miladyinsanity

After reading this thread, I feel sure that I won't be having a hangover at university (this fall!) because I've learnt all the remedies in this thread. Now, to make sure I remember them whilst I'm falling down drunk...

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but this is the second time I'm making puff pastry from scratch, and this is also the second time the butter packet's tried to explode out of the dough. Any ideas? I'm following MobyP's instructions.

Sinful. So sinfully good.... I need that drool smiley!

How about a Dobos torte? It's traditionally layers of cake (baked one by one), filled with buttercream and has a layer of burnt sugar on top. Someone posted a recipe on an eG thread which I can dig out if you want. Pam R, if you can think up how to slice napoleons neatly, please please post. I'm planning on making only minis this weekend, but it'd be great to know anyway.

It doesn't freeze well if you are going to freezing cream that's not whipped--it'll separate after it melts. I think 4 hours should be enough?

The commercially frozen whites are a problem - I've only been successful when subbing out no more than 30% of the total weight of whites with the commercially frozen ones. When I use all commercial whites, it deflates when you add the hot syrup. Doesn't matter which brand, either - it happens using Sysco, Glen View Farms, Papetti.... But if you are talking about freezing your own shelled whites, that's different. As Ruth says, it should work perfectly if you don't have any specks of yolk in them. ← Ah. Thanks Jeanne and Ruth!

Freezer? I thought frozen egg whites don't whip up?

Well, I usually make Neoclassic, but I use Flo Braker's recipe. I've used this IMBC recipe, but I find that I like egg yolk buttercreams better usually.

Can I freeze it? As in, make a batch and freeze in portions, then reheat in the oven?

I've a hairdryer that blows cold air, so you should be able to find one too.

I was very full before I peeked in this thread. Now I'm very hungry. Bravo, Jack!

The Japanese (I think) brand, Royce, does chocolate dipped potato chips. In fact, they are famous for them.

I've never heard of Dofu hua, but a quick internet seach found it under a few names, such as Taho and Tawa, with variations all over Asia. In the Philippines it's got a caramel sauce and transluscent sago tapioca balls, and nearer china, it's served with an intense, sweet ginger syrup. They also add local fruit in some locations...I can imagine a dofu hua with ginger syrup and lychee would be very tasty, though off topic. ← The tofu part itself is usually tasteless, though nowadays they've been coming up with sweetened and flavored ones that are meant to be eaten without syrup. You'd probably find them called douhua more often.

I'm told the orange yams are much sweeter and less starchy than the white and purple ones. I've never cooked the latter two. There's always confusion since there are those, plus the yellow version here. Some yellow ones are also sweet, ..... sometimes they are called sweet potatoes instead. ← Ah. Okay. I got it now. I don't live in the US, you see. Sweet potatoes are definitely much sweeter and less starchy than yams.

Gorgeous! I have never seen orange yams before, just the purple and white ones. People will note that I did not make it a resolution to post a picture on eG this year, I hope.

If you have a Chinatown nearby, you could buy dofu hua and use it as one layer. It's tofu, but it's got a much better texture than silken tofu, and it comes doused in sugar syrup, but you can probably ask them not to pour it in if you have other plans. But I'm not sure how you can use it in a layered dessert, because it is very soft, and very fragile.

Cream goes with chocolate and good bread that's on the salty side. I think you could try adding fleur de sel as well. You toast the bread, and let the chocolate melt. Then you smear some heavy cream on top.

I bet adding crystallized ginger and to a pistachio biscotti recipe would be amazing.

I'm just really glad it's not made its way over here yet. Don't get me wrong. I like cupcakes. But I've seen the half icing half cupcake pics...and that's Just Wrong. Also, I hate giant cupcakes. You can't call them cupcakes if they are That Much Bigger than a cup.

I think I would explode if I ate that much. But I start with cookies or cake, then I move on to protein and then ramen or pasta. It usually ends up with me being uncomfortably full. Like now.

Huh. Well, the Singaporean government does offer scholarships, sometimes through Asean etc, but according to my Vietnamese classmate, those who can afford it are already here or if they are really rich, Down Under, in the UK or the US. But now I really want to go visit. Except that I imagine that my passport will be in the hands of the UK embassy and then after that I'm off to the UK, so I won't be able to visit my classmate--who's off to the US.

You're talking about French macarons, right? It's happened to me as well, and I think it's the humid weather where I live. Might that apply to you as well?

I think it's your recipe. I've never had issues using European/American recipes in Singapore, where it's equally hot and humid. Now, if you're talking about candy/chocolate, yeah, we'll have issues. Cakes, even cakes that require meringue, no. I've made meringues etc without any problem too--just make sure you store them in an airtight container once they are cool. You can find emulsifiers at the supermarket. I think the common on is something called Ovalett, but I've not used it myself.

I thought that with the Italian by heating the sugar syrup mixture up to 248-250 F, that would be sufficient to kill any potential salmonella in the meringue mixture. Am I wrong? ← Yes. Usually, we don't use enough sugar syrup to be able to bring the temperature of the egg whites up to 160F.

I know, but the ham and pineapple needed some colour. BTW, "Hawaiian" pizza was my favourite kind of pizza as a kid...one local place served it with BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce. What a treat... judiu: I didn't serve SPAM, but I also did a French project at school where you were supposed to make up a new, exciting club and try to recruit your fellow classmates. I set up a "SPAM carving" club and carved sports cars and even a human head out of SPAM...such a weird idea now when I think back on it, but my teacher loved it! ← Sorry to hijack SuzySushi's blog, but Ling, you had a very exotic school life indeed!