Thanks all. I've been using butter (very cold) and I keep my flour in the freezer, so I don't think it's really a melting-butter problem. I do have air conditioning so it's not like I'm trying to do this in a 90-degree kitchen. I'll try with shortening next time though and see if that helps.

I consider myself to be a pretty good baker, but biscuits are my nemesis. I've tried recipes from many sources, including the normally reliable Joy of Cooking, but every time I end up the mixing stage with a dough that looks a lot like cookie dough - thick enough to hold in a shape but still sticky. I always end up adding a bunch more flour just to get it pliable enough to roll and cut, which inevitably results in a starchier, less buttery biscuit than what I have in mind.

Is this just a humidity thing (I live in the tropics) or is biscuit dough supposed to be that wet? If the latter, how do you get it in biscuit form without half of it sticking to your work surface? Thanks in advance.

I'm planning an Iceland trip with four friends: one is a vegetarian (eggs and dairy OK, no fish) and the rest of us are not, and are eager to taste the local (seemingly most seafood) specialties. Any recommendations? Vegetarian-specialized places are okay, but mostly I'm looking for all-around good restaurants with a local bent that also have decent vegetarian options.

After what seems like an eternity in Conakry, eating at just five or six just tolerable places in rotation, I'm going to a conference in Joburg and I only want to eat the very best, most delicious food in town while I'm there. No particular preference on cuisine. Money is no object, though if you think the greatest food in Joburg is at a cheap sandwich place I'll be thrilled to eat that too. I'll be based in Sandton and won't have my own wheels, but if it's cab-accessible that's great. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

I bought a whole beef tenderloin at Sams, and after saving half for a roast and trimming the other half into cute steaks, I have some extra chunks left over, enough for one small meal perhaps. They're about the right size for stew meat, but that's not something you do with tenderloin. Some of it I minced and gave to my (tremendously spoiled) cat, but what should I do with the rest?

I'm slowly buying a whole new set of kitchen appliances in preparation for my upcoming move to West Africa and I have run into a problem. It seems that Cuisinart doesn't make food processors in 220 volts, and since for my entire life "Cuisinart" was synonymous with "food processor" I'm kind of at a loss for what to buy. What other brands do people like that do have 220 volt models, and where can I order one and get it shipped to me in the States?

None of that powdery Swiss Miss stuff! Where do you go in DC for a delicious warming chocolaty experience?

Where can I buy a nice whole duck, fresh if at all possible? Metro-accessible is best, but I can make it out to the 'burbs if need be.
Thanks!

She says she got them in Bocas del Toro, from a cafe right on the water near all the snorkeling companies, possibly called the Starfish Cafe. What do you plan on doing with them?

I don't really much care for the Kolache Factory - their dough always seems a little dry to me. I always got my fix at Mornings Kolaches in Clear Lake. Fortunately, since my original post I have learned to make them myself! Homesick Texan has a great recipe (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/200...). Check out the rest of her site too for more Texas favorites!

My sister wants me to make some sort of cake which calls for mochiko flour/sweet rice flour. She tells me that sweet rice flour is not the same as the white rice flour or brown rice flour available at my local Whole Foods. Does anyone know where I can find this in the greater DC area? Metro accessible is best, but I could make a trip out to the burbs if need be.

Well, we haven't seen it because Barritt's doesn't distribute in Texas. Bummer. I may order some online, but I found some Jamaica's Finest in the international section of my local HEB and I think that may fit the bill. Happy summer everyone!

I have declared the Dark and Stormy to be the official beverage of Summer '10, but I've found other brands of ginger beer to be too gingery (Maine Root) or not gingery enough (Reed's). Does anyone know where I can find some Barritt's in Houston?

I use the leftover syrup for iced tea. I candied orange peels most recently, and the leftover syrup smelled and tasted like Froot Loops!

What's so bad about Cairo?

Some words have more power than others in a menu description because they provide more information to the diner. If there WERE fingerling potatoes in that aloo gobi I would want to know, because it's a fancy, expensive kind of potato, so the word "fingerling" indicates to me that this dish is going to be fancier and more expensive than your average aloo gobi. However, if they are plain old Yukon Gold potatoes you're probably better off going with "potatoes" because the extra information the descriptor gives doesn't make that much difference to the diner.

Also, when translation is involved simple is always best. An impressive description mistranslated isn't impressive, it's just funny.

I asked this question a while ago on the International board, but I didn't get much response so I thought I'd try again here. My apologies if this is not kosher.

I recently passed the U.S. Foreign Service Exam, and while I wait for my clearances to come through I'm engaging in the fascinating pastime of speculating on my future foreign postings. Being a chowhound, availability of delicious food is very important to my happiness. So, if you had to choose a world city to live in based solely on the food, where would you go? Where would you avoid? I'm especially interested in your thoughts on non-Western Europe areas of the world.
Thanks!

I'm coming home to Houston after a five-year absence, and excited for some great food! I can't wait to visit the old standbys (though I shed a tear for the loss of Brennan's), but after being gone so long I also need the inside scoop on some newer not-to-miss places.

Also, my previous Houston food experience is mostly that of a broke college student, so I'm excited to be able to try some places that cost more than $20. I'll be in Clear Lake, but I'll go anywhere for some great grub! Thanks!

Founding Farmers is another good choice for a locally-sourcing place with a relaxed atmosphere.

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Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006

Oh, the bastilla at Taste of Morocco is wonderful! I also like Chez Manelle, East-West Grill, Pho 75 and Ray's Hell Burgers (of course) in Arlington, and any of the various Julia's Empanadas outlets in DC makes a great delicious and filling but cheap meal.

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Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209

Taste of Morocco
8661 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

This is where Ray's Hell Burgers was when it opened, three doors down from where Ray's Hell Burgers is now.

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Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209

I tried out the newest incarnation of the Ray's empire yesterday, and was pretty disappointed. It's basically Ray's Hell Burger, with wait service and a few additional menu items. There's a turkey burger, a venison burger, a wild boar burger, and a portobello burger for you vegetarians. They also take credit cards.

I had the venison burger - it was okay, but not outstanding. The cherry sauce was nice, but I could have used a bit more of it, and the dehydrated beet chips were just kind of weird. It was also only 6 ounces. My friends ordered 6-ounce versions of the normal Ray's Hell Burger fare which came out overcooked, likely because the grillmasters are used to longer times for the thicker 8-oz burgers. We also tried the duck fat fries, which were not good: very greasy, and limp and floppy instead of crispy. The onion rings, on the other hand, were outstanding.

In short, I'll stick to the original.

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Ray's Hell Burger
1713 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209

I want to make some focaccia to go with tomorrow's dinner, but there is not enough time between quittin' time and dinner time for all that rising and kneading and rising and such. A lot of stores sell pizza dough that you can refrigerate and just use when you want, so can I do the same with my homemade focaccia dough? And if so, at what stage in the process do I stick it in the fridge to finish the next day?

Sure, there were several options for overcooked-vegetables-from-cans or iceberg-lettuce-covered-in-various-forms-of-fat, and I ate them, but it just didn't hit that vegetable spot.

I don't have an actual recipe, but a word of caution: GO EASY. Last summer I made a garlic scape pesto with pine nuts and a few herbs, and it was WAY too powerful even for my garlic-loving mouth. We eventually rendered it edible by mixing it with standard basil pesto to dilute it.

For non-pesto applications, I like garlic scapes in stir-fires or sauteed and added to omelets and the like.

True confessions - I am a 45-minute polenta cooker. I have it in the pot just long enough to lose that raw-corn flavor and get nice and congealy, add butter, put my ragu or whatever on top, and serve. And so far the results have been pretty tasty.

But then I hear about multi-hour polenta-cooking marathons and various Italians who wail that polenta cooked for less than X hours is total trash and not worth eating. So, I ask you, what does this extra time investment get you, exactly? How much difference does it really make? Wouldn't all the liquid just evaporate out and leave the rest to burn?

I'm willing to learn, but if you're going to turn a weeknight meal quick starch into a weekend-only extended production you'd better have some pretty convincing arguments.

Cornbread. It's always too sweet and/or too dry.

I totally agree. I hate it when I go out and have an excellent dinner, only to have the experience tainted by a "chocolate" cake that resembles chocolate only in color. On the other hand, if a restaurant can wow me with dessert I'm theirs forever.

What are tea eggs?

I am constantly worrying that I don't put enough veggies in my meal plans, but I can't be bothered to consult reference materials and weigh everything out to see how I'm doing. Besides, it's summertime, which means I'm gorging myself on fruit!

Though recently I spent a week in an exurb on a business trip, with nowhere to eat but chains of the Applebees/Fridays type, with nary a vegetable in sight. By the time I got home I had never been to happy to see a fresh zucchini in my life!