StephMac

I have a spiced nuts recommendation - my father-in-law raved about the "Warm-Spiced Pecans with Rum Glaze" from Cook's Illustrated (it's in the New Best Recipe book, and probably online somewhere). He made them for Thanksgiving and said they were delicious - and the first thing gone from the pre-meal snacks I like giving a good spicy gingerbread (the Guiness recipe is my current favorite) in mini-loaves or mini-bundt shapes, along with a couple of sauces - lemon curd is a favorite, and some people like it with chocolate...

Patrick, I'll shoot for that magic 300 degrees and see what happens. Thanks for the specific number, it helps a lot. Hygroscopic! That's the word I was looking for (I knew hydroscopic wasn't quite right). Considering it could be similar weather onditions on the day of the wedding, at least I know what to expect. I was glad to see that the croquembouche held its structure and didn't melt into a puddle of puffs, though. Sorry to hear about your bad caramel day, though

Thanks for the help - I'll be making a larger batch of caramel next time, so hopefully it will stay warmer longer. Would putting the bowl over a heat source (like a fondue pot) work, or will that be too much and darken the sugar? Tongs! That makes sense for serving. I'm going to go look for a sturdy pair...

Cream puffs are actually easier than you think. Really! I thought they were trés difficile, too - until I made them once. Start with a really basic recipe and instructions, which you should be able to find on egullet or elsewhere. Then fill with whipped cream, flavored if you want. There's also a lovely little chouquettes story and recipe here at Chocolate & Zucchini. Actually, she has LOTS of recipes and suggestions for good French baked goods. Yum. Good luck, and let us know what you choose to make!

Hi, all - I made my first croquembouche over the weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised by a few things - the cream puffs didn't get especially soggy after being filled, the caramel threads were easier to make than first expected, and the cone-o-puffs was far more stable than I expected. I was especially grateful for the past croquembouche forum threads - made me much more confident. Hooray! Before I start my next attempt, I'm hoping someone can offer up a helping hand with a couple of questions: 1. What's the best way to get a thinner caramel coating on my puffs? I didn't realize it until we started eating them, but my dipped puffs seemed to have too heavy a caramel coat, so you had to take a really hard bite to crunch into the puff... and then the caramel stuck to your teeth something awful. I don't want to be detaching my guests' fillings during dessert. Will keeping the caramel warmer during dipping help with this? Or is there a way to brush on the caramel somehow? Or should I skip dipping the tops completely? 2. The dipped puffs remained slightly sticky after the caramel hardened. The caramel wasn't goopy, but it was tacky enough that you'd have to wipe off your fingers (or lick them) before touching anything else. I'm guessing this was due to the weather - it was overcast and damp, although not raining. Is that true? Or should I be doing something else to reduce stickiness? 3. How do you serve the darn thing, other than ripping it apart with your hands? I need to make a croquembouche for a wedding, and I'd like to keep the portioning process semi-polite Grab a knife and hack away to create portions of 3 or 4 puffs? As background, this was my process: Dip tops of baked puffs into caramel; let set. Fill puffs with pastry cream. Dip sides/bottom of puffs into caramel and construct croquembouche. I use Pichet Ong's choux recipe and Wendy's spun sugar (14 oz. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, 8 liq. oz. water) from this thread. Thanks for any and all advice!

Don't know if this would work or not, but... how about taking the molasses/ginger swirl part of the recipe and just blending it straight into the cheesecake batter to flavor it all? Is it a liquidy "swirl"? If not, maybe make a really strong-flavored, reduced gingerbread-flavor syrup and blend that into a plain cheesecake recipe? I'm so curious now! Sounds yummy

Oh, man... I'm hungry now... My favorite is the post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich, with good slices of dark meat on thick leftover bread, plus some cranberry sauce and mayo... yum. And cold pumpkin pie, snatching small slices of it when my mom isn't looking (we're the only two in the family that adore pumpkin pie, so it's a race to get the largest share of the leftovers ) And my dad's twice-baked potatoes. Excellent. A few years ago, we added sauteed spinach with bacon, onions, and mushrooms to the traditional Thanksgiving lineup, and it's a big favorite now. Nothing fancy, just cooking everything in the bacon drippings... it's so good, and next to all the heavy stuff, it seems healthy! Look, we're eating greens! (hush, don't mention the bacon) When we were younger and there were more turkey leftovers, my mom would make turkey tetrazzini a couple of days later. That was the *best* ever. I still haven't figured out a way to replicated it, and she's not sure which recipe she used or what she tweaked to make it so good.

Can't help much with the suspension plan, but if you're looking for a cheap substance to make fake cupcakes, how about rice krispie treats? I've used them to make shaped dummies before, and they work very well (I usually decrease the marshmellow amount a bit to make them less smooshy and more solid). They should hold up fine for a short display time. You can mold cupcake shapes in the pans and then glue the rice krispies into cupcake papers. Royal icing is another less-squishable icing option, but I'm not sure about getting it to hold in a big fat swirly shape. PermaIce may work better; I've also heard of some people using spackling compound from the hardware store to ice dummy cakes. Good luck!

Thanks, all. Yeah, I'm thinking things got a little lost in translation here... I just didn't want to bring it up and try to clarify everything until I was sure I knew what I was talking about! I'll gather some photos of both and figure out what they really want. Either way, I'll probably be back looking for help... At least it's not as bad as the friend who was adamant that she wanted a Boston cream pie... and couldn't understand why I showed up with a cake That's the one that taught me to get photos, recipes, descriptions of everything, even if someone says something as seemingly simple as "I want a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting."

Hi, all - I'm a bit confused here and am hoping you all can help me sort this out... my brother-in-law and his fiancee want a millefogli for their wedding cake to represent her Italian heritage. However, this is the photo she sent me as an example: To me, this looks a lot like a croquembouche. And now that I've looked up what a millefogli is, my first instinct - that it's like a mille feuille - seems to be correct; it's a flat cake of puff pastry layered with cream and sometimes fruit. My future sister-in-law says she doesn't have a recipe, so I'm thinking this isn't a family tradition (which should give me some leeway if I make the millefogli - won't be competing with grandma's version!). So my questions are: first, is it possible to make a stacked millefogli, croquembouche-style (I'm thinking the answe is no...)? And second, is there an Italian version of a croquembouche? The only thing I can think of is struffoli, but those aren't usually filled, are they?

The part that makes me wince every single time - even in the commercials, even though I've seen the episode already - is the shot of the inside of the delivery van totally filled with cakes, and the van goes over a bump, and the square cake with the delicate tree branches going up the side does a seriously disturbing side-to-side shimmy... Like Duff very much - I'm glad the program shows him in his "home environment," since I'd have to agree that his appearances on the cake contests haven't shown him at his best. The best part of the show is that it hammers home how much time goes into these custom cakes: showing the workers at the shop all night, or bleary-eyed after staring at details for too long, or sitting for hours perched 3 inches from the tiers (did you see that California cake? with the tiny Golden Gate bridge piping? yowza!). The cakes aren't thrown together on a whim - they're planned out, constructed, and then assembled according to plan (although that part is usually rushed!). As a decorator, it's awesome to see someone react the same way I would to last-minute changes and forgotten delivery items. I do wonder how the customers feel about seeing their cake on the show, along with all the comments made about some of the designs... I might be a little put-off after hearing some of their remarks? On the other hand, I've actually had friends and coworkers watch this show and then come up to me and say, "Is that how long you spend on cakes?" And my response: "No, that's the work of a professional... I take A LOT LONGER!"

I believe Food Network posted an "open call" on their website for the cookie contest - I remember hearing about it from a friend. If memory serves, you had to submit 4 recipes with your application, one from each of the categories they judged. I don't know if the application asked for a story or an essay about why you wanted to compete, but I'd bet that it did. Sometimes they post challenge information on this site, so you can go watch the contests. And there's also a "Be On Food Network" page that offers up opportunities to be on one of their shows - I bet that's where the challenge participation information would go.

Yes, hockey rink, soccer/football stadium, track meet, racecars, tennis stadium... lots of possibilities. You could probably even make a big volcano or mountain lake/swimming pool cake out of it with enough alterations. And while it might make people think they can do a stadium cake at home, I'm thinking there will still be plenty who won't be satisfied with a generic stadium - they'll want a cake that looks exactly like their home team's field. And hopefully they have the bucks to shell out to get what they want

Just found this on the NordicWare site, available in early September: the Stadium Pan! Very nicely done, love the rows of bleachers. And the "hole" in the middle for the field should make for even baking. Another item for my wish list, I fear...

Well, a lot depends on what they want - are they looking for cupcakes topped with a dollop of icing and some sprinkles? or iced flat with an initial or monogram on top? or a little flower on top? or a BIG flower on top? Or do they want a different detailed, multi-colored animal face on each cupcake, designed to exactly match the jungle animals on Lil' Snookums' first birthday invitation? More detail will probably mean you'll spend more time and effort on the cupcakes. My advice: Don't forget to factor in a price for your time when you're adding up the amount spent on ingredients, cupcake liners, extra supplies, etc!

Amazing show, very well done. And edited together very well. I'm so glad he called out the excellent response and efforts of the Marines, especially because it would be so easy at that point in the long journed to be jaded and bitter. I did wonder, though - does anyone know if Joe (I think it was Joe? The guy who took Bourdain out to lunch and to the memorial) and the TimeOut Beruit editor are OK? There was no note or message at the end of the show, and I was half-expecting to see one updating us on their whereabouts...

Wow, these all sound interesting - I can't wait to hear how the wedding goes. I can just see all the guests wandering around to the different tables with their plates, wanting to try a piece of each (well, I know I would be!). As for the chocolate oblivion torte - raspberry is very, very good with the chocolate. I usually serve it with fresh raspberries; the tart/sweet of fresh berries is really nice with the super-intense chocolate, and with a nice dollop of lightly-sweet whipped cream, it's fabulous. If the bride is OK with "homemade" looking things, and if fresh raspberries are decently priced in your area, what about setting down a layer of fresh raspberries and a layer of whipped cream between each thin oblivion layer, topping it with more raspberries and leaving the sides uniced? The oblivion torte is always so un-cakelike to me, and this might be a neat way to make it look a little different from the iced cakes. Of course, if the idea is to have all of the wedding cakes iced, then just ignore me

BK's Rodeo Burger - we've still got 'em out here in the bay area (or at least the Burger King off the Holly St. exit in Redwood Shores/San Carlos does)! They're one of my guilty pleasures when I'm really starving and running errands... mostly because they're smaller than but taste similar to the Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburgers that were my reliable pre-midterm meal in college. BBQ sauce, onion rings and meaty burger, eaten slowly while sitting on flat carpeted-floor of the lunch-time crowded union, notebooks open in my lap, cramming details and formulas into my brain for a looming biology test... bite, chew, memorize (repeat). At least now I can eat the burger without the exams!

I've only seen a few of the shows - the pizza, chowder, and wedding cake - and they were interesting. It does seem to humanize Bobby Flay a bit; he shows a sense of humor, for example. But by giving him time to prep, and learn recipes (as in the pizza show), they're putting the "little guy" at a disadvantage. I thought this was going to be somewhat Iron Chef-like, where Bobby would come in and start from scratch against the local expert... not coming in with lessons from a master pizza maker, or having the chance to practice his own recipe, etc. Although, I gotta say that the wedding cake one was awesome. The best was when Bobby asked one of his assistants about the finished cake, and she says something along the lines of, "Well, it looks like it would taste really good." Hee!

I have a set! They're for 9" rounds, and I like them... so far. I've only used them once, so I can't offer a fully-tested opinion yet. I baked a regular yellow cake with liners similar to these at iKitchen.com, and they certainly served the non-stick purpose fine, although I believe I let the cakes cool in the pan a smidge too long: when I flipped the cakes onto a cooling rack and went to peel off the liners, I did get some pieces of cake-bottom stuck to them. Nothing major, and the spots were easily evened out with icing. I didn't notice any unusual browning or non-browning, but these silicone liners are rather thick, so it wouldn't surprise me if they delay heat transfer somewhat. The thinner, brown liners (like these from Chef's Resource)might make for faster heating? I usually use parchment rounds, and the liners did save me quite a bit of time in cutting out the circles, etc. I haven't baked with the liners since, so I don't know if my sticking problem was due to the cake cooling in the pan too long, or if it was simply because it was the first time I'd used the liners, or if maybe I should give them a quick swipe of baker's grease or other non-stick coating. Once it cools down enough to consider turning on the oven, I'll begin my experiments... I've got a red velvet cake due at the county fair in a couple of weeks The liners were, however, exceptionally easy to clean up: wash, rinse, dry. Yay!

Hmmm... Martha Stewart, maybe? If you can find one of her Halloween issues, maybe there's a 'buying guide' in the back of the magazine? I know this place has brown liners, if that might work as a substitute: Confectionery House

Oh, it's lovely! And all the more so for the sweat and effort and work you've put into the choices and layout and construction. Bravo! I do have a fridge question - you said at one point that you have an Amana bottom-freezer fridge... how do you like it? We need to get a new fridge for our new house (whoo-hoo!), and hubbie is pushing hard for a bottom-freezer. The dilemma now is whether to get a fridge like yours or splurge for the french-door types, since the smaller doors won't block off the kitchen walkway when open. Any advice or opinions? P.S. I can't wait to see what the lion looks like on the wall

Reese's is on a marshmellow kick now - I tried a Reese's peanut butter cup with marshmellow yesterday. I really like good marshmellow in candies (especially with carmel, yum!), but this disappointed... as someone said earlier about the Reese's caramel-peanut butter cups, the flavor was gone and the candy was almost too sweet. The marshmellow was a very thin layer, so I all I got was kind of a squishy texture before the peanut butter totally overwhelmed any marshmellow flavor. Very disappointing It needs a thicker-textured marshmellow (kind of like what's in the S'mores bars) to make this better, I think. However, I have a Take 5 bar with marshmellow sitting in the cabinet for tonight's experiment. I'm hoping that will be more interesting!

I like pictures, too - thanks for posting those! Everything looks delicious, but those highhats - too much fun! I'm definitely interested in how you put those together, especially the dipping/coating process. They look like they're about 2" high, is that right? Congrats on the successful party, and may your next one be even better...

If you decide to do the cake, definitely go the airbrush or fondant/gumpaste/candyclay method for the stripes. I tried to pipe buttercream stripes on one of the first wedding cakes I did, and it drove me insane - trying to get them to lie flat, straight, and evenly spaced was nearly impossible for me at the time! It does sound like a fun design with the stripes, and the red velvet to go with the red school colors... However... well, I hate to be a downer here, but a couple of things stood out to me in your messages, especially when you said you would prefer NOT to do this type of cake since it really isn't your specialty and you've already tried to get out of it after being somewhat volunteered into this situation by others. And the big warning bells went off when you mentioned that the bride "said it sounded easy to her." Is she a baker, or does she have experience with cakes to know what's "easy" and what's difficult? Because a cake can look "easy" when you don't know how hard it is to do sharp corners, or correctly stack a cake so it doesn't fall, or how to protect a cake during delivery, or realize how much equipment/effort it really takes to get that "easy" cake to look just right (especially for a wedding!). If you want to bow out, it would be very gracious and lovely of you to offer to do all the research into ordering this cake from another decorator (so the bride doesn't have to worry about it), and/or put some money toward its purchase as a gift. Let her know that you want her wedding to be what she expects, and since you don't have a lot of experience with these kinds of cakes, that you would feel horrible if the cake didn't turn out the way she envisioned it... after all, it's your brother and you want the best for them, right? If you do decide to do the cake, practicing everything - including transportation and stacking!! - will make you fee more confident. And friends/coworkers/family are usually pretty good about helping dispose of those experiments