KarenS

You should also store your bread in paper- not plastic whenever possible, so that it can "breathe". I f you have a whole loaf with part of it cut off, put the cut side down on a wooden cutting board for the same reason.

Cheesecake is easy in sheet pans (sure speeds up baking time!). I place a pan of water in the oven to create steam. It is easiest to cut sheets when they are almost frozen.

Also, for the oatbran- mix the eggs and the sugar, the the buttermilk, applesauce. Add the dry last (then fold in the fruit). As soon as you add the flour is when you want to be careful with mixing. Don't add it in the beginning.

What size of mixer are you using? With your quantity of ingredients- it is very easy to overmix. I believe that your muffins are bland because they have such a small amount of salt in them.To the oat bran recipe you could multiply the salt by four to six times easily. I use ricotta in my low fat muffins (helps keep them moist). For the carrot muffin, I would whip the eggs, sugar, and oil and add the carrot and flour at the end (pulse on and off, do not leave the mixer running- it is really very easy to overmix muffins).

350 in a convection oven is way too high for cheesecake. I bake mine at 250 in a conventional oven- with a pan of water for steam. A 350 convection oven will be equal to a 375 conventional oven. I would lower your oven to 225 (and if you have the high/low fan option- set it to low fan). We always have a cheesecake on the menu- right now it is banana with a coconut crust, served with milk chocolate sauce and peanut brittle. We bake seven of them 2-3 times a week, they take almostthree hours to bake.

I use dragonfruit on my menu often. It is grown on Hawaii (the big island). It is the fruit of a cactus (origin is Guatumala). We get them with the white interior and there is also one with a magenta interior. They taste similar to a green kiwi.

Yes, you can shape and freeze scones. You can also increase your bar recipes. About freezing cheesecake- the Cheesecake Factory is one of the biggest chains in the country. They are doing well; all of their cheesecakes are sent to locations frozen. I have frozen and sent cheesecake too. There is so much fat- you don't notice a difference (though I do add cornstarch to cheesecake to have a more even finished product (not overbaked on the sides and raw in the middle).

How many great Jewish German bakers were killed during WWII? Maybe that's a reason why more baking books weren't written or haven't survived?

Use a wire whip- not a hand mixer, and a large bottomed metal bowl. Whisk with figure eight motions and aloow the sugar to dissolve (over low heat). Stick your finger in the mixture to make sure that the sugar is dissolved. Whisk (after you are sure that the sugar is dissolved) to a ribbon. There are certain things that are best with the low tech route.

It sounds like your cream was too hot. Bring the cream to a boil and take off the heat for around 5 minutes. Pout the cream over the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and whisk together. Broken ganache does not fix too well- I'd make brownies with it (or something).

Eating whale is not necessary and wrong. I don't consider it to be a "cute egullet topic". It is the destruction of a species that you see while your frozen whale is thrown in the trash. This is a good example of why the world has no need to kill whales. Store it in the freezer and make a stew. Fuck the Norweigans and the Japanese. KILLING WHALES IS TO MAKE PET FOOD AND MAKEUP> That isSOOO importaaant

I used to watch her with my mom and dad. My dad chopped his finger trying to cut like her- we sat there and watched what she did when her souffle fell (it happens!).I bought her cookbooks as a teenager (and recently replaced some too). I remember the first time I met her. It was 1989 and I was working at Lark Creek Inn (the restaurant had just opened). I was working the wood burning oven, when this tall (and unmistakeable voice) woman asked what I was cooking. I told her then that she meant a lot to me- that she had helped introduce me to the food world. Her reply was that she just loved to see so many young people cooking (and young woman too). Her phrase was actually that "it was just lovely". The news today made me very sad; she was a national treasure.

Whole Foods carries it too.

What about The Slanted Door? Great food and view.

I use tapioca starch to thicken fruit pies. You can find it in most Asian markets. I have been making lots of peach, nectarine, and berry pies lately. I have been lucky to get Frog Hollow farm and Matsumoto peaches.

I'll check with my purveyor for you- I just got a case of 1000 in; I thought that he ordered them from JB Prince. I'll get back to you next week.

I use those all the time (and at Christmas we sold sooo many loaf cakes). I order them by the case from JB Prince. I do bake with the pans on doubled sheet pans for better heat distribution.

I roast them and dump them in my large tamis and rub them on the mesh while still warm (I do love buying them skinned too!)

Senior men seem to always love lemon meringue pie.

I like to use this chocolate charlotte: 36 yollks 1/2 gallon cream 4# bittersweet chocolate 4c simple syrup 1/2- 1c liquor of choice (only if you want- I use chamborb if I am using with raspberries Whip cream to medium peaks with alcohol- set aside. Whip yolks to pale and thick. Add boiling simple syrup to yolks with machine running. (they will splatter- I just wrap the hobart with plastic). Whip until very thick and still warm. Here is the slightly tricky part. Add the melted chocolate to the warm yolks- they must be close to the same temp, or your chocolate will seize. Stop the machine and quickly scrape the chocolate up off the bottom of the bowl. Whip until cold. Do not let the mixture whip for too long after it is cool- the mixture will continue to firm up. Fold in the whipped cream in thirds. Refigerate to set. When I want to use this I just let it warm up a bit. It is great for cakes (stable, yet smooth and rich).

Choux deflate when they are underbaked. They need to be entirely brown with no white/ pale yellow areas.

Yes, and your texture will be fine and even.

Blackberries pair with: plums, peaches, hazelnuts, almonds,walnuts, nectarines, zinnfandel, cabernet, pinot noir, champagne, vanilla, pluots, apricots. I love them- where I grew up in Northern CA they grew wild all over. Funny that you are bothered by the seeds- do you like raspberries?

I live in Hawaii, a place with a lot of cockroaches. Yes, you must be ultra clean in the kitchen. Being clean is not enough to stop them from coming inside. They will fly, crawl though cracks, etc... A place infested with roaches is different then one showing up on the wall. Insects are everywhere and in everything. I have currently been without a roach sighting for two weeks. Our house was tented for termites then (a price you pay for living in the tropics- must be done every 7-10 years). I have a huge respect for organic farmers- their job is not easy!

O.K., 3qt magnalite 3 1/2qt caphalon windsor pot Le Creuset grill pan 10 in magnalite saute pan 12 by 6 magnalite saute (I love this pan and have used it so much!) 7Qt Le Creuset French oven 20qt caphalon stock pot with strainer insert (on permanent loan from my loves to shop- but can't cook- loves to make Karen happy- and eat what she cooks- pilot friend) !0qt magnalite stock pot 8qt magnalite stock pot I know, more then seven... I would like to add that I use my brown French gratin (ceramic) to make roast chicken in a lot