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Ok...here are some pics of my first attempt. Just out of the fridge. It didn't rise all that much (was in there for 13 hours - after a 3 hour proof in the oven [off, of course]): With slashes. One is deeper than the rest, though you can't really see that in this photo. The pattern is from the dish towel I used: Fresh from the oven. You can see here the rise was a little uneven. It sort of blew out the deeper slash. I'm thinking that if all the slashes were as deep as that one, the rise would have been much more even. Thoughts? And from another angle: Here you can see the first slices. I'm not sure if you can tell from here, but the texture inside was rather gummy. Like mottmott, I'm using King Arthur bread flour. Maybe I could have left it in the oven longer, but from the outside it seemed pretty much done. The dough was also pretty wet and loose after the 3 hour proof, so maybe that's a contributing factor? And a close up of the bread. Notice the uneven holes - bigger towards the bottom. I'm thinking my dough was just too wet from the get go. That's it. Despite the problems, the bread tasted great. It was a little gummy in texture, but I'm hoping to correct that next time. I'll be baking another loaf this week, incorporating any feedback from here. Thanks everyone!

So...my bread's done and I have a few photos to post. I also have a few questions about some things that didn't work out quite as expected. Before I post, though, I just wanted to check in and see if there's any problem extending this lesson so far out from the initial date. I know I'm late to the game here.

I'm just about to get started making the bread for the first time. I began with a very dry starter and started refreshing it on Friday night - adding 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. On Saturday AM, it was looking bubbly and refreshed again with 1/3 cup water and 1/3 cup flour. I was going to make the dough Saturday night but ran out of time. I just left the starter out on the counter and am going to make the dough now - Sunday evening. Reading through all the Q&A here, I think I probably should have put the starter in the fridge when I realized I wouldn't have time to make the dough. Anyone think there's any harm in leaving the starter out an additional 24 hours (in a sealed jar)? It seems fine - looks and smells pretty much the same as it did last night. I'll let you all know how the bread turns out. I might post pictures, if I remember to take them at critical points along the way.

I'm thinking that if I let it air dry next time - for an hour or so - after drying with the paper towels that maybe I'll have better luck. Maybe also a hotter oven. And the skin was pretty crispy - just not all over brown like the preceeding photos. Something to work towards, I suppose.

So I brined a 3.5 lb chicken, dried it with paper towels, trussed it using Chef Fowke's stretched-baby method, slathered it in EVOO, herbs, S&P, and then stuck it in a 400 degree oven (non-convection). After about an hour, the bird was fully cooked and the skin was sort of golden-brown and starting to get crispy. It wasn't, however, as brown and crispy as Vengroff's and Chef Fowke's looked. The wings and sides weren't really brown at all, actually. I didn't want to leave it in any longer because I was worried that I'd end up over-cooking it. Anyone know why it didn't end up all crispy? Think it has something to do with the lack of convection?

Thanks much for the link. I need to get it for this weekend though - yikes! Anyone know of a source in nyc?

I particularly enjoyed these lines from the Observer piece:

Ah. Yes. It looks like I am, in fact, looking for Kummel. Anyone know if this stuff is generally available?

I've been tasked with locating and buying a bottle of "Kimmel" - supposedly a German liqueur. I've called three large liquor stores in NYC (Astor Place, Union Square, & Sherry Lehman) - none have even heard of it, let alone carry it. Does such a thing exist? If so, what is it, and where can I find it (in NYC)? Thanks much.

I can't participate, but I have to put in my personal recommendation: Old Town Bar.

Assuming I've followed all the instructions to this point and have reduced down to about 1/3 of the original volume, would I use 2 parts water to 1 part reduced stock to reconstitute for recipes that call for a specific amount of stock? Or would I need more water to compensate for the fact that these are very rich stocks to start with? Thanks, by the way, for this great resource! It's truly appreciated and I'm looking forward to more.

You've mentioned Indian food in a few posts now. Do you think it's possible to apply the "Minimalist" approach of a few ingredients simply prepared to Indian cooking and have the result be "authentic"? A related question: does authenticity matter to such an approach? Or is it all about what tastes good? Thanks for the interesting and informative Q&A!

I live in NYC and really need to get my knives sharpened. Anyone here know of a good place in the city? Or is it worth sending them to bladesmiths?

Cheese - especially of the blue variety, it seems - past it's prime will sometimes start to smell of ammonia. That's when I usually chuck it. Does anyone know if that's really necessary? Is it still salvageable? Also - what am I supposed to do if it comes from the store smelling that way? Take it back?

Kielbasa and Red Cabbage Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is Rachel Perlow's recipe, originally posted in Klink's Sausage Diary, Day 4. 7 kielbasa links (5"-6") 1 whole red cabbage, cut into large slices 1 granny smith apple, peeled and cubed 1-1/2 lb small red potatoes, quartered 1 lemon, all the juice and a few strips of zest, minced 2 T white vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1/2 c water Soak the sausages in water for 1 hour, then cut them up into large sized slices/chunks. Brown sausages. Add remaining ingredients. Braise for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add a slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch to thicken the juices. Keywords: Easy, Pork, Main Dish ( RG315 )

I actually have no idea how it's to be used. All I know is that it's supposed to sink to the bottom of whatever it's being cooked in, and the lighter soy sauces don't do this. I'll get the Amoy Golden Label dark and see if that works. Now - anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do with the big jar of thick soy sauce I bought? It looks interesting...

I was sent out looking for Chinese "heavy" soy sauce today, and had no luck. At Kam Man Foods, in NYC's Chinatown, I could find thick, light, dark, black, double-black, but no heavy. I've tried doing some web searches to find out more about this mystery sauce, but have had no luck. Anyone know what it is and where I can find some? On a side note, I bought some of the thick sauce, thinking that was it (I was wrong). Anyone know what I can use it for? It has a lot of molasses in it, apparently.

I'd say. This was a great dish - thanks for the original post.

Since we had a few extra days of winter here in NYC, I decided to give this a try tonight. I used Savoy cabbage, sliced just boiled potatoes, and Whole Foods' Irish Bangers. The resulting dish was quite delicious, but absolutely swimming in liquid (water and fat, I assume). I did squeeze as much water as I could out of the cabbage before layering it. Has anyone else had this experience?

Thanks everyone - exactly what I was looking for. I think I'll pick up the DeGroff book and keep my eyes open for Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century. I'm reading the DeGroff Q&A now...great stuff.

I'm in the market for a good quality cocktail book. Does anyone have any recommendations? And what sets your choice about the others out there? I'm more interested in the classics than new-fangled drinks, btw. Thanks in advance.

Has anyone been to the Bedford Cheese Shop in williamsburg yet? If so, how does it rate in terms of selection/quality/price?