Kris

I thought it was best to use unsalted butter, so the fact that the lard is unsalted shouldn't matter, at least by my way of thinking. From what I've seen most pie crust recipes call for salt anyway.

Yes, Caribbean Cake Conoisseurs is a great source for pre-made black cake. It's delicious, although not quite as "rummy" as I'd like. I'd still have to say that mine is better though.

I just ordered some from Dietrich's. It's $2.50 per pound. I ordered 4 pounds and shipping to NYC (where I live) is $8.75.

I just ordered 4 lbs. of the leaf lard from Dietrich's. Price is now $2.50 per pound and the shipping to NYC was $8.75. I can't wait to get it to try my hand at scratch piecrust. I made an all butter one last night and although it was flaky, I think I could get it even flakier. The butter taste was delicious so I think a butter/lard combo would be a great bet. Does anyone know the ratio of butter/lard I should use? I think lard use is on the upswing. It's been getting better press and the phone rep I spoke to at Dietrich's to place my order (they don't have online ordering or take credit cards) advised me that the NY Times Dining section is coming out with an article about lard in November.

I've been to several different Applebee's in different states and each time the food has been sucky to mediocre at best. Applebee's is definitely low on my list of chain restaurants. But when I first saw the Tyler Florence Applebee commercial, my first thought was, "I hope he helps improve the quality of the food." I like Tyler Florence. He seems down to earth and every recipe of his I've tried has turned out well. Even though he talks kind of fast, he seems accessible to the average American food eater. He's not doing haute cuisines but he uses fresh, simple ingredients in his cooking (which is still a big step up from a lot of Americans, many of whom rely a LOT on processed, convenience foods). I agree with ZenKimchi's post: "My humble take on this is starting to lean to the positive side, the same as Emeril. It's a gateway drug. People who normally go to TGI McChilibee's for fajitas and a hamburger may get their first experience with arugula, or bruscetta, or shaved parmesan on pasta (instead of the canned powder cheese) -- ingredients that we may find pedestrian that they would find exotic. From there, they'd take the next step into trying new cheeses... finding out what that weird lettuce was... wake up to the experience of fresh herbs in cooking. They become more aware. They taste the world differently. They hear about white truffles and try them when they see it on the menu..." I agree because this is how my development came about for good quality foods. Back in the day, I ate Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, canned chicken broth, Duncan Hines cake mix and parmesan cheese from the jar. And I didn't know any better. Nowadays, it's homemade mac & cheese with smoked gouda, homemade chicken stock, cakes from scratch and authentic parmiagiano-reggiano. I'm still growing, learning and experimenting...and that's a good thing. And if I were in Tyler's shoes, I probably wouldn't have turned down the offer either.

Wow Lindacakes, you really got an early start on your black cakes. I won't bake mine until mid November. I'll soak them in port wine/rum mixture for a month. They'll be ready then.

So even when the sugar syrup (for IMBC) is heated to 248 - 250 degrees F, it's still not hot enough to heat the egg whites to proper pasterization temperature?

Try http://www.goldenmalted.com I buy the two 33 ounce cans of the original flour. I love this stuff - it produces the best waffles I've ever tasted.

Earlier this year I discovered parmiagiano-reggiano. I like it much better than the stuff in the can. Last week I realized that I had a can of the parmesan cheese in the fridge that had expired in April. It looked the same as it did when I first bought it well over a year ago. It went promptly in the garbage.

Your menu sounds fabulous. I certainly don't think it's overkill...I come from the school of going overboard when it comes to feeding my guests. At my own wedding in 2001, my guests had a choice of 10 entrees to choose from for their dinner. And the caterer offered seconds to anyone who wanted it.

Sounds like a good idea.

Ditto. I truly dislike brown rice.

I must say that I'm rather impressed. I'd like to turn my attentions to homemade tomato/pasta sauces. I've made a few attempts but they still don't measure up in my eyes. I guess I'm used to the sweetness of the pre-jarred ones loaded with corn syrup. I also find that the homemade tomato sauces I've made (I've tried it twice) had a somewhat bitter & overly acidic taste. I guess I'll just keep trying.

Pumpkin nut bread Banana nut bread I find that both of these taste better after a day or two. And you can make them in mini bread loaves for easier shipping and snacking.

Last week I ventured into making my own hummus from scratch...there's no going back to the storebought stuff. There's just no comparison in the taste. This summer I also made my own fresh pesto sauce. No need to buy the pre-packed stuff anymore either.

My late paternal grandmother used to mix Lipton Onion soup mix with ground beef to make burgers for the grill. I never really liked them like that since it reminded me of meatloaf. I prefer a more simple tasting burger.

I suspect the fat content has a lot to do with the tenderness of the finished product. I haven't had a problem with a dry brisket at all. And I find that it's best made a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. The first time I made brisket I made a mistake and oven braised it with the fat cap right side up. The brisket was very tender and I suspect it's because the fat melted down into the meat and kept it moist. So I do it this way from now on. I once read somewhere on the internet that you shouldn't keep checking the meat during cooking. That allows precious steam to escape, which also helps to keep it moist. So when I made my first brisket (about 4 pounds - first cut), I braised it in the oven for 3 hours without peeking. At that time I checked it and saw that it could use another 1/2 hour of cooking. It was delicious.

Hell no. When I used this stuff, I NEVER made soup out if it. And I don't know anyone who does either. For some reason, that just never appealed to me. On a related note: I must confess though that although I've given up Lipton onion soup mix in my cooking, once in a blue moon I'll use the Knorr Vegetable Soup mix to make Spinach dip (served with crudite). I only make it when I'm having a party, because whenever I serve it, my guests go crazy over it. I've never tried recreating this dip using fresh veggies (carrots, leeks and whatever other dehydrated stuff is in there). But somehow I don't think it would go over as well.

I used to use the Lipton onion soup mix in my meatloaf and to make party dip. I don't use it anymore due to the sodium content. I have an aunt who uses it in practically every meat dish she makes - turkey wings, steak, pot roast, brisket - you name it.

Ketchup. Sometimes nacho cheese and ketchup.

I have experienced the feeling of wanting to change my order after seeing what my husband or another of my fellow companions has ordered. But by then I assume it's too late for me to send my plate back. So I suffer in silence and vow to try it next time.

Ouch. Love him, hate him, he doesn't deserve that name. Food tv producers are orgasmic when things go awry in those shows. They are totally pieced together and edited and not always what they seem. ← I didn't say he was a buffoon, I said he came across as a buffoon in those competitions. While watching those Food Network episodes it seemed that none of his cakes were ever constructed properly (so they collapsed or fell over) and sometimes he didn't follow the rules. Maybe the time constraints were too much for him. Maybe his preoccupation with pyrotechnics and tools such as blow torches were more of a priority. Who knows? I know that things aren't always what they seem because these shows are edited and of course the producers are going to "play up" the things that go wrong in order to garner ratings. But I do think Goldman "clowned around" (is that a better terminology than buffoon?) a bit much on those competitions. Well it's really no matter since he ended up with a tv show. So he must have done something right. And I also know that he has a devoted fan base on a cake message board that we both belong to. So again, he's doing something right.

This is exactly what I do!

I didn't have high expectations for the show considering what a buffoon Duff Goldman came across in the Food Network cake competitions I've seen him in. However, I have enjoyed the episodes of Ace of Cakes that I've seen thus far. And I think he and his staff turn out great work. I was particularly impressed with the Preakness cake. Also, I was inwardly hoping that he would NOT acquiese and do the Spiderman cake for the woman whose check bounced. As a baker (not on the level of Goldman - decorating or price wise), it really peeved me when I once got stiffed by a customer. So for someone to bounce a check for the balance of a $3K party cake tells me that she really didn't respect Goldman as a business person and an artist. Someone like that needs to be written off. So I was gleeful when he held his ground and refused to do it. Especially after she called back offering him all free marble to use in his shop. What an ass. Another thing I like about the show is the fact that the average Joe who hasn't a clue about what goes into wedding cakes and high end party cakes, is being educated by this show about what it really takes to construct these creations. And they're also learning that it's not cheap either. So kudos to this show.

Back in the day when I didn't know any better, I used Dream whip to make an icing for a cake. It was horrible. The stuff tasted artificial and "chemically." So there's no way I would actually add it to a cake.