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Hi Darienne! I actually have a review of the book on mine and (eG member) lamington's site, on The Gastronomer's Bookshelf. Do write me if you have any questions! (Though the book is in Manila and I'm in New Jersey, it's pretty embedded in my mind.) I also made one of the recipes, which came out beautifully (see it here). I've heard plenty of good things about the flourless chocolate cookies too, which came out in the New York Times.

Hi Rob, I'm thinking you might like to use one of the large plastic storage boxes with lids that snap on the sides. Take up a lot of space but I'm sure that's space you don't mind using for your toys

Hmm, since you have a pretty wide range of techniques you want to master, I would suggest Wayne Gisslen's Professional Baking. (The only book of Friberg's I've seen is the Advanced Professional Pastry Chef, which is nice but not the best place to start.) The decorating aspect is touched upon, but there are more books (and less expensive ones) that cover that topic (esp. working with fondant and sugarcraft) more in-depth. I can't say there are "top" techniques you should master. Each subdivision of pastry is just so deep. Or would you care to elaborate a bit more?

I cannot believe this topic is more than three years old!! I hope I can browse a copy soon, I'm excited for this title too

Hi Emmalish, The only other time I'd seen the instruction to stir the leavening in at the end is for red velvet cake (Jaymes's version to be exact). I actually still don't really know the explanation but I did it as indicated anyway. However, for this cookie dough in particular, the possible explanation I'm thinking of is that it prevents bitterness/soapiness from uneven distribution of soda into a thick batter (such as gingerbread). However, I make my gingerbread the usual way and it turns out fine. I'd probably even go so far as to cream my butter with it (thanks, eGullet!) since it doesn't matter at what point you add it (as it is a resting dough). Why would the baking soda be activated prior to adding it to the recipe? It didn't make sense to me, so I skipped this step and whisked the baking soda in with the rest of the dry ingredients. The cookies turned out fine, as far as I'm concerned. Would they have been better had I followed this step? Has anyone ever seen similar instruction before? Is there a reason for it? ←

I'll share one of mine: Cookblock - not being able to cook due to extreme guilt over the massive amounts of leftovers/gifted food that have been accumulating and need to be eaten. (I'd put the etymology in, but I don't want to be banned...)

Oh come on, Kim, like you've never had potato puree mixed with vodka in a champagne flute. (With caviar for some reason.) Ha ha ha!

Hi Rona-- it was a while back (before I developed any interest in food at all), but I don't recall the breakfast having much of a Filipino flavor. I could be wrong-- haven't recently read the reviews of the place either. My preference for tocino is either Pampanga's Best or Tita's. I dunno if there is really a place out there that cooks tocino the way I like-- deeply caramelized (scorched in places) and syrupy. Only Jollibee comes close to cooking it this way. You'll have to boil the tocino in a bit of water, then as the water dries up and the sugars start to caramelize, add a bit of oil and fry until it starts to blacken and the pork is a deep red. It's a bit of a pain to clean up the pan afterward (use a pan that can handle a lot of scouring), but totally worth it in my opinion.

Yeah, I think Tagaytay is well within reach travel-wise. Two hours south, and shorter if you make a run for it before the morning traffic. I did eat at breakfast at Antonio's once. It was a good experience, even if it was one of the more expensive ones (not saying much in the Philippines). I'm not much of a steak person (blasphemy, I know, but hey, I'm a dessert guy, heh), but I was impressed with the quality of the food. Even if you ultimately decide it's not for you (you might prefer their more casual grill, or Sonia's garden, or, uh, Josephine's), a trip to Tagaytay is a great way to get some fresh, cool air and great produce without having to take a long trip.

From the Good Eats Fan Page (Episode on Cheesecake): So, not cracking, but curdling. Don't ask me how I know but I found that too-eager and jiggling of the cheesecake to see if it's done is a more likely culprit for cracking!

You can take a gander (or a hog) at the cooking procedure market-man outlined here: http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/sizzl...s-nose-and-ears and see if it sounds feasible. I'm not really a fan (though I do eat it occasionally), so I've no idea what the best recipe is-- it seems the best is always at the local grill-and-bar If you have a cast iron pan, heating it blazingly hot should work. Sizzling plates are not that expensive here-- though they are still very dangerous things on the table!

Thanks so much Rona! (Thank you also, Rob, for mentioning my blog.) You guys are so nice Anyway, you might also consider reading ourawesomeplanet for dining suggestions and restaurant reviews for Manila-- I believe it is last year's winner for best food blog.

safe, inexpensive prop for zombie movie. I just wanted to type it out here just in case some poor movie producer was looking for solutions via Google. I am just hoping it looks less vermiform when mixed in with the rest of the granola...

Peter, you forgot Elevenses! Hee, I'm just referencing Lord of the Rings. Anyway, this stereotype has amused me in the past too (I have a vague recollection of it having something to do with the food being underseasoned?). Strange because I didn't suffer any horrible meals when I was in London (well...). One of my blog friends, Jack, was writing a series about this. He talks about it in his first entry here.

I am kind of excited (freaked out over the extensive use of "novel" starches at his website, I'm so backwards as usual). I'll wait for your take on the book if you don't mind I know it really has nothing to do with his skill (he is an award-winning pastry chef after all), but I keep rolling my eyes each time I see his giant face on the cover!

I think it's important to note that most of the recipes in Jamie's Italy, which includes the Pici con Ragu, came from learning from the locals; it's not really a good reflection of his personal recipes (i.e., the Cook With Jamie book). I don't have a lot of non-pastry cookbooks. I hesitate to name the pastry chefs I think are celebrities because they're all pretty much celebrities to me. Limiting it to those who appear regularly on television, maybe with their own show, there aren't a lot (Gale Gand, Jacques Torres, Warren Brown, Anna Olson, James Martin). Browsing through their cookbooks (except Olson's) they all seem harmless enough. But I would think twice before purchasing a book from the Hairy Bakers, for instance. It's not really a fair assessment but I feel like the show/characters they put on are compensating for some lack of ability or taste. Maybe I have just enjoyed the books of leaders in the field who maybe don't have the time (or personality? hmmm) to appear on television regularly (Pierre Herme, Francois Payard, among others) too much.

Place the yolk in a small microwave-safe bowl, prick with a fork, and cover with cling film. Microwave (it just takes a few seconds) until it's just lost its sheen.

Hi Tampa Bay Realtor, I'll share part of an e-mail I sent to a guy who was inquiring me before about the same thing. Long story short-- if you're feeling confused, it helps that all sorts of restaurants and fast food places have aggregated in shopping malls. Though there are still a lot of gems that are located on the streets. http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/20...o_filipino.html Our Awesome Planet is a great site. Above I've linked to its review of Bistro Filipino, a place I forgot to mention above. EDIT: I just now realized that KKK must sound alarming. It stands for "Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan" ("Highest, Most Honorable Organization"), a revolutionary group during the Spanish occupation, formed in 1892.

Pierre Hermé's Viennese Chocolate Sablés (from the Chocolate Desserts book) are good ones. My friends raved about how elegant they were.

Today I received an e-mail from the casting associate of The Food Network. They're starting the casting process for the upcoming season of TNFNS. You can go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/star and upload a video/application or mail it (received by October 31) in DVD or mini-DVD format to their offices. Alternatively, they also have open casting calls: Anyway, I am totally not eligible for this (though I suppose if I really wanted to, I could try anyway), but the thought of someone knowledgeable and from eG really excited me

Apple Trifle with Apple Doughnuts: Not my original dessert-- it's a recipe from Jason Atherton's London restaurant, Maze. The trifle is apple jelly, caramel custard (my first time to use a vanilla bean! I love the specks!), and Calvados cream. It's supposed to be topped with a cider granita but I skipped that. The thingies on the side are apple-filled doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar. The sugar didn't quite take to the doughnuts-- I really need caster sugar lying around

Larry - I am loving these desserts you've made. (I only wish more people in this household of mine liked lemon-flavored desserts!) Anyway, the flavors of the peach pie sound spot-on. I also love the interactive aspect of the dessert, it's quite imaginative as always! CanadianBakin' - Those cakes look pretty darn near-perfect to me. I believe the sparkles in your daughters' eyes will agree with me!

Wow, this isn't even the first time White Rabbit has been embroiled in controversy. There was a formaldehyde-related recall in 2007: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../289512/1/.html but to be fair, the company stated that the tainted rabbits were actually from imitators.

Just to add my 2 centavos-- I do use iodized salt for baking applications, but it was a huge mistake to use it to layer my Potatoes Anna-- it had turned them an unappealing blue-gray.

Ah, that topic on levure can be found here. Apparently baking powder is sold as (Dr. Oetker Backpulver) Poudre a lever, according to this site.