Darienne

No question here; just bragging with joyous delight. Because of the heat wave in eastern North America, and in our case, East Central Ontario, we haven't walked the farm perimeter in five days. This morning we came across a gigantic puff ball in the middle of our path which we are now having fried for lunch. I don't know if our Australian visitor is going to work up enough courage to eat some or not.

Ditto for Christmas recipes which require fruit sitting in booze for some months.

This tip is incredible for me. We don't normally use whole milk and I am constantly juggling 2% plus half&half for whole. I just seem to recall that the taste of evaporated milk is distracting. I'll try it in coffee today. As for whipping...no additions needed? Etc? Thanks. Just did a quick check (Canadian brands): 1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories 1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

Interesting topic. I'm looking forward to reading all the answers. Thanks for the tip about the pepper and vanilla, FG. I never thought of ignoring the vanilla allotment, although I admit I never actually 'measure' it, just slurp in an approximate amount. I always up the cinnamon. And I always cut at least 1/4 of the sugar prescribed. Always add salt and substitute some of the sugar with corn syrup or invert sugar in making ice cream...or add a bit of booze. Never measure quantities when making spaghetti sauces, ratatouille, bechamels, etc. Just use what I have pretty much. Might explain why I am not an expert cook.

How do you use evaporated milk when the recipe calls for fresh milk, please? Any other tips? I've always had this 'thing' about using evaporated milk although I have no idea why. It seems like a very good idea and if you could give me a few directions, I'll go for it. Thanks.

Smoothies

Watched the first half...the work awaits...and really enjoyed it. I think I"ll look for the book too.

Thanks to Kerry Beal's mention of forgetting her infra-red thermometer and finding them on sale in Canadian Tire, I bit the bullet and bought one. Used it this morning dipping candied ginger, pretzels sticks and making small chocolate discs which DH particularly likes. What a joy to use.

Merci mille fois. Didn't know they were there. Ottawa friends and family visit us quite regularly and now I know what to ask for...

Hi Chris, If you should decide to make something from this book at the Heartland Gathering in August, I would be honored to be your sous-chef. We could just skip the Mochomos con Cebolla Dorada y Salsa Roja however.

I prefer canned coconut milk and cream essentially for reasons of laziness on my part.

Some one amongst you top chefs will need sous-cheffing and I can do that. Or just keep cleaning up and washing up as the cooking proceeds.

Sorry Tammy. Darienne is taking the bread workshop but NOT her + 1 Neither Darienne nor her +1 are going to the Grange Darienne is taking the Organic/Locavore/Personal Food choice but NOT her + 1 Oh, the +1 is her husband of 50 years, Ed. Thanks.

Glad your halvah cured nicely. Your update led me to my update. Took my cut pieces out of the fridge to roll them in whatever and after they sat a while, they wilted into nothing. Put them back in one pan, smoothed out, and they are back being a very soft ganache to be spread by DH on chocolate discs. And your website led me to reread the first couple of pages of this thread. Took me back to some pretty different and strange halvahs that I made a couple of years ago, including the one that ended up in the round bin.

Do get back with more. I've only just begun....

Wonderful article. Thanks, Paul

I think this thread ought to be renamed: Chris Hennes does "Fiesta at Rick's". Wonderful.

Deensiebat posted this lemon poppy seed cake the other day on Your Daily Sweets: What are you making? Poppy seed cake If you like poppy seeds and lemon...this is the cake for you. I baked it in 8 little mini-loaf pans.

Since early childhood I have loved halvah to distraction. It is one of my earliest happy memories...eating halvah given to me by my Bubbi. Go ahead...be obsessed. Interesting videos...I watched several of them. And also a lovely photo on the blog. Alas! No recipes. Where is that magic recipe?

It would have been more divine if I had tempered the chocolate instead of melting it. I meant just to make a throw-it-together ganache type thing, and then thought...why not little bon-bons types? Then after thought...idiote, you should have tempered the chocolate!!! So now they must go from the fridge into the mouth...hmmm...unless I roll them in cocoa. Good idea. Or finely chopped nuts...

The top of the Lemon Bliss cake...it appears that it would not be something you could freeze? Too sticky?

Hi Ilana, Thanks for going to the trouble of writing the author. Very vivacious lady. Quite charming, even though I couldn't understand any of it...except for 'halvah'. In the interim, I took my soft halvah, mixed in some more nuts, the neglected vanilla, and some melted 56% and 70% chocolate and filled tiny muffin pans for delicious 'pop into your mouth' snack goodies.

The CYC guy quoted $60 over the phone and tomorrow the DH says we'll pick one up in town. Yay! I can almost smell that cake from here. Lemon. What smells better than lemon...and orange...and chocolate...and raspberry...

Lovely plate. As least your halvah is firmer than mine... And back to Kerry's post: "Anytime I've made halvah this way I ended up with it softer than I wanted. I wasn't sure if a higher temperature would have helped. I think you are essentially making a fudge with the ingredients - which is essentially a fondant. I think beating longer might be the solution until it starts to thicken." Beating: how much longer? At what speed? And why? (I still don't have this kind of knowledge assimilated properly.) Is it that more beating would tend to accentuate the crystallization process?

For the Canadians in the forum: Hand-held infrared readout thermometers are on sale in Canadian Tire, in-store special for an indefinite time period, Mastercraft, for about $60 instead of $100. In Peterborough anyway, they are not in housewares, but in tools.