Badiane

I haven't been to Richmond in at least two years...but I can offer this: Thai Son Restaurant (604) 278-4788 6280 No. 3 Road Richmond, BC V6Y 2B3 Can't vouch for the food, service, decor or cleanliness as I have never set foot in the place. But it's not Thai House and it's not that travesty of a fake thai fast food place that is popping up in malls all over the place. Failing that, I have a few recipes and you could make your own.

I use Droste when I need dutch process cocoa... and I use plain old Fry's when it's just for regular stuff.

I think that would be a great idea...it's been a while since I have done it. I like pears with cardamom, myself. I think with the caramel thing I might be tempted to throw in some scotch, myself But you could put in anything that you think would taste good with the caramel.

I think for me personally, the chocolate/creamcheese/caramel/fleur de sel thing might be a little overwhelming...too many things going on there. Of course I am not near the dessert girl that you are, Ling You'd probably have that for breakfast. How about Butter Poached Pear Napoleons with Caramel and Fleur de Sel? My vision is this....a square of puff pastry on the plate, topped with a schmear of slightly sweetened (perhaps with a bit of caramel sauce) mascarpone. Top that with a sliced quarter of a butter poached pear, another sheet of schmear'd pastry, another quarter of a pear and then a final sheet of puff (no schmear) which has been 'painted' with caramelized sugar and topped with a few bits of fleur de sel. You could set the whole thing on top of a pool of Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce...and sprinkle a bit of the salt around the rim of the plate for good measure. And I have been meaning to ask...have you ever tried the Black Pearl Cake on epicurious? Sesame, Ginger and Wasabi? I saw it and immediately thought of you for some reason edited for spelling

If you are talking about pre-baking and then filling, which I assume you are, you can brush the insides with egg white prior to baking, which forms a seal and should help. Or a bit of melted sugar - on the way to caramel but not colored unless you wanted it to be, of course. I would think that glaze or jam might work for a little while, but they contain moisture as well, so might not hold up as long as you would like.

Sadly I have no room for you to land your aircraft in my back yard...but I'd be delighted to bake a pie and meet you at the airport If you can get Ling and Mooshmouse and anyone else who is interested to divulge thier collective weights for the flight, I will bring pie for all!

It's just up the road from our place...went to high school with John...it's really just okay. I certainly wouldn't fly here for it...in fact, I don't even drive down the road for it. There are just so many better things to eat in Chilliwack. You really thought it was that good? Hmmmm. Of course, you have never been to my place, so I guess maybe since you haven't tried my pie, you would think it was good and can be forgiven.

Forester's perhaps?

I just had a brilliant idea....a riff on pommes dauphine with sweet potatoes instead of regular...mmmmm...deep fried crunchy goodness! You could extrude them from a pastry bag, so they would be tater tot shaped...or make them long like a churro! You could sprinkle them with either chili powder or something like that for a savoury, or do them with cinnamon sugar for a sweet. Must be close to quitting time...starting to obsess about dinner!

Wow....I feel like the luckiest woman alive...my husband is a saint! I am the chief cook, he is the bottle washer. He shouts from the computer room every 5 minutes or so 'Let me know if you need me to do anything'. And when I am ready for him to 'do something' he comes trotting along....he is an expert at lining baking pans with parchment, cleaning mushrooms, peeling things, taking out the trash and stirring vigorously when I get tired. Basically he is quite happy to do all the crap I hate doing.

Little Farmhouse Country Market, on the Abbotsford end of Yarrow. http://www.littlefarmhousecountrymarket.ca/index.html

My husband is a English confectioner and baker, has made several thousand fruitcakes in his lifetime...he has been leaning over my shoulder having a hairy coniption for the last five minutes until I promised to pass on this... Never, ever ever pour booze over the cake. Soak the fruit in the booze of choice, preferably for a few days. Don't pour the booze over the cake, don't baste it. Just soak the fruit. Why? Because pouring booze on the cake makes it soggy and too hard to stick the marzipan to. It also tastes like raw liquor, and can be harsh and unpleasant. And THAT, he says, is why people don't like fruitcake Me, I chop it in bits, soak it in booze and cover it with pouring custard. Tastes pretty good to me. And Pat W....PM me and remind me for pfefferneuse recipes...I have about 40 of them...tell me what yours was like (big, small, hard, soft) and I will see if I have a match for you.

They will need the Rice and Spam, because they will have no food money after they pay for the Diesel! Holy Cow!

Beautiful, Rachel....really. Crying again. Oh boy, my staff are going to think I've gone over the edge!

My Dad is celebrating his 82nd birthday today. Y'all have made me cry, right here at my desk. I'd tell you about him, but people are beginning to stare. He's a strong man, my Dad...between my sister and I, he's suffered Sweet and Sour Spam, half cooked meatloaf, all manner of food 'made pretty' with food coloring, about a million EZ Bake oven desserts and every single one of my culinary school experiments. After each and every one, he would give a big hug, congratulate us on our efforts and utter his now famous (at our house, anyway) line: "That was interesting, but you don't need to make it again on my account" So tonight, just for you, Dad, it's plain roast chicken, boiled potatoes, gravy, peas and carrots. Just like you like it. And just for you, I will overbeat the cake and hop up and down in front of the oven so it falls in the middle, just like you like it. And I promise, I won't put any blue food coloring in the icing

Fraser Valley Duck and Goose...in Yarrow. http://www.fvdg.com/home.html

Coombs is a funky marketplace with goats on the roof. Sort of a hippie hipster deli, store, eating area etc....you can find some good eats - ice cream, bakery, deli, smoked salmon and groceries, tons of cheap dishes, indian silks, kimonos etc. Well worth a trip with the kiddies. There's lots of shops outside the market with the typical souveniers. Dont' take the kids in the hat store, he's got filthy rude greeting cards on display It's just a bit out of Qualicum...ask anyone, they all know where!

I have 123....including 6 Joy of Cooking and about 25 of the regional ones put out by church ladies and other clubs...I collect both. Newest addition...Mes Confitures, by Christine Ferber. I am a jam making maniac this week!

There are a couple of coffee bar/sandwich places in Qualicum that are good...and there is of course the fabulous grocery store...and I mean that sincerely! I've rarely seen such a good store in such a small town. They have a huge selection of prepared food, and a fantastic deli section, as well as a restaurant area where you can do breakfast, lunch and dinner...chinese food, pizza, great wonton soup, paninni etc...pretty much something for everyone. Even the bakery is good there...and they have a monster selection of pastries. I highly recommend checking it out. It's smack in the centre of town, and you can't miss it. I think it's actually called Qualicum Foods.

The road isn't too bad...we went in March and there was a bit of construction, but it wasn't too bad. It's just really long and windy and up and down. Of course at this time of year there will probably be more logging activity, so that might make a difference. My advice, if you have anyone prone to car sickness, medicate them. And everyone needs to pee before you go It's a long long way to the next potty stop. A long way.

Holy Crap...it wouldn't be a White Night, it would be a black one...you'd be passed out in a sugar coma!!! 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 cup of corn syrup AND a 1/2 cup of sugar??!!! Is she out of her tiny little mind? It would be like drinking pancake syrup. I have GOT to join that website.

Some sources say that as few as 15 kernels can kill a child...a lethal dose for an adult is 200-300 mg of cyanide of the variety found in fruit pits....good news is that roasting neutralizes the poison and makes them safe to eat...or so they say Me, I eat them on occasion...50 would not be a number I would be willing to test out...unless the roasting thing is accurate...but then again, who are 'they' and what do 'they' know that I don't?

I kept one layer of mine, in the freezer, for our first anniversary. We forgot about it, so didn't eat it until six months after that....it wasn't that great. I looked at it this way...it was a cute thing to do, but really, when all was said and done, I doubt I would bother again. I kept the dress, I kept the tiara, I kept the leaves and greens off the bouquet and I have the cake topper. I have pictures. I have an amazing wonderful husband. Life is good. I don't need a dried out, dessicated cake hogging room in my freezer for the rest of my life. I can use that space for things I really want to eat. Like pie. If you feel duty bound, dry out a slice - some people are really sentimental that way and more power to them. Me, I'd rather gaze at my husband and cherish the memories. Have a little party to celebrate your union. Serve the cake and remember the happiness of the day, watch your wedding video, look at the pictures. Then carry on and make more great memories and share other happy days. And fill the space in the freezer with pie

You can purchase rennet from Danlac at http://www.danlac.com/ or you might try contacting a local cheesemaker and asking if you can buy some...McClennan's, Happy Goats, Farmhouse Natural Cheeses might be places to start. I believe it is against some kind of health regulations or ridiculous law somewhere for farmers to sell unpasturized milk, so you will need to employ nefarious methods, but it's all in the name of cheese, so it's okay. First you need to locate a cow pasture with milk cows in it. There is one at the end of the street where my parents live...call me for directions....then you need some equipment...a good bucket and a low stool should do you fine. Approach the cow from the right...make sure the cow sees you. Make eye contact. But not for too long. This will annoy the cow. Give the cow a reassuring pat on the back, and slide your bucket under the udder. Keep up the reassuring pats on the side (tummy area) of the cow. Position your stool slightly to the right of the bucket, not quite mid-cow, but closer to the head than to the butt. Lean over and grasp one teat in each hand. Alternating hands, use a squeeze/pull motion to get the milk out of the cow...aim for the bucket. Watch out for the flicking tail. Once your bucket is full, move it out of the way. This is important because cows kick. Pat the cow a few more times, give her udder a scratch and make eye contact one more time. But again, not for too long, because that really pisses them off. You will need to strain the milk. If you have a milk strainer, great. You could buy one at the Co-op if you are so inclined. If not, a fine sieve and a coffee filter will do. Pour the milk slowly through whichever device you have. Once you have done that, you can let it sit so you can later skim off the cream, or you can chill it as is and proceed with the cheese. If that sounds too problematic, I can direct you to some fine cheesemakers

Dunno where it came from, but out here in the Valley, the answer would be no...peaches and cream is actually almost over and Jubilee should be ready by the end of the week. We had peaches and cream on the weekend and it was just as good as it was the first week it was out. We snagged some early Jubilee from a nearby field and even though it's not quite filled out, it was pretty darn tasty. Hate to say it, but generally when it's starchy like that, it's because it's old...either past it's prime on the stalk or picked a day or two before. And any time in the fridge will just make it worse.