Kerry Beal

Freeze dried Kimchi that I brought up. Much better than TJ's version because its much drier (I suspect TJ's version is dehydrated not FD'd). We are imagining the possibilities - party mix with FD'd kimchi, roasted seaweed bits, freeze dried bacon, maybe some rice crackers...

So in the second variation of the caramels you add the cream and fruit purees together at the beginning and just cook to 123ºC. The thing about caramel - doesn't really matter how much liquid you add - boiling it reduces the liquid and it won't reach temperature until a certain amount of water is cooked off.

My thoughts on Huiray's question - I think I'm just in the experimental stages of seeing what I get when I freeze dry things. That will determine if I would consider rehydrating, using as an ingredient as is or something else. When I reconstituted cantaloupe I didn't care for the texture. So it will be used dry. Loved the texture of the freeze dried yogurt - don't see reconstituting that unless I am desparate for some yogurt and don't have any. Freeze dried citrus - crunched up and used dried - it's very different from fresh or from dehydrated. The egg whites, eggs - I can see using those as ingredients for baking. Mashed potatoes - reconstitued for sure - going to be great for hubby to make meals for the rug rat if I'm away. As to why freeze drying and other methods of preservation are not the same - I think for me it's the crunch. Dehydrated red pepper is leathery, chewy little nubbins, freeze dried is crunchy - if I put each in chocoate I get two different products - and for me the crunchy is more edible than the leathery.

So far I haven't bothered with acidulated water or any other preservatives to prevent darkening - just cut and put in the freezer right away.

If I read google translate correctly - it seems to be saying that with quince you can use 50 grams of white mustard powder in a bit of warm white wine to 1 kg of fruit to replace the senape. I am the proud owner of not one, but two bottles of senape. And still haven't made a moustarda that I love!

I was the fortunate recipient of a batch of Andie's ginger in the past! Wonderful stuff. Hoping to hear that you get your valve job done and get back to your usual routine. Must be just about killing you to sit!

Sadly I can't drink tonight being on call! But I'm sure the olive with roasted garlic cream cheese would be perfect with a dry martini.

It is kinda city vs country I'd say. I think of them as an east coast thing here in Canada - though I did notice a big resurgence a couple of years ago on all the food blogs.

Lovely crispy braised duck breast with roasted cauliflower, onions and parmesan.

Decided to cut one of my sandwiches to see how they look. Had a failure of pimento stuffage in one olive apparently.

Made it home for lunch, with our delightful medical student. Enjoying the massaman lamb curry and the leftover chicken dopiaza.

We'll in that case I'll bring her home for lunch!

On call again today - decided to make whoopie pies rather later last night. Needed to run to grocery store to get marshmallow fluff this AM as I was not prepared to make it from scratch.

Almond Buttercrunch starts on page 6 of the confectionery course - here.

A thought on the Genin Caramels - where you add the fruit puree determines whether they will taste more caramel or more fruit. Cooking the caramel first then adding the puree and recooking gives more caramel flavour. Linking to the final notes I have in my cookbook here Fruit Flavoured Caramels 300 grams glucose375 grams sugar75 grams water50 grams butter50 grams honey500 grams cream200 grams fruit puree 140 g passion fruit/60 g mango1 teaspoon vanilla1.Follow the usual directions, bring to 118 degrees C, then add fruit puree and bring back to 123 C. Test to see if firm enough in cold water.2.Other option was 200 g cream, 150 grams each of mango and passion fruit, all added as for cream. Again bring to 123 C. Not sure who would be the best fudge expert here on eG - perhaps Chocolot might be able to jump in with some ideas?

How thinly did you spread the applesauce? Like the idea of 'apple crackers'.

Trader Joe's crystallized ginger. Freeze dried pear slices. Bark with freeze dried peach puree and freeze dried Liberte greek yogurt with honey.

Wonderfully tender lamb, peas and steam roasted potatoes in duck fat with dutch aardappel.

Quite wonderful having the Death & Company book here - but lacking most of the ingredients. We decided tonight to make one of the Multiple Choice cocktails - A Little Kingdom. We of course still had to vary from the plan - using genever as the main and not having brandied cherries.

Molasses.

That which made it home.

Shhh... buzzards (old joke).

A few stops on the way home - first the store in Kagawong that takes back liquor bottles - in hopes of finding a few more lids for Absolut bottles - one was found - a bunch of other lids that will fit but aren't as attractive were also obtained. A stop in Mindamoya to visit the hardware store, the grocery store and the thrift store. And to take pictures of a couple of colourful houses.

"Hi, I'm Copper, I'll be your greeter today" Max had a nice collection of squash. Gratuitous farm pictures.

Every place in town we considered going to get a bit of take out before heading out was closed for the season! So very, very sad poutine from the family restaurant. I think however the potatoes were thoroughly retrograded.