isomer

They soak 2 cups of Cannellini beans in 4 cups of cold water mixed with 3 tablespoons salt for 8-24 hrs, then drain and rinse. CI says helps them develop a creamy texture and tender skins. I haven't tried it, so I can't comment. Chris?

I haven't tried the Chicken Kiev, but I am a big fan of the Modern Coq au Vin from November 2006. It calls for bacon, but I've skipped it more times than I've used it. It's still delicious. This is a make ahead dish as well.

Yeah, I kind of gleaned that from reading everyone's adventures with chocolate marshmallows. I'm going to try beating it in at around the 9 minute mark. Oh, and yeah... the mixer totally, totally rocks. Kitchen life just got better.

I finally treated myself to a KA stand mixer, and of course, the first thing I made was the famous nightscotsman marshmallows. OMG they are delicious! I want to try some with sweetened condensed milk in them - anyone have an idea what the shelf life will be? Or in fact will they be shelf stable? (I'm guessing yes, with all that sugar in the milk and the marshmallows) thanks

It means soaking the beans in salt water for a while before cooking them.

I got a KA mixer about 2 weeks ago (yay! first mixer!) and I agree: The thing is incredible. Worth every penny.

Kim Shook, that sweet table looks fantastic! Especially the meringues. I made these chocolate cheesecake brownies from David Lebovitz's blog. I'm liking them

*slaps forehead* I'm having a "why didn't I think of that" moment here. I will immediately switch from parchment paper. This makes so much more sense. I think you should post this in the "best tips" topic on the cooking thread, too Thanks for the wakeup call, gfron1

Thanks for the inspiration, Chris. That looks like just the thing. Also, nice photo. I really like the subtle narrow depth of field.

Scrambled eggs. I learned Jean-George's technique from his book Simple to Spectacular, co-authored by Mark Bittman. I don't know if he invented it, but I am attributing it to him because that's how I learned it. It is absolutely a revelation, because it is purely a difference in technique (same eggs, same butter), but the results are dramatically different, and I think better. Here is how to scramble eggs, as described by JG and MB: Start with a cold non-stick pan, and crack 3 eggs into it. Add about 1/2 Tbsp of butter, and turn the heat to medium-high. Using a wisk, begin slowly stirring the eggs. Don't incorporate air, but do keep the eggs moving. As the pan heats up, the butter will melt. Keep stirring. Next the whites will start to coagulate in tiny clumps and strands. Keep stirring. Soon the yolk will start to cook as well. If at any time the egg start sticking to the pan, lift the pan off the element for a few seconds, and keep stirring until the eggs stop sticking, then return the pan to the heat. The eggs are done when they have the texture of loose oatmeal. Don't overcook them. Add salt and pepper, and serve with a spoon. The eggs are unbelievably creamy! I've even made them with no butter, and they are still creamy. I think the reason this happens is that the constant stirring prevents the eggs from clumping and separating into overcooked parts and undercooked parts, but that's just a guess.

Thanks for the awesome ideas. Rice it is!

I just finished the last of a batch of Flageolet beans, which I cooked with a carrot, some celery, an onion and a bunch of thyme, salt and pepper. I was about to pour the bean cooking liquid down the sink, when I decided to taste it. OMG! it's delicious! Is there anything wrong with adding this to soup or in cooking? Does it, uh, cause gastric distress? I feel really dumb pouring this great tasting broth down the drain. What do you do with it?

I guess I'm on a roll here. This is a bit of an experiment. I made a pretty basic oatmeal muffin batter, and then made oatmeal raisin, oatmeal chocolate chip and oatmeal blueberry muffins:

I made the Parisian Apple Tarts today. Wow! They are easy as anything, and does the house smell fantastic. I made four kinds: Plain with just brown sugar Cinnamon Clove Cardamom and Vanilla Can't wait to taste them

Thanks for the tips. I'll post the results, however regrettable (but tasty)

Better late than never, right? I made the Banana crunch muffins from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. They are the bomb! I did them as giant muffin tops because I like the crunchy part best

Those macarons look great! I've been dying to try them for a while now, but haven't worked myself up to it yet. Any advice for a total beginner?

Dear fellow bread enthusiasts, http://ted.com has a new video up by none other than Peter Reinhart! He's giving a talk on his epoxy method of making whole grain breads, and the basic mechanics of the whole bread baking process from (as he says) "wheat to eat". Watch by clicking here: Peter Reinhart on Bread

Wowza! I say again, you and tri2cook are rockin the house here.

Tri2cook - Wow.... Those look like a blast to make. I have everything but the methocel. Any suggestions for a supplier in Ontario? Did you get Dessert 4-play? Any good? Rob - The super clean cuts are a matter of a hot, thin knife, and also a very cold product. Like refrigerated 12 hrs. After today's tasty photo is the recipe for the butterscotch layer. I'm sure you'll get very clean cuts if you chill it long enough. Today I made some pretty tasty brownies: I don't know why they look like they're hovering above the plate. I mean, they're good, but not like magically good or anything. Also, I only chilled them for about an hour, and you can see they didn't cut as nicely. Anyway, here's the butterscotch brownie recipe: 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 Cup light brown sugar 1 Large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt 136g unbleached AP flour 8-inch baking pan lined with parchement.... oven at 350F. Melt the butter, and beat in the sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the salt, then (gently) stir in the flour. I did it all by hand, rather than get the mixer dirty. Pour into the pan, and bake 20-25 mins until barely set in the middle. Cool to room temp on a rack, the into the fridge for a good several hours. Slice 'em up. Let me know how it goes! -Anthony

I use them for bouquet garni like manton does. "Cooking" by James Peterson has that little gem, along with many, many more.

You might find some useful information here: Umami Information Center...

Wow - those looks really stellar. What issue is the recipe from? I'd like to give them a whirl too. oh, and regarding the discussion above about blueberry muffins: I made the blueberry muffins with the butter and sugar topping. Not so impressed. I found they tasted mostly of sugar, not blueberries. Even without the topping, I found them pretty plain. Kinda bummed about it. CI recipes are usually the bomb.

Hmm... I double checked what I sent you, and it is exactly the recipe in the book, and what I followed. And I rolled mine fairly snugly like you did. I don't know why yours didn't puff up... mine were bursting out of the muffin cups and sputtering sugary deliciousness all over the place as they baked. For what it's worth, I slightly underbaked mine - 23 minutes. But I just moved into a new place, and I'm still getting the hang of the oven, so I'm erring on the side of caution (having already ruined 2 loafs of bread and 3 batches of cookies so far). Might be the overbaking that did your batch in

Great thread. I've been on a "comfort foods of the world" kick for a while now. One of my favourite meals is Indian lentils (sabat moong, or whole moong beans) and aromatic rice (patiala pullao): For the rice, you can try this recipe by Julie Sahni. It's my favourite. For the moong beans, simmer about a cup of beans in 4 cups of water with 1 tsp turmeric and some salt. It takes about 45 minutes for them to become soft, and for some of them to break down and make a bit of a sauce. When the beans are ready, make a tadka, or aromatic oil mixture and pour it on the moong beans to season them. Heat some oil, then put in 1 tsp cumin seads. when they turn dark (10 seconds or so), put in a thinly sliced onion and brown it. Then a garlic clove and some ginger, followed a minute later by some ground corriander seeds. Pour the whole mixture onto the moong beans, along with 2 tsp garam masala and some fresh chopped cilantro leaves, and let it sit for a few minutes before stiring it together. Serve the beans with the rice, and some indian pickle on the side (I like lemon pickle or mango pickle). A truly delicious vegetarian meal.