Kouign Aman

Sassybat, I cant wait to hear how your meals are! This from another San Diego thread. My choices would be Vincent's Sorino's in Escondido, The Marine Room, and a couple others.

Are those a wok and a metate peaking from the shadows behind the veggies?

Now now folks, calm thy'sels. Her mean streak is smaller than mine, and probably part of her appeal for me over all these years. I'll have to pull the quote that brought it to the fore. I think we need a pronunciation guide for "Chexbres". If it were Basque, its a much softer sound than it looks, for example. Oh darn. Google discovers that its the name of a community in Switzerland.

I made some Jack Daniels pecans. They tasted very well indeed.

America is so bloody enormous that it would be tough to even consider a "national" cuisine until this past century of high speed communication and transportation. And what is a national cuisine anyway? Other countries get a "national" cuisine defined by outsiders. National is the cuisine of the capital city, or main trading city, at least at first, and all else is 'country fare'. Within each country, food still feels much more regional than national - witness the eGullet series on the regional styles of Italy. The US has regions that are larger than Europe entire. Do we need a national cuisine beyond the "peasant food" - our beloved burgers and dogs? Why is not having one thought to be a failure by some /so many? And if having one is some important symbol of a country's identity, then perhaps we should take into account our still relative newness (and for that reason, cut the kiwis and aussies some slack. They've got less to work with and have had less time to work with it. <yes, taubear, ive been there.>)

I found myself thinking "there's nothing new under the sun" when reading her descriptions of Roman banquets with appropriate odors wafted thru the room. "Air", anyone? I read When a Man not as a grim tale, but as almost a plea for sensible eating. Sensible meaning be aware of (sensible of) the effects of one's meals, as well as paying attention to the tastes. I've skied with many a partner who is useless after lunch due to over-eating. The humor I remember is present, and the vividness. I'd forgotten the tiny mean streak she displays. The description of the meal served by "the little Charles" - especially the onset of fatigue, the passing of the giddyness of food and wine, to the heaviness beyond - perfectly described. She's keeping me up past my bedtime, again. Sigh.

Thank you. The scrollie-thingie is the sour tamarind etc sauce. It goes with the veggie-wich. The scroll pattern reminds me of henna patterns on Indian women's hands. The vines on the custard are sugar - melted and formed on overturned custard cups. The caramelized sugar looks better but the clear sugar tasted better with the custard. I didnt even notice that the lotus holes and pistachios were the same general shape. Interesting.

I'm told the orange yams are much sweeter and less starchy than the white and purple ones. I've never cooked the latter two. There's always confusion since there are those, plus the yellow version here. Some yellow ones are also sweet, ..... sometimes they are called sweet potatoes instead.

I love the custard, tho my husband wants it sweeter. Its just like the indian rice pud, with crunch from the sugar. The yam sandwich is good, we both enjoyed it, but it could use tweaking. If served it in a restaurant, I would eat it all and be content, but I would not order it again. The sauce is very tangy and is critical. It would be nice to jelly the sauce and have it gel in the lotus root spaces. The cilantro flavor is quite pronounced, but it needs more 'fruit' flavor in it. Tomato paste helped, as did the calamansi, but its still a bit lacking. Filo would make a better bottom, the pudding could be smoother, and the lotus root could be more strongly flavored (also, it poached to a light purple which is going to look nasty grey in most light.) The yam pudding on its own is a keeper, and lotus roots in general will reappear in my kitchen although probably not on the dessert menu. As noted, I still want to make a cilantro jelly sometime. Probably with lime for the sour note, maybe the calamansi tho. Man, those pack some tang! <editted for grammar & to clarify opinion>

Here it is. Left Right= the vegetable, inspired by Thai flavors, served warm Right Left= inspired by Indian flavors, serve cold On the right, a standard baked custard, infused with cardamom, and topped with pistachios, like the rice pudding at Indian buffets. On the left, yam pudding and a slice of lotus root that was poached in coconut milk with lemon grass and ginger root, sitting on thin pastry to keep it from sticking to the plate. The sauce is tamarind & cilantro, flavored with ginger, tomato paste, calamansi juice and sugar. The pudding is very sweet & soft, the lotus root is mildly sweet and tender/crunchy, and the sauce is quite tangy. Components purchased at the 99 Ranch market about 3 miles away. (pectin and tomato paste bought elsewhere. Pectin not used, tho I still want to try making a cilantro jelly sometime).I didnt use the spud, the guava or the coriander either. I enjoyed doing several things I’ve never done before. I’ve never seen whole lotus roots, or calamansi before, nor used tamarind or lemon grass. I’ve never melted sugar to make decorations before (that was fun!). I’ve never removed a custard from its cup (that wasn’t so much fun ). And lastly, I’ve never posted a picture on eGullet before – this was the easiest part. One conclusion is unavoidable – I need more kitchen skill! In 2007, I will read more recipes & practice (see resolutions thread, to bring this challenge full circle.) <editted to correct dyslexical location descriptions. Thanks K8!>

Thanks for the feedback. In future I shall add the explanation. 1) knee or 2) we like the inlay on that table better

Phlox, thanks for the vivid and clear descriptions. Some of us really arent out to make your life harder, just to make our "dining experience" (aka meal) better. Is there a certification badge that competent hostesses wear, so we can distinguish them immediately, on a first visit, from the eye-candy-only? I've asked to be moved because a previous bf needed more room for his elbows as he wielded k&f, or because my husband has a knee that doesnt fold properly. Neither of these issues would be evident to a hostess during the seating process. Would an explanation be preferable to the simple request (Is it possible to get a bit more room please?), or would that take up precious time? I'm genuinely curious. Thanks.

Sick kid, plating is delayed. Cooking finished on time. Sorry. Go see duckduck. She's kicking tushie.

Sure. Why not? I didnt. Sho'nuf. Hmm, I think I coulda/shoulda used that book!

Frozen carrots always and forever, no matter what, come out with a nasty texture IMO. It works much better to cook em and then freeze em and thaw as needed for a brief reheat. Even then, its not a great result. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach & peas respond well to the nuclear oven - bit of water, lid and hit the buttons. It does help if you like your veg a bit soft because the crispness went away in the freezing process, so instead you get a bit of 'chew' if you stop before the soft stage. Then drain and add any sauce or topping you please. The spinach does ok with a quick saute instead, after it thaws. Good luck with the veg, your health, and your pending-new-arrival.

Thank you, its been a vivid and interesting trip, and yet, there is no stamp in my passport! I love your approach to doing the things you want to do. Did you choose to teach English to support your goal of foreign living, or were you already a teacher? <should I have asked this earlier?> Thanks again, wow.

The munchkin did not go down for a nap on time, and my "backup plan" had to work unexpectely, so the pix wont get posted 'til tomorrow. Final components are in the oven. I expect to put it all together tonight, 'cause I hate missing deadlines. Via pm, I notified Pam (duckduck) of the challenge last night. The thread can be found here.

Welcome to Round 14 of the Supreme eGullet Pastry and Dessert Challenge! Duckduck has bravely accepted the challenge. Due to her schedule, the challenge will run from Sunday to Monday next. The challenge is to create a layered dessert, using legumes. I could eliminate halo halo, but why? Good luck and have fun! For future reference, these were the previous challenges: Round 1 (Kerry Beal challenges Ling in Vancouver BC)- Take pineapple upside down cake and bring it into this century Round 2 (Ling Challenges Gfron1 in Silver City NM) - Make a dessert containing an animal ingredient or product other than lard or bacon Round 3 (Gronf1 challenges Mette in Copenhagen Denmark)- Create a deconstructed beer dessert Round 4 (Mette Challenges Shalmanese in Seattle WA) - Create a dessert tapas plate consisting of 7 items in 7 days, using local and seasonal flavours Round 5 (Shalmanese challenges Chiantiglace in West Palm Beach FL) - create a dessert involving smoke that evokes Autumn Round 6 (Chiantiglace challenges K8Memphis in Memphis, TN) - create a dessert using Southern Sweet Tea Round 7 (K8Memphis challenges SweetSide in rural CT) - create a desset using 5 kernels of corn representing the 5 blessing of the Pilgrims Round 8 (SweetSide challenges alanamoana in the Silicon Valley, CA) - take fruitcake out of the land of the misfits and show us the beauty that lies within Round 9 ( Alanmoana challenges Dejaq in Nation’s Capital) - make a dessert using Champagne and at least three Citrus Fruits, along with Agar Agar. Round 10 (Dejaq in Nation's Capital challenges Kerry Beal in Ontario, Canada) - make a dessert utilizing white, milk and dark chocolate, along with a tea of her choice and a fresh seasonal pear. Round 11 (Kerry Beal in Ontario, Canada challenges Chufi, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to make a dessert that evokes the spirit of Sinterklaas, uses speculaas spices and includes a seasonal fruit or vegetable. Round 12 (Chufi in Amsterdam challenges tammylc in Ann Arbor, MI to make a dessert that incorporates at least 2 wines and 2 cheeses Round 13 (tammylc in Ann Arbor, MI challenged Kouign Aman in San Diego, CA,to make a dessert from/inspired by an ethnic cuisine she doesn't usually cook and that incorporates at least one vegetable. Bonus points for actually using her "good and accessible source of interesting produce" (reference to 2006 resolution thread))

I'll get you the challenge tonight or pass out on the keyboard trying. Thank goodness we are on the same timezone. I guarantee it wont include lotus root.

Oh my! Read the book 20 yrs ago, have two copies, havent read it since. Loved the book (AoE) hence the two copies; one to read and one to loan. I remember loving the food and stories to do with food, but can only recall two stories specifically - when her ?uncle? made her select her own menu and it was revelatory, and when she got upset about a young frenchwoman's being 'overstimulated' and chewed out the woman's lover. The first made me think harder about food & deliberate choices. The second made me think MFKF was a little too involved in running other people's lives. Sign me up for the book club, because clearly it is time to reread. (Fortuitous timing too, as the book just came out of 12 yrs storage).

Duckduck, works for me. You're on and thank you!

Ohmygod, Teepee, I think you did it. You knocked a new idea into my caffeine deprived head. Rice. I can do rice, or something like rice or something else, but you gave me the idea. And get the color contrast that's been driving me nuts. I didnt really want orange and green layered together, nor tan and tan. Happy Dance! Must go pour more coffee and THINK! Sunny, thank you! Any volunteers for next week?I got a late start setting that up and havent heard back yet from the first "invitee".

Im re-reading in hopes of getting my brain cells out of a jam, and of answering any comments I didnt. I hope it meant outside my cooking comfort zone. Using a raw veggie for dessert would certainly add to the challenge! :eek: I did pick up a couple of baking and boiling spuds, in case inspiration strikes. Thats exactly the texture - tender but still a bit crisp. It needs something chewier with it to make it feel like dessert somehow. Maybe a bit of cake ? I'd consider making a caramel candy to go under it but havent worked out how to make the other flavors work with that. Hmmmmm pnutbutter caramel maybe or sweet'n'sour caramel? Howinhell would I make that? Forgot to get the candied root, but it certainly softened. When I sliced the raw root it was almost woody. It also has very little taste to it. Seems perfect to be marinated for a white salad, in place of hearts of palm perhaps. There's been a lot of laughing in the kitchen today.

Lotus root is not going to work as hoped. 1) texture (not a bad texture just not... dessert) 2) its turned a lovely tan in the poaching which wont provide the color contrast I want. I'm really obsessed with using it because of the lacey look of it. Silver lining: even if it doesnt make it into the dessert, I think it will make it into my next stew or meat braise. Perhaps tomorrow some kind of small cake to get the flavors and I'll try frying or otherwise crisping a thin slice of the root.

Holy cow! Michael, that sounds completely delicious and completely unusual. I dont think I;ve ever so much as seen salsify in person. I had to google it. What was the texture on the sauteed jicama? Thank you for the good wishes. Thanks to EVERYONE for the ideas and support. I really appreciate every comment and idea, even tho it took me til now to say so. I'm really more of an "editor" than a creator - I can riff off other folks ideas (thats "riff" not "rip"), but wow, its hard coming up from scratch. So, I am really grateful for all the ideas to work from! Im completely intimidated by the beauty and creativity of the challenge results that precede this one. I have never 'plated' anything in my life. With that said, Im having a lot of fun. Of course, I havent started cooking yet....