Gail Hughes

I consulted the 'butter keeper' Chowhound about that, and she wrote this: "Yes, the cup with the butter is suspended upside down, and I don't know what keeps the butter from plopping into the water. I suppose that, if I didn't pack it tightly into the cup to begin with, it could, but it never has." She went on to correct herself, that she had meant to say 'butter bell' and not 'butter keeper'. So there you have it. It is apparently a mystery of science, like how cats always land on their feet. Gail

By sheer coinkidink, there was mention of this in Chowhound. The poster keeps her butter "out all the time in a 'butter keeper', a two-piece crockery dish. One part holds 1/4 cup water and the other holds a stick's worth of butter, mashed into the cup. For storage, the cup overturns into the base with the water." I searched 'butter keeper' at Altavista and came up with a bunch of hits. Dang things are sold all over the place. There are some quite pretty ones at www.mississippiclayworks.com/pp1_imgs/pp1_fbk.htm with butter in them. As near as I can tell, the butter doesn't fill the cup clear to the top. When you invert it into the shallow saucer that contains the water, the cup rim and the saucer and the water form an air-tight seal, thus keeping the butter fresh and at the proper temperature. Now I want one. :cheesy: Gail

Many, many thanks for this lengthy note, C-Esc! I'm thrilled to know that I'm pretty much on the right track as your Dad knew it. I didn't know about turning the rolled-out crust over during the rolling, though. Gail

Me, too! :cheesy: I cook my eggs as Sandra does. But having recently dragged out my Nero Wolfe Cookbook to present to this list, I tried his manner of preparing scrambled eggs in the top of a double boiler. They turned out pretty gaggy actually, but that may be because they called for a LOT of cream -- and I only had milk in the house. Even so, if I ever try it again (with cream), I'd cut way back on the cream. Eggs are wonderful whether boy, pooch or pry (to quote from the by-now famous call from a hotel guest to "ruin sorbees" in a hotel somewhere in Thailand). Gail

The Great Jacques will be in the www.foodtv.com chatroom on Tuesday, December 11 at 8 p.m. Gail

Which is it? Both? Neither? What is the secret to a good ganache? Gail

I wonder if other e-Gulleteers have dishes in their repertoire that they had been led to believe were simple to prepare, but aren't. Dishes that everyone around you purportedly toss off one-handed, while drunk, and you are alone in the universe in your inability to make the #### thing right. Example: Piecrust. I just read an interview with Maida Heatter. She laughs at the expression "easy as pie", contends that for her, good piecrust is one of the most difficult things to make ... that a souffle is easier. This made me feel lots better, since after years of trying, I'm still a long way from a decent piecrust, never mind perfect. No sooner do I think I've corralled all the technique tips there are to be had than I come across another. (I.e., sprinkle pancake mix on your board instead of flour, the crust will taste better.) I don't make truly awful piecrust anymore, but I still hold my breath until the first bite. Will that ever come to an end? Another: Chili. I have held for a lifetime this image of the perfect chili, and it still eludes me. From the number of crappy chili recipes that actually see print, I gotta wonder if there's something wrong with my head, that I can't pull it off. There's so much to consider: Meat vs. bean ratio (not to mention what kind(s) of beans), degree of thickness, and most of all, the perfect flavor balance ... and the more I think about it, the more I think the onions should be invisible. Onion chunks in chili are nasty. Still, I'm getting closer all the time. The last batch was so close that I was depressed for days. Maybe in the next decade ... Any similar experiences out there?

Oh man, now you've done it. My favorite cake: When I was a teen my family and I were stationed at Langley AFB in Virginia. There was a bakery-caterer in Hampton that we used a lot for parties. They made the most heavenly petits-four ever ever EVER. Classic in style, each one nested in its little paper cup, all different colors, very pale shades, with the teensy little decorative swirls and blossoms and whatnot. They melted in your mouth ... I have tried many times to duplicate them, with no luck. Am I correct, that petits-four are not, strictly speaking, any old cake cut up into little pieces and frosted? These were of a distinct flavor, I think almondy, and the icing was very thin, but had the faintest "breaking" sensation when you bit into it. Gawd ... I miss those cakes! The bakery also made big cakes with a round of marzipan on top, artfully painted, and the lightest buttercream you can imagine. I'd have to say any cake with marzipan on board takes close second place after those long-gone petits-four, that I mourn with all my heart. Oh Fat Guy! Why did you have to remind me??? Gail

You know what jumps to mind? A kind of compote of blood oranges. Gail

Annoying things about restaurants ... that's an easy one. Crummy tea! I'm not a coffee drinker, and I do love to round off a meal with a hot cup of tea. In American restaurants however, tea is apparently beneath contempt. What a downer, when the waiter places before me a cup-and-saucer full of tepid water, the teabag lying dispiritedly on the bottom in a little dark-reddish-brown lagoon. I have occasionally ordered tea and asked that the water be BOILING first; the waiter's eyebrows disappear into his hairline. "Boil? BOIL???" "Yes, I'm from the Planet Zebulon. We're weird that way." Gail

How about shark-meat discs instead of scallops??? Gail

Hi, Everyone, I'm new to eGullet. Have been perusing the posts and am lovink it! Gonna have fun here. Here's my offering: A woman was in the supermarket meat aisle, searching for a turkey big enough to feed her large family, and having no luck. She asked a nearby stockboy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stockboy replied, "No, ma'am. They're dead."