mzrb

I have tried the usual sources (whole foods, etc.) for unwaxed lemons, but to no avail. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good north jersey source for unwaxed lemons? i am trying to make limoncello, and while with much scrubbing could undoubtedly use waxed ones (sigh), i'd like to see if anyone has any suggestions. I promise you a fresh cold glass of limoncello if your suggestion pans out! java script:emoticon('') thanks in advance.

Your advice is helping to steady my nerves, thanks. I'm going to do a test run this afternoon and see how that goes. Chefpeon, am i correct in thinking I should just ensure I have enough batter for the 16" pan (apparently I'll need 15 cups) and that is good enough? Berenbaum has a recipe for a wedding cake that serves 11 and can easily be scaled up to suit the number of people. Assuming a 16" double layer cake feeds 70, as some suggest, i was thinking of taking her recipe and multiplying it by 6 to get the amount of batter I need... ??? Okay, so i'm still in the a-little-nervous, overthinking-it stage... i appreciate all your thoughts!

Hello there, I've just spent hours reviewing old posts and am overwhelmed by the wonderful information on this site. Not to mention the kindly people willing to help others when the cause is pastry! But do you know the feeling when you've read so much, you can't make sense of anything any more? My question: Am baking a two-layer 16" chocolate cake for a party. I have read Rose Levy Berenbaum and am convinced that I need to do more than just multiply a recipe to get the right number of cups of batter. Her point being that you must adjust the leavening (lessen it) to make adjustments for structural tension. Am getting nervous enough that I might cave and buy a million boxes of duncan hines to alleviate worry and ensure success...but i'd always know that I cheated. Anyone out there willing to hold my hand and talk me through this one? Fool-proof chocolate cake recipes for a 16" pan? Fearless ways to go about this? Thanks in advance. (and if anyone is wondering...it's for a "Summer of Love"-themed birthday party, so the cake will eventually be trimmed into a peace sign shape, glazed with chocolate glaze and then decorated with smiley face-iced butter cookies.)

May I third that emotion over Gina's? The brioche bread is a staple in our house. The apple turnover the best I've had (I really want to know how he makes that super thin sugar crust). Not as fond of his buttercream layercakes...but you could stick a birthday candle in his prosciutto bread and make me very happy! Their scones (golden raisin and pecan, esp) are exemplary, as well. I am keen to go the Balthazar bakery in Englewood...is that worth it?

Time to confess: A Costco cake is under consideration. Just not sure I have the nerve to bring it to the restaurant unless we also order "real" desserts. ← Saveur magazine recently confessed similarly! They listed the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting as one of their Top 100...(in this past year's issue).

My recent experiences with Greenberg were not so great...I grew up with their cakes, but perhaps it was just the disparity between childhood memory and my adult palate?

Can I chime in and second/third(?) the comment about her olive oil gelato? It is unbelievable (well, it's unbelievable initially that you would consider eating olive oil gelato)...then you close your eyes and dig in. And never look back. It's a poem! ENJOY.

Easy. Hands down (okay, okay, IMHO!) best birthday cake you can get is from Duane Street Patisserie on, yes, Duane Street in Tribeca. Moist cake layers, wonderful ganache or buttercream filliings...you can happily combine them to create your perfect cake. They can do beautiful floral designs, or whatever pleases you. A friend used them for her kids' birthdays (the kids didn't care...but the adults at the party were overjoyed to eat such good cake) recently and they made an adorable plaque of a monkey for one and a pirate flag for another...The monkey cake had a scrumptious banana mousse filling. All the ingredients are the best of the best...They cake is simplicity itself, and yet elegan. None of this hyper-sugar-overload that you get from places like Magnolia. And, speaking of cupcakes...their take on a Hostess cupcake is tops. It is my birthday cake place of choice. I hope you like it too. (At the very least, try the cupcake!)

I, too, used to have a lot of problem with bundt cakes sticking, especially in the fancy/elaborate bundt pans i seem to be collecting lately...i tried a tip off the label of one of the pans I got from Williams-Sonoma...butter/PAM spray the bundt pan, then instead of just plain-old flouring the pan...use Wondra. Worked a treat. Hope it works for you, too.

I second Olives...altho I prefer the plain chocolate chip cookie. Get two. (They also make a homemade Ring Ding...but that's a story for another day). City Bakery's choc chip cookie does not do it for me...too gooey and baking soda-y... I will say that Whole Foods' choc chip cookie, when the need strikes, goes a long way towards satisfying...

Speaking of La Bergamote, depending on the time of day you get there, the pain au chocolat are good, but their almond croissant, altho a little on the dark side sometimes, are even better...and if you're lucky, you can have their...wait for it...almond AND chocolate croissant, which is even better. later in the day, I'd have one of their dacquoise...so few places in the city make them anymore! Lilac Chocolate in the West Village is always worth a go as far as old-fashioned American chocolate shops are concerned. Their dark chocolate pecan turtle is a particular favorite. Enjoy!

I am pretty sure the store you're thinking of is Fishs Eddy. One of their stores (their used to be a couple) is located at 19th Street and Broadway, northwest corner of the street. What a wonderful personal memorial to make!

I made the Swedish Visiting Cake the other day when I only had a 10 minutes to spare. And just as the intro promised, I was able to whisk it together in no time. Unfort., I was without any almonds or almond extract, but substituted orange zest and then made cute little dollops of raspberry jam on the top. It is a must-try recipe (almond or jam or however you decide to amend it). Simple, and with an inviting, dense, buttery--almost chewy--consistency. Very more-ish as the English say. I trained as a pastry chef, so my husband has eaten a lot of cake over the years; he claims this to be his favorite...

Where is Hunan Cottage located in Fairfield? Say, in relationship to Rte 46. I am desperate for decent Chinese in this area. Can't wait. Thanks.