jumanggy

Those look ridiculously good, Patrick! I joined the forum when you weren't around, but your reputation is such that I've been peeking periodically at your Flickr gallery-- you can probably take a picture of a peppercorn and it would look good. Meanwhile, my Triple Cremes are all gone, so I've been leafing through all my Chocolatiers, plus Flo Braker and CDBPH on what to do next!

I've seen a 12-cup pan especially for mini cheesecakes; it has a removable bottom for each straight-sided cup. Haven't seen it in action though. http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Metallic-Com...e/dp/B0006SJZJ8

I third the Devil's Food Cake. With Milk Chocolate Frosting. Or, just stick candles into a stack of brownies and call it a day

Argh! That looks amazing, David. There's not much in the sense of get-togethers in my life to even try to construct a plated dessert, and looking at your picture now makes me wish that random people would just drop by. For whom did you make the dessert?

Looks fantastic, Megan. Doesn't look like you need a pastry bag anyways!

That's an impressive collection of hot sauces/pastes! Now I'm really excited about your upcoming anniversary dinner!

Well, that's a good reason to leave as any. I wish you luck in your new direction.

Yay! I got the book for the reasonable cost of PhP500 (about $10) recently. Since I'd just made cake, I thought I would start out by making something no one here's commented on, the Triple Creme. It was the first time I would make creme brulee and creme anglaise, and I was nervous, but the creme brulee set like a dream (had to cook it for longer as my ramekins were deep). However, I had a problem with the deep chocolate cream. I didn't know if it was ever supposed to set up (the description of Coupe Malsherbes implied that it could be scooped), but it never did. I'm not sure if I should have added another egg yolk (one of them was smallish) or if I should have just measured with my existing candy thermometer (the track test for the anglaise worked out fine). Part of me was afraid of cooking the anglaise too far. Anyway, I was disappointed that the texture (one of the three 'T's of Pierre Herme... ha ha) didn't work out for the dessert as a whole. Not good for the confidence of a starting-out dessert guy! Now I'm afraid to tackle the ganaches. Which means I'll probably make a nude Faubourg Pave next, ha ha

I agree. I first learned the technique from Caprial's ancient cooking show, Caprial's Cafe, I think. But if your knife isn't sharp and therefore might go where it shouldn't, the step should probably be skipped.

I've always used the internet recipe for "Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies" by Top Secret Recipe, which I'm sure is almost identical to the Nestle Tollhouse recipe. My friends keep requesting it (and I keep protesting because making it constantly limits my growth as a baker). Also, it's nothing like Mrs. Field's, but is still a great recipe, but nothing out of the ordinary. Im excited to see what you guys have in store!

Congratulations... You have now guaranteed the reappearance of this horror for the rest of your professional life. Hi! Welcome to the forum!

Caramel, though grape jam would probably be nice too.

Aaah, GTO beat me to it! Great minds! The first story sounds awful too, evongvisith. There are so many vegetarian pastas I'd sooner eat before Ragu that there's no excuse to serve bad tofu pasta.

(Boy this thread is ancient...) In the first page, Sugarella gave some advice on cake shrinkage and how it should be avoided. I've noticed that all the cakes I've made separate from the walls of the pan even if the cake itself isn't overbaked (the crumb seemed perfect to me..). I'm worried that if I ever decide to use the springform to assemble a torte, the cake layer will be smaller than the diameter of the form and whatever I put on top will seep down its sides and ruin the effect. Will the shrinkage still happen if I skip greasing the pan or using nonstick spray? Also, I have an electric convection oven. I've never listened to the advice that I should bring the temperature down, but I've never had a problem with something being overdone. Thanks for your advice in advance, Mr. never-have-a-problem-with-releasing-cakes-ha-ha jumanggy

Thanks, GTO, you're very kind to say so I visited your Flickr gallery and your photos are amazing! I've only now noticed that your avatar's noodles. So much for being Asian. P.S. I'm in love with your country. Wish I could go back for a little while now that I'm a temporary bum. Anyway, I used the leftover curd and lemons to make Lemon Olive Oil Cake (Gourmet magazine April 2006). I was amazed on how airy and tender it was. And here's the Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes: I called them "Japanese treats" because the color palette was so sparse (pale yellow and white) and they just looked so cute!

Fluffy Mackerel Pudding, YUM!!! There are a few more varieties-- Spanish Sardines (in oil, with carrot, peppercorn, sliced chili peppers), the regular one in tomato sauce, in spicy tomato sauce, in black bean (Tausi) sauce, fried sardines in spicy tomato sauce (for pulutan, in other words to go with beer). I adore all of them except the one in Tausi sauce. Unfortunately, sardines are seen as food for the poor and don't get much respect, given that it is so cheap (15 pesos is my guess, [i'll update you on the price, Doddie]-- which is about 30 American cents). I even went to an awful prison once and you see gallons of the canned stuff cooked in giant vats. Depressing. However, it remains one of my comfort foods, especially stuffed in pan de sal. The sweetness of the bread and the salty tomato sauce really go well together.

Iced cookies? Make sure there's plenty of Royal Icing. Hee. Yes, I went there. If those sundaes aren't going to be a hassle to serve mid-party, perhaps you'd like to embellish them with a single banana each. In my country there's a senorita variety that grows only to a manageable 4-5 inches.

I just got my medicine degree, and on our last 24-hour duty as interns my friends demanded that I make them something again, so I went with Joe's (DesertCulinary) Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes, since they looked SOO good here. There were a lot of documented firsts for me-- using a pastry bag (I piped the meringue instead of those gorgeous art deco swirls, just to try something new), and making lemon curd among them. Needless to say, they were a hit, so thanks, Joe! I took pictures with my cellphone but I'm embarrassed to show them because they look just like regular cupcakes as opposed to the wonderful pictures on this thread. I have some extra curd, so I've been thinking of ways to use it. Hopefully I can post it here in the future. Becca, that pie is next to the dictionary entry for luscious. Yum!

I've noticed that juice cartons tell me to finish the box within ~4 days after opening. NEVER happens. It usually takes a little more than a week, but nobody's gotten sick yet.. I'm wondering if the 4 days takes into account people drinking from the carton or something. I'd like to un-believe the Best Before dates on the bag of flour I have (one box I bought doesn't even have one... d'ough!). Can it really go bad in a few (about 5) months?

Wow! Thanks! And, I just bought a candy thermometer to help me out with that. (Naturally I had a similar problem with Pavlova. It tasted okay [the recipe was a tad too sweet for me], but I had a bigger problem with the sugar weeping out of the surface. Like a sticky cloud.)

A Mrs. Field's Rocky Mountain Mogul (er... brownie (?) with marhsmallows and ganache)

Speaking of other ways to do 7-minute frosting, does it hold up well to being browned in the oven? The version I make is basically water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and corn syrup over a bain marie. I've topped things with plain meringue before and in my tropical climate, a lot of undesirable things have happened-- deflation, sweating, and softening. I was wondering if the addition of water or corn syrup would create an even more undesirable, wet result. * sorry if I'm not being as clear as I should-- I'm a super amateur! *

Hee! Actually it's beriberi I have a problem with! (a quick trip to the dictionary tells me that beri is Sinhalese for weakness. Ah.) It doesn't sound like a disease if you pause appropriately between the 2 Berry's, so I'll give Dunkin a pass. At least they didn't name it Scurvy Donut or Pellagra Donut.

I remember that she was a sometime feature on the old Food Network (or was it The Learning Channel?) show Baker's Dozen in the late 1990's. She was excellent-- everything she did looked so perfect. You can tell she took a very scientific approach to baking. (A very stiff) Gale Gand was also featured in that show, and she continued on to "Sweet Dreams," a show which I also like (fortunately she loosened up a lot for that show), but I can't help wondering how much more amazing a show by Flo Braker would be. I found it so adorable when she was making cake layers and she used a 3-6-9-12 o clock approach to cutting them (is the term torting?). And then she forgot what time she was on while cutting them.

I actually have nothing against her original (?) show, 30 Minute Meals, and at times it can be fun to watch. I agree with the people on this thread who have said she has done a lot to get ordinary people thinking about being in the kitchen again. However, I hate her as a talk show host. She has this cyclical way of talking such that you'd think if she ever took a breath, she would die. Much of what she says can be stated simply without the filler (can't she take a cue from her mentor, Oprah?). Also, what is the point of coming up with an acronym for extra-virgin olive oil if you're going to state what EVOO is each time you say it?