Wayyyyy OT: European measurements

[D Yuniskis]

Hi James,

I make 'em with whole wheat flour, raisins, scant to no fat, and a
quarter or less of the usual sugar. Treats you can eat like actual
food, because they are, with vitamins, complete protein and
everything.

I don't like the "twice baked biscotti". Too hard (I don't
drink coffee). But, I do enjoy the sticky mess (residue) from
the evaporated amaretto that clings to the baking paper! :>

They're dang good too, but it's summer--too hot to bake!, at least
until I adjust.

Yeah, tell me about it! 108 this weekend :-/

Two more batches tonight "for the road" (but it's cool at night)

Then, coffee cakes for neighbors that I owe favors.

After that, nothing until Father's Day... (wow! a whole
*week* with nothing to bake :-/ )

 

[JosephKK]

I assume that's primarily the weight of the *sugar*. (1.5t?)

The question is then, how much vanilla to add to 7.5G of sugar
to get the same "flavor" :<


I suspect I could probably find it. But, I'd want to
come up with a more "portable" recipe, anyway, so that
would just give me something to compare (empirically)
against (way too much effort there! :> )

I'll try to make some estimates based on the proportions
that *I* tend to use (e.g., this much flour, egg, butter,
sugar suggest *that* much vanilla...) and tweek it until
it seems right.

Thanks!

If i did that i likely end up with several times the recipe amount as i
rather like the flavor of vanilla.

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

If i did that i likely end up with several times the recipe amount as i
rather like the flavor of vanilla.

I've found that making flavors more subtle results in a
more enjoyable treat. Requires you think more about what
you are eating -- instead of just wolfing it down :>

This can be difficult with some flavorings (e.g., liqueurs)
but very rewarding when you get it right!

(some herbs are similarly challenging to use with a "light touch")

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Michael,


Ouch! :<

I have to start rehashing some of my Rx's to try to replace the
sugar with something artificial (or "natural" alternatives).
Too many friends have "sugar problems" which makes baking
more problematic. (I ave Rx's that avoid fats but avoiding
*sugar* is tough! :> )

I've managed to figure out how to make ice cream with Splenda
(though I suspect that may be worse than sugar! :> ) but
it is a lot of work trying to keep the texture right. Doing
something like that with baked goods will probably be more
challenging -- since you have to figure out how to do it
*differently* for each Rx (whereas once you can make *one*
type of ice cream, you can pretty much make them all!).

I'll try to fix my gelato Rx next as it should be similar
to the ice cream approach.


(sigh) *If* I can sort this out, I'll make a trip home and
spend a few days baking. Easier than shipping the stuff
cross country (especially this time of year as humidty
levels rise).

As a kid, we would buy ~100 pounds at a time (fill the
trunk of a *real* "full size car") and dole them out
to family (10+ pounds each). Always seemed like they
were gone before you had your fill, though :<

I don't suppose i could snag a copy of that recipe from you, or could i?

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

I don't suppose i could snag a copy of that recipe from you, or could i?

<grin> Sorry, I'll give away circuit designs, source code
listings, etc. -- but recipes are far more difficult to
create so I don't part with them. :-/ (way too much
time and effort involved)

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Jim,

I think the stuff in Diet Pesi has been linked to prostate
problems? (I can't keep track of the different sweeteners
that these people use) I quit bothering.

I think all of the artificial sweeteners have "undocumented
problems". :< I've been experimenting with Stevia lately
but it has a taste of its own that is hard to mask -- so
it's a bad choice for things like ice cream.

My experience as well. Though my peach preserves with Splenda and
matching pectin worked pretty well. Peaches from my backyard tree.

All of them seem to have problems as sugar *replacements*.
They don't have the same bulk (?) that sugar has so the
textures always end up "wrong"...

Heartily agreed. My heart arteries are not clogging up but other things
are starting to catch up with me. Crowding 60 now.

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Jim,



Largely so -- though flavorings tend to see lots of bias.
E.g., there is *a* shop here that makes this particular
type of biscotti. But, they are very heavy on the
vanilla flavor -- makingthem completely inedible
(IMO -- which, of course, is the only one that matters to *me*!).

Mmm. And i might love them, address of the shop? Do they ship?

It's been 30+ years since I've had any so I will be able to
tailor the flavor to what *I* think is most appropriate
(I suspect that if I were to buy some from the original
bakery "back East" I would find them less than ideal -- so
my efforts are still worthwhile).

Just the wrong time of year to be experimenting in the kitchen.
<frown> (Murphy, however, seems to always conspire to make
things so :-/ )

And it does not help that both you and your spouse are co-conspirators.

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

Mmm. And i might love them, address of the shop? Do they ship?

I have no idea as to address of the "local" shop. But,
the *original* (that I grew up with) is at:

http://www.fisichellis.com/

They *do* deliver (though you might find it more economical
to have some prime cut *steaks* shipped to you! :> )

The large "biscuits" on the top tray (held by the man/woman
in the photo) *furthest* from them are the items I seek.
(assuming they still make them the same way)

Should you chose to order anything from them, I doubt you
can go wrong with *anything* they make! (though I'd surely
not ship canolli any distance -- for obvious reasons)

And it does not help that both you and your spouse are co-conspirators.

No, vastly different tastes. :>

(and, I am much more disciplined about these things ;-)

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Joseph,


I've found that making flavors more subtle results in a
more enjoyable treat. Requires you think more about what
you are eating -- instead of just wolfing it down :>

This can be difficult with some flavorings (e.g., liqueurs)
but very rewarding when you get it right!

(some herbs are similarly challenging to use with a "light touch")

Subtlety has is place, sometimes the challenge is balancing strong
flavors uniquely. Maybe i could send you some of my chili-garlic sauce.
Probably have to freeze it to ship it, then again it should take it
reasonably well. It is pretty hot though. Say 20k to 50k Scoville.

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Joseph,


<grin> Sorry, I'll give away circuit designs, source code
listings, etc. -- but recipes are far more difficult to
create so I don't part with them. :-/ (way too much
time and effort involved)

I have some things i make that come out mighty well, perhaps some kind of
swap?

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Joseph,


I have no idea as to address of the "local" shop. But,
the *original* (that I grew up with) is at:

http://www.fisichellis.com/

They *do* deliver (though you might find it more economical
to have some prime cut *steaks* shipped to you! :> )

The large "biscuits" on the top tray (held by the man/woman
in the photo) *furthest* from them are the items I seek.
(assuming they still make them the same way)

Should you chose to order anything from them, I doubt you
can go wrong with *anything* they make! (though I'd surely
not ship canolli any distance -- for obvious reasons)

Yikes. Coast to coast shipping. May try it anyway.

No, vastly different tastes. :>

(and, I am much more disciplined about these things ;-)

I am not talking about you conspiring with each other but about you each
conspiring with Murphy.

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

Subtlety has is place, sometimes the challenge is balancing strong
flavors uniquely. Maybe i could send you some of my chili-garlic sauce.
Probably have to freeze it to ship it, then again it should take it
reasonably well. It is pretty hot though. Say 20k to 50k Scoville.

Yikes! No, I don't do "hot". Never really seemed like a
"flavor" ;-)

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

Yikes. Coast to coast shipping. May try it anyway.

Yeah, things get expensive, quick! I wonder how well things
would hold up this time of year in transit. Between the heat
and humidity... :<

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Joseph,


Yikes! No, I don't do "hot". Never really seemed like a
"flavor" ;-)

It is largely an acquired taste, especially in the stated heat range and
above. Maybe some others here might like some if i get to meet them.

 

[JosephKK]

Hi Joseph,


Yeah, things get expensive, quick! I wonder how well things
would hold up this time of year in transit. Between the heat
and humidity... :<

It is reasonable to freeze meats, fish and fowl to ship them. Freezing
does not work with cheese or good pastry. I have received cheese shipped
cross country (dry ice assisted) so it may be doable, just expensive.

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

It is largely an acquired taste, especially in the stated heat range and
above. Maybe some others here might like some if i get to meet them.

Yes :> My FinL liked heat. He'd eat BIG a bowl of fresh-picked
Jalepeno (sp?) peppers sauteed in olive oil and garlic each night
before bed. Several hours later, would stagger into the kitchen,
lift the Pepto Bismo (sp?) bottle to his lips and take a couple
of swallows.

"Stomach bothering you tonight, Benny?"
"Yeah, Don. I get this problem when I lay down... (I don't know why)"
"Um, could it be that bowl of peppers you had a few hours ago???"

(D'uh!)

Unfortunately, it seems like folks who really enjoy heat tend to
lose the ability to distinguish very subtle flavorings/scents.
E.g., some of the things I make you don't "taste" until after
they are starting down your esophagus -- and, only then, do you
get a waft of *scent* creeping into your nose FROM BEHIND (which
is frustrating as the item in question is now "gone" so you are
left with the *memory* instead of the sensation)

 

[D Yuniskis]

Hi Joseph,

It is reasonable to freeze meats, fish and fowl to ship them. Freezing

I've shipped pizza's (Lou Malnati, Uno's) across country.
They don't hold up too well, though (OTOH, usually they
are better in that state than things that can be found "locally")

does not work with cheese or good pastry. I have received cheese shipped
cross country (dry ice assisted) so it may be doable, just expensive.

Yes, the grating cheese that I use (Siciliano Peppato) is hard
to find (in good quality) in most places. Next day air it
doesn't even need supplemental chilling.

The biscotti in question would probably freeze well (if made
locally and *stored* -- frozen -- locally) with the caveat that
you would have to eat them as soon as you thawed them. I
can't think of an appropriate analog to describe their texture
I.e., things like "classic biscotti" -- the twice baked
"slices" that folks think of with their coffee -- won't freeze
well as they lose their "crunch". The ones in question, OTOH,
are naturally softer. E.g., they are almost 2" thick -- can
you imagine something like that *hard* like the twice baked
biscotti?? Broken *teeth*! :-/

Most of the cookies that I bake fare quite well in the freezer
(owing to the high butter content, no doubt). Others have to
rely on "quick shipping" or air-tight packing (e.g., I ship
pizzelle in tins; twice baked biscotti wrapped in Saran Wrap
and then in Al foil).

Some things just suffer "cosmetic" (literally) damage from
freezing. And, since I'm not out to impress folks with how
"pretty" they are, it's no big deal. :>

(Macaroons, today, for Father's Day... tired of these Hallmark
Holidays!! :< )