Looks very good, Lars! I know you've mentioned that you can eat yogurt so I thought I'd post the pumpernickel recipe I use. I've been making it for years & don't remember exactly where the recipe came from but I 'think' it's from one of Beth Hensperger's books?? Yield: In my family, it's traditional to make pumpernickel in very large oval rustic loaves. It could also be baked in two pullman pans. 1-1/2 Tablespoons Yeast 1 Teaspoon Molasses 1 Cup Warm Water 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 1 Tablespoon Salt 1/2 Cup Wheat Bran 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (I use hard red WW rather than the white WW for this recipe) 1-1/2 Cups Pumpernickel Flour (Pumpernickel is to rye flours what whole wheat is to wheat flours. If you see a recipe calling for "rye" flour...that's the same as all-purpose wheat flour) 2 Cups Plain Yogurt, at room temperature 4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted & Cooled 3-1/2 to 4 Cups Unbleached AP Flour (I use bread flour) 2 Tablespoons Bran for sprinkling 1.) In a small bowl combine the yeast, molasses and warm water. Stir to dissolve & let stand until foamy, about 10-15 minutes. 2.) In a large bowl or a stand mixer...combine the cocoa, salt, bran, whole wheat flour, and pumpernickel. Add the yogurt, butter, and yeast mixture. Beat hard for 1 minute. 3.) Add the unbleached AP Flour 1/2 cup at a time to form a soft dough that just barely clears the sides of the bowl...careful not to add too much flour. 4.) Need for about 4-5 minutes in a stand mixer or about 10 minutes by hand. The dough will be quite sticky at first & smooth out as you knead. Again, careful not to add much flour as you knead. 5.) Place dough in a large greased container, turn dough to coat the top with oil, & cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled (1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours). 6.) When doubled, gently roll the dough onto a floured board & shape as desired. 7.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap & let double, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Just before baking, slash decoratively & sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of bran. 8.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 9.) I bake my pumpernickel on a stone & use steam but most recipes don't call for this step. 10.) Bake about 45-50 minutes. Let cool on rack. This bread has a slight sourdough-like tang from the yogurt. It makes fantastic ham sandwiches and, of course, reubens. It's also yum with date/orange cream cheese. /tricia

I didn't know that you could freeze lemons. Wow....I will remember that one too!!! I really enjoyed the fresh lemons that Ann ( Spacific )sent me in the last swap. They seem to last so much longer in the fridge, than the store bought ones. I guess thats because the were so fresh. Not picked months before. They had such a strong lemon favor, than those terrible store bought ones. Thanks for reposted this info Dixiedog....and Thank you too Lars !!! It's amazing the things we can learn here!!! What a great Forum !!! and what great people we have on here, sharing all the tips. Diana55

I found it. I searched on Lars and toffee instead of just toffee. I just made two successful batches with zero butter separation or pooling using the following recipe from Lars, although I added 1/2 t of baking soda to fluff up the mixture at the end 1 cup salted butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 T water 3 T light corn syrup 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 cup slivered almonds 6 oz (1/2 bag) semi sweet chocolate chips Based on all the tips and procedures IÂve read on preventing butter separation and pooling, I did the following Lightly toast 1/2 cup slivered almonds in a 350 oven for 5-8 minutes until light golden. Cool a little and then chop them up to a small dice. In a heavy pan (mine is copper), melt the butter completely over LOW heat. Slow and low. While it was melting, I used some of it to brush the sides of the pan to prevent crystallization. Once the butter is fully melted, add the sugar, water and corn syrup. SLOWLY stir almost continually over LOW-MED LOW heat until it just comes to a very light boil. This takes 10 or more minutes. During this time, the sugar is melting. Cover the pan with a lid and let it boil for 3 minutes as the steam will wash any crystals down with the butter on the sides of the pan assisting. This prevents a complete crystallization of your whole batch and is important. Uncover, bring the temperature up just a small notch to MED LOW and let it boil out the water. At this time, you can place your candy thermometer on the pan, making sure the bottom is suspended and not touching the bottom of the pan. Large white popping bubbles will happen continually for 10 minutes or more. During this phase, I stirred occasionally, maybe every minute or so. When the temperature reached 300 degrees, the color is a rich amber color (about the color of peanut butter). Pull it immediately from the heat and stir in the 1/2 t of baking soda. Stir vigorously being careful as the mixture will increase in volume. Pour onto the prepared 13Ã9 pan (I use a silpat sheet, or you could use buttered foil or parchment). Tip the pan back and forth a little so it spreads out. After 5 or more minutes the top has set enough to sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let them sit for another 3 or 4 minutes until they are completely softened. With an offset spatula, spread them all over the toffee until smooth. Sprinkle your chopped toasted almonds over the chocolate. Move to cooler spot, preferably elevated on a cookie rack so it can cool from below. Let it set up for a few hours. Some people place in the frig to set the chocolate. IÂm letting mine air set which seems to be working fine. When completely set, break into chunks and store in an air tight container. IÂve read it will be fine on the counter for a week or so, and in the fridge for a month. I have not frozen toffee before and may freeze one batch to see how it does. There may be some bloom on the chocolate, so IÂll test it. If anyone has tips on freezing, please let me know. Other tips IÂve read say that on a humid day, cook it one or two degrees beyond 300. ItÂs in the 40Âs here today and not humid at all. Good luck. I really think LOW and SLOW is to key to not having it separate. I know Lars said his was perfect every time, and this turned out great.

I've been wanting to make your Strawberry Ice Cream recipe ever since it was recently reposted. A get-together with a small group of friends at my house gave me the opportunity to make it even more special with ice cream. I used extra strawberrys and a cookie as a garnish... and a sprig of mint. It was every bit as delicious as promised. This recipe is definitely a keeper. PS: I made it as written. Lars Strawberry Ice Cream About 2 quarts 3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1-1/2 cup sugar, divided 1-1/4 cups whole milk 2-3/4 cups heavy cream 2-3/4 1 tablespoon Cointreau or Grand Marnier (or 1-1/2 tsp vanilla) In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to maceratein the juices for 2 hours. Strain the berries, reserving juices. Mash or purée half the berries. In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, and Cointreau. Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved sliced strawberries and let mix in completely. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving. *Note: You can increase the Cointreau to 2 tablespoons to make a softer ice cream.