Chris Hennes

Piping bags, hands down, especially the big ones that don't fit really well in my sink. After a buttercream, when they get all greasy inside? Yuck. I need an intern...

Those look great---do you have a mold for the cups, or are you making them with the "foam cylinder trick"?

Those habanos look great, I love the transfer sheet you used. Did yours wind up spicy at all? I really need to make them again to see if I can add a little kick, I just haven't had time to do any confectionary work this summer .

Obviously I don't know the real facts, but over on the "Cook's Illustrated" board there is a post by a well-respected poster that seems to tell a slightly different tale: Edited to add: the article in question, "The Power of Salt," is available here for those with online access.

Well, the local Wegmans only has a single variety, as far as I can tell, but hopefully this summer I can locate someplace that carries a wider variety. I never have a problem with the finished dish, it is just that first whiff that makes me question whether I really want to add this stuff to my food . As for the "recycling" I obviously can't really comment, since I only have three issues, but I wonder if the "Quick & Delicious" section isn't mostly pulled from previous issues, since it doesn't have a real article to go with it, and is almost an "extra." Last night for dinner was another recipe from "Q&D" that I was a bit apprehensive about: Sautéed Chicken with Sherry & Olive Pan Sauce & Toasted Almonds (May 2008, No. 92) Recipe here if you have online access The combination of sherry and olives seemed intriguing enough to try, but again, the large quantity of sherry left me wondering what the final dish would actually taste like (I usually use sherry in small quantities, just as a seasoning, basically). This recipe was very easy to make: it's just sautéed chicken breasts with a pan sauce. I served it with fiddlehead ferns (following the guidance in this topic) and basmati rice. I was again pleasantly surprised by how well everything turned out. The sauce was tasty, though perhaps not very "exciting," and the almonds leant a perfect flavor and crunch that I find many pan sauces for chicken lack. The whole thing (not counting futzing with the fiddleheads!) took about 20 minutes including prep, so again, a nice weeknight dinner choice from the "Quick & Delicious" section.

Fine Cooking is a cooking magazine published bimonthly by The Taunton Press. It generally features articles written by guest writers who are experts in whatever topic they happen to be discussing: for example, in the issue I have in front of me right now, Peter Reinhart has an article on pizza (he is perhaps best known for his book The Bread Baker's Apprentice but has also authored a book on pizza, American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza). In addition to the food articles and accompanying recipes, the magazine also features equipment and ingredient reviews (these don't appear to be as thorough as those in Cook's Illustrated, for example, but they are at least moderately useful when it comes to narrowing the field). I started subscribing to FC in a few months ago, and so far I have been very pleased with the quality of the recipes. In particular, I love the "Quick and Delicious" section at the back of every issue. Even though the recipes are very fast to make, they don't seem to sacrifice flavor or ingredient choices (that is, they are still basically "made from scratch" dinners, and sometime are quite sophisticated: "30 minute meals" they are not ). So, to start of our discussion and analysis of the recipes in FC, I present: Vietnamese-Style Caramel-Braised Chicken (May 2008, No. 92) Recipe here if you have online access This recipe actually had me a little worried: didn't quite know what to expect. The gist of it is that you make a caramel, then add fish sauce. To me, the quantity of fish sauce called for seemed very high, and the idea of literally making a caramel as the basis of a savory dish was something I had never tried. It also added an element of challenge to the dish: this recipe is in the "Quick and Delicious" section at the back of the issue, but "Q&D" does not imply "easy"---the recipe basically says "make a caramel: cook to deep amber over medium-high heat." Well, in a large saute pan over medium high, the difference between "medium amber" and "charcoal" is not very large. Keep your eye on the pan!! Well, I managed that OK, and then added the fish sauce and "WHOOSH" I am inundated with a cloud of fish-sauce vapors , since of course the caramel was very hot. I gotta tell you, that is not my favorite smell ever. But I soldiered on, added the last couple ingredients, tossed in the chicken and finished the dish (which takes about 15 minutes total). I also sautéed some baby bok choy (as directed in this topic) and made made some sticky rice. The real surprise of the evening was how tasty the final product was: I really had no idea what to expect from this ingredient combination, and it actually turned out very well. The sauce was very flavorful (careful how much you ladle on!) and not nearly as sweet as I was expecting. I think the final result probably depends a great deal on just how "medium amber" you make your caramel, and mine was a little on the dark side of "medium," but for a first shot, not too shabby. I don't know that the flavor said "Vietnamese" to me, and my wife thought it tasted mostly like a soy sauce base, but overall considering the time investment, this recipe is a keeper for nights when I'm in a hurry. Has anyone else tried this one, or have any other FC recipes they want to discuss here? I'll try to get caught up on posting the few things I've tried so far. Edited to add: the recipe calls for chicken thighs, but as you can see from the photo, I used breasts. I think it would be better with thighs, but my better half disagrees.

Anatomy of a Cheese-Making Failure A little over a year ago I put up a wheel of cheddar, following the recipe from Ricki Carroll's Home Cheese Making for the "Farmhouse Cheddar." This is precisely why I chose this recipe: I don't have anyplace in my apartment to age a cheese at the appropriate temperature, so I was going to have to use the refrigerator. I figured if aging it at the correct temperature could be done in one month, going 12 months at a cooler temperature should yield acceptable results. Well, this is why I don't make cheese for a living: in short, it did not work. Let me give you a little background: I did not jump right into Cheddar. I started by making Monterrey Jack twice, both times with less than satisfactory results (and both times I aged at as close to the proper temperature as I could). I began to wonder if it was just the recipe that I didn't like, so I decided to give Cheddar a go. Well, whatever problem I was having with my Jack, I had exactly the same problem with my Cheddar. When I sliced into the wheel, it had a crumbly texture and a fresh, unaged flavor. Could it be that I am using too low a temperature? Or is my bacteria dead? Did I kill them or did I get a dud batch? Has anyone else tried making cheese from this book and had the same problem? I keep ending up with something akin to Feta!!

I wish I did, those cuvettes are some of my favorite presentations. I love the layering he does with them, and the neat looks he achieves. You are quite right, I don't have sorbitol, and probably don't want to buy any until after I move. I will have to look through and see what he's got in there that doesn't call for it.

Try the Corktown Cocktail, Chris. It'll sway you. Or make you sway, at any rate. ← Well, finally getting around to taking your advice, Chris (though I have to admit that I don't really need swaying: I kinda like Fernet). I made myself a Corktown this evening and as you say, mighty tasty. I used a Jim Beam rye, which I generally don't much care for because it has a very sweet overtone, but it works pretty well with the Fernet. Nice cocktail, though I may have to have a few more to confirm these comments...

Well, after ordering it on Feb. 25, my copy finally came in this afternoon, and at first glance I am very impressed. It follows nearly exactly the same format as his previous installment in the "Fine Chocolates" series, complete with the stunning photography of Frank Croes, which makes the chocolates just pop right off the page. The English is still a little hard to follow, and the descriptions are clearly meant for people who are already familiar with making chocolates (i.e. definitely read through Greweling first), but there are some really great flavor combinations and innovative presentations in this one. I am excited to give some of these recipes a try: does anyone who has had the book for a while have any suggestions on where to start?

During the course of my April 2008 Foodblog I ate at a number of area restaurants, mainly for lunch. I recommend all except The Diner wholeheartedly (avoid The Diner, IMO). Here is a brief index of the relevant places and links back to my comments (with photos, even!): The Corner Room (Lunch, general American fare, State College landmark) The Diner (Grilled Sticky, awful service, can get the Sticky elsewhere) Golden Wok (Lunch, general Chinese-American, cheap and tasty) Herwig's Austrian Bistro (Lunch, phenomenal family-owned house-made Austrian food) Saint's Café (Coffee shop, nice local place) Say Sushi (Lunch, Japanese/Korean/Chinese blend, sushi is OK and everything else is great)

It can always happen: that's what makes for interesting television. If past performance were allowed to influence the judgements the show would get boring because the final two or three would be pre-ordained by halfway through the season. Adding some element of randomness keeps us watching every week, holding our breath whenever Richard does anything that sounds crazy . And when something crazy happens, like Dale going home before Spike and Lisa, the internet lights up, giving the show free advertising. Bravo wins again!

For the record, there is no evidence that the producers have ever actually stepped into the judging decisions, with the possible exception of the "clipper-gate" incident. Chef Colicchio has said on numerous occasions that it has never happened, and I tend to believe him. And at least in this case, after all, what real gain is there in sending Dale home over Lisa? It's not like Lisa is the last woman, or that Dale has such a sweet, boring disposition that they wanted the excitement of keeping Lisa... it doesn't add up. I wish they had gotten rid of Lisa instead, but I didn't taste the scallops. Maybe they were just awful, and the Laksa was merely "bad."

As far as I can discern the Bradley is ideal for my particular needs: long-time cold-smoking of sausage and the like. I will also use it for traditional BBQ, but I really like that you can do things like a cold-smoked andouille (24-48 hour smoke time) with minimal babysitting. If my impression is correct, basically all I would need to do is reload the hopper every nine hours, and keep enough ice in the chamber to keep the temperature down. I wish I could find something that could work with conventional wood chips, and I may try to DIY a solution, but that is getting a wee bit ambitious...

Has anyone used the Bradley Digital Smoker? It's a bit more expensive than the original model, but it shore is purdy... it would look mighty fine on my patio.

My wife and I ate at Facia Luna Pizzeria tonight: they probably have the best pizza in the State College area. It is cooked in a wood-fired oven, which generally bodes well. We started with the bruschetta, which was pretty good considering that tomatoes are still very out of season here: they did a nice job livening them up. The bread was a touch soft for my tastes, but not so much that I wouldn't order it again, and we ordered it with the fresh mozzarella option, which added a little body to the bread (it was a fairly firm mozzarella, considering that it was fresh). For our pizza we shared a medium Carciofo pizza (artichokes, tomatoes and basil). They went a bit heavy on the toppings, in my opinion: it is hard to make a good wood-fired pizza if you over-load the crust, which then doesn't cook appropriately. This pizza suffered from a mediocre crust to a certain extent, but it wasn't terrible. The toppings were tasty for the most part, though they used a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes, which was a mistake. I am all for canned tomatoes in stuff when tomatoes are out of season, but as a pizza topping? No way. Just make do with fewer tomatoes. All in all you could do far worse in State College, and this is clearly the best pizza in town (the claims of HiWay pizza notwithstanding).

Also from the article (emphasis is mine): Can we assume the mean two hours? Or twenty minutes? Or something? I thought the 15 minute challenge in Top Chef was brutal: two minutes would be comedy!

Katie, how do you make yours? Your grenadine recipe has been such a hit at my house that I am anxious to try new elixirs!

As seen on the CIA SmartBrief today, from MSNBC: Now, don't get me wrong. I love football. And I really love cooking. But "Cooking with the Cowboys"?!?!? Seriously. Is it just me, or are we scraping the bottom of the cooking show reality TV barrel?

Well, folks, it's that time of year again: that time when half of us eat every fiddlehead we can get our hands on, and the other half lament how awfully pond-scum like they taste . I missed the season last year, so I've been watching the Wegman's carefully this year and yesterday we got our first batch in. I have only made them once before, I think just sauteed, so this year I'm going to actually follow the advice given in this topic and blanche them first. I wonder if they go well with bacon?

Tonight I made the Spaghetti Puttanesca from the March 2002 issue of Cook's Illustrated (recipe here at www.cooksillustrated.com if you have online access). The article title is "Spaghetti Puttanesca in 11 Minutes" and while 11 minutes might be a stretch if you count boiling the water, start-to-finish for me was about 20 minutes. Of course, this is in line with the classic recipes: they didn't change much over Bugialli's recipe in The Fine Art of Italian Cooking. A few tweaks to the techniques to squeeze the most flavor out of the ingredients, but otherwise this is your basic Puttanesca. In my opinion, that is a good thing: why mess with success? In my opinion this recipe makes far too much sauce: I make a half batch and serve about 2/3 of that for two people. This is one recipe that really doesn't suffer at all using canned tomatoes, either. Between the olives, capers and anchovies, the tomatoes are really a background element.

Salt and pepper. Does that count? I can't think of a protein I have cooked in any manner that didn't get a salt and pepper rubdown at least a few minutes before cooking. For BBQ I use the rub from an old issue of Cook's Illustrated: it's pretty basic, but I haven't had the time necessary to really improve upon it. Your chipotle ancho rub sounds pretty good: maybe I'll give it a go next time I have frosted mini wheats .

This is the tried and true "family recipe" my mother uses, as far as I remember it. Note that if you don't like olives, you won't like this salad! 1 box rigatoni 1 bottle Italian dressing 1 cup coarsely chopped black olives 1 finely chopped red bell pepper Grated parmesan cheese to taste 1) Make the rigatoni, leaving it pretty al dente 2) Rinse the pasta in cold water to chill 3) Combine with half the dressing bottle and other ingredients 4) Chill until ready to serve 5) Before serving, stir in the rest of the bottle of dressing In fact, the way the recipe was originally made was with canned black olives and canned parmesan, and as a child I thought it was great. I find that it also cleans up pretty well by replacing the prepackaged stuff with "the real deal," especially the parmesan and the olives.

Hah, thanks for bumping this up, I hadn't seen it before! I think some of those Successories posters are pretty bad, so I made my own motivational poster:

Hah! I got nothin' on the cheese, but the herbs look like sage (long stalks of purple flowers), chives (single whispy lighter-purple flowers), and maybe thyme (I can't see that one as well, but thyme has tiny white flowers).