Ling

You know what...I was mistaken. I did make an apple pie a few months ago. I hate peeling apples though, so I don't make apple pie very often anymore. Filling: 4 Fuji apples 1 large Granny Smith apple 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon 1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon vanilla ¼ cup butter (for cooking the apple filling) 1 tablespoon flour (added just before you put the crust on) Method Peel the apples, then quarter them. Cut out the core, and then cut each quarter into 4 wedges (so each apple yields 16 wedges). Each wedge should be about ½ inch thick. Put the apple wedges in a large mixing bowl and cover with the remaining ingredients in the filling, except the butter and remaining 1 tbsp flour. Toss everything to mix, making sure the dry ingredients coat the apple wedges evenly. In a large pan, melt the butter and add the apples. If the apples are firm, cook them on medium heat for approximately 7 minutes, so they are a little bit softened, but still essentially raw. The sugars should have melted with the butter and combined with the cornstarch to make a thick, brown syrupy sauce. (The sauce should be quick thick). If the apples are not very juicy and your sauce becomes as thick as liquid glue, you might have to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to the sauce to loosen it. If the apples were not very firm to begin with (or if you are using apples with a slightly softer texture, like Golden Delicious, then only cook the mixture on medium heat for 5 minutes.) Scoop the filling into the pie, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp. of flour before you put the top crust on.

Have you tried an Italian meringue? The egg whites are cooked, and the meringue has a marshmallowy texture.

I dug up a picture of an apple pie I did a few years ago. I can post my recipe if anyone wants it. The filling is cooked over the stovetop until the apples are softened, but not cooked all the way through. (Please excuse the ugly fluting job I did on the crust...haha. I hope I've improved a bit in the last few years.) ETA: I re-worked my apple pie recipe many, many times a few years ago. I don't think I've made an apple pie in the last year...maybe it's time to try to improve on my recipe yet again.

Yeah, I know. The guy I'm dating (err...not the guy who's taking me out to dinner tonight for my birthday...) is a huge fan of the 2 for $99 deal. But then again, he also eats microwavable KD and McCain's Deep and Delicious cake. I just won't tell him I got the coupon in my email this morning, and take him to HSG soon. I've already told him about the gingerbread pudding.

Well...I'm just posting this for anyone who might want to give Morton's a try. Personally, I didn't enjoy my last 2 for $99 dinner there too much b/c I'm not a filet mignon type of girl. Go ribeye or go home!

Thanks for posting the recipe, Suzysushi! It looks great.

Eww...no thanks Actually, I used Wolfgang Puck's recipe for tiramisu a few years ago. I remember picking that recipe b/c it was the only one I could find where you were supposed to make the ladyfingers from scratch, and back then, I thought that perhaps that would taste better than those purchased Italian ones. That's a dumb reason, I know.

I haven't made the Black Pearl cake--I remember seeing the recipe awhile back, but I don't think it would fly with my friends and family. I will have to bring it to a Vancouver Egullet event or something. I love this dessert idea. I was flipping through Simple to Spectacular by JGV yesterday and he has a recipe for butter poached pears, so I'll post it in case anyone else is thinking of using your idea Butter-poached pears with praline 8 tbsp. + 3 tbsp. butter 3 cups sugar 2 vanilla beans 4 pears, preferably Anjou 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts 3/4 cup blanched almonds 1 egg 1 tbsp flour Set aside a bowl of ice water. Put 8 tbsp butter in saucepan on med. Swirl until foam subsides and butter is nut-brown. Dip bottom of saucepan in ice water to stop cooking. Combine 2 1/2 cups sugar and 5 cups water in large saucepan, scrape out vanilla pods, add both seed and pod to water. Turn heat to med. high, add browned butter, boil. Add pears, adjust heat so mixture bubbles but not too much. cook 8 minutes. Remove pears, discard all but 1/4 cup liquid. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sguar and 1/2 cup each pecans and almonds into food processor, grind to fine powder. Cream with remaining 3 tbsp butter in small bowl, beat in the egg and flour. Put in fridge until thick. Peel pears, and core. Stuff with nut mixture. Return pears to saucepan and spoon poaching liquid over. On medium heat, cook 10 minutes, basting once. Toast remaining nuts in a skillet. Serve pears with juice, filling and toasted nuts.

OMG...I can't for the life of me figure out how to post the coupon. I'll forward it to anyone's email if they're interested. Just PM me with your email address. (This offer is only valid at the Vancouver location, Oct. 1st-Nov. 23rd) The deal includes: -Caesar salad/Morton's salad -2 Beef Wellingtons -1 potato dish and 1 vegetable dish -creme brulee or molten chocolate cake

Mmm...I like runny butter tarts! I will make these this week. Thanks for the recipes, everyone!

chocolate muffin, and the last of my shortbread sandwiches filled with Pierre Herme's lemon cream

I like raisins in my butter tarts. I love butter tarts but I don't remember ever making them at home. What does the vinegar do? Does the acidity just cut through some of the sweetness to make the filling less cloying?

Oh, did you miss them at Macrina in Seattle last week? They are in the cookbook too - a slightly fermented croissant dough rolled up with vanilla sugar. Buttery delights. And thanks to this thread, had to stop and get one this morning! ← There was almost nothing left in Macrina's pastry case by the time I got there around 4pm! All I walked away with was an apricot, chocolate and espresso cookie. (That's OK though...I had 6 pastries at Dahlia.) I'll have to re-visit Macrina next time I'm down in Seattle!

^That's a beautiful cake, Patrick!

No sweat -- let's see if I can do it from memory: 1) 8 oz bittersweet choc + 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melt & stir over bain marie until smooth, set aside to cool (leave bain marie set up) 2) 1/4 cup A/P flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt -- sift and/or whisk togther in separate bowl 3) 2 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract in bowl over bain marie -- mix together until warmed 4) mix warm egg mixture with warm (NOT hot) chocolate mixture 5) add flour mixture and mix until smooth (mixture will be very gooey) 6) fold in 2 cups lightly chopped pecans or walnuts and 6 oz chocolate chunks or chips 7) scoop by tablespoonfulls (I use my little ice cream scooper) and bake on parchment-lined sheets for 12-14 min on 350* until exterior is dry and set, but insides are still gooey ← I can just tell from reading the recipe that I'm going to LOVE these cookies. I have some bittersweet in the cupboard. I'm going to make these cookies this afternoon and have a few. Dessert tonight (well, 2nd dessert) will be at this new restaurant in Vancouver called Nu. I'm going to have the lemon tart, or walk across to the restaurant next door (owned by the same person) and get this: Valrhona Guanaja Chocolate Paté caramel glaze, white chocolate fleur de sel gelato, apple berry cider Or maybe I'll have all 3 desserts tonight...hahaha!

Yes, it is a GREAT deal! I really wanted to go, but some of my friends are strapped for cash. *sniffle* I can't even begin to imagine the amount of work you had to do to put this event together! (My pastries are not that pretty either. Just market them as "rustic apple tarts", or even as "freeform apple galettes". )

A six-egg omelette with shrimp and red pepper. Some very average chocolate someone gave me...it was milk chocolate from Lindt. Very, very sweet.

canucklehead was telling me about these awhile ago. Could someone post a recipe? I'll love to try my hand at making them.

^Hon's is the McDonald's of Chinese food.

^They use Cacao Berry for their pastries, so it's possible that it's for sale...I'll check tomorrow. (And grab that lemon tart Deborah recommended too!)

I was talking to canucklehead the other day about what you guys ate, and I couldn't believe there was no dessert ( ??!!!!!) Cheese is nice, but chocolate is where it's at, baby. Everything looks delicious, and what a great idea for a dinner!

^Oohhh...sounds good! Would you mind posting the recipe? Ate the last of the PH lemon cream with some shortbread I baked. I did my usual shortbread recipe, but rolled the dough out extra thin and sandwiched the lemon cream inside. The cookies were so soft and I overstuffed them (greedy greedy pig!) They were DELICIOUS! I saved 3 of them and stuck them in the freezer. Tomorrow's breakfast will be frozen lemon shortbread treats. Oh and I also had some chocolate that this guy gave me.

here ya go Looks like the tasting plates are $14, and run up to $60 for the 16 oz. Angus steak.

I don't think I remember seeing cocoa at Chocolate Arts. Cacao Berry chocolate is definitely miles ahead of Callebaut.

Melt some Valrhona with half and half (or whole milk). Add sugar to taste. Sprinkle with some cinnamon. (And if you want to gild the lily, top with homemade marshmallows!)