ElsieD

Try it as a topping on focaccia bread.

Well, that worked well. I guess I was still laughing at the mental image I had of the little spice grinder whizzing through 50 lbs of flax seed. Thank you so much - that was the best belly laugh I've had in ages. I only wish after the big chuckle you gave me that I could be of some help. I have no idea what you should do.

Does anyone have a recipe for a pork or poultry dish that calls for a chokeberry sauce?

We saw a presentation of this cookware today at Costco. It has a no-stick ceramic and titanium finish. Does anyone know anything about this as to quality? I know Volrath is a big supplier of equipment to restaurants and institutions and they have been around for a long time but I don't know anything about this particular cookware. Thanks for your help.

I thought the taste was great. I use Robin Hood All Purpose Unbleached flour. I live in Canada.

I made this the other day, and followed the recipe as written. It was excellent. Since there are only two of us, I froze what we did not eat and I am curious to see if freezing affects it in any way. I used a non-stick pan, oiled it as instructed and had no problems whatsoever with it sticking.

Does the packaging list anything other than sweet potatoes in the ingredient list? ←

I am Planning on making the RoseLevy Bernabaum Neo-classical Buttercream. I have white corn syrup and I'm wondering if I can use that or if I need the darker (yellow?) corn syrup? Thank you.

The recipe for Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola is from fine Cooking Issue 75. It is called "Holidays" and covers appetizers, menus, desserts, cookies and gifts. The date on the cover is Winter 2006. Hope this clears up the confusion.

I buy frozen ones from a wholesaler. They are skinny fries and take about three minutes to cook up. They come out crispy, and stay crispy, yet they are nice and fluffy on the outside. I realize this is cheating, but........ They go really well with Renees Creole Mustard sauce.

Thank you for your response. The Cake thread is more recipe related - which is not really what I am interested in. I am more interested in knowing how it functions as a baking book - I have read conflicting reviews and want to know if others experienced the stated shortcomings (poor layout, missed steps, incomplete directions, etc.). I gather that she is a perfectionist but that her recipes work. However, I don't want to get the books if it means that it takes me a full day just to put together an apple pie, for example. It may also be that the mistakes were corrected in subsequent editions.

I am interested in knowing if any of you bakers out there have any or all of the following books by Ms. Beranbaum: The Cake Bible The Bread Bible The Pie and Pastry Bible I have read conflicting reviews of these books. A lot of people say the recipes are overly complicated and that if you are the tiniest bit off in your measuring, the end result will be a flop. Others think the books are the holy grail. As I am considering getting these books, I would appreciate your input. I am not a professional baker but I have a many years of baking experience. Thank you.

I've got a loaf going in the oven in about a half-hour. I'll try being a bit more bloodthirsty in my slashes. :-) Let us know how it works out. I sometimes have trouble with the bread not rising enough resulting in a denser crumb. Any ideas as to why that should be?

I have been very interested in reading the comments about Cook's Illustrated. We subscribe to Cook's Illustrated (my husband's favourite) and Cuisine at Home (my favourite). Since CAH is also accepts no advertising, I would be curious to get your take on this magazine vis a vis Cook's. I know it isn't as scientific as Cook's, and the product reviews aren't as detailed (for that I would still use Cook's) but I seem to enjoy the recipes a whole lot more. I also find their customer service to be excellent - in the past, I have heard back from them within one day of writing to them, as opposed to next to never from Cook's. I wonder of Chris Kimball really knows how bad their customer service really is? If he does, one can only assume he doesn't care which, of course, would be the height of bow-tied arrogance.

I forgot to add that the publisher of the book is Whitecap as the book came out in 2007.

A great book is The Definitive Canadian Wine & Cheese Cookbook by Gurth Pretty and Tony Aspler. The recipes use Canadian cheeses. The side bar has suggested wine pairings, "Make Ahead" suggestions and "Gurth's Notes" which suggests cheese substitutions in case you can't find the ones called for in the recipe.

Any chance you could post the recipe?

OMG that looks good. What proportions do you use? I assume you saute the onion in the butter then add the tomatoes and simmer to a sauce consistency? Do you use canned tomatoes?

I did not see much mention of the Brioche recipe. I made it and have been making the pecan rolls. I pinch off 3 oz. of dough, roll it into a thin narrow rectangle, cover it with softened butter and spread with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar. I don't bother measuring any of this. I then roll it up and put it in one of those glass flan cups although I think you could use just about anything. Before I put it in the cup, I melt some butter in it and add some maple syrup, swirl it together and there's the topping. I follow the rest of the instructions with regard to resting the dough, etc. but bake them for a little less time. I invert them immediately when I take them out of the oven and remove the cup. They have a wonderful sticky texture on the bottoms and they are positively addictive. Tonight I made 3 oz. rolls out of the rest of the dough and they are now freezing. I'll be curious to see how they turn out after the dough has been frozen. I will probably thaw the dough overnight in the fridge and go from there. It sure is nice to be able to make just a couple of these rolls rather than a whole batch. Better for the waistline too!

HI Pat: Sadly, I was not the one looking at the bottom of the bowl - that would be my husband, who took the leftovers to work. I had some chicken that I was planning to use for a stir fry and when I decided to make this pasta, I chopped it up, sauted it, and added it at the end of cooking the dish. That worked well. I'm thinking the addition of scallops or shrimp would be good also. Actually, I think I could just eat the sauce and skip the pasta, it was that good.

Thanks to Pierogi, I rushed over to my copy of the October 2007 edition of Cuisine at Home and found the recipe for Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce with Pasta Shells. I made it on the weekend and it was sublime. Absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to make it again. Thanks for the recommendation!

A couple of people have sent me a pm requesting the focaccia recipe so here it is: Focaccia with Rosemary and Sea Salt (Cuisine at home, October 2006, Issue 59, p. 45) Makes: One 9 x 13 Total Time: 4 Hours + rise for the biga Rating: Intermediate For the Biga— Whisk Together; Add: 1 1/2 cups water, room temperature 1 packet instant dry yeast (1⁄4 oz. or 21⁄4 t.) 1 cup bread flour For the Dough— Combine; Let Rise: Biga 2 cups bread flour 2 t. fine sea salt or table salt 1/2 t. sugar Top Dough with: 2 T. fresh rosemary needles, blanched 4 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 t. coarse sea salt or kosher salt Whisk the water and yeast together for the biga in a glass or metal bowl. Add 1 cup flour and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight (but no longer than 16 hours). (Can also be left at room temperature for 3 – 4 hours. This is what I usually do. Elsie) Before preparing the dough, bring the biga to room temperature, setting it on the counter for 1 hour. It will be thick and foamy. Combine the biga, 2 cups flour, 2 t. salt, and sugar for the dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, or until incorporated. Increase speed to med.-low and mix until smooth, 5 minutes. If the dough is not wet, sticky, and falling from the hook, add water, 2 t. at a time, until it is. Transfer dough to a bowl coated with nonstick spray. Pull the dough up and over itself until its top is smooth, then coat with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 11⁄2–2 hours. When the dough is doubled, it’s ready to go into the baking pan. Drizzle 3 T. olive oil in a 9 x 13" baking pan, then smear it to coat using your hands. Press dough evenly into the pan, cover with plastic, and let rise until 1" thick, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400°. Top dough with rosemary. Coat fingers with nonstick spray, then press them into the dough to “dimple”—not too many or the dough will collapse. Drizzle dough with 4–5 T. oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until the top is golden and sides pull away from the pan, 25–30 minutes. Transfer the bread to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Focaccia is best served the same day it’s baked. Note: This freezes well. I usually re-heat in a 350 oven for 10 minutes or so.

We do have some recipes from CI that we make from time to time. My husband makes: Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf Chicken Alla Diavola Coca Cola Ham All Purpose Gravy (Gravy From Almost Nothing) Cream of Mushroom Soup I make: Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya Lemon Bars Spanish Style Shrimp (use Cascabel peppers if you can fine them. LOVE this one!) Roesti Potatoes Scalloped Potatoes With Chipolte Chile & Smoked Cheddar Cheese The only way we ever cook a roast anymore is by following their technique for Top Loin Roast. It comes out perfectly cooked - which for our tastes is medium rare. That is, it is medium rare all the way through, not grayish on the outside and gradually morphing into medium rare. Absolutely beautiful. All of the above we have made numerous times, the recipes never fail us and they are all delicious. BTW, I meant to add that I thought I had lost 4 copies of CAH (panic ensued!!!)- so I wrote to them to ask if I could buy back issues. They responded by e-mail the same afternoon. Sure beats the unsatisfactory way CI handles customer queries, let alone complaints. CI could take lessons. I have written to CAH before and have always received prompt replies.

Hi Elsie ! I would classify gorgonzola as a "mid-range" bleu. At least to my palate it is. It's definately not as mild as cambazola (which is actually a mixture of camembert and gorgonzola) and I don't find it as strong as Roquefort. Probably one of the domestic gorgonzolas would be milder still. Now a question back at you....the focaccia, is that the one topped with rosemary & sea salt? I had cut that out and its in my to be made file, but of course I didn't note the source. The style of the layout and the paper stock tells me it IS Cuisine at Home, though. If that's not the one, can you also PM me the one you're talking about? TIA ! ← Yes, the focaccia is the one with the rosemary and sea salt. I love the stuff and it freezes well. It is just so doggone easy to make. When I make it, I just mix the biga, leave it on the counter for a couple of hours and it's good to go. I have also minced the rosemary and put it right in the dough. I will try the pasta recipe and I will make it with the gorgonzola to see what it is like. That recipe did not catch my eye inititally as I had not yet become acquainted with blue cheese. Thanks for responding.

The focaccia recipe in Cuisine at Home is the easiest, best focaccia bread I have ever made. Takes 15 minutes hands on time, tops. The link is here: http://www.cuisinemembersplus.com/page/vie...dID=3343&type=1 A question for pierogi - I am new to blue cheeses. After reading your rave about the tomato and Gorgonzola pasta, I rushed over to my copy of the mag and looked it up. A question - how strong is the gorgonzola? The only blue cheese I have used so far is Cambozola which is, as I understand it, fairly mild as blue cheeses go. I'd like to give this recipe a try.