Lisa2k

Oh god, this thread is so hard to look through, as I want to eat every single one of your meals. Some serious talent and love go into these dishes. OK, I better stop before I drool all over my keyboard. Having said that, do some of these recipes end up in the Recipegullet? I need to make/eat them! Finally, based on the 5-spice sauce chicken drumsticks photo I saw above, I threw together a marinade of whatever I had on hand, including oyster sauce, soy, ginger, toasted sesame oil, 5 spice , light brown turbinado sugar, sambal, loads of garlic, shallots etc, and immersed (with a lot of inside-out rubbing) a 6 lb roasting chicken into it. I can't wait to get home and roast it whole, serving it along with some garlic stir-fried baby bok choy and anything else interesting I come up with, depending (again) on what I have on hand. I'll post some photos if it works out well.

They look awesome, Cali! I want grab a handul from your photo! ~~ That said..I never make the criss cross pattern with the fork when I make them as sandwich nutter butters, as I think the peanut butter filling looks prettier when the cookies are smooth on top.

I took Cook's Illustrated recipe for 'Big, Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies', which contain crunchy peanut butter (although I used smooth and added a mix of light brown and dark brown sugar, instead of all dark brown, which the recipe lists) and roasted salted peanuts, ground into a fine powder. I then whip up a batch of the Bouchon Bakery's Nutter Butter peanut butter cookie filling, and sandwich the cookies with it. I don't have any photos since I haven't made them in a few weeks, and naturally, they're gone, but I will as soon as I make them again. Edited to add - I prefer JIF for my peanut butter cookies and filling.

Oh god, add some jumbo lump crab, and that's one of my favorite dishes in the world. It looks awesome, monavano. Did you steep the cream with the shrimp shells before adding the butter and parm? ← Wow, I didn't think of steeping the shells-that would have really been great. I seared off the scallops and shrimp until med/rare and set them aside. I then added shallots and deglazed with white wine and added the cream and the cheese, nutmet, lemon, salt and pepper. Then I returned the seafood and the al dente fettucine to the pan to finish. Thanks! ← And in turn, I never thought of adding nutmeg to alfredo sauce. What a great idea, as nutmeg always adds those 'Wow, what's that flavor that makes it SO good?" comments I can't wait to try it..thank you!

Oh god, add some jumbo lump crab, and that's one of my favorite dishes in the world. It looks awesome, monavano. Did you steep the cream with the shrimp shells before adding the butter and parm?

This is a test run for a catering event for 50 this weekend. I'm doing apps and desserts. This one is a Ginger, Sambal, Garlic, Olive Oil marinated shrimp, grilled..(three shrimp per plate) then draped with a slice of Shiro Miso-brown sugar glazed duck prosciutto, and served over a sake, miso, rice vinegar, and white honey redux, which I reduced too much. Regardless, I think I'm going to use a soy, sake, ponzu redux instead, NOT running to take a phonecall while it's reducing!!

Lenny, like I said above, I'm not quite there yet, but thanks for the nice compliment. As for the fillings, I use all kinds of chocolate ganaches, jams/jellies/preserves, buttercreams, caramel, and curds..sometimes even combining some, so there's a 'surprise' in the middle. Even a firm mousse or fruit compote makes a great filling. I think pretty much anything goes with these, depending on your imagination. A friend of mine did a basic almond, and filled it with warm brie and fig paste. They were delicious! The fillings in the above macs, are bittersweet chocolate ganache for the chocolate, which I overfilled for my guy, since they were just test macs. The cinnamon macs are filled with a cinnamon swiss meringue buttercream, but in this case, I overfilled them to make the macs look more even for these photos.. because they were so lopsided.. AND, to distract one's eyes away from the gigantic feet! LOL When I finally succeed in getting the perfect, aesthetically pleasing macaron, I won't be overloading them with filling!

Thanks, Amrita..I'm getting a tiny bit closer each time, but I've got a LONG way to go! This trial and error deal is kind of a pain, especially when everything goes right as far as the flow of the batter and how they settle on the sheet pan.. and then they come out of the oven lopsided or with big feet..OR not enough or too much puff/dome on top. I look at so many photos of macarons on Flickr, and I'm just dying to get them to look like those, including yours! As for celsius and all kinds of conversions, I'm so awful at that! I use online converters a lot, but they give me such crazy numbers sometimes, I just give up and weigh or guess temps..lol I also don't like the separation between the cookie and the foot, but naturally, I get that more often than not.

Wow..I forgot to subscribe to this thread, hence why I haven't replied with a thank you for your caramelized tapioca pudding recipe..SO, thank you! Your method is similiar to making sweetened condensed milk, with less sugar, and caramelizing it into sort of a dulce de leche. I can't wait to try it!

Amrita, Here's the photos of my latest attempts to get pretty macarons. The chocolate ones are your recipe using the french meringue method, except I subtracted 1 T of confectioner's sugar and added a T of dutch process cocoa. They came out much better than my previous ones, though still not as gorgeous as yours! Practice makes perfect, so I'm going to keep trying. That said, with the french meringue method, my macs were perfectly textured, slight, tender crunch on the outside and a soft, chewy middle. I had to put a lot of filling in these, as my sig other LOVES bittersweet chocolate ganache, and these are just test runs, so he's been loving it..LOL ..on the flip side, the cinnamon macarons below (I should have colored them a darker red with a little brown and added more cinnamon), were made using the italian meringue method, and YIKES..call the Discovery channel.. I think I found BIG FOOT! Lopsided, giant feet, and much more *ugh* crunchy than the french meringue macs, even though I baked them at 325 F for only 10 minutes. I let the sugar syrup go to about 240 F, which I always do for my italian meringue buttercreams. Maybe it should be less..like 230 F? Regardless, I overfilled these with cinnamon buttercream to make them look more even. Well, at least the flavor was nice. The end results with the cinnamon macs really surprised me, as the batter was perfect - flowed like 'magma', and gave me perfect circles that just barely spread, and settled into nice smooth tops without my having to dab at them with a little water. I was honestly expecting some close to perfect macarons! Weird! Anyway..your macarons are so perfect, I wouldn't worry about a few setbacks. I have no doubt even the best macaron bakers in France go through loads of batches that don't turn out consistently, whether it be the look, texture, taste etc. Like I keep saying, they really are finicky little suckers!

Amrita, First off, I'm sorry your macarons are acting up again. Like I said, finicky little suckers!! I read somewhere that Pierre Herme NEVER lets any macarom, even with the slightest imperfection..probably not noticable by the average human eye..get through to sell, so they just eat those. My first thought was, these cookies are so finicky and inconsistent, depending on so many facets, that many pastry chefs groan at the thought of having to make them. I guess certain pastry chefs, especially in France and Asian countries, are just so adept at making them, that imperfections rarely occur. Not to mention, I'm sure their kitchens are perfectly conditioned temperature wise and their ovens always perfectly calibrated, for daily macaron preparation and baking. Buying macarons at bakeries here in the US, you always get a couple imperfect ones, which is perfectly ok with me, as long as they taste good! It's good to know that even they have the occasional 'bad' macaron day! Anyway..I used your recipe to make chocolate macs, and they came out wonderful. Of course they're not as pretty as yours, as I can never get those circles perfect, even by piping them. Some of them always spread just a tad on one edge, giving it a little bit of 'leg' or 'stump', which I smooth back to a circle with a damp cloth wrapped around my fingertip. This brings something to mind. Whenever the circle is smoothed out like that, that part of the cookie remains someone flat, leaving me with one perfect side with great feet, and a downward slope on the other side with barely or no feet. It's obvious I have to perfect my circles, as that 'smoothing' method is obviously adhering the batter to the parchment, resulting in the 'smoothed' side not rising properly and lopsided macarons. Regardless, they still came out much better than my previous batches. However, 'stupid me' just HAD to try the italian meringue again on a batch of cinnamon macs, and once again...lopsided with big feet. Oh well, they tasted great, but I really want to nail the aesthetic part down so I can eventually sell them, since I've received many requests, especially from friends and family. I'll upload the photos when I get home later. Having said all that, I finally read through the whole thread, and the first 8-10 pages were about achieving 'puffy' domes, and those were considered the perfect macarons. Some of them were ultra puffy, and most wanted to achieve macs of that nature. I guess it's a matter of preference, as they still look cute, but at this time, I think we all want our macs to look like Pierre Herme's! Slight puff, ruffly, even feet, that aren't too thick..like yours!

Thank you so much, Amrita! I am definitely going to try your recipe tomorrow or Monday, and report back with photos. You know, macarons contain such simple ingredients, but technique wise, one extra or not enough folds of the tant pour tant into the whites, too much/too little beating of the whites, or the weather outside/temp in your kitchen, and they're pretty much ruined, at least aesthetically! It's amazing how simple they seem, but how incredibly finicky they can be!

This is a method I've never tried, and as you can see below, I need to! I've also been getting a myriad of results from my macarons as of late. Like Amrita, using the italian meringue method, they suddenly come out lopsided. When using the french meringue method, I get a variety of results, which you can see below.,.from raggedy tops, to 'feet' that put on a pair of high heels, to high domes, bumpy surfaces, jutting irregular feet, and cracks. These are a few macarons from some batches I've made in the past week, all with their own 'imperfections' *sigh*. Lemon meringue - Flat, lopsided, lumpy top. Could be due to the lemon zest in the cookie itself. Chocolate - Puffy domes Plain with chocolate ganache - The feet put on a pair of high heels, plus more puffy dome syndrome. Whipped white chocolate-black cherry ganache - Feet taking a 'walk' away from the macaron, kind of lopsided and flat dome.

You know, Tricook, I was thinking about that. The 'standard' muffin pans I have were purchased by my parents when I was a child, and given to me years ago, Hmm..I would say they each hold exactly 'give or take' 1 cup of batter. I haven't bough a new muffin pan since, except for jumbo and mini. I forgot to add, the 'standard' size paper cupcake liners fit perfectly into each well. ← i have a pan where the 'standard' cupcake liners fit into the cavities. i just took a cup of water (one cup by volume, 8 oz) and it filled three cavities completely full. so, yes, you're probably over filling the cups. however, there are a couple of other troubleshooting tips you might want to consider: oven temp - if the batter rises properly but doesn't have a chance to set up and then settles down, it could be that you're baking at too low a temperature. if you're following the directions in the recipe, you should check your oven temp to make sure that it is calibrated. also, it will make a difference if you're using convection or still air. leavening - could the recipes in the book have a different amount of chemical leavening than your 'tried and true' recipes? ← I just realized I made a mistake. I didn't mean to say the wells in my muffin pan each take 1 cup of batter, they each take about 1/3 cup. My comment about filling it '3/4's full' threw me off since I was in a rush. Sorry for the confusion. That said, I followed her recipes to a T. Yes, I have an oven thermometer, and my oven was the right temperature when I put the cupcakes in. The cupcakes bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. As far as the leavening goes, I used the amounts in her recipe, which are a little different than some of the cupcake recipes I usually use, but it seems to work for well for her. Regardless, from her book, she gets a perfect rise, with no large, flat tops, making a total of 12 cupcakes, so I'm pretty stumped!

You know, Tricook, I was thinking about that. The 'standard' muffin pans I have were purchased by my parents when I was a child, and given to me years ago, Hmm..I would say they each hold exactly 'give or take' 1 cup of batter. I haven't bough a new muffin pan since, except for jumbo and mini. I forgot to add, the 'standard' size paper cupcake liners fit perfectly into each well.

I received a cupcake cookbook from a friend last Xmas called '125 Best Cupcake Recipes' by Julie Hasson. I hadn't really checked it out until recently, (as I have many of my own 'favorite' and 'base' cupcake recipes that I use), but, after reading through it a few days ago, I decided to try some of the recipes. Every recipe is scaled to make 12 cupcakes, in a standard muffin/cupcake pan. The problem is, every time I scoop the batter so I have 12 equally filled cups (I would estimate each cup gets filled about 3/4's full), the result is cupcakes that over rise, then flatten around and over the edges of each well. Now, being an experienced baker, I know that a cupcake that puffs up too much, then flattens around the outer edge of the baking well it's in, (making it hard to remove, and not as 'aesthetically pleasing' as one would like), usually means the well was overfilled with batter. However, her recipes state emphatically - 12 cupcakes. My questions are 1) Does anyone have this cookbook, or have they tried the cupcake recipes from it? If so, did you get similar results? and 2) If none of the aforementioned applies, would anyone be willing to try one of her recipes and let me know if the same thing happens? I have to admit, her recipes make a really moist, fluffy, and delicious cupcake, hence why I want to try and figure this out. I know I could simply fill each well with less batter, and get more cupcakes, but since these are 'tried and true' recipes, I want to know or try to decipher what I could be doing wrong, unless it's actually due to some kind of error in her base recipes. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated

At the risk of sounding like a mo mo.. did you add the caramelized sugar to the milk and tapioca. or did you add the milk to the caramelized sugar as if you were making a caramel sauce ot candy?? It really does sound terrific.

You're very welcome, Sandra, although I made a boo boo. Rob said I could post a recipe..in the RecipeGullet, not the thread, although I only read the first line before posting away. Oopsies! That said, let me know how it turns out. I'd also like to see/try Tri2cook's caramelized version. I'm a caramel freak.

Cool..thanks, Rob Now, this is just a basic, old fashioned tapioca pudding that I pilfered from my late grandma's recipe box. I usually go off the beaten path a little, and add whatever I'm 'feeling' at the time, or use it as a part to something else..but here it is in it's original glory. Ingredients 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons large pearl tapioca 5 cups milk a healthy pinch of salt 2 large eggs, separated 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions 1)Pour the milk into a bowl and set the bowl over a large pot of simmering water. Let it come to a boil..then add the salt and tapioca pearls. Let this mixture simmer for about an hour, or until the tapioca is clear and the milk has thickened. 2)Beat egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until you get firm peaks, set aside. Beat the yolks with the remaining half cup of sugar, until the sugar dissolves, then temper the yolks and sugar with some of the hot tapioca milk, and stir it all back into the bowl of hot tapioca milk. Continue to cook over the simmering water for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in vanilla, then take the bowl off the simmering pot of water, and gently fold in the beaten egg whites. 3)Pour pudding into whatever serving bowl or bowls you're using, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap to the surface of the pudding(s) to avoid a skin from forming.. and chill in the fridge for several hours to overnight. Voila, old fashioned large pearl tapioca pudding. I like to add bittersweet chocolate and candied orange peel and just 'swirl' it in to the hot custard, prior to chilling, so it not only takes it up a notch, but looks funky..like eyeballs floating in a kaleidescope.

I know this thread is somewhat old, but I'm hoping some are still lurking around the cassava plant That said, my sister gave me a 1 lb bag of Tapioca flour, and outside of prawn chips and as a thickening agent, does anyone have any other suggestions for use? Also, Sandra, I do have a recipe for 'tried and true' tapioca pudding using large pearls. Also some for medium and small pearls. However, I'm not sure what the rules are as far as posting recipes in threads. Did you search the RecipeGullet?

I understand..it's like passing a car wreck, you can't look away even though you want to. I once channel surfed onto a Sandra Lee episode, and couldn't stop watching, as she was preparing something ghastly (I think it was frozen meatballs in orange marmalade, in a crockpot). I can't ever watch it again because of the hideous premature wrinkles I'll develop if I ever spend another half hour with my face twisted into such a contorted grimace of disgust

After reading through this thread, I have to agree with those who prefer a starter bread minus commercial yeast. My reasoning is pretty straight up and simple. I think a starter alone gives you much better flavor and texture. Ever since I got my 4 month old starter going, the taste of commercial yeast breads, and breads that use both, is nowhere near as flavorful to me. I've been severaly spoiled by the complexity of breads made with starter only. I'm not boasting as if this is a good thing, as I'd prefer it if my palate didn't join this 'exclusive' club...not to mention I have to bake at least two loaves a week, which has been quite time consuming! It's no fun taking a chunk of bread from the basket at most restaurants, doughy and hot, and thinking 'eh'. Having said all that..I still love my starter, and love baking all kinds of breads with it. There's no feeling like the one you get when you've slowly built and babied a bread without the help of anything other than TLC. In other words, I'm not really complaining..as of yet. lol

Do the laundry, and then go get a root canal. Both trump those two numbskulls and the show itself. Any bets on how long this show lasts..oh wait, the Food Network is now primarily geared toward soccer moms who want to learn how to make a meal that's under $40.00 in less than 30 minutes! (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but chefs and gourmands get zilch).

He he. That made my afternoon. I just spewed diet coke. Since I also catch an occasional glimpse when there's nothing on and I'm channel surfing, not to mention I wanted to check it out, and see if it was 'for real', as in...decent chefs maybe? GOOD home cooks? Interesting and innovative creations? Nada, NO, nayet. There was one funny by Marc Summers, that actually made me chuckle..until FieTTTTi ruined it with one of his stupid comebacks. They were watching this chick press peanuts into the side of her cake, her hands were a mess of chocolate frosting and peanuts, so stupid FieTTTi said.. "Man, I would love to get my hands on that right now!" Marc..knowing everyone is fully aware of his list of OCD's, mumbled..as he shifted uncomfortably.. "Man, I would love to wash her hands right now" Then dumbass had to come back with something to the effect of.. *Overly exaggerated laugh, as his belly shimmied under his ghastly bowling shirt* Funny..but I would love those peanuts with a pint of ale." Yes, Guy, we know you want men to think you're really cool. Just.Shut.Up.Idiot. You can't cook and you're irritating! You should thank your lucky stars that the Food Network stopped caring about food!

Amrita, I'm going through that with an upside down Chocolate-Chai-Chile flake (My 3C cupcake) cupcake recipe I've been using for years! Suddenly, even though I hadn't changed a thing, not even brands of baking powder/soda, flour, sugar etc..or technique, they started flattening and spreading on the top. Granted, since it's upside down, I just cut the flat rim off, but it's not as light and fluffy as it always was. Sometimes strange things happen in baking, and it's inexplicable! I've also tried adjusting time and temp, playing with the ingredient amounts etc..but no dice. I guess I'll have to wait until those ornery baking gods let it go and give it back to me. Someone else is getting their love now. Is your latest problem maybe due to the weather? Maybe there's a teeny bit of humdity lurking somewhere? I made some macarons last night, and some domed a bit, while others had raggedy tops, which has never happened before, but it's drizzly and slightly humid, so I'm hoping that's all it is.