Mottmott

My 1960's KA with a tilt head did have a glass bowl. When it bit the dust, I replaced it with a stainless which has the same configuration.

Actually, to their credit, the authors said 8 bananas and added, "about 3 cups" (working from my memory here). Also, they emphasized that the bananas be overripe as they were the entire liquid ingredient in the recipe. I agree with Tokaris and others that any cookbook has duds, and I plan to try other recipes in their book as time goes on. My primary reason for posting this was not only to give others a heads up about this recipe, but get some input from those who might also have tried this. It's always possible the fault was mine. I usually get good results baking, but am more of a cook than baker. Perhaps we might change the title of this thread and share our results when baking from this book as several of us have it and there are recipes that look very interresting. One of the things that attracted me to it was its emphasis on what I think of as everyday baked goods rather than party fare with great buttercreams and multiple elements and super calorories. If anyone tries the Mediterranean Phyllo Semolina Pie, please let me know.

Oh, my - I just went looking and those Chemex coffee makers are gorgeous! Even found one with filters. Hmmm.... ← Another thumb on the scale. I've used the chemex since the 60's. I love them. I emphasize them, as I've had some breakage. But they make such great coffee and look beautiful on the table to serve from, having left the grinds behind, that I just replace them when they break. I've even had more than one size when I was more of a party animal. I also have a french press for one. Living alone, I use that for my AM cup. To my taste, it makes good coffee, but not as good as the chemex. I always use fresh beans, grinding them as needed. i buy the beans in small amounts, but still keep them in the freezer in the original package inside a zip lock bag to keep the aroma from permeating other foods.

I would have said the same thing once, back before the Justice Department (edited to add: and the Securities and Exchange Commission) made a martyr of her. Edited further to add: But even back then, given her image, the fact that she chose to license her name to Kmart for a line of housewares and domestics earned her props in my book. ← Ditto MarketSt. There's a difference between capitalizing on your talents and selling out. I haven't had a chance to try Ming's Target products. But keep in mind that his master recipes (and others) are not only available in his books for us to buy but they are on line where we can have them for free. Now people can choose to have the taste without the toil if they so choose. I don't see that as selling out. Is it selling out when a successful chef writes a book? or has a PBS tv show? Where's the tipping point? As for Stewart, she's a quintissentional school marm, for better and worse, and she uncompromisingly emphasizes quality. She has an even more extensive recipe bank on line to accommodate those who haven't bought her books or mags. I must say I preferred her old show format when the celebrities were chefs rather than TV & movie stars.

That settles it! I don't wait til Xmas to get the book. Yesterday my gdaughter and I made what had to be the worst banana bread I've ever made - from the hand of a very well regarded writer. (I'm pretty sure it was not me. It rose very well and had a nice crust, though the inside was too moist and dense for my taste.) I confess I was intrigued by a cake without any eggs, coconut instead of nuts, and nutmeg, rum, and vinegar for flavoring. And coincidentally I had 8 very ripe bananas on my counter. But this brings up a couple questions that nag me. When a recipe author says to preheat to 350F, I assume the recipe takes into account the temperature drop when you put the cake in. When I bake I always keep a thermometer in the (gas) oven, so I know that it's really 350 when I open the door, seldom 350 when I close it. I keep a big pizza stone on the bottom of the oven to help modulate the fluctuations. As a matter of course, when I bake (pies) without a recipe, I sometimes bake it starting at a significantly higher temp on the stone, later turning it down and perhaps moving the pie to a higher place in the oven off the stone once the bottom crust's gotten a good shot of heat. Easy as pie, as they say. But with cakes, should I give the oven a preheating bump to accommodate the fall in temp? Cakes? I feel as though I should be wearing lab whites. I get irritated now when it says 1 cup of flour. Damn, how much should that flour weigh? 4 - 4 1/2 - 5 oz/ per cup. And do you know how many books don't even tell you how to measure the flour into the cup. When I find a tempting recipe in a magazine, well, not a chance. Flour makes me trepidacious and fractious. Even when I scoop and sweep, I know that you don't always get the same weight. I checked. Yes, nerdish. I know that in the Herme books, Dorie calls for 150g/cup. Simple, flawless. But in the Julia book, scoop and sweep. Well my first cup of scoop and sweep weighs in at 145g, which is almost dead on (my scale measures in 5 g increments), but my second cup comes out of a different flour jar. It's been ruffled, and when I measure the second cup --oops 130g. The third, the fourth? stopped checking. Since I've read the Herme books, I assume it's safe to read 150g for any cup of flour Dorie calls for. But what does one do with recipes where the writer doesn't give any clue? I understand most American home bakers don't have a scale, the weight measures drives up production costs, but given the cost of a pound of good chocolate, butter, etc., that's a penny/pound foolish calculation. Thanks for letting me vent if you've come this far with me.

What makes your mother's special for you? Nuts, no nuts. What spices? A&D's coconut was not match for the kinds of nuts I ususally bake with, and the nutmeg and rum were no shows.

Northern Spy on those rare occasions I can find them here; I used them when I was in NYC. Gold Rush in Philadelphia from a local orchard, and Grannies when those are all gone. I'm not such a purist as to give up apple tarts in winter. But of all apples, Gold Rush rules. When the season winds down, I buy a bushel and store them in a spare fridge. I also freeze up a few fresh ciders, too. They keep well til Thanksgiving. This year I may make a few apple dishes and freeze them. Today, pre Gold Rush, I bought a mixed bunch: some Russets, Stellar, and Royalty from North Star Orchard. Some of them will go into the first tart of the season which I will probably not embellish with much more than sealing the dough with preserves and sprinkling the top with sugar and a bit of butter. Any advice on what would freeze well. I'm guessing apple cakes in Bundt form. Would it be best with pies/tarts to bake them first? partially bake them and finish off after freezing? I can't imagine they'd be very good if simply defrosted before eating.

I just got a copy of Alford & Duguid's Home Baking. Has anyone else used it? Is there anything demonstrated successful? My first experience with this does not instill confidence. As I happened to have a large bunch of very ripe bananas, I decided to let them become very, very, very ripe and try their recipe for Banana Bread. It is the worst I've ever made. The texture was a trifle too dense, though I don't ordinarily mind a dense cake. And the taste simple: too sweet banana. Edible, but a never repeat. I admit I was suspicious while looking at the recipe. Not an egg! 8 medium-large very overripe bananas 4 c ap flour 1 1/2 tso bkg soda 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 lb butter 2 c sugar 1/4 tsp white or rice vinegar 3 Tbs rum 1 c dried unsw shredded coconut 2 Tbs demerara or dk brown sugar for topping

The market is not open after 6. Official hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. All merchants (except the Pennsylvania Dutch) are supposed to be open and ready to serve customers during these hours. Merchants also have the option of opening for the new Sunday hours of 9 a.m.-4 p.m. My remark about 7 p.m. is merely "wish list" thinking. If fruits and veggies are what you want, you can depend on Iovine's to be open whenever the RTM doors aren't locked. If they could I think Vinnie and Jimmie would be open 24 hours a day! ← Thanks

Does this mean that some of the vendors are there after 6? I've never tried going there after about 5- 5:30. It would be a real convenience. If so, Fruit & Vegs? Meats? Fish? Cheese?

Galanga is one of the key backbone ingredients of Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Unfortunately, Dry or powdered galanga is *not* an acceptable substitute for the fresh roots which you can buy on any day of the week at 12th and washington in south philly. Rhizomes like galanga are heavily dependent on thier volatile essential oils such that when dries (basically evaporated) what is left is a dying whisper and quite frankly an unpleasant medicinal substitute of the flavors you are trying to introduce into your cooking........thus having no culinary value in authentic south east asian cooking. It would be like using powdered tomatoes to make marinara sauce. Do use the fresh stuff, its quite good. ← Can you store it the same way you can ginger?

Making a quick zip across Germantown Avenue yesterday after buying my daily bread at Metroplitan Bakery, I spied a little shop near Kitchen Kapers, PENZEY discreetly painted across its facade. I haven't had a chance to go in yet, but I assume that's THE Penzey's Spice store. I wont get a chance to check it out for a couple days, but wanted to let you all know it's there so you dont need to send for your Christmas spices by mail this year. Whoever gets there first, please report!

First let me note the irony of our government protecting us from attack by underage raw milk artisanal cheese as we witness death and illness committed by our mega-business food industry. Then let me ask how best to store cheese outside the fridge. I don't have a wine cellar, I don't like to even descend into my ancient basement, much less leave food there. I do keep my house at 60f or less during the winter and have a "heated" porch that is cooler still. I have asked a flea-marketing friend to be on the lookout for one of those glass cheese holders.

Yum. That looks mighty appetizing. mizducky, that's a good tip about the bottom of the celery. You can do the same thing with the cauliflower "stem." For a puree or soup, it's obvious, but for roasting, I cut the stem thinly so it will cook more quickly. Of course, there's broccali. I like the stems better than the flowerets, they have a wonderful sweetness. The trick of course, is to pare off the tough outer coating. It amazes me to see people pay a premium to buy broccali that's had it's stem cut off! edited to eliminate an extraneous "."

I have used parmesan rinds, kind of like you'd use bay leaves, and it works pretty well. The celeriac stems won't poison you--they're just like tiny celery stems. ← Thanks, I thought the stems and leaves looked like an underdeveloped celery. Abd then, too, I couldn't imagine the WF selling it with the top if it were toxic, but in our present food marketing environment, one can't be too careful.

I sweat onions, garlic, and chopped kale or chard stems in olive oil together before adding the greens. Sometimes, I add a bit of water/white wine/stock to them as they soften to keep them from browning, putting the greens in the pan when all the liquid's gone. I like the idea of deep frying the chard stems. I haven't made the gratin because I'd add cheese, and I'm trying to moderate my fat intake. I've occasionally made soup of sauteed mirapoix and kale stems (with or without a couple leaves), spices and/or herbs, chicken stock. Then I puree and sieve it, add a touch of milk/cream before serving. It makes a nice, delicate soup. beccaboo, when you make soup have you ever used parmesan rind during cooking?? I'm looking for something to do with some rind I've saved. At $15/lb, it would be nice to not throw the rind in the trash. But what about the celeriac leaves and stems I have sitting in my fridge? Are they safe to eat? I'm making braised short ribs tomorrow and thought I might put in a couple stalks while it braises. But I don't want to poison anyone.

What usually discarded leafy tops of vegetables are, in fact, edible or can be used as flavoring in soups and stews? Would the leaves and stems of celeriac or carrots be usable? I understand that the leaves of rhubarb and potatoes are toxic, so I'm loath to simply experiment. I often use the leafy tops of root vegetables such as radishes and beets. I use the delicate tips of fennel as flavoring and garnish. I add stems of parsley in braises and soups, removing them before servings. I also sometimes use the "spine" of Russian kale by chopping and sauteing it to use in soups. I have read of using the spines of Swiss chard for gratins, but not yet tried it. And I've seen recipes that call for cilantro roots. What "secondary" bits of plants do you use and how do you use them? Which leaves, stems, roots are dangerous and to be avoided?

I find I get a better approximation if I make the fresh bread crumbs without drying out the bread first - it's a bit lighter that way.

I'm quite interested in this thread as, til now, I've only made custards with fresh milk and even mostly whole eggs. My flan experience? gustatory only. So some questions: aznsailorboi --What's IMBC? I'll need to do something with all the whites (besides Angelfood Cake). SuzySushi -- I assume that the cheese flan is sweet and includes the caramelized sugar sauce? Have you ever tried a savory version with something that has a more cheesy taste than cream cheese? Is the cheese in addition to the milks or in place of some of it? Apico -- you piqued my curiosity and I googled both quindims and Tocino del Cielo for recipes and came upon an interesting blog (http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com/).

Are other markets open? Head House? Clark Park?

Thanks for the update.

Keep in mind that paper (and wood) products, unless specifically archival will damage the cloth.

Django 2 stars; Villa de Roma, 2 stars.

Bite the bullet. Get some equipment (measuring cups, thermometers, scale) that can swing both US and metric measures. The only pricy bit is the scale, but it is super useful. Many of them come with lbs and kilos. (The tare is a must.) Besides ducking out on all the computations, it will help you avoid the weight variable in weighing such things as flour.

First let me say how grateful I am to all of you who do share here at eG. I've learned a lot. And for those of us who have limited time to bake, it's a great boon when trying something new to start with what has been proven to work by others. I've known Wendy's long standing and outstanding generosity, having met her on another forum before eG's birth. No praise is high enough. And it is a testament to her and the other frequent flyers that this is such a happy sweet and useful forum. I have no problems with the idea of sharing, it's the reality of it that annoys me. As a total amateur, I have nothing to lose but my time. So when anyone asks, I'll share. I think for professionals, the question is more complicated. Aside from money issues, their reputation is on the line. When it doesn't work for the recipient, they blame the source rather than their own lack of experience, technique, the use of inferior ingredients and tools, or the simple failure to follow direction. On the other side, we all know that recipes by professionals in cookbooks, websites, or handouts can be infuriatingly vague on the details that make the difference because they believe their audience has a short attention span. (How jokes I've seen on eG about the obessive detail in RLB's books, but then use her as a fall-back for the details that escape our memory?) When you make something that stands out as a version of its kind, I find it often the technique that makes the difference. While it's simple enough to tell someone to use brand x almond paste (and even then they ignore you), introducing them to a refinement of technique is all too often a thankless task. For example, despite my lowly amateur status, I've managed to make what satisfies me as a nearly perfect pate brisee, crisp and leafy even on the bottom of the tart. When asked I tell people all the details, tools to use, repeated refrigeration, use of pizza stone for at least part of the baking, temperature adjustments, shuffling the tart from shelf to shelf during the baking, etc. Their eyes glaze over and I KNOW they never do it. (My DIL has compromised and now gets me to bake her quiche shells for her when she entertains. LOL) I confess, I've taken to enjoying the process drawing out the explanation like a shaggy dog joke. It's a question of balancing the expectation of satisfaction in helping someone else succeed with the knowledge that all too often it won't happen. As in much else the answer to the question of whether to share? Are you an optimist?