Mjx

In Italy, pasta tends to be a first course rather than a main one (and spaghetti isn't usually the first pasta choice with a meat ragu'), and though bread is often on the table, I can't think of any time it's been garlic bread.

As far as I can see, the orchid used for salep is endangered (e.g. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3126047.stm), which would make selling this problematic, unethical, and possibly illegal (i.e. your concerns are well-founded). It's likely that this orchid's tubers were selected as much for their availability as anything else, so finding something that gives a similar taxture/flavour profile may not be that difficult: however, globally, orchids are having a bad time of it, so it may be necessary to consider another family of plants entirely. If there are conservation-minded Middle-Eastern ice cream producers out there, you might try getting hold of one, and asking what they use instead of the traditional orchid tuber.

There's a lot more online for the smørkage than the smørstang, but in general, they're the same thing, just different shapes. This recipe looks reasonably reliable, https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=da&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fcharlotteskoekken.blogspot.com%2F2015%2F02%2Fsmrkage.html (I fed it into a translator to generate the English version). If the shape is important, then just go with an elongated rectangle, the baking time should be the same. If youøre feeling adventurous, do a search for [smørkage or smørstang + opskrift], and feed likely-looking links into the translator.

That looks amazing...is it also sweet, or is the blackcurrant jam effect mostly evident as scent/increased moistness?

I've used millet flakes (toasted, sometimes) to replace bread crumbs in a variety of things, and they work well in a panade; I use them when I make frikadeller. I know there are problems associated with heavy millet consumption, but as something used now and then it carries zero risks (unless, of course, you're allergic to millet).

I looked at the old link for the source, which is Lodge's cast iron site. I'm fairly certain it was/is their 14" cast iron baking pan; it's the only thing they have that fits.

Thanks! These are great, so many are ideas I'd not thought of, or forgotten; I tend to make the same familiar things repeatedly for myself, which was one of the things that worried me, in terms of producing something interesting. I'm really looking forward to discussing these with my friend This will be a buffet (last I heard), although not finger food. So everyone will be able to (and almost cetainly will, even if just sort of automatically) help themselves to the vegan dishes, which means making enough for the whole crowd.

I'm helping to prepare food for a party, and several of the guests are vegan, and, because I grew up in a vegetarian household, and a lot of the food we ate would have been suitable for vegans, too, I've been asked to come up with several suitable dishes. The thing is, I'd like to make some dishes that are really appealing, rather than just 'pretty decent for a vegan dish'. I can think of several possibilities, but I'd love to hear other omnivores' experiences of vegan dishes that they really enjoyed, things they'd make themselves/again, or look forward to eating if they knew it was going to be served to them. Thanks! M.

Fair point. Challenges are bit different, however, because if there's to be a decent level of participation, they do have to be relatively inclusive, which is the reason some challenges have never made an appearance.

Doesn't sound appealing, but it's amazing what breading and frying will do to improve things.

He thought it was 'fine', but a bit dull. Next time, I'm not going to listen to any concerns about my making things too weird I'm fairly certain that is correct. My original plan involved a nearly paper thin sheet of meat within a crisp golden crust, but circumstances dictated the hasty improvisation of a plan B.

I'm sneaking in at the tail end of this party. I've been visiting a friend who was initially resistant to the entire schnitzel concept. Interestingly, his objections were based on his understanding and experience of schnitzel being a clump of mince, breaded and fried (which he loathed). This barrier overcome, I had to convince him that he'd almost certainly like schitzel, although he might find it only 'acceptable'. Next, we had to sort how the schnitzel would be fried, since he does not accept any staining of his beloved steel pans; I finally suggested he do the actual cooking. Then we sampled a bunch of whiskies, to decompress from this complicated and extended negotiation. Next day, I wandered out in search of schnitzel meat and acceptable sides. I found this (pork), and came across some black chickpeas and some broccolini, which struck me as good sides. My friend was going to stick to chips and remoulade. I started the chickpeas beforehand, and left them simmering throughout the remainder of the prep and cooking. The chickpeas got a bit of toasted sesame oil, some miso, and some fresh thyme. I began my traditional appraoch by pounding the schnitzel to paper thinness with a meat hammer. Actually, that is a lie: there was no meat hammer, and no pan that would accommodate any of the pieces had they been pounded much flatter than they already were. I used a small sauce pan to kind of even out the thickness, and break down the fibres a bit. I kept the seasoning simple, as my friend prefers that things 'not get too weird', and given my experimental proclivities, I kind of see his point of view. I did add nutmeg to the wash and crumbs (yes, that's panko, and I'm trying to feel contrite about that), but did not add miso, malt syrup, harrissa, or ras el hanout, which I'd considered. I did include black pepper, thyme, celery seed, and paprika, mostly to the wash, since I'm not a fan of the smell of burning spices. I've no idea how these were cooked, because, as previously agreed, I left the kitchen while my friend carried out whatever secret rites accompanied the frying of the schnitzels (I returned briefly to steam the broccolini). The combination was quite good, although I'd have loved for the schnitzel to be more evenly golden brown.

Update: I experimented with candying mint leaves using gomme, and it works a bit better than using egg white; it dries more quickly, and there is less clumping, both when the leaves are dipped, and during the drying process, if there is any sugar lying about lose under the leaves.

Has anyone tried candying mint leaves using gomme instead of egg white? When I've used egg white the sugar has ended up patchy, and gomme seemed as though it might be a viable alternative, although it might not dry as thoroughly/quickly (which would not be a problem).

How complex is the chocolate-cherry loaf recipe?

Is the oil the main source of the savoury flavour in fresh black sesame seeds? This black sesame dessert is a longstanding favourite of mine, and I think it's a great dessert (although I also have a relatively Italian palate), but it seems to have little or no perceptible fat (and is clearly quite processed, so far from fresh).

Auguri, Franci!

I didn't know cooking quality matcha existed. There were very few places where I could look for it, since I was in a small Danish town with a restricted selection of ingredients, so I was also really excited to track down locust bean gum at a pharmacy, and I'm quite certain the velvety texture of the sorbet was due to using it. Have you made this with black tea, too?

@ paulraphael and teonzo: Thanks again! Teo, the recipe came out really well, despite some challenges (including a scale that is a literal antique and a bit unreliable, and someone's casual assurance that the sorbet would stay frozen at cool room temperature, followed by a hasty refreezing). I haven't had matcha in any form before this, and I really enjoyed it; in fact, apart from small scoops somewhat reluctantly taken by a few others (including the hostess, who'd specially requested this), I ate nearly the entire batch

@teonzo: Thank you; I've had no luck finding a reliable-looking matcha tea recipe (for comparison), and I know that certain plant enzymes have a significant effect on proteins (such as those in gelatin), so I'm a bit concerned that using a recipe for another flavour of sorbet may not be that reliable. Has this been your experience? @paulraphael: Thank you for the link to that page! I'm pinning my hopes on gelatin, because it's the only certainly-available option here (in the currently tight timeframe, at any rate), and no one eating this is vegetarian. I may be able to get locust bean gum (which sounds like a good option, based on your discussion of it), but it's also much more expensive here than gelatin.

Thanks, Teo! Would gelatine work as a stabilizer? And if so, about the same amount?

Has anyone got a reliably good recipe for green tea/matcha sorbet? I'm on the lookout for a recipe for a true sorbet (i.e. no dairy or dairy substitutes), and the green tea to be used is in powder form, but apart from that, there are no real restrictions (i.e. use of animal gelatine would not be a problem). Thanks, all!

Butterscotch recipes do not include whisky of any sort, 'scotch' notwithstanding (e.g. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/06/AR2007030600264.html).

Thanks for the links! Also, I worded my question poorly, I meant to ask, 'is there some overlap between Los Postres and Elements of Dessert'? I have Migoya's book and like it very much, but am also interested in something completely different to it, in the modernist dessert category, so Natura might be a better bet.

Thanks! Does it kind of overlap Migoya's Elements of Dessert?