ElsieD

WagJag has a promotion right now on Camino chocolate. It is advertised as Fair Trade Camino bittersweet chocolate chips containing 71% cocoa. The ingredients are cacao mass, cane sugar, and cacao butter. There are no additives or emulsifiers. The price is $95 for 10kilos. My question is, can I use this for anything other than, say, chocolate chip cookies? Can I use it for molding chocolates? Ganache? it is a great deal but on the other hand, that is a lot of chocolate. Thank you.

Darienne, if you make them again using less sugar, can you post how they turned out? I made them with natural peanut butter (no sugar added) and found they were so sweet I couldn't eat them.

Andie, is this tray something you constructed? it sounds as though it would be a handy thing to have.

What make of burr grinders to people use? I'm in the market to replace my bodum blade grinder.

if you are still in Montreal today, there is a Premier Moisson at the Jean Talon market.

Emily, these were not greasy at all. I'm not knowledgeable enough about the science of baking to know if you can reduce the butter. These sure were good though and even better, the whole thing is made in minutes in the food processor. If you do make them and reduce the butter, please post the results.

I made the Cadbury orange muffins this morning. It must be simplest muffin recipe I have ever put together. They are delicious. Edited for spelling

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2016723882_xmasporksliders16.html These blew our socks off.

Where are you? If you are in Ontario, Canada I can suggest something for knife skills.

How timely. Yesterday I went to my local Latino store in search of Panela. I found it in varying forms -but mostly slabs and large conical (1 or 2 pound cylinders) . They also had bags of Panela in small conical shapes, perhaps a couple of tablespoons worth. They were very, very hard and since I couldn't think of a way to break them down, I did not buy any. Now that I know a microwave will take care of the problem, I'll trot back over there and get me some.

How many contestants are they starting with?

I also have the Electrolux slide-in induction range but haven't cleaned the oven yet. How was the smoke factor? I'm kind of worried that there will be a lot of smoke coming from that oven.

What make is it and where did you find it?

I am one of the "mature folk". Thanks for the tip. I think I must have the shortest thumb fingernail in town. Luckily, I haven't cut through the actual thumb, although I've come close. Good thing I'm not very fast or that tip would be a goner for sure.

Sounds like we have the same sort of stove. It is good to have been forewarned. I live in a house so can open all the windows. Better do it soon, though. Winters a comin'.

Well, Anna, I was at Costco today and had a look at their stewing beef. I had never noticed it before because all I ever buy as far as beef goes is the strip loin so I never look at anything else. But I wonder if you got lucky and scored stewing beef cut from prime? They have prime from time to time and I noticed they had some there today in the form of strip loin steaks. What I saw today was triple A stewing beef but I don't think it was cut from prime. I'll say this though -I'll be checking this out in the future as they must be doing something with the prime trimmings. edited for a spelling error

I used the feature on my previous two stoves, both Jenny-Aires. The first one was electric, the second dual fuel. Both of them had downdraft vents which vented to outside. I had no problems using the self-clean on them. The new range is Electrolux and has an induction top and a convection oven. I have not tried the self-clean on this oven yet although it is getting close to needing it. It does not vent to outside so I am actually a bit worried about the smoke it will generate. Winter is coming, though, and here in the frozen north it will need to be done soon while we can open windows. Our cat also just turned 20 and has not been affected by the self-clean oven. Or, cats being cats, not that we can tell.

Anna, what cut of beef did you use? You said you got it at Costco? Elsie

I just came across this new-to-me-item while browsing the internet. Has anyone tried this? As far as I can tell from my browsing, the only place I can find this is from a supplier in Utah. Before I go out on a limb and order some (and pay the attending no doubt frightful S & H) I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has tried it and if so, how they liked it. It sounds like it tastes like a dark chocolate drink but is brewed like coffee. Thanks!

What are Mallomars?

At least you are not known as "The Town That Fun Forgot".

We tried to watch it and didn't make it to the first commercial. It is gawd-awful.

Thanks, Bud, that's all I can ask for. Elsie

qrn: I started collecting Gourmet in the 70's. They hung around forever and when we moved into our house, my husband strongly suggested that it was time to go through them, clip what I wanted and discard the rest. Unfortunately, I also tossed out the edition that had a really great recipe for lamb chops. :sad: They were marinated in mint and some other stuff prior to cooking. It is not on the Epicurious, Gourmet or Bon Appetit sites. So, when going through these old Gourmets, if you come across such a recipe, I'd really like to hear about it. This would likely have been in the late '70s or early 80s. Probably the 70s.

Darienne, one thing I always do is double up the cheese sauce for mac & cheese. I then freeze half of it, for a quick dinner when I don't feel like doing much. Some folks may find that a bit pedestrian, but we are happy with it. I used to freeze the made up mac & cheese but I found that upon thawing & re-heating, the pasta had absorbed too much of the sauce thus ending up with a rather dry and mushy pasta.