Amy Eber

The sandwiches cannot be put out for tea time with layers of wax paper and damp towels. That method works well during prep and there is no one who can keep running back and forth to restock every 15 miniitues so they really must stay out under a glass dome. I ran a few tests today. The miik brushing idea seems to work as does lighlty misting them with water - a trick a lot of caterers use. I am still hoping for more ideas.

Really? I never heard of this trick before. Have you tried it? The bread does not get soggy? Very clever. Thanks. One friend mists lightly with water. quote=K8memphis,Jun 20 2007, 08:56 PM] Brush lightly with milk. ←

We are having a problem keeping afternoon tea sandwiches moist. Tea lasts two hours and the sandwiches are kept under a glass dome yet the different breads still tend to dry out. Obviously we cannot drape a damp towel over them once they are out on the table. I still have to try lightly misting them but would appreciate any ideas. Thanks.

Grill it, let it sit a few miniutes then thinly slice it. Toss warm pieces with a dash of olive oil, good quality balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Mound onto ciabatta rolls and top with arugula and crumbled blue cheese.

I was thinking about mini-cornbread muffin sandwiches and was wondering what filling you used. I make cocktail party treats by spreading them with cranberry mustard and placing generous slices of duck breast in them. Obviously not appropriate for a tea. Do your tea sandwiches hold for 1 1/2 to 2 hours? By the way, Bakehouse makes incredible shortbread mini tart shells. I use them all the time for catering gigs.

The inn is down south so hot and humid. They are well air conditioned. Mini muffins are placed out along with mini cupcakes amd cookies and mini scones but they are not that great so I am thinking up new recipes. Surprisingly, some of their tea sandwiches (do not know what they used to offer) got stale, despite being covered. They now offer only sweet things but British guests complained about no sandwiches. The chef is not there at tea time so inn staff cannot spend a lot of time putting things together.

I am trying to help a friend who runs an upscale bed and breakfast with her afternoon tea menu. It is complementary so we are trying to keep costs down. Food is set out buffet-style for about 1 1/2 hours. Tea sandwiches can be placed under domed glass. I would really appreciate any suggestions and recipes for bite-size sweet and savory offerings that can safely sit at room temperature for the duration of the tea. Anything that could be made in advance and frozen would be helpful since they do not have a full-time chef. We are looking to have as little waste as possible because tea has to be prepared for up to 30 people but some days only about 10 guests make it back at tea time. Very unpredictable so we are really looking for a lot of recipes that can be held a day or so. Thank you so much.

My culinary group and I ate at a wonderful new restaurant in Totowa this evening. It is called Earth. Chef Anthony Lo Pinto is amazing. I attended a few classes he taught at Adventures In Cooking in Wayne and was so impressed. When I heard he had openind his own place just 2 weeks ago, I immediately made reservations. His menu changes with the seasons. All five of us ordered different salads or appetizers and we each had a different main course. Each and every dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. They are still not listed in phone directories and just got the phone number a few days ago. It is 973-790-8100. Earth is located at 331 Union Blvd. in Totowa (the former location of Lunello's which re-opened in Cedar Grove a month or so ago). I am headed back there next week for my husband's 50th birthday dinner. It really was great and I encourage everyone to try it.

Cast iron should be seasoned with an animal fat. Cook up lots of bacon or use lard. Vegetable-based oils often leave pans sticky and are not as effective a seaoning agent. I inherited a set of very old cast iron pots and pans that were rusty. I ended up shipping them from N.J. down to Cajun country in Louisiana to an iron monger who sanded them down, filled them with hog fat and stuck them in a bonfire he built. They came back soot-covered but amazing. You could heat them in the oven or on the stove top. If there is a residual flavor when using lard, heat up vegetable oil in the pan and fry potatoes until they do not have a funky taste anymore.

Does anyone have a good recipe for the cake portion? Thanks.

Here is a list of this year's offerings. I send out about 25 boxes to friends and family around the country each year so copied the packing list below. Lebkuchen: German/Swiss honey and candied fruit cookies cut into a triangular shape and sandwiched with homemade marzipan. It is topped with a lemon glaze and sprinkled with a blend of lemon zest and blanched almonds I ground after caramelizing them with sugar and Amaretto. Speculass Sinterklaus: Dutch almond spice cookie pressed into a Saint Nicholas speculaasplank (wood cookie mold) carved by Gene Wilson from Illinois. He is self taught and practices a freehand carving technique with a hand-held router using no templates. Anise Springerle: using antique molds and molds made by Gene Wilson. Hungarian Poppy Seed Almond Cookies: Toasted, ground almonds and poppy seeds in a spiced, buttery dough. Kona Hearts: Butter cookies made with ground coffee beans I have received monthly for 17 years from a small plantation in Hawaii. They are dipped in a ganache made with a blend of 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates. Viennese Christmas Trees: Made with toasted hazelnuts and almonds and filled with raspberry preserves. Chocolate Caramel Treasures: Thumbprint cookies made with Guittard chocolate, rolled in toasted hazelnuts then baked, filled with caramel and drizzled with semisweet chocolate. I couldn’t find my usual caramels so watch your teeth, these are hard! Linzer Cookies: Butter cookies with small cutouts on top sandwiched with raspberry and apricot jams. Chocolate Nut Squares: Made with Guittard chocolate, pecans, walnuts, almonds and honey from Breaux Bridge, La. Pecan Squares: Made with Greek honey from Cyprus. Oatmeal Shortbread Fingers: Glazed with Guittard white chocolate and rolled in blanched almonds I ground after caramelizing them with sugar and Amaretto. Chocolate Nut Crescents: Made with pecans and a blend of 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates. Italian Almond Paste and Pignolia Cookies: Made with almond paste and honey from a beekeeper we spent time with in Ikaria, Greece. Cookie Dough Truffles: Butter, three sugars, flour, German Schokinag semisweet chocolate and Madagascar vanilla were combined, formed into balls, coated first in a blend of German Schokinag and French Valrhona white chocolates then Guittard 52% and 63% chocolate then rolled in English toffee bits. Peppermint Cookie Brittle: Brittle-like German Schokinag chocolate chip cookie pieces drizzled with Schokinag white chocolate and topped with crushed King Leo peppermint candy. Pecan Sandies: Pecan butter cookies rolled in confectioner’s sugar. Rum Balls: Butter shortbread ground with walnuts and mixed with spices and rum then rolled in demerara cane sugar. Caramel Macciato Truffles: A blend of 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates, homemade caramel, Mexican vanilla, cinnamon and espresso were used to make into a ganache filling. After dipping in melted chocolate, each truffle was rolled in a mixture of French Valrhona cocoa and California Scharffen Berger Cocoa blended with ground single estate Venezuelan coffee beans and demerara cane sugar. Pistachio Truffles: Pistachios are toasted and ground then blended with almond paste and confectioner’s sugar to form a pistachio marzipan. This is rolled into a long, skinny rectangle. A ganache made from a blend of 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates is piped down the center and rolled into a long tube. Pieces are cut, formed into balls, dipped in a slightly different blend of the same melted chocolates and rolled in ground nuts. Hazelnut Tuffles: Same method as above using roasted, skinned hazelnuts. Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles Made with Schokinag milk chocolate and coated in blended 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates and rolled in chopped peanuts. Chocolate Truffles: I blended 52% and 63% Guittard chocolates to make into a ganache filling along with Madagascar vanilla. A different balance of the same chocolates was used to coat each truffle before rolling in Italian Cacao Di Pernigotti cocoa powder. Marzipan Pigs: A traditional holiday treat in many countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. We always eat a marzipan pig on St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) as well as on Christmas. Many people eat them on New Year’s Day as a symbol of prosperity for the coming year. That is why they are often seen with a coin in their mouth in candy stores in Europe. I find most marzipan too sweet or artificial tasting (cheaper ones substitute ground apricot kernels for almonds and add almond flavoring in an attempt to mimic the flavor). I begin with almond paste and make my own marzipan, thereby controlling taste and texture.

I went to the Greek Store Saturday. Great place. I stocked up on non-perishables for a dinner I am having on August 20th. The Hellenic Deli is closed until next week so hopefully I can supplement my pantry there. I also found where to buy leg of goat and octopus in Paterson. I was on the Greek island of Ikaria (goats outnumber people 4 to 1) studying cooking and baking with the amazing Diane Kochilas and her incredible husband Vassili. It was the most unbelieveable program. I am now armed and dangerous and cannot wait to cook for friends. Thanks for everyone's help.

Does anyone know of stores in central to northern NJ that specialize in Greek food items? I only know The Greek Store in Kenilworth and they are closed in August. Thanks.

Could you share your recipe for momen doufu? Thanks.

We have been to Fasicino a number of times and love it.

Does anyone know of any good vegetarian restaurants in northern NJ? I am interested in non-Asian or Indian since we already have some favorites. More along the lines of some of the vegetarian dishes offered at Park and Orchard. We would love to find places similar to those we frequented when living in S.F. and Boulder, Colorado. Thanks.

Thanks for all of the advice on seasoning and cleaning rusty Griswold cast iron pots and pans from the late 1800s. I mentioned it to a friend in Louisiana. He hooked me up with a blacksmith who cleans them up by putting them in an open fire a couple times and, after cleaning them out, fills them with hog lard and slow cooks it over the outdoor fire to season the pan. I am sending them down from N.J. for him to work on.

My uncle just gave me his grandmother's full set of cast iron pots and pans from the late 1800s. He stored them in the garage so they are rather rusty. Any cleaning/seasoning tips? My aunt stored pot pourri in the soup cauldron so that reeks of essential oil. I thought I would just boil a big pot of onions, potatoes and water and see if that serves to extract the odor but would appreciate any other ideas. Thanks.

I just returned home from Jazz Fest. I started going 10 years ago. Amazing and emotional this year. You cannot imagine the devastation until you actually see it. My favorite food at Jazz Fest remains the Pheasant Quail Gumbo from Prejean's (Lafayette). Everyone should get to New Orleans and leave as much money as possible down there.

New York Cake and Baking. 56 W. 22nd Street between Broadway and 6th. 212-675-2253. Just behing the Institute of Culinary Education (Peter Kump). http://www.nycake.com/index.asp Internet search for gold dust yields numerous on-line vendors as well.

I love Paula Dean's Grandgirl's Apple Cake. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_29988,00.html

I would suggest to the couple that this recipe be used as a groom cake so you can make a proper wedding cake.

The do-it-yourself meal prep shops are amazing. A great idea. I read that some Walmart Superstores are setting up organic produce and food sections to lure more well-healed shoppers. I am also amazed at the number of shops and articles devoted to differents salts. What do you mean by textures in foods? Combining different textures, I assume. Any examples of this new trend? ←

What do you think will be new and popular this year?

I did a Cajun/Creole event for the Chaine des Rotisseurs a few years back. We began with Ramos Gin Fizzes. Wines included a Riesling and a Chateauneuf-du-Pape as well as Champagne