ElsieD

It's a very different situation, and cannot be compared with cooking shows. Smith went into the kitchen of a busy commercial bakery (not his own) and refused to wear a hairnet. That's a violation of food safety/preparation by-laws, of which I'm sure he was aware, having worked in commercial kitchens before. That's an ego of huge proportions. Interestingly, if you watch his earlier shows, he had no problem wearing a hairnet before. . . Ya, I think the "perfect" show was the one my mother was talking about. She really enjoyed it because it delved more deeply into a dish--sort of like a less-basic Cook's Illustrated. My cat had just had a snack, so I felt her picture was well-suited to eG. Well, that's a bummer. I doubt I'll look at him in the same way ever again. And here I thought we had a TV chef who actually had both feet planted on the ground. And yes, your kitty is very well suited to eG. Mine belongs on some site where they are trying out matresses....but then, she is 18 years old!

I have a couple of dumb questions. Can I make this at home? Can I scale down the recipe, by say, a quarter? I assume the quantities given are for grams? Thanks

Tri2Cook - Thanks for the heads up on the shows. I have them set to tape. Darienne - I haven't noticed the "clever" camera angles. Likely now I will. Chef Abroad is on Friday nights at 9:30. BTW, where is Cavan? nextguy - what shows are on PBS other than ATK? Are you in the USA? If yes, you get shows that we can't get - it depends on our US affiliation which for our area is Watertown, NY. I have heard that PBS has good ones but the ones I've heard about, aren't picked up by Watertown. prasantrin- I didn't see him not wearing a hairnet. But then, lots of chefs on TV don't. For example, those on Iron Chef, Bobby Flay, Jamie Oliver, etc. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to think of a chef on any network show wearing a hairmet. Blumenthal used to have a show about finding/making the perfect whatever. It bordered on obsessive to the point I watched maybe 2 and crossed it off my list. I surely do like your avatar. Is that your kitty? Finally, my award for the biggest camera hog is Guy Fieri (sp) on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I've never seen anyone with such a great need to dominate a camera.

This Canadian will second that remark. There is some bad stuff on the US one but there is worse stuff one the Canadian one. I can't understand why they have dumbed it down so much. I hardly ever watch it any more. We do have Chef Abroad however, with Michael Smith which is very interesting and informative. Plus, he seems to lack an ego which makes it even more of a pleasure to watch. Note to BBC Canada - we used to subscribe to your station so we could watch "The Restaurant" until, that is, you chose to stop carrying it half-way through the season. How to keep subscribers! Not.

Rover, how easy is it to grow? Can you give me some instructions? I usually buy a thyme plant every couple of years and put it outside in the summer and bring it in for the winter. But, it seems to dry out very easily and I never seem to get nice new green shoots on it.

Scott, I buy New Mexican ground chiles from here: http://www.chillychiles.com/catalogue/catalogue_frame.html?submenu=catalogue I buy a kilogram at a time and use it for making chili con carne. It is super good. As you can see, they have lots of other kinds as well. you can mail order from them.

I should have mentioned that the turnip I referred to is shaped like a beet. The ones I have had range from about 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. They cook quickly.

It is probably a turnip variety called Hakurei. They are delicious, sweet and very mild. I get them whenever I find them at farmer's markets as not many people grow them. I don't use them for stew, but rather just as a vegetable side dish.

Andrew, you might try posting your questions in the appropriate form on this board. It is the virtual weber bulletin board amd has lots of info on smoking in particular and cooking in general. http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=2880069052&m=6940022825&r=959102592 Scott, you may find this helpful.

Scott, for what it's worth, I never soak my bacon. I use the Ruhlman method, and just rinse off the cure, pat it dry and put it in the fridge for 24 hours so the pellicule can form. After that, I smoke it until the temp hits about 150. I used to buy "reduced salt" bacon as I found the regular bacon too salty but I find Ruhlman's cure to be just right. Good luck.

Who are "they"? Is it another Costco? I know I can make my own but the beauty about this can is that it is REAL whipped cream and with just two of us, I only use a little at a time. This particular brand doesn't collapse on itself unlike the other brands in the dairy case of your local supermarket.

You are correct. Ruhlman says pink salt is 93.75% salt and 6.25% nitrite. How much salt are you using for how much pork belly?

I counted 137 cookbooks of which I have used 22 or 16% more than once. I did not count magazines. I gave away about 200 books a couple of years ago and thought I had only kept the ones I really "used". Hmm...I think a little rationalizing is in order, especially since I have 2 more books coming.

I was given a Henckels 9" chef's knife back in around 1980. The tip broke off it around 2001 or so. I didn't drop it - it just broke off. I took it to a store that sold Henckles and they replaced it then and there - no questions asked. My Wustoff kitchen shears went shortly after we got them and they too went back - same thing. Instant replacement. Thought this might cheer you up. I'm sure you will get a replacement.

I was at Costco today (Merivale Road and Hunt Club) and didn't see it. Where did you see it? Thanks! Elsie

How did you make the Tarte a sucre with brioche? I have some brioche dough that I am about to freeze but maybe turning some of it into a Tarte a sucre is in order?

Thanks again. I have made the corrections. You are right - 4 oz. grated cheese is more likely to be about about 1 cup. At least, that's what I use for grated cheddar. I'm looking forward to making these.

So this would be the recipe then? I'm keen to try these as my husband doesn't like potatoes unless they're dressed up a bit. Did you use those foil cups with the straight sides that you sometimes see a custard in? Do you think they would freeze? Sorry about all the questions. Individual Potato Gratins 
 • 2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced (I found that ONE 10-oz. potato was enough for all 8 tins) • 1/2 cup grated Swiss (Jarlsberg) cheese • 2 green onions, finely chopped • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 4 T heavy cream Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. (I used the disposable foil cups) Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1/2 tablespoon of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

Baroness, did you use Martha;s recipe? I'm anxious to try these. Is that 10 oz. of potato per serving?

Brownies also have a disadvantage for use in this type of pan because they develop a crusty exterior while keeping a soft, crumbly exterior that doesn't stay together well. I'd say that the pan is better suited for a soft cake, and possibly molding chocolates.

Thanks, all, for your responses. I have just about every liquor in the house, but no dark rum, however I can get some. I have a lot of little bottles that I've gathered over time for the same reason as bourbon is called for in this recipe - a teaspoon of this, a tablespoon of that. Only problem is, you can't buy little bottles of bourbon in Canada and buying a regular bottle is a waste of money as I wouldn't use it again. I also have most liquours. I have amaretto, so could use that. The recipe I am using consists of heavy cream, sour cream, light brown sugar, a dash of salt and bourbon. The cheesecake has all the traditional spices in it. Is dark rum a better flavour to use than amaretto? Thanks again.

I am making a Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert which in Canada is this weekend. The recipe I am making calls for bourbon. Since we never, ever, use bourbon and the recipe calls for only 2 teaspoons (in the topping) can someone suggest a suitable substitute?

I too am Canadian and never buy anything from Amazon.ca due to their pricing and expensive shipping charges. I have a niece who lives in the US and so I order from Amazon.com and have the items shipped to her. Same with orders from Jessica's Biscuit. But, back to the posted topic, I have a book called "The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook". This books details the origins of the recipes and I still make two of the recipes to this day - Tourtiere and Baked Beans. The copy I have of this book was printed in 1973 (Sixth printing).

I had this pan also and had the problems as you did. I returned it.