SondraG

Made the sour cream strawberry this weekend. Love the texture and flavor. Next time, will reduce the sugar, and will not process in the FP. I think it releases too much liquid at that stage, and cuts the berries up too finely - even though I pulsed carefully only 3 times. Will just cut the berries up in quarters, the ice cream machine does break some of them up during churning.

Ah! I forgot I made cinnamon rolls on Saturday! Tasted great this morning for breakfast. Different recipe than usual, and my new favorite. And what new recipe would that be?? One from Carole Walter's Great Coffee Cakes, etc?? They look absolutely perfect! And delicious

I'm just about to put together a foccacia from Fine Cooking( peter reinhardt) and I wanted to see the CAH recipe, but the link if for members only. Could you PM it to me please??? ← The FC focaccia recipe from Peter Reinhart is incredible! My favorite of all time, the time in the fridge really makes it.

And another thanks for the tip on lightening. I just bought a second canister so we can give the ice cream maker a workout this Summer. So we need to cut calories (lol) where we can.

Thanks for the review. We make the Philly Vanilly (and a coffee version) all the time here, but haven't tried the sauces. Nor have I tried the strawberry. But I will today, thanks again.

WOW! Must try that Swedish Tea Ring, and don't you just love the streusel topping? I like the orange glaze idea as well. Love the Rich Sour Cream Dough. I'm having house guests next week and will be baking out of this book for them.

I bake on parchment, just because it's less messy in the oven (cornmeal and flour all over the oven floor). The bottom is paler, even on a preheated stone. Haven't tried oiled screen, but I suspect the bottom would brown more. I'll give it a try this week, and see what happens. As for temp, I shoot for 200 F or close.

I've been baking from this book for a couple of weeks now. Have made several of the yeasted breads, using the Rich Sour Cream Sweet Dough, made cinnamon rolls, rustic horns ( not sure about the name), kuchens, and crumb buns. I like this book, even though I too have many baking books. Have not done Danish or croissants yet, but I will soon.

A vegetable dish that can be served at room temp. Take license with the veggies, keeping in mind that some ccok faster than others. Carrots, cauliflower, brussel srpouts - all good! Balsamic and Herb Roasted Vegetables ½ cup balsamic vinegar ¾ cup olive oil ¼ cup mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, and parsley, or 1 heaping tablespoon dried herbs 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch wedges 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch wedges 1 red onion, cut into 2-inch wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes, stems removed 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces 1 head broccoli, stem removed, cut into florets 1 pound green beans, trimmed Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Fresh herbs, to garnish, optional 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 2. Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, and herbs together in a large bowl. Add the sweet potatoes, squash, and onion and toss until the vegetables are well coated. 3. Transfer the vegetables with a slotted spoon (reserve the liquid in the bowl) to a baking dish and spread them out in 1 even layer. Roast them in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and slightly brown and the vinegar mixture has evaporated to a thick glaze. Stir several times during the cooking. 4. Meanwhile, toss tomatoes, red bell peppers, broccoli, and green beans with the reserved liquid, and spread them in 1 even layer in a separate baking dish. Roast them in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the skin on the tomatoes starts to shrivel. 5. Gently toss all of the vegetables together in a bowl with any remaining cooking liquid until just mixed. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with fresh herb leaves if desired. Serve immediately or at room temperature. And may I suggest that you look at Diane Phillips Do Ahead Holidays book. She has some great recipes for do aheads. And, if you want expertise on cooking a turkey, check out Fine Cookings How to Cook a Turkey. Good Luck!

The weather invited me to make the Double Apple BUndt Cake today. I used an 8 cup silicone bundt pan, and put the excess in two mini silicone bundt pans. I used macintosh apples, store bought apple butter, pecans and golden raisins. This cake bakes up lighter than I expected, and the spice/apple butter combo comes through. Though I didn't follow directions and try to unmold it in 5 minutes, it turned out well. I was convinced that it would fall apart in that time frame, and I left it for about 15 minutes. I actually tried to unmold the babies in 5 minutes, and they didn't come out whole, though they were tasty, having sacrified them to "quality contro". I suspect the cake will be more moist and flavorful tomorrow, we'll see. I made Dorie's Caramel Sauce (quite easy) to go with it, since DH won't love the lemon or orange sauce. I may have gotten it a bit dark, it caramelized in a flash, but it's cooling and we'll see. I am likely to make this cake many times this Fall, and will probably half it and bake it in the mini silicone pans, six servings would be right for us, maybe even some left to freeze.

Pax, as you are in Va horse and wine country, you should be able to get some nice apples soon. Try the Double Apple Bundt cake, it's lovely. (or apple pie, yummy) The Banana Bundt cake is very good, super easy.

I have Pina Colada Sherbet churning as I write. Oh my, it is the most beautiful color and tastes divine (the pineapple and coconut milk are just the perfect marriage). I used a gorgeous golden pineapple and Meyers Dark Rum. Yummy!

Glad you could join us. I'm a little late this Summer getting started on ice cream, but am making up for lost time! I made Roasted Banana today, love it. Rich, yummy. Tomorrow I am going to do the Pina Colada Sherbet. Please post your experiences too.

Oh, fig ice cream and chocolate sorbet, you guys are being adventurous. They both sound luscious. DH is not a chocolate fan, so I haven't tried any chocolate versions, but will this weekend. I made Coffee Ice Cream, using the Philly Vanilla as a base, just added two teaspoons of good espresso powder to the cream and sugar while warming. It was very good. I used this recipe because the custard based ice creams are just too rich for me. Today, I made the Peach Ice Cream, and WOW! I was afraid that there was too much liquid in the peaches, but it turned out beautifully. The color is beautiful, texture very nice, and the sour cream and small amount of lemon juice give it a creamy, smooth, very fruity taste. I'm really kicking myself for not getting into ice cream making sooner. Next up, Roasted Banana. Yum.

Not sure what took me so long to get to this book and a new ice cream maker (Cuisinart Ice 20), but now I'm really excited. So far I''ve make the Philly vanilla and a couple of sorbets. The vanilla texture and richness is terrific. For those of you who have made both the Philly and custard style, which do you prefer? The Philly is plenty rich for me. If the custard style is richer, it may be too much for my taste. I think Coffee will be my next venture. Thanks for advice, and this terrific thread.

Have you tried refrigerating after dipping or rolling in fondant? And I suspect that you need to double or triple dip them in chocolate as well. It's been ages since I last made them, but I seem to remember rolling in fondant, refrigerating on wax paper for a bit.

Wonderful pics! It's such fun to eat in Mexico City, open air cafes, carnitas, street vendors galore. I am interested in hearing about the increased crime rate, and am surprised as well. I spent the Winter in Mexico, several weeks of it in MX City, stayed in the Roma & Condesa areas. The had just added 200 additional English speaking policemen, and the major tourist areas were just thick with them. We went everywhere, even rode the subway later at night, and then walked 10 blocks to our hotel, all without feeling unsafe or concerned in any way. In fact, I wore my camera around my neck until my neck ached, lol, and was never concerned about it. I am preparing to return for the month of June to MX, will spend some time again in MX City, so please update me on the latest crime concerns. And which areas to stay away from. Thanks

To add to Rachel's excellent suggestion, Rum Drenched Vanilla Pound Cakes - Dori Greenspans Baking - From My Home to Yours. Also, if you have Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson, there's a whole fabulous section on vanilla. Some very yummy vanilla buns in that cookbook. And, on the simpler side, vanilla custard, vanilla infused rice pudding.... Enjoy the vanilla beans. Edited for deplorable spelling.

We love focaccia, and I use Peter Reinhart's recipe from Bread Bakers Apprentice. I also make the herb oil, but do not use nearly as much as he suggests. Nor do I use as much oil on the parchment. I refrigerate the dough overnight, let rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs, then bake. I have made RLB's focaccia, and agree with others here that Peter's recipe is far superior. 20 mins mixing time way too much, unnecessary.

No rumor, Kendra, fish delivered "in situ", guests no longer welcome there. Lol...

I am also baking Golden Brioche this week. There are so many uses for it over the holidays, I think I'll bake and freeze. I'll be sure to post notes on it.

Nicely presented in the brioche tins. Lovely idea. Would you consider dressing it up by pouring butterscotch sauce (or some other equally decadent accoutrement) over it?? Or would that be too much of the gilding of the lily??

Remember that shortbread flavors deepen as they sit. And when I make shortbread, I never get a perfect look, though I seem to do better with a cookie cutter (square, triangle work for me) than a knife. And I have put dough back in the fridge to improve shape. Now get back on that horse.

The Allspice Muffins look awesome, Pam! I just finished drizzling the glaze on the Applesauce Spice Bars. DO NOT skip the glaze if you make them. Or, if you really don't want the glaze on the bars, just eat it with a spoon. Can't wait to cut, but guess I will have to. Let me add my raves to all the other raves on this recipe. I think I may add it to the Thanksgiving dessert tray, which will consist of smallish things like mini cheesecakes with morello cherry sauce, mini pumpkin cheesecakes, chocolate truffles.

Thanks, Patrick for advice on flaky turnovers. Normally, I would just have dumped the results and started over, but no time that day. I will conquer this pastry, just a project for another day. Knowing what it's supposed to feel like will help me next time. Dorie, thanks for your compassion. As I said, will try again. I turned right around and made the Good for Everything Pie Crust, and love it so, all other mishaps are a remote memory, lol. The taste and flakiness of that crust is awesome. My best pie crust ever. Thanks. I'm making more today to freeze for the holidays. Apple pies, pumpkin pies, yum.