baroness

Of course you can use other grapes, or a mix - I find the green ones to be less flavorful. I like various chicken sausages (parsley-cheese, spinach-Asiago, apple, etc.) in this dish for a lighter result, too.

I think you are a true eGulleteer; sometimes appetite triumphs over photography.

Roasted Sausages with Red Grapes 2 large yellow onions, chopped 4 Italian sausages, about 6 oz. each 1 lb. red seedless grapes approx. 1/4 c EV olive oil salt 2 T good balsamic vinegar, or to taste Oven 475F. Brown onions and sausages (do not need to cook through now). Wash grapes; drain and toss with oil. Place onions and sausages in 8" square pan and top with the grapes. Bake 25 min, turning sausages once. Plate the sausages; put the grapes and juices into a small pan, season, and reduce to syrupy. Take off the heat, add balsamic to taste, and pour over meat. Good with potatoes and greens.

I'm happy to see that I am not the only one who likes far less oily dressings. In some cases, I'll up that to 1:2, 1:3 ............

Very good question!

There are a number of manual bread slicing guides; take a look at eBay for ideas. When slicing freehand (I don't have the above), I find that that getting good results are similar to driving: look *where you want to go* and let your body take care of the rest.

Booze depends on what you like; perhaps grappa, perhaps something more neutral. I'd like just a hint of anisette, personally. For a savory dish, there's always sausages baked with grapes and onions -- simple but more than the sum of its parts.

A lot of butter has the potential to cover many 'sins'..........

Try googling 'schiacciata;' it is a flatbread with grapes baked into it. You could enhance the grapes' flavor by halving them and soaking in a bit of booze first.

Anna, those DO look good. And quite similar! Maybe I can meld the 2 recipes together, taking my very thin raw potatoes and Jarlsberg and adding (a smaller amount of) butter and trying THAT amount of cream in place of the half & half. I have a feeling the neighbors will be getting samples to try, as I try to perfect this dish.

I was considering using Klondike Rose potatoes for this, but I'm not likely to pick THOSE up until Thursday. Not much time to test before Saturday.... OR: Should I scrap the individual serving idea, make a large shallow pan with these ingredients, and cut (the hopefully firm) gratin into squares or triangles???

I had rested-20 minutes or so- samples for lunch; warm and tasty but too much cream/sauce to eat gracefully. Now I checked on the well-cooled ones and they are about the same consistency. They need to be drier.

As the date for the VIP reception I'm directing is near, I'm testing the new recipes. The gratins are very tasty but do not hold together well. Here's the recipe: Individual Potato Gratins
 • 2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced (I found that ONE 8-oz. potato was enough for all 8 tins) • 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese (I used 3 oz. of Jarlsberg) • 2 green onions, finely chopped • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream (I used 1 cup) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. (I used the disposable foil cups) Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate (yeah, right!) and serve. 1. Would grating the potatoes help? 2. What about adding an egg, or a portion of an egg? Or flour? As I used the maximum amount of cream in the test batch, I'll cut back on that. The cheese flavor is nicely balanced now; otherwise I could 'glue' them together with more cheese. Ideas are very welcome!

The SAF freezes beautifully; as I stated above, I keep a small (maybe 4 oz./125ml) glass jar full in the refrigerator, and freeze the rest.

You may be able to find barley malt syrup at a natural foods store.

Some styles of bakery bread are better, IMO, than even the best home baking because they have steam ovens and other equipment at their disposal. But -- who knows what preservatives, 'dough enhancers' or whatever lurk within? As far as I know, bakeries are not required to list ingredients as 'supermarket-industrial' items do. I need to check on my bread dough...whose ingredients ARE known!

I keep a small glass jar of yeast in the refrigerator; the remainder sealed tightly and frozen.

I heartily agree about the value of real-world experience. I do NOT believe in relying on Wikipedia as the information is constantly changing and sometimes VERY incorrect. I do believe most of what I read here on eG.

(all quotations from Wiki) (eta--darn, slkinsey beat me to it) This shows the problems with Wikipedia. Glass HAS no crystals (it is in a supercooled liquid state in temperatures under 800F or so), or ability to MAKE crystals. Glass can be etched by acids or sandblasting.

Try 'canned air,' as used to clean electronics, etc.

Both King Arthur Flour and Kerekes (bakedeco.com) sell the Zeroll dishers; Kerekes has *all* the sizes.

Hell's Kitchen is great for both breakfast and lunch - enjoy!

Blether, I took a very fast glance at your post and read MICE for "mince"! Super WTF? moment! ha ha ha eeeeeeewwwwww

What would be the thinking behind that? I store mine standing, loosely rolled in a large cardboard oats container. Perhaps they would 'warp' or develop a bump/ridge near the lower edge. Think of what happens to a rolled-up rug stored on one end for a while.

I wash mine on the (already cleaned - once) pan or cookie sheet for support. When they have been rinsed, I either use strong clothespins to hang them from my upper dishwasher rack, or use strong magnetic clothespins to attach them elsewhere for a quick drip-dry. I store mine in a stack between larger cookie sheets - thanks, Mom, for that tip