gfron1

Patrick that is absolutely stunning - incredible photo. How big was it - I can't tell if it was large or individual serving?

When I go out, it tends to be for 3-4 days with a backpack (v car), so for me its about high energy and small space/low weight. I typically pack with two key foods. The first is tortillas filled with peanut butter and honey - they can be smooshed in a pack. The other is the Indian MREs. Any Indian market has them - I use SWAD, but they are foil pouch meals (they actually just made them some type of plastic) with very spicy Indian foods. I use these because I can boil water with a tea bag in it. Eat my meal, drink my tea and have no clean up at all. My best hiking meal was when we hauled in the cast iron and chateau briand (sp?), and a bottle of nice wine.

I wanted to let the dust settle before I stepped back in. These are all great suggestions - and thank you so much for the recipe links. I'm going to pass the info on to the guests and I'll be sure to post pics. Thanks Rob

Ablosh - looks great - and I love the pic. Makes me want cheesecake...can I bear to turn on the oven?!

Ablosh - looks great - and I love the pic. Makes me want cheesecake...can I bear to turn on the overn?!

I'm throwing an Australian-themed cheese party next Saturday where everyone is asked to bring Australian or New Zealand traditional foods...problem is...I don't know quite what those foods might be. Thoughts? I will be providing grilling foods - they are bringing sides and desserts. Thanks

Do you use soap? I'm still not using soap, but I use a Mukka-specific sponge. But I'm a little wary of not using soap, because of the milk residue ← Oh my! I'm very sorry to respond so late - I must have missed your question. We have been using soap with no problems. We don't have a dishwasher but I think that would do a great job cleaning.

There was a bit more than the shriveled basil leaf. It had mushrooms and green onion in mushroom sauce. Have you ever noticed how all the good stuff stays on the bottom of the pan when you make dishes like this...It is one of the reasons I adore chefs in Asian restaurants. It tasted...well...okay, but nothing I would make again. At home when we have a meal like this we say Bon Appeshit.

It seemed like a good idea...a nice Thai meal on a hot summer night. But then, something went wrong...terribly wrong. And note that it was so hot that my spouse was wearing nothing but boxers (you can see the red flowered shorts in the top picture) at the dinner table. I thought it looked like ThaiKraut.

Sugar overload! Sounds like my type of event Here is my favorite afternoon tea snack: Olive Oil Crisps/Tortas and here's a totally random and untested recipe from the web. Another thought, however. You mentioned that they asked you to do desserts because of previous experiences with what you have done...might want to not stray from your previous successes too much. Have fun with it!

As always I tried some new techniques tonight which weren't perfectly executed, but boy were they a nice change of pace for a summer dessert... From the most recent Pastry's Best magazine: Saffron Pear Mousse and Hibiscus Gelee. The base is a carmelized feuilletage (I used puff pastry which I thought was the same...but now I don't think so), topped with saffron pear balls, then a Sesame Crust (I added black sesame seeds to mine which was a nice variation, Pear mousse (super yummy), and finally Hibiscus gelee (which didn't set up - I'm just starting to use gelatin sheets and haven't quite got them down yet). The gelee (which was more of a sauce) was the hit, as was the mousse which was so creamy. Anyway...here it is: If anyone else has made this recipe and had success, I'd love to talk...

How fun are those s'mores! Great job boots

I saw the commercial for the first time last night (we don't watch TV but we saw it on a tape of a show someone sent us). We were so disgusted by the concept, and burst out laughing that someone came up with the idea. Now, truth be told, there was a time in my life that I loved "gloppy" (and occassionally still do), but I don't think I could stomach a Famous Bowl. Clearly this will be a huge success for KFC.

Got some pics? ← Since it was my first attempt, they were not worth photographing, but now that I understand what I'm doing better, I'll definitely try again and put more effort into presentation. I'm happy/sad to say that I ate 8 on the first day and the other 4 for breakfast...I'm such a glutton. BTW, I really wanted to add blackberries to the recipe, but didn't to stay true to the recipe this time. I think they would be wonderful in your tarts.

Maybe overexposed but looks great Patrick. I made Filipe's Portuguese Custard Tarts which at every stage I thought was going to be a failure and turned out deliciously.

I agree with the German restaurant, and also: JOSÉ DE MANCOS WORLD CAFE 145 Grand Ave. - 533-1338 My memory is failing me, but I remember a fantastic little Italian place in Mancos or Dolores. The other place with I haven't had luck finding was a superb wild game restaurant north of the Great Sand Dunes closer to Crestone. They were part of a buffalo ranch and had wonderful meats. Maybe its the Zapata Ranch facility, but I can't guarantee it.

It seems the replies are more associated with impact on taste, so here's my spin. I live in a hippy dippy town and I'm always hearing about the dangers involved in cooking. The two most common fears are aluminum and teflon. Plastics (especially in microwaves) are also a concern. The scientific evidence is lacking as to whether their are reasons to be concerned about heating plastic (Saran Wrap), and most suggest that its use is safe. But as I tell all of my customers, keep researching until you are comfortable with your decision.

Beautiful work Nightscotsman!

With all the knocking of Metromint, I'll just have to add that it is my hottest selling beverage. Most people drink one and are not won over, but after the second, they're hooked. I'll also say that when I tried it in 2005 at the Fancy Food Show I remember thinking it was too strong, and so we didn't buy any. At this year's show we tried it again, and enjoyed it enough to buy it for the store. Good sales does not equal good taste, but my sense is the company is not getting poor.

And I'm wondering about "Chinese Panko" that someone recently asked me about which I had never heard of. Is there such a creature or is it just regular Panko? BTW, at my store we sell a nice Japanese Panko (is that redundant?) for $1.85US for 200 g which I feel is a bit pricey.

After a few cleanings, I found that if I immediately filled the top with water and let it sit for a short while, it was much easier to get rid of the milk residue. Love my Mukka Espress! ← I've been using my Mukka for 3 weeks and after I learned the intricacies of not boiling the cappuccino over...I love mine too. I now do a capp every morning and night using our locally roasted beans. And we clean the same - immediately fill with water.

Thanks Elie...this thread has been quiet for too long - I'll be opening my PH book again this week!

Not a recipe, but I'm craving the Palapa Azul flavors... "cucumber-chile (pepino con chile) under a palapa in Zihuatanejo. waves softly lapping at your bare heels. promising smells mingling with the salty breeze. fleshy slivers sprinkled with lime and chile piquín..." "mango-chile (mango con chile) a lazy sunday in Coyoacán. succulent smells emanating from all corners of the plaza. lingering by the mango stand to get to the chile, the salt and the lime..." "mexican papaya (papaya) the old road to Acapulco. papaya stands standing side by side. the intense red-orange meat of the fruit shimmering in the sun..."

Absolutely beautiful!

Chufi, that looks absolutely wonderful - super moist! I haven't had very good luck with chestnuts so I don't use them much. Clearly I need a trip to Europe to learn the finer points of chesnuts