mache

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Here in the San Francisco Bay area, Costco carries a line of prepared foods from Paul Bertolli's Fra'mani. Bertolli was the chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA and more recently at Oliveto in Oakland, CA. All Fra'mani's products are very good but the Savory Turkey Meatloaf is outstanding - very moist and flavorful. However, it is not inexpensive. Can anyone propose a recipe that comes close to reproducing this Turkey Meatloaf? -- Mache

I have tried off and on to make really good and intense strawberry ice cream / gelato and have never been successful. My attempts have resulted in it being either too icy, soupy, hard, or greasy. I have tried using a juicer to remove the seeds and pulp and just get the juice, as well as just pureeing the strawberries whole pulp and all. There are many recipes out on the Internet but none look interesting and I wanted to ask for a little help here. I would want to add some sort of alcohol (kirsch, Cointreau, vodka, ....), use strawberry juice (pulp removed) for more intense flavor, and would like to use a custard (egg yolk) base. Does anyone have a recipe that they swear by? -- Mache

I always smoke my turkeys on my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker using this recipe with a Mary's Heritage Turkey and cherry wood. The results are awesome. -- Mache

Orange Apple Brined and Cherry-Smoked Heirloom Turkey with Spiced Pear Gravy Bourbon-Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing Shredded Sweet Potatoes with sage brown butter Brussels Sprouts with shallots and chestnuts in a butter glaze Steamed Carrots in butter and maple syrup glaze Cranberry Orange Sauce Pumpkin Flan

If people are not into milk/meat exclusions, I have done bread pudding substituting matzah, with some sort of creme anglaise, with good success. You can add any type of booze, dried/fresh fruit, chocolate chips, whatever you want. Also, I make an individual serving chocolate cake with molten center that has only 1 tsp of flour for a 4 serving recipe. I am sure you can substitute cake flour. I will root around for the recipe. However, again it has lots of butter and may be a problem for observant folks after they have a large meat/fowl centric meal. Also how about french macarones from egg whites, sugar and almonds? -- Mache

Did any of you see the New York Times article on Black Cake? NY Times Black Cake Article -- Mache

I will try that. Are there any other suggestions? -- Mache

I need some help troubleshooting the Honey Cake recipe that so many people have recommended (cake recipe is here: Marcy Goldman's Honey Cake Recipe) I have made this recipe twice and still seem to have problems with uneven baking. After two tries, I have have been unsuccessful getting an evenly baked cake in a 9x13 pan. I would like some help achieving my goal. The first time I made the cake, not closely reading the recipe, I used an insulated cookie sheet and baked it in a 9x13, gray, chicago metalllic, heavy gauge, pan. While the sides firmed up quickly, it took a long time for the center to set. When the center finally set and the tester came out clean, I removed the cake from the oven to cool. During the cooling process, approximately a 2"x3" area of the center fell completely. I cut out the fallen center, and served the rest of the cake which was delicious. The second time I made the cake, I closely read the recipe. I inverted one heavy guage jelly roll pan in the oven while it was preheating and used it as a base for baking the cake. I also wrapped moistened magic cake strips around the 9x13 baking pan. Again the sides firmed up first, but the center firmed up quickly afterward. Chastened by my first experience, I let the cake bake for 10-15 minutes past when the cake tester came out clean. This time there was a very slight and amost unnoticable depression in the center of the cake. One side of the cake (side towards the back of the oven) was noticably overdone. The rest of the cake is delicious. In both instances, the oven temperature was 350F, I used standard and not convection baking, and did not use a turntable. Obviously, given the size of the pan, I am having problems with the sides of the cake baking faster than the bottom. I am at a loss on how to to proceed. After thinking about this I have come up with the following possible areas to explore. a. Lower the temperature of the oven - possibly by 25F? This would slow baking down and perhaps allow the sides and bottom to set and not be overdone at the same time. b. Turn on convection More evenly distribute the heat in the oven so the back of the cake would not get done first. c. Find an oven proof turntable More evenly distribute heat across the baking pan d. Get a terra cotta garden tile (12" square) and use that instead of a upside down jelly roll pan A larger thermal mass under the bottom of the pan to provide more heat to bake the cake from the bottom up. e. Give up on the 9x13 pan and bake the cake in two loave pans Something I would like to avoid. This approach would guarrantee to more evenly distribute heat to the cake batter allowing the entire cake to be set at the same time. Does anyone have suggestions on which of, and how much of, these approaches, or other approaches, I should take in solving this problem? I do not have much baking experience and would appreciate the guidance of an old and experienced baker. Thanks, -- Mache