[Italiancook]

When I took the quiz, I was certain there were 2 correct answers, so I missed it. I Googled to find that elderberries are poisonous if eaten in large enough quantity. I guess I never ate enough of them, but I did eat elderberries off the bush when I was a kid. They're quite bitter and I only had 1 or 2 a season. But if they're poisonous, why do online vendors sell Elderberry Jelly?

[Italiancook]

According to Wikipedia, focaccia is authenically Italian. Now, I wonder why it's not in any of my cookbooks.

BakerAunt, I like the idea of dimpling the dough sooner. As I recall from the show, that's what Anne Burrell did. She dug her fingers into the dough as she stretched it into the pan, thereby dimpling it.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, BakerAunt, for noticing the blog post for the focaccia recipe. I just read it and some of the reviews. Some reviewers put add-ins into the dough (not the ones suggested in the recipe). Have you ever tried this? Next time, I'll plan to make this for use with Italian deli meat & add some grated garlic.

[Italiancook]

I knew the answer to this and managed to click on the wrong one.

[Italiancook]

Mike, when I tried focaccia from a Frugal Gourmet recipe, the dough was properly made and the finished product was thin. We had never before eaten focaccia, so we didn't know what it looks like. Still haven't had focaccia someone else prepared. I've seen Bobby Flay & Anne Burrell make it on Food Network, and their finished product looks somewhat thin.

The picture in the KAF recipe (link below) makes it look thick, and that has been BakeAunt's experience with it. She's able to slice it in the middle for sandwiches. So I don't know whose focaccia is more authentic -- Flays, Frugal Gourmet, and Burrell, or KAF. I also don't know if focaccia is even authentic Italian or U.S.-borne Italian-America. I have 3 excellent Italian cookbooks written by Italians in English, and none of them mention focaccia.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/blitz-bread-no-fuss-focaccia-recipe

[Italiancook]

Ah ha! That's where I'm going wrong. The reason I poked all the way to the bottom is that I watched Anne Burrel (Food Network) make focaccia. It sure look like she was making a zillion pokes, going all the way to the bottom. I've never tried her recipe, because it requires a jelly pan, which I don't have and don't want to buy. Next time I make this bread, I'll use your method of just making "a slight indentation." I think that's the key to solving my dilemma. I cut the bread, and it tastes delicious. Thanks for your help, BakerAunt, in bearing with me through these two trys.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

OK, I ventured into focaccia-land again today. KAF blitz no-fuss focaccia, for the second time. Sceptic7, I found the Norpro pastry rollers extremely helpful in making the dough reach all the edges. I didn't try flattening the dough, leaving it for 15 minutes, then flattening it again to rise. I decided to stick with KAF's directions, since it was only my second time. Thanks for telling me about the Norpro rollers!

BakerAunt, I found your comment about what speed to use on the stand mixer helpful. I could see the difference in the dough using speed 5 over whatever I used the first time. I also didn't put in a zillion dimples this time.

Yet, I still didn't end up with focaccia I could slice in the middle for sandwiches. It's 1" high all the way around. So I have a question about HOW you dimple the dough, if you remember. When you put your finger in the dough, do you touch the bottom of the pan, or just dimple it slightly?

I touched the bottom of the pan, and with each finger poke, the dough deflated more. It came up some in the baking, but it didn't reach the height of the dough before I poked it. If I had never poked it, I think it would have baked high enough to slice in the middle for sandwiches. But the dimples are focaccia's signature.

It's cooling now. Will slice it for the freezer soon, keeping some out for dinner asparagus soup.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I can almost taste your delicious pie, BakerAunt. I've never had a blueberry pie where some of the berries were still whole.

[Italiancook]

Mike, I just posted the chocolate mayo cake recipe in the recipe section.

[Italiancook]

I've made pesto, so I knew this. Ina Garten's (Food Network) pesto recipe is the best. I can't recall if she says it on the recipe, but on her show, she has said to freeze pesto, cover the top with olive oil. Never frozen it, though, so don't know how much oil to use.

[Italiancook]

Good to know about the KAF fudge cake recipe, BakerAunt. I have a chocolate mayonnaise recipe that we like. At least I hope I still have it -- haven't made it for a while. I'll keep the KAF recipe in the back of my mind.

[Italiancook]

Thanks, BakerAunt, for your detailed help. The 1% Lactaid milk I use has 1.5 g saturated fat per cup. It has 12 g sugar, which seems high to me. I'll have to compare milk labels at the grocery.

I used a calculator to do the arithmetic, but there's no guarantee I'm right. I had a professor who berated all the business students in his class because we need calculators. For what it's worth:

Mayo is more heart-friendly than butter in this recipe, IF 3/4 cup mayo would be equal to 3/4 cup butter. If that's the case, 18 grams saturated fat in the mayo, while 3/4 cup butter would have 84 grams saturated fat.

We don't have heart problems. I asked this question in case I ever want to make drop biscuits for someone with a heart ailment. Online, I found a recipe for olive oil drop biscuits -- 2 actually, and I'll try them both. What amuses me about my interest in drop biscuits is I don't even like biscuits. I eat them with soup if nothing else is available.

I guess I should say that the mayo I use that has 1.5 g saturated fat is full-fat Hellman's mayonnaise. Label says sugar is negligible (not their wording).

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

Yesterday, my husband made an emergency home repair that involved driving store-to-store looking for the part. So this morning I made him (for the first time) Butterless Drop Biscuits from Stephiecancook-cookpad.
https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/908535-butterless-drop-biscuits

My husband said they're "very good," and had 3 with his breakfast. I have a question about the butterless part:

Recipe uses 3/4 cups mayonnaise instead of butter. From a heart-health standpoint, do you think mayo makes them more heart-friendly than butter? Or, are they about the same, since mayo has eggs?

Afterthought: I used only 2 teaspoons of sugar and only 1/4 teaspoon salt, and they are fine.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I knew this, probably, because the carrot soup recipe I use says to sweat the onions.

[Italiancook]

Okay, BakerAunt, thanks for the reply. Apparently, I took KAF's words to poke the dough all over too literally. I did a whole lot of poke holes. I'll be less tenacious about it next time.

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