Ling

^I serve it with (Italian) buttercream and ganache. If your audience finds ganache too rich, perhaps a mousse would be better?

I have a shiny alumininum pan, but it's the one we use for roasting meat (i.e. they have 3" sides.) Would that work?

It doesn't matter what he wears...or if he wears anything at all. I've always gone out and bought my own snacky junk, or made it at home. I'm not too high-maintenance.

Wow, two local blogs back-to-back! I had been wondering who was going to be blogging Christmas week, and I'm so glad that it turned out to be you and yours! Thanks for a wonderful start. I haven't seen Ullie in so long...he's such a cutie! I especially adore your themed Christmas dinners. What a great way to learn abut the food from other cultures. Do you have a favourite recipe for zucchini cake? That's something I've never tried before. Can't wait to see your baking...

Running late for work this morning--I grabbed the closest food item I could find, which was a chocolate bar on my dresser. Washed it down with a Coke (a bit icy because I had it in my car, and it's been really cold up here lately.) Also managed to swallow, with a bit of difficulty, a slice of very dry sponge cake, compliments of my student's mom.

Was browsing the menus at Villa del Lupo last night because I'm having dinner there soon, and came across their New Year's Eve menu

Ooh! Can't wait! Fried pastry always makes me happy! From the age of 17-22, I spent NYE with my ex. We usually went to a house party, got drunk on shot after shot of alcohol, and ate bad food. We always ALMOST miss the countdown! I don't have any definite plans for this year yet. If the guy I'm dating doesn't ask me to do something, then I'll probably hit a club with some friends.

Samantha: the green tea shortbread looks great! One thing I always do with shortbread is substituting part of the AP flour for cornstarch. For 2 cups of AP flour, I would reduce it to 1 3/4 cup AP flour and use 1/4 cornstarch. That lowers the gluten content and the cookies are much more tender. Thanks for the recipe!

^It's not as puffy as the batter I usually see on fried fish. It's thinner, really crunchy and crispy. And the sauce just makes it that much better.

I used a Silpat the last time I made them, but they turned out the same way. I had them in the middle rack that time. Today I used parchment and regular non-stick pans, and put them on a higher rack in the oven.

^When are you opening your bakery? I would be first in line! I ate whipped up some leftover cream with a shot of Amaretto, and filled a bowl with the cream puffs that were a bit irregularly shaped and one that was too big. Also had to clear out my freezer for the hundred or so cream puffs I needed to freeze, so I ate my last two brownies.

I'm baking from a deck oven (a regular home oven). I find that if I bake them at 400 for 7-8 minutes, and then 25 minutes at 350, the bottoms are golden brown, which is how I want them. The tops, however, are more pale. When I bake them for the full 10 minutes at 400, and then 25 minutes at 350, the tops are a beautiful deep brown, but the bottoms are very, very dark. I had to pare away some of the bottom, because they were bitter.

I baked off six racks of pate choux today. They are going in the freezer now, and will be filled with salmon mousse for Christmas dinner. The bottoms of my puffs are browning too quickly. They aren't burnt, but they're dark brown. I am baking on ungreased parchment paper. Is it my oven?

Lime Meltaways These are one of my favourite cookies from a cookie exchange I went to this month. 3/4 c unsalted butter 1 c icing sugar grated zest of 2 limes 2 T lime juice 1 T vanilla extract 1 c AP flour 2 T cornstarch 1/4 tsp salt Mix all ingredients but using only 1/3 cup icing sugar, divide dough in half. Place on 8x12 inch parchment. Roll log into 1 1/4 inch diameter, put in fridge for an hour. Preheat oven to 350, cut into 1/4 inch rounds. Bake until barely golden, about 13 minutes. Cool 8-10 minutes, then toss in remaining 2/3 cup icing sugar. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cookie ( RG1537 )

Fresser: I would like two dozen spiced dark chocolate truffles, a healthy wedge of Stilton with a side of figs poached in port, and thin slices of dense, nutty bread. All served on a silver platter by Tyson Beckford. That sound ever more civilized than what I've been eating in this thread!!

I made a coffee chiffon cake today. When I say I've made this cake a thousand times, I'm not exaggerating. It was the first cake I started out with when I was a kid. Back in high school, I used to make it at least once a week for my mom. It's her favourite.

^There's so much butter in the recipe in proportion to flour, yet the edges of your tart are so crisp and neat! Do you chill the tarts after lining to help it set before they go into the oven?

I would love to see the photos too! Thanks!

I would slice the potatoes in half, roast them in duck fat, hollow them out a bit, and fill the hole with creme fraiche, chopped chives, and some salmon roe (or caviar) etc. to make them more festive.

^Right next to Richmond Sushi is "Liu's", the casual Taiwanese restaurant. They have the best fried chicken ever. Amazingly crisp batter, incredibly moist meat. I used to eat there all the time. Almost every dish that comes out of the kitchen is the fried chicken. I've had some of their other items and they are OK/good, but nothing I'd recommend that highly. The fried chicken is DEE-LICIOUS! Last time I went was about a year ago, though, so I don't know if anything's changed.

I second what M. Lucia said. The pieces will fuse back together when you're slicing with a bit of pinching and shaping. (The dough is good, huh? One of my favourites!)

^Yes...they are so gooey they barely hold a shape when sliced into squares. Patrick: That's beautiful--I've only seen one cannele recipe, in Paula Wolfert's book. Which recipe did you use?

In 2006, I will eat huitlacoche. I will make a spun sugar cage. I will find the time to cook more multi-course meals for my family and friends. I will learn how to properly pipe different flowers for my cakes, and also how to make Chinese dishes better. I will teach anyone who wants to learn how to bake all I know. I will read Letters to a Young Chef. This is the year I will try to eat more vegetables I will taste anything that I've never tried before. I will use more care in the kitchen, and achieve new levels of perfection. I will give my love to all who are deserving. I will try not to eat dessert for more than two meals out of three. We should all take the time to slow down and enjoy more dinners around the table. My (future) kids will be encouraged to help me cook, and I hope their childhood memories are saturated with those quiet hours by the stove with mommy!

I think I ate dessert before dinner. He doesn't really like dessert. (I smell trouble a-brewin'...) I gave him a slice of caramel apple pie last week, and he liked it. I_call_the_duck: Yes, he enjoyed dinner. He said the risotto was better than the risotto he was eating in Italy two months ago--I pushed him had said, "Yeah right...Don't be such a suck-up!" The wine was just a cheap bottle I had kicking around; it was a 2003 Louis Bernard. Klary: I'm glad you're feeling better, and your meal looks so tasty! I love cornbread and chili.

This is the recipe I used last year for gingerbread. It's good...I usually up the amount of spices in any spice cookie recipe after I taste the dough, so I might have upped the amount of spices here too. But it's a good basic recipe, from what I remember. Martha Stewart's gingerbread cookies