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Link and Quick Q (cooking)

December 15th, 2007 (08:49 pm)
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For any insane knitters. *laughs* It seemed cute, so I couldn't resist. (On the other hand, I am not quite insane enough to try knitting them though. :P )

Otherwise, does anyone have any tips for candying nuts? I made an orange praline creme brulee yesterday (eaten today) and it calls for pecan halves to be soaked in Grand Marnier, coated in sugar, then candied using the torch. I tried that out but it was a royal pain as I don't have fine control over the flame. After leaving the nuts out to cool and coming back to discover that half were missing (that's okay, all of them were gone today...), I decided to make a basic caramel and candy them that way. They weren't bad although the nuts didn't soak long enough in the GM, but it made a royal mess (sugar filaments everywhere...). So... does anyone have any suggestions? Also, does anyone know what happens if you overcook a creme brulee? The orange praline brulee tasted fine but texture-wise was quite "heavy". I'm not sure if it cooked too long or if I should use something like half and half or homo milk. I have no idea. >.<;

Comments

Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 04:19 am (UTC)

O.O Those are so cute! *squeals*

My mom's been making ornaments with her embroidery machine. XD They've turned out quite nicely! Too bad I can't snitch any!

Umm, can't help with the candying, I'm afraid. ~_~ What about baking them in the oven with the sugar instead of using the torch?

oo! BTW-- Request something!

Edited at 2007-12-16 04:21 am (UTC)

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 04:42 am (UTC)

Aren't they though? *laughs*

I think what worries me about the oven (and worried me with the torch too) is that the pecans have been soaked in alcohol. ^^; The oven would be the next step if I can't figure out how to get it to be a bit neater. ^^;

Requested. :P

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 04:47 am (UTC)

...is that the pecans have been soaked in alcohol

True, but which is the lesser of the evils? I'd be afraid of the torch, but I'm a wimp when it comes to those.

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:03 am (UTC)

Hmm, true. I will admit the torch does freak me out a bit, but so far so good. ^^;

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:08 am (UTC)

You're a brave soul; I admire you. ^_^ I would be very very afraid to even go near a kitchen torch

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:54 am (UTC)

*laughs* It's not quite that bad seeing how the flame is smaller than what a Bunsen burner puts out in chem class, but it's always good to have a healthy respect for blue flames. ^^;

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 08:02 am (UTC)

Agreed. ^_^

BTW-- in the process of reading your NaNo work. XD I'm liking it so far. If you're worried about coherency, stop.

Edited at 2007-12-16 08:03 am (UTC)

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 08:12 am (UTC)

^^;; I'll wait on the worry aspect until you finish reading the whole thing. ^^; Of course, one of the things I really want to know is your reaction to the Epilogue! *snickers*

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 08:25 am (UTC)

...Should I be scared? =P

If it traumatizes me, I'll sic Charlie on you.

Plot bunny threats aside (I mean it by the way), the only problems I see are mistakes made in haste-- and most of those are grammar oriented. The plot is quite solid; and it's a creepy concept. I find myself wondering just what is it about the house or land that's causing such violent (to put it mildly) tendencies. Especially after the precautions taken.

Edited at 2007-12-16 08:28 am (UTC)

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:56 pm (UTC)

...Should I be scared? =P

Hmm... I think the best way to put it is "very yet not at all Naru x Mai". ^^;; If I managed to pull it off right, it shouldn't be too out of character either. :P

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Posted by: ஐ*~...♥*M35M3R15Z*♥...~*ஐ (mesmerisz)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:10 am (UTC)

That is an adorable X'mas tree ♥ Now I wish I can replicate it...but I totally can't knit *incompetent* LOL ♥

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:55 am (UTC)

*laughs* But knitting's so much fun! And if you're not careful, you can get completely and hopelessly tied up in the yarn too. :P

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Posted by: monkey monkey (sakuratea)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:29 am (UTC)

overcooked creme brulee = gross sweet scrambled eggs. Overcooked custards curdle. That's why the bain marie. You can do a simple syrup and dry them out in a 200-250 degree (Farenheit) oven. The nice thing about doing a basic caramel or just basic candy though, is that you can cook the candy then add the Grand Marnier and you might get a better flavor that way. You want to use cream for a creme brulee, otherwise your veering into panna cotta or flan territory :)

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:52 am (UTC)

Oh, okay. Thanks for the info and the tip! That might work more neatly than the coating has been. ^_^

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Posted by: sharibet (sharibet)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 06:08 am (UTC)
easy candied pecans

Here's an almost foolproof way to candy pecans that doesn't require a candy thermometer:

Set aside a generous double-handful (approx 1.5 - 2 cups) of shelled, halved pecans within easy reach of the stove.

Prepare a cookie sheet or put parchment paper on a smooth, heatproof countertop.

In a non-stick skillet, melt 2-3 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) and stir until the brown sugar has been thoroughly soaked with melted butter.

Turn heat up to medium-high and continue stirring as sugar melts. When mixture turns bubbly/foamy, cook for 1 minute longer.

Dump in pecans, and stir vigorously to coat with sugar syrup. Transfer pecans to cookie sheet or parchment paper, and let cool.

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:53 am (UTC)
Re: easy candied pecans

Thanks! ^_^

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Posted by: Too cute for evil (ginny_t)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 02:52 pm (UTC)
 too fond of sweaters by epi_lj

Oh my GOD!!! How could you do this to me, woman?!

I'm telling myself that I don't even have a tree, so why would I make these sweaters, but it's not working! *wails*

And on top of sweater pr0n, food pr0n?! Meanie!

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 05:52 pm (UTC)

*blink* LOL!! I forgot about how you are when it comes to sweaters! ^^;; If you do make (any of) them, make sure you post photos. They look like they'd be really cute! ^o^

(Why no, I'm not the least bit sorry for posting. :P ) *pours tea for Ginny!*

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 06:55 pm (UTC)
Question

...This is going to sound like a really dumb question. ~_~

There's a kanji character or characters that represents the word Shikigami in Japanese, right? Is there a break down/ meaning to that/those character(s)?

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Posted by: wombat1138 (wombat1138)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:47 pm (UTC)
Depends on the context...

Someone seems to've previously asked Answers.com, which provided two slightly different pairs of kanji which mean either "spirit servant" or "paper servant"; their entry seems to be a somewhat longer, older version of Wikipedia's current article on the subject.

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Posted by: Kakurenbo (akinarei)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 07:52 pm (UTC)
Re: Depends on the context...

Hmm... I don't think Lin's shiki are of the paper variety since they're bound to him.

Thanks! You helped a bunch!

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 09:22 pm (UTC)
Re: Question

About the only thing I have to add would be that the characters making up the word for shikigami 式神 would be that the word "shiki" typically means "ceremony" but can also mean 'way of being' or 'formula' (mathematic, chemical, or procedural). It's derived from the concept of appropriate use of tools to do/make something. Kami is explained in the link wombat1138 gave. ^_^

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Posted by: wombat1138 (wombat1138)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 08:42 pm (UTC)
Even more insaner knitting

She still used macroscopic materials, though. Not like these things.

Also, not quite what you were looking for, but there're some plausible-looking recipes for savory curried nuts here.

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Posted by: Shadow (kagedreams)
Posted at: December 16th, 2007 09:24 pm (UTC)
Re: Even more insaner knitting

Oh, good lord! 1" socks?!? >.> I am so NOT going to make them. *nods* You are *not* going to do anything that silly. I repeat... >.<

Cheers! ^_^

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Posted by: Gale (coastal_spirit)
Posted at: December 17th, 2007 05:16 am (UTC)
 dreamer castle in clouds

*squees madly* Those are so cute! I knit a Barbie sweater once when I was about ten, but it was nothing like those!

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