gfron1

Thanks for the update guys - I've been thinking about you all and wondering when we'd hear from you again. As always your products look great - and yes I want one of those cookies. Its also good to hear (or not hear) that pricing is no longer a concern - based on the prices on your tags, I think they look fine. I did want to offer my 5 am feedback. The feel that I get from your pics is a bit contradictory. I see Stephen in his whites standing over a table with handwritten tags with a few ears of corn thrown on a table cloth. I had been thinking that your bakery had more of an upscale feel - based on your products and personal appearance. The display in these pics suggests homey. I'd like to hear/see more about your thoughts on this since it ties back into the pricing and then ultimately what products you're presenting to the public. You may have followed a recent thread on displaying pastries, which resulted in a bunch of great no/low cost ideas. I hope this is helpful and keep it up!

Outstanding challenge and choice of challengees. Being a skeptic I looked up "five kernels of corn" on snopes.com assuming it would be a myth, but the idea of a myth had no support - so it might be factual. And then to have a descendent of the Mayflower doing the prep...fantastic! I like the idea of interpretations beyond corn, but to make a GOOD corn dessert would be a challenge in itself. Corn is starchy when fresh, gritty when dried, neither of which is a good quality in, my opinion, for a dessert. I have had, however, a great sweet corn ice cream (Palapa Azul), and am immediately thinking of corn flan. Anyway, have fun, and for those of you around the world...allow us Americans to indulge in a bit of folly. When a non-North American gets picked next you can teach us a bit about your holidays, traditions and customs. In the meantime, open that can of cranberry sauce/glop! (BTW, its nice to know the gender of our challengee...unless Cheryl is a man )

Nakji, that cheese is fascinating. It looks like a smoked cheese, which I doubt it is. What does it taste like?

Great job!!!! I second the request for more info on your caviar technique.

I haven't been to this thread in over a month (been very busy moving my store), and I just have two things to add... Anna - I'm not buying this 'its my first time' stuff! Both of your chocolate attempts are fantastic. And Kerry, you know you'll have to pitch those broken frogs, so I'll help you out and take them off your hands

Looks incredible Patrick. How was it?

Michelle - interesting that yours was flat also since mine seemed flat as well. But since its often 3 layers, it still works well.

Etete (1942 98th St. NW) I took three friends to Etete based solely on the Washington Post review. Whenever I travel to a city large enough to have an Ethiopian restaurant, I make plans to enjoy a good meal. That said, I’ve eaten at many, many of these restaurants, and have been to only a few that I would consider “bad.” I also tend to favor the dark, smoky restaurants filled with cabbies from which the Post reviewer distinguished Etete. The ambiance was nice, but becoming slightly worn (walls roughed up, upholstery torn). It was too bright, and the generic restaurant tables took away one of my favorite aspects of Ethiopian restaurants – the wicker tables and stools. I followed the reviewer’s recommendations and started with a sambusa. The sambusa was nice – good flavor and crispness, but the pastry flavor was different than any I had ever had before. Different family secret? I’m not sure, but it was still nice. In fact, it reminded me more of the pastry I get at Jamaican restaurants with their patties. Next we each got a different entrée. I ordered the vegetarian combo (gamen), and we had a ground beef dish, marinated beef strips, and lamb in sauce. The lamb in sauce was nice, not tough like I often get at Ethiopian restaurants. The beef strips were a hit with my Ethiopian-virgin friends, and while I did find them tasty, they were not unique nor special. The ground beef (kitfo), which was the predominant dish, was the only entrée that remained on our tray at the end of the meal (just bland) although we thoroughly enjoyed its cottage cheeses. My vegetarian dishes were all very well prepared – especially the cabbage. I also ordered the honey wine since I had never seen that on a menu before (maybe I just missed it). It had an aroma that faintly reminded me of pont le’eveque cheese, but had a nice taste, and paired well with the meal. I would recommend Etete but I’m sure it isn’t the best in town. None of the dishes had the pizzazz and complexity that I’m used to in Ethiopian food. In general, I found the meal well prepared but rather bland and washed. Service and prices were nice. In the end my favorite Ethiopian is still in Indianapolis (who would of thunk it?!).

Went to Jaleo last night with my group of 8. It was a huge success - thanks for the lead. We had 30 different tapas, and by the time we got to dessert, we had had enough wine that we got one of each dessert - nothing was disliked. The traditional eaters enjoyed the chicken and steak items, my favorite was the bacon wrapped fig croquettes. Tonight...Ethiopian!

Thanks all. Comeundone...how cool, and I'm sure its as good as it looks! I love streudel in the fall

The most impressive thing i've seen with tea on this site is BryanZ's tea orbs. I've made tea gelees to top my desserts before with some success. This challenge is bringing me back to my time in New Orleans when Miss Gloria would always have a special pot of red beans and a big glass of sweet tea just waiting for me. Good challenge Anthony, and good luck K8!

Thanks for the tips. I'm filling my forms with all sorts of stuff...whipped cream, bavaroise, curd, custard... I'm sure there are just basics skills that most people don't even think about, and maybe I just need more patience. I'll keep piping away

I'm sure there are many others besides the pros who can answer this question... Ever since I started using forms and molds (which my first time was the orange exotic), I have had trouble filling the form completely for a perfect finish. I inevitably get creases and gaps even though I push my pastry bag tip way down into the form and squeeze until the form is burping extra filling. What is the obvious basic skill that I'm missing? Here's an example from my latest:

I used Ludja's recipe. It was a huge hit and in fact my spouse said the best dessert yet (for overall taste/presentation). It wasn't as dense as it looks - that was an optical illusion caused by an out of control EGer. I cut that piece frozen so I could have the perfect picture Cutting it frozen gave a perfect edge which makes it seem dense, but it was very light. It was also darker because I used 70% since its what I had in the house. And likewise, dark rum instead of light...So, I guess I should say it was a totally different dessert altogether since I made so many substitutions

Hungarian Chestnut Torte

Here it is: A few notes on the modifications I had to make. There were no fresh chestnuts to be found, so I grabbed some chestnut spread from my store (Sierra Rica brand from Spain). I also topped them with a candied chesnut in syrup from Turkey, and sprinkled with some of the remaining walnut crumbs. I made the final version in my 3" pastry form. Very tasty!

It is light and spongy, and I did use the 11x17, so maybe I'm alright. I've already dolled them up and they're in the freezer cursing me for not giving them a coat first...little buggers. I'll pull them out around dinner and post pics.

I do "gut" adjustments typically. The most consistent and successful adjustment is that I drop the temperature down by 15-25 degrees F, and bake by sight and smell more than time. Having never had one of these cakes, I don't have a comparison point. My batter started at 1 inch thick and ended half of that thickness. What would it normally do?

I just finished my cake (not the filling), and it was rather flat. I pulled the two pictures that Google/image has on gesztenyetorte and they look much larger. I modified by using pastry flour which may have had an effect. Anyway, I'm ploughing ahead. I'll work on layering the torte at this point to get some substance.

The store is The Curious Kumquat - specialty foods, with whatever cheeses I can get my hands on.

Thanks for the pics Yank - keeps my appetite up! I'm not expecting access to anything new for a few more weeks, then I'll be sure to share.

My first thought was spirilina, but then I started thinking about blue and yellow (anchiote/annato). Good to see you back online Filipe!

Here it is. I believe its only Vegemite.

Like many of you, EG is an important part of my life - whether it be the friends, the recipes, the restaurant recommendations, or the culinary absurdia. Today, an auction I started at the eG Auction Block just raised $582.25 for the EG operating fund (it does take time and money to allow all of us to enjoy this site). Thanks for all who participated in the auction. Thanks to the EG staff and volunteers for your efforts, and I ecourage all of you to share the wealth on the Auction Block.

I pulled a moist pear, lemon zest scone from my oven on Sunday morning, then reheated one on Monday in my toaster (split it) and it was still moist, and then slathered both in quince preserves...it can be done!