Tri2Cook

I don't play around with cheesecake much anymore. I've tried a lot of flavors and I keep coming back to plain, basic cheesecake. If it's done right, it's my favorite.

It's right here Chef... http://www.foodinnovation.com/FoodInnovati...aspx?pid=585234 They have a lot of cool stuff if you browse through the products here... http://www.foodinnovation.com/FoodInnovati...duct%20Selector

I'm not familiar with that one but I'll try to search it up on google and get back to you.

I have Ultratex 3 and Ultrasperse 3 in the toy box but I haven't done anything beyond basic stuff with them. Making an uncooked "custard" or thickened sauce is generally as simple as putting the base you want to use in a processor and adding it little by little until you get the texture you want. It doesn't seem to require any precise numbers or ratios for that use. I haven't explored it's limitations (acidity, alcohol, etc) so I don't know if they are factors. There was a post on Ideas in Food about doing sheets with Ultratex. I don't remember it mentioning specific ratios or amounts but they discussed the basic concept which is enough to go on for a little trial and error session. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Hmmm. Interesting thought. I've never thought about whether it matters or not, I always set it in the fridge then freeze it. I'll have to give it a try, that would be a time saver if it works out the same.

Yep, that's what it means. With my work schedule, it's the only way I can keep up with the very few tv shows I actually watch. I DL the episodes, watch them, then delete them. I'm not sure that the fact that I don't do anything profitable with them makes it any more legit though so I probably shouldn't post the sources. I can PM the information if you want.

I often make fairly large batches of caramel (4x or more the recipe you posted) and I've found you have to be more attentive to the sugar until you get it all melted. I found out the hard way that it can begin to burn in spots on the bottom and still look unmelted and be relatively cool to the touch on top of a large batch even when you think you're keeping it moving pretty well. It seems to make up for it by taking longer to jump from nice and caramelized to burnt than a smaller batch though. Of course it's entirely possible that I'm just a hack and none of that is true but that's been my experience.

I'm finally caught up, I've been doing 14-15 hr. days every day for the past 3 weeks (our other cook quit, probably just going to suck it up and not replace him... sometimes it's easier just to work more than find good help around here) and fell behind on the show. I DL'd and watched the 3 episodes I was behind on (probably should have been sleeping) so now I can read all of the comments without getting spoilers.

Spray dried coconut milk powder works great for bolstering coconut milk with more intense flavor. I didn't originally buy it for that purpose but I find myself using it for that quite often now.

Exactly... that's why I watch it too. They don't recruit top-notch Chefs for the most part so I don't have to worry about top-notch Chefs displaying their skills. There usually has to be one or two that actually stand a chance in Hell ( ) of being capable of doing the job they're rewarded with but most of them are there for the entertainment value. It just seems like people get a bit angry that it's not a serious enough cooking competition... it's not supposed to be. It is what it is. A (semi)reality show designed for non-foodies that I have no doubt Chef Ramsay does strictly for the money and publicity. I don't fault him for doing it. It's not hurting anybody, it doesn't diminish his abilities as a Chef. It pads his (and his family's) bank account. I'm willing to bet 92.673% of us would do exactly the same if we had the chance. At least I know I would... I'll never get rich where I'm at now. "Selling out" is only bad if you don't profit from it.

It impresses me that so many watch these types of shows (Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, etc.) in search of the opportunity to be negative. I think if they had top level people making few or no mistakes they'd measure up much too closely to the audience's level of perfection and lose most of their viewers.

Sounds good to me. You're the expert, I was just guessing.

They look fried in the picture (to me), you can see the little blisters on the surface of the pastry. What does the bottom look like? You should be able to tell from that if it was on a pan when it was cooked. I'm wondering what you would end up with if you roll some danish dough (or maybe croissant or puff dough, I haven't tasted it so I don't know how sweet it is and if it's a yeast dough or not), fill it with a cream cheese filling, fold it and fry it. Rolling the dough on sugar instead of flour would achieve the sugar coated version.

Nice Jumanggy! I miss having local wild blackberries. The abundance of local wild blueberries helps console me a bit though.

Nice save Verjuice. Nice bars too! Renka, awesome work as always! Thai red curry ice cream idea round 1: red curry sweet potato ice cream with... nothing. This is her. Soft, smooth and naked.

I can't comment on that one because I haven't tried it but I've done Sam Mason's Halibut with Miso Butterscotch and it is good. Very good.

I think the packaging looks great Rob. The contents look great so they should be dressed to match.

Fortunately the butter did not get that dark. Those aren't the shortbread, the white part of the red and white disc is. I made brown butter shortbreads then used them to make ice cream (in similar manner to the Ideas in Food folks Ritz ice cream) which I then swirled with the strawberry-basil sorbet in a mold. The dark brown chunks are the baked chocolate-basil mousse. I used it, minus the basil, with the "mint" dessert I posted as well. It's nice and crunchy but not hard.

Cool cake Lisa. Sounds tasty too. Strawberry : strawberry-basil sorbet and brown butter shortbread ice cream, balsamic caramel, baked chocolate-basil mousse, diced strawberries

Can't wait to see what you do with it Rob. I'm completely useless in providing ideas, never seen it and know nothing about it beyond the title, but it sounds fun anyway.

They're not in yet here. Still a bit early even for good years (pronounced: early spring) and this isn't a good year so far, still getting light frost most nights. I have the pan ready for a fiddlehead omelette when they get here though.

Very cool to see you keeping this awesome resource alive with update. Thanks!

I knew lack of talent wasn't the only reason I don't do wedding cakes (it's just the main reason)... the other reason is that I would probably tell the bride to wedding march her arse out the door if she insisted I had to use crisco and confectioners to cover a cake. I know there's nothing wrong with doing it and I also realize that many people like it but I just can't do it. I'd be in the poorhouse in no time.

There's instructions for making it in "The Village Baker's Wife" but I've never actually made it (from any recipe).

Mint mousse, mint ice cream, mint sorbet, mint custard, mint panna cotta, mint... that's enough. I'm starting to feel like a character from Forrest Gump. I go through a lot of mint during spring/summer but I have to pay for mine. A yard full of it would be fun.