gfron1

Here are some more of our visits during the week. Guelaguetza A small LA chain of Oaxacan restaurants with a fun atmosphere, live music (at least on our Monday night visit), and plenty of food at a good price. We were intrigued by the crickets that they serve, but I bowed because of the price on the crickets - as the kids say, "Hell I can capture crickets in my basement for free!" I enjoyed the mole verde with chicken which turned out to be a soup. Nice flavor. The shortribs were very tender and juicy. We also started with the appetizer platter - that did us in and could have easily been a light meal for the three of us. The mole negro was on the platter, and comes with a couple of the entrees, and tasted very nice - one of the better moles I have had. Last night RJWong took me on a dessert tour. First was Spago, Beverly Hills. We had our star siting with Randy Jackson from American Idol. A very attentive staff and reasonable prices highlighted the meal in the courtyard. I had the 5-Spice duck breast for entree which was well prepared. For dessert I had Sherry Yard's toffee cake which was very decadent and just to my liking. Next we headed to Citrus @ Social Hollywood, the creation of Michel Richard. Being already slightly full from Spago, I had the lobster, "begula" pearls - lobster meat topped with poached egg and covered by what I assumed to be Israeli cous cous cooked with squid ink - but don't quote me on that - and served in a caviar tin. Dessert was a light citrus souffle, ice cream with chocolate pearls, and fresh grapefruit. Perfect for dessert #2. Our last stop was Hatfield's where we had our final desserts. I had a Fresh citrus napoleon: crispy phyllo, almond cake, mascarpone, and tangerine sorbet . This truly was the best dessert of the night - not only because I was so full of sugar, but the balance of textures, tastes, temperatures...the whole package made it a perfect dessert - and the type I aspire to make. The house then shared with us a Chocolate mousse tartlet: chewy caramel, chocolate coffee crumble, and espresso ice cream. That was simply too much for me at that point in the evening, but the texture and taste was very nice and certainly one I would choose had it not been my fourth full dessert in four hours. Prior to that, for lunch, I went to Langer's. And I ordered the #19 - hot pastrami with slaw. Worth every penny! I'm not a huge meat eater and I wanted to go back every day for another - great stuff.

Here it is. It looks like a three dimensional pizzelle that has been turned outward to give it its unique shape. Does anyone know what these are called, recipes, or how I can make them? I bought this in Thai Town - Los Angeles. Thanks. [Edited to add: I have changed the title to include the proper name following the responses below for future searching.]

A quick post - last night Russell toured me around many of the ethnic bakeries including Portos which was a very nice selection. Here are some of the goodies that I ate for dessert and breakfast.

RJWong has me in such a whirlwind of culinary activity that I haven't been able to post, but l wanted to get my Water Grill meal up. This was my scary meal since it was for a group of small town judges and attorneys who I had no idea what there preferences or financial tolerances were. The end of the story is that everyone loved it, and none had ever enjoyed meals such as this where artistry and very high quality came into play. I chose the tasting menu ($95) with wine pairings ($55). They call it a six course menu but they throw in an amuse plus a small petit four (is that overly redundant?). The amuse was seared tuna rolled inside cucumber with wasabi, creme fraiche, roe, and some type of vinegar that I pegged as muscat, but it could have been champagne. Served with San Gregorio Falanghina, 2006. Next was Big eye tuna with artichoke, kalamata, Weiser farm potato, marinated white anchovy and basil puree. Served with Leroy Burgundy, 1999. This was my favorite of the courses, so it was unfortunate that it was at the beginning. Hand harvested seared Divers Scallops, white asparagus soup, black truffle and lobster agnalotti (ravioli). Served with Gardies. Cotes du Roussibi Villages, 2005. At this point, my photography skills declined as the wine pours increased. Roasted tubor with sage, prosciutto, Pommery mustard dumplings and juniper strewn choucroute. Served with Mijolo G.A.M. Shiraz, 2006. Mango-Pineapple soup with pomegranate, Marcona almonds, Basil seeds, and blood orange and greek yogurt sorbets. Served with Ch. Souchenet Coleax du Lyon, 2005. Finally a fresh fruit assortment with vanilla ice cream served with Gramms 10 yr Tawny. The irony here was that the meal was intended to be a means to some great desserts. The tasting menu called for a chocolate dessert, and since I am so desserted out today, I asked for anything else quote "Something without dessert. Maybe something citrusy." Meaning, I love how your other 15 desserts sound, maybe you could give me any of them instead. But I ended up with fruit. It was nice. I got my just desserts. The wine pairings were all solid but not exceptional (I'll forever be tainted by Alinea's pairings that elevated each dish, not just complemented.) A few minor service hiccups, but they allowed a partial table to do the tasting menu, and a last minute table downsizing, so I didn't hold anything against them. Overall a really good meal and highly recommended.

I use the handled wire thingy that all decorating shops sell. I then freeze my cakes and as they're thawing, but still a bit hard, I very easily wire saw my way right through with a perfect layer every time. Also, there are some good tips in the forum's Index in the HOW TO section which includes a 'How to cut a cake.' That's mostly about vertical slices, but I recall some about horizontal, and definitely overall good tips.

Having watched Kerry and heard her answer similar questions, I'll give it a go! I think Kerry would say to dip the bottom first, let it set, then dip the whole thing. Is that right Kerry (grinning like a teacher's pet)? (All the other chocolate folks are throwing truffles at my buttkissingself)

Beautiful, and great to see you back in the forums! I'd love to see the recipe - could you post it in RecipeGullet?

But google searching suggested that it was gel coloring (rose color of course).

Another variation to the same dessert - why not take a fresh pineapple, cut off the top, core it. Then you could get artistic and carve patterns onto the outside, and then grill it (which would leave your carved patterns yellow, while the skin would be darkened). Fill that with the fruit mixture. Then you would have a clear focal point, get to demonstrate some knife skills, and have a container that would be easier to eat than the mango cubes.

Whoa boy! (Screech!) You have my attention now. Nice looking pastries. So when did a country known for jelly rolls become so proficient and enamored by high end pastries? Do you know any of the history?

I know I can't make the event this year, but I would love to because my impression (and that's all it is - there is no basis for fact) is that Vegas restaurants bring in big name executive chefs who spend one week there and move on leaving the quality to vary. I would love to experience the restaurants first hand and see what's really going on.

Check out THIS SECTION of the Pastry & Baking forum index to see previous topics on education and employment in the field.

Peggy - many of in this forum think people usually underbake their goods, so I'm glad you didn't do that But, yeah, they look a bit over baked - I would say on both the top and bottom. I've taken to using two airbake pans under my "delicate" pastries like croissants, and dropping them to a lower rack. Seems to be working for me.

Eye see that you had the same problem as me - they settled instead of staying round. Consider letting them set up in a half-cut PVC pipe or something else to help them keep shape.

I don't really want to know, but I will be finding out in a couple of weeks.

I did minimal research bc it was free for me

I pre-ordered this book on Amazon a couple of months ago and have really been looking forward to it. I wasn't quite sure what I would find, but being self-taught, thought it might be useful. Well...it will look nice on my shelf. Its a good book and all, but I was hoping for more. After a brief intro, it goes into 310 pages of terminology, followed by a few useful resources like conversion guides, troubleshooting, flavor profiles, etc. But, if you ever want to know what pentosam gum is - its in there...right after peeps.

Check out THIS TOPIC on Binkley's in Phoenix. Its photo intensive so be patient so the link takes you to the right place, then scroll down to the lava lamp. This is a savory application, but you could easily convert to a sweet.

Growed eggs?! You mean those nasty things that come out of chicken butts! Oooo yuck

An international grocery is just that. We have a small grocery store in the middle of the high desert in New Mexico that sells products from around the world. Let's just say I won't have much trouble getting those hard to find ingredients for my goat recipes.

I think David is thinking of a galette - which ironically enough is the same mistake I make all the time! I'd say keep on bakin'. I've stopped using recipe times long ago. My nose and eyes are better than any clock or toothpick. There simply are too many variations to let time be the guide. Just let it be a reminder and when its done, its done.

Its interesting how the world looks when you have goats on the mind. Here are a few things that have come up this morning. First, found someone who loves to prepare goat head - its CONSUELO of tamale making fame. Her husband is opposed only because it will involve digging a hole big enough for a 55 gallon drum in their backyard. But I'm going to work on him (or maybe for him). Also, my goat keeper is going to do two weeks of corn feed. She asked if that was okay, and I don't see why not. This morning at church we talked about GEN 1: 26-31. That's what many Christians use as the verse to support the consumption of the land. In our church, it was a discussion about what it means to be a steward of the land and have "dominion" over it. In the end we agreed that most of us have lost our relationship with the land over which we have dominion...like Marie Antoinette with her "Let them eat cake," comment. So yes, cattle is raised for food, but we ignore or don't want to know about how it was raised and processed. I promise not to make this topic a preachy moralistic one since that has little or nothing to do with why I bought the goats, but I share it because that's what is coming up for me right now. The other really neat things that's happening is that as I (an almost 40 year old) share my journey with friends and family, the over 60 crowd has really opened up to tell me stories about their relationship to food. Its been almost exclusively in their childhood, but almost everyone has told me a story. This morning it was two church friends both with stories of animals being brought home, and how they befriended the animal, only to have it end up on their kitchen table. One knew, the other didn't. When both found out, they were devesated, but got over it soon enough. My favorite is from an uncle in Cincinnati who shared a family story that I had never heard. A brief backstory. My family has a cabin in Southern Missouri that has been the pivot point for all of us to get together and have our generations raised. No matter how far we move away, and regardless of how our families have evolved, we always end up at the cabin. From Uncle Dick (edited only slightly to explain things that are assumed in the family):

Just take one for the team here and try it. The only problem I can see is that homemade mayo is less sturdy - more inclined to break, than the jarred stuff with chemical additives. But, anyone who's made mayo from scratch knows that its good enough to eat by the spoonful, so if it works - oo la la!

Okay, so the head...let's just say I'm not there yet. I've got two weeks to ask for the head, but I'm not sure I, nor my spouse, is ready to throw a head in the freezer. I definitely can't put it my store. People freaked out when I had the 16" buffalo tongue proudly displayed - not good for sales. I'm beyond baby steps, but just barely past toddler steps. A Godfather-esque head...well, we'll see. And if I could easily ship to mutilated heads to ChefCrash, I would just to see his write-up about receiving the package and the surprise in his eyes!

Just had another failure - the potato apricot puffs. I think these past two recipes had ingredients that are not universal. On this one, she calls for a baking potato. I bought one. But mine may not be as starchy as hers. In the last recipe, farmers cheese may not be the same everywhere. I'm done with the dumplings and will go back to things that have less variability.