Darienne

Of last year's resolutions I kept the ones about the freezers and their contents. (We did buy another 2/3 size freezer and that has helped a lot.) And the one about making bread. I did not cook or eat okra. I did not teach my neighbor about chocolate...her responsibility, not mine...but it remains on the books. And I never grew the indoors herb garden and probably won't this year either; although I did grow ginger, which I must add, was a complete bust. Sorry Andie. In 2011, I will eat okra (probably not) I will make more Mexican dishes and desserts, but not Menudo I will learn how to work with phyllo properly I will go to the Toronto downtown Hispanic markets although I hate downtown Toronto with a passion. That's enough.

Great to find a fellow Mexican dessert maker. I went straight to the recipe for Huachibolas and they sound wonderful. Too bad there isn't a photo of them in the book. Too bad there isn't a photo of them on Google either or in any of the many websites I went to. Fortunately I did find a picture on Google of the Pemoles which I want to make, because Gerson's description left me boggled and there weren't any English language websites available. Now I admit I am a novice cook and baker, but I don't find Gerson's description of how to close the Huachibolas all that clear. Actually, I find it quite unclear. But then I have found so far that her recipes are very unclear in certain spots. As I recall...although I can't find it again...in an earlier thread in this forum someone did say that this book was not for the beginners. However, I am keen and persistent and I shall make it a goal to try as many of her recipes as I can this year. How's that for a New Year's resolution?

I searched the entire Mexican cooking and baking forums and could find nothing to cover the dessert aspect of Mexican cooking. So here goes... Currently I am fascinated by the desserts aspect of Mexican cooking. On a whim I purchased Fany Gerson. My Sweet Mexico and although I don't think I'm going to do a "Chris Hennes" through the book, I do intend to try a lot of the desserts this year. To date I have made Empanadas de jitomate. I was so taken by the idea of tomato jam. And this was the third time in 50 years that I had made pastry, two of the times being in the last month. They were delicious. Next I have made the familiar Bizcochitos from a recipe given to me by a friend. They turned out very well. Not a difficult or complicated recipe. My next dessert will go back to the Gerson book: Pemoles/Coffee-Flavored Corn Cookies. They sound like nothing I have ever eaten: cookies made with Masa and flavored with brewed coffee. And I still am intending to make a Capirotada but will wait until the Lenten season and make a traditional Lenten variety. Anyone else making any Mexican desserts of any kind?

I have put off trying it. But having now made some luscious tomato jam, I guess I could spring for bacon. Can you please point me towards the recipe? Thanks. There is a link in my original post. Thanks. Did I mention that my mind was going....????

I have put off trying it. But having now made some luscious tomato jam, I guess I could spring for bacon. Can you please point me towards the recipe? Thanks.

Ditto from me. But inquiring minds want to know if you ever sleep?

dystopiandreamgirl. You are my heroine for sure!

I have one which was brought to mind by answering another thread: how to hard-boil and peel quite / too fresh eggs. Using the regular methods, the eggs are often impossible to peel. The answer is baking soda in the water. Then plunge the cooked eggs into cold water. Crack them all over and leave them to sit in the cold water for a while. Then peel them. That should help. Of course, that is not a 'fix' in the real sense of the word - but rather a pre-fix.

You no doubt know the old remedy about putting baking soda in the water with quite fresh eggs. Works every time. Then plunge the eggs into cold water and crack them all over. Leave them in the cold water and peel them in a while. Running them under cold water as you peel them can also help. We are old hands at the too-fresh eggs scenario. (Personal aside: I hate hard-boiled eggs in any way, shape or form.)

Two Cuisinart appliances: a food processor and a grinder mill. The old versions just died in the past month. Not too exciting, but very necessary.

Not decadent or delicious enough? Add chocolate!

We have squared-off plastic pails with flat lids...empty muffin mix, etc, pails from local businesses which either give away or sell the empty pails. These are each filled with one type of item and I have a matching schema tacked to the oil tank which abuts the freezer. It's a chest freezer and SOMETHING has to go on top of SOMETHING. The price to pay here. It's working pretty well though. (Have to admit we just bought a second second-hand chest freezer in the garage and moved ALL the dog food into it. Makes freezer #1 more of a delight to work with.)

Is this a family name for the confection? I googled same and ended up only with recipes to cook possum. We don't have possums up here. As for your description of same: more information than needed...

We're up, but then we have dogs and dogs don't care that we were late last night and need extra sleep. So far just coffee. Our daughter is still asleep upstairs, but she will want bacon and eggs for breakfast because although she has been on her own for decades now, she still refuses pretty much to cook. Her BF is an incredible cook - he cooks 7 days a week for homeless Caribbean men - but he doesn't do breakfast. Then on to stuffing the turkey, etc. Totally traditional menu here in the far frozen north. Great BLOG, Chris. Don't know where you get that energy!!!

Christmas morning and I found this recipe for a Buddha's Hand online in Dessert First

And what kind do you recommend?

I'll probably be sorry I asked... ..."but what do you mean...the songs the cooker plays!"

Hi Chris, I have just read your menu and I am exhausted already. Not to mention that I have to go to Google to figure out what some of it actually is. My French cooking skills are, well, nil, so I am looking forward to learning from you this week.

More Chocolate coated toffee for friends, acquaintances and people who help us. Spiced pecans. Raspberry truffles with the most amazing booze-filled ganache I have ever run across. Coconut-peanut butter truffles (not my favorite, but I tried 'em and, as they say, someone will eat them). They'll go to the Christmas Eve party along with Ed's Tortiere. Chocolate-dipped orange marshmallows for a dear friend who LOVES them. Dipped orange peels. At least I don't have to make any more toffee for now. I simply cannot discipline myself not to snack on it.

Thanks Theobroma, Your post cleared up a number of issues about Mexican chocolate that were puzzling me.

Well, sir, perfect or not, they do look mighty fine and delicious too. I am not a decorator sort of confectioner so I think someone else could comment better on your wafers. One thing for sure, I do love hokey!

I have two recipes printed on one page. I have to start saving the provenance!!! Both came off the internet. I usually go for websites like Epicurious. I sort of travel between the two of them. I do use oil. I do use lots of spinach. I use 3 eggs. No onion. No garlic. Feta cheese. Lots of phyllo. Salt and pepper. Nothing else. Make it in a casserole dish. Cut it in lozenge shapes before baking. Love it to pieces. Eat it with Moussaka. Even freeze the finished dish and thaw and eat latter.

Well put, Mr. Pringle. One change I might make is to cut the slab into cubes before the chocolate bottom has hardened too much or the chocolate layer may not cut easily or straight. If I recall correctly, some chocolatiers do not even used tempered chocolate for the bottoming.

Brian, it's not my method at all. I am just a novice at this whole business and not very dexterous to boot. That's mostly why I used this method. It seemed simpler than the traditional ball shape and therefore less subject to failure on my part. Recchiuti, Greweling and Shotts all describe this method and use it in some of their recipes. Perhaps I have used an incorrect word to describe it and that's why you are asking me about it. And I don't have a slab ganache recipe either. Any ganache which is a bit stiff is suitable. I'm not sure what kind of information you want. You can find the directions for using slabbed ganaches in Peter Greweling, Chocolates and Confections, Andrew Shotts, Making Artisan Chocolates or Michael Recchiuti, Chocolate Obsession.

Exquisite.