ElsieD

The blueberry muffin with the streusel topping sucked, IMO.

Canada used both imperial (cups and ounces) and metric (litres and grams), although officially we are a metric nation. Canadian cookbooks tend to have both measures in them. The cups and tsps. & tbsp. we use are the same as those in the USA.

we go to a cafe where they make these terrific burgers and they make a tomato chutney which they use as a topping.

Would one of those bags that you use strain fruit when making a fruit jelly work?

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!