Tri2Cook

I'm at the point now that if people want to give me books, I prefer they let me know and I'll provide a list to choose from because I have a lot of gifted books that I'm trying to build up enough anti-guilt to get rid of. When I give cookbooks, if I know the person is into them I'll ask if they have any in particular they'd like to have... otherwise I just give them something I've enjoyed and hope they like it too. If not they can add it to their anti-guilt pile.

I have tendency to be a bit of a butter snob but red velvet cake, if you really want to take them home when they eat it, needs the oil. Obviously that's just my opinion but I've done an all-butter version and my red velvet loving customers prefer the version with oil. As for whether to cream it with the butter and sugar or add it with the wet... do whichever makes you happy. There are all-oil recipes where the wet is just dumped into the dry with no creaming of anything and they turn out fine.

I realize this has nothing directly to do with the topic at hand but I had to pop in and say that that is an awesome story. Glad the dime did it's job!

Didn't try it but it sounds like it's almost begging for some citrus to me.

This question is actually in regards to a season 4 episode but the grouping of season 1-5 posts has been closed due to getting rather large... so I'll ask here. In the Colombia episode he makes very brief mention of a salsa that includes beer during one of his meals. I've googled it every way I can think of without success. He actually said the name but I didn't catch it. I think it started with a "T" but that could be incorrect. Anybody know what I'm looking for?

Sounds tasty Kerry.

Ah, yes... good ol' "mars-capone". I wonder if it's related to Al?

Possibly, I'm not an expert on the subject... or maybe because it's a brand-name and not a standard word it doesn't have to follow the usual rules. I'm thinking a French company wouldn't intentionally mis-pronounce it's own name on it's own website for the benefit of one specific non-French market. We (myself included, not pointing fingers) here at eGullet often want to make things fancy and fussy when they seem/sound too simple on their own. Somtimes an apple pie is just an apple pie and doesn't need to be a tarte tatin aux pommes.

Yeah, sometimes the options aren't an option. I would have preferred to get the big bottles of both but the LCBO only carries the 375ml.

Maybe buy the 375ml bottles? It's not cheaper that way but it's less cash out of pocket at once. You can get both for just over what a 750ml of one costs. I have the 375mls, I've had the green for almost a year and haven't used 1/2 of it yet. Most drinks I've seen them appear in don't call for large amounts.

I usually make cookies. I usually end up going overboard. Lately I don't always have the enthusiasm for it that I'd like so sometimes I'm scrambling during the final week to get done... but there are people that would be disappointed if I stopped so I keep doing it (though last year the humbug bit hard and I did very few).

No. Okay, I lied... yes, yes I am.

I'm feeling a little better now! I asked a while back about the feasibility of infusing with grains, mainly because of the absence of a true rye via the LCBO (which is no longer the case, fortunately) and the idea that I could infuse something with rye to at least get on the same general page, and I distinctly remember feeling as if I was being stared at like there was a horn growing out of my forehead after posting the question. Nobody actually said anything negative but nobody actually said anything directly regarding the idea. Kinda nice to see someone with much more experience in this area than me having the idea as well and finding a useful application for it. Makes me wish I'd went beyond the idea stage and actually played with it.

I was thinking that sounded high. I didn't check for prices when I made my somewhat facetious offer but I thought I remembered paying somewhere around $100 all-in. So, since I threw an offer out there, I'll make good on it with a more reasonable offer if anybody wants it... $50 flat within Canada/+ actual shipping elsewhere. Not trying to push it out the door, I just don't use it and haven't used it. It's in sitting-on-the-shelf-in-the-store-new condition.

Still doesn't solve it for me, no Vergano and no Punt e Mes at the LCBO. Sounds very tasty though.

$850? Are you sure about that? I'll have to check my books... I'm almost positive I have the English version in mint condition and, if I do, the first $100 can have it shipped to their door within Canada/U.S. I think I flipped through it once when I got it and haven't touched it since.

I was trying to remember if I've ever done anything dessert related with beet and, much to my surprise, I don't think I have. If I have, I wasn't excited enough about whatever it was that I can remember doing it. I may have to remedy that situation, those look tasty.

What'd you think of it Kerry? I tried it a while back and enjoyed it, that healthy dose of bitters makes it interesting.

Thanks! Apparently I'm search-challenged. I've never stumbled across any of those using google. I bookmarked them all but, in an unexpected twist, I was mentioning this very thing to a friend from work on facebook a few minutes ago and she said the local Bargain Shop has a ton of them in stock. I was sure there weren't any there when I checked... but I'm disappointingly often sure something isn't where it should be until someone points at it for me. Must be a man thing.

I used to use tins (metal or plastic... whichever I could find the best deal on) for giving out christmas cookies but I've had a really difficult time finding them the past few years and have resorted to much less attractive alternatives. The recipients don't seem to mind but it bugs me. You wouldn't happen to know an online source (preferably within Canada to save on shipping/duties) for them would you?

Sounds good to me, thanks Kerry. Now I just have to get enthusiastic enough to do it. The humbug has begun to take over a bit.

This may be a strange question but does anybody know if incorporating food coloring into sponge candy will cause any problems? I'm thinking working in some black coloring paste would give it a lump of coal look for christmas, thought I'd ask in case someone has tried it and already knows it won't work. I'd prefer not to dip it dark chocolate for the color, I want the textured appearance as part of the finished pieces.

Nice booze score Kerry! Don't know if it's of as much interest to you as it would be to me but, just in case, according to the SAQ site they have some decent absinthes available (compared to the LCBO anyway... I see Vieux Pontarlier, La Clandestine and Kubler listed along with the two the LCBO carry and a few less favorably reviewed bottles). Edit: I see they have the Havana Club Maximo as well... just in case $2000 is burning a hole in your pocket!

Kidney beans are probably my least favorite of all beans I've tried and it's largely for textural reasons. I don't pick them out of anything but they never make it into the pot if I'm cooking. Pinto beans I love. The taste and the texture. Black beans are tasty too but it's a bit of generic term, there are several types with their own characteristics. Actually, I've never had a bean I dislike (although they seem to dislike me and usually cause me and those around me a bit more discomfort than I would like ) but some fall further down the list than others. I currently have a bag of dried adzuki beans I was gifted that I'm trying to decide what to do with. I want to bypass the traditional sweet stuff and do something savory but haven't made up my mind what I'm going to do yet.

I don't want cooking related stuff. I won't let anyone know about more expensive cooking stuff I want because I don't want them spending that much on me and I definitely don't need any more cheap gadgets. When you cook for a living everybody seems to think that cooking gadgets are the only gift to give. I have an entire cabinet filled with them still unopened. I'm doing all of my hinting towards cocktail related stuff this year.