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cyalexa

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Posts posted by cyalexa

  1. cyalexa, thanks for the comic relief. The plastic bottle and ensuing disaster makes for a great image, but it probably wasn't so funny at the time. :-)

    It was a little funnier than the time I tried to carbonate wine in my Penguin Sodastream . The angel food cake episode created a river of soda flowing across the counter. The wine episode was more like a mini hurricane of sticky red liquid all over me, my bar and into all the nooks and crannies of the Penguin. If you have a Penguin Sodastream follow the warnings re. trying to carbonate anything other than water.

    • Like 2
  2. No...ooops.  That was the one part of the recipe I didn't understand.  I'm baking challenged lol.

     Don't give up. Homemade angel food cake is wonderful. If your pan doesn't have feet suspend it by putting the tube over a heavy glass bottle. Don't use a plastic bottle like I did once. It's good for a laugh but results in a bit of a mess.

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  3. My brother came over and we had brown sugar bacon-wrapped sriracha onion rings (major yum) and black bean pepper jack cheese patties (meh). Watched Captain Phillips. Thought about going to town for the festivities but decided it was too hot.  

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  4. So.  I took my angel food cake out of the oven about 20 mins. ago.  It looked beautiful.  

     

    But now, um.....it's the incredible shrinking cake.....is that normal?  I think I screwed up...  :unsure:

    Did you cool it upside down?

  5. I want to make my own sourdough starter, as it seems whole grain and rye breads really benefit from them. I've seen this site: http://tartine-bread.blogspot.com/2013/02/9-days.html - does anyone have any additional advice? I've never made a starter before and never used rye (where for example, does one get "dark rye"?)

    I will mail you a piece of my rye dough starter if you like. I keep my yeast growing in a stiff rye dough starter then use it to make an 80% hydration starter with AP four before I want to bake.  I use Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye flour, readily available at good groceries, for both the starter and baking. For more info on my starter, see my friend and bread mentor's blog post, http://bewitchingkitchen.com/2013/08/09/sourdough-blues

  6. My grates fit my gas grill perfectly. I disposed of the porcelain covered cast iron grates that came with the grill. I seasoned the GrillGrates with linseed oil a couple times, in the grill, not my oven, when I first got them. I clean them with a brush after getting them really hot then a rag after they have cooled off enough to handle. I recently used the flat side for the first time, for hot smoking salmon and getting a crisp skin at the same time and was quite pleased. It's too hot for me to grill in the summer but will be using the flat side for pizza, ribeyes, and hamburgers in the fall. 

  7. Do any of you have issues with keeping the coffee hot enough? I mean for immediate consumption, not in a thermos for later use. I used to use a Melitta (many years ago), and that was always a problem. More recently I've had Blue Bottle coffee at cafes, and it's still an issue. Add a bit of half & half, and the coffee is lukewarm.

    I use a french press. I make the coffee double strength. When I pour a cup I add half of my double strength coffee and half boiling water. The result is the proper drinking temp (for me anyway). I also fashioned a simple cozy to put over the press. 

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  8. Please let us know how it comes out, cyalexa. I keep reading about how easy and fun it is, but haven't taken the plunge myself yet.

    I will definitely report. I have made ricotta quite a few times with grocery store milk. I'm looking forward to the upgraded ingredients.  

  9. B lives 6 blocks from the Castro, actually.

    I visit SF every March and stay at a friend's condo, just a couple blocks off of Embarcadero. It's a great location, I can walk to the Ferry Building. I have not explored the Castro or Mission area very much because I am by myself and am not sure that it is safe. I have gone to a couple restaurants in those areas for dinner and always arrive very early so I can circle for as long as necessary to get a good parking spot. 

  10. I'm new to cheesemaking and am about to make my first mozzarella. I found a source of unpasteurized milk (no small feat in Oklahoma, and it's not too far from my house!). It is not homogenized. Do I need to make any adjustments to address the tendency for the cream to rise to the top? 

  11. This is very simple but I get good feedback every time I serve it: 

     

    Jalapeno Shrimp

    adapted from realsimple.com

    1 1/2 pounds large peeled shrimp

    jarred pickled jalapeno slices (I like Trappeys brand), cold

    1/4 cup of pickling liquid

    1/4 cup fresh lime juice

    1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    Poach the shrimp. Toss with the cold pickling liquid, lime juice, cilantro, jalepeno slices to taste, and salt. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead.

    • Like 1
  12. Thanks Andrea. The recipe I'm currently experimenting with did not originally have oatmeal either. In an effort to get the moist dense texture I remember I think I may try soaking the oatmeal with the dates instead of folding it in with the flour. I notice your recipe has 3 eggs per cup of flour. The one I'm trying to tweak has only one per 2 cups of flour. I wonder if an additional egg would make the crumb more moist?

  13. What an interesting question! I've been through all my recipes and my "Date Recipes" cookbook; all the recipes for bar cookies call for layers. I wonder what would happen if a "date bread" recipe, for quick bread or coffee cake, were spread out into a 9x13 pan?

    Do you recall whether the recipe involved chocolate, nuts and/or fruit other than the dates? I haven't looked into my quick bread recipes, but your answers may help focus the search.

    Thanks for your input. There was no chocolate or fruits that I recall other than the dates. The nuts were walnuts. Sadly my Grandmother died before I began cooling seriously so I never asked for any of her recipes. I have been trying date quick bread recipes. My plan is to get close to the taste I remember then experiment with the pan size and texture. The recipe that was closest so far was too sweet. It had both honey and brown sugar. I tried it again, omitting the honey. The taste was better but the texture was too crumbly. I want to keep the molasses flavor from the brown sugar so if I try this recipe again I'll omit the brown sugar, keep the honey and add some molasses. 

  14. I am trying to recreate a recipe from my childhood, my grandmother's oatmeal date nut bars. I'm calling them bars and not bread because she made them in a 13x9 then cut them into 9 by 2ish bricks which would be individually wrapped in foil. The bricks would be cut into slices for service. They were very dense and moist, almost sticky. I've searched online and the recipes for bars are layered. Gram's weren't layered. I've been experimenting with a couple date nut bread recipes and have made things I've liked but they are not like Gram's. I would like to try a new recipe and am seeking suggestions. 

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