Ling

^The puffs are pretty delicate when baking. They will deflate if you open the oven door. Here's a batch I made where I opened the oven door a crack once or twice. See how they're kind of flat?

What a difficult assignment! I liked the suggestion of asking if she would settle for a top tier done according to her specifications, and then the rest of the cake being made traditionally with the eggs, butter, and flour. If she doesn't want to waste food, she can let the other guests take home the extra cake. I just find her allergies too restrictive for a really delicious cake. I can only think of a very moist carrot cake (with shredded carrot and pineapple taking up most of the bulk) made with nut flour, or a chocolate zucchini cake (again made with nut flour). Another alternative would be a very thick and dense chocolate ganache (made only with some whipping cream and a bit of corn syrup)+nut flour "cake" that can be covered in fondant. That could be quite delicious!

It was so wonderful to meet you and Shel! That strange guy in front of the coffee shop...that was the weirdest thing how he just reached over and grabbed a cookie off my plate, and then proceeded to eat it while we stood around staring at him! Here is the link to some of the fabulous pastries at Thomas Haas!

^The tart shell looks thin and crisp--just perfect! I had so much to eat tonight. I had two huge dinners...one with my family for Chinese New Year, where I made a gingercake for dessert (not traditional) and also ate a variety of New Year pastries (siew hao jo aka "smiling mouth cookies", wintermelon/mochi cakes wrapped in pastry, and lai see candies. I didn't have the 'tong sui' my mom made...not really a fan of the sweet "fu pay" and gingko nut dessert soup.) Then I went to my friend's potluck where we ate another dinner...dessert was three slices of the chocolate mousse cake I posted upthread, and ice-cream sandwiches. (Yes, someone bought ice-cream sandwiches to the potluck. Actually, I was the only person who made something from scratch. Dinner was chips and dip, crackers and cheese, KFC, and a whole bunch of other junk food.) ...going to crawl into bed now. So full.

^No, the bone is attached, but it's not in the picture. That was one, nice thick "chop"!! (And gorgeous height on that duck salad too! )

A rich and extravagant Italian dessert? You could do a riff on the classic tiramisu--maybe hazelnut ladyfingers, espresso syrup, and chocolate marscapone? Served with frangelico whipped cream and candied hazelnuts? Mmm...this would be so easy to do--just layer everything together in a big glass bowl! Or how about making crepes, filling them with chocolate ricotta, and then making little purses out of them? You can plate them with any number of sauces.

^That's really rude. Is that someone's idea of a joke? Sorry to hear that.

Indeed! That's where I'm headed this Friday for a quick course. Hopefully, I can shuck an oyster that looks decent enough to warrant a photo.

^Yes, they're open for lunch. 4 dozen oysters between the two of them? You're impressed by that? I bet I could down 4 dozen myself easily!

What about Cook Shop? Puddifoot? Sorry, I haven't seen the mini squeeze bottles anywhere either!

Oh my, isn't that the cutest! Glad the cake turned out in the end!

How unique (to this Chinese-Canadian girl! ) I think the lemon mousse idea sounds wonderful! I think they would be awesome if you folded them around a crisp wafer base with maybe some blood orange sorbet?

^Oh my! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the PB cookies so much! (I should note that they are best eaten the day they are made.) I love the Korova cookies as well....though the dough is, imo, even better than the baked cookie. Another one of my favourite recipes are the Chez Panisse gingersnaps, and the Lime Meltaways here. I always like to do an interesting mix on a cookie tray...maybe one citrus, one spice, one chocolate, a biscotti, and a filled cookie (like linzer cookies? or rugelach?). Can't wait to see you baked goodies!

I eat sour cream with a spoon from the container, because it tastes like fatty yogurt without the awful chunky fruit syrup. I like Greek-style yogurts too. Liberty "Mediterranean" yogurt is very good. I like the mocha (or was it coffee?) flavour. I am not a low-fat yogurt kind of girl. And if I ate fat-free anything, I think my head would implode. I like goat yogurt, but I agree...the tanginess that I welcome in goat cheese isn't quite as good in yogurt form.

My "worst meal" is not nearly as bad as some of the stories I've read here. (I especially love your re-telling of that fateful night, Matt! ) My now-ex bf was invited to his co-worker's house for a potluck. None of them cook. We had chips and a bag of salad. I think there was a carton of ice-cream too. I was the only one who brought "real" food. I made a roast chicken wrapped with prosciutto, stuffed with lemon and rosemary. The morsels of chicken I got were good. A chicken does not go very far between ten adults.

Desserts tonight: VANILLA CHEESECAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR OAT CRUMBLE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE SAUCE AND GRAPEFRUIT ESPUMA CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE WITH CINNAMON CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BANANA ICE CREAM MAPLE ROASTED APPLE WITH BUTTERMILK PAIN PERDU MAPLE WALNUT SAUCE AND APPLE TARRAGON ICE CREAM Click here for the pictures and comments!

I just got back from an amazing meal at West. I echo the comments of the earlier posters in that the food at West is simply top-notch. I had the Yalumba Y Series Viognier while perusing the menu, and the Hillside Merlot with my pork. Service was attentive and gracious, though I neglected to ask for our server's name. COCO BEAN SOUP WITH CHORIZO AND PARSLEY OIL This was my friend's choice, and my pick for the best starter tonight. Rich, earthy flavours...if only I could make this at home! CRISPY DUCK SALAD WITH WATERCRESS AND RADISHES I ordered this salad because I noticed it was part of the regular menu. The fat from the duck had been mostly rendered out, leaving a bit of chewiness to the seasoned flesh and crisp skin. The salad (cress, carrot, daikon, bean sprout) was lightly dressed. A very refreshing foil to the rich meat. WILD SALMON GRAVLAX WITH A OYSTER BEIGNET AND CRÈME FRAICHE DRESSING We got the third appetizer compliments of the kitchen (thank-you, thank-you!) Our server told us about the curing process without any prodding napkin-sniffing questions from yours truly. The salmon was cured for 12 hours in your standard cure mix (salt, sugar, pepper, etc.), then spent the next 6 hours curing in beetroot for that beautiful jewel-like colour. The salmon spent the last 6 hours under a mixture of lemon balm and mustard seed. This was my friend's favourite appetizer, and a very VERY close second for me. ROAST RACK OF PORK WITH NUTMEG GNOCCHI AND QUINCE I drank the Hillside merlot with this dish on a recommendation from our wonderful server and the jamminess from the wine was indeed a wonderful pairing with the intense fruit. The quince compote was deliciously tangy. The pork was cooked to an even medium right from the edge to the center (no easy feat for a humble home cook like me, so needless to say, this was a great treat!) The white vegetable that was with the carrot is called "go bak suen" in Cantonese, but I don't know the English name for it. I believe it's a type of bamboo shoot. The gnocchi were incomparably light, and the subtle spice married beautifully with the autumn flavours on the plate. YUKON GOLD POTATO RAVIOLI WITH BLACK WINTER TRUFFLE BUTTER My friend got the shaved truffle with his main ($12 dollar supplement, I believe) and we both enjoyed this dish immensely. The creamy sauce envelopes each parcel and the tangle of wild mushrooms (including chantrelles!) underneath was so generous. MAPLE ROASTED PINK LADY APPLE WITH BUTTERMILK PAIN PERDU MAPLE WALNUT SAUCE AND APPLE TARRAGON ICE CREAM This was my favourite dessert of the three choices--great height, beautiful colour, nice contrast of temperatures and textures. The flavour of the apple ice-cream added brightness to the plate, and the soft roasted apple and pain perdu harkens back to familiar childhood sweets. A beautiful dessert fit for a blustery Vancouver night. VANILLA CHEESECAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR OAT CRUMBLE CRUSHED PINEAPPLE SAUCE AND GRAPEFRUIT ESPUMA The cheesecake was very creamy and not nearly as dense as the NY versions. I loved how it was delicately flavoured with the sweet acidity from the pineapple and grapefruit. The combination of the cream and fruit lightened the overall taste. Wonderful. CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE WITH CINNAMON CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BANANA ICE CREAM I ordered the third dessert because I couldn't bear to leave without trying all three. This cake was served on a milk chocolate/crushed cereal base, which I usually really enjoy as a crisp foil to a dessert with a softer mouthfeel. The cake itself was a bit dry and the chocolate and banana flavour didn't come through for me as well as I would have liked. The banana ice-cream, however, was delicious. mignardise (fennel seed and cherry biscotti, sour cherry truffle?) and coffee I apologize in advance if I these items are described incorrectly...I'm relying on my memory after two glasses wine at this point The biscotti were wonderful--crisp and not as dry and hard as they are traditionally. The truffles are made with Valrhona. (And no, I did not ask! )

And what will you be bringing? (My mouth is watering already . . . ) ← A little chocolate mousse cake I made... (It's actually not so little. That's a 11" springform pan. I ate a lot of the mousse last night/this morning before I had to pry myself away and layer it into the cake!)

Crepe Montage might be nice for your casual meal. I recently checked the bar menu at BearFoot Bistro and it looked great, but too bad the site is under construction right now. They have an oyster special from 3-6pm if you can make it--a dozen for $9.95, I believe. And I remember they had things like Kobe beef tartare (or was it a burger?) and a foie gras dish at the bar. I'm heading up there next Friday! So excited!

Wow, the last few pictures have been incredible! Here's the mousse cake I made this morning (dark chocolate brownie base, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache). It's tomorrow's dessert for a potluck party! (I'll post pictures of tonight's dessert later on today...I'm going to West!

I love these too! And also the dried, sweet/sour/salty dried orange peel that come in little pouches.

It's 4am here and I haven't gone to bed yet, but since I'll likely wake up at noon tomorrow, I'll post what I'm eating for "breakfast" now. First up, I had way too much dark chocolate ganache, brownie batter and a bowl of chocolate mousse. (I'm making a chocolate mousse cake.) Then I had three pieces of raisin toast. On the first piece: a slab of foie gras parfait about 1/2" thick, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel. On the second piece: melty butter, then peanut butter, and finally a huge spoon of this goat milk caramel I've been eating non-stop. On the third piece: a slab of Poplar Grove Tiger Blue cheese spread with peppered black mission fig jam. (I don't like the fig jam very much...won't buy it again. Too much pepper.) I am soooo full....I think that chocolate mousse really did me in. It was basically just whipped cream and ganache, lightened with two beaten egg whites. So good though. Oh yeah, also had a handful of salted cashews. Time to waddle off to bed. Goodnight!

YAY! Glad you like the recipe! Do you use the Fuji and Granny Smith apples I specified, or are those apples difficult to find in Turkey?

Yes! I would love it! Thanks. After I finish the project I'm working on now, I am going to try making some of these recipes. Anyone else game - want to try a bake-off for the best pound cake? Eileen ← Here's a recipe I used: cream cheese pound cake I've used probably 15 different recipes over the years...including all the popular ones on Epicurious (like the cream cheese one I linked above). I'll be interested to know which one you all think is the best, since I haven't made a pound cake in the last year, and I don't remember which recipe I chose as a "winner"! Here is another I've tried and liked: yellow vanilla pound cake