Shel_B

The chocolate pudding recipe I use is http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147199-shel’s-simple-old-fashioned-low-fat-chocolate-pudding/#entry1955865. Been thinking of swapping out some of the regular, granulated sugar for brown sugar. Any thoughts on proportions or ideas on how to best make the substitution? My first thought was to replace 1 Tbs of granulated sugar with a Tbs of brown, and then reduce the remaining granulated sugar by 25% (1/2 Tbs). Good starting point? Got a better suggestion? Would love to hear it. Thanks!

Just wanted to let you know that I've been very pleased with your suggestion about making a lemon-garlic sauce. I've played with your technique three times since you posted your info, and each time the results are improved over the previous try. Since I don't have a mortar and pestle, after my first try I started grating the garlic on the Microplane and crushing the lemon zest and garlic together. Works pretty well. The latest iteration used the Microplane and I used three styles of garlic: cooked as you described plus some added roasted garlic, and some 'planed raw garlic. The sauce had a wonderful depth and flavor to it. And Toots has been enjoying the results quite a bit, too. Thanks again for your suggestion.

I've already signed up to be notified of classes and events. Thanks for the pointer ...

I like a good egg foo, yet many recipes are just gooey glops of brown sauce over eggs mixed with assorted veggies or meat. Have you got an especially good, nice, vibrant recipe you'd care to share?

I have read that elsewhere ... I'd be real cautious about eating the bacon. That's not to say I wouldn't, but caution is the key word here.

Thanks, Dave ... your comments have been helpful, especially your comment about warping. It's hard for me to imagine getting a pan to warp, but in one of the Demeyere videos they showed what appeared to be an All-Clad skillet "bowing" in the center creating a hot spot and burning the oil. I was somewhat skeptical of that demonstration, and certainly couldn't see that happening to me with the way I use my pans. But I guess it can, at least under some specific circumstances. Ideally, I'd love to see a comparison between a Demeyere skillet and a similar-sized All-Clad D5 skillet, as I imagine that those two would be closest in terms of thickness, weight, and design. FWIW, being dishwasher safe is a non-issue for me. My next step is a trip to SLT to compare the skillets.

Perhaps it should be noted that a Microplane was used for the zesting, which, as you know, gives nice, small, thin pieces of zest. The zest absorbed well into the salted garlic - even before cooking the smooshed garlic richly perfumed the air with a strong lemon fragrance.

And yet, it could very well be one of those common ingredients causing the problem. We don't know what the ingredients were in the problem cakes. Suggesting medical advice is good advice.

100% agreement here ... a cooking forum is not the place for medical advice.

I like the idea of a heavier, thicker pan, although I don't yet know if that's going to be useful in the cooking I do. Having seen some improvement going to the All-Clad D5 from the regular tri-ply, I'm intrigued by the additional layers in the Demeyere. I also have an older sauté pan that's rather thick, and it holds the heat quite well, something that the Demeyere skillet is supposed to do, and which is a feature I like. But is more always better? There were some videos I saw depicting the Demeyere construction and performance characteristics, and I was impressed by what was shown. The series is shown here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL4981C1279A030177&v=FaCvOvY9bVs I recognize that some of the benefits shown for the Demeyere are available with other, similar cookware. I am a sucker for quality, and it appears that Demeyere has that quality. That's not to say no other cookware has good quality, but you asked what interests me. As for the Mauviel, I've not seen any technical specs, videos, or commentaries on their construction, and found very few comments on their cooking ability.

I've never learned to do a sauté toss, and have no plans to do so. No, for my needs, the skillet will pretty much remain on the stovetop. Thanks for the reminder that it is a heavy skillet. Thus far, the Mauviel really doesn't interest me except, perhaps, for price

I realized today that the shape and size, and the heavier weight of the D5, make it a fine option to use as a Dutch oven

Toots buys it frequently. I like it, as well, but don't eat it very often - too fatty for my delicate arteries <LOL>

You can make most any citrus into curd ... We make lots of curd here - about once a month. See "related stories" for some recipes: http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_25137235/when-life-gives-you-meyer-lemons-make-citrus

My b'day is coming up in a few months, and Toots has asked me what I want. I've been thinking about a Demeyere Atlantis skillet for a while, and have even done some research on it. It seems like a nice tool and something I'd get lots of pleasure from using. What do folks here think of the Demeyere Atlantis skillets? I saw a couple of videos about them recently, and was impressed, however, I'm often easily impressed at first, especially before engaging in serious research on a product. So, any comments, and especially any experiences and comparisons to other similar quality skillets, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The TJ's around here carry it, it's right next to the 71%. Same package design, different color stripe.

How about Cabbage and Onions, sautéed together, or better yet, caramelize the onions and mix with sautéed cabbage. Maybe add some carrots for additional flavor. There's always a Choucroute Garni. Lots of recipes floating around out there for such a dish. While not a cabbage dish per se, adding a generous amount of cabbage to vegetable soups is a nice way to go. Or you could try a borscht.

That's the chocolate I use in my chocolate pudding, and TJ's is where I get it.

Essentially, your story is accurate, although "edited for space." I've been using Marie Sharp's sauce since it was Melinda's, and, like you, was pretty angry about the turn of events and the misappropriation of the trademark. Marie Sharp still makes her sauce the "old fashioned way," and in my opinion, it's every bit as good as it was originally. I'm pleased to see that she's expanded her product offerings, but I still like, and prefer, the original versions.

When feeling lazy, or just wanting something chocolatey and quick, Toots falls back on this: http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11099406&whse=BD_827&topnav=bd She uses the mix for brownies and to make layer cakes. She made one of her quick cakes this past weekend, and it seemed like a package of the mix might be ideal for an experiment in the Breville. I grabbed a pouch of the mix, made adjustments to the instructions and ingredients to suit my preferences, poured the batter into an oiled Corningware Visions 8x8 baking tray, and baked myself a batch of brownies. The results were fine, and kudos to another job well done by the mini Breville. This "toaster oven" is turning out to be one of the better kitchen appliances I have. I hope the puppy lasts a good many years. Oh, the Breville is also a great place to temporarily store small items when unexpected guests arrive and some odds and ends need to be put out of sight.

Toots' son eats a lot of fast food - he's a big Taco Bell fan - and he's tried the bacon insider. He likes it and thought it was very good.

This year, I want to learn to make preserves, I read somewhere that sugar and pectin are not needed when making preserves - that pectin can be had from the skins and seeds of fruits and that, for some tastes at least, sugar is not needed. Can somebody knowledgeable elaborate on this? Thanks!

Worked out pretty well. I don't have a mortar and pestle, but combing some salt with diced garlic and zest, and using a knife on a cutting board to create a paste, did a decent job. The M&P would have been better, though. Adding zest to the garlic is a good technique .... that'll be something I'll do again. Toots liked the sauce quite a bit, so it was certainly a success by my primary standard. Thanks!

Wrong sauce ... I want a lemon garlic sauce not a lemon egg sauce. I suppose garlic could be added, although Heidi's idea is a lot closer to the direction I want to go.

I'll give it a try tonight ... the technique is similar to what I've done, except for making the garlic paste. I've used finely chopped or minced garlic. Getting the garlic to adhere to the veggies or, to a lesser extent, noodles, has been my problem. Maybe the paste will help. Thanks!