nightscotsman

I have two stainless steel shakers (one full size, one single serving size) that I use regularly and have never had this problem. I think it's all in the design and fit of the pieces. I especially use my smaller one the most since I usually make only one or two drinks at a time. The large glass and steel version would be overkill and cumbersome for my needs, though I can understand why professionals would like it - it can be much faster. I have a set of these stainless steel cocktail picks that really dress up a drink: http://www.happycookers.com/wc.dll/product...ge/1-17551.html

Absolutely.

I'm in.

After day one of using the new KitchenAid 6 quart "test" mixers it seems they work fine. We made brioche Parisienne and danish dough in them. The mixer seemed to have plenty of power and are responsive, and though the bowl is noticably shorter and wider than the 5 quart, it didn't seem to make much difference using the paddle and dough hook. However, one big annoyance is the noise they make - much louder and whinier than the 5 quart. For that reason alone I would tend to stick with the smaller model, but we shall see if any other issues pop up over the next few weeks. What issues did others have with the current 6 quart? Is there anything I should be looking for that is a known problem that may have been fixed in the test models?

At the French Pastry School we are using 5 quart KitchenAids everything but large batches of bread dough (for which we have a smallish Hobart). However, on Friday they took away our 5 quarts and replaced them with brand-new 6 quart machines. It seems that KitchenAid is planning on making some changes to the model - mostly involving the motor - and needed to place them in a test kitchen to get feedback before finalizing the details. We haven't used them yet, so I can't say if they are better or worse, but I'll try to post more info this week.

Very helpful Klinger, but you left out the most important part - dessert! What kind if work is their pastry chef doing, or do they even have a pastry chef? One-track minds want to know!

We haven't made macarons at school yet, but the subject came up and I picked up a really interesting (and possibly helpful) tip: They leave their egg whites out at room temperature in an uncovered (very important) bowl for 24 hours so they lose some moisture. The "dried" whites create a much more stable foam. Of course the students were concerned that this would be a sanitation risk, but we learned that egg whites actually have some natural anti-bacterial agents in them - the instructor even said they could leave the whites out for a week and he would personally drink them to show they were fine . He did stress that the bowl had to be uncovered or the whites might start to get moldy.

I don't think you could do it the night before, because you would have to store it in the fridge and it would probably get soggy. Soggy bacon = baaaad. I've had heyjude's bacon candy and it's very hard to stop eating - love it! Martha also has a similar recipe in her hors d'oeuvres book.

Thanks for the update, Hobbes. I do hope the restaurant is not as annoying as their web site. The menu looks interesting, though.

Unfortunately I think your experience was more typical than not. I myself had one of the worst high-priced meals ever at Cascadia, and I ordered their "signature" tasting menu (see review here - scroll down to almost the bottom of the page). Give me Brasa a few blocks away over Cascadia anyday.

I ran into this term for the very first time last week at the French Pastry School. When the recipe called for it we just mixed our own. I think it makes sense to buy the almond flour and sugar, since you need them separately in so many other reicpes anyway. What quantities of almond flour are you looking for? Are you baking at home in small quantity, or professionally in big batches?

Well, Lady T and Aurora were kind enough to meet me after class and escort me to the gathering on the Scary Big City Bus, so we got there a little late at about 8:15. Thanks ladies. Not being a beer person myself I don't feel qualified to comment on the brews, but I did sample a lovely English mead that was very nice - somewhat sweet with a rich honey flavor. I also had the smoked duck sandwich, which was excellent, and some perfectly crisp thin cut frites with garlic aioli. I would go back to Hopleaf for the fries alone. Aurora and Guajalote were in fine form dreaming up new products to market and the infomercials to hawk them. That girl needs her own TV show. And of course we gossiped about all the eGulleters that didn't show up.

I have an old Donvier 1 pint machine that I got when they first came out. Works great for me, but you have to make sure your freezer is at or near the coldest temperature setting. I find it works best if you give the handle a couple cranks right after you pour in the mix, then let it sit for 5 minutes to freeze a layer on the sides. Crank a few more times to scrape the solid part off, let rest to freeze again and repeat. after about 20-30 minutes of this I usually have a thick soft-serve consistency.

Well, the buttermilk does make it thicker to start with, but I think it's mostly a flavor and ease thing (just two ingredients). I'm sure the method was developed for kids. Probably anything would work, though some mixtures will take longer to freeze.

I tried this a couple weeks ago and it actually seems to work. You have to use plenty of ice, shake a lot (use potholders - it gets very cold), and the finished product is quite soft, but it was kind of fun. It's better to eat right away since it gets very hard when left in the freezer. Magic Buttermilk Sorbet 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup salt 2 cups ice 1 quart-size resealable bag 1 gallon-size resealable bag In the quart-size resealable bag, combine sugar and buttermilk. Seal the bag. In the gallon size resealable bag, combine salt and ice. Insert the smaller bag into the larger one and seal, letting all the air out. Shake continuously for 5 minutes. When buttermilk stiffens, remove the small bag and dip into cold water to remove salt from the outside of the bag. Freeze or serve immediately. To serve, open bag and scoop out sorbet.

I was TOLD I was just there on a bad day, but it's true - I wasn't overly impressed with Besalu. My first choice for pastries would be the Essential Bakery in Wallingford. And please try the Capitol Club for dinner. It was one of my favorite places, but it doesn't get nearly the notice it desserves.

Count me in for the yeasted waffle gang. I prefer the recipe in "How to Cook Everything" - it is almost exactly the same as Marion Cunningham's, but uses less butter and I think works better. You do need to start them the night before, but the prep time is nothing and they have a much richer flavor than other waffles. If you can't plan that far ahead, there was an exellent recipe for light and crispy buttermilk waffles in Fine Cooking magazine a couple years ago. Let me know if you would like it and I'll PM it to you.

I believe there are a field of them in front of Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach at very low tide. Lots of starfish and anemones, but I don't remember seeing many urchins.

For me it really depends on the type of restaurant whether I eat or even notice the bread. I like some bread while I'm waiting for my food at mid-range restaurants - especially Italian - because I usually arrive hungry. But after the app arrives I pretty much ignore the bread. At high end places I often don't eat the bread (unless it's outrageously exceptional) since there is usually an amuse served right away and there isn't a big lag between courses (if everything is running smoothly). There is usually so much going on in my mouth in terms of flavors and textures that bread just seems pointless. Which brings me to my initial reaction to your idea about the snacks paired with each course: on paper it sounds really interesting, but I think as a diner I would find them to be a distraction. You are already demanding much of the customer in terms of opening their minds and palates to new flavor combinations and creative presentations, and adding yet another item on the table might make things too complicated. I say don't lose your focus and let the diner concentrate on the main creation. If you must offer something instead of bread, I think it should be very simple in composition and flavor to act as a background, and not try to mimic the ingredients in the dish served. That would be my preference anyway.

I just wanted to chime in that I had a great time and actually learned something - sort of like "Restaurant Kitchen Rock". Chef William was a good teacher with lots of colorful stories of life on the hot side. It was fascinating seeing all the prep and separately cooked compontents that went into making his dishes - and they were really, really tasty dishes too. Definitely made me want to eat dinner at Mistral. My favorite moment? discovering "Desserts for Dummies" on the kitchen bookshelf.

Best. Caramel corn. Ever. What was the name of the nut shop that was near the ice rink? [something] House of Nuts? I always loved that place as a kid.

Welcome jeffG! Glad you found our little group of obsessives. Let us know if you have any questions, and be sure check out the rest of the forums for other great food topics.

I filled the molds to within about 1/8 of an inch from the top. The first batch didn't rise at all during baking and shrank about 1/8 of an inch in height when done. The second batch rose to just above the rim and shrank back to the same height as the raw batter. From my experiments with other recipes, it seems that the quantity of egg whites is the biggest factor in expansion and rise, so I think I might try a test using the ingredients and quantities in Paula's recipe for everything but the eggs, and use the 3 yolks and 1/2 a white from the Silverton recipe. And kitwilliams: I also had some food processor leakage problems even with the regular sized batch, so I think I'll stick with the more common bowl and whisk method. I chilled the batter for about 24-25 hours before baking. The second batch had an extra hour in the fridge, but I can't imagine such a short time making a big difference.

So I baked a batch of canelés using Paula Wolfert's recipe today. Actually, I made two batches since I was curious to see if the unusual mixing technique specified by the recipe made a difference in the finished product. The first batch was made exactly following the Paula's recipe - blending the butter and flour in the food processor, adding the sugar, and heating the milk to only 183 F. I baked the canelés using copper molds coated with bee's wax melted with vegetable oil. Though the recipe says to bake for 1-3/4 to 2 hours at 400 F, I found them to be quite dark enough at 1-1/4 hours. They didn't rise at all (so I didn't have any problem with then popping out of the molds), and in fact shrank to smaller that before being baked. I tasted the canelés after they had cooled to room temperature and the crust was quite hard and crisp, fairly similar to the Nancy Silverton recipe, but the inside was lighter and creamier than any version I tried so far. It was much more like a thick pastry cream enclosed in a hard shell than a little cake. Excellent! The second batch I used a more conventional mixing technique: just whisking together the egg yolks, sugar and flour smoothed with a little cold milk, then bringing the milk and butter to a boil and whisking it while still hot into the egg/sugar mixture. The cooled batter was a little thinner than the first batch, but otherwise looked the same. Other than not chilling the molds before pouring in the batter, I baked the second batch the same time and temp as the first. This time the canelés rose a little in the molds and didn't shrink quite as much, resulting in a slightly taller finished product. Cooled, the crust and interior were indistinquishable from the first batch. Both batches made 11 pastries. While I still like the way the Silverton recipe rises a bit and makes a taller canelé, I really liked the light and creamy interior of Paula's version, so I may do some more testing to see if I can produce a version somewhere in between. Thanks again for the recipe and the background info, Paula!

I made Beef Wellington from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated for Thanksgiving a few years ago. It included pate de foie gras as well as mushroom duxelles. It was a hell of a lot of work but turned out really good, especially the red wine sauce that was in the same article. Man, I wanted to take a bath in that sauce...