alanamoana
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Posts posted by alanamoana
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apronstrings: how did you make your invert sugar? i know it is possible to partically invert sugar in a syrup, but when comparing to a commercial product like trimoline i didn't know this was possible to make at home.
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^^Pontormo, I think your conclusion is correct. In a lot of kitchen processes the first extraction is the best, cleanest, etc. Think olive oil, etc.
I was just reading about gelatin and the same thing happens. You can extract gelatin six times from pig skins, however, the last couple of extractions have much more (undesirable) color and stronger smell/flavor.
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I am interested in trying the Green Faeries but I need some more info on Absinthe. It is to expense to buy just to try this recipe. I know it is liquorice flavored. Is the taste more complex than that? What other flavors are present? Or would using another liquorice (ie. Pastisse) give me a good indication as to the taste of the ganache?
pastis or pernod could give you the same flavor profile. they also sell something called "absente" which is similar to absinthe, but without the wormwood.
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i think he's hosting some radio show or something like that.
previous to union pacific, rocco worked under gray kunz at lespinasse. he also went to the cia (i think) and did some study in europe (again, if i remember correctly). he was a very exacting and very good chef at one time.
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if your puff pastry is made correctly, or you're using purchased puff pastry, there shouldn't be any problems with cutting the pieces individually before baking. it is up to you and what you want your final product to look like.
usually recipes indicate long strips to be baked and then filled and this is likely for the sake of production. it is easier and more efficient to fill an entire strip and layer it and then cut it into 15-20 pieces rather than piping 15-20 individual pieces.
but i'd have to agree that (with my cutting skills
) they'd look much better if cut before being baked! -
was there any sugar in the whites when you whisked them over the double boiler? if not, you don't have much protection against the whites actually cooking.
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could it be that your glaze it too warm when you're applying it to the dome? usually these glazes are applied when the bombe or mousse is frozen and if the glaze is too warm, it melts a tiny layer on the mousse and everything just slides off...
that's all i can think of, sorry i don't have a recipe for you.
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we usually call it a "try out" and it can be anywhere from a couple of hours to a full shift. for the most part, we don't have the person work the actual line during service but rather do prep work in order to check out their work habits and skills. then, they usually watch part of service.
this is good for both parties. for the restaurant for reasons already stated and for the prospective employee to see if they would want to work with the particular crew and/or cuisine offered at the restaurant.
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succes (pronounced similarly to the english word success, but with a little bit of a french twist on the first syllable - a stronger 'u' sound)
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along with the possible inversion (i still believe that the long time over low heat can cause inversion along with the acid in the wood smoke. all supersaturated syrups need to be heated, but i wouldn't say that the recipes above - which just require boiling to dissolve the sugar - call for significant cooking), stirring can decrease crystal size. you mentioned that you stirred the sugar solution several times during the smoking process. while stirring/agitation can cause crystallization in a supersaturated syrup, if you stir enough, you cause the crystals to become smaller...sort of like when making fudge...you end up with a microcrystalline structure rather than the coarse crystals you're looking for.
check out Harold McGee's section on sugar crystallization in "On Cooking" for some more information.
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I've been making brrrr-ownies and they are delicious--but so ugly--has anyone figured out how to make them purty? I cut with a pizza cutter but they still are misshapen and messy looking --I sent a batch with friends who were starting out on a road trip and I wrapped the brownies in waxed paper so they would stay whole--and look like something you'd want to eat.
I also had an epiphany for a variation--Hershey's has a lot of fancy new Kisses out--truffle and caramel and others--the best is a cherry cordial one--filled with a cherry flavored cream--tastes just like cheap chocolate covered cherries!!
My hub loves CCC so I bought these for him--and it occurred to me that these would be great in the brrr-ownie recipe--sub kirsch for the vanilla, also--well, went back to the supermercado to buy more --they were sold out.
So now will have to wait to try this until I hunt the cherry Kisses down.
you can refrigerate the whole pan and then unmold and cut while cold. that way, they hold their shape better. then you can drizzle the top with chocolate/white chocolate or something to dress them up a bit.
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i would think that postrio is past its prime as the rosenthal brothers are busy with their two/three(?) new restaurants.
anyone else have an opinion with regard to postrio?
jturn00, you'll definitely have to make more time for food the next time you're in town.
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caramel would be too hot to pour directly on transfer sheets.
they are meant for chocolate for the most part. you can dip your caramels and then use the transfer on the chocolate as an option.
I saw some petits fours several years ago that were wrapped in marzipan and had a transfer on them. I didn't see the process, but I was told the marzipan was painted with melted cocoa butter, then placed onto the transfer sheet. When the cocoa butter set, it took the transfer design.
Maybe you could do something similar with caramels? Pour them out and let them cool. Then paint on a thin layer of melted cocoa butter and lay a transfer sheet on top (maybe flip the caramel over first so you're working with a nice flat surface.
Worth a try, anyway.
i like that idea. i just wonder how quickly you have to work when working with small amounts of cocoa butter as the temperature has to be just right in order for the transfer to "take". even when dipping in chocolate and using transfer sheets, if the chocolate is a couple of degrees too cool, the transfers won't stick.
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cheesecake is basically a custard set with eggs like creme brulee and others. all can be steamed.
often, cheesecake is baked in a waterbath anyway to control the heat and allow the protein coagulation in the eggs to be treated more delicately so that you have a nice smooth and creamy custard.
full steam instead of a waterbath should work reasonably well, you just have to control the condensation that might occur on top of the cheesecakes...you could steam them in individual portions and keep them covered in the steamer.
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As for process, I admit to some misdirection. After creating the syrups (which I did by applying just enough heat to allow the sugar to dissolve), I set them in a smoker and let them bathe in applewood smoke for eight hours. The temperature never exceeded 100 F. I doubt that this has anything to do with the problems I'm having, but I mention it justin case.
while your temp in the smoker might not have exceeded 100 degrees, it is possible that the length of time in the smoker could be a problem. i remember during a candy making class that you can't cook sugar syrups over too low a heat for a long period of time because that allows for some of the sugar to invert and therefore inhibits recrystallization.
i hope kerry chimes in here because she would know more about this than i would.
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if that's what you're using it for, then you probably want colored cocoa butter which can be purchased in many shades with or without "sparkle" from Chefrubber or from PCB
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caramel would be too hot to pour directly on transfer sheets.
they are meant for chocolate for the most part. you can dip your caramels and then use the transfer on the chocolate as an option.
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click icaviar as well
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another option would be to use the sphere molds (using half only) and create your own bottom or foot so it can stand on its own. shouldn't be too hard to do.
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LOL! That, and sticking your finger Immediately in your mouth, going owye, owey, owey..................
which isn't a good idea with hot caramel because then you burn the inside of your mouth...
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The Original recipe was just butter anf a bottle or Frenchs Redhot...
I think you mean "Frank's Redhot"
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homemade ice cream is meant to be eaten within a couple of days. you can increase the shelf life by placing plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming...but as john says, the texture does degrade after a while.
Since this is relevant, I thought I'd repost here. On David's site, he talks about shelf-life of ice cream. I'm sure he's talking about commercially made ice creams since the ones in his book do not use stabilizers, etc.
Apparently, you can melt and re-churn sorbets, sherbets and Philadelphia-style ice creams if they get too icy.
Read about it here:
Thanks John.
Also, when working in a restaurant situation, we used to melt down all of our ice creams overnight and re-spin them in the morning...not just sorbets and Philly-style, everything. We would re-spin once and then toss extras after the re-spin. That was just a concession to freshness that my pastry chef preferred. We would also re-freeze and re-spin all ice creams and sorbets in the Paco-Jet at another restaurant where I worked.
So, you can probably do the same at home with your home-made ice creams rather than worry about ice crystal formation.
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nicole, i have an idea of what you're really after...but...i've never really found a "traditional" american recipe that i've really been satisfied with.
the chocolate buttercream recipe (chocolate buttercream - italian method) from bo friberg's "professional pastry chef" is really delicious...just omit the salt. basically a pate a bombe base with chocolate and butter added. very rich, not too fancy...definitely something a four year old and an adult would love.
one reason i prefer chocolate buttercream over american icings is the fact that buttercream doesn't crust over the way most other icings do. but maybe that's what some people love about the 10x icings
if you don't have the book or would like me to pm you the recipe, let me know.
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rounded quenelles are actually closer to egg shaped. they are tapered and pointy on one end and rounded and fatter on the opposite end. they have been the industry standard in fine dining for at least the past ten years for ice cream and other cream-type substances. they are elegant looking and can be made in different sizes based on your spoon size and the size of the dessert.
take a look on some of the geographic threads here on eG where people post photos of dinners at the French Laundry, Per Se, WD50, Alinea, etc. and you will see an abundance of smooth quenelles. you will not achieve the same gracefulness with a quenelle shaped scoop which is more like an oval and will leave you with dirty edges because of the release mechanism.
sometimes a rosette of whipped cream just isn't appropriate. and when it comes to ice cream, the one spoon technique just can't be beat for speed (if you're good at it, of course).
the three sided quenelle is more used on the savory side when you're trying to shape something that has a different texture...like a tepenade or a rillette (sp?) or something like that. then, only two spoons will do the job.
White chocolate decorations
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
david, you answered your own question. when you described the shape of the chocolate, i thought to myself "it's too thick"...the best kind of comb to use is one that has square notches instead of round or VV shapes. we used to use a plaster or grout trowel when we made our striped cigarettes and it is basically the same idea. good luck experimenting and let us know how they turn out.