paulraphael

I just ordered a pair of these http://www.culinarycookware.com/catalog.asp?prodid=61600 thanks to a brilliant tip in the kitchen consumer forum. I'll see how they work. If they help, then similar materials might be available for pie plates.

A turkey is more like a hollow bowling ball. The actual thickness of the flesh is not that much. It may be closer to a fish than to a prime rib roast. I don't like to tent anything that I roast, because the resulting steam buildup tends to turn the nice crisp crust you worked for into mush. High heat methods work surprisingly well. Poaching (if used before a high heat roast) and deep frying work very well because they cook the turkey from the inside of the cavity much more efficiently than hot air can. There's nothing wrong with the high/low approach; I just don't think there are benefits with it as there are with big roasts. In any case I think that tenting and basting are mistakes.

Interesting. Does he explain why it works?

Bingo! Thanks so much. Don't know why I couldn't find that before. 2 are on the way.

Just a few possibilities, some of which have already been mentioned: -dough should be rolled out, not stretched. Rolling it out a bit wide and then actually compressing it a bit to fit in the pan is ideal. -gluten needs to be relaxed. mixing the dough as little as possible, using as little water as possible, and giving it as much time as possible to rest, both before filling the pan and then before baking, are ways to achieve this. it's very easy to use too much water. unless you're already on top of this, I'd try using 2/3 as much water as you're currently using. The dough probably won't hold together. Put it in the fridge, covered, for 20 minutes and try again. The flour needs some time to fully hydrate. -add less water along with the fat. i don't like to go as far as using shortening, but I'll use a high buterfat, european style butter (84% to 85% butterfat). Tastier results, better texture, and less shrinkage.

Dark pumpkin tart: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r2050.html After three seasons of playing around I finally nailed it.

Sure, but why not come to that conclusion after at least trying it the way the chef intended. This thread is interesting to me, because I've enjoyed sushi mostly in the American fast food fashion ... the way I was taught, with a blob of wasabi in my soy sauce. I could defend it by saying "it's the way I enjoy it," but in truth it's just my habit, and I have nothing, including the chef-prefered way, to compare it with. Next time I go for sushi I plan to try some of the ideas I've read about on e.g.: sit at the bar, take the chef's suggestions, and don't drown the fish in horseradish.

Stoneware's a very slow conductor. Almost certainly a step in the wrong direction. I was hoping for blue steel or blackened steel. Or some good oven-proof spray paint.

I've done this, but it's a fussy, annoying workaround. And it's a compensation for a pan that just isn't performing correctly. Good bakeware browns the food at the rate you want.

I've been wondering about that. The thing is, I almost always make tarts, and the only dark tart pans I can find are non-stick (the idea of nonstick tart pans annoys me so much I can't bring myself to get one). I did a quick search for French blue steel tart pans but didn't find anything. I may paint the outsides of my tinned steel pans black.

Yeah, the Taylor's kind of lame, but I can't say for sure what's better. My guess is your trouble has been with the probes. If water gets into the unsealed space between the probe and the wire, the thing goes crazy. When I replaced my first one, I found it worked fine with the probe from the new one. Now I'm just anal about keeping the connection dry when I wash it. Maybe you can buy spare probes from the company. The question is, do other brands have the same problem. I don't know. Other brands definitely appear to have better ergonomics. The Polder that I saw looks simpler and easier to use (no actual experience with it, though).

I bake a lot of tarts, and use the standard french tinned steel pans. But the pans don't seem to work that well. I've jumped through every imaginable hoop, but can never get the parts of the shell covered by the tin to brown enough. The tinned steel either insulates too much or it reflects too much radiant heat. Are there materials that might do better? I'd like to avoid the siliness of non-stick, if possible. I did a quick google search for blue steel or blackened steel and didn't find anything. Or .. what about blackening the tin? Anything I could do on the outsides of the pans that would permanently darken them?

Dark Pumpkin Tart Serves 12 as Dessert. If you're getting sick of pumpkin pies, try this. Great depth of flavor, great texture, and the sophistication of a French Tart ... a balance of crust and filling that I prefer to deep-dish pies. 2 partially cooked tart shells, 9 to 10 inches 1-3/4 c pumpkin puree* 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground or grated ginger 1 tsp teaspoon salt 2/3 c brown sugar (preferably dark brown)** 1/4 c honey (half light, half dark)** 1/2 c heavy cream 1/4 c whole milk 3 eggs, lightly beaten *Fresh is best. I like to use sugar pumpkins, cut in thin strips and roasted, in order to evaporate as much moisture as possible. Puree and strain. ** The flavor profile will be strongly influenced by the sugar and honey. Dark brown sugars like dark muscovado, and a blend of honeys that includes a dark one like chestnut, will give the darker, more intense flavor that sets this recipe apart. Directions - while tart shells are prebaking, mix pumpkin, sugar, honey, and spices in medium sized heavy saucepan. - stir over medium heat and bring to a light boil. keep stirring until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes) - reduce heat. - in a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs until yolks are broken and well mixed. set aside. - after removing pie weights from tart shells and putting back in the oven, you have a few minutes for the final steps. add milk and cream. Turn up heat and stir until it begins to simmer. turn off heat. - temper the eggs and mix: pour about half the hot pumpkin mixture into the eggs while stirring rapidly. mix it all together before the eggs get a chance to curdle. -pour the egg/pumpkin mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the pumpkin mixture and stir thoroughly. - oven should be on from prebaking tart shells. set to 375° -pour mixture into tart shells - put tarts in the oven on bottom rack - tart is cooked when center still jiggles when shaken, but does not slosh around, and edges of shell are well browned 25 to 30 minutes. I go longer rather than shorter, in order to help crisp the bottom of the shell. -cool on cooling rack I like to serve warm. Heating pieces on a hot skillet right before serving will help crisp the bottom of the shell. Keywords: Dessert, American, Intermediate, Fruit, Tart ( RG2050 )

I've tried it on a pizza stone. Even tried preheating the stone to 550 degrees and then turning down before putting the pie/tart in the oven. If anything it's been a little better just on the rack. I'm getting a little frustrated with the difficulty of browning tart shells on the bottom. I'm using tinned steel, which seems to be a favorite with bakers, but it just doesn't brown the bottom well. I'm considering finding a way to blacken the bottom of the pan (edge of the ring/disk) on the outside. With pies I've had a slightly easier time ... pyrex seems to let the radiant heat do its thing.

Ditto. I never understood the need for a sifter. A strainer seems to do a perfect job. It might be a little slower, but time saved while cleaning it usually more than makes up for that. In general I'm against single-purpose gadgets. Unless they really do the job a lot better than something else, and it's a job I need to do a lot.

Just stop looking down.

Ask Tammylc ... she has 88 lbs of it!

Great tip, thanks. At some point I might team up with some other NYC chocolate lunatics and split a 5kg box.

By the way, how are you getting Cluizel for $10/lb? Is this in huge bulk quantities? At Chocosphere it's $17/lb in 2Kg blocks; $16/lb in 5Kg blocks. If I could get it for $10 I'd bathe in it.

Hype. Stupid hype at that.

I usually use some combination of Valrhona Guanaja (very deep, complex flavor profile, but not much aroma), Manjari (brighter, fruitier, strong aroma), and whatever unsweetened chocolate I have around (usually Callebaut or Valrhona). This is for desserts that I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks on. For lesser occasions I've just been using Callebaut or El Rey bittersweet chocolates. I'm not completely happy with them because I find them to be all low notes ... I don't get the interesting fruity or wine-like overtones I get from the Valrhona. One of these days I'll try some of the others that are being suggested here.

Chocolate is prettty personal! I'd suggest ordering a few different kinds and making something basic, just to see what works out for you. Some things to consider: -Price, obviously. You may decide on a compromise between greatness and affordability if you're really looking for a single do-everything chocolate -Cocoa solids content. I think something in the 64% to 70% range is most versatile -Ease of melting and tempering. Most of the chocolates I've used were easy, but some can be a pain. And if you're doing any couverture, you'll definitely want to try out any chocolate before commiting. -Flavor balance. This is the most subjective. Some recipes call for a deep, powerful chocolate taste, others do better with something bright and fruity or floral. If you're going for a single chocolate, something in the middle might be best. I'd offer suggestions of specific types, but I have more experience using and blending chocolates closer to the ends of the spectrum. None of them strikes me as a perfect do-everything chocolate.

I don't mean to suggest that the stones are unreasonably priced. I've found some Norton combo stones that I might get someday if the abrassive paper routine starts to feel cumbersome. But I do think the maintenance gear for these knives is expensive ... stones, papers, strops, compounds, educational materials, etc. etc.. I base this on the price relative to the price of the thing being maintained. It would be very easy to spend more on the tool kit than I spent on my most expensive knife, and this is a knife that cost double what many cooks are willing to spend! The economics are going to make sense to someone who's really into knives, or at least into knife-intensive cooking, but probably not so much to someone who just needs a cutting tool. In fact, if I was moving to a desert island and could only bring one knife, it would be the German one, no question about it. If you can only have one car, you take the sedan, not the Ferrari, even if leaving the Ferari behind makes you weep!

This is the best one I've seen or used (actually made by Demeyere): http://www.shopthevikingstore.net/product-p/29642.htm It's the only one I can find with clad construction and low sides. I just ebayed my old KA roasting pan ... beautifully made stainless/aluminum, but the sides were over 3" high and interfered wtih browning. The assumption with these tall pans must be that you'll use a rack. I don't like racks, so I want sides that are only high enough to let me deglaze without making a mess.

Good point ... the swedes seem to know something too. Quite a few of the Japanese makers use some flavor of Swedish steel.