That is a photo of Meyer lemons, taken back in April right before I experimented with preserving them via lactic acid fermentation. It has nothing to do with this post.

Dave finally showed me how to check my blog stats, so I can see who is linking to me and what sort of search terms people are using when they find me. I find all this fascinating. A number of the search terms listed struck me as questions – some which are answered by my blog already, others which my blog almost answers, but doesn’t. I can solve this, thought I. I can answer a lot of these questions quickly, easily. That has got to make the world a better place, at least a little bit.

Incidentally, kitties make the world a better place, too. Even when they are grumpily drooping from the heat. See?

Anyways! I have received a few emails from readers with cooking questions. I always enjoy answering those, and I enjoy knowing that people really are out there reading and willing to reach out. But why not answer those who, for whatever reason, perhaps never even realize that they can simply ping me and ask directly?

So, here you go. My answers to some of the questions people had in mind while they were searching around online, and happened to find me.

blueberry ketchup
how to make blueberry ketchup
blueberry ketchup recipe
ketchup was originally made from blueberries
ketchup was made with blueberries
blueberry ketchup today

Ketchup was not originally made from blueberries. According to Wikipedia, ketchup probably originated in Malaysia, and more closely resembled fish sauce than the tomato-based sauce we are used to eating today. There are a lot of recipes for blueberry ketchup floating around, and you can find them very easily on your own. I have never made any, so I can’t recommend any one in particular. I have made a fantastic blueberry port chutney, though, and if that will suffice, I will post the recipe for it soon.

cherry pie too much liquid in filling
sour cherry liquor
sour cherry chocolate crust pie
sour cherry has pectin
cherry phyllo ricotta

If your cherry pie filling is too liquid, that is solveable. I sometimes actually squeeze out my cherries beforehand, and save the juice for use in something else, like soda or sorbet. Also, add plenty of corn starch. It will really soak up the liquid and help it cook into more of a gel, which is the goal state here.

Sour cherry liquor sounds very tasty. I would probably make it by infusing sour cherries in amaretto or brandy (actually, a mixture of both).

Sour cherry chocolate crust pie also sounds tasty. I will probably make it at some point.

Sour cherries actually have very little pectin. If you want to make jam with them, you have to add either commercial pectin or green apple jelly, which is an excellent natural source of pectin.

And as for the last, it sounds like you want to make strudel. Yum!

watermelon freezer jam

I’m not into freezer jam. Why don’t you try making Gale Gand’s watermelon granita served with dried currants in lime skins instead? They’re awfully cute, and look like tiny watermelons.

rugelach origin
rugelach/origin

This issue is seriously disputed. Depending on who you ask, they may be Hungarian, or Polish, or Austrian, or from somewhere completely different. It is generally accepted that are a Jewish pastry, though. And wherever they are from, they are damned tasty. I really love making these cocoa nib and currant rugelach.

where can i get some mother of vinegar

All you have to do is ask. I have plenty of it in my pantry, from when I was in serious homebrew vinegar production mode. I would be happy to share.

trick sticky cake from bundt pan

Okay, here is the trick. First, you have to prepare your pan before filling it – butter it, then sprinkle flour over the butter, then shake out the excess flour (I usually do this by banging it against the faucet over the sink). Then, once it comes out of the oven, you really do have to wait for it to cool at least 10-15 minutes before trying to get it out. The cake will shrink away from the pan as it cools. Once you have completed those steps, put the bundt pan upside down over a plate and give it a few firm whacks in the bottom with a wooden spoon. Lift the pan gently, and the cake should slip right out. Your family should conveniently arrive in the kitchen at precisely this moment, having been alerted by the sound of the whacking.

thumbprint cookies collapsed

What? How? I have never heard of such a thing happening.

room4dessert

Honestly, while I am glad I went there once, I would not bother going again. It is fun and the food is good, but the menu is actually fairly limited and I’m more satisfied with the desserts I make at home.

cocoa nib crusted fish

What a fantastic idea! I have a few pounds of cocoa nibs in my pantry. I’ll definitely try to work out a good recipe for this, and will post about it when I do.

garlic scape chutney

Another great idea! I’ll see what I can do to put together a recipe, assuming there are still any scapes at the farmer’s markets this year. This may have to wait until next spring. In the meantime, you may want to check out Kate‘s recipe for garlic scape pesto.

homemade gunpowder

I will not encourage you do something dangerous and probably illegal. Sorry.

almond milk curd recipe

I have never even heard of this. I did find a recipe for almond curd while looking around, though. I hope that helps.

alice medrich salt

I’m not sure what Alice Medrich herself has to say about salt, but she is known for her mastery of chocolate, so perhaps you were looking for something along the lines of this chocolate salt created by Alex and Aki over at Ideas in Food.

etymology how the cookie crumbles

I did some research to try to answer this one for you. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the phrase “that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” meaning “that’s the way things happen,” dates back to 1957. I could not find out anything more detailed than that in my brief search, though. If anyone reading this knows the answer, please post it in the comments.

Posted by Danielle in Misc. on July 21st, 2006 | 4 Comments » | Permalink