Best EVER granola....

To be honest, in spite of being born in California, I'm not much on store-bought granolas.   I use granola more as an ingredient than a meal.... a topping for yogurt, fruit cobbler, or a substitute for oatmeal in cookies.

That being said, I recently gave 18 Rabbits Pecan, Almond and Maple Gracious Granola a try for breakfast and what a treat!   Lots of nuts, pumpkin seeds and UNsweetened coconut and NO refined sugars.   Only a touch of maple syrup sweetens the mix giving it 5 gm sugar per serving.   [Most commercial granola have more than 4x that much.]   The crunchy taste is absolutely delightful.  

The web site says its available at Whole Foods stores in Houston and I plan to hop right over there and stock up.   I suggest you also give it a try.   :)

Kitchen Lighting -- One Cook's Experience with Bulb Quality

All cooks, especially those of us with aging eyes know how important good kitchen lighting is to the cook's efforts.     I love my kitchen, but unfortunately the lighting is provided by 'can lights' which pose a constant challenge to balancing good, strong lighting with economical and electricity conserving bulbs.

Today, I wrote to SATCO Products, seeking a customer satisfaction response regarding 2 extremely short-lived SATCO halogen R40 bulbs I purchased from Berings last year.    I alerted them to the unsatisfactory life span of the bulbs and asked for replacement, to test whether the ones I bought had quality anomalies, or whether I should add SATCO to my new Products to Avoid listing.

I'll let you know what response I get....

Jakob's Brod, Stavanger

A cheery and comfortable place with yummy baked goods and delicious coffee in Stavanger, Norway frequented by friend, Gaye Rosland.

Chocolate Tempering

Today's Chronicle includes a great article by Greg Morago which includes a great list of  how to's on chocolate tempering  [Houston Chronicle, Wednesday, December 5, 2012, page F4].

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/food/article/Chocolate-s-season-to-shine-4090978.php

... Food Network Magazine shared with us its recipe for tempering chocolate - a process that allows for a shiny coating that will set at room temperature. It varies slightly from tempering instructions that can be found online by the use of a small amount of shortening, which helps keep chocolate shiny and smooth after it cools.

Tempering is the process of melting and cooling chocolate so it will be smooth and glossy when it sets. Chocolate that isn't tempered is often gray, streaky and soft. Tempering is key for making chocolate-dipped goodies and other candies. An instant-read thermometer is the only equipment you need.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and mist with cooking spray. Dip food in the tempered chocolate using your fingers, slotted spoon or skewer; let excess drip off.

 Tempering on the stove

Finely chop 1 pound dark, milk or white chocolate. Combine three-quarters of the chocolate and 2 teaspoons shortening in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Do not let the water touch the bowl.) Melt the chocolate and bring it to 100 degrees, stirring, then place the bowl in a larger bowl of cold water; stir in remaining chocolate until melted, (the temperature should drop to about 82 degrees).

Place the bowl back over the simmering water. Bring dark chocolate to 90 degrees and milk or white chocolate to 88 degrees. Rewarm to 90 or 88 if the chocolate cools and becomes too thick for dipping or pouring.

Tempering in the microwave

Finely chop 1 pound dark, milk or white chocolate. Combine three-quarters of the chocolate and 2 teaspoons shortening in a microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 20-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and the temperature is 100 degrees.

Remove the bowl and place it in a large bowl of cold water; stir in the remaining chocolate until melted (the temperature should drop to about 82 degrees).

Remove the bowl from the water and microwave in 10-second intervals until dark chocolate is 90 degrees and milk or white chocolate is 88 degrees.

Rewarm to 90 degrees if the chocolate cools and becomes too thick for dipping or pouring.

 Tempering tips:

1-Keep your chocolate and tools dry: If water or steam gets into the bowl while you're melting, the chocolate will seize up into a stiff, grainy paste.

2-Finely chop your chocolate: This helps it melt quickly and evenly. If you're chopping a big, thick block, use a large serrated knife.

3-Avoid chocolate chips: They're made with less cocoa butter than bar chocolate, so they don't melt as easily. Good-quality bar chocolate is your best bet.

4-Test your temper: Spread a small amount of melted chocolate on a plate; the chocolate should harden in a few minutes and remain shiny. If it doesn't, repeat the tempering process.

5-Reuse your chocolate: Let your leftover tempered chocolate harden, then cover and store it at room temperature. You can retemper it up to two more times.
 greg.morago@chron.com

Looking for FRESH Kaffir Lime Leaves in Houston Texas....

I use fresh kaffir lime leaves to make a new batch of Kroeung [Khmer Spice Paste]....and often have a terrible time finding them in Houston.   Neither of my two favorite Asian markets, Hong Kong and Mama's on the west side of town, seem to have them.   Central Market on Westheimer seems always to be out.  Whole Foods no longer carries them and Phoenicia Specialty Foods [Downtown & on Westheimer] -- who by the way were absolutely the most helpful in assisting me in my quest -- reported that their supplier only has them sporatically.

With such a large southeast asian population in Houston, one would expect easy access to such basics.  

The most viable solution seems to be to plant my own kaffir lime tree in the garden as a hedge on future shortages.     Buchanan's Native Plants on 11th street in the Heights reports having Kaffir Lime Trees in stock  [5 gal./ $40] and so does J.R.N's Nursery II on Alief Clodine Road [1 gal/$18]..  

I'm planning to check out JRN's offering tomorrow am and hope to have a young tree freshly potted on my deck by the afternoon.

UPDATE:  J.R.N.'s Nursery II has 4 or 5 sizes of Kaffir Lime Trees for sale.   The full size trees even have limes on them.   I purchased the smallest size -- 1 gallon -- which should be a perfect supply of enough kaffir lime leaves to continue cooking adventures in SE Asia cuisine.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pecan Pie