bjcohan

Thanks, everyone. I still haven't solved this, but I'm trying some of your suggestions, and I will post over in home made ice cream 2013 as well. I'm also beginning to track which flavors are afflicted. So far, it happens most often with my horchata, mamey con coco, kiwi vanilla, mojito, mole con naranja and cactus pear. It never seems to happen with blueberry-vanilla, mango-habanero, strawberry-habanero, raspberry, coconut-lime, blood orange, pomegranate, or chocolate. My gelati have no problems at all. I don't use alcohol in my sorbets, at least not these. I'll let you all know if I find a solution (or even just a cause!). Barb

I make lots of sorbets. I use a simple syrup base and a refractometer to ensure proper levels of sugar. Lately, I've run into a problem that has me flummoxed. Occasionally, my sorbets develop a rock-hard sugar crust in the freezer. It sometimes starts as round areas, other times in long narrow streaks. These then have to pried off to get to the sorbet beneath. The problem seems unrelated to batches of simple syrup or to the time they've sat in the freezer. My batches of sorbets are small and they don't sit long. I have wondered if they might be caused when my staff dips the scoop in water before scooping, but if tat were the cause the problem would be more widespread than it is. Have you encountered this problem or, better yet, solved it? Barb

Several years ago, when my husband worked in a restaurant that served brunch, he made eggs this way but used a portobello mushroom cap instead of bread, then served it over spinach or over a sauteed tomato-onion-jalapeno mix, topped with any one of a number of sauces. It was divine!

That's great. I wish I had thought of that when I did our menus. Instead, I prefaced the warning with "Required by the Food Police:..." If I have room, I might get snarkier when I redo them. Barb

I use a high quality vanilla paste much more than any extract. I love the rich flavor it gives to all kinds of dishes both sweet and savory. I buy all of my vanilla beans and paste from the Arizona Vanilla Company (Arizona Vanilla website). Their prices are reasonable and their quality superb. I put in a large order today and am going to try making my own extract when my beans arrive. Thanks for the link! FWIW, I know that many serious cooks favor the Nielsen-Massey, but it failed miserably in a side-by-side comparison with the stuff I've been using. You can read about on my blog, here: Vanilla paste comparison (I have no connection whatsoever with Arizona Vanilla. I just love their products.) Barb

I've been to Yangming once. DH and I adored it. Unfortunately, we have too little free time these days and it's pretty inconvenient for us to get there. If it was closer, it would likely be my go-to place. We ate there when they had a visiting chef from Sichuan and my DH kept laughing at all the happy-noises I made throughout the meal. I can't wait to go back. I highly recommend it! Barb

Mexican (real Mexican, not Americanized) is first, followed closely by Thai, southeast Asian, real Chinese, Cuban, Indian. Pretty much anything but bland American food. Not particularly fond of French bistro food or game. Barb

THANK YOU!!! I was wondering if there was a way I could get EatYourBooks and LibraryThing to communicate! This is outstanding! (I guess now I have to find time to get a few hundred more cookbooks into my LibraryThing database... sigh) Barb

Holly, it's required in Philadelphia. Health Department just told me so. :-(

Hey, Katie! We're almost there! Paloma will open on Thursday, July 15. Dinner only, Tu/Wed/Thu/Sun 5-10, Fri/Sat 5-11, closed Mondays. We're BYOB for now, but will probably haul our liquor license out of safekeeping some time around Labor Day or so. You can't miss us - look for the tiny little sign (@#$% sign company screwed it up and is working on getting us one that is the right size...) OpenTable won't be up and running until next week, and neither will our website. (Don't ask...) At least we have our FB page - www.facebook.com/palomarestaurant. In the meantime, we're doing reservations the old fashioned way. 763 South 8th Street, corner of 8th and Fulton. 215-928-9500 See ya there! Barb

Get a copy of a good Puerto Rican cookbook and make your own! Cocina Criolla (English version is called Puerto Rican Cookery) by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli is excellent. I bought it on my first trip to PR because I fell in love with the food. Cocina Criolla is a gem, and there are many more good ones out there. ¡Buen provecho! Barb

If they're serving Beso de Angel, then that must be Tepoztnieves! I had their ice creams in Tepoztlan where the chain started. Glorious flavors. If I can find their complete list, I'll post it here. It's quite extraordinary! I make all the sorbets for our restaurant and love to play with my food, so we've had (all English translations here): Mamey with coconut Mango habanero (incendiary!) Orange chipotle Orange mole Cafe de olla (Coffee with unrefined brown sugar and cinnamon) Flor de jamaica (hibiscus) Cilantro Mojito (mint and rum) Horchata Tequila lime Jalapeno Chocolate egg cream (made with real seltzer and chocolate U-Bet) Sweet potato pie sorbet (served layered with whipped cream) There's more, but it's late and I'm fried... Barb

Just a quick update. If the licensing folks are cooperative, Paloma should reopen in about two weeks. Hiring has commenced, so if you know any good cooks/servers, pass the word! Barb

Thanks, Katie! We've wanted to get off the rapidly declining Castor Avenue for a long long time. We closed Paloma around Labor Day so we could devote our full efforts to caring for my mom during her final illness. She passed away at the end of September and we've been busy with closing out her apartment and trying to settle her estate. Adan has been doing private parties during the hiatus. Now it's time to get back to doing what we love. I'm getting my sorbet machines tuned up so they'll be ready to go. We've put our liquor license into safekeeping for now and will run initially as a BYOB. Dinner first, then later we'll add brunch and lunch. We're shooting for an early June opening, maybe sooner. I'm working on a new website already. BTW, we're shopping for kitchen equipment and furniture, so if you know anybody who's selling, have them get in touch! My email is barb AT cohan DOT com. It'll be great to see you. I've missed you guys! Barb

Holly,wasn't that Le Fournil on Walnut near 7th? I loved that place, so long ago. Barb