Skwerl
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Posts posted by Skwerl
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Did I miss it or has no one posted a traditional cutout butter cookie recipe? I think it is very important to add to the EGullet Christmas Cookie Book 2003. I used to have a very nice, rich recipe, but lost it a few years ago. it makes me wish I had made them more often than just in December so I would have memorized the recipe!
Josh
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I'm not sure if it would screw it up or not. I don't mind making it a bit more dense at all, I'd just like to make it taste a bit better. The end result will be enrobed in couverture or will be a filling. I like the texture of marshmallow, but I am a bit dissatisfied with the flavor. I'm just trying to find something to enrich the final result. As for flavorings, I have tried kirsch which was okay, and orange flower water, which made the marshmallow taste like detergent. *cough*
Josh
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Is there an additive you guys can suggest to give marshmallows a more rich flavor? The recipe I use only uses glucose, sugar, and egg whites. Is there soomething (besides vanilla) that you have added to give the marshmallow a more decadent flavor?
Thanks,
Josh
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I bought a Gold Medal EconoFloss model of professional cotton candy machine a few years ago. I think it was only $500-550 and does a wonderful job. You do not have to use special floss sugars in the machine, but using anything else will cause the heating element ribbon to carbonize more quickly. Floss sugar is dirt cheap if you take the time to bargain-hunt. You can flavor your own, but again, you risk carbonizing the ribbon more quickly. You also have to be very careful of what you use to flavor it, as some things will make the machine smoke and the cotton candy will have a burnt flavor. It's a touchy thing to get the element at the right temperature to melt the sugar properly but not burn it when you add your own flavors. I've found it is best to just go with the preflavored sugars unless you don't mind replacing the ribbon after experimenting. A word of advice: Generally professional cotton candy machines are NOT for use inside a household. When I first got mine, I was so excited that I opened the boxes and started making it right in the kitchen. Within ten minutes, my cabinets were covered with green sugar and the smoke alarms were going off from all the tiny (microscopic) sugar particles in the air. If you are planning on using this in a non-restaurant environment, be sure you purchase a bubble top for the machine or make some sort of enclosure or you will have quite a mess. If you are interested, I will go find out where I bought my machine and floss sugar. If you want to try an alternative, albeit a more complicated one, you can make spun sugar. It's not soft like cotton candy, but you can achieve a similar gossamer effect for plating desserts. You can search the internet for specifics on how to do it, but you basically just boil sugar to the right temperature and dip a couple forks or a whisk with the bottoms of the loops cut off into the stuff and fling it around. You'll end up with a mass of sugar "hairs" that you can shape into whatever you like.
Josh Usovsky
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Now I'm really curious about this stuff! "Agave! You'll know it's working when your tongue tingles and your throat starts to burn!" Gee, doesn't that sound like a delightful dimension to add to our pastry creations? If you numb the customer's tongues, it will remove the burden of making things taste good. Now we'll be able to load that lemon curd with gelatin and make towers out of it! Or better yet, forget the lemon curd and just use the gelatin. Somehow, life after the agave pastry revolution doesn't sound all that fun after all... :)
--JU
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Jason, you might be a pioneer in the agave meringue field. I've never heard of using agave in anything but tequila and juices. Do you have a supplier that sells in relatively small amounts? You're probably going to just have to get some of the agave sugar early and experiment. I'd be interested in playing with the stuff too, since it might have some cool properties in the way that isomalt behaves differently than sucrose.
Josh Usovsky
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Steve, thanks for the great reply. I appreciate the information. I've ordered from Canada before and had to pay tarriffs to UPS (on top of shipping charges) of about 10% of the total price. That was for $600 in computer cases. I'm not sure whether or not it would be the same for baking supplies or for orders smaller than that. I've never had a problem with delivery speed.
Nightscotsman, I am glad you mentioned the single pans with the stiffeners. That's a wonderful idea. More often than I would like to admit, I have filled mine after forgetting to put it on a sheet first.
Mckayinutah, I agree that Kerekes is a great place to buy the molds. I've ordered from them quite a few times and every order has gone smoothly. I just received my latest order from them this morning which includes a gem-shaped Gastroflex. This is going to be a fun day! Hehe.
Josh Usovsky
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The Silicone Flex molds look just like my Gastroflex molds. That's a very good price on those. I just bought a handful more from Kerekes a few days ago. I'll have to order more from Canada now! Man, do I ever love those things...
Josh Usovsky
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Yes, they're about twice the size. I've only used the Gastroflex ones and I've found that only fairly light mixtures work well in the larger molds. Very dense mixtures flatten the bottoms of the large Gastoflex molds, so I am wondering if the Demarles are constructed with a thicker or stiffer silicone or if there is another reason why they are about twice* as much as the Gastros.
Josh Usovsky
*If you take size into consideration, otherwise, the sheets are four times the price
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Hi guys. I'm sure some of you have used both Gastroflex and the DeMarle Flexipans so I thought I'd ask if anyone has found a noticeable difference in performance and quality since the Flexipans are about twice the price of the Gastroflex ones (Four times the price, actually, but they are twice as big). Also, I've had problems with some of the large shapes flattening on the bottom when I bake or freeze heavier mixtures in them. Has anyone finnagled some sort of hanging rack or something to combat this?
Thanks,
Josh Usovsky
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I would like to branch out and try some different brands and varieties of chocolate, so I thought I would start a conversation and ask for your opinions on which brands and/or varieties of chocolate you like to use. I've only used a couple Callebaut darks and a delicious Valrhona lactee that I have bought locally. I'm also curious as to how many of you stick with one brand for everything or if you use different brands for different purposes. What is a good multi-purpose chocolate? Which chocolate do you feel has the most interesting or distinctive flavor? What else do you have to say on the subject? :)
Josh Usovsky
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De-ghettoize? Are you suggesting that pastry chefs who carry a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other should drop both? *laugh* Or should pastry chefs unite and go on strike until the architects and artists of the sweet course get the recognition and pay they deserve? I think the TV Food Network is doing a lot for the field by showing the NPTC and Torres so that people can see the work ("...the agony of pastry...") that actually goes into it. Every time I tell someone I am into pastry, they always say, "Oh, so you can make cinnamon rolls and Danishes?" or cheesecake. That term, "pastry," has been perverted into a Wal-Mart word. I would venture to say that 90% of the world doesn't know about life outside the cake mix. I wish there were a way to persuade more people to go out *just* for dessert. To me, it makes more sense to go to a fine restaurant and spend $10-15 on a masterfully crafted dessert than $35+ for a savory meal consisting of a slab of meat, the same old garlic mashed potatoes, and a couple mini carrots. Maybe it only makes sense to me because I'm into it, but I think the world could see the light. If restaurants start seeing more sales and interest in dessert, the pay and stature will surely rise in proportion. Spread the news- Pastry rocks!
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Homemade Marshmallows: Recipes & Tips (Part 1)
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Fresh and tasty, eh? Mine were fresh, but not very tasty. I tried flavoring some with orange flower water, and they DID taste just like detergent. Cheers, Nightscotsman! :) Betts, would you mind posting your recipe here in the forum? I used Friberg's and just found it a little bland. Thanks in advance!
Josh Usovsky