PastryLady

I, like probably many others have kind of watched this thread take flight and see where it would end up. Part of me thought, "well, this is just out of my league" and then another part of me though of some ideas... How do you make this appetizing? My big question is: "How is this going to be presented?" I have seen and not been to one of these type of chef events. I wish I could cut and paste all of the things said that I have agreed with, but here are a few: Michael, I have not truly gone to the ends of the earth myself on the savory/sweet palate, so you could call me a newbie to this, but I actually love your roe/egg plan. To me I have to branch outside of the "box" or my mind to concentrate on flavors of potential. Agreeing with F.G. that Cheese with the Roe would be wonderful, even if only mascarpone. I now understand that there is this whole world out there of potential. From your post on what you are "restricted" to For each course, does each of the above items need to have then two different items (one from each chef?)? Just trying to get a feel for the event. I am going to keep reading and get a feel for this, but wanted to let you know there are probably many out there getting ideas and reading, but may be just lurking since it seemed "out there" at first, but is narrowing its focus some. BTW I can see your Zinfandel sauce with crab easily. When is this event? Just looking at your deadline here. I thought you had mentioned something in October, but unsure if this was a seperate occasion. I was writing this over a period of time and forgot to put this question in for you.. Are you only going to be presenting the menu as being the 5 ingredients or are you going to give descriptions of the items as presented? I imagine some explanation is going to take place, but wondered how far you would go in presenting the item. Also, what is the atmosphere? How many people will you be serving? I am not trying to tie down anything, just getting a better grasp.

I worked with a Chef that had a muscadine reduction sauce. Can't remember now what it went with, but thinking a dessert with creme.

In class last night we got the opportunity to use a good airbrush machine. She said she paid about $300 for it though. While I had a lot of fun with it and momentarily felt like an art-ist with the pen type wand I was wondering if there was a good brand/model out there that is a little cheaper. Is there anything good in the low 100s for airbrush? Just thinking I would have to get the colors too specifically for airbrush as well. Also, besides cakes and chocolate designs, can people post on their experiences of using airbrush for pastries/desserts? We have a very small (read cheap/basic) airbrush from the can at the bakery and use it very sparingly on miniatures and some desserts/cakes. Looking for new ideas as well.

How did I just find out about this?!!!!! Can other's access the wish list like a registry? Just curious. This is hilarious!!!! Mmmm Cracklings Texas Sheet cake is awesome. My grandmother makes a wonderful lemon sheet cake, the kind you bake, poke holes in and drizzle sweetened lemon juice/glaze over the top. I have a great recipe for carrot cake too, but alas it is also under copyright. Please pm me if you would like me to share. My favorite thing (not really a cake, but type of pudding) is bread pudding with rum raisin ice cream and warm rum raisins on top.

I moved from Washington State (apple mecca) and miss all the varities that I used to get. I finally found a great apple in Michigan that I love. It is a red apple that has the texture of a granny smith, and a mixture of flavor somewhat like a Gala and golden delicious combo Region: Midwest, Michigan Apple: Southern Rose My favorites used to be Jonagold, but can't find them here. You never know what you are missing until you leave

O.k. so I guess I can't figure you out. I would say though you probably had a bad dark chocolate, via candy bar, bloomed, bad combo or just not high quality. I would say for you to try a 60% range and you would like it more though. I don't like dark chocolate if it is cold. Sometimes you will get a combo that has something cold with dark chocolate. To me it has to be tempered and room temp for me to like dark chocolate. Melts better on the tongue. The doctored up coffee to me says that you prefer the milk anyways. The regular black coffee is really bitter, and your palate may not be able to discern this bitter with a chocolate bitter. Probably too hard to explain in words, but since you have black coffee what I presume every day, most times those people like a sweeter chocolate rather than a bitter. My dad only liked black coffee and had to have milk chocolate. Of course with most women, we will take any chocolate that comes before us (I don't like white "chocolate" though).

I should also mention that many people at home mix their doughs too much. This takes out some of the flakiness (think pie dough). When using unsalted butter, most recipies will have a listing for salt on the side. You are dealing with chemistry of taste when baking and this is a step (using unsalted butter) that comes in when doing so.

Claire, you want to use unsalted butter instead of salted. Salted butter should (in my opion) only be used for buttering bread etc and not for pastries. Often your end product can be too salted and the butter may be old as salt is a preservative. They also add color to salted butter (also to disguise age) and your product would possibly have a darker color than using unsalted butter. Have a great time with your recipies!

Save them for me!!!! I used to like only milk chocolate, but my tastes changed. I love dark chocolate, but some people have bad "experiences" with dark, so they just don't like them. You said you like bitter coffee. Do you add cream, sugar or both? Why I ask is how I can sometimes tell if you may like a medium %. If you are the type that adds a ton of sugar and a ton of cream, you may only be a milk chocolate lover. Don't worry, there are people like that. Even if I think it is weird, I won't call you a freak. I would say give a good brand/type of dark chocolate a try first before you fix your mind up as a dark chocolate "hater" though. I have tried the chocolate that Michael spoke of and I believe you might like that. It was very smooth.

Sweet potato with cinnamon and clove as possibly a mousse, with orange carmel sauce. I love the hot and cold on one plate deal and know others do. Already mentioned this on ravi post : wild strawberry sorbet with cracked black pepper Portobello/carmelized onion with marscapone/creamcheese Michael, do you have an idea of what the savory chef has in mind?

Mmmmmm Michael, you got me thinking about Thanksgiving cranberry already!!! Pop it out of the can so you still can see the rings and slice. Yum! Sounds great with a dark chocolate sauce (the dulce. Well, I guess you could do either with choc. sauce). Question along same topic : Has anyone tried this with the reduced fat or even fat free types??? Just wondering if you get the same result or possibly a lighter testure/taste

In school we use Plugra for only buttery items that you would taste it in. Definately shortbread would be great, but I personally wouldn't waste the money on chocolate chip cookies, unless that is if you have a dynamite recipe you would like to share . Mostly we use it at the bakery in croissants and short doughs. Where you need the direct results of high quality butter with the extra butter fat. I am sure it would make your cookies taste better. Wow, I need to go to a Trader Joe's because regular plain ol' 1# of butter at Kroger's is usually about $3.50 and I have seen Plugra for $5 or more a # in MI. I know of one, but it is a bit far from my house. Maybe after work some time. Sorry to babble. Please share your recipe if you would like. Epicurious.com has some good recipies. I checked them out a while back. Do some searches, you may find a good one. They have some good chocolate recipies.

Sorry, nightscotsman, had a john denver song stuck in my head today and thought of the Rockies. I am a Michigan transplant of 4 years now. I think the middle "syllable" is just pronounced because people from Washington and Oregon speak slower too. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. BTW, can you picture Americans competing for France?! I can only picture many people from France rolling over in their graves before that would ever happen.

My chef used to put his in the club's dishwasher. The polyeurithane (sp?) shoes have birk inserts that you would remove and you could hose them down or whatever. Think of those silicone spatulas. That is what the shoe is made of (these are the kind I have). It may seem weird, but especially if you work in a bakery, it will prove to be a valuable feature :D

Most schools require that you have a closed shoe on the toe area and that is pretty much it besides getting black. Get what is comfortable. I like to walk around for 1/2 the day and then try on shoes as well, then your feet are a tad swollen, worn and you can judge a comfy shoe for yourself no problem

Kevin, this looks awesome! Thanks for posting this for me (and others)!!!!!!!!! I wasn't able to go to the show this year, but it is definately on my need list for next year. A friend of mine went and got to speak to Torres briefly about his work and the show. she has a picture to prove it She cracks me up. I love that mold with the woman in the arch pose. Hopefully they don't think she is shoplifting all the time. Unfortunately, it sounds like copyright problems too.

The visual just cracks me up. I keep thinking of a cake shaped like a ham on a rotissire with little rings around it like a tree. We make marzipan logs at the bakery, but sadly no baumkuchen. I have a german pastry book I got in Austria, I will see if there is a recipe. Sorry, not fluent yet, but can pick out some words. Maybe I will wait to post in a few months after my class I am starting so I can 1/2 way translate.

BTW, Please when referring to Oregon, pronounce it : ORGAN

Sorry, I have to give my beef for the crappy Ecco shoes. I had them and they were fine for about the first week. After that, I would go home and literally walk around like, well, I looked like I was an old person after a long day. I just got my birkenstocks last week (birko-flor poly). Although they are clogs, they also have full shoe versions. Why are they so particular about specificially "lace up" kind? Honestly I hate lace up now because espcially in a bakery you get flour and possibly batters dropped on your shoes often and have to get a tooth brush or something to clean them. Birks website Here is a site to look at some styles anyways

Baumkuchen is considered a marzipan layer cake. Found this website for you for specifically gateau basque Mrs. London and here is another Les Halles Some places may consider this a "seasonal" thing though, so you may have better luck towards November/December.

I agree with Chefette on this. On my own opinion, I believe that Europe has a saturation of pastries and fine desserts. There are some places in Europe that have just good dessert/pastry, but in my opinion, most are pretty good and many are excellent. The US is definately a land of opportunity and especially a great medium to try out new things that maybe with the ranks of Escoffier didn't allow for new or inventive ideas to fully develop. Although you could possibly have the european title, to really make yourself known, come to the US, prove yourself and you can literally be published, get recognition, and feel the pleasure of teaching your craft. I speculate that also there is such a grunge society that calls plated desserts and pastries such elegant things everywhere in the US and they really are not. There are your mediocre restaurants presenting plated desserts that need work or some help at the least. It is an opportunity to teach the unskilled in proper technique, terminology and respect for dessert, pastry and the art that we all love. To me is is similar to the frustration when people talk about Oregon and they pronounce it Ore-gone. This just plain ticks me off and I feel I must educate people on the proper way to say the state that is so beautiful. I just believe it is not that they are tired of the European/French way, but excited for new opportunities.

At the bakery, we always use full sheet pans with a parchment. Turns out good. At home I always use my baking stone, and they turn out great. I rarely use the silpat at home unless doing a wet batter such as tuille or caramel tuille. Sometimes I hate the geometric grid that you get on the cookies as a result though. I used to use the airbake pans and they worked o.k., but nothing really fabulous about them honestly. Do you have an oven thermometer at home? I like to have two (one for each side of oven) to make sure the temp is the same. This also helps if your oven is a little hotter or cooler than the knob/digital readout says.

I am thinking that these are for those Christmas time anise flavored cookies. The dough is not very sticky and firm. Press mold in rolled dough and the cookies "rest" for many hours before baking to hold the shape in the cooler or room temp. I know it is a german name, but can't think of it right now. If someone knows the name of what I am talking about, please post as this might make me go mad today thinking of it.

Weinstein book looks good. Will have to put it on my want list (I have so many!). Worked at Ben & Jerry's for a summer God, I miss free tastings. Favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor that they unfortunately do not sell in stores is their fresh peach ice cream. How come I haven't seen that in restaurants? Mmmmmmm peach. I imagine if I went to Georgia or something I could find it.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought eggs were considered dairy (???) How the heck could you make tarts with out butter AND eggs? The crust is a short dough (butter and eggs used) and frangi has butter and eggs. I hate to think of margarine used. Also I would skip ice cream, because think of it. You are going to have to explain all night to every person that it doesn't have eggs or milk in it. Then, you will have to describe that it has soy milk... I deeply commend you for giving this a shot, but pastry with out the staples (sugar, butter, milk, eggs) is difficult in itself and hard to make palate appealing.