PastryLady

Actually at work I just made a pyramid shape mousse dessert with these two. Pumpkin mousse on the tip and white chocolate mousse on the bottom glazed in dark chocolate glaze/ganache. We plated this up for several hundred, so I hope tons of people liked it! Swiss cheese's recipe looks awesome! Ginger snaps crushed always gives pumpkin desserts a good zip to them too.

I agree with the fake cake. I just made one and the stryofoam (sp?) was only about 20 bucks. You can make the cheap icing to save you some cash too and make the lemon and flourless on the side. Flourless with any icing doesn't appeal to me at all. You definately need a smaller piece too with the flourless too as it is so rich. I would do a lemon chiffon with lemon curd filling for the other iced with crisco, up "buttercream". Just the thought of crisco icing makes me do that peanut butter on the roof of your mouth thing. I would draw up a price sheet with all the details of their options that they want too, so they realize just how much you will be donating to them possibly. By the way, you can get square stryofoam and the cakes will be cut in back so they would never know. Evil laugh...

If you find a good cake supply store they have square tips. Betty Homemaker christmas time cookie press might be an option too if they make a square disk too.

The chef I am going to work for in a week actually was making one today. Rice fettuccini type noodles with a wonderful red wine super reduction (thick and syrupy). I forget which type of wine was used, but he said it was really nice and when I tasted it, it was so rich that it tasted like a fantastic port, but he assured me it wasn't. He cooked the rice noodles in pineapple juice and told me that if you make it in a simple syrup the noodles get too slimy.

The "UPS store" used to be called something that I can't remember right now. Anyways they are packing experts and I am sure would have some suggestions. Our chocolate from Albert Uster is packed with ice packs overnight in the summer so maybe with a barrier it would work. Line box in lg plastic bag, put ice packs on bottom and sides, another plastic bag, packing peanuts then caramels, and top with more icepacks.

Most people use the gently heated spatula technique. I don't think I would use a torch as it would be too hot. Hot water does the trick usually. I sprayed a cake in a decorating class but only when using the fake buttercream ( you know the shortning stuff). I totally agree using medium to medium low on the mixer with a whip to get the air smoothed out. Many mistakes with real buttercream is whipping it on too high a speed or trying to spread it when it is actually too cold. This is what I experienced myself anyways. I am impressed you are sending your mom samples through the mail! Yummy mail!!! Lots of people give real buttercream a bad reputation because they eat it cold. Real buttercream is really not appealing cold. You are eating sweetened butter, room temp is always better on the palate. Also, I have a favorite spatula too. I even engraved my name in it. Medium sized spatula and pretty firm. I hate the ones that are really flexible and the bigger spatulas I find are best for sheet cakes. So that is my ramblings anyways. Hope it helps!

Kiwi strawberry combo always works, but seems as original as a snapple on the shelf. Just thinking outloud, sorry. Thinking dark chocolate with pine nut or almond financier and kiwi foam (I know it is old now...) or even a kiwi granita type intermezzo sounds wonderful to me. Kiwi sorbet is always refreshing with something heavy.

O.k. finally posted some recipes today, one including the bread pudding. For the chocolate I used Noel's 58.5% and for the rum raisin I used white raisins and about a fifth of spiced rum. Bring it on! Thank you for all your contributions too, I have written down the suggestions for future parties, but can't get too weird for 30 person group of all ages. Just click on my name to see the recipies.

Pecan Pie/Cheesecake all in one by Debra Diller I tried this recipe for the first time and thought it truly was awesome. A creamy pecan pie basically! 1 Parbaked brise full sheet pan 1 Softened Cream Cheese 3 lg Eggs 8 oz Sugar and scant vanilla pecan pieces 7 oz corn syrup 7 eggs 13 oz brown sugar apricot glaze or ganache Preheat oven to 350 F. Parbake a full sheet pan of pie dough or brise. Making sure to go up the sides of the pan and fill in any cracks or holes. In mixer cream the cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla until combined. Scrape well before you add the eggs. Pour in pan and bake until somewhat just set. Basically touch the cheesecake mixture and pull out when the top is set about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat corn syrup and brown sugar in microwave until somewhat liquid, but not hot. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Set aside and pull out pan out of oven. Very gently pour mixture on top of cream cheese mix. Sprinkle pecans on top evenly and place back in oven until pecan mix is set. Cool. When cooled and ready to serve pour either ganache or a clear or apricot glaze on top and cut into bars. Easiest to cut when frozen. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Brownies/Bars ( RG1164 )

Pecan Pie/Cheesecake all in one by Debra Diller I tried this recipe for the first time and thought it truly was awesome. A creamy pecan pie basically! 1 Parbaked brise full sheet pan 1 Softened Cream Cheese 3 lg Eggs 8 oz Sugar and scant vanilla pecan pieces 7 oz corn syrup 7 eggs 13 oz brown sugar apricot glaze or ganache Preheat oven to 350 F. Parbake a full sheet pan of pie dough or brise. Making sure to go up the sides of the pan and fill in any cracks or holes. In mixer cream the cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla until combined. Scrape well before you add the eggs. Pour in pan and bake until somewhat just set. Basically touch the cheesecake mixture and pull out when the top is set about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat corn syrup and brown sugar in microwave until somewhat liquid, but not hot. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Set aside and pull out pan out of oven. Very gently pour mixture on top of cream cheese mix. Sprinkle pecans on top evenly and place back in oven until pecan mix is set. Cool. When cooled and ready to serve pour either ganache or a clear or apricot glaze on top and cut into bars. Easiest to cut when frozen. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Brownies/Bars ( RG1164 )

Majestic Flourless Chocolate Cake by Debra Diller I make this cake for the Majestic Cafe in Michigan, so I called it the Majestic Flourless cake. I have tried many flourless cakes and this one I believe is the best. It is really is enjoyed as a miniature because it is very rich. This recipe makes about 30-6 oz cups/cakes. oz 64% Chocolate (Valrhona or Noel) oz Unsalted Butter 1 pinch kosher salt 2 c Hot Water 1/2 oz Espresso powder (Magdelia d'oro) oz Sugar (#1) 18 lg eggs 9 oz sugar (#2) Preheat oven to 290 F. Melt Butter and Chocolate over double boiler until fully melted. Dissolve sugar #1 in hot water and add espresso powder. Buzz eggs with sugar #2 with immersion blender. Temper eggs into hot water mixture and buzz with immersion blender. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Buzz with immersion blender until smooth. Spray pans and place on a sheet tray or hotel pan. Fill pans with mixture and place in oven. Add water to pan to make a water bath. Rotate trays as needed for even baking. Depending on size of pan will determine length of baking. As my pastry chef says, bake it until it is done. Keywords: Dessert, Immersion Blender, Intermediate, Chocolate, Cake ( RG1163 )

Majestic Flourless Chocolate Cake by Debra Diller I make this cake for the Majestic Cafe in Michigan, so I called it the Majestic Flourless cake. I have tried many flourless cakes and this one I believe is the best. It is really is enjoyed as a miniature because it is very rich. This recipe makes about 30-6 oz cups/cakes. oz 64% Chocolate (Valrhona or Noel) oz Unsalted Butter 1 pinch kosher salt 2 c Hot Water 1/2 oz Espresso powder (Magdelia d'oro) oz Sugar (#1) 18 lg eggs 9 oz sugar (#2) Preheat oven to 290 F. Melt Butter and Chocolate over double boiler until fully melted. Dissolve sugar #1 in hot water and add espresso powder. Buzz eggs with sugar #2 with immersion blender. Temper eggs into hot water mixture and buzz with immersion blender. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Buzz with immersion blender until smooth. Spray pans and place on a sheet tray or hotel pan. Fill pans with mixture and place in oven. Add water to pan to make a water bath. Rotate trays as needed for even baking. Depending on size of pan will determine length of baking. As my pastry chef says, bake it until it is done. Keywords: Dessert, Immersion Blender, Intermediate, Chocolate, Cake ( RG1163 )

Caramelized Onion Dip for the Arteries by Debra Diller This recipe I varied from Ina Garten's recipe. It is not any bit healthier, but I get asked to make it for every party. Vidalia onions make this dip awesome, so if you can find them use it! 1 tsp sugar 2 Vidalia Onions 4 T Unsalted Butter 1/4 c Vegetable Oil 1/2 tsp Smoked red cayenne (dried) 1 T kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/2 c sour cream 1/2 c mayonaise Cut up onions into thin slices and cut those into three. Basically you are cutting the onions so they are not tiny, but not so long that you can't dip them. With your skillet on the stove add oil and butter and turn on the stove to medium. Add onions to hot pan and season with pepper, salt, red pepper and sugar. Toss onions in pan and turn down to low. Cook until carmelized about 1/2 hour. Cool onions to about room temp. I use a stand mixer next, but you could do this by hand in a medium bowl. Mix together softened cream cheese until creamy and add sour cream and mayo. Add carmelized onions and blend until combined. Season to taste and transfer to desired serving bowl. Serve with potato chips. Keywords: Appetizer, Stand Mixer, Intermediate, Snack, Dip ( RG1162 )

Caramelized Onion Dip for the Arteries by Debra Diller This recipe I varied from Ina Garten's recipe. It is not any bit healthier, but I get asked to make it for every party. Vidalia onions make this dip awesome, so if you can find them use it! 1 tsp sugar 2 Vidalia Onions 4 T Unsalted Butter 1/4 c Vegetable Oil 1/2 tsp Smoked red cayenne (dried) 1 T kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/2 c sour cream 1/2 c mayonaise Cut up onions into thin slices and cut those into three. Basically you are cutting the onions so they are not tiny, but not so long that you can't dip them. With your skillet on the stove add oil and butter and turn on the stove to medium. Add onions to hot pan and season with pepper, salt, red pepper and sugar. Toss onions in pan and turn down to low. Cook until carmelized about 1/2 hour. Cool onions to about room temp. I use a stand mixer next, but you could do this by hand in a medium bowl. Mix together softened cream cheese until creamy and add sour cream and mayo. Add carmelized onions and blend until combined. Season to taste and transfer to desired serving bowl. Serve with potato chips. Keywords: Appetizer, Stand Mixer, Intermediate, Snack, Dip ( RG1162 )

Bread Pudding cabin style by Debra Diller This recipe I made for a crowd for our dinner night at the yearly family reunion. Makes 4 Lasagna aluminum pans (can buy at any grocery store) or can be made in two full length hotel pans or whatever vessel you choose. Variations I usually make are rum raisin (use spiced bacardi rum) and chocolate. Caramel apple, any other booze and your own creation are also easily acceptable. Oven needs to be set at around 325-350 F depending on your altitude. Timing on this varies on how dry your bread is but is around an hour. I usually press on the top and it is done when no actual liquid oozes. Very technical I know... 2 qt 2% or Whole Milk 2 qt Heavy Cream 3 T Cinnamon 1 Vanilla Bean scraped 24 (lg) eggs 6 Loaves of Brioche or other bread 28 oz sugar Preheat oven to 350 F. Put pan in bottom of oven with water. Often all I have available to use at the cabins is a broiler pan. Fill pan 3/4 full with Hot water and put in bottom of oven. Combine all ingredients in pitcher or large bowl except bread. Use an immersion blender to combine. Use 2T vanilla if you do not have a bean, otherwise use the bean seeds and save pod for other recipes (you can put in spice grinder to use as "vanilla bean"). Set mixture aside. Cut up bread or bread items (pound cake, sourdough, pull apart bread works well) into about 1 inch cubes. Divide bread into 4 pans to "measure". Have a bowl aside to toss bread with desired ingredient. When you take the bread out of the pans to toss, spray these pans with Pam or equivilent spray. Also can use butter if available. If using chocolate (I use about 3 pounds chocolate for two pans) melt chocolate first. Toss bread with ingredients of choice and press in pans. Pour liquid ingredients over pans and do not cover the top or fill liquid to top of bread. This gives a crunch for texture. Bake until when you press on the mixture that no liquid comes out about 45 min to an hour usually, depending on the altitude you are baking at. Rotate pans at least once during baking to make sure it is even. Serve warm with ice cream or creme anglaise Keywords: Pudding, Dessert, Easy, Immersion Blender ( RG1161 )

Bread Pudding cabin style by Debra Diller This recipe I made for a crowd for our dinner night at the yearly family reunion. Makes 4 Lasagna aluminum pans (can buy at any grocery store) or can be made in two full length hotel pans or whatever vessel you choose. Variations I usually make are rum raisin (use spiced bacardi rum) and chocolate. Caramel apple, any other booze and your own creation are also easily acceptable. Oven needs to be set at around 325-350 F depending on your altitude. Timing on this varies on how dry your bread is but is around an hour. I usually press on the top and it is done when no actual liquid oozes. Very technical I know... 2 qt 2% or Whole Milk 2 qt Heavy Cream 3 T Cinnamon 1 Vanilla Bean scraped 24 (lg) eggs 6 Loaves of Brioche or other bread 28 oz sugar Preheat oven to 350 F. Put pan in bottom of oven with water. Often all I have available to use at the cabins is a broiler pan. Fill pan 3/4 full with Hot water and put in bottom of oven. Combine all ingredients in pitcher or large bowl except bread. Use an immersion blender to combine. Use 2T vanilla if you do not have a bean, otherwise use the bean seeds and save pod for other recipes (you can put in spice grinder to use as "vanilla bean"). Set mixture aside. Cut up bread or bread items (pound cake, sourdough, pull apart bread works well) into about 1 inch cubes. Divide bread into 4 pans to "measure". Have a bowl aside to toss bread with desired ingredient. When you take the bread out of the pans to toss, spray these pans with Pam or equivilent spray. Also can use butter if available. If using chocolate (I use about 3 pounds chocolate for two pans) melt chocolate first. Toss bread with ingredients of choice and press in pans. Pour liquid ingredients over pans and do not cover the top or fill liquid to top of bread. This gives a crunch for texture. Bake until when you press on the mixture that no liquid comes out about 45 min to an hour usually, depending on the altitude you are baking at. Rotate pans at least once during baking to make sure it is even. Serve warm with ice cream or creme anglaise Keywords: Pudding, Dessert, Easy, Immersion Blender ( RG1161 )

I think you lucked out on the mums. Took a wedding cake class and thought they were one of the easiest flowers. If you pick up a cake decorating book they should have it in there. You will need a nail (looks like a long screw with a flat disk on top) and that tip matsu mentioned. A leaf tip is good too. I like to make my own out of a parchment bag though. What people don't tell you when using a nail is have a bunch of little parchment squares a tiny bit bigger than the nail surface (top flat one). You dab on a tiny bit of buttercream, plop on the parchment and then make your flower. Then you can transport it to the fridge to set up fully before moving it to your cake. This is especially great if using real buttercream. For the mum you basically do the inside out in a total of about a 1" diameter circle with that tip with touching the tip to the nail squeeze, stop and pull up. I am sure you could master it in less than an hour, just practicing. Fall colors are fun too with striping your bag. You just have to stripe the bag in the middle to get the tip a different color.

Unfortunately, I have to make one of them non alcoholic because of some AA people at the reunion... The Mexican one sounds wonderful though! I have a wide variety of picky vs. non picky people too. If it were me I would load on the alcohol because that adds great flavor. Mmmmmm burbon! Does anyone have any more "bread items" they like to throw in that gives it that french "I don't know what" ?

I have heard of just using bread, croissants, leftover donuts etc. I am leaving this weekend for my husband's yearly family reunion and I am making my bread pudding again. The first time I made rum raisin, "regular" or as I called it "vanilla" and chocolate. The group is growing and is now around 25 people. I am sticking to rum raisin and chocolate and serving with ice cream. I really can't do too much since we will be in cabins in the mountains of California (June Lake, CA) and I only have a 1/2 size gas stove. I know you usually serve creme anglaise, but I am not packing my equipment on a plane and we only have small pots available in the cabin. I buy the "betty homemaker" lasagna pans for the bread pudding and it turns out great. So down to the question. I stop at a bakery and regular grocery store on the way and buy my breads etc, but wondering what fun things you all put into your bread pudding? I have a good recipe, so not looking too much on that, but if you have any additional flavors you love please share! Thanks!

Sometimes when it gets to be so hot (or just for a different approach) we do "fake cakes", you know styrofoam with fondant covering it and decorated. On the side for the cake, you can then do anything you want. Possibly a stacked cake in an extention mold in a sheet pan to do something different than just a sheet cake. Chocolate butter cake with raspberry chocolate cream and creme brulee filling with meringue was our last one that we did. The possibilities are endless and these you can have refrigerated in the back.

One club chef I knew said that it seemed all older people wanted was brownies with icecream. You could do a rich chewy brownie layered with cream with candied cashews (had to throw that one in because my grandpa loved cashews) with icecream. At any rate I wouldn't do "new flavors" such as basil strawberry.

Oh my goodness Mel, you have to tell me/us more! I get to the end and then where is the rest!?!!!!! Shoot, hoping you tell us more of your blog for tonight's edition. I am assuming you got the place in question, but wondering where it is and what you called it. It sounds like you did your homework for everything so I know you are going to be great!

I was in a bind for time meaning I only had less than 3 days to do it. (Had to work Friday and Saturday before). I bought a block of clay actually. I kind of free shaped the clay to about 1/2 inch thick and a bit wider than the frame. Then I laid out plastic wrap over the clay and lightly pressed at first into the frame. Pulling up the frame I realized that I needed to press harder so I put the sheet pan with clay down on the floor and pressed down as hard as I could. Literally. After pressing, I grabbed up the clay on the middle and the outsides so that the chocolate wouldn't spill out. This is what took the longest. I then lifted the frame out carefully not to lift any part of the plastic wrap. Brushed my mold with the color dust and tempered my chocolate. The only thing I should have done is do a tube of chocolate rather than making another mold of the kickstand for the frame, becuase it wouldn't stand how I put it up. Next time I would probably try to get a silicone mold a few weeks in advance, but sometimes the ideas come when you least expect it.

Nope Jerry, no ideas yet. They are planning a June 2005 wedding and haven't really done much thinking about the cake. They got engaged last month so I will bug them later in the year for thoughts I guess. I am actually excited to do it though. My only major problem is that I am a bridesmaid(en) too and thinking that someone whom I do not know will have to deliver it.

I recently had the great opportunity to participate in a Felchlin seminar. Maricaibo (sp?) was some wonderful stuff. I think my favorite I tasted was the dark chocolate double cream. Sorry, had to wipe the drool off my lip there... My cheaper favorite right now is Noel's 58.5%. Dark, but slightly on the milk side and just nice mouth feel. We use it in Forte's chocolate mousse cake. Back to Felchlin. You know it was weird. I tasted the pistoles of the dark chocolate and I second the person who said it just wouldn't melt in my mouth. BUT!, when tempered and used directly or in a recipe it was so worth the work because it had a different mouth feel that was super once tempered. We made prailines and truffles as well as plated desserts and larger plated presentations using various recipies. Great Lakes Gourmet, and my recent find Midwest Imports have great people. They want your business as a consumer and customer. At least that is what I got the impression of when meeting some of their people. Not schmoozing, just telling you all what I experienced is all.