Lisa Shock

Just thought I'd start this thread for discussion of Last Chance Kitchen, so that spoilers don't appear in the main TC9 thread. Bravo has viewing blocked outside of the US. Anyway, I like seeing the eliminated contestants on the sidelines. They are helping a lot and giving more insight into what the dishes taste like. I also like the fact that the competitors have no idea that this event is occurring, so they get a surprise as they 'leave' the regular show. Too bad that this is the only season where this will be the case.

Poached pears might be nice.

And, Heather also loses at Last Chance... I'm glad that Nyesha still has the jacket, I don't think we really saw her full potential.

Was it proofed?

Some good liquor at the duty-free shop.

Tempura, especially parsley.

The bread contains gluten and absorbent starch, all of which will hold it together. The squash will become mushy and fall apart in a 3 hour braise. While I make a variety of stuffings for holiday meals, this particular dish probably needs the stuffing made as written.

It's interesting that they are allowing the eliminated chefs to be seated ringside in Last Chance Kitchen. They have been very helpful to the contestants. I also think it's cool that the chefs in the show aren't aware of the existence of the Last Chance competition. Too bad this is the only season that this will be the case.

I have only added butter for butter-almond ice cream.

For dark, have you tried Trader Joe's Pound Plus bar? It's made by a famous manufacturer, and of decent quality.

For baking there are beige double-sided terry pads, kind of like two towels sewn together, that have elastic band sewn on one side. We get them at the restaurant supply store.

You said your cast iron pan was already warm. I am suspecting that your room is too cold. The dough may not be warming up enough after being refrigerated. If it's cold, it will be sluggish. Also, dough that's perfect at one time may not improve with more fermentation. After a while, yeast can run out of food. I like Ciril Hitz, I have taken many of his classes (with and without Mitch Stamm, they're always better with Mitch) and use his methods and formulas all the time now. They always work beautifully.

You may want to try contacting the company and ask what the cocoa/cocoa butter split is on that product. Generally, though, chocolate chips aren't good to use as couveture because the chocolate isn't conched as long (may be a bit gritty) and the split doesn't have as much cocoa butter as needed, so the chocolate won't have a great snap to it. It may make a grainy ganache, and be a little odd to handle because of a lower cocoa butter content. (edited to switch 'isn't' for 'is')

The ratios for making ganache change in relation to the type of chocolate used. White chocolate doesn't set up like dark does, so you need to use a lot more of it -usually double the amount of dark that you'd usually use. Like HungryC points out, you could chill it and enrobe in tempered chocolate, roll in nuts, etc. You could also use it as cake icing, just warm and pour over a bundt cake. Or, spread as a filling between two cake layers, just make sure to pipe a ring of your main icing around the edge of the first layer to act as a dam to hold it in. Pour the lightly warmed stuff into the center, chill, then apply the second layer and frost the whole cake.

You have to watch out with certain substitutions. Some cookies, for example, rely on the water in the butter to activate the gluten in the flour to make a chewy texture. With ghee, high ratio shortening or lard you need to add some water to the mixture for the recipe to work properly. This is why some bizcochito recipes call for wine or orange juice.

How about savory biscotti? There are a lot of variations and, if properly made, they store really well for months. -Perfect gift basket fare.

Those sesame candies look delicious! Sesame candy is one of my all-time favorites, I am going to have to try this...

Be aware that if you drink it while still partially frozen, the alcohol content of what comes out will be much higher than usual as water freezes out before the alcohol. Ah, the joys of a college education....

I used to use MasterCook, and liked it. Then, I got a new computer and my old versions (yes, I liked it enough to buy upgrades) don't work. I am trying to decide whether or not to buy the latest version because of some pretty bad reviews on amazon of the product and service. That said, if you have access to a Windows machine running something before Win7/Vista, Mastercook 8 might be just the thing for you. It allows you to format recipes in a lot of ways: 3/5 cards, half page, full page, etc. (it also provides nutritional info) You can then just use office supply store equipment to bind it. My favorite printing 2-up half-pages to fold like a book (look for something called a saddle stich stapler -this is the one I own, you can get bigger ones for more pages) and stapled. Buy, you could also go with spiral binding or wire binding. The nice thing here is that you control it all and can make extras as needed. The end user gets a nice physical object. You can make it upscale by using good paper.

Adding the oil while creaming doesn't do anything, it's fine to just add it with the wet mixture.

I really like yuzu. I have made infusions from the peel, and will make cocktails with the fresh juice if I can get ahold of some fresh fruit which happens occasionally.

I have to agree. You can have more control with a pot on the stovetop, and make larger batches. I usually add raw nuts when the temp gets to about 140°F. I'd add the cardamom right before shocking the pan.

Your seasons will vary by your location. Here in Phoenix, everything is dead in July/August because everyone leaves town due to the heat. In other places, like beach resort towns, July/August is when you make most of your money. You have to look at the location, then consider the habits of the projected clientele.

I agree. I think there should be a season of the show where certain items are not allowed to be used and certain dishes (ceviche, bread pudding, carpacchio) are disqualified. I saw an interview with one of the previous seasons' contestants and he said they used scallops a lot because they were readily available in the TC kitchen, were quick cooking and didn't need much prep work.

I second the cumin. I put some in the water, along with salt when I start to cook the dry beans.