achevres

Since you've re-written the instructions (all that's required to comply with copyright laws), why don't you post the recipe on this thread?

Thanks all. My head is reeling with the possibilities. They truly all sound so good and I would enjoy making them. That's why I'm here! I'm meeting with the hostess tomorrow and that will help a lot. I will get back to all of you when l have more time in a little bit. For now just getting back to Canadianbakin' : Invaluable advice. Thanks so much. I agree with the alfajores. I've had great success when I made them tiny, but less so with medium size. Question: Do you mean to triple dip them (white-milk-dark)? They weren't too thick?

OMG, thanks for all the great ideas. Calipoutine: I'm researching bakewell tart recipes (any specific recipes?). As it so happens I have a lot of black raspberries in my freezer, so I wouldn't have to buy/make jam. I could do that instead of the raspberry shortbread. Can it be made the day before? CanadianBakin': thanks so much for your advice. Would you mind sharing how much you charged? I do think I have a lot. Maybe 4 types of cookies, the lemon tarts, bakewell tarts, the cupcakes, the poundcake sandwiches and the scones? The cookies, tarts and cupcakes can all be made ahead. The sandwiches would be that day. The Sweet Miniatures book looks good. Do you recommend it? I love little pastries because often I just want a small sweet bite or I'd rather have a variety.

Megan, the brownie tart sounds good. Thank! As I posted above, I'm only making desserts. I was asked because of items I've made before, such as the lemon-coconut tarts and the high-hat cupcakes. So just scones won't do. It is a 4pm afternoon tea with tea sandwiches and desserts. Thank goodness I've had afternoon tea in London, Hong Kong and Buenos Aires (more English than you think). Desserts are the point of this tea. I can't do trifle because of the sherry and also it is more complicated to serve. I would love to do a fruit tart but all the recipes say to serve quite soon after making it and that won't be possible. Thanks all.

In one of the threads I mention, they served small poundcake sandwiches with cream cheese buttercream and fresh strawberries which sounded good, but I'm not sure how to make them look good. I am not doing the savory sandwiches, someone else is. I thought it was too much for my first time.

I’m making desserts for an afternoon tea for 20 (a bridal shower), in mid-June. I’m getting paid for the first time (yikes!). I wanted advice on my menu and also on quantities. I want to have items that are easy to pick up or are pre-cut. I need things that I can make ahead. I can probably make one item that needs to be cold, but no more. And no hazelnut since the mother, my friend, hates them. I’ve read all related posts in egullet I could find. These 2 were most helpful: First Catering Job and Formal Tea. They are from a couple of years ago and I wonder if anyone has more ideas, or can recommend the already mentioned. So far I have: A large tray of assorted cookies including Earl Grey shortbread, a layered shortbread, alfajores (cookies filled with dulce de leche), oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, raspberry shortbread squares (the kind you grate the frozen dough and layer it with raspberry jam). And probably Maida Heatter's Miami Peanut Flats, for something salty. And plain shortbread. Lemon-cocount tartlettes. Mini high-hat cupcakes (chocolate cake with Italian meringue, dipped in chocolate) Chocolate-caramel mini-tarts Scones (probably plain and strawberry). Served with cream (clotted?) and jam or preserves. The bride loves scones...and lives in London...no pressure Questions: 1. What else should I make? I would like to make at least one more thing that is not made individually, like a cake, that I could cut. I would rather not make brownies. I like the idea of poundcake finger sandwiches with strawberries but not sure how to make them look nice. Carrot cake? An almond cake? 2. I would like something with almond, but can't decide on what. 3. What flavor am I missing? 4. Is this enough? 5. How many of the small tarts should I make? 20? 6. How about a bowl of strawberries with cream? They are in season now. Other fruit? 7. Can I get away with whipped cream (chantilly)? 8. What to charge? I’m thinking $12-15 per person, but with fruit and clotted cream extra. Too high? Too low? There are no budget constraints but I want to be fair considering it’s my first job but also the amount of work involved. I welcome any and all advice. Thanks!

The second link didn't work for me but I did fid the step-by-step by Filipe and here it is on post #32: Filipe's Step-by-step instructions for "pastéis-de-nata". It's much easier to see it than to read about it. Thanks Filipe!

These are the places I have found Spanish chorizo in the western 'burbs: Ardmore Farmer's Market at the cheese stand Wegman's in Exton And at grocery stores that sell D'artagnan products. D'artagnan makes a chorizo-style sausage which is very good, but differs from the more authentic one in that it is less dry, less fatty and slightly less spicy. I think it's worth trying, since it's easily available. And totally unrelated but very Spanish... both the cheese stand at Ardmore and Wegman's have anchovy-stuffed olives, which are totally addicting (and actually less salty than regular olives) and a great and easy tapa.

On a google search I found this company that manufactures black cocoa and it was the only company I could find in the US (and that is on the web): Blommer Chocolate Company. Maybe King Arthur's gets it from them. So far it seems only King Arthur carries it, which OK since it's one of my favorite companies, but I have to wait for the package... Or maybe there is an alternative?? On the Cook's Illustrated site they have a cocoa rating and they give a bad rating to Hershey's Special Dark Dutched cocoa, describing it as "overzealously-Dutched". They did not like the results of baking goods made with it. But it seems that the Special Dark maybe is really black cocoa and should not be used by itself, but mixed with regular Dutch-process cocoa like it has been described on this thread. Does anyone have any experience with Hershey's Special Dark? It is available in stores so I wouldn't have to wait for (another) shipment from King Arthur , if it is indeed black cocoa.

I'm glad to hear of someone else that wants to bake but can't start until 8pm. I often have one hour, but not 2, and I never thought of freezing the batter! Two questions: How to defrost? In the refrigerator or room temp? And does it matter how cold or room temperature the batter is when baked? Thanks.

Thanks JayBassin and chefpeon or your answers!

I'm not Wendy, but IMO RLB's Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry recipe needs more salt. When I make it I either use salted butter (heresy! ) or add 1/8th ts salt per stick (4 oz) of butter. Usually a tad more than that. The browning may not be as uniform, but I think the flakyness compensates for that.

This thread is great! I love to make pies because: 1. I love pie and 2. it's so hard to buy a good pie (tasty crust and filling and flaky crust and cooked bottom!) and 3. I'm the only one I know that makes one from scratch. I use either all-butter recipe or RL Berenbaum's flaky crust recipe with 3/4 butter and 1/4 cream cheese (very flaky but has an extra step). Thanks Wendy and chefpeon for your demos! I think the comment that all-butter crusts taste better is true when compared to an all-shortening crust. I would love to use leaf lard, but can't find it. I have 3 things I still need help with. 1. Can someone post links to leaf lard suppliers? 2. The hardest step for me is getting the two crusts sealed together and achieving a good seal (this is after rolling). The crust is either too cold (from being put back in the fridge) or too warm. I use the above-mentioned crusts, roll on marble with a marble pin, the kitchen is 70-72 degrees and my hands are always cold. Also, are you using water to "glue" the crusts and what do you use to apply it (brush? fingers?). Cold water? Some other "glue"? Or does everyone have these problems? 3. Can someone show how to get a pretty crimp on a lattice pie? My lattices are very nice, but the crimped edge isn't. My latest method is to let the bottom crust be larger and bring it over the lattice edges. But still run into the too-cold too-hot problem. Thanks!

Lysbeth, go to Google.com and put in the search terms "eddy van damme microwave cake" and the Houston chronicle article will (probably) be the first result. Then click on "cached" and you will have the article. I suggest you copy-paste it and save it on your computer.

OK, I'll add my vote for cooking with Coca-Cola, at least with pork. I have made Nigella's Ham with Coca-Cola (twice) and we loved it. One caveat, The hams I get need less cooking time. I have also made the ribs with cherry cola sauce (also twice) from the Bon Appetit BBQ issue a few years ago and they were also a big hit.

Natasha1270, In the "Cooking" forum there is a thread called: Ice Cream, Gelato, Sherbet--Cook-Off XI. Several posters have the KA ice cream attachment, so I would also post your question on that thread. I have the Cuisinart $60 one and like it a lot.

I must chime in because it's hard for me to keep seeing a word misspelled...it is lavender. BTW, congratulations Katie!

My favorite is the traditional Spanish potato omelette ("tortilla espanola"), which is good hot or cold and best at good at room temperature. A dish where the sum is so much greater than the parts. This recipe is similar to the one I use (except I never heard of the sour cream garnish ) . You will need at least 1 teaspoon salt. Spanish Omelette Another good room-temperature dish is marinated eggplant.

Here are several kinds of pistachios, including Sicilian and Iranian, from a reputable store: Kalustyans

My stepson spent 6 months in Fallujah. US mail takes a long time, he explained, because the mail is shipped to New York and they wait to fill a container before it is shipped from NY to "over there." The other option, though expensive, is Fedex, which delivers in a few days. Yes, just days, just like home. That's what my husband used. Magazines, for men and women, are another non-perishable idea of what to send, especially through regular mail.

Bravo Steven! I can't wait for the next excerpts and for the whole book. I'm on vacation right now and your book would be perfect. Congratulations.

Thanks for the tip, I've been buying quality cherries at the supermarket, but I'm sure they are a lot cheaper at Trader Joe's. And eje, the double cherry pie sounds really good too. I do already buy Trader Joe's dried Montmorency cherries and can recommend them.

This Cherry-Raspberry Pie is really, really good. It uses canned sour cherries and frozen raspberries and cornstarch as a thickener. I use cherries that come in a jar. I know you were just asking about plain cherry filling, but I couldn't resist linking this recipe. When people try it for the first time, you can see their faces changing with pleasure. In the recipe you can see how the cornstarch and the cherry liquid are used. There's no gummy or off taste at all. Also, I use RL Berenbaum's recipe for flaky pie crust, the one with butter and cream cheese.

I wasn't impressed with Sonny Bryant's either. And the sauce was awful.

I’m just back from Dallas, where I was visiting my best and oldest friend. She moved there from Corpus Christi a few years ago and has been looking for good (Tex-) Mexican food and good BBQ since. It turns out that, unlike other cities and towns in Texas, restaurants serving these 2 cuisines are not as common in Dallas (and we would love to stand corrected, so tell us if you have other favorites). She finally found great Tex-Mex at Mia’s and I (!) finally found good BBQ at North Main St BBQ. Mia’s Tex Mex restaurant, located at 233 Lemmon Ave, Dallas TX 75219, is the home of the amazing brisket tacos. I went there 2 years ago and this was my third and fourth time there. I have tried a bite of the carne asada and a bite of the chicken sour cream enchiladas, and these are really good, but it’s the brisket tacos I dream of. Tender, juicy flavorful brisket meat with asadero cheese (I think) and onions on corn tortilla (flour also available). Two of these are served with a little cup of what I call brisket juice, which is the broth and it’s great to dip the taco in before biting, Mexican red rice, refried beans and a lettuce, tomato and avocado salad. Yum, Yum. As good as the refried beans are, I recommend also trying the bean soup, which is along the lines of “frijoles de olla,” beans in a substantial broth made with tons of bacon, onion, a little garlic and a little tomato (I got this info from the owner). They are soooo good! The best beans I’ve had in a long time. We also had the frijoles nachos which were made as they should be. Each of the 8 freshly-fried tortilla fourth was covered with refried beans and mild cheddar and topped with strips of jalapeno and the cheese totally melted. They were greasy in the best way. Those are the 2 items I had both nights I was there, and also the 2 nights I was there 2 years ago. Maybe I’ll branch out next time…. The service is fast and friendly. For most of the dishes, the waitress goes to the kitchen with the order and the cooks fill the plates as she is calling them out and she leaves with the filled tray. The bathroom is next to the kitchen, so I could see all the action. You will probably have to wait to be seated 15-30 minutes, since it's usually full. They are pretty accurate with the estimate. You can get a drink and wait outside on the tables set up just for that purpose. Four entrees, the nachos, 4 soft drinks and a beer were $53.42 + tip. North Main BBQ located at 406 North Main St in Euless, TX 76039, a suburb of Fort Worth, is an all-you-can-eat-for-$12 that is only 10 minutes from DFW airport. For the $12 you get BBQ chicken (breast and drumsticks), brisket, spare ribs, sausage and pork shoulder (like pulled pork but without the vinegar sauce), great BBQ sauce on the side, great ranch beans, potato salad, cole slaw, pickled okra, jalapenos and regular pickles, white bread (we made pulled-pork sandwiches) and also great iced tea. It’s BYOB. You can also get sandwiches for about $6 and also take out. No doggie bags, for obvious reasons. It' open only Saturday and Sunday. As you go through the buffet line, there won’t appear to be enough quantity of the meats, but that is on purpose, as they are constantly slicing fresh meat. I tried everything and the only thing that wasn’t great was the chicken breast, which was a little dry (what did I expect?). Actually, I think it just seemed dry in comparison with the other juicier meats. We’ll definitely go back.