BettyK

Lucky you! I really miss those trips to HK. Maybe next time you can be our guide. Have a nice trip and take lots of food pics.

You could also try Lentia.

Megan, your Lemon Meringue Pie looks delicious. Now I'm craving LMP.

Here's a video which might help you. Good luck.

Haven't tried a Burgtheatertorte, eating or baking, yet. Here is Rodger's description: You need 4 cups of crumbs so he suggests that most home bakers would likely need to expressly bake a chocolate sponge cake to generate the crumbs. He gives a recipe for this as well. The basic recipe description is to cream butter, add confectionary sugar and eggs and flavor with cinnamon. Stir in almonds that have been finely ground with cocoa powder, the chocolate cake crumbs and minced candied orange peel. Bake in a buttered springform pan. Split baked cake in half and layer with warm red currant glaze. Top cake with confectioner's sugar and make a crosshatch design in the sugar with a sharp knife. In the backstory of the cake, Rodgers describes how the torte was created by Demel (a famous Konditorei (patisserie) in Vienna that is still one of the best places to visit for pastry and tortes) in the late 1880's on the occasion of the rebuilding of the Burgtheater (Austria's Royal Theater on the Ringstrasse). Demel was a K&K ("Kaiserlich und Koeniglich" or royal) bakery and designed the torte to be served at intermission breaks at the theater. I wonder if it is still served then? I wouldn't put it past the Viennese to still have cake available at intermissions! Thanks for pointing this torte out, BettyK! It wasn't on my "radar" and in reading the recipe it sounds very good as well as simple to make. Interestingly, I've made an American Southwestern-inspired cake with grated chocolate, ground almonds, orange peel and cinnamon; it's a very nice flavor combination. I'm also curious as to anyone's experiences with it. ← Thanks for the description, Ludja. I think I will have to buy this book.

Someone on another website (now defunct) raved about "Burgtheatretorte." What kind of cake is it? And has anyone made this?

Also worth noting Errata for this book.

Oops. Sorry I didn't see your post. Worth bumping up anyway.

Has anyone seen The Shun Lee Cookbook? Any comments would be appreciated.

Sad to say that this is an urban legend. Mythbusters debunked it last year, and the technique was also debated in the Limoncello thread. ← You're incorrect. The Mythbusters actually proved that running the vodka through a charcoal filter does significantly improve its smoothness. What may have "busted" the myth is that even after 7 filtrations it still was not as good as the top-shelf brand. Still there was an improvement. What was particularly remarkable was how the vodka tasting expert placed all seven or eight filtrations in exactly the correct order. For those who are interested, they also suggested (though this wasn't that clear) that you're supposed to use a new filter cartridge for each filtration. The cost of this would far outweigh the cost of better vodka. ← I stand corrected. Skimming has its downsides. Thanks for the comments, plk and BryanZ. ← We're talking vanilla extract here, not liqueur. So, does it really matter? As for those who have not yet started their vanilla extract I suggest not wasting your money on high end stuff (unless you intend to drink it). I've made a few batches. The first one was with maybe 10 beans and it was ok but nothing special. Now I'm using a big bottle (Smirnoff) with lots of Madagascar vanilla beans (unsplit) that I made close to 6 years ago and it's very dark and smells heavenly. I use it in milk shakes and baked goods all the time. The longer it sits the better it gets.

Great blog, Ah Leung. Thanks for sharing your week with us.

You can strain the pulp out by pressing it through a sieve. Use a spoon to stir and press through until the seeds remain. It takes a little while but entirely worth it. I hate those pesky seeds too.

What is Chai dao kueh? This dish looks delicious. Care to elaborate?

Your adobo looks delicious. I'd like the recipe if you don't mind.

This is one that I had at "Shanghai Dumpling King" in San Francisco. Each meatball is about the size of a tennis ball. ← Mmmmmm! I want a bowl full of that gravy! ← A pictorial would be nice too.

That makes perfect sense. Obvious, I guess. Bright orange French yolks must produce a lovely final color. ← It doesn't have to be French to be bright orange. Try to find for some good certified organic eggs. Also, in the summer the yolks are much darker than in winter. It's all in the chickens diet.

Beautiful photos, sizzleteeth. Thanks for sharing. Did you eat any street food? I hope you tried some of those doughnuts and gulab jamun.

Question to those who have the Cuisipro food mill...Are you happy with it? I'm thinking of getting one.

I do. ← No you don't. Trust me. I wanted a mushroom too until the light came on that I could use my mortar. Get you one of these. One or two wacks is all you need to crush that garlic. Plus you get the added bonus of a mortar and pestle for grinding spices, etc. See? Stay away from the wide pestle like some have advised. Tip: Wrap the bottom of your mortar with plastic wrap and you don't even have to wash the mortar. Bet you can't do that with a mushroom.

I've used the foot of my marble mortar to crush garlic with good results. Who needs a mushroom?

On a slightly different note, when is it necessary to leave eggs at room temperature for baking? For example, do you have to bring them at room temp for pastry cream? Creme brulee?

Beautiful. Ah Leung, thank you so much. Now I have to hunt for chinese red vinegar and nam yu.

You did? Cool. Can't wait to see the pictorial. Thanks for doing this, Ah Leung.

Wow. Your lop yuk looks fantastic. Wish I could grab a piece right now. I have a question. Your pork belly looks extra long. Was this from some extra huge pig? Seriously, I've never seen pork belly that long. Please do tell.

For roasting veggies, I use aluminium half sheet pans. They are cheap, sturdy and do the job. For easy clean-up, I line them with some foil.