alanamoana
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Posts posted by alanamoana
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I made some ice cream using the recipe found here: http://www.recipesonrails.com/recipes/show...olate-ice-cream and it seems to develop a strange consistency. Although very well frozen, it doesn't "feel" cold. If left in a dish to melt, it holds its shape and doesn't ment. When eaten, it has the mouth feel of a mousse. Should I reduce the cream/milk ratio? Any othe suggestions?
it can depend on how you're freezing the base...what kind of ice cream machine are you using? if your machine pumps too much air into the base while churning, this could be more of a problem than your ingredients. this is also a problem with a machine like the pacojet, unless you know to keep the air valve pushed in so that excess air isn't incorporated while the ice cream is being processed.
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i keep coming back to this thread and there's always more!
thanks again docsconz for a wonderful report. i can only imagine the amount of "work" you put in at the conference! what a treat for those of us who couldn't be there.
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echoing what sugarseattle wrote, which recipe did you follow? as i mentioned, nightscotsman's recipe (which is the main one in the marshmallow thread that everyone follows) has no egg whites. the only time i think they could spoil, is if there isn't sufficient hot liquid to cook any fruit puree which has been used.
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i've kept the marshmallow recipe (posted on the marshmallow thread) for at least a month with no problems. obviously, they're better the first couple of weeks after making them, but they last a long time. as etalanian noted, enrobed, they'll last even longer.
DO NOT however, put them in the fridge. especially with chocolate coating...too much humidity. remember that sugar is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture). so you can not only get sticky marshmallows, but if they're already dipped, you can get sugar bloom on the chocolate.
frozen would be another story though. there's discussion about vacuum sealing chocolates and freezing them to no ill effect. that could be an option for you. you have to allow two days for the thawing process...one day in the fridge and one day on the counter with the wrap still on it to avoid condensation on the surface of your candies...then you can open and serve.
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i would freeze them unbaked. as turnovers usually use some kind of flaky pastry like puff or flaky pie dough, freezing after baking would take up way more freezer space than necessary. quality-wise, it just sounds better to me to bake fresh from frozen. start with a hot oven to get some puff out of your dough and then turn the temp down to finish baking.
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simple and clean apple galette with frangipane
individual st. honore
oeufs a la neige (floating islands)
nougat glace (frozen nougat)
crepes suzette
all of these things are very classic/traditional, but they can be gussied up very easily to be more elegant in presentation
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delicious al pastor at "el farolito" in the mission on mission @ 24th?! or thereabouts. right by the bart station...hole in the wall. i usually get a burrito al pastor, but i'm sure they do tacos as well.
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i recently ate at a pf changs out here in california located in a *gasp* mall of all places. i always go into places like this with my eyes wide open...i know what to expect...but the amount of salt in every dish we ate was incredible. my heart was racing and i had to drink about two quarts of water at home to flush it all out. it could have been just this location, but i have a feeling that some chains try to overwhelm the blandness with salt! in this case, they must have a tanker truck of soy sauce delivered every day to keep up with the cooks.
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i think you definitely have to look around to make sure that the product you're getting is satisfactory to you. it is all subjective, after all. i think albert uster products are pretty decent, but one thing to check out is the thickness of the shells. sometimes, lower quality shells are thick and they use chocolate that you wouldn't normally eat out of hand. if your fillings are delicate, flavor-wise, this wouldn't accomplish what you're attempting to do - offer a better tasting product, faster.
factor in the cost (which i'm sure you've already done) of the shells as they can add up pretty quickly. of course, you can balance that with the labor you've saved by not hand rolling.
of course, there are ways to speed up hand rolling: piping, scooping with melon baller (we used to make thousands this way if you have the right consistency base), etc. at least with the shells, you can make a much more liquid base. if your base is pretty firm at room temp, you don't even have to bother with sealing if you're going to roll the truffles in tempered chocolate to finish.
lots of different ways to skin a truffle, eh?
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At her restaurant Michy's, in Miami, chef Michelle Bernstein makes a Peach Financier Cake with Roasted Peach, Yogurt Ice Cream, and Basil Syrup that's delicious:
i realize this is a bit off topice, but why, oh why do people still insist on putting a mint leaf (an ugly one, at that) on a perfectly nice looking dessert? in this case, wouldn't a beautiful basil tip even be better? or take a very fine chiffonade of basil with a small dice of peaches scattered around the dessert? or sugar/candy a basil leaf to lay across the top? anything but the mint!!!!
okay, done with rant
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Thanks Patris
I think my chocolate was too hot because as soon as I dunked one it and tried fishing it out it had started to melt so we had a fondue party instead!
I'll give it another go because those just look awesome.
xx
Btw this Q is for anyone I know the original recipe calls for Corn Syrup well we dont get it in England so I substituted it for Glucose Syrup - could this be the reason why they get kinda sticky?
glucose and corn syrup are pretty much interchangeable in this type of recipe...as a matter of fact, glucose has less water than corn syrup.
i don't think this is the reason for your stickiness. could be humidity or could be not cooking to the proper temperature.
if you're dipping in chocolate, your chocolate shouldn't ever be hot enough to melt a marshmallow...are you attempting to coat the 'mallows and allow them to set up like a candy? if that's the case, check out the p&b index for information on tempering chocolate. well worth the extra effort.
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having lived in nyc for several years, the bagel operations i've seen mostly use hearth stone lined deck ovens. don't know about steam...probably not necessary since bagels are boiled before being baked. some of the older/bigger operations use conveyor/rotating gas ovens.
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i would say basil and citrus would pair well
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i was going to suggest something like hiring these people on as contracted employees. i don't think i'd want to partner with them, especially if that meant some sort of profit sharing. you're the one who has spent the time building a successful business. you need to maintain the control. i don't think that ego has anything to do with it. if this person (prospective employee/partner) has run a successful business/restaurant in the past, what is to stop them from doing it again? if they don't want that responsibility, but they want to share your profits, i'd think they're looking for the easy buck. they'll never look at your business in the same way that they'd look at their own.
of course, down the line, if after some time working for/with you, you decide that they are committed to building your business, then you might want to consider partnership, but only after a reasonable amount of time has passed. i feel like that is how it has been done in the past with restaurant owners and chefs that i have known or heard of in new york, etc. by that time, you'll have a better feeling about the person and a better idea of the mechanics of writing a partnership agreement. by then, you'll probably have a lawyer to do it for you! always cover your own butt!
good luck rob, it sounds like you have some great ideas for building your business and helping out others in your area.
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A question ... in the recipe it states heat the sugar to a certain temp, then set the egg white mix beating in a stand mixer, then once the sugar reaches another temp - pour it in ... but it doesn't say what the egg white mix should look like!! Obviously depending on the mixer used and how fast you heat the sugar - this could be very different!! Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for??
this step is very similar to making italian meringue and other egg white based confections. the whites should be at around soft peak when adding the cooked syrup. you can, as someone mentioned above, add a touch of sugar to the whites while they're whipping to help stabilize them before adding the syrup, but you should be okay either way. don't add the sugar before the whites have started foaming though...because even as it helps to stabilize, if the albumin hasn't had a chance to unwind a little, you won't get full volume.
oh, i think you did a very good job for your first time. if you read some of the other topics on chocolate (now conveniently linked in the Pastry Index), you'll get a lot of helpful tips and ideas for working out of a home kitchen and keeping your chocolate in temper. Kerry Beal did a great demo on straight tempering of chocolate and there are tons of other demos and resources.
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Can you use powdered egg whites as a source of albumen? This is the info on Egg white powder from Chef Rubber
"Spray dried egg albumen, which can be used in most recipes requiring egg white. It produces an exceptionally high volume, stable egg white foam. Used for uncooked foods such as marzipan and buttercream icing because it has been heat treated to meet USDA standards for being salmonella negative."
i think you can, but they need to be hydrated in the appropriate amount of water before use...you'll have to figure that out.
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Then, if you're like me......after having spent 17 years in the pastry business, and somewhat cynical and burned out, you've reached the "Aw, f*ck it" Phase and you just crush up the Butterfingers.
i'll one-up you (not that i've done this, but the thread made me realize that this is what i'd do)...
buy the already crushed up butterfingers (i'm sure there's a source) and use those!
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luis, they also make a raplette specifically for chocolate work. i can't remember where i've seen it, but rather than a three sided one (like the one pictured which is for cake batter), it is actually a stainless steel box which you pour your temepered chocolate into. then you can run the box over the rubber stencils (for the bottoms of piped bonbons). don't know if that is more your speed, since you mostly do chocolate stuff. if i can find it, i'll link to it.
edited to add: regardless of which one you want, they tend to be a bit pricey...close to $200 i'm thinking.
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or lightly oiled fingers/scraper
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since nobody else is chiming in here:
i would probably go for a stainless worktable in the size, shape, configuration that you like and then buy separate marble (or granite) slabs to put on top. it is a little cost prohibitive to get something like that custom made (but i don't know, you could be a millionaire
).when i was pricing this type of thing out a couple of years ago, it can run you anywhere from several hundred dollars on up depending on size and materials.
i guess nobody can really recommend a size for you because we don't know what your batch sizes will be like. humanly reasonable fondant batches are relatively small. nowadays, most people just buy the fondant already made. and when you talk about chocolate work, you're not tabling to temper are you?
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I want to top a batch of marshmallows with caramelized cocoa nibs. My question(s)- At what point should I put the nibs on top of the marshmallows? If I plop the slab on top of a layer of nibs, won't there be cornstarch/sugar all over them? If I wait until they are cut, what's to keep the nibs from falling off the marshmallows?? Thanks for your advice!
i would either fold some in at the end of the whipping/cooling process...or if you're dipping in chocolate, i would sprinkle some on top of the chocolate before it sets. every other scenario seems a bit dubious.
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i think pvc is fine as long as you don't heat it.
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if you use metal tubes, you can avoid the acetate as well and just warm the outside briefly with a torch to unmold. don't even need spray. i think the only reason i considered acetate is that the panna cotta is flexible (don't want to use too much gelatin
) and this would aid in getting it to the right place on the plate without having to handle it too much or without it falling apart. -
acetate and whatever sized tube you're using.
if you're using metal tubing, you can seal one end with plastic wrap (heat shrink it in the oven for a few seconds and it will stick and be smooth). line the interior with an acetate strip. fill with panna cotta base. chill. unmold.
Yuzu cream dessert at Komi
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
i've made phyllo sheets that are more caramelized by using a simple syrup, butter blend to brush. i make a packet of the phyllo (cut before baking) between two sheets of parchment (folded up so that the syrup doesn't leak and make a mess) and then baked between the backs (bottoms) of sheet pans (one on the bottom and several on the top)
they come out more 'candied' than flaky and it is a very nice effect