pennylane

Well, if we are still analysing the pie, can I just ask one question, please? Is one supposed to cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and then the flour? Because I cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then added the egg (and water), and I was thinking that could have been part of the problem?

Well, it's that time of year yet again and if there are any other chestnut lovers out there, I'd like to know if it seems normal for me to pay €3.5 (about $5) for 18 chestnuts, and then half of them are either wormy or mouldy? And this happens every time, no matter where I get them. So does this happen to everyone or is it just me?!

Aww, really cute! Love the feet!

You have my sympathies, 'cause I lived in the exact same place for six years (except replace the microwave with a toaster oven - it was a hard choice and in retrospect I probably should've gone with a microwave oven, but I don't know if they were around back then and if they were I probably couldn't have afforded one anyway). And I was just like you and insisted on preparing absurdly elaborate meals with such limited resources. Sounds like yours was pretty good, though! (And that post was supposed to make people with "real" bloopers feel better? Man, only on eGullet!!)

I've had that problem too! Now I never use tapioca in apple pie. My bloopers were also in the dessert department. I made Chufi's apple pie from the Dutch Cooking thread and didn't bake it long enough, so while the top looked beautiful, the bottom "crust" was completely raw. It was still really good, though! I was most disappointed in the pumpkin pie. I normally skimp on the butter in the crust but this time I didn't, so I was expecting it to be even better than usual. But instead the crust bubbled alarmingly in the oven and then sort of collapsed in a greasy heap in the middle of the pie pan. I managed to patch up the sides with extra dough before adding the filling, and the end result wasn't so bad, but it was really thick and had a bizarre texture kind of like a mille-feuille?!

I've heard of this method and really wanted to try it but I had already mixed up my batter (with the eggs) the night before. But I'll definitely try this next time. Does the crust stay crisp this way? I always do try to bake the crust separately anyway, or if I can't do that, I have to bake on the lower rack of the oven to be sure the bottom crust gets done.

Hey Chufi, I made your apple pie for Thanksgiving! I wanted to take a picture but we've finished it all already (just the two of us)! I actually did have some problems, though. The dough just wouldn't come together - it was too dry. I was thinking that maybe I was supposed to cream the butter and sugar together and then add the egg and flour? Because I cut the butter into the flour and sugar and added the egg afterwards. But I still had no dough to speak of. I had to add water, and tons of it, to get that slightly sticky texture shown in your picture. And then I had another problem baking it (I'm hopeless, I know). I took the pie out of the oven after half an hour because it had already turned that beautiful golden brown colour and I was afraid of it getting dry, as you warned. But when I cut into it later, the dough at the bottom was completely raw! I guess I should have baked it the full 50 minutes. The thing is, the crust on the sides and top was really delicious. So this morning I just put it back in the oven and finished it off! Thanks for this wonderful recipe! Oh yeah, and I used the same apples you recommended - you're right, those are some great apples for pie, and even for eating plain!

Okay, well I neglected to say that I actually love most of the traditional Thanksgiving foods you mentioned. I love stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. Roast turkey was my absolute favourite of all meats before I became vegetarian. But then, I must admit that I am in a minority. I don't know many people who like any of these dishes. One of the only times I've cooked meat for my husband was a couple of years ago when I made turkey for Thanksgiving. He was touched but said that I shouldn't have bothered as the turkey is his least favourite part of Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, when people talk about looking forward to the Thanksgiving meal it seems they're more excited about the opportunity to stuff themselves with a vast quantity of food than the rare treats which I personally look forward to all year, hehe...

I think a lot of the "traditional" foods aren't really all that great (or at least, kind of overrated), which I guess is understandable when you consider that what appeals to the masses isn't always haute cuisine. Like this year, I wanted to try the famous American green bean casserole for the first time, so I did a Google search and many of the comments on the pages I pulled up were about how horrible and yucky this dish is. But at the same time it seems that if you use fresh beans and homemade mushroom soup, it just isn't the real deal. It's the same with Christmas - how many people really like brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding? (Actually, I do, but almost everyone I know doesn't.)

Last year I made a lovely corn pie - it was based on this recipe but I made the filling from this recipe (with added butternut squash). It looked lovely and tasted delicious. I also made a pumpkin, spinach and ricotta lasagne which was greatly appreciated (you could use egg-free lasagne so the person allergic to eggs could eat it too).

Okay, I read that thread, and you're the person who made the prawn crackers, so tell me, did your tapioca starch have that smell?

I don't understand - if everyone agrees that they've had great vegan dishes at non-vegan restaurants, why couldn't someone open a vegan restaurant serving all those great vegan dishes? Maybe it hasn't been done yet, but I don't see why not. Maybe it's harder for vegan chefs to get the necessary qualifications? I don't think it's fair to say that vegans aren't interested in the "deliciousness" of the food they eat. Sure, most vegans probably aren't into gourmet food but then most non-vegans aren't either. I think perhaps vegans are just more willing to settle for average food because it's so hard for them to find anything they can eat when they eat out. But that doesn't mean they don't appreciate really great food when they can get it - I know I do! That's funny because I have noticed the same thing - my favourite restaurant here is a Buddhist vegan restaurant. I had the same suspicions when it came to the fake meats, but even my omnivorous (and meat-loving) husband said it was some of the best Asian food he'd ever tasted.

So what happened when you cut that pie? Or has it been too long...?

Hi guys. I have this tapioca flour which came in a bag which says that it's intended purpose is for fufu. I used it to make pao de queijo which turned out really well. However now I am wondering what else I can use it for. My Google research suggests that it can be used as a substitute for cornstarch. Coincidentally I have just run out of cornstarch, so this would be perfect - my only concern is that the tapioca flour has an odd smell. It kind of smells like manioc. I'm not sure I can use it in something like, for instance, chocolate pudding, because that smell might end up in the finished product. And it's rather puzzling because I haven't read anything which mentions this smell. The only possible clue I found is that apparently in Brasil there are two kinds of tapioca flour - "sweet" and "sour". Perhaps what I have is the sour variety? I was hoping someone here could shed some light on this mystery.

What I want to know is - why is peanut butter always either completely smooth or so packed with pieces of peanut that you might as well just eat a bunch of peanuts? Why hasn't anyone ever thought of making a smooth spread with just a few peanuts here and there to add a bit of crunch? Of course I know I could make my own, but then it wouldn't have that addictive flavour which only the commercial brands have...

Thanks, Ptipois! I was hoping either you or John Talbott would read this. I have used the creme liquide of course but I don't recall having seen the creme semi-epaisse in the cartons. I take it that doesn't need to be whipped? I just hate to whip cream. I'm really bad at it. Do French people use this Bridelice product on their desserts? Because personally I didn't mind the slight sourness of it.

I'm going crazy here... but didn't want to start a new thread for something so silly, so here's my question. What is Bridelice? I'm talking about this product. It says "creme epaisse legere" on the tub which translates to "thick light cream". But when I used this on top of a pumpkin pie my husband said, "Why did you put sour cream on the pie?" So what is this stuff? Is it sour cream? And in that case why isn't it called "creme fraiche"? And what should I do with it?

I'm not sure I've ever had ricotta gnocchi. What does it taste like compared to the potato-based kind?

Thanks, man! The more I've been thinking about it, the more convinced I am that that's a big part of my problem. I'm so scared of using too much flour, I go too far in the opposite direction. Also I wasn't using eggs, and that makes the dough take less flour. Thanks for your ratio - I'll keep that in mind.

Thank you all SO much! Those are some great tips, doctortim. The only thing which confuses me, however, is that most of your tips seem aimed at reducing the amount of flour. But don't I actually need more flour to keep my gnocchi from falling apart? It had already occurred to me (based on what I read in this and other threads) that I might have overworked the potatoes, but would that cause the gnocchi to dissolve and fall apart like they did? I would have thought gluey potatoes would lead to denser gnocchi, not the other way around? I keep meaning to experiment with the dough as I'm making it, but each time I feel strangely confident that it'll turn out right so I don't bother. One thing I'll definitely try the next time, though, is adding the egg. I have tried that before but this time I thought I'd go without, and I guess that was a bad idea. Gosh, I just can't agree more. It seems like everyone's always complaining about "heavy", "leaden" gnocchi, whereas I am so far from that, it's hard to believe we're even talking about the same thing!! Well, I'll let you guys know how the next batch turns out! Thanks again for all your help!

You may be on to something, heh. No, I'm not from here, and yes, I have also found it to be harder to avoid attention as a single female here. Which can be great when you want to meet someone, not so much when you don't...!

Please help me, guys - I am going crazy!!! I feel like I have read everything ever written about gnocchi, yet I just can't get it right!! Every time I make it, the same thing happens. The gnocchi practically dissolve in the water! The few semi-solid ones which I manage to rescue inevitably turn to mush when I attempt to mix in the sauce. I tried again tonight with the same result. I used one and a half potatoes, mashed, with about six tablespoons of flour. They looked so pretty shaped and formed and waiting to go into the pan. I cooked the first batch for about a minute, and they all dissolved completely. I took the second batch out as soon as they rose to the surface of the water, which was after about five seconds. Those were better, but still mushy!! Help!!!

I don't know about Sri Lanka, but in Pakistan it is very common to find vegetables and lentils swimming in grease. And cooked to a tasteless brown mush. Maybe that's the problem with the restaurants you tried - too authentic?! My favourite places have always been those which strike a balance between totally authentic and totally Westernised. That's why I like the Indian food in London - it's aimed at people with Western tastes, but knowledgeable about Indian food, so you can't pass off any old crap to them but at the same time they expect a slightly higher quality of food than what one would get back home!

Of course there are hundreds of things one can say/do to dissuade one's admirers but sometimes one just isn't in the mood to engage in conversation with dozens of random men. It can really leave a bad taste in one's mouth, so to speak. Sad as it might be, I'd choose room service every time.

Thanks for the advice, guys! I ended up leaving the dough refrigerated for a whole extra night on top of the one in question (my husband saw your responses and used them as ammunition to postpone the pizza-making session for another night). The crust turned out great - a little tangy, but great texture! The bread flour was definitely a good move.