Fibilou

I want to make an elaborate piece montee based on croquembouche for my upcoming wedding, not to eat but as a centrepiece. As long as I dry out the choux well, how long would the entire thing last ? I would ideally like to construct it the week before and keep in a box with dessicant. I have only made them before for other people, making croquembouche probably not a good thing on my wedding morning !

Oh yes, and I just remembered. Haagen Dazs black sesame ice cream wafer sandwiches

Oh, how I wish I was back in Japan ! You are so lucky - I'm guessing you are Japanese ? Make sure to try unagi at least once. Are you going to Hiroshima, if so I have a great recommendation for a tempura restaurant, I can look it up when I get home. I am very jealous with you talking about Mitsukoshi, my husband hated japan as it magnified my shopping mania ! Hiroyuki, I loved the food when we went to Japan. It was really nice, as a Brit, to try something other than sushi and sashimi - because that (apart from noodles and tempura) is all the Japanese food you get over here. We stayed in Matsumoto for a few days and I loved the forest vegetables. We went in hanami, and I especially loved all the food stalls around in the parks - we were in Kyoto for the tail end of the holiday and the food stands in the park near Gion were wonderful. I have a mania for those steamed char siu pork buns, and tried making some recently after finding a recipe on a Japanese blogger's site. Okonomiyaki !! Yum yum ! If I could afford it I would go back tomorrow ! Some of my pictures are uploaded here - http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/4816878

Or you can use my tried and tested method. Make it look as if you are taking a photograph of your delightful dining companion on this celebration occassion and sneakily include the food in the shot. This worked well for me the first time I took photos in a restaurant as I was embarrassed. Now i have no shame...

We are having an ice cream sundae bar at our upcoming wedding, with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavours. I would like some suggestions for popular toppings - already thinking Homemade marshmallows Homemade chocolate sauce Homemade caramel sauce Homemade tinder toffee Chocolate buttons Pocky sticks Whipped cream Maraschino cherres Any other suggestions ?

I love the almond pocky sticks. Hmm. Tempted now to serve some with coffee at my wedding reception !

No price on the website and despite having stayed there, too embarassed to email them and ask

Going back to Helsinki next month for our honeymoon. Staying at the Kamp, got reservations at Chez Dom and Saslik, will report back ! Any tips for things to do and see in October ? Last time I went was February so it was winter.

I've taken piccies (flash off obviously) in Tour d'argent, le gavroche, Bruneau in Brussels and Jules Verne (on valentine's night). Nobody has ever batted an eyelid.

Had a brainwave last night, we stayed at the Crillon earlier this year and were sad to miss the brunch du monde. His birthday is on a Sunday so I plan to take a 5* day trip

My husband proposed at Tour so for me it will always be associated with happy memories.

Thinking of taking husband to Paris for his birthday and am looking for a good "experience" meal for Saturday lunch on the Eurostar. We've eaten at Tour d'Argent and Jules Verne so those are out. Considering Lassere, Prunier, Pre Catalan, Grande Cascade Any tips, recommendations for me ? Not interested in Taillevent as we did the "old school" experience at T d'A.

Goodness, if I could bear to part with my trio of MPW books I could make a fortune ! There's a paperback of WH on ebay now for £69 !

The wild mushroom is pretty nice. There's also a good tapas bar in Hastings old town - I forget its name.

Who the hell cares if he sounds like the mutant lovechild of Joanna Lumley and David Beckham ? I know I'm only interested in his cooking. Why boring ? Because he wasn't throwing his (admittedly hefty) weight around humiliating people and swearing at them ? Obviously anything is going to be pretty boring compared to the uncontrolled and over excitable Gordon.

For me it has been a pleasure to watch Marco, albeit it a little larger and more patrician than in the days of my serious crush at college. I wanted to do a stage at The Oak Room at college but they wouldnt' let me because of his "abusive reputation" ! I think it has been a very nice change from Mr Sweary Ramsay who only seems to be able to carry a format through being abusive rather than demonstrating his formidable cooking abilities. Gordon has become a parody of himself.

The filling base is a buttercream made with creme anglaise, meringue italienne and butter: Anglaise 180ml milk 140g yolks 140g sugar Merignue 125g whites 15g sugar 250g granulated sugar 75ml water Whisk together with 750g soft butter, if it separates do not worry as it will come back to a smooth emulsion. Add rose syrup to finish Put the pastries together with raspberries and chopped lychees; refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

Caterer and Hotelkeeper (industry mag here in the UK) did a 4 page special with the Great Man last week, with a photographic feature on the Ispahan recipe, including ratios of fresh/dry eggs, drying time and everything. So here is the recipe (I really hope this passes the copyright test) for 21 x 55mm cakes: 390g ground almonds 390g icing sugar 145g fresh egg whites 5g carmine colouring 5g strawberry colouring - make this all into a paste 380g granulated sugar 95ml water 145g old egg whites 2g egg white powder - make a merginue italienne and mix with almond paste - beat in 1/5th and fold in the rest. This gives a dropping texture. Using silicone paper pipe out your 55mm circles, 1cm apart. Tap the underside of the tray with your free hand, leave in a warm place until the surface is smooth and no longer sticky - if not the surface cracks Bake at 165c until crisp and easily removed from the paper.

i made my first foray into confectionery for several years on Saturday, made some rose marshmallows. I have to say, I am quite pleased with the result, which has all been eaten ! http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11797562...470_1419161.jpg http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11797562...4470_612023.jpg

I'm making some bride and groom moulded chocs for favours for my wedding in october and really fancied using some coloured cocoa butter. However it seems to be really difficult to get hold of in the UK and the one place I've found it only sold a selection pack for £63 - about $130 Can anyone advise whether they have had success colouring up their own cocoa butter and if so, what colouring compounds they used to do so. Or recommend any UK sites that don't charge through the nose....

A bit of a using up leftovers day today. Potato rosti with cucumber and tomato salad, some lettuce, smoked salmon and lime juice. Yummy !

We went to the Gare du Midi market on Sunday - it's fab !

Having just got back, I HIGHLY recommend Bruneau. It was superlative. We had the 49e menu for lunch including wine and coffee. I will review once I get the camera pictures downloaded. Also had a very enjoyable ris de veau (sweetbreads) panned in speculoos biscuits at a small brasserie, Entree des Artistes on the Grand Sablon. Very tasty and an unusual combination of ingredients.

Any excuse !

While on a tour of Japan my boyfriend and I had dinner in a tempura resto in Hiroshima - where we had the most mindblowing prawn ever. It came out of the tank alive, knifed and prepped within moments. Anyway, I promise I am getting to the point. When the prawn was prepared, the chef battered the exoskeleton and fried it. It was unbelievably delicious and I need a tip as to - do the prawns have to be just freshly killed for this ? Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ? I hope this makes sense to someone out there...