Shel_B

I attempted my second custard yesterday, and the result showed strong improvement in some areas, which is good. But, the custard didn't set. I cooked it to a temp of between 165º- and 170º-F in a water bath. Here are the details: 2 cups warm milk 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract Mixed eggs, sugar, vanilla. Added some egg mixture to 135º-F milk, then added milk to egg mixture. Into cups set in a 160º-F water bath and baked, uncovered, @ 300º-F until internal temp was reached. Setout on counter top, in water bath, for two hours. There were some thicker areas in the custard, but it was mostly like the original batter, quite thin and liquidy. Do you think the internal temp was too low? I used 2% milk as that was what I had on hand. Would full fat milk or half-and-half work better wrt setting the custard? Would more eggs or egg yolks help? I am going to try another batch today using half-and-half, and it would be great to get some advice before I start the project.

Based on comments in the Bourbon Flavored Sweet Potatoes thread, I decided to make an alcohol infused browned butter sauce to use with the roasted and mashed potatoes. When adding the alcohol to the butter, would it be best to add it at the beginning, and cook it with the butter until the butter browns, or better to add it towards the end of coking, when the butter is nearing the point of optimum brownness? My first thought is to add the alcohol at the early part of cooking to be sure the alcolhol has time to evaporate. However, I'm unsure as to how the alcohol will effect the browning of the butter. Thanks!

It's great to see that the original thought has some merit. Your experiment answers the original question perfectly, and seems to lay to rest the comments of the nay sayers. Thanks! Coincidentally, I just returned home with a half-gallon of low fat milk and the beater is on the counter. I'll try the experiment myself with the ingredients I have on hand using my rudimentary tools and see what happens. No guar gum here ...

Just for clarity's sake, I'm not the host, rather, a participant who is doing a little of the cooking. Usually, there's some powdered milk in my pantry. Recently, Milkman http://milkmanmilk.com has reintroduced their low-fat powdered milk, an item that I used years ago and then disappeared from the markets. Having the stuff around again in part prompted my original question. Andiesenji posted a link that drove me to this link: http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=powdered+dried+cream

Thanks for the list, although none of those things you posted are anything I've ever made, except for eggnog. Bread pudding is on my to-do list though.

Maybe it's about time I jump in here. I've been reading the posts as they come to me via email, and have not been too interested in contributing to the conversation since, as has been noted, there is a condescending and judgmental tone running through this discussion. It's not poverty, or thriftiness, that prompted my question. Mostly, though not entirely, it was just a matter of learning more about what can be done with various ingredients. If a decent "whipped cream" can be made with low-fat milk, which I usually have on hand, that means I may not have to make a trip to the market to buy whipping cream should I decide to make a dessert requiring it and not have any on hand. In addition, we're having a big Christmas dinner later in the week - 18 people - and some are folks who have recently had bypass surgery. If by using an alternative to heavy whipping cream I can help their health a little, then a "light" version would be nice to have on the table. Finally, I just like to know things. Should something cross my mind that I don't know about, whatever it may be - cooking, cars, astronomy, the environment, etc. - I want to learn about it. Google is one option, as are my friends who are expert in various fields, and I have come to rely somewhat on the experts here for cooking and food questions.

I like that recipe - it's easy and quick. Thanks! I don't know what a blended bourbon is, nor how it would be different in taste from some other bourbons in the recipe. Thanks!

I like the idea of finding something at TJ's as I don't have to make a special trip to a liquor store. I saw a few brands at the local TJ's that have been mentioned here. I doubt that I'll be sipping bourbon any time soon. Tried a sip a few months ago and was really turned off by it. I'm making the sweet potatoes (using Garnet yams) because Toots' daughter requested the dish.

I'm going to make a bourbon flavored sweet potato (the orange ones - guess they're really yams) dish for our Christmas dinner next week. I don't know squat about bourbon ... what would be a good bourbon choice for this dish (Yams, butter, pecans, brown sugar or maple syrup are the main ingredients, plus the bourbon)? I'm guessing that an inexpensive bourbon would be fine. What do you suggest?

KA says (if I recall correctly) that a cup of their self rising flour is 4-oz. Is that the weight that you use? Thanks!

I'd like to try making these next week, and I have a question about the "heavy cream." There's the typical whipping cream, which is, I believe, about 35% fat, and then there's manufacturers cream, which is about 42% fat. Which cream do you use for these biscuits? Do you think there'd be much difference in the results depending on the cream used? Would crème fraiche work? I like the taste of butter in my biscuits. Would substituting some (25%) melted butter for the cream work? Finally, what is a self rising flour? Perhaps you can suggest a brand or a source for it. Thanks!

I believe there is, but let me first point out that I'm far from an expert in this matter. However, some of my friends have set up their computers and other devices (phones, for example) so that whatever is on one machine appears on another. I believe it has something to do with cloud storage. Here are a few solutions that seem to fit your needs https://www.dropbox.com/en/help/4 and http://kb.soluto.com/dropbox/how-do-i-keep-my-files-the-same-across-all-devices/ and https://www.apple.com/icloud/ although I know there are other ways of doing this.

Yes, it was ...

What are PUFAs?

Toots is a big fan of cauliflower, and she likes it with cheese sauce. I tried preparing the sauce and freezing some of it (we like leftovers) and it didn't work out very well. The texture left much to be desired - it wasn't smooth and creamy as when it was just made. We used a sheep's milk cheese, and maybe that had something to do with the result.

I may try making some crumbled bacon to use as flavoring, especially if it'll last a while. However, more likely is that I'll just give the leftover bacon to a neighbor. I was thinking of doing that, and your suggestion has motivated me to do just that this afternoon. Thanks to all for your suggestions and information.

What does that do to the texture of the bacon? How long can the bacon fat remain refrigerated or frozen? I rarely fry with bacon fat since I rarely use bacon ...

It still does ...

Bacon! Everybody loves bacon, or so it is said. However, I rarely use it, and when I do use it, I have purchased it thick cut and by the slice from one of several local markets, only buying what's needed for a particular dish or recipe. Earlier today, for the sake of convenience, I purchased a package of bacon, which is much more than the three slices I need. I want to store (freeze?) the left overs. Will bacon store/freeze well, and for how long can it remain stored/frozen? Can I keep it six months or longer? The last time I used bacon was about 16-months ago. Can it be stored for that length of time? Thanks!

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/12/16/california-lottery-offering-chance-to-win-french-laundry-meal-with-scratchers/

What sky is falling? I'm not clear about what your comment means.

TJ's Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons ... mmm! Good! Subtle cilantro taste, not too many calories, ideal for quick soups. I use some wontons, favorite boxed stock, some greens, a little garlic and ginger, and voila! A quick and satisfying lunch.

I didn't know that Sunset was owned by Time, Inc. What a shame that they've lost their campus. It doesn't bode well for the future of the magazine. Hope I'm wrong. California, and the west in general, have had a long relationship with Sunset ... mine goes back 40 years, and I still read the magazine every month.

None of the dairy products I buy have additives, such as a the carrageenan you mention.

Some years ago there was a TV commercial for some gadget or blender that showed the device whipping reduced fat, or maybe even fat-free, milk into what looked like whipped cream. I never thought more about it until this morning as I'm thinking of making a whipped cream topping for Christmas dinner. Is it possible to whip half-and-half, or regular milk, to give a result similar to regular whipped cream? Any special technique for doing so? Also, would manufacturer's cream whip any differently than regular whipping cream? Might it be too "heavy?"