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Kareen

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Posts posted by Kareen

  1. Wendy, what do you think of the cream cheese crust?  Have you tried it?  I made RLB's Perfect Peach Pie with the cream cheese crust on Saturday-- sorry, I wish I had pics for you, but I don't.  The first time I tried this crust I thought it was really really great, the second time only so-so.  This time, my third try, I thought it was a good balance of things:  flaky, tender... and yet I think all butter would have tasted better, and I may be imagining things but it seems to me that the cream cheese makes the browning of the pie less attractive.  The crust ends up looking whiter and the browning is more patchy.  What do you think?

    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.

  2. And let me join the chorus of praise for Harve des glaces. All the flavours I tasted were excellent and the pistachio ice cream was the best I've eaten in years. You may pay through the nose ($6/500 ml) but you get your money's worth.

    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.

  3. 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.

  4. . It generally tastes fine, but grainy,

    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

  5. Will you be in Jacksonville proper (as opposed to Amelia Island) for any reason during the day - shopping - business - whatever? There are some nice lunch places or places for an early dinner I can recommend. Keep in mind that it's at least a half hour drive - maybe 45 minutes - from Amelia to any part of Jacksonville where there are restaurants you'd care to eat at - and you'll be driving dark 2 lane roads over lots of bridges.

    Actualy, thanks for the heads up, I'm going to spend the whole time on the island, it's really a golfing trip, nothing else, and because I'm going to try to play a couple of rounds a day, a long drive won't be in the cards.

    Thanks for the infos, we'll make sure to report back...

    Kareen

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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...

  9. 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.

  10. Riboflavinjoe,

        Two boxes of KK is nothing.  The first time I went to TO to pick up some KK, we were 4 guys, and bought 18 dozens (18 boxes) to bring back to Montreal.  We crazy about it then!  But now I can maybe have one, once in awhile!

    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. :smile: 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! :rolleyes:

    Kareen

  11. 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

  12. 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"... :wink: 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

  13. 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!

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