for $1.35. And everyone is looking forward to the Christmas treats...and are already calling with suggestions!

If you are interested in a trek to Chilliwack, there is a guy that I buy them from...if you take the exit by the Yellow Barn, down that long road to the flyover to Keith Wilson Road....on the Greendale side of the bridge over the canal, you will go about 1000 yards or so and there on the right side of the road you will see a pole with some signs stuck to it...currently I believe he has persimmons, walnuts, kiwi on the pole but I do know he has an abundance of quince in the barn :-) Unless they all went on the weekend. Unfortunately I don't know his name. But he and his wife are an interesting trip anyway...he has an amazing array of trees on the land...quince, figs, kiwi, nuts of all kinds, apples...you name it. If you have never worked with quince before, you are going to need either a very big knife, a cleaver or a hatchet....they are really tough and difficult to hack up.

Just ordered my organic turkeys for Christmas. Got one regular for $2.69 a pound and one cold smoked for around $4.00 a pound. If anyone is interested, there is a limited supply available from the Larson family at: HallGrove Acres 43390 South Sumas Road Chilliwack, BC Ph: 604-798-0830

We have a hard time limiting ourselves just to cookies at Christmas. On this year's list, primarily for giving, we have: Biscotti - gingerbread, gum drop, mexican chocolate and hazelnut Shortbread with a cherry glaze Rum Balls - made from Valrhona brownie crumbs Brown Butter Cookies Coconut Marshmallows Greek Sesame Seed Candy Sephardic Fruit Pastes Mom's Caramels Peanut Brittle Caramel Corn Clusters Spiced Nuts There will also be jars of jam and chutney from the summer, some homemade dulce de leche, homemade croutons, cinnamon buns, almond paste rings and one or two batches of homemade granola. I'm tired already.

Last time I was at Montana's in Langley, the service was not great and it's a really loud place. The seats are not very comfortable, either. As for the food, the french onion soup was microwaved to a rubbery lukewarm, the cheesbread was not hot and had unmelted cheese in the middle and when I complained, I was told "it's really busy today, we are doing our best". The rest of the food was barely ok. The wings are good tho. I would for sure go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Olive Garden if necessary.

In my final position as an Exec Chef, I worked without electricity - save for a two hour period each morning when the generator was on and I could run my Kitchen Aid. Did this for 17 months. As long as the stove works, it's all good. Of course I never had to worry about food spoilage...unless you count the fact that I had to keep the vegetables under my bed so they wouldn't freeze. Nothing like a case of frozen romaine to screw up a menu when you are 160 miles upriver from the nearest town

Hmmmm....Are they cracking prior to baking? You might try not chilling the dough before forming, or maybe you are just pressing too deep...my recipe says to make a small indent, and then when they are about half way baked, and of course very squishy, to then make the indent again. I use a thimble, myself. The end of a wooden spoon works as well. You could add a bit more liquid, as well...or perhaps try the measure by weight method - you'd be surprised how much that makes a difference.

I buy wonderful chestnuts, in a pouch, from Dan-d-pak! I was sceptical at first, but they really are good...whole and firm, which is what I like. And they were very inexpensive...about 2 cups of chestnuts for under 5 bucks. The bottled ones can be found in the specialty aisle at Save-On, but they are very expensive. Does anyone know a source for Duck Bacon?

Ahh...but if you call them piroshki...and really, the dough isn't the same...then you are scott free...besides, competition is good. There are an abundance of fillings that can be made in the oven and in a crockpot, just in case she is interested in trying things I didn't say biscuits, because people might see them as scone-like, but in reality, I would LOVE to find a nice baking powder biscuit with honey butter or some jam in a coffee shop. If I ever had a restaurant, there would be no toast, no bread, no danish, only biscuits