pikawicca

Gougeres are not puff pastry.

Here in Indiana, minors are not allowed in liquor stores. Period.

GelPro in front of prep area -- love it!

AMFT has been chosen as the Cookbook of the Month on the Chowhound Home Cooking board for the month of April, so you might want to check it out. Lots of us will be cooking from Dorie's book.

Looks like an oeuf mollet to me: a classic egg preparation that is rarely seen anymore.

I'm glad to know it worked. I have a big (10-pound) cooking pumpkin (not a sugar) that I want to stuff. Your experience emboldens me to give it a try.

I've never encountered a sugar pumpkin that large; they usually weigh in between 2 and 4 pounds.

Nothing beats Wondra for a very light coating on fish.

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good This was amazing. My pumpkin was a little over 3 pounds, and held the full amount of stuffing. For the liquid, I used 1 beaten egg and 1/2 cup cream. Mixed the stuffing ingredients, including liquids, and left them to absorb while I tackled the pumpkin. (A curved grapefruit knife came in handy in de-stringing.) (Baked in a 2-quart Ditch oven, lined with non-stick foil, letting the edges of the foil hang down the outside of the oven. Using the foil as handles, removal of the pumpkin to the serving platter was a cinch.) Baked 2 hours, removing the cap for the last 20 minutes. There was a bit of liquid on top when the pumpkin came out of the oven, so I let it rest 5 minutes. Cut into quarters to serve. The texture of the stuffing was perfect, and each serving was beautiful. This is a rich dish, so with a tossed salad, it fed 4 more than adequately. I'll certainly make this every year when pumpkin season rolls around.

Chez Panisse is "the best restaurant in the world?" Really, this person needs to get out more.

I don't have this problem, either. I got my SVS in June.

I've been cooking a lot from Barbara Kafka's "Vegetable Love" the past 6 months or so, and have liked almost everything I've made a great deal.

A mash of 50/50 potato and either celery root or rutabaga is very tasty. If you like cauliflower, steam, don't boil, and mash.

Why are you eschewing potatoes? My Irish ancestors lived on them. Don't listen to the food police who tell you to eat fewer natural foods and more "high omega fatty acids" or whatever highly processed foods. Potatoes are a gift from the earth, unmessed up with by value-added food processors. Do your best to find organic.

It works MUCH better than the KR. The strands are lots longer and separate.

I highly recommend Jack Bishop's "Complete Book of Italian Vegetarian Cooking." Full of great recipes, no weird ingredients.

My father, back in the 60's, framed the debate for me. He was not a liberal hippie-type, in fact, the opposite. However, he proclaimed that margarine was the food of the devil, as was all processed food. How could humans make a better butter than mother nature? Eggs? The perfect food. I believed him then, and I believe him now. As a rule, I do not buy any food that comes in a box or can.

Take a look at Mark Bittman's new vegetarian cookbook, as well as the truly amazing "Veganomicon."

This book is so not worth $150! I gave mine away. It's certainly not a bad cookbook, but way over-hyped. Check out "Indulge" by the head pastry chef at French Laundry -- similar style, wonderful recipes, and way more affordable.

I just gave my copy to a poster on chowhound. This is not a bad book, but it's not how I bake. There is no reason to pay above the list price for this book.

Most Americans would not go anywhere near many authentic Chinese dishes, and all successful Chinese cookbook authors in the States have realized this. To me, "great-tasting" trumps "authentic" every time. Kylie is writing for an American, not a Chinese audience. Her Deep-Fried Eggplant with Tomato Dressing is definitely not something a cook in China would make, but it's utterly delicious.

We greatly enjoyed introducing our children to high-end dining when they were TEENAGERS. We would never have considered taking our kids to a fine-dining establishment when they were little. These places are designed for adults who have an appreciation of great food. It's not a question of not drooling on the table -- there are simply some places where children don't belong (as much as their doting parents deny that this is so). It is not fascinating to fellow diners to have to watch you trying to force-feed your adorable 5-year-old fois gras or caviar. Get over yourself!

Definitely make her Cream Biscuit recipe!

Arabesque is a wonderful book. I've been cooking Middle Eastern food for 40 years, but have gotten many great ideas from this book. The eggplant with pomegrante, yogurt, and pine nuts is a knock-out.

Just bought this, haven't baked from it yet. Sure is gorgeous.