Panaderia Canadiense

It will also depend on how long you hold it at room temperature before you refrigerate it (and this ties into the amount of yeast in the dough - the longer you leave it, the more the yeast will develop and the more flour it will autolise.)

I'd say 2 days maximum, before you start to see off-flavours from fermentation.

Docking is punching the myriad little holes to prevent overpuffing.

You could also roll it very thin, cut it into rounds, and bake it, then layer those rounds with savoury cream or cheese or something, like a savoury wafer cake.

I've always bought mine at shoemaker's or leatherworkers' supply houses, where they're called cylindrical punches and where they come in a much wider range of sizes than you're mentioning. Other than that, perhaps specialty kitchen stores?

Now that I see that mortar and pestle, I'm guessing patrickamory as well.

pquinene - what type of cake are you working with for the Tres Leches? You may find that a pound cake works better than the higher chiffon or angel types, since it hasn't got as far to fall when you soak it. The best of the Ecuadorian versions of the Tres Leches are based on extremely heavy cakes and layers of thick cream.

I'd say yes, in theory, but it will depend on the maple you use. The darkest grades of maple syrup are the best for the toffees - they're lower on water and higher on sugars and in my experience at least have the least issue with graininess when heated past 100 C. If you're very lucky and have a sugarbush near you, you can sometimes ask the sucriers about the black grades of syrup, which are so dark that they're not normally sold to the public, but which are perfect for confection. Incidentally, the maple taffy made at Caban a Sucre festivals is of C grade or darker, and that never has any issues whatsoever with graininess.

dcarch? Oh, I hope so. With that many tomatoes, it's either him or Soba.

Another vote for Tramontina's stainless steel pots and pans - they're excellent quality for the price.

Basically, yup - from one warm-climate person to another, the fridge is vital. Gran used to store hers in the root cellar, but that was Northern Canada and that was basically the same temperature as the fridge is..... I go the extra Canadian/Scots step of aging the puddings in alcohol; what I do is wrap them in cheesecloth and soak with 1 oz per cake (although granted I'm making 700 - 1400 g cakes, your volumes will vary). This step keeps 'em moist and also allows for that most dramatic moment - flaming the pudding at the table before coating it in hard sauce. I'm currently storing them in their cheesecloths, wrapped in tinfoil, and placed inside ziplock baggies (not vac-packed - this actually draws the moisture out of the cakes), and this works very well for me. I produce so many of these (this year's production looks to be around 50 cakes, but orders are still coming in and will until Nov. 10) that storing them in airtight supperware boxes isn't viable for me - I'd need 3 new fridges! However I suspect that with smaller production volumes or smaller cakes, supperwares might be the way to go. I have aged in hermetically-sealed steel bowls before, and that worked wonderfully. EDIT I should also mention that I add another 1oz of liquor biweekly until the cakes are ready for delivery, at which point I strip the cheesecloth and do the final wrap in tinfoil.

Ooh, it's planned for Hallowe'en? That opens so many possibilities..... My go-to for potlucks is generally filled bread of some sort - knowing that there are a dozen people, you can safely do a dozen cheese-stuffed brioches, and bingo, obligation over.

I. Am. Beercules.

Dense black fruitcake style, or is there more cake batter involved? If it's a Scots-style fruitcake, the very best icecream I've ever had with one was a cognac-vanilla with chunks of candied ginger and flecks of cocoa nib in it. I think the key is to use the same licor in the icecream that you do in the ageing process. I'm also soaking fruits for puddings right now; this year I'm going straight Newfoundland traditional, with overproof rum and molasses.

I have actually never oven-roasted peanuts, nor have I attempted to roast in-shell - now I'll have to give it a go. For shelled, boiled nuts, I normally use a round-bottomed pan on the stove, over low heat, stirring constantly, until they're the right colour and flavour - the same way I roast coffee and cacao (although those have their own pans, as do the peanuts - I don't want any cross-mojination with the oils.) It takes about 30-45 minutes this way, and fills the house with a fabulous peanutty fug that lasts the rest of the day, but that's hardly a downside.

What I'd be tempted to do is work from the top of the mold to the bottom: -first layer: Fois gras mousse -second layer: Sauternes jelly, or if you're feeling very rich, perhaps a palmito mousse? You're looking for creamy and delicate flavours in this layer, if I'm reading you right. -third layer: huckleberry jelly (compote with gelatine, or perhaps try a hard-pectin set, sort of like PDF) -fourth layer: disc of brioche crouton, cut to shape. This is added when the huckleberry layer is almost but not entirely set, so that it sticks in well and becomes part of the mold, rather than simply a support. You'd come out with a triple-layer mold on a brioche base, sort of like how the best dessert mousses are set up (well, here at least); the crouton on the bottom will make it much easier to plate the final results, and will also give you just a hint of crunch in each bite, which looks like it was an essential part of the original dish. Thanks, you've described what I'm looking for to a "t." What is the flavor of palmito? I forgot to mention that the Foie Gras Mousse I use has chopped black truffles in it. Do you think the flavor of the truffle changes things in terms of the other gel layers? Palmito (heart of palm) is fairly difficult to describe. It's a delicate flavour similar to heart of celery but with faint tropical notes; the part used in the mousse is already quite soft and creamy, and combined with a hint of pimenton de la vera it's basically the vegetable equivalent of a really really good beschamel made with nata (the cream of the cream). It's normally sold as 4" long sections of heart in light brine to preserve it; for mousse one can either chop or puree the whole heart or cut it in half and use only the creamy center (which is what I do, and what the French would do - they regard the outer layers as somehow lacking, although those layers, being slightly more fibrous, are great in salads). I don't think that the presence of black truffle will change much in the way of the other gel layers, but it does convince me that palmito is the way to go in the cream layer, if you can source it. I keep forgetting that since Ecuador's a producer we've got palmitos coming out our ears, but the rest of the world regards it as a delicacy. Otherwise, Suaternes jelly will do well, or you could investigate making a heavy beschamel with shavings of truffle in it and gelling that with something like konjac or tapioca, neither of which seem to have issues with high-fat.

What I'd be tempted to do is work from the top of the mold to the bottom: -first layer: Fois gras mousse -second layer: Sauternes jelly, or if you're feeling very rich, perhaps a palmito mousse? You're looking for creamy and delicate flavours in this layer, if I'm reading you right. -third layer: huckleberry jelly (compote with gelatine, or perhaps try a hard-pectin set, sort of like PDF) -fourth layer: disc of brioche crouton, cut to shape. This is added when the huckleberry layer is almost but not entirely set, so that it sticks in well and becomes part of the mold, rather than simply a support. You'd come out with a triple-layer mold on a brioche base, sort of like how the best dessert mousses are set up (well, here at least); the crouton on the bottom will make it much easier to plate the final results, and will also give you just a hint of crunch in each bite, which looks like it was an essential part of the original dish.

As I have said (in various ways) many times - life is short, so bring me butter! I've always had a hate-on for artificial anything, and that goes for my fats as well. Margarine is trying far to hard to be something it's not, and low-fat for me is just an exercise in culinary frustration. With portion control and a balanced outlook to what one eats, I see absolutely ZERO reason to deny oneself the deliciousness of lard, butter, and pan drippings.

This year in addition to the candied ginger, I'm doing Ume (plum wines; they've been maturing for a year now and I just had the first shot out of the red; it's fantastic), Limoncello, Whiskey Cream (Darienne - the recipe I use produces something very similar to Panama Jack; let me know if you want to try it out), and probably some handmade truffle chocolates if I can get the really good 75% dark from Bios. And then all the other stuff I usually make; this year the NS Black Fruitcakes are ageing in fine domestic amber rums.

It might, but I think you might need the weight of the cream to balance the mustard-y notes properly.

I make both potato and plantain chips on a fairly regular basis, and fry both. Here's what I do: Start by getting yourself either a good, long-bladed veggie peeler or a mandoline - depending on how thick you like your chips cut, one or the other will be the ideal tool (the peeler cuts very thin chips, and the mandoline is adjustable for variable thicknesses. The other bonus with a mandoline is that you can cut shoestrings without a lot of effort.) Now peel (or don't) your potatoes and either use the peeler to take off the chips (cut a thin slice off the end of the potato and then just run the peeler across that - you'll "peel" off thin chips) or use the mandoline to do it. If you want very crispy chips, don't rinse the starch off. Then (if you're like me and prefer a shallow-oil fry) you need some sort of frying vessel with enough space in it for about 1" of oil and another 1" or so of chips. And of course some fat of some sort. That will come down to personal preference - commercial chips are often fried in either canola or palm oil, but at home I often use sunflower instead, and when I'm feeling really decadent, I use bacon, duck or chicken fat. Get your fat good and hot. If you want to start infusing flavour at the frying stage (which is not how it's done commercially) you can add things to your fat before you start frying the chips. Onions work fairly well, as do spices (cinnamon, black pepper, etc.) Commercial chips dust the fried product with flavouring powders. Then, working in small amounts, add the potatoes to the oil (a slice at a time if possible, which will prevent them from sticking to one another. When I'm using the peeler to make the chips, I just peel chips right into the oil). Fry until they reach the desired level of golden crunchiness, then remove them with a wire spoon and drain them on paper towelling. Repeat until you're out of potatoes. Now you can also add flavours - make up a spice powder that you like and dust the chips with it, then toss them in a plastic bag (the way you would for coating chicken or other things in panko) to even out the flavour distribution. And voila! Once you're experienced, the whole shmoo should take about half an hour to 45 minutes. Save your oil, too - if it's not too burnt you can reuse it in the next batch of chips.

I'd be tempted to try a honey and dijon ice cream, myself. Other than that, candied pork with a sweet dijon dressing?

Fair enough - I'm the other way on: I'd rather prep and wash two pans and be assured of level, evenly cooked cake, than alter my recipe drastically and hope for the best. I've done enough trial and error to adapt my recipes for altitude that I'm loath to dick about with them anymore, and I'm almost certain that's not your experience. However, given the expense of some of the ingredients in that recipe (I'm not sure how much honey costs in SF, but down here it's about $3 per 250 mL), maybe ask yourself how many times you want to make it before you get it right.....

The other option is to divide the batter and bake it in two layers of equal size - that should reduce the overall baking time and prevent cave-ins.

Cut it back! It works the same way as chard or kale - if you give it a really severe haircut, you'll get tender new growth, and fairly quickly too.