gfron1

Just my guess, but I'd try a mix of butter and white chocolate. I'd be afraid of the mouthfeel of shortening.

Heather and Charles will have to fill in the food name details, but a slew of eGullet members and friends and family ended up at Queen Makeda right next to the pastry shop mentioned above - in fact its the ugly lime green restaurant that I mentioned above Poor color picking aside, this was a great choice. First, my cabbie said it is pronouned mah-keh-duh (said very fast). We let the locals do the picking since I'll eat any ethiopian and my friends had never had it before. We ended up with pretty much the whole menu including some special requests. Everything was as good as any good Ethiopian food I've had. A few highlights were the tripe which tasted great, but the texture is not my favorite; the raw ground beef - after much language negotiating we thought the raw dish was ordered, but the mom/cook brought the cooked version thinking us Americans would prefer it that way - it was shooshed back to the kitchen for a bowl of the raw; the hot sauces were very nice. The green sauce was pureed jalepenos - so hot, but a great flavor, and the heat didn't linger. I didn't care for my iced spiced tea which is normally a favorite for me. But, that was made up by them running down the street to get us some Ethiopian beer since they were out - now that's service. At the end of the meal the mom (who spoke virtually no English) brought a tray of freshly roasted coffee beans out and clattered them around our table either to entice us for coffee or to bless us on our way. We all walked out stuffed with plenty of food remaining, including tip, for $20 - so the typical Ethiopian value that you would expect. The renovated dining space is very nice and colorful, and we all wanted to take Ethiopian dance lessons after watching Ethiopian MTV all night. Thanks to the DC hosts for a great night and great suggestions.

Similar but not the same. I don't know the difference from the production side, but there are subtle differences in taste and consistency. Again, the Vermont company sells both quark and fromage blanc, and while they are not a German company, it would suggest a difference. From their website: So butterfat content is the distinguishing feature.

Here are some previous topics that might be helpful: Wybauw Course – Chocolate and Confections Wybauw Course 2 – Chocolate and Confections Wybauw Course 3 - Chocolates and Confections Schotts Course - Chocolate and Confections

I'll nudge you a bit more. I have called people asking about fixtures, products, software...and always was very clear what market I was in (meaning not competition). 9 out of 10 give me the info I want. 1 out of 10 says no. If they say no, then you wait. If they say yes, you move forward. Nudge.

The cookbook giveaways have been a great tool for Society members. I want to facilitate this a bit by offering two tools as you offer your cookbooks to others. 1. Donors - Post your list 2. Wanters - PM the Donor - please don't respond directly on this topic 3. Donors - As soon as a book is claimed add [s]book title[/s] around your book and that will show that it is no longer available. Don't delete your book...just make a line through it. 4. Donors - if you've passed the edit window, PM me and I'll make the edit for you. And let me know if I can help in any way. Rob

And it looked so harmless

currypuff, that's a very specific request and the mighty, magic eGullet may not be able to solve this one. In case it doesn't I'd see who the school is touting as their great graduates and judge the school by where their students are placed. Not quite your answer, but I hope it helps.

If you liked that report...tonight at a friend's recommendation (not an eGullet member) we went to La Tasca tapas bar just off of Chinatown. Two words. It sucked! So, does every restaurant think that small plates with high prices automatically become tapas!? The table oil was absolutely tasteless. The fare was inauthentic based on the countless other tapas bars I have been to. We had 15 different tapas and only 2 were decent. I thought I would get what they called their "premium" wine, and for $9 a glass I had the garbage I get from my grocery store. In case you can't tell, I was disappointed, felt like part of my life was wasted, and threw my money away. Good thing I had friends there who appreciated it. For the record, I know about the other nice tapas bar downtown which I've been to and have had a good experience. This is not the place.

Two thoughts... 1. An eGullet member without a camera is like a dog catcher without a leash (you can get the job done, but its not quite as safe). 2. If you live in the dry southwest and go anywhere else - its going to be humid - and that means you're going to sweat for the first time in years. I decided to do the mile plus walk to Chez Hareg. As was mentioned in some online reviews, the pastry shop is hardly noticable. I walked right past it since the address seemed to be missing, and the only sign was a taped newspaper article on the door. I was also a bit surprised by the low-endedness of the interior. I scanned the cases - overlooking the cookies and ice cream, and focused on the pastries. There were 8 options. All were good looking but not as professionally presented as a French pastry deserves. I asked if there was anywhere to sit, and they directed me upstairs. I'm glad they did. While not a sidewalk cafe seat in Paris, the upstairs was a clean, bright, modern space more fitting the moment. This is not a high dollar, corporate shindig, but it was more than adequate. Sitting for a moment waiting for my desserts to arrive, I realized I was the only one speaking English. I heard Ethiopian, French and some language that I took for Welsh - and this was at 3 in the afternoon. The music was Will Smith's Gettin' Jiggy With It, which was odd but seemed to fit with the whole experience. I ordered two desserts the Napoleon (because I felt like I should) and the Tropical (because it was the prettiest). I started with the Tropical. The top was a classic buttercream which I didn't wait for it to warm and soften. It was very smooth and nice. The 6 layers below that, however, were more than nice. The bottom was a rum soaked genoise that was as saturated as it could be without becoming sloppy. There were two layers of a flavored buttercream that I couldn't discern, but I think rum and/or banana. Then there was a pineapple layer, a fruity layer (mango/passionfruit?), and the edges were surrounded by toasted coconut. This was a very nice dessert. The Napoleon was just okay. Lot's of crispy pastry layers crackled under my fork. The pastry cream was skimpy, and there was no other filling. This ended up being beautiful but dry and unappealing. I didn't spit it out and storm out (I ate every last flake and tipped big), but nothing I would order again. The dessert I wanted (but I wasn't up for eating 3 in one sitting) was the Italian Cream Cake which looked beautiful. Overall, I found the visit well worth the hot walk. The experience was traditional and I would like to have seen more of herself in the pastries - why not infuse an Ethiopian flair into a classic dessert!? The cafe is open 10-8 daily and is just to the right of the ugly lime green restaurant.

If you haven't already, check out what I think is the coolest thing ever to hit eGullet - The Paris Interactive Restaurant Map. Its a pinned topic in the France forum so its always easy to find.

My answer to you is if the numbers that you presented in the opening post are good enough for a loan, then you're in good shape. I can't imagine you doing that low of sales. The other thing that was left off was catering - even if you don't do it - you'll have offices and departments asking to order carafes of coffee, etc. I'm assuming you've set your pricing to be competitive with other shops.

Great suggestions and plans are made. But for the icing on the cake...where can I get the icing and the cake? Any good pastry shops? I have a very tight schedule, so it can't be way out in the burbs. Thanks.

I made 3 slashes. Its been a while but I remembered a recent post on another topic that said slash with confidence and don't look back. My first slash was whimpy, but the other two were good and you can see them in the pic. Even with that I had a crack. As far as the juniper influence, its hard to tell. I did not taste "juniper" at all. But what impact it had on the starters taste and especially the sourness is unknown. This is the sourest bread I've ever made and the closest to San Fran sourdough, but I don't have enough comparison points to be able to make any other comparisons. I'll be baking a few more loaves in the next week or so and we'll see if the sour remains. Then it will be time to start playing!

I hope no one thought slkinsey's essay disuaded me. I was just battling through this project. To respond to slkinsey first however. The essay was well timed and much appreciated. Based on my disasters and ugly messes, baking has always been about the journey for me and the outcome, when positive, is a joyous surprise. So learning to perfect a starter and bake a loaf at the same time is just a-o-kay with me That said, I continued to feed and build up my starter since the last post. Feeding always twice a day, and maintaining it as a stiff starter. Since I didn't start off with an accurate recipe, everything since is just conjecture and using my limited experience. On Thursday I thought it was time to leap into a new loaf attempt. I used the recipe from the Bread Bible and then modified it to be the consistency that made sense to me (meaning it came out much more sticky than I think it should have so I thickened it). Rise #1 went fine. Rise #2 went equally fine although it took twice as long. Rise #3 did not seem to be going well, but I figured at this point WTH! I placed it in my banneton (which has been collecting dust for about 5 years). I put it in the fridge because I ran out of time last night. This morning I put it on the counter to warm - of course on the coldest day we've had all summer (70 F). I went off to work and came home 5 hours later. Heated the oven as per instructions. Plopped her in on my stone, spritz and prayed to Nicholas of Myrac (Patron Saint of Bakers). About a half hour later I had this: I could not be happier! The sourness was very intense, not unpleasant, but very rustic-ally biting. The crust was near as perfect as I like it - not too thick, but good and crunchy (I hate crusts that hurt my mouth). The inside was just a tad chewy in a good way, and light. I would like it lighter next time, but no one would spit this bread out. So there you have it...Loaf #1 from the Bear Mountain Juniper Sourdough Starter. On behalf of the academy I would like to thank hummingbirdkiss and everyone else who gave advice in this thread! Cheers! ~Rob

BCarroll -where do you live? The Vermont Milk & Cheese Co (that name may not be correct) makes a Quark that one of my German customers says is authentic, and they distribute nationally - heavier on the east coast obviously.

Here's a number of previous topics about agar conversions and uses.

Good point Dougal. Maybe you will have internet and can blog about your food life there, and/or have your students do that.

All the talk about seeds - I would be respectful/cautious about planting non-indigenous seeds in other countries.

My spouse was raised in socialist Zambia and his suggestion is to bring your favorite snack foods because every country has a different idea of what snacks are. As an example he mentioned how many Brits come into our store for Cadbury Flake - which Americans don't think much of but the Brits go bonkers for it.

Because of THIS LEAD in the licorice ganache topic, I've set up a deal with Amoretti who has a great selection of items at a good price - and all UPSable. They're sending me an edible pine perfume spray sample at my request...how fun is that! Thanks JeanneCake for that lead! That said, they have an immense puree selection - many shelf stable even after opening.

I sell a different brand, and its the liquid that forms with the fungus (Dummy's Guide to that explanation). Then they flavor it with stuff... I find that the people who drink it got tired of making their own a decade ago and are older with more money and now want to buy it. It goes into the bag of numerous other products claiming health benefits (which I won't list for the sake of not taking this off-topic). But like I say to my customers, read up on it with as credible sources as you can find, and if you enjoy it, and are willing to spend the money, by all means I'll sell it you

(Nudging us back on topic) For those who want to use Tonka Beans (in full consideration of the risks - perceived and proven), does anybody know of sources?

Oops. Here's a basic info website on jicama. And some recipes. And one from RecipeGullet. Now, I don't know if this will work, but there some strong similarities to unripened apples.

What if you treated them more as a jicama?