Anna N

Over here I, like many reviewers, took exception to the marketing failure to mention that Elizabeth Pruett’s book Tartine Everyday contained many recipes that were designed to be gluten-free. Aside from any other considerations, gluten-free ingredients are often quite expensive. But having purchased the book, thank goodness at a bargain basement price, I was willing to give some of these gluten-free recipes an opportunity to prove themselves. There is someone in my family who chooses to limit gluten in her diet. And so I attempted the gluten-free brownies from the book. This is they. To me they were greasy, had a weird texture and an unpleasant aftertaste and I considered them a failure. But since the flour in most brownie recipes is minimal I also decided to replace the all-purpose flour in a favourite brownie recipe with the sorghum flour and potato starch from Pruitt‘s recipe without making any other changes. I was sure I had taken a photograph but apparently not. To me these brownies were a huge improvement over the ones from the book. I sent both sets of brownies over to the someone who is practising gluten freedom (absolutely not someone who is coeliac!). To my surprise she liked the ones from the book best. I will soon pick myself up off the floor.

If I still had my eyeteeth I would willingly swap them for my grandmother’s “ulu” with which she made the world’s best mint sauce. Mezzaluna—meh.

Cheese and onion tartlet with a simple tomato, scallion and romaine salad.

Looks extremely good. I am not a beef burger person. I’ve had lamb burgers and enjoyed those. Perhaps I should try a pork burger. Or perhaps I should just book a trip to China and let you make one for me.

Those turnip roll ups look amazing!

That was my husband’s MO!

Sssshhhhhh.

I can also be very WASP.

Cheese and onion tartlet. From my continuing effort to master pastry. Obviously still needs work but I have found Joe Pastry and I am looking forward to some more trials.

Pickled herring on homemade pumpernickel with an appropriate chaser. Sometimes it’s good to buck tradition.

Soju. Available here in Ontario.

Thanks very much but I had already tried all the recommended cleaning shown in the videos. I am still not sure what is happening.

Today @Kerry Beal and I returned to Bento Box , a Japanese and Korean restaurant. It has had a complete makeover since we were last there and may have new owners. Sake for me and tea (mine and hers!) for Kerry. Something new they are offering – – vegetable fritters with a dipping sauce. For Kerry the Pajeon (seafood pancake). The dipping sauce for the pancake. Chicken Katsu for me. They make their own Katsu sauce and Kerry was quite taken with it.

We need a groan emoji here faster than a speeding bullet.

Goat cheese and caramelized onions on crispbread.

I certainly don’t think the gluten-free stuff makes it a dealbreaker but I’m with many reviewers in believing that it should have been made much clearer. I used to completely ignore the dessert section of most cookbooks. Now with an emerging interest in baking... I think it’s even more egregious given that most of us connect “Tartine” with bread. Having said all that I may still try one or two of the gluten-free cookie recipes.

It’s not often a simple one for one swap. Other ingredients need to be adjusted also.

Have not yet opened it but went back and read the reviews on Amazon and I’m shaking my head since so many of the baking recipes are apparently gluten free. Somehow that escaped my notice previously. I am not saying it is a bad book only that I might have thought twice had I known.

I grabbed the Tartine book because it had been on my wish list but even the Kindle version was ridiculously expensive. I believe at one time it was even more than the hardcopy version. So thanks.

GGGGGRRRRROOOOAAAANNNN

I have been attempting to understand what exactly is happening with my mini. Using nothing but water in the inner pot I have run it through its cycle multiple times this afternoon. I also replaced the gasket which is what seemed to have caused the whole problem in the first place. Only once during these multiple trials was I able to replicate the problem. Now I don’t know what to think.

Update Thanks to @weinoo for the idea of using steam to reheat the duck leg before searing it. I had some cooked basmati rice in the freezer so I put it onto an ovenproof dish and topped it with the refrigerated duck leg. I popped it into the Cuisinart Steam Oven and cooked it on the steam/bake function at 250°F for 20 minutes. I then seared the duck leg. The sauce was reheated separately. Worked out well.

Ooey, gooey simple butterscotch cookies.

Wait! You’ve seen commodity pork with fat?

I have yet to resort to the telephone. So far I am communicating via email which I find usually sufficient.