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The Ten Most Recent Posts By jesskel

From Talk

'Techniques of Healthy Cooking'

I won a cookbook from Serious Eats called "Techniques of Healthy Cooking" written by the Culinary Institute of America.. What a beautiful book.....it has loads of useful information in it.
I haven't been on Serious Eats in a while, but certainly want to share my appreciation of this great cookbook. It is hardcover and has everything from recipes to how long to soak your dry beans before cooking them.
Truly a great resource! Intriguing recipes that are healthy. Thanks Serious Eats! I am thrilled to have it!~

From Talk

extracts vs. alcohol in baking

Can I use real alcohol in place of extacts in baking? Does the alcohol flavor "bake out" in comparison to baking extracts? I was specifically thinking about replacing rum extract with real rum in a recipe.

From Talk

whole wheat flour vs. whole wheat pastry flour

Is there a difference between whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour? If so, when do you use whole wheat patry flour and how does it affect the baked good you are making?

From Talk

nut brittles with maple syrup or other maple recipes

Does anyone know of any nut brittle recipes made with Maple syrup? I am a big maple fan and would love to know of ANY recipes with maple that are special.
Thank you!

From Talk

Cinnamon roll experts?

I am looking for the best of the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe. I am not only interested in delicious, but beautiful. Thanks!

The Ten Most Recent Comments By jesskel

From Recipes

Dinner Tonight: Lemon Linguine

Yes, yes, yes! That would be divine.

From Talk

where are the cooks in my generation?

So glad to see that others recognize that cooking has just about vanished in this generation of my friends. They work, they have kids, but they do not have dinners together at the table every night. I am 37ish and the two of us sit down almost every night and eat together. We cook together sometimes too! It is the only time we spend during the day together and I cherish the one thing that brings us together at the end of the day- food and cooking. I ask my significant other, "How can my friends not cook? What are their families doing for dinner?" I love recipes that my mom gives me that spark memories of our childhood dinners. Keep cooking for cohesion I say.

From Required Eating

Cook the Book: 'Techniques of Healthy Cooking'

Vegetable sandwiches. Whole grain bread, fat free refried beans mixed with fresh lime juice, shredded carrot, lettuce, sprouts, fat free or reduced fat cheddar cheese, cucumber, and green or red pepper.
YUM! The lime adds so much to the refried beans. Just spread it on as you would mayo.

From Talk

Cinnamon roll experts?

I have to admit.......I tried Ree's Cinnamon Rolls. Something went wrong. They did not rise correctly. The yeast was new and the temp of the yeast mixture wasn't too hot. I wonder if my kitchen was too cold. I was so excited to be making them and I am not over the failure yet. I still ate them and yes, divine came to mind. I will be giving them another try hopefully before the holidays. I am challenged now.....I'm on a mission!
I had the dough covered the whole time it rose. Not sure what happened, but upward and onward! I WILL try again.
Thanks for all of your comments and helpful hints.

From Required Eating

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: A Year of Chocolate

I prefer dark chocolate, however, I would not refuse quality milk chocolate.
Dark chocolate seems to satisfy me and doesn't have all the sweetness of milk chocolate.

From Talk

extracts vs. alcohol in baking

Jerzee tomato,
Do you adjust ingredients to accomodate the extra "liquid" in the recipe?

I haven't experimented with using alcohol as flavorings in baked goods before and I am wondering if the texture changes with the increased amount of liquid (alcohol)?

I would love any other suggestions for using liquors. About how much per recipe do you add....a splash....a teaspoon?

From Talk

Do you do fruitcake?

Dominic, if you use brandy or rum in the fruit "soak", should you be constistent with what you use for brushing on afterwards?
Can you use one for the fruit and the other for the brush on?

From Talk

whole wheat flour vs. whole wheat pastry flour

Thank you, Cheyanne. What brand is good to use of both Pastry flour and ww pastry flour?

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Does anyone have a good recipe for fruitcake that isn't awful?
Maybe we could all try "the good ones" and compare our thoughts.

From Talk

Cinnamon roll experts?

Great, JerzeeTomato! Thanks. I did go buy bread flour last night (preparing for next weeks cinnamon roll adventure).

I will probably try Ree's recipe with the all-purpose, though, just because that's how it's written. What a riot her site is......I laughed at the blog she wrote about the rolls. The things she wrote most likely to happen if you make the cinnamon rolls.... that just cracked me up!

The brown sugar was a choice last night also...I bought light brown.
Thanks for the input.

Responses to Comments by jesskel

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Costco's has a remarkably tasty fruitcake available during the holidays. It is filled with pecans and cherries and other non-dayglo fruits. It reminds me of the kinds of fruitcakes I see for sale at Saks during the holidays for $50 but at Costco it is only $12.

Bouchon also has a delightful fruitcake like loaf. I think it is also seasonal. No problem with bad fruit overcoming the cake there, of course.

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Regarding the cakes at the Collin St. Bakery, they make one that only has apricots and pecans. I guess it still qualifies as a fruitcake. Check it out.
http://www.collinstreet.com/pages/apricot_pecan_cake

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I don't like fruitcake, even when it's homemade by a talented cook (like my mother; she made it as part of her Christmas baking binge for several years).

I know I'm not alone. I once heard the Chieftains sing something called "Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake." You can google the lyrics easily.

It wasn't until I was grown that I figured out why I hated it so: it's mostly the day-glo fruit - which is composed principally of bitter, leathery CITRON. That, plus the fact that there is far too little cake. Oh, and the raw taste of whiskey or brandy, not calculated to appeal to a child's tastebuds.

And yet I love pannettone, which is a nice challah-type bread spangled with the same day-glo fruit. But not nearly so much, and no whiskey.

If the Corsicana Fruitcake is anything like the "quintessential fruitcake of the South" that brooke29 links to - no wonder it's a thriving business. No citron!!

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

There are all sorts of things called fruitcakes, and it's a little like saying you don't like cheese because you tasted one kind of cheese and didn't like it. As a former deeply picky eater, I can sympathize. I don't like the red and green candied cherries, I don't like the soggy nuts, and I don't like the fake rum flavorings. However, I make a dark, spicy cake that utilizes raisins, currants, dried apricots, mangoes (if I can find them) and pineapple, that goes by the name of fruitcake but tastes very different than the stuff one thinks of under that name.

There are also some Irish fruitcakes that are blonde, so to speak, and they're also marvelous. Don't condemn all fruitcakes.

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I always thought fruitcake was some sort of holiday gag gift. I would never think of actually eating one!

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I was a fruitcake hater until the day I was given one of these-

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1919,154167-236194,00.html

This is the quintessential fruitcake of the south, and is similar to the one popularized by The Colin Street Bakery in Texas. It ain't cheap to make, but if one does not skimp on quality ingredients, it is an fruitcake epiphany!

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I don't eat cooked fruit, with a notable exception of Apfel Strudel (somehow, it grew on me ever since I tried it in Salzburg), so to me even the idea of a fruitcake does not sound appealing at all. However, when I saw Alton make one, I wanted to make it too. Not to eat it, mind you, but to make it...for somebody who does like a fruitcake.

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Make it yourself. Use real, (unsweetened) dried fruit, toasted nuts, citrus zest, and freshly ground spices. Use a light touch with the sugar. Do not frost or glaze with anything. Marinate with brandy. I follow Alton Brown's recipe, with a few small alterations/additions depending on how I feel, but try to avoid anything that would significantly alter the texture.

The result is dense, moist, and intensely flavored. Cut into small slices to serve; a little goes a long way.

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I thought there was only one that makes it way around the world?

I had a recipe from the depression era (poor boy cake?) that was boiled and had no eggs. Tasted exactly like every fruitcake I've ever tasted. I tried substituting chopped gumdrops for the fruit, but that couldn't help the taste and texture.

I'll always taste, just in case, but haven't met one I could enjoy yet.

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

My mom used to make fruit cake that was pretty ok but I changed up the recipe years ago and to be honest I love the stuff and everyone thats ever tried it does too. Very simple spice cake, with fresh fruit and nuts rather than preserved, I tried the dried fruit and even that was too sweet for me. So I guess mine isnt a "real" fruitcake but it is festive and more important to my mind ppl like it.