Kareen

I was inspired, I made a banana PDF and a cinnamon/rhum ganache. Awesome results.

Hi everybody, I need your help, I know that San Francisco as a ton of great restaurant and a lot of ethnic cuisine, but what is typical San Francisco, what is your own? The same as the deep dish (Chicago) or the Cincinnati chili... I'm sure many of you have an opinion, please share. Thanks.

Really, I'm looking into making chewing gum for a project. But I want something good, not jus chewable...

Can't believe that I was scared for a moment! Damn rumors... Kareen

I do own RLB's The Pie And Pastry Bible, but I really haven't worked much from it. I make sour cream and cream cheese crusts for other pastries............and I find it hard to imagine I'd like those for fruit pies. But I don't know. I'll give her recipe a try as soon as I find an opening in my menus and report back. ← For fruit pies, try yogurt instead of the sour cream, same result, better taste for fruits.

The only way I was able to get stout beer to come through in a chocolate was to make a soft(almost liquid) caramel in a molded chocolate.

If you love ice cream, run do not walk to Havre des glaces. Very difficult to decide which flavour to purchase so ask for a taste, the staff are only too happy to oblige. Still conflicted as to which I liked most - close your eyes & you'd swear you were eating a combo of puréed passion fruit & mango, but with the richness of gelatto. Want chocolate, have fun deciding between dark choc, milk choc or white choc - or just say what the hey - give me a triple dose of that stuff. I foresee long lines come spring/summer. As for price, I'd way rather pay $6.00 for 500 ml vs. the shite you get from your local grocery store for $5.99 for 2 liters or even the 500 ml premium brands like B&J or Hagen Daz that sell for comparable prices. ← Yes, I went there on Sunday, at -1, there was already a line, and the floorplan doesn't help, can't even think what it's going to be in July. I actualy was going to say that they are not that expensive... for that artisan quality product, the best I have seen in a while.

I can't answer from a French point of view... but from a french-canadian point of view, brown sugar and cassonade are virtualy the same thing.

You could actually add some cocoa butter to your chocolate. As a substituate idea, you could add gianduja, it could add a nut taste to them.

If everything that was scientificly predicted were to happen... wouldn't maple syrup be the least of our troubles?

I actually confirmed with a friend of his yesterday, he is the ex chef de cuisine of the Auberge Hatley, he also brought the pastry chef with him. If you don't read the bad review and try it for yourself, it's a great little french restaurant. I've been there a couple of times already, nothing but great food.

I've made my share of yogurt and buttermilk pannacotta working with Michael (Laiskonis) last year, I would say that with these dairies you have to JUST melt your sugar in just warm milk, add your gelatine than intoduce to your other dairy. If the first preparation is too warm, it becomes grainy! Kareen

I'm going to Jacksonville for the first time in February at the Amelia Plantation Resort. Can someone suggest me a good place to eat? Kareen

Well, I just tried it to "temper chocolate"... I'm not overly impressed with the result. I'll give it a couple more chances before abandonning the idea. The chocolate didn't have the same crack and shine that I usualy get, but the problem could be me and the way I did it. It's still worth trying and experimenting. I think I'll end up using it as the main purpose, gelatine substitute. Can't wait to ear about someone else first try! Kareen

I just got a container of it. Pretty unexpensive too for the amount you should use, 1%... 25$CAN for 3.3 lbs. Can't wait to try the tempering techniques. I'm a little skeptical, we'll see. I'll report tommorow. Kareen

About the mozzarella... i think that they simply make their own and while the curd is in hot water you can pull it in any shape you want. From there they probably use something like those sugar blower or maybe pull it over a small inflated balloon that they later pop... whatever it is, they make everyone think...

From wHat I know, dry butter is actualy defined by tHe feed of tHe animal, wHicH cHange tHe water vs. solid content in tHe butter. Dry butter come in season wHen tHe animal is feed dried Hay. THe closest tHing you could use for tHose recipes is European butter because it as a mucH bigger fat content(82% instend of 67%), ie less water, and will produce a better puff pastry.

I think what Ribo (if I can call him Ribo) meant is that he saw someone with two boxes on Sunday, a couple of days before opening day. That is, from what I've heard, that they started distributing sample (whole dozens !!!) before opening. They know, if they are able to make people taste them, they are sold! Just to make their point, I live in Michigan and my brother from Montreal came for a visit and tasted KK donuts, I had, for the last three years, to bring some back everytime I go back home to visit... Finaly, I won't have to do that anymore! Kareen

Don't worry torakris, the lack of grade doesn't mean that it's not the real stuff, just that it doesn't come from a big commercial place but probably from a small Co-op where small producer come together to market their production, or a bigger company that buy small producer end of season barils that they don't bother grading! Kareen

You got it Fat Guy, it's called a sugar shack or a maple farm, but for us french-canadian from Quebec, it's "cabane a sucre"... I'm really glad that people are starting recognize the tastinest of the grade B as oppose to the fancinest of the grade A. I'm also from a big familly of maple farming, so I appreciate all the hard work behind every gallon of the great stuff... Kareen

Having one of those interesting machine to my disposition, I found myself thinking about the possible uses of a PacoJet. Apart from the typical sorbet, has anyone ever tried to use it with various food... let's say nuts, caramel or anything other than a frozen liquid? Please help me in my mental quest to find new ways to use this great tool!