djyee100

I hesitate to jump in where this thread has been going. I will anyway. It wasn't obvious to me that the OP wanted to meticulously replicate Marcella's cake, as opposed to putting a cake on the table with the ingredients on hand. If the orange-anise flavor is important to the cook, bloggers have successfully subbed brandy with anise seeds, also pernod. Here: http://campariandsofa.com/2013/11/20/orange-bundt-cake/ And here: http://gourmay.net/recipes/orange-cake-ancona-style/ Recipes are meant to be guidelines, folks, adaptable to your tastes and your pocketbook.

I vote for the triple sec to emphasize the orange flavor. As a rule of thumb, you can exchange one kind of liquid for another in a recipe like this. The problem might occur if you omit it altogether. Sub milk or orange juice if you like.

Short ribs are a chewy cut of meat, and grass-fed beef will probably be tougher than the norm. So take that into account. I liked the suggestion upthread for Korean BBQ, or kalbi/galbi, although that would mean cutting the meat flanken-style and you want the piece whole. I've never tried to BBQ the whole short ribs myself. I go for the classic braise. Your question made me curious, also hungry for BBQ, so I went to one of my fave BBQ joints for lunch and asked the owner if he would BBQ short ribs. He said Yes, the trick is to cook it low and slow. Use the lid if you have a kettle barbecue to keep the fire down. Keep turning the meat regularly. He said you can marinate the ribs overnight in red wine (one with soft tannins), plus a little salt and pepper, and that would taste good. He's a purist, though, nothing wrong with starting with a great piece of meat, S&P, and simple careful cooking on the BBQ. If you have a chance, let us know what you do.

Have you seen Kasma Loha-Unchit's article about growing kaffir lime trees? It's on her website. Here: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/kaflime_1page.html See paragraph 7 re: fruiting on young trees. (Not good for the tree.)

Loved the pix of your kitchen and kitties, the stores and supermarkets. I enjoyed this blog so much. Thanks!

Same here up north in the Bay Area, Heidih. I'm holding off on any new planting until the weather normalizes. For now, I'm cutting back on some plants because of the drought. In the fall I ditched my sage plant, a biergarten sage with extra big leaves that are great for frying. It was too prone to mildew. The basils died off, which is normal. I'll replace the genovese basil, but possibly not the purple basil (I didn't use it much). My other herbs are hanging in there. I forgot to water my lavender plants for a couple weeks, so maybe I knocked off some of them. When lavender is dormant, it's hard for me to tell if the plant is dead or alive. These are all culinary lavenders (lavandula angustifolia), unusual varieties from the Stonegate nursery in Oregon. Since the nursery closed for mail order last year, I wanted to be sure to preserve these cultivars--they would be hard to replace. Oh well. Meanwhile, an own-root heirloom rose I acquired last fall, Jeanne Corboeuf, shocked me by revealing a bud when I watered it yesterday. My Duchesse de Parme violets are in full bloom, about 3 weeks ahead of time. Their scent is intoxicating. This burgeoning garden doesn't make me as happy as you might think, because we need our normal winter weather and rain. A pic of my winter garden on my front deck (part of it, anyway). From the left corner, clockwise: za-atar, or Syrian oregano; lemon verbena, looking sorrier than ever; marjoram; sorrel with a fistful of new leaves; a couple culinary lavenders (Melissa, Folgate); chives showing signs of life; some pots of Duchesse de Parme violets; an overachieving heirloom rose, Jeanne Corboeuf; Moroccan mint, which grows steadily regardless of cold or warm temps--this one was a surprise. The book is my bedside reading these days, Vita Sackville-West's Garden Book. The tony English prose of yesteryear can get on my nerves, but I do like what Sackville-West says about plants. I'm enjoying this book in small bites. Chris Taylor, how does your midsummer garden grow?

I was told that the first sign of natural cyanide poisoning would be an irritation in the stomach. If neither of you has felt that yet, you probably won't. You could cook these beans per the recommended method, i.e., thorough boiling, then saute the cooked beans a bit with oil and salt. Serve with a generous, relaxing glass of wine, then tell your husband what he's eating.

More about lablab/hyacinth beans: So you may have eaten the far less toxic green variety. Thorough cooking will detoxify the beans. The article has more details. Cyanogenic glycosides are also present in cassava, which I've encountered in Thai cooking. I was taught that cooking cassava changes the natural cyanide in it so that it is no longer toxic. I was cautioned to cook cassava well.

Nice! How long did it take to cook the chicken? How well did the chicken cook compared to a conventional rotisserie? I thought little dogs were supposed to turn the medieval spits. This article says dogs and geese. (Geese? wha-at??) The article also says that smart dogs tried to hide when the cook prepped a roast. http://www.historicfood.com/roast2.htm If rodents turned those spits, no wonder bubonic plague was endemic.

Has anyone tried Lowe's? I was looking at their cabinets a few weeks ago. I forgot about IKEA, so this msg bd is a good reminder. Not quite ready to do a remodel on my small galley kitchen, still thinking it through.

If that's your goal, I'm not sure that starting with a meat-based dish and trying to sub for the meat is the best approach. That's the hard way to do things, IMO. Vegetarian cooking can be fantastically delicious, but it is very different from meat-based cooking. Vegetables have beautiful colors, textures, and a range of flavors that meat does not have. Why not work with that? Great vegetarian cooking also calls for a mastery of spices and herbs beyond that of meat-based cooking. There are many good cookbooks out there for vegetarian cooking, especially for the Indian and Asian cuisines. I played around with vegetarianism a long time ago (I lasted 6 months). I discovered that to eat satisfactorily, I had to revamp my cooking entirely, avoid the concepts of meat-based cooking (e.g., vegetables are a side dish), and expand my repertoire into other cuisines, especially the so-called Third World cuisines. At that time, or even since then, I have never found a method or substitute that closely matches the deep savory taste of meat.

A Seitan Bourguignon from Myra Kornfeld's Voluptuous Vegan cookbook. I haven't tried this recipe, though I have tried other recipes in this cookbook and liked them. You can sub dried shittake mushrooms for the porcini. http://www.theveggietable.com/blog/vegetarian-recipes/soups/mock-beef-bourguignon/

Anna Thomas has a winter vegetable stew in her Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks that I've always liked, even though I'm not vegetarian. I've only tried the version in her original cookbook. The sauce is delicious and rich from garlic, white wine, lots of mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, and other ingredients. The Worcestershire sauce is the cheat. It contains anchovies. The New Vegetarian Epicure cookbook has a variation on this stew that subs soy sauce for the Worcestershire sauce. If you're using tofu, I suggest pressing or squeezing out some of the liquid before marinating the tofu or adding it to the stew. The tofu liquid will only dull the flavors in your final dish. Winter Veg Stew recipe from original Vegetarian Epicure cookbook on Googlebooks (keep scrolling): http://books.google.com/books?id=CVf1AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT398&lpg=PT398&dq=winter+vegetable+stew+vegetarian+epicure&source=bl&ots=NOl2heTl5T&sig=B57DSsMhrgHLptt38O5iLqNBtog&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ySnKUvSEC4LroASugYH4Bg&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=winter%20vegetable%20stew%20vegetarian%20epicure&f=false Adapted Winter Veg Stew recipe from New Vegetarian Epicure cookbook: http://andreasgardencooking.com/2013/12/22/winter-vegetable-stew/

Ditto. But I will bring some good wine and offer to do the cleanup. I've never had friends and relatives drop on me in quite that fashion, and expect good meals at odd hours. They know I'm more likely to scrounge in the freezer and defrost some hot dogs for them. A lot depends on the kind of messages you put out to people, you know... When you've had time to recover from the crush, you'll probably feel better about all these visits, hectic as the situation was. My last invitation to my brother, who lives on the East Coast, went like this: Me: We haven't seen each other in a while. Would you like to come visit here? He: Is it Dungeness crab season yet? I guess my family is different from yours.

Others have said this, I agree, learn to judge the consistency of bread dough to know it's right. For a lean bread dough (unbleached flour, yeast, salt, water), I look for a firm dough that springs into a rounded shape after it is kneaded. When you touch the surface of the dough with your finger, it is slightly tacky like scotch tape. The dough should not be so moist as to stick like paste to your finger, nor dry and hard from too much flour. How much breadbaking have you done? I would not recommend starting with brioche, which you mentioned upthread. Brioche is tricky because of the large amt of butter and eggs that it contains. Also, for proper mixing and kneading of this heavy dough, working with a stand mixer is best. Anybody else with ideas about brioche?

If I were doing this, I would toss the hot cooked pasta with just enough bland oil (vegetable oil) to keep it from clumping, then let it cool. Toss the pasta with your hands to minimize breaking the pasta. At time of service, I would reheat the pasta in the microwave with a small bit of water, then toss it with the hot cheese sauce. I vaguely remember using the hot pasta with oil technique long ago when I was assisting a chef in a cooking class (5 pasta dishes!) and that was his method to hold the pasta. If you have some truffle oil, add a few drops to the hot pasta, along with the vegetable oil, and that will give the mac & cheese even more truffled oomph. have fun at your NYE dinner!

The Spanish Table in Berkeley has Valencian and bomba rices for paella. I like the Lundberg basmati rice also, and I cook with it frequently. It's sold at Whole Foods. The Lundberg Farm first caught my attention years ago for its pro-conservation and ecological farm practices. More about that here: http://www.lundberg.com/Commitment/Egg_Aid.aspx

I didn't mention this book before because it tries to be health-conscious. Perhaps this is more of what you are looking for: Vintage Cakes, by Julie Richardson. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607741024/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1M8B8M2NWQ8DZVKGEFQN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1630083462&pf_rd_i=507846 I haven't tried any recipes, only spent some time reading through the book, which I borrowed from my public library. If I remember correctly (it's been awhile since I looked at this), the author subs canola oil for some butter, tries to keep the sugar amts low, uses brown sugar. That's why I chose not to buy the book. I don't eat cake for vitamins. The cookbook includes all kinds of classic cakes, not only layer cakes. Just to put all this in perspective, you're asking for a difficult combination: layer cakes + light + alternative (meringues, fruits, yogurts) + moderate baking skill = absolutely delicious. The people here have made some excellent suggestions. Instead of a single cookbook, you may find you'll have to research conventional recipes and experiment with them to fit your needs. You can also experiment with a basic genoise or sponge cake recipe, cut the cake into layers, and fill the layers with fruit, yogurt cheese, or whatever else might suit you. Instead of frosting, try a simple glaze, like a lemon glaze or melted apricot jam. Andiesenji, I'm so glad you mentioned the Southern Cakes cookbook. I came across that cookbook after reading Sarah Addison Allen's novel, The Girl Who Chased The Moon, about a woman who makes magic by baking great Southern cakes. Really, those two books should be sold as a set.

Natural Value is a canned coconut milk brand without preservatives or guar gum. It's canned in non-BPA tin. The coconut milk has a nice clean flavor. Offhand I can't point to a market that sells it, though. The people I know buy it online. Other superior brands of canned coconut milk are Chaokoh and Mae Ploy, most often found in Asian supermarkets.

I guess I have to ask--why do you want a mandoline? IMO, the mandoline is useful for paper thin slicing, maybe some other unusual cuts. A food processor can be good and certainly safer to use for julienne and some slicing. Your best tool, though, are your knife skills. With practice (and maybe some knife skills classes) you can do anything a mandoline can do, and you can do it more cheaply, just as fast, and more safely. IMO, a mandoline is tricky to use, even by pros. One moment of inattention, and you can have a very bad cut on your hand. In my experience, a disturbing number of restaurant kitchen horror stories involve someone using a mandoline. I'm not familiar with the mandoline in your link. I will caution you that the "safety food holder," which is similar to something that came with my Benriner slicer, is not that stable. In fact, if you go fast, with enough pressure on it, your hand can slip off the holder towards the blade. That happened to me, though I was quick enough to get my hand out of the way and avoid injury. I've been told that a kevlar glove will give you some protection, and it's essential if you use a mandoline, but it's not 100% foolproof against injury. So pardon me for asking, why do you want a mandoline?

I was shopping for a few things at my local Whole Foods today, and stopped by the cheese counter "just to look." By the time I finished looking, I had put three different cheeses in my shopping cart. From the top, clockwise: a double-cream Fromage d'Affinois; a slightly stinky, washed rind Fontina Val D'Aosta; and a new cheese for me, an ash-covered mild goat cheese from Italy, Nerina Alta Langa. Served with some crusty bread on the side, and in the glass, a tasty white Cotes du Rhone (2012 Chateau Pegau Cotes du Rhone Blanc ‘Cuvee Lone’ ). I liked the Nerina, and I would buy it again. At the cheese counter, its appearance put off the shopper next to me, but I was intrigued. It has this puffy, greenish-gray, ashy rind that looks like it's covering something decaying or disreputable. Fortunately, it tastes way better than it looks. The Nerina is fairly new to the U.S. More about it here: http://www.sfgate.com/food/cheesecourse/article/Ash-coated-Nerina-tantalizes-the-senses-4793694.php

For a Thanksgiving meal, I like to pair with an off-dry riesling or gewurztraminer. Those wines go well with turkey, stuffing, and the different sides. They seem more appealing for people who aren't much for wine drinking, also. If you can get hold of this wine on short notice, I can also recommend 2012 Chateau Pegau Cotes du Rhone Blanc ‘Cuvee Lone’. My long-time wine vendor offered an email discount and tasting at his store yesterday. By the time I wandered in at mid-afternoon, they were almost sold out. People had been coming in, tasting, and buying a few bottles--or more. I bought a couple bottles myself. This is a white Cotes-du-Rhone, the first vintage from an old vines vineyard bought and restored by a well-known Chateauneuf-du-Pape winemaker. It's crisp, fresh, very well-balanced, with a superb aroma and nice finish, too. Good fruit, with more depth than most white wines of this type. Meant to be drunk young, within a year. I expect it to be very food-friendly with a variety of foods, and the price is right, about $20 per bottle. This one could be a comer for the value wine market. The wine is a blend of grapes with a funky reputation: Clairette , Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc and Ugni Blanc. I said to my vendor, "Aren't those the grapes people usually throw away?" This wine is real good, though, which proves that there is really no bad wine grape, it all depends on what you do with it.

You know, I'm not really either. This is definitely a strong contender. Consider dressing up your basic bread, cheese, and charcuterie with special condiments and sides. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. Such as: various mustards, fig jam, onion jam, quince paste, olive tapenade, halved dried figs, dried apricots, toasted nuts, Spanish piquillo peppers (serve in slivers, they're very flavorful & expensive), sundried tomatoes in olive oil, cornichons, caperberries, chutneys, sliced fresh apples and pears, grapes, honey. This website has some ideas for matching cheeses: http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cheese/cheese2/cheese-condiments.asp Maybe a mesclun salad with a very light dressing of vinaigrette also on the table. People could put together their own small plates of bread, cheese, charcuterie and condiment, with a small bit of green salad on the side.

Since people are coming hungry, and might want something filling and savory to cushion the drinks-- - Chicken liver pate. I've made something like this, only with shallots, sage, thyme, and tiny bit of lavender. With this recipe, I'd play it safe and sub white wine for the red. http://recipes.aarp.org/recipes/chicken-liver-pacirctegrave - Some kind of warm meatballs appetizer. They may sound corny, but people gobble 'em up at parties. I don't have a good recipe. Does anybody else? - Herbed Sundried Tomatoes. I must make this dish for half the potlucks I go to. I gently fold chunks of mild goat cheese (Laura Chenel's Chevre) or feta cheese into the mix before service. I accompany it with slices of crusty bread. People love it and always ask me the recipe. The tomatoes can be cooked 2-3 days ahead, if you like, and stored in the fridge. Here: http://www.callwild.com/recipe.php?id=1 I'd advise against mixing wine and a desserts theme. If you do, the wine has to be the sweeter than the dessert, or the combination is blah. good luck with your party!

How I will remember Dave...he was thoughtful and generous to volunteer for a blog here when members and mgmt needed something to help heal the rift between them. Wherever you are, thanks, Dave.