arielleeve's Profile
Sachertorte recipe?
Interesting! I did some searching and couldn't find any decent recipes. After a morning of googling, I've found that yes, all the sachertorte recipes either call for almonds or no nuts at all. Haven't found anything with hazelnuts. So in all likelihood I guess my great-grandmother's recipe was her own creation or a regional/family version of the traditional. Most of what my mom says matches up with a sachertorte -- the whipped egg whites; apricot jam; chocolate glaze -- so I think my best bet would be to use a sachertorte recipe that calls for almonds and just sub in ground hazelnuts instead.
Sachertorte recipe?
My mother is of German descent and has for a long time lamented the fact that she never got a written copy of a favorite recipe that her grandmother used to make her, a classic German sachertorte. She's tried a world of other recipes and never found one that really loved. All she recalls about the recipe is that her grandmother used to use a string to cut the cake in half horizontally, then she would spread apricot jelly in the middle. She also remembers her using ground up almonds and beaten egg whites, and covering the whole cake with a melted chocolate glaze. All of this is pretty standard sachertorte procedure, I know. But in any case, while I know I'll never be able to recreate the exact recipe her grandmother made, I've been making attempts to at least get close and would like to try again for Mother's Day. Does anyone have any recipes they recommend? The one I tried most recently was a Wolfgang Puck recipe on the food network website. Any other leads would be appreciated!
Update: Just realized that it was not in fact ground almonds my mom said went into the cake. Apparently it was actually ground hazelnuts. I haven't seen any recipes that call for hazelnuts, but I can always use one that calls for almonds and sub them out.
Shortbread Placecards
I have a fun idea for placecards at my wedding but I'm trying to figure out how feasible it would be and how to best execute it. I would love to do something edible so I was thinking of getting number-shaped cookie cutters and doing shortbread placecards. The names would be written on the number so you'd find your name, and the number of your cookie is your table number (our wedding is small so 9 table numbers would probably be the max). I guess my concern is writing the names on the cookies since the text would need to be small. I'm not the most gifted when it comes to lettering with writing, but I've also never had great tools. Is it feasible to take this on if I get a fine point icing tip? What about those edible markers? My concern with those is whether they would write on the surface of shortbread -- I'd probably need to put a layer of icing on it first, I guess. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!
Subbing fresh / raw clams for canned clams in clam dip?
For how long? Can I use the steamer basket? I have little experience working with raw seafood other than shrimp.
Subbing fresh / raw clams for canned clams in clam dip?
Ack, I know! Totally wasn't thinking when I bought them. What do you think would be the method that would get the closest approximation to canned? As far as I know the ones in the can are boiled no?
Subbing fresh / raw clams for canned clams in clam dip?
I'm making clam dip tonight (as part of 60s themed hors d'oeuvres for a Mad Men premiere viewing party). Yesterday at Stew Leonard's they had a good deal on a refrigerated tupperware of chopped clams, which I've never used before. If I want to use these in my clam dip, how should I cook them? I wasn't entirely thinking about that fact when I bought them...!
Substitute for Asian chili oil?
Thanks all for the input...I ended up putting in 2 tsps of sesame oil, 1 tsp of Huy Fong. The recipe already had rice vinegar in it so I wasn't concerned about the vinegar in the Huy Fong. The recipe was just an "Asian fusion" style noodle recipe with a little of everything, just something basic off of a blog. Probably something I could have come up with myself were I slightly more creative and trusting of my ability to gauge how much of each ingredient to put in...I'll get there one day!
Substitute for Asian chili oil?
I'm making a recipe for soba noodles with a scallion ginger sauce. The recipe calls for chili oil (just a few teaspoons). Since I'm making this tonight, I don't have the time to make any chili oil from scratch and I don't have any on hand. I have some huy fong chili garlic sauce, I was thinking maybe I could use a little of that mixed into a neutral oil of some sort? I know it wouldn't be the same as chili oil, but I think the flavors would still go with the recipe. Any thoughts?
Which Grill Pan to get?
I love my Lodge cast iron griddle, but since this is my wedding registry for totally unnecessary things I'm adding "splurge" items and brands -- things that I would probably not buy on my own. We have most of the cookware we "need" so this is really just frivolous items that will be fun to get. I can see myself shelling out $30 - $50 for a lodge grill pan, but can't see myself splurging on a $140 scan pan when we hardly even grill.
Which Grill Pan to get?
Also, in addition to the issue of retaining and distributing heat, I wasn't sure if I should be preferring nonstick or not. My instinct tells me nonstick would be better and therefore scanpan would be a good choice (I am in love with my scanpan skillet), but since I have little indoor grilling experience, I wasn't sure...
Which Grill Pan to get?
The only reason I was thinking All-Clad is because it would retain heat well and fairly evenly. We have a crappy NYC apt stove with small burners so it's hard to get a good distribution.
Which Grill Pan to get?
So I'm currently doing the registry for my wedding and figured I would throw a grill pan in there. We don't have a huge need for it, since we don't eat meat, but we do occasionally cook fish or veggies indoors and want to be able to have grill marks, etc. In any case, I'm not sure what I should be getting -- right now I'm mostly picking between a Scan Pan grill pan and a Le Creuset cast iron grill pan. All Clad also makes a grill pan in stainless steel. I love Scan Pan so that was my initial thought, but would a cast iron make more sense? We already have a standard 10" cast iron skillet. Input appreciated!
Need help cooking tapioca pearls for pudding
It's not that I couldn't use instant tapioca, but I have the small pearls on hand and would like to try using them.
Need help cooking tapioca pearls for pudding
I want to make a coconut-milk based tapioca pudding, but after extensive internet research it seems that every recipe I find for tapioca pudding uses a different approach. So I have a few questions I was hoping people could give me some thoughts on. I'm using white, small pearl tapioca.
1) Do I need to soak the pearls before cooking? I've seen some recipes in which they say overnight, others that say 20 minutes, and others that don't call for soaking at all.
2) How long does the tapioca need to cook for? I was mostly planning on playing it by ear, waiting until they tasted and looked done (translucent).
3) Should the tapioca be rinsed after cooking? I've seen a few recipes say call for this, saying that it will prevent the pudding from getting too gelatinous and gooey.
4) This goes hand in hand with the prior question, but I'm trying to figure out if it makes more sense to cook the pearls in the coconut milk, or if I should cook them separately in water and then add them to a coconut milk mixture. My thinking was, if I want to rinse them, I go with the latter route. If not, it seems it would make more sense to cook them in the coconut milk.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
What to do with leftover pumpkin pie custard?
Tonight I made the "silky smooth pumpkin pie" recipe from Smitten Kitchen (adapted from the Cook's Illustrated recipe), whereby the pumpkin filling is made as a kind of custard with half and half and eggs (yolks and whole eggs), strained through a fine mesh strainer, and then cooked in a blind baked shell. It turned out well, however I have about a cup or two of leftover custard filling. Any thoughts on how to use it? I don't know if it's worth doing ice cream since its not too much. Would hate for it to go to waste, though...
Tough Crust on Homemade Bread?
I just attempted homemade cinnamon raisin bread for the first time. It came out wonderfully, the bread is soft and fluffy. But the crust is a little too tough/hard. Any idea why/what I should do differently next time? I used mostly all-purpose flour with just a tad of bread flour (bc I was running low on the AP). Brushed the crust with egg wash and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before baking. Baked about 40 minutes at 375.
Pre-Made Individual Crisps -- How Long Will They Last?
I just went to make a batch of individual (in 6 oz ramekins) pear apple crisps, with the intent of prepping four, baking off two tonight and putting the other two in the fridge for baking tomorrow night. I've done this before successfully. But the recipe I used ended up with closer to 6 or even 8 individual crisps. Being that there are only 2 people in our household and so I only plan on making 2 crisps a night, I'm not sure what to do with the remainder. Think it will last 36 - 48 hours? If not, should I prep them and freeze them instead of refrigerating them?
Proofing Cinnamon Raisin Bread in the Fridge?
I want to make cinnamon raisin bread in such a way that it is prepped and ready to go in the oven on a weekend morning after I wake up. Most of the recipes I find call for proofing it out on the counter, but I know that for the most part you can proof breads in the fridge. I am a bread-making newbie, so can anyone give me some advice on how I would go about making this bread so it was proofed in the fridge overnight and ready to cook in the morning? Thanks in advance!
Vegetarian Main Dish to go with Thai Curry?
I am trying to figure out something simple but yummy to make for a dinner party tomorrow night. My friend from Thailand is cooking green curry but said she was not sure if it would be enough food for everyone, particularly given that she is making one meat and one non-meat curry and my fiance and I are vegetarian. So I want to make a veg-friendly dish to bring along, but I can't decide what I can make that will go well with a curry. Any thoughts?
When to glaze cake?
I am making an apple cake for Rosh Hashonah, to be eaten on Wednesday night. I pre-made the cake tonight since it's the only night I can do it, but I'm trying to decide if I should put the glaze on now or wait until right before served. My inclination is to think that that should be a last-minute addition, but I also have heard that sometimes glazes help keep moisture in. Or is that just an old wives' tale?
Pre-assemble souffles?
might seem like a silly question, but um wondering if it's possible to pre-assemble souffles, leave them in e fridge overnight, and bake when ready. I am making a souffle recipe that will undoubtedly serve more than can be eaten by two people, and normally I don't actually mind eating souffle leftovers, even though they of course completely fall. They still taste okay, just aren't as fluffy. Anyway, I was thinking maybe it would make more sense to make the recipe and divide it into ramekins, leaving two unbaked until tomorrow night's dinner? Not sure how much the batter would fall, though, and whether this would work given the ingredients. This is a corn pudding souffle, from the chez panisse cookbook, btw.
Glass Mixing / Nesting Bowls w/Lids?
Looking to purchase a set of glass bowls that will be big enough to use as mixing bowls, but that also come with lids. I love the 10 piece nesting bowl sets that they sell everywhere, but I haven't seen any that have lids. I found one pyrex set at BB & B, but I'm wondering if anyone else has any suggestions.
Burr Grinder?
Our coffee grinder just broke and we need a replacement, but we don't have a large budget. We aim to spend no more than $50 and I am trying to decide if we should get a cheap burr grinder or not. The only cheap one that got okay reviews was the Mr. Coffee, and even then the reviews were not great. Do people think that it's better to get a cheap burr grinder, or use the money to get a slightly nicer regular electric grinder? I've heard raves about burr grinders and others that say it doesn't make much of a difference. I can't decide if it's worth it if it's just going to be a so-so one. Anyway, any input would be appreciated (including brand recommendations). Thanks!
Pappardelle / Tagliatelle Portions
I want to make some pasta with fresh corn and tomatoes this week, and I was going to use either papardelle or tagliatelle, which I don't think I've ever cooked with before. I always make recipes that call for a pound of pasta so that we have leftovers to take for lunch, which sometimes mean doubling recipes, etc. When I was in the store today all the packages of papardelle and tagliatelle that I found were 8 ounces, which is also what all the recipes called for. Just wondering, are the portion sizes for these pastas different than for others? I.e., should I really be doubling the recipe and getting two packages of pasta, or is 8 ounces of papardelle / tagliatelle the equivalent of a pound of penne/linguine/etc.? Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Vegan Friendly Caterer near Ithaca?
My fiance and I are looking into having our wedding at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY (40 minutes from Ithaca). It is an organization that does advocacy but also rescues farm animals. As such, they require that if you have an event there, it must be vegan (we are both vegetarian and all our favorite restaurants are vegan, so we don't mind). I've found a few potential options -- vegan caterers from NYC who would be willing to travel upstate, and local caterers that are not vegan but would be willing to cook vegan food. But I'm still not finding a ton of options. Does anyone have any suggestions? The closer to Watkins Glen, the better, as all the NY companies charge a lot extra for delivering the food upstate (plus are probably more expensive in the first place). I already emailed Moosewood but they don't do catering. The only local option I've found thus Ithaca Bakery. Any input would be appreciated.
-----
Moosewood Restaurant
215 N Cayuga St Ste 70, Ithaca, NY 14850
Ithaca Bakery
400 N Meadow St, Ithaca, NY 14850
Sifter Recommendation?
I have a sieve, which i use now, and used for a while before I got the sifter. Once I switched to the sifter I found it made such a difference (in terms of speed and ease), plus the sieve leaves more leftover crumbs than a sifter, which is better at breaking up clumps (ie the sieve leaves a lot of leftover granulated sugar or kosher salt). I know it's a unitasker, but i would use it enough...
Sifter Recommendation?
I recently bought a sifter from the Williams Sonoma outlet -- the kind with the spring loaded handle that you squeeze. I loved it, but we don't have a dishwasher and a few clumps of flour/sugar/etc. got stuck in between the mesh layers and would not come out. I tried everything -- soaking it in boiling water, scrubbing it, but it was just trapped and eventually got pretty gross (and rusted from all the soakings). So I want to replace it, but need suggestions for sifters that are easy to hand wash.
Cold-brewed Thai iced tea?
I recently found a bag of Thai tea leaves to make the traditional thai iced tea. I wanted to use my Toddy so that I could cold brew the tea, but I was very uncertain about the proportions. I found almost nothing on the internet, and there was a huge variety of proportions in what I did find. I ended up just going with the proportions listed on the back of the bag, which I had a feeling would not be right. It was 30 grams to 4 cups of water. I doubled it and let it sit overnight but I can already tell it's not concentrated enough (esp since for the Thai tea you are supposed to make it super concentrated and dilute with condensed milk). Does anyone have any thoughts on how much tea: water I should be using for cold brewing in the toddy?
How much red curry paste?
I am thrilled to have finally found decent red curry paste -- the kind in a can, from a Thai grocery store -- instead of the crap that Thai Kitchen makes in the little jars. The back of the can says to use the entire can (4 oz) along with 4 - 5 cups of coconut milk. I plan on making a tofu curry with just one can of coconut milk and a pound of tofu, so I'm guessing the whole can is too much. I'm wondering what ratios people use for curry paste : coconut milk; since I've only ever used the weak Thai Kitchen stuff before I usually ended up adding a lot, and I'm not sure what would be appropriate with the canned stuff. Any thoughts?
Asian grocery in queens?
I ended up going to a Thai grocery store across from Sripraphai. It was awesome, and everyone was super friendly. Had a million varieties of canned curry paste, thai tea leaves, etc. Highly recommended!
