Marmish
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Posts posted by Marmish
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Well, I think this topic needs a kick start as it’s December 9th and I’m sure many other eGulleters are happily baking away. Here’s my contribution. I’d love to hear what others have to say about their cookie recipe sources and experiments.
My standard recipes every year are heavy on the “Martha Stewart” and include:
Her Chocolate Crackles, Carrot Cake Cookies and Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread. I think these all can be found on her website or in her Cookie cookbook.
This year, I’ve started the Christmas cookie baking a little early. I decided to try to bake ~20-25 recipes as a little project for myself. I wanted to add to my repertoire and actually use some of the cookbooks I’ve amassed over the year.
Here’s my list and verdict:
Martha Stewart Christmas Cookbook-Orange Poppy Seed Spirals (a lot of work but well received)
Martha Stewart Cookies-Buttered Rum Meltaways (very ho-hum, her Lime Meltaways are much better), ...
I made a 1/2 batch of the rum meltaways to test them out and didn't like them. Too much nutmeg I think.
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I did not "phone in" that cocktail! Like Malkovitch in Spoon River at the Steppenwolf. That was a flash of inspiration. I have been on the west coast for a little over a week now with very limited access to the business end of a Stick. And cocktail inspiration is tough find in a florescent lighted, conference room at some hotel in the shadow of the Space Needle. So, as I have been putting together the Winter menu, I have to call one of the barkeeps at The Violet Hour to have them test and tweak some of my ideas.
It is a very unusual, and colaberotive way to create drinks, Bi-coastal and tech-savvy.
Toby
My apologies, sir, no offense was intended, though I certainly understand the negative connotations of the phrase "phoned in" and should have avoided it. I understood that you were without the proper tools to test this potentially delicious admixture and thus required the assistance of someone at the other end of some sort of telecommunications device. That was all that was intended by my poorly chosen words. I can only hope that my praise for the cocktail in question could negate the harm done by my meandering midnight missive.
KD1191 - That was a very gracious apology. Just wanted to add that I got your intended meaning and pictured Toby, perhaps on an old-fashioned rotary dial, barking orders into the phone before the revelation fled him and all was lost.
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Brooksie: Congratulations on your fast fat footwork -- the biscuits sound dreamy. It reminded me about stories my mother told about fat rationing during the depression and WWII. My grandmother made terrific biscuits from a dab of bacon grease stored in a coffee can.
I'll top my necxt chicken and dumplings with biscuits made with chicken fat.
Hmm. I have a jar of bacon grease in the fridge and a hankering for biscuits.
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http://whatwouldalpanadrink.blogspot.com/
Alpana Singh has a new wine blog. She's currently in Argentina touring vineyards and doing tastings.
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I've made my list for this year, I think. In the summer, I got Martha Stewart's Cookies, so I'm working from that.
Rugelach fingers - chocolate apricot nuts
Chocolate pistachio cookies - two pistachio cookies sandwiching a chocolate filling, then dipped in chocolate and topped with slivered pistachios
Magic blondies - baked in mini cupcake liners and topped with dried cranberries and coconut
Lemon shortbread (not from Martha's book)
and I may make one more old standby because I didn't like the test batch I did of Martha's rum meltaways. Too much nutmeg I think.
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Spatchcock, spatchcock, spatchcock.
Sorry, had to get that out of my system. I'm waiting to chaperone the middle school winter dance and all the spatchcocking cracked me up.
[/highjack]
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What kind of pan is best?
My SIL baked a tarte tatin which was one of the best desserts I have every eaten. She's a very good baker, and this was really out of this world. I don't do a lot of baking, but my husband gives good crust, so we are going to take the leap. She gave me the recipe, and clearly I have no pan that works. Her recipe--and several others I have looked at--calls for a 12 inch non-stick oven-proof skillet with curved sides that are at least 1.75 inches high. Her pan looked like a restaurant fry skillet. I own mainly cast iron, enamel and stainless cookwear, and nothing even resembling this type of pan. A workhorse skillet in this size would be nice to have anyway--an early holiday gift for myself.
What kind of surface should I get? I own no non-stick pans. What exactly does that mean, anyway? I assume non-stick has evolved since the days of teflon, but I am clueless. Should the pan be aluminum? Can I find this perhaps at a giant restaurant supply place or will I have to pony up for something from Sur la Table? What to buy?
I use a 10" cast iron skillet.
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Before the year gets away from me, I wanted to mention how much I have been enjoying the coleslaw recipe from "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Aidells & Kelly--the one which was such a hit at the most recent Heartland Gathering. Since I cook for one, I shredded half a head of cabbage, combined it with the onion, and kept refrigerated, adding dressing to each serving as needed.
I also used the dressing for a dip for cauliflower, and it was wonderful, but my favorite use was to put the slaw on a grill kielbasa sandwich. What a versatile dip/dressing this is.
Sigh. I love that cole slaw. I'm so glad you do, too. -
Thanks emmalish and Marmish!
I made the cake tonight using my last jar of homemade apple butter (apple butter is very hard to come by in Japan, so I got some off a friend in Minneapolis last year). It's sooooo good! I was a little worried, because the batter was very cookie-dough-like. I had to plop it in the pan. I also cut down the sugar to 1 cup, and it's still pretty sweet. I really want to make the glaze (I love glaze!), but I know that would make the cake too sweet for my co-workers.
Thanks again for the advice. This cake is a keeper! (If I can ever get apple butter again!)
I'm glad it turned out well! I made the French Pear tart for a dinner party last night. It was proclaimed "orgasm worthy" by more than one guest. There was one extra plated slice that was snuck around the corner and eaten sans fork in three bites by another guest before anyone could negotiate for halfsies.
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Has anyone made the Double Apple Bundt Cake, yet?
I've only got homemade (not by me) apple butter, not store-bought, which I think the recipe calls for (I've only got a recipe off the internet, because my book is back in Canada). It's pretty thick, and I'd like to use it, instead. Am I asking for problems?
I don't know how many of you follow Dorie's blog, but she's in SE Asia now with her son, so I'm hoping one of you will give advice in her stead!
I used store bought and it was very thick. It's a really good cake.
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Marmish, I bet kids and adults alike get a major kick out of that eyeball cake! What an imagination! It is hysterical! How on earth do you make those eyes?
Just for the teacher who has eyes at the back of her/his head!! Eyes all over -every kid's nightmare!!
Ha! I didn't even think about the eyes in the back of the head! That's pretty funny. I found the gummy eyes at Target. They came packaged individually in little plastic eyeball shaped clamshells which were inside a kind of cardboard folder. But most of the folders had come unglued, so there were all these random eyeballs rolling around in the bin!
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I bake once a month for school (at least). For October birthdays, I am taking this eye cake.
Yellow cake with cream cheese coconut frosting
edited to fix pic
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Where do Chicagoans buy their orange bitters? None to be found at my Binnys.
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This might not be at the level you want, but something like a bed and breakfast with cooking classes might work. One example: http://www.wickwoodinn.com/sample_class.htm
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I have used dental floss successfully to cut layers evenly. Just line up the floss and when you are satisfied, cross the ends and pull.
I am so trying that next time.
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For chocolate cake, I use Alice Medrich's Fastest Fudge Cake. And I recently made Ed Kasky's double chocolate layer cake from The 150 Best American Recipes © 2006. It was very moist and very chocolately and made a very tall cake.
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Hi folks --
Wanted to revive this thread, and thought I'd mention the David Lebovitz Easy Jam Tart -- fantastic!
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/07/jam_tart.html
The crust could not be easier -- no rolling, you actually push it into the tart pan -- and was flaky and buttery with a hint of cornmeal. The amount of jam is just perfect -- just the right balance for the crust. And it really is as he says -- the whole thing gets significantly better the second day, and stays just as good the third day... In fact I really think it is worth making a day in advance to let the flavors meld -- it is so nice to have an elegant dessert that can be made the day ahead of a big dinner party...
Emily
Thanks for the recommendation. This was just the thing for my sweet tooth. I clicked through to the original recipe and used all flour instead of part cornmeal. I also made small tarts to use up the assorted jams leftover in the fridge and the last of a jar of dulce de leche. Wow, was that one good.
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Very nice. And a beautiful dress!
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I found out one of our buildings has an 8 oz machine, and one has a 12 oz machine. I think since our building is larger we need a bigger one than either of those. Thanks for all your info and opinions. The yield info in particular is very helpful. I must say I am NOT looking forward to cleaning that thing!
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For a school you are going to want the decent sized machine probably one with at least a 12oz popper and maybe a 16oz or larger one depending on how many people you want to feed. Here's a link to a concession stand supply company who carries machines of this size: Concession Equipment
In addition you may want to consider ones with automatic oil injection to simplify the process. For the size you need prices will probably start a little over $1000 and go up from there.
Thanks, that's very helpful. Is the 12oz referring to the amount of corn kernels? How much is that popped?
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Our middle school wants to buy a popcorn machine to use at school events and for rewards, ie "Popcorn Fridays" I don't know anything about popcorn makers. What does one look for in a popcorn machine? Have one you love? One you hate? Easy to use, quick turnaround, and easy to clean are key features.
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She sounds a little overzealous, with a nice dash of cluelessness.
Ooooh, that's a great description! I think I'm going to have to steal that one!
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Wow. I can't believe that letter! I can't wait to hear how your meeting goes. I agree it might be time to move on. I love how people who have never done the job and HAVE NEVER EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO TALK TO YOU know best. And yes, I was yelling just there. Sorry. Grr.
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I just back from a couple weeks in Nashville and Budapest and am trying to remember further back from those memories, so I may be incorrect, but I belive that the fourth cocktail was the Rivera (pineapple infused Campari, gin and Maraschino).
Toby
Yes, that's it. It was the only one I didn't try. Darn, I have to go back to The Violet Hour.
Oh well, it's a rough life, but someone's gotta drink it.
Christmas Cookies
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Ok, Martha Stewart and I are not on speaking terms right now. I tried the chocolate pistachio cookies yesterday. The cookie dough is unpipeable. The filling is waaaay too much for a yield of 15 cookies and too loose, although it tastes yummy. The cookies once baked don't have a nice texture either. Anyone else make these? http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocol...stachio-cookies