Bernaise

January: Bakewell tart - raspberry jam bottom, almond frangipane filling February: Sour cherry pie - lattice crust with heart shaped opening (Valentine pie) March: Lemon curd tart with a cooked meringue topping April: Rhubarb pizza (soft sweet bread dough, topped with fresh rhubarb and crumble topping) in a round pie shape! May: Fresh strawberry pie June: Puff pastry rectangle filled with pastry cream and fresh berries, rasps, bluebs, etc. July:Blueberry pie August: Peach pie September: Banana Cream pie (summer's last gasp) October: Pumpkin pie - Thanksgiving (Canadian) November:Mincemeat pie (have it now to offset the excess of American Thanksgiving and Christmas) December: Chocolate hazelnut tart - good for sharing-fancy for the holidays. I can think of many more, "pm" me if you want some recipes!

yes i also had this experience. most frustrating. in fact we ended up cooking the gelees far longer than we should have, freezing them because they wouldn't properly set and enduring the final indignity from my niece: "tastes like frozen jam" i'm back to crumbles and smoothies

Final update: I ended up using an envelope of Dr. Oetker "baking powder" and 1.5 tsp of regular baking powder. The cakes turned out fine, light with a small crumb. I must say though, I used 75% butter and 25% crisco - I find I get more tender cakes this way (but don't tell). Two batches of lemon curd later and guess what? All egg yolks make it too liquidy but that's another story.

the cakes are in the oven, they seem to be doing well, i think there's too much flour in the recipe-off to check. the first timer went off.

Thanks everyone, especially alanmoana. I knew there was more to the story. So of course the recipe calls for buttermilk which I do have. I have gone ahead and made the cake and am keeping various body parts crossed. will report back with results.

I am starting a cake and realise I am OUT of baking soda. I can't remember, can I just double the baking powder? Can anyone remember why recipes call for both? The cake is a lemon layer cake....

From far far away...love the idea of toasty micro-popped corn. Fades quickly though. an old friend used to put kernels in a brown paper bag, bit of tape, pop pop pop. add melted butter, grated parm, black pepper, and sometimes real bacon bits-and that feels a bit carbonara

I've spent the day marinating the lamb, making pastry cream, cleaning chopping and macerating fruit, making the zuppa inglese, and a tiramisu...plus plus plus...I am a bit tired. but I am taking a break and at last here is the update: My guests were very touched that there was food available for them. everything was sealed. I found THE most delicious hummous 'sabra' or 'sabri' with pine nuts and hot chilies sooo good. kosher wheat pitas, candied nuts, salsa corn chips spinach bureks spring rolls carrots, pineapple sparkling water, a kosher sparkling peach juice and coke. At one point I thought we could warm up some of the snacks in tin foil, alas no. so we popped the snacks, sealed of course, on the heat vent of the oven, and that worked! The party was a success, and no-one felt awkward or left behind. I'd do it again in an instant! Happy Holidays everyone!

I certainly will! I have been advised to decant and drink it accompanied by only chunks of parm! oh yes and maybe a couple of friends..

Masi: Campolongo de Torbi 1999 Amarone Help! don't know what to pair it with! Masi Mazzano 1999 Amarone same problem...any suggestions welcome!

OK so I found some shops in town that do kosher snacks and appi's! I've bought the disposable stuff, will not peel the fruit, have the water and coke and will not open any food I buy for their consumption. I will update after the soiree.

Thanks for your words and for directing me to the threads! I also wondered if, anything could be eaten at my home. I will absolutely purchase plates and utensils. When I asked about what I could get\prepare for them - they told me not to worry about it. But then, what kind of host would I be?

I am having guests to my home two weeks Thursday. Two of my guests have explained to me that they are orthodox/observant Jews. I am making snacks and appetizers. I would like to serve food that they can eat. Can you help me? If I buy something ready-made do I let them open it so they know it is ok for them to consume? Is there anything that can be prepared in a non kosher home that is suitable (such as fresh fruit or raw veggies) to eat? Clearly I am not Jewish so please, I need some guidance, recipes and some tips! Thanks

I was watching a terrible foodtv program "Paula Dean at home" or something. Everything she made seemed revolting in that formula that goes: 1 cup butter + 1 cup mayo + 1 cup cream cheese + 1 cup shredded jack cheese + 1 cup sour cream, garlic salt. and yet like a car crash i couldn't stop watching... All of a sudden she started to assemble a butter cracker covered in a tbsp of parmesan and rolled in a slice of bacon cooked at 250 degrees for 1 hour i think. i don't know what happended to me I HAD TO MAKE THEM. saddly i also had to eat all 16 of them. i beg of you in the name of all that is good and holy KILL ME!

capers, cornichons, shallots, a tiny smidge of anchovy, worchester if i have some, s&p, some heat(teeny bits of bird chili) a blob of dijon on the side. and oh blasphemy a little mayo in the mix too! I have a lovely wine from the napa valley.. I'll update you on friday thanks many times for all the feedback!

Thanks so much everyone! Yeah!!! no egg I was wondering about the food processor - I have a cuisinart minichop model which I think might be perfect for small batches of meat. Also I was thinking just a little tiny bit of planed garlic might be nice, and what's eveyone drinking with their tartare?

I'm sooooo in the mood for the tasty rawness of tartare and normally it is something I order in restaurants, but, I want to make it myself. I'm hoping for some advice etc. I've seen many recipes and techniques: for example-some use raw egg, some use anchovy, some add cornichons. I would welcome fav recipes and techniques. I don't love egg, so I was hoping I can make it without the egg including in the garnish. Does the whole chopped egg, herbs, etc garnish have to be a part of the dish? Served with toast points, or big flat french fries? Would zweiback or melba toast be just too sad a choice? And best to drink with it? A deep rich red? How about a micro-brewed beer - champagne? And last my stupid question: can you make it the day before your serve it? Or can you eat it the next day if it is leftover?

I'm in

I've had many a long argument with my fellow Canadians about what constitutes a Great Butter Tart. I'm convinced that it is a contrast of flavours and textures that makes them great. I agree with the lard crust but in the interest of hanging on to my last clear artery I now use a 50-50 lard\shortening mix.But REALLY important is this pastry must be salty, quite salty a generous tsp. Filling: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 2 tbsp corn syrup 2 tbsp white vinegar 4 tbsp butter 3 eggs salt 2 tbsp of finely ground walnuts (optional -but really creates a nice balance) Purists say it is black currants about 8 in the bottom of each tart - sometimes I find them a bit gritty. I often use sultanas but never ever the golden raisin. And no plumping End result: a small rather shallow tart (I use standard muffin tins) with an odd opaque tan coloured top, and hidden below, a runny filling. The butter tart should always threaten to dribble on your chin - they should NEVER be custard like. If they are too large they are too much and if they are properly runny and too large - well a disaster! If they are large and too doughy with a custard filling they keep well but who cares they're just not right. With pecans no With dried cherries - no. With chocolate - blasphemy. One should be able to eat two butter tarts with a piping hot cup of unsweetened tea with milk - this is heaven. In my opinion.

If I cook the spaghetti squash can I freeze it until I need it? Or will it turn to mush? If I keep it in thr fridge-how long can it last? The problem is I have half of a 6 pounder too much for all in one go.

My first trip to Friul was in the 70's when there was a "heritage preservation movement" in full swing!! All of the street and town signs were "defaced" which is to say that the Italian spellings were spray-painted and replaced by the Friulano names or spellings. Having lurked about and contributed small bits to this site from time to time I am confident that people here are more informed and scholarly than me. So here are some of the details I found fascinating during my stays. Any town that ends in acco or icco are typically celtic in origin. Tavagnacco becomes 'Tavagna' and Ciconicco becomes 'Cicunins'. On a visit in 1981, I witnessed, probably for the last time, a tradition which I was told was called know as the 'uvierte' this is translated as the 'the opening'. Everyone from the local town and apparently in older days from as far as the local 'borc' walks together just before the suns rises from farm to farm and arrranges stones in a distinct pattern and sings songs and prays that whatever is planted there will flourish and a harvest will be succesful. This is more touching when one considers how often hailstorms would wipe out an entire summers' work and that under the feudal system at least half of the production was handed over to the "lord". In 1981 it was revisited as a tribute to some very elderly persons, but oddly, a priest attended -and according to my Uncle Emilio or Barbe Milio-"no surprise, the church always pushes it's well fed nose where it is not wanted." Barley is a common feature in lots of winter food...and although pork is king so is butter which doesn't seem to get as much play. One of the dishes I enjoyed was "uardi e urties" barley and leafy greens-I believe are part of the nettle family and about 20 different green herbs-such as sorrel, mache. Also the more fragrant herbs, but in smaller and more toned down ways. A dish like this is a long cooking affair and typcially better reheated. Next installment: different sausages some with milk and february bonfires!

OK I am gob-smacked as my Brit friends like to say! My father was born in a small town outside of an equally small town called Fagagna and my mother is a native of San Daniele. I have lived in the Friul for months at a time. I can't wait to make a small contribution and if you would like, write a bit about some of the Christianized-pagan rituals and eats of the area. As a tease....there is a sauce called "morcje" which is the milk solids slowly rendered out of butter and fortified with a tiny touch of cream. It forms a foamy like substance but tastes of nuts and the last time I was there it was napped over a ragout of mushrooms ='foncs dal bosc' and served on soft polenta.

I couldn't be happier that this topic has started. This year as part of the holiday goodies tray we decided to make pate de fruit. I had returned from Alsace last year and had some gorgeous pate de fruit...so when I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit I thought perfect. Sadly, not so perfect. The ingredient list was clear but the method was not. We used frozen fruit (thimbleberry, blackberry and strawbs) from home gardens and ended up tripling the liquid pectin called for. About a week after we made the pate we noticed that some had started to weep and what remained were almost rubbery in texture. My thought was that because of all the extra pectin we had this result. In retrospect, should we have followed the recipe and waited for the pate to mature or ripen for a week in the freezer? Any other thoughts, feedback or tips would be welcome.

For Canadians: Lee Valley Garden tools have both the clear twisty garlic mincer and the microplaner with or without the 'catcher' box feature. and they will mail it to you anywhere in Canada -they are located in the north west part of Toronto-just under woodbridge. google and find their online site.

Lovely photos Marlene! Did using the creuset bean pot result in a different baked bean? and Is it true that the "bubbles" on soaking beans the 'farts that got away'?