John DePaula

You could use it to fill a tart shell: Pate Sucree or even a quick graham cracker crust.

I am also interested in this topic as I will be in SF in January. Though I'm probably looking for less expensive options, good ethnic food, dim sum, etc. Thanks!

In English, we say <<chok.la.TEER>> like mouse.ka.TEER, but in French there isn't a significant emphasis on any syllable in pronunciation of the word. It's more like <<show.ko.la.tiay>> . That's my deux centimes.

Believe it or not, we used to make coffee filters with 'em. Very Southern, I think!

$25!!! WHAT A DEAL!!

Yes, I think that Russell is correct. There should be a large adjustment screw on the side of the mixer head that will solve your problem. Take a look at Kitchen Aid Customer Service page. Here you can enter the model number (found on the bottom and back of the mixer) and download the user manual in PDF format. See 'Troubleshooting' 'Product Literature & Warrenty.'

John, Quorn is made with eggs and milk (besides the mushroomy stuff), so it's not suitable for vegans. ← Even the Quorn Grounds? I'll have to check that package again. Thanks for the heads-up.

Very timely! I went to a vegetarian potluck yesterday and made exactly [well, almost] this same dish. Being from the South, I added cabbage during the final cooking stages. Blackeyed Peas & Cabbage on New Year's Day for Luck & Money in the new year! P.S. -- I *did* use that vegetable bouillon.

Fell in love with rhubarb when I lived in France. Don't know why it isn't more popular here in the States. Martha Stewart has some nice rhubarb recipes. Here's one for Nicole's Rhubarb-Strawberry Pavlova

Probably when you learn that his "toys" are not 'dishwasher-safe.'

Hmmm...I hadn't heard of 'green crisco' before now. Does it taste similar to 'blue crisco?' Does it have similar cooking properties? About protein... I've often used this product called 'Quorn Grounds' (Quorn Web Site) for dishes that traditionally use ground beef. It's made from mushrooms, as I recall, and is pretty close to taste/texture of ground beef. It works best with highly spiced recipes such as mexican food. One thing, though, I don't like having it two days in a row... Love cooking with coconut milk. Might try the marinated tofu one day for myself, but will hold off experimenting on guests for now. Thanks!

Hi Pallee, Yes, you're right. The sugar in most chocolate, white sugar, goes through a process of purification. The liquid sugar is passed through animal bones [yes, really!] to purify it which turns the sugar white. There's a wide range of "veganism" and "vegetarianism" as you know, so some vegans prefer NOT to eat non-vegan chocolate. I've never found a vegan chocolate that I liked, but then again, I'm pretty picky. I do make a "vegan" chocolate that my vegan friends will eat that has coconut milk in place of cream, with Pandan Essence, & molded in a bittersweet chocolate shell (which isn't technically vegan, see above). They LOVE it, I'm pleased to say. I don't market it as a "vegan" bonbon but, rather, the more accurate "non-dairy." By the way, LOVE the idea of the smoked romas! Sounds heavenly!

Sounds like it might make a quite nice Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake, too!

I especially like the caramelized onions with lentils - in fact, I may take that to a potluck tomorrow evening. Also, I just wanted to mention that Morga makes the best Vegetable Bouillon that I've ever tasted. They make it in both salted and unsalted versions. It's a good base for lots of things. I don't know if it's just me or if there's a new variety of brussels sprouts on the market, but I've sure enjoyed them a lot this year. Very good just steamed with a little salt and pepper. Thanks again, folks!

Wow, everyone, what great ideas! This will really help me put together an exciting and flavorful menu. Not to mention that I'll be eating in a more healthy manner myself. I'll let you all know how it turns out (hopefully with pictures…). For anyone who feels inclined, please keep the great ideas coming! I really appreciate everyone sharing his / her expertise and passion!

The important thing to remember about grits is to never, EVER buy the 'Instant' kind. I don't know what that is, but it sure aint grits! Look for 'quick grits.' It only takes about 5 minutes to make a batch, so you don't really need to make a bunch and store it. Having said that, however, you can certainly save them in the refrigerator if you've made too much. To reheat, just add a little water (or even milk) and stir as it heats up. Good as new! As Melissa has already pointed out some good grit threads, here is my preferred method for making plain simple grits: Simple Grits Recipe Enjoy!

First, I get the recipe into my computer. That means that I either sit down and type it into Word, or I scan it and paste it into a blank Word document. If you don't have a scanner, you can even take a digital photo of the recipe, and that seems to work fine, too. Once the recipe is saved, I open another Word document, which I call 'Recipes.' This is my master document of hyperlinks. In Word, select 'Insert' 'Hyperlink' (Ctrl-K); select the 'Recent Files' tab, then choose the new recipe that you just saved. Voila! Now I have a quick way to click right to the recipe I want. This gives me a master document with links to all of my recipes just like a cooking web site. I've organized my document with subsections e.g. Soups, Vegetarian, Poultry, Seafood, etc. And the nice thing about it is it's searchable .

Yes, I did see the marzipan fruit. It's really amazing especially if you've ever tried to do it yourself! I *did* and the results were, uh..., somewhat less than pleasing to the eye. Here's another display case full of the beautiful marzipan. Sorry, no closeups of that one:

Hi Jeanne, Thanks! Yes, I do have the book that you mentioned above, but I wasn't sure about matching up some of the recipes e.g. the Cuscinetti since she says they're filled with Citron Preserves. I guess that could be Figure 8; however, I thought Figure 7 was apricot preserves. I also wasn't sure about figure 5 for the same reason that you stated. Thanks for your suggestion of The Italian Baker. Seems like I saw that in a book store a few years ago and I was impressed. Now I can look it up again. The trip to Sicily was great. Wonderful food wherever we went! My favorite of Maria's pastries? Hmmm... maybe Figure 7 which we now think was Cuscinetti with Apricot preserves! Mmmm...

I have several friends who are vegans and I'd like to invite them to dinner. Ok, I admit it: I'm not vegan myself but I want to "rock their world!" Can you help me plan an impressive menu? Thanks!

In April of 2004, I had the good fortune to travel to the home of my ancestors in Sicily. One of the first towns that we visited after Palermo was Erice (pronounced EH-ree-chay), which sits atop Mount Erice on the western side of Sicily just above the seaside town of Trapani. Erice is the home of Maria Grammatico, a justly famous Sicilian baker. Everything we tasted was just so delicious! Different from the kind of sweets that my mother baked when I was a child, but still wonderful. Just next to her shop was a fabulous display of her work. I am trying to match names to the photos that I took so that I can bake some of these delicacies at home. Can you identify and/or post recipes for these pastries? Even if you just have a name, it would be helpful in trying to locate a recipe. Thanks very much. Figure 1 – Display Case with Beautiful Pyramids of Pastries ======================= Figure 2 - Désirs (?) (Desirs for the search engine) ======================= Figure 3 - Sospiri (?) ======================= Figure 4 - Belli e Brutti (?) ======================= Figure 5 - (?) ======================= Figure 6 - Palline al Cioccolato (?) ======================= Figure 7 - (?) ======================= Figure 8 - (?) =======================

Try a local health food store (or the health food aisle in your regular grocery store). [i don't think that fresh mint would be strong enough...]

pistachio + strawberry passion fruit + mango BTW, Ling, what an awesome list!

I haven't heard of them yet. Are they open for business? Their web site doesn't list an address but dexonline has the following: Nuvrei Fine Cakes & Pastries 404 NW 10 Portland, OR 97209 - 3184 (503) 546-8430

Curds & Whey is a new gourmet shop in Sellwood (SE Portland) that specializes in fine cheeses, meats, and other gourmet items such as wines, chocolates, etc.