alanamoana

my most recent boss had a glaze recipe that would disgust you with how much gelatin it contained...like 100 sheets per batch (restaurant sized...)...but it really was rubbery. it looked pretty cool though as we used "black" cocoa powder and the glaze was almost perfectly black and shiny. but to be honest, i wouldn't use it at home. i asked about the herme recipe because over the years i've used many recipes and they all claim to stay shiny and beautiful after freezing, refrigerating, defrosting, etc. and most of them fail at one point or another. i've come to realize that you have to have different recipes for different applications, especially if flavor comes into play. i would think with the pre-made glaze, it will probably not have a very distinct flavor (as it probably doesn't use a ton of real chocolate) which makes it good for many applications. hmmmm, tub-o-glaze

you mean you like the challenge of removing them in one piece...not a squiggly bowl full, right?

i haven't used a pre-made pate a glacer before but it seems that the ingredients in pate a glacer are so simple and it is so easy to put together that i wouldn't bother paying for the pre-made version...unless you calculate the food cost and it comes out cheaper...the pre-made probably has higher amounts of invert sugar, stabilizers and preservatives...only a guess and patrick, your glazes always look so beautiful it seems silly to try to purchase perfection when you've already achieved it! p.s. i know you've stated it in the chocolate desserts by ph thread, but which recipe for glaze to you use most successfully?

on a different tack... i've never really loved cooked fish although i love sushi and sashimi. since working in restaurants, i've seen wayyyyy toooo many large wriggly parasites (worms) being pulled from monkfish, swordfish, etc. for me to consider eating either of those fish. the places i worked were higher end restaurants with consciencious cooks/sous chefs and often the fish would be returned to the purveyor, but with certain fish (bottom dwellers, scavengers, etc) you expect these things. that's where the gross out comes for me. i've never worked in a restaurant that buys their lobster from sysco, gets vacuum sealed avocado or frozen oysters...if you can't get the real thing from a real purveyor, then don't serve it on your menu.

i recently ate a delicious meal at rubicon...husband is chef, wife is pastry chef. this would be "fancy" but not too stuffy. anybody been to boulevard lately? i feel like their food, although american, seems to fit the bistro/brasserie type cuisine. maybe a little more expensive than what you're looking for. i've heard the portions are a little on the big side.

looks to me that xdrixn is right in thinking that pomponette refers to the shape or size of the item and isn't a specific "dish" so to speak. nowadays, you can ask for a recipe for a napoleon from twenty people and you'll get at least ten different answers. at least napoleon refers to a traditional pastry that most people have heard of...otherwise you get a bunch of recipes for layered items. shoebox oven, maybe you can elaborate on what you are looking for. it is a little difficult to give someone information when the question is relatively vague.

i agree, it should be somewhat expected, but it is a four ounce serving and i thought it would work more like prunes (fiber)...you know, a little boost...not a SHOVE! seing as how the little guys are alive (as it should be in yogurt...) it doesn't surprise me that the effects are more pronounced. who knows if they multiply...i love the name they trademarked bifidus regularis

i love that it is directed at women...as if we have more problems (digestively) than men...then again, linda carter was a spokesperson for irritable bowel syndrome...wonderwoman, no less...

lunch looks fried (and therefore delicious), but what is it? Klary, funny that you think the street leading away from the main station is ugly when i would love a street like that here in the suburbs where i'm living now...probably 70% of streets in New York City look like that, if not worse AND you're fighting with many more people on a narrower sidewalk. But, i can see how compared with the rest of your beautiful old city, it can be an eyesore. i'm still loving the blog though!

i bought it since i had a coupon...part of the pr blitz going on with the stuff... funny that it is sweeter than other fruit yogurts. i think a little too sweet. it also gave me the runs...sorry if that is too much information, but thought you might like to know. so i threw the rest away (i probably ate 5 out of the 8 containers before i made the connection). nothing violent, just uncomfortable.

bottom to top? edited to add: i'm going to have to hire you to take pictures of my desserts one day! great photos as usual.

i've contacted e.guittard before. their website has some stuff for sale on the home baker level with regard to quantity. their prices are pretty expensive. if you want to get better prices, you have to buy a minimum of 500 pounds...hehehe

ny times update i hope this link works, but i had remembered that the ny times did an update for sarabeth's because they had opened one or two new places. i've personally never eated there, so i can't judge.

i have to insert a disclaimer here: i haven't eaten at tfl or manresa...i work in the restaurant industry (actually, not working at the moment) and this is my jaded point of view after working in "high end" restaurants. i just returned to northern california after four years in new york. i didn't eat at many new york restaurants, although at times i regret that decision, because i was sort of sick of the scene. ironic (?) how one can't afford to eat at the type of restaurant one works in because one doesn't get paid enough...i can't tell you how many times i've thought to push the idea of having one day a week a "restaurant employees special" where if you showed your pay stub as proof of working in the industry, you could get 50% of the food portion of your bill or something like that at any participating restaurant. think how much of an education that would be for cooks?! so please take my comments with a grain of salt.

thanks for the reminder jgarner53, i used to buy from them a long time ago. are you still working in the city? remind me which bakery? i followed that thread back when you started it.

i know that some people will take offense, but in my opinion, what with the law of diminishing returns, i'd much rather eat at manresa than the french laundry. i understand the lure of tk and "the best restaurant in the united states", but i'd much rather eat where i know the chef is cooking every night and is still evolving at the top of his game. the difference in price goes to pay for some intangibles, i understand that, but it just isn't worth it to me. call me jaded, alana

i think these peanuts are very popular in asian cultures as well. sometimes they have some seaweed strips outside on the crunchy coating, some are seasoned with hot peppers and some are "seafood" flavored...shrimp or squid...very asian. but of course there are plain ones as well. looking forward to pictures of your cute pets!

longer than you'd think! by the way, eating directly from the pastry bag is my favorite method of mess-free dining!

i love e.guittard and have never liked ghirardelli very much. the only thing i don't like by guittard is their milk chocolate. it tastes very "malt-y" to me and that isn't my favorite flavor. annachan, i'm located in the bay area, can you tell me who you buy your bulk chocolate from? i usually use the e.guittard 61% and white and am considering buying from chefswarehouse (dairyland) based in New York. they have started distribution on the west coast and are located in oakland. i spoke to a sales rep and i can buy from him and pick up at their warehouse. maybe your supplier is better?

Klary, I always love your posts...I don't know if I've seen anyone so consistently happy and positive! It is such a pleasure to see Amsterdam through your eyes... Happy Birthday! We're all here celebrating with you.

you could do something cutesy like the cupcake towers, but with black & whites...preserve the icing to cookie ratio and not worry about cutting it

in my "time/life" candy book, all the candies are made by hand...remember, not everyone had kitchenaids at home!

don't you mean psychotic?! hehehe chris, if you're reading this, i'm just kidding!

always use it. used to use limestone...but i prefer the little blue balls (pardon me ), that turn pink when they have absorbed moisture and you can reactivate them by leaving them in an oven with a pilot overnight or in the microwave. it is more obvious when to dry them out. but they are more expensive.

hey em, howz things? you can freeze choux baked or unbaked. it might be nicer to freeze the dough raw because when baked fresh they just taste better. also, they take up less space in the freezer when raw. ganache doesn't have to be frozen and will keep very well in the fridge for at least a week. just easier to deal with than frozen. if you have the fridge space. also, you can make your tart dough ahead of time and freeze. i'm surprised you just didn't check the walk-in freezer at work (if you're still there) to see what Chris has frozen alana