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Last night I finally had time to make the marshmallows, following Nightscotsman's recipe. Thank you nightscotsman. (I do have a question--what made you want to change the Martha Stewart recipe and what was your reasoning? I'm curious about the thought process of a real pastry chef ). I have been wanting to make them, after reading this thread and also seeing Martha Stewart make them and on the Food Channel's Food Finds they showed Pete, of Pete's Gourmet, making them. From him I got the tip to pour the syrup into the bowl of gelatin with the whip going and then cover the the mixer bowl in the front and sides with plastic wrap before cranking it up to high. No mess at all. I made vanilla and cinammon. I made the cinammon ones with 1 1/2 ts cassia cinammon. They are very tasty, but I may go to 2 ts next time. These were a little firmer because I only had a little over 1 cup of corn syrup (not 1 1/4 c), but they were still good. I felt like a real candy maker cutting the the marshmallows this morning. It was a lot easier to cut them than I had anticipated. I used my Wustof meat slicer knife, sprayed with Pam at the beginning. I used a 9 x 13 pan for one batch and a 9 x 12 roasting pan for the other (higher cubes). Also, I blotted the extra Pam from the foil side of the marshmallow slab with a paper towel. Someone posted earlier not to tell the impressed people how easy they are to make...they are easy! I had my new digital camera ready for pictures, but they really looked just as good as the other white ones posted earlier. If I have more time I'll try the strawberry and chocolate ones next and also I would love to dip them in chocolate.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the surface they are rolling on. I roll on the granite counter on my kitchen with a marble rolling pin. Before that, for many, many years, I rolled on a marble board. The coolness of the marble or granite helps a lot. I don't think anything is 100% foolproof, though. The marble boards are not expensive and are often on sale. On another thread someone also suggested icing down the marble board before starting (and drying it, of course).

I have the Cuisinart and I'm very happy with it. I took a cooking class a few years ago with Mark Fischer (six89, Carbondale, CO) and was surprised to see the Cuisinart ice cream maker churning away. He told me the have 2 of them and many inserts and that's what they use in the restaurant and that they last at least 2 years of constant use. He said he used to have a professional machine, but when it broke it was a nightmare to get it fixed.

Here is the ongoing thread on egullet, including marblelized ones: Egullet Thread on Homemade Marshmallows And here is the link to the recipe on recipegullet--it includes vanilla and chocolate variations: Strawberry Marshmallows

At Ms Tootsie's, a great soul food restaurant in Philadelphia, they do all their greens with the aforementioned smoked turkey.

mkfradin, I don't have a recipe for you, but once you do, may I suggest you try what a former co-worker would do. She and her husband would make spritz cookies every Xmas. She used a wreath die (one that would make a round cookie) and would sandwich 2 of them with some apricot jam. The apricot added just the right tart, fruity touch to the creamy, floury cookies. And, Scott123, thank you so much for the generous treatise on the spritz cookie. Truly one great tip after another. Egulleteers are the greatest!

This recipe is currently on the New York Times website and is from the 11-7-04 Style Magazine Supplement: Buckwheat Crepes with Nutella and Tart Cherry Mascarpone Access is free after you register (for free), but only until 11-14-04 (7 days), so take a look now.

I just made pastitsio last week and used my favorite recipe (halved) by James Beard, from his book Beard on Pasta. Well, it's the only recipe for this dish I've ever used, because it's so good I've found no reason to stray. For American Mac and Cheese, I like the microwave version from Barbara Kafka's Microwave Gourmet. The sauce is ready before the pasta (Barilla elbows, with the ridges) is cooked. It's homemade, easy and so good. My 12-year-old daughter loves both these dishes.

I don't think the mistake was using different butter, because the butters were not basically different (store brand vs brand name-but same butterfat content). Never, ever have I experienced different results from using branded vs non-branded butter. I buy whichever is on sale or cheaper, with no problems. I have the strong suspicion that I used baking soda instead of baking powder, like boulak suggested. The baking soda can wasn't totally closed last I checked . I looked up baking soda on Baking911.com (good resource) and I quote: Since the cake batter does have some lemon juice, the baking soda could act as leavener. And, since 1 teaspoon is a lot of baking soda for a small cake, it could also cause the brown color I was complaining about.

This poundcake is one of the best cakes I have ever made and everyone that tried it thought it was great, so do try it again. I'm going to make it again this weekend. Both my cakes rose above the poundcake pan (standard metal pan-the bottom measures 7.5 x 3.5 inches and 2.5 inches high). The texture was denser than a butter cake, and to me, exactly what a pound cake should be, similar to a Sara Lee Poundcake. Even when I messed up, the rise and texture weren't affected. But there can be different ways of messing up. I didn't write about the very first time I made this cake. I was in a hurry and I read the recipe wrong and put the juice of 2 lemons, instead of 2 teaspoons juice. That cake was very heavy and too moist but the intense sourness made me re-read the recipe and realize that mistake. IMO, the lemon ingredients should be in 2 separate lines: one line for the zest of 2 lemons and one line for the 2 ts juice. Two other things come to mind. First, check that your baking powder is the standard double-acting kind and that it is fresh--less than a year old. Second, make sure you don't overbeat the flour into the batter.

I have been meaning to ask this, and since the thread on the roast pork mentioned it, I figured it's a good time. I love the traditional fried rice served in Chinese-American restaurants, what I think that Irwin (aka wesza) refers to as New York-style fried rice. The one where the white rice ends up brown. I like the one with "everything" in it. I have never been able to make it at home. This is the info that I have gathered over the years, but I'm no closer to the taste I'm looking for: All cookbooks I have seen avoid the issue by giving the more authentic Young Chow recipe. That's fine, but I want the non-authentic recipe. At a restaurant here, which is very close to old-school American-Chinese, the owner told me she couldn't duplicate the fried rice at home. I started to think that maybe the very high heat of the restaurant wok is part of the recipe. Shopping at a market in Philly's Chinatown, a young chef told me to use Maggi Seasoning sauce, instead of soy sauce. But now I'm a member of egullet, where the real truth-telling experts are. Anyone know the secret or secrets?

I'm almost sure it would get soggy, because when a natilla sits in the refrigerator for a few days a little water seeps out. Of course, who is letting a natilla-filled doughnut wait in the refrigerator for more than a few minutes?? But what I suggest is to look at a recipe for cream donut filling and use those proportions of cornstarch and milk and use the flavorings of the natilla. I found this recipe (the filling is a custard made also with cornstarch): EMERIL'S PASTRY CREAM DOUGHNUT FILLING edited for clarity

No one has mentioned to wrap the dry-rubbed/marinated ribs in foil and bake them in the oven. I just made meaty baby back ribs in the oven this way this week. Two hours in the oven at 325 deg F did the trick. Then I drained the liquid from the packets and they went into the fridge. The next night I covered them with the sauce for the final heating at a higher temp, like 425 f. I did not use the grill (lazy). They were very moist and I recommend this method. It's not messy and they absolutely do not dry out. Mine got a dry rub treatment for a day in the fridge before the initial baking. And I remove the membrane in the back. In the past I have also used this method with a lower temperature (250-275) and longer time, which is even better to melt the fat away. I didn't have that much time this week, but they were still very good.

As you will see in the link below, cooked milk still has all its lactose. The link refers to evaporated milk, which is sterilized--so heat treated, but the point is the same. Milk Ingredients. Most lactose intolerant people can tolerate some lactose, and, I'm guessing, the amount your dad puts in his coffee is not that much. As an aside, I always heat my milk for coffee because it changes the taste of milk and makes better coffee. It's the difference between coffee and cafe latte. I also carry around Lactaid tablets and find them most helpful.

About the yogurt...that's how I diagnosed my intolerance. I was eating plain yogurt every afternoon as a snack. One week they didn't have my brand, so I snacked on something else. Wow! I was so "comfortable" that week, and finally figured it out that I was lactose intolerant. To think I lived for so many years with all those symptoms--I thought it was normal. I was just talking about mashed potatoes here at work. Mine were no good until I "crossed" over to cream, with just a little milk. Now they are fantastic.

I am also lactose intolerant. I use Lactaid milk all the time--in cooking and my daughter drinks it also. She's not intolerant, but I get the one with extra calcium. I also like Lactaid cottage cheese. Just because its from milk doesn't mean it has lactose. Heavy cream, butter, regular cheese, etc, do not have any significant lactose. For example, 100 grams of heavy cream have 0.11 grams sugars. 100 grams of cheddar cheese have 0.23 grams of lactose. 100 grams of butter have 0.06g gram of sugars. Basically nothing. This chart from Lactaid gives an overview: Lactose Chart. And this site: USDA National Nutrient Database is my favorite for finding exact amounts of sugar, fat, etc. in foods. Lactose intolerance is not an allergy. Some people can tolerate more than others. I also use Hood's Carb Countdown--only 3 grams of sugar (lactose) per cup (instead of 11). I tolerate that OK. But regular milk, yogurt or ice cream...forget it.

Wow, that was fast!

In my Spanish cookbook (1080 Recetas de Cocina, by Simone Ortega--in Spanish, from Spain), my favorite Puertorrican cookbook (Cocine Conmigo, by Dora Romano) and and my Cuban cookbook (Memories of a Cuban Kitchen, by Mary U. Randelman), all the natillas are made with milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and flavorings. All include cinammon, the Spanish and PR ones also have lemon or lime rind. Another Spanish cookbook I have, in English, doesn't use cornstarch. In PR and Cuba they we always do. Here is the recipe for my grandmother Aida's Natillas. She's been making them over 50 years, and we all make them too. We never had regular vanilla pudding growing up, we had these. It is very nutritious, with all the milk, and one of my comfort foods. It uses a small amount of fresh milk to disolve the cornstarch, but I'm sure that could be done with some water, if you are out of fresh milk. One single serving would be a natilla. Natillas 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk 12 oz water (measure with empty milk can) 2-3 cinammon sticks 2/3 cups sugar 1/4 cup milk, cold 4 egg yolks lime rind (2-3 inches, peeled with a potato peeler, lemon will do in a pinch) 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract In a heavy saucepan at medium heat, warm the milk, water, salt, 1/3 cup of sugar, cinammon sticks and lime rind. In a small bowl, disoolve the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup regular cold milk. In another small bowl, beat the yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pur a small amount of the warm milk into the yolk mixture to temper it. Pour the yolk and cornstarch mixtures into the warm milk in the saucepan. Keep stirring at medium heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the stove. Mix in the vanilla extract. Strain and pour into individual dishes, such as custard cups or ramekins. Sprinkle with the powdered cinammon. Refrigerate until cold and serve very cold. Makes 5-6, depending on your cups.

For the traditional taste, add a stick of cinammon to the milk mixture in this recipe. Also, sprinkle with ground cinammon at the end. I have my grandmother's version, from Puerto Rico, which is very similiar to the above recipe, but made only with evaporated milk. It's sooo good. I can post it tonight.

Thanks everyone for your comments. First, let me say that someone at work asked for the recipe, so it was good enough. The baking soda/powder mixup is a possibility since I keep the 2 chemicals in similiar tins, but would it have risen so well with baking soda? The Keller's butter is like regular Land 0 Lakes, not like Plugra. I'll definitely make it again. Here is the link to the America's Test Kitchen show which has the recipe for the lemon pound cake and glaze. You have to register with the site, but it is free, so no excuses. BTW, they only keep 3 seasons in the "free" section, this season's and the two previous, so if you want to save recipes from season #2, don't delay. America's Test Kitchen: Teatime

Bitter almonds themselves are illegal in the US, or, probably more accurately, a controlled substance. I found one supplier on line that will ship 1 ounce. They have prussic acid (cyanide). Once processed with heat to make the oil, the prussic acid is destroyed and the oil itself is not toxic. In fact, almond extract is made with the oil of bitter almonds and alcohol, even in the US. Now to the important stuff. Is the French almond extract better than the American? My mother is going to France and I could easily ask for a bottle. It's her favorite flavor, so she would be interested also.

The glaze dries up crisp. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar, but that made a lot of glaze. It also calls for poking holes so it soaks in. I did poke the holes, but for me half the glaze amount was sufficient. I also wanted to add my own tip for this recipe: after the cake bakes for the first 15 minutes make a slit with a sharp knife on the top of the cake, the long way, so that it splits evenly as it rises. The first time I didn't do this and it formed a weird shape on its own. With the slit it looks very professional.

Last week I made what to my taste was the perfect pound cake: moist, buttery with a hint of lemon, easy to slice, and yellow inside. Here is the recipe: Cook's Illustrated Lemon Pound Cake. This morning I made it again and the cake inside is a toasty brown color (like toasted bread). Does anyone know what happened? I did the recipe the same way both times, following the recipe almost to the letter. The only thing I did different from the recipe was that I sifted in the flour directly into the food processor and then pulsed it 4-5 times, until the flour almost disappeared and then whisked the batter in the processor bowl a few times to make sure everything was invcorporated. I did this exactly the same both times (I've made many cakes in the food processor). The color of the batter was the same both times. Also, both times I used half the glaze amount. The only minor thing I did different was that I used store brand butter the first (perfect) time and the second time used 1/3 store brand butter and 2/3 Keller's butter (a premium brand). And the recipe I have, from a freebie Cook's Illustrated, specifies 1 teaspoon vanilla, so that's what I used, both times. I used the same oven, the same pan and the same baking time. The second one looked absolutely beautiful and I made it to bring to work to welcome a good friend who had been on leave. Then I saw it inside. Yikes! It was the color of toasted bread. It was moist and tasted pretty good, but not as good as the first one. This second one tasted a tad less sweet. People at work ate it, but I'm mistified. Now, obviously, I messed up somewhere, but in my mind I did everything correctly both times. Does anyone have any idea what mistake I could have made? For example, too much of something? I searched on baking911.com but it didn't talk about this poundcake problem. My only guess is that the oven went off kilter this week and it was too hot, but why would it be brown AND still moist? I have overbaked before, a long, long time ago, thank goodness, but the inside color never changed.

From the Egullet's Copyright and Use Policy Basically, the ingredient list and amounts are not copyright-protected. A paraphrasing of the instructions is technically OK, but frowned upon (but I've seen it often). If you modify the recipe in any way it is more accepted. Forum hosts please chime in if I'm not right.

Thanks!