Claudette's Profile
The decline of Food & Wine magazine, Dana Cowin's fault or my own?
I agree with you, but that's only part of the problem: most cooking shows and magazines aim for the lowest common denominator (beginning or intermediate cooks), and you've moved way beyond the stage of needing another technique for mashed potatoes, or another recipe for wasabi mayonnaise...
After discovering that I no longer dog-eared any of my cooking mags, I let all of my subscriptions lapse except for CI (because I'm geeky), and Saveur (because I love to travel vicariously). I do miss the last era of Gourmet because it started getting into the politics of food (the article on lobsters was the best writing I've ever encountered in a cooking magazine).
Organic Ground Beef At Costco...
I agree that the texture is a bit too fine, but it tastes good. When I make patties with it, I form them very gently, without mashing them. They are a tad dry and crumbly, but loaded up with tomatoes, ketchup and pickles, they're fine.
Sexy Manly Desserts to Impress!
My husband waited 23 years to tell me that his all-time favorite dessert (and I've made hundreds) were the chocolate cups we made from little balloons! You can fill them with anything (but at the last minute, so that they don't soften). His favorite version was when I let a tableful of guests fill their chocolate cups from a variety of ice creams, toppings and syrups. Be sure to experiment with different balloons - some explode more easily than others when dipped in warm chocolate.
Chocolate Filigree
If you pipe chocolate onto plastic sheets (I've even used plastic wrap when I've run out of sheets, and taped the edges taut) the bottom of the chocolate will be shiny and dark - very pretty, even if it's not tempered. Just refrigerate them until you use them. BTW: beware that the moisture from the frosting could turn your filigree soft! I've even piped people's names on the sheets and used that for place cards: write the names on parchment paper and flip it over so that the writing is backward when you pipe, but right-side up when you take it off the plastic.
Caution, bad pine nuts = bitter taste in mouth
I've been buying the ones at Trader Joe's for many years with no problem until recently, and since I always keep nuts in the freezer until use, it's a mystery as to why now and not the past dozen years...am switching to almonds and walnuts for my pesto.
Inconsistencies between cooking show and cookbook
A lot of cookbooks are never tested at all! I worked on some Williams-Sonoma ones where several recipes were really off, but the art director and in-house recipe developer didn't care.
Is There an Alternative to Ramekins for Baking Souffles?
I've seen photos of souffles made in hollowed-out orange shells (pretty, although they didn't seem to rise very much). I was going to try it, but hollowing out one orange was a tedious mess, so I just used my ramekins.
French Press vs Chemex?
Here they are: http://www.chow.com/search?query=cold+brew+coffee&board_name=Home+Cooking&search_board_id=31&type=Topic&from_date=1+year+ago&board_parent=&search_board_id_btn=31&from_date_select=1+year+ago&user_name=&post_title=&search_board_id_btn_pop=31&sort_mode=best_match&recipe_source=
French Press vs Chemex?
There's a really looooooong thread about cold brew from a couple of years ago...I'll try to find it for you when I get off this !&@ iPad and back on a real computer!
Do you love Banana Bread? What's your favorite banana bread?
I love pecans, dried cranberries, and crystalized ginger in mine, but my hubby complains it's too much like fruitcake (...so what's your problem?...)
Guy Fieri in Vancouver - I'm sure you've all heard! [moved from BC]
Agreed, but my Santa Rosa friends tell me that his restos aren't very good. i think he's funny even watching all that diner food gives me a tummy ache.
French Press vs Chemex?
I own both and agree it's comparing apples to oranges - but since I switched to cold-brew coffee two years ago, only my two French presses get used now. I love the bit of sludge at the bottom!
Calling all fennel and baby bok choy lovers
stir fry the bok choy with a bit of oil and minced ginger, then finish with a splash of soy sauce. hate typing on this ipad...
Sodastream seltzer not holding its fizz?
How much gas are you injecting? The more you inject, and the fresher the canister, the longer the bubbles last.
Swearing off using convection oven
I learned the hard way not to use convection for my cakes and custards (creme brulee, flans). My roasts and cookies turned out well, though.
Another Problem with English Toffee
I've been making toffee for 20 years without incident, and then last year the butter broke for the first time ever. I bought new C&H cane brown sugar and then it worked fine. But then the same thing happened again this year, and the new sugar did not fix it. I decided to use expensive Plugra (on sale for $6/lb) and it worked like a dream. I wonder if Costco reformulated their butter? It worked for so many years, but I wasted a whole pound of it this year, and will stick to Plugra from now own.
Where to buy a couple dozen live dungeoness crabs?
When I was a kid, my mom bought crabs in Chinatown in the morning, and we brought them home wrapped in newsprint. We'd let them run loose in the kitchen sink for a few hours before we steamed them (never boiled) or stir-fried them. Since we always picked the liveliest ones, and the kitchen was cool, they were still pretty feisty by evening.
Got turducken?
: Schaub’s in Palo Alto said you could order the boneless turkey, chicken, and duck from them and then stuff and cook it yourself. They only charge $25 for the prep work, plus the $/# for each fowl.
Since I’m only having 5 at Christmas, I ordered butterflied turkey and chicken breasts, and will confit a few duck legs, then stuff w/ merguez and cornbread for a roulade.
breville panini press
I love my two Duos, too: easy to clean, great for sandwiches and quesadillas. Not hot enough to use as a grill, though. Only wish it had an I/O switch or timer.
Alternatives to Silpat baking sheets
I bought both a Silpat and a Sur La Table one (with the red border) about 10 years ago at the same time, I use them both at the same time, and the SLT one is fraying at the edges now, while the Silpat is still intact. They are both stained a bit, but otherwise perform equally well. I'll replace the SLT with a Silpat next time, though.
Sugar on Top of Pie Crust?
Cooks Ill says the sugar helps with browning, along with brushing it with beaten egg (which browns better than cream. I like the regular sugar better than the sanding sugar (I don't like the crunches when I bite into the big sugar crystals). A tip: don't brush/sugar the crust edge - that will caramelized well enough without the added help.
Round cake pans vs springform pans
I love my Kaisers and since they leak for cakes and tiramisus I just put a sheet of parchment over the bottom and snap it in place (letting it stick out all around). This helps with cake removal, too, and I just trim the edges afterward. They're more versatile than my cake pans, but I like the rounded cake edges from the cake pans better.
In San Jose and searching for PIE!
Call Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos and ask if/what pies they have on hand - theirs are good, as are the ones at Draegar's in Los Altos.
