Josho

Thank you, Tri2Cook! I'm conducting my first forays this weekend, so I think I'll just stick to reverse and play it safe®. Thanks again, Josh

I have a question related to spherification. I've read that one uses "reverse spherification" if the liquid to be spherized contains calcium. What's the converse? When would one choose spherification over reverse spherification? Why not use reverse spherification all the time? Many thanks, Josh

Has anyone with a FoodSaver tried their new "Liquid Block" bags?

Thank you so much! I'll give it a try tonight and see what happens. Should be interesting! Josh

The topic title pretty much says it all. I want to make a chilled zabaglione-type foam and brûlée it, but I'm wondering if the foam is apt to deflate quickly under the heat of a torch. Has anyone tried this? If so, did it work, and are there any tips you can pass along? Thank you! Josh

I covered it partially, as the recipe called for. I'm going to simmer it awhile longer and reduce it...but it really seems wrong to me.

Julie Sahni has a recipe for "Lentils with Garlic Butter" that appears all over the 'net (sometimes credited to other authors). It calls for 1.5 cups of pink or yellow lentils simmered in 5 cups of water -- with added turmeric -- until tender, and then pureed in the pot. The recipe continues from there. I just finished doing this, and I'm greatly confused. I ended up with nearly 6 cups -- almost all water, of course. The lentils are certainly cooked through, but rather than a lentil dish, this is like an extremely thin soup. Is this the way the dish is supposed to be? It seems unservable, but it's such a simple recipe and I can't imagine where I might've gone wrong.

Julie Sahni it is, then!! Thank you, all!

I'm looking for a superb Chicken Korma recipe. I've looked around the 'net and so many recipes seem to be met with the criticism "too bland." I'm not looking for 100,000 Scoville Units, but I would like a dish with impact...unless Chicken Korma's just not supposed to have impact. None of my go-to books and sources seem to have this recipe. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Canadian, You're absolutely right -- the crust does NOT survive wrapping or standing much at all. The next batch I make, I'll try your formula on one cake. On the other, I'm going to try a different approach -- a moist sugar/lemon topping that goes on just before baking. Perhaps if I can achieve some caramelizing of the crust, I can end up with something a little more long-lasting. But I doubt it. :-) Josh

Thank you, all! I'll give these ideas a try and see if I can perfect a technique. Thanks again, Josh

I'm making a couple of poundcakes, and I'd love to make a lemon or orange glaze for them. I've had a few cakes where the citrus glaze was actually crispy -- almost like a very thin sugar shell, but in shards. Will any supersaturated glaze do this, or is there a technique to it? Usually, mine only seem to crystallize very slightly (if at all). I imagine humidity has a lot to do with it. But I'd like to guarantee myself a crispy glaze. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Josh

I've scoured the web and never seen this problem raised before. My wife, whose preferences in food texture are, to put it mildly, unusual*, prefers frosting with definite discernible grittiness. I'd like to make a fine standard buttercream, but I'd also like to ensure that it DOES have some grittiness. Should I reduce the amount of confectioners' sugar in the recipe and make up for it with some superfine sugar? Any suggestions would be welcome! Many thanks, Josh *For instance: she won't eat crispy french fries, she'll only eat floppy, soggy ones. She doesn't like her toast to be visibly browned; she prefers "warm bread" to toast. She abhors bread crumbs on top of macaroni and cheese, and definitely favors mac & cheese made with Velveeta to anything made with real cheese. She'll only eat chewy cookies, not crisp ones. I despair of what she's doing to my cooking skills!

What seems disingenuous about CI's stance here is that, in their recipes, they talk about how they started off with this-or-that recipe for a given dish, and then modified it until it met their requirements. They do not generally credit the sources given for the recipes they modify. In fact, they may be violating copyrights themselves. --Josh

Kiliki, I've made that blueberry four or five times now, for various functions, and it never fails to delight. Really a superior recipe. --Josh