[Recipes to showcase specialty salts?]

Recently I sprinkled smoked sea salt over roasted white asparagus - it was a really good combination.

[Walnut Oil]

I bought some walnut oil and I really like it - so far I've only used it in salad dressings, does anyone have other recipes/ideas?

[Yuzu]

I didn't have a specific recipe in mind at the time I purchased it, I was just excited to see it and it was an impulse buy. This time I'm planning to do a little research first since they're not cheap.

[Pâte de Fruits (Fruit Paste/Fruit Jellies) (Part 1)]

I tried the Jacques Torres recipe using applesauce and I couldn't get it to set up. Plus it was unbelievably sweet. I may have done something wrong in terms of the cooking process, but the sugar content seems high.

[Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 4)]

I recently whittled mine down to about 35. I have gotten quite a few cookbooks in the last two months (chocolate & vanilla, 3 barefoot contessa books, Martha Stewart Living, Bread Baker's Apprentice, Professional Chef) and I am waiting for Bouchon and French Laundry to come in the mail.

I gave some of the books I don't use anymore to a friend. Some of the books I had were more basic from when I was just learning to cook, and I know I won't use them again.

[bagel schmear]

I'm not sure I have a brand preference when it comes to cream cheese, but it has to be whipped!

[Ramsay's fashion nightmare]

Seriously, Mario Batali has committed way worse fashion blunders.

[Yuzu]

I went to a produce market over the weekend that had a selection of fresh yuzu. Yellow and green were available, and they were about the size of a lime. I picked out a yellow one, and when I went to pay, they didn't charge me for it because they said it didn't have any juice. When I got home and juiced it, they were right, it literally didn't have any juice!

Has anyone ever seen this before? I'm going back there at the end of this week - should I try again? Maybe buy a green one this time?

[Quinces]

I made this marmalade yesterday. I added seeds scraped from a vanilla bean. It's great and a really nice color.

[Vanilla Beans: The Topic]

I have an assortment of tahitian and mexican vanilla beans. Any good recipes I should try? Thanks!

[Gingerbread Houses - Pictures]

Those are beautiful! Gary, what is your snow made out of?

[Walnut Oil - how do they make it?]

That is really interesting. Anyone have any creative uses for walnut oil? I basically just use it to make vinaigrette.

[Hanukah/Chanukah/Hannukah]

This year my family decided to do something totally untraditional. We're going to do a food tour of Berkeley (CA) and pick up whatever we find along the way that looks good to assemble hanukkah dinner. Should be fun!

[Fleur de sel SALT]

I have Penzey's fleur de sel. I just picked up some smoked sea salt at Dean and Deluca - now that's some good stuff!

[All I want for Christmas is? wish lists to die for]

I also want a stand mixer - just don't like the idea of having it on the counter in my small kitchen.

I'm interested in a pasta roller - same issue with space

Le creuset dutch oven

Tartlet tins

What I know I'm getting this year...

The Thomas Keller cookbook set, a bunch of vanilla beans, subscriptions to a couple of food magazines.

So that's pretty good!

[What don't you buy anymore?]

I stopped buying most bread products. As long as you plan in advance, it's not that difficult or time consuming to make your own bread.

Ina Garten has a great recipe for barbecue sauce in her original Barefoot Contessa cookbook that keeps for a long time in the fridge.

I always make my own pasta sauce. Very easy, freezes well and no chemicals.

I make different kinds of pesto (basil/pine nut, parsley/walnut, cilantro/pepita) and freeze it in ice cube trays.

[New Westfield San Francisco Centre]

Somewhat related - I went to Lark Creek Steak upstairs and was not impressed. Normally I like Bradley Ogden's restaurants (Lark Creek, One Market, Yankee Pier), but this was not the same quality. The food was tasteless and greasy.

[Strange Vegetables]

I bought a buddha's hand recently. At $7.50/lb, mine came out to about $5. It smelled wonderful, but the zest was really bitter. I tried to candy some of it, and couldn't get the bitterness out, even with multiple rinsings. I also froze some of the raw zest to use for baking, maybe it will be better in a cake or muffins or something.

[Where to buy almond paste]

I have taken to making almond paste based macaroons. All I've been able to find in my local stores is the 7 oz tube by Odense, which is very pricey, and doesn't even supply me with the 8 ounces I need for the recipe.

I've done a search online and found almond paste in cans, but never more than 10 ounces to a pound per can. Is there a place you'd recommend where I can buy a few pounds of almond paste for a decent price?

[cellophane bags]

I've also been able to find them in party supply stores. The Michaels by me has a surprisingly good selection, as well as candy wrappers and other items that aren't that easy to find.

[Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 2)]

I was wondering about citrus flavored marshmallows, like lemon or lime. 

Do you think it would be OK to add lime or lemon juice to the water and gelatin at the beginning of the recipe (in place of the vanilla)?  Or would the acid screw things up?

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I was thinking that an extract or citrus oil might work best, but I haven't tried it yet. I made Ina Garten's toasted coconut marshmallows last week and they turned out great.