Rules

I tried posting in breadit and other places, but no one seems to have a solution for me. I don't know if it's my environment, but it cannot be my process.

Using the same recipe, and the same exact methods, I have made one working sourdough culture. But every other culture I've tried to make, since the original was neglected, has come out dank and nasty. Always in the same way, right after it begins to bubble on the fourth or fifth day, it takes on this acetone smell. No matter whether I change the temperature, the flour used, or the ratios of water and flour, it doesn't improve. I've gone through 4 batches now.

Has anyone here experience this and managed to fix it?

I bought them because I was not paying attention and thought that they were a different cut. Whoops. What can I do with them?

Does anyone know any diet or zero calorie caffeinated drinks that aren't made by Coke or Pepsi? Preferably something that comes in cans? I need my afternoon caffeine fix, but I feel increasingly guilty about supporting these corporations.

I have joked on Twitter that Cherry Coke Zero is so good you will forget the human rights atrocities. But that's actually a terrible thing to say.

This week I tried Zevia and it's kind of meh. It tastes like cardboard water. Any other suggestions? I live in NYC, I got the Zevia at Fairway but I can hit up a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods if I need to. I will also look at my local beer distributor because they have a whole soda section in the back I have never explored...

Normally I'm buying in bulk for 10 people at Sam's club and want to try something new.

So, SRS, what special ingredients do you like to pick up from Whole Foods?

I just finished licking the plate. Literally. I threw it in the oven with salt, pepper, paprika and butter, and oh, gods... how have I lived without this food in my life? The smell lingers and I'm actually salivating for more. I'm going to have to re-work the budget to make this a regular thing, now.

Making custard fruit tarts is one of my favorite culinary/artistic endeavors. With a bit of practice I can also honestly say I've become quite good at it. I follow this from JoyOfBaking.com very closely, though I've substituted soy or almond milk for regular milk and Earth Balance vegan butter to make a non-dairy tart with excellent results.

Here is one of my earliest tarts. The crust is a bit burnt around the edges and I had used a pie pan rather than the recommended fluted tart pan (these are a bit deeper and have a removable bottom).

Here are two more I made for my uncle's birthday party 2 years ago. They turned out delicious, but the crusts had sustained a bit of damage when they were removed. I made the mistake of trying to roll the shortbread dough with a rolling pin rather than pressing it into the tart pan, which is much easier and yields better results.

After a lot of practice, I made this and this last summer when there were lots of berries and champagne mangoes on sale. Very time consuming, but very worth it :-)

The glorious picture!

Recipe:

1 pound fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

2 cups sugar, plus extra for dusting the candy

2 cups water

Combine the water and the prepared ginger in a heavy-bottomed sauced pan, cover, and bring to simmer. Allow the ginger to simmer until starting to get tender, about 20 minutes. Slowly stir in the sugar, and continue to simmer, lid off, for another 20 minutes. Working with a few pieces at a time, remove the ginger slices from the syrup. Allow the slices to cool a bit, then roll in the sugar to coat. Place the sugar-coated ginger slices on a wire rack to cool. Continue to simmer the liquid until it's reduced to the desired consistency/concentration.

My dad is currently very ill, and has been having trouble with both nausea and the medication for said nausea. A little research lead me to believe that ginger would be the answer, so I concocted the syrup. The candy was an afterthought, but it's been a big hit, and seems to fight the nausea really well. We stir the syrup into mineral water for an almost ginger ale type drink, but I think it'd be great over ice cream, in tea, or in cocktails.