shain

@Franci your couscous dish looks great. I've never seen schug used as a dressing tough, it is usually quite too spicy

Grating it will give a more compact uniform texture and will release more starch, so it will also be more cohesive. Shredding will leave it a bit lighter IMO.

Roasted butternut squash and carrots with chipotle, some garlic, cumin, coriander seeds, anise seed. Finished with feta and pumpkin seeds. Cornmeal frittata with mushrooms and cheeses (feta, motz). Under mole poblano (first attempt at making one, good, but some balancing needed). Rice with lime (zest and juice), coriander seeds, cilantro.

Roasted acorn squashes filled with custard mixed with Parmesan toasted pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, pepper. Those squashes are so sweet you could pour them over pancakes Pearled barley, stir fried cauliflower, mushrooms pan fried in butter, plenty of coarsely chopped garlic (so that it is sweet and mild), thyme, pepper, toasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, a touch of brown sugar.

Ravioli di zucca. Filling of roasted butternut and acorn squashes, toasted hazelnut paste, nutmeg, pepper, parmesan, thyme. Finished with brown butter, fried sage, hazelnuts, parmesan, pepper. Chardonnay and salad.

I do so quite often. I love a warm CCC with milk. But not until the chocolate oozes, just until it's warm.

That's genius! I love tamago sushi, and it (in some versions) quite sweet, and I love all kinds of rice desserts. I'll definitely give this a go. Maybe swirl the ice cream with soy sauce flavored caramel.

After making the first one, I quickly learnt two things - one is that the plate must be frozen, not just chilled. Second is that you need to use half of a paper per roll, so that it ends up a one-biter. So yeah, lots of mess potential otherwise. Regarding mole, I was thinking of the darker, spiced ones which already have variations that include chocolate or vanilla in a savory profile. I imagine that the reverse would work and that the flavors can be taken into sweet territory.

Rice pepper roll filled with ice cream, caramelized peanuts, cilantro, chili oil (on one sample). Inspired but the Taiwanese street food dish of thin crepe filled ice cream, caramelizes peanut powder and cilantro; and also by the trend of ice cream with chili oil. Quite good, rice pepper filled with ice cream is interesting, the stretchy texture, and the crunch of the peanuts is nice. The combination of ice cream with peanuts, and cilantro i already know that we like (you need really gentle cilantro). The chili oil I would have skip. It's not bad - the toasted chili, toasted sesame and spices could all work, but it is too savory (from douchi and MSG, I believe). I think that I would have liked toasted-chili ice cream, maybe with other flavors such as the sesame, cinnamon, anise, and even the peppercorn. Which makes me wonder how ice cream topped/flavored with Mexican mole would be like.

Just different style of pizza. I wouldn't want a thick crust pizza baked so hot, obviously. But for a semi Neapolitan pizza, this Make a different. It's a bit like the discussion on wok hei in home cooking. Is it necessary or even desired in every dish? - no, but for those who love it's flavor in certain dishes it's worth working for.

Ciorba de cartofi - smokey potato soup with lots of tarragon, some garlic, thickened with a mixture of egg yolks and sour cream, , soured with wine vinegar and served with more sour cream. A non vegetarian version should include some smoked cured meat, but I used smoked salt. Bălmuș - cheesy baked mamaliga. Recipe link below. Simple beans with onion, garlic, paprika. Veggies and pickles. Updated recipe here:

I assume you mean Israeli couscous, but this reminds me of a dish called mesfouf made of "real" couscous with butter, dried fruits and nuts. Really good.

@heidih @Darienne Thank you both The Polish (Poles?) have a thing for sweet pasta, and so my mother used to make them for the sweet-toothed and picky child I was. The most common were egg noodles or pasta with white cheese or sour cream, topped with dark brown sugar and cinnamon. I still make it sometimes. Pasta with farmer's cheese and strawberry was another. And obviously all kinds of baked kugel - with apples and cinnamon, or with cheese. Sometimes the caramel laden Jerusalem kugel that has pepper and ginger, and is baked all night. One Polish dish I've yet to try is zupa truskawkowa - strawberry soup, often served with pasta. Maybe this year, strawberries are showing up.

Okra in peanut and toasted chilies sauce, with toasted coriander seeds, green chili, onion, garlic, tomato, a few more spices. Pan fried tempeh in creamy sunflower seed sauce with toasted fennel and cumin seeds, black pepper, chili and a few more spices. Lightly spiced rice. Sambal Tomat Kecap - fresh tomato, onion, chili, soy sauce, lime, some sugar.

Pasta in a (moderately) sweet bechamel flavored with poppy seeds, malt syrup vanilla, a touch of cocoa. I love this dish for breakfast or a hearty dessert. And if you never had sweet pasta, give one a try (I guess it's for a kugel what mac and cheese is for baked pasta). You can try plain vanilla bechamel with fresh or dried fruit, lemon with poppy seeds, etc.

Seems like you don't get much rise on top of the filling as well. The rise on the side is decent, so it might be that the filling is to blame. At what temperature is it when you construct the cake? Is it possible that it is too warm and cause the butter in the pastry to melt? Also, to me this looks like plenty of filling, try to reduce it, maybe adding eggs is indeed what you need. You can also try using inverted syrup in it, which will produce a less dry/crumbly texture. And maybe roll the crust less thin.

I've never made nor eaten one, but from my general experience with puff pastry: The thinner you roll the dough, the thinner it will end up, but the amount of filling on top of it is more significant. The more filling, the less it can rise. Consider using thinner dough with a moderate amount of filling in order to get the ratio you want. Dryness can also be because of the puff pastry itself, if baked too long or made with too dry dough. I do suggest you start with an hot oven, and lower the heat only if it seems the pastry browns too quickly and might be done before the filling is fully baked. I understand that the filling is flourless, so this should not be an issue (since eggs set at quite a low temperature). You can place the pastry on a preheated baking stone or sheet pan. This will help the bottom raise and push against the filling. Just check it mid bake to make sure the bottom doesn't burn.

A soup of roasted sweet potatoes and carrots, also red lentils. With orange (zest and juice) sage and spices: fenugreek, chili, cumin, paprika, coriander seed, fennel seeds, nutmeg (Indian-ish vibe). Topped with cashew and pistachios, orange zest, cilantro. Rice noodles.

I love pomelos! We don't have a tree, but we exchange oranges and mandarins with neighbors for them every winter. They are also great in salads.

Recent porridge dishes, posted in other threads. Red rice porridge with bananas, dates, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, both boldly toasted (it needs the almost smokey flavor you get), a touch of rose water and cinnamon - they amp each others floral notes, and less perfumey (a common combination is Moroccan sweets). With the dates and nuts it got some Moroccan charoset notes. Brown rice congee with mushrooms, tofu, eggs, peanuts, scallions and chili oil. Seviyan kheer. Hot noodle porridge. Made of toasted vermicelli, milk, milk powder, cream. Flavored with cardamom, rose water, cinnamon, brown sugar. Raisins, almonds, cashew.

Red rice porridge with bananas, dates, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, both boldly toasted (it needs the almost smokey flavor you get), a touch of rose water and cinnamon - they amp each others floral notes, and less perfumey (a common combination is Moroccan sweets). With the dates and nuts it got some Moroccan charoset notes.

Yep, that's the one you find growing wild. Beets works well with most herbs I can think of, but the application if mint in this salad is quite gentle.

Khobeza (mallow) and feta "patties" with bread crumb coating, pan fried until crisp. Flavored with onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice, zaatar. Beetroot and citrus in a boldly flavored vinaigrette with mint flavored ricotta, toasted pistachios. Tomatoes and sirene with zaatar. Crisp warm bread.

No, those are not soup dumplings, though quite similar. Those are purchased hand made khinkali, filled with mushrooms (the traditional feeling is beef/lamb) flavored with onion, dill, cilantro, some spices. Pretty good. I opted to steam them, because the dough is thin and some bursted when I first tried boiling them. Topped simply with pepper. Served with a plate of crudites and pickles, and lots of beer.

The reason I use steal rather than aluminum is that I got it for almost free as scrap metal from an acquaintance that do large metal works. You may look for any metal workers nearby.