aidensnd2

So I have some pate de fruit that I let get too dry before I tried to roll them in sugar and now the sugar won't adhere. Does anyone have any ideas how to 'stickify' the pate? Thanks

I could be way off but I'd guess that location alone doesn't have a huge impact. Tahitian vanilla is it's own variety and is only named Tahitian because that's where it was developed but it's not like it has to be grown in Tahiti to be Tahitian vanilla. I figure that different countries climates would perhaps impact the size of the bean but I'd think that the flavor would be more or less the same. The PNG Tahitian beans I've had seem pretty much identical to those I've had that have actually come from Tahiti. Just as the PNG Bourbon beans are very similar to those from Madagascar.

Silicone pans work great for mini cheesecakes. There are a bunch of different shapes to choose from and you can pop them right into the freezer and then the cakes unmold perfectly.

I switched over to 'ebay vanilla' a couple months ago after getting fed up with the ridiculous local vanilla prices. My local specialty food supplier charges $40 for a 1/4 lb of Tahitian beans and $21 for a 1/4 lb of Madagascar Bourbons and the beans I've bought from ebay are easily as good if not better quality than them. I just paid $6.00, which included shipping, for 30 PNG Tahitian beans and they are great. I think they weighed out to around 1/3 lb and I paid $29, including shipping, for a pound of PNG Bourbons. You have to figure that even if the ebay beans were inferior you could easily double or triple the amount used per recipe and still save a bunch of money. Hope this helps.

Well, the results weren't as pleasing as I had hoped. The cake was tasty, I added a couple of vanilla beans and a splash of rum, and I suppose you could see some similarity to a Twinkie but the texture and appearance weren't so close. I didn't bother filling them as until I get the cake down I'm not even going to think about the filling. They were quite tasty though. Interestingly they didn't really want to release from my silicon pans and as they're pretty fragile I lost a couple in the depanning. Definitely closer than a genoise though, which is what I had based my previous attempts on...

Yup. It seems like a strange method, but most of the things in that book seem a little strange... Would be cool if I could get them to work. I'm going to try again in a few days with a higher proof liquor and see if that helps any.

Cool, thanks everyone. I have the recipe from bakingcircle in the oven now

Trying to make homemade twinkies and I'm not having much luck. I can't get the cake right. All the recipes I've seen online just say to add whites to packaged cake mix but I want to make it from scratch. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Has anyone tried the sugar caviar method from Paco Torreblanco 2? I've only tried it once and it didn't work at all. The sugar syrup while in the oven just kind of melted and formed blobs. I tried a mixture of 50/50 vodka and Chambord. I'm thinking that maybe I need a higher percentage of alcohol. Anyone tried it with any success?

A restaurant which I make desserts for features a different region each month and they come up with a couple of traditional dishes from that region. This months region is Bordeaux and I was hoping to get some ideas for a dessert that would represent that area. Is there anything which is specifically Bordeaux? Any help would be great. Thanks

This is driving me nuts. What is the other major brand of fruit purees? The one I'm thinking of has packaging similar to Boiron, rectangular but not quite as long. Anyone? Any help would be great.

Although I never tried it in a flexipan I used to make this recipe in a hotel pan and cut out squares of it to sit on top of a napoleon. Here's the recipe: cream- 10 cups sugar-18 oz yolks- 20 oz vanilla bean- 2 vanilla extract- 2 Tbsp Bake at 200 no water bath until done. You could also try a stovetop brulee and then just pour it into the shells, might be easier. Hope this helps.

How can you make liquids with alcohol work? I was hoping to make a champagne caviar but so far have had no luck. Any help would be great.

I'd offer her a sample of your frozen brownies and let her know that hers would come out exactly the same. That way she can make up her own mind.

We are considering getting a Pacojet and I was wondering if anyone has used the Frix-Air? Obviously the price of the Frix-Air makes it an attractive option but I haven't found anyone who has actually used it yet to get feedback from. Any input would be great. Thanks

Yeah I found the product number in a previous post and did a search for it. I just ordered one from here: Caviar I had found it for as low as $28 at one place but they wanted another $20 or so for shipping. This place seemed to have the easiest ordering and n minimum order amount.

I'm in somewhat desperate need of a caviar maker like the one available from Chef Rubber. I placed an order for 1 from them a couple of weeks ago but they are backordered until early Feb. at the soonest. Does anyone know of another source for it or for something similar? I'm thinking there has to be a similar product in the medical field but so far I haven't had any luck tracking one down. Ay help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan

Ling, if you're coming to Portland I hope that you'll stop by for a free dessert. I'd be honored to serve such a distinguished egullet member. I can be found at Ten-01 in the Pearl district.

I'd look for a convection oven that has a fan speed control as well as the option of turning the fan off. That way you get the best of both worlds.

Sour cherry and frangipane tarts.

Oops, it was the steamed lemon pudding cake from the Dec issue but I have found my magazine. Thanks anyway.

Just hoping that someone who has the latest copy of Pastry Art & Design can sned me the recipe for the steamed orange pudding/cake. I remember taking my copy to work a couple of days ago to try it out and now the magazine is missing. Just hit up my local stores trying to find another issue with no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dan

I'm looking for a GOOD donut hole recipe, I don't mind if it's cakey or yeasty, just want it to be tried and true. Anyone willing to share?

Just wondering if anyone has a good source for Candy Cap Mushrooms that they'd be willing to share. I've only found 2 online and both were asking over $140 a pound. They're good, but I don't think they're quite that good. Any hints would e greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ahh, I was wondering if the DE-10 designation was important but I have no idea what DE stands for/refers to. Any info would be great. The only info I have on N-Zorbit just refers to it as Tpaioca Maltodextrin, no numerical designation. Interesting.