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merstar

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Posts posted by merstar

    Chocolate Question

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    “Dark Chocolate” is any chocolate that has no milk i.e. semi-sweet or bittersweet.

    I see. In that case, Hershey's Special Dark is not dark chocolate at all -- it lists milk, milk fat, and lactose as ingredients. Suprise, suprise. Maybe that's why Hershey's descibes it as a "less sweet" chocolate instead of a "dark chocolate."

    ETA: FWIW, according to this article, there is no FDA standard of identity for dark chocolate. So while most chocophiles might consider that dark chocolate means any chocolate without milk, that doesn't appear to be a universally understood definition. Certainly in my own every day experience, a lot of people seem to think that "dark" means "less sweet" or "higher cacao," irrespecive of milk content.

    Ghirardelli semi-sweet also contains milk fat.

    Brand Name vs Generic Flours?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I only use Gold Medal bleached all purpose flour for all of my cakes that call for AP flour.  I get good results and don't have any consistency problems with the cakes' texture and density. 

    I use Gold Medal AP also, but the unbleached. Have been using it for years with consistently good results.

    Home Made Ice Cream (2002–2012)

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Do you chill the custard until it's extremely cold, preferably overnight? If not, the custard is probably taking too long to freeze, and hence, the ice crystals.

    Also, is your ice cream canister being left in the freezer long enough before processing, and is your freezer cold enough? The minimum is 0 degrees F. Your ice cream maker should include guidelines on how long to freeze the canister according to how cold the freezer is. For example, with my ice cream maker (I have the Krups La Glaciere), I need to freeze the canister for at least 22 hours at 0 degrees, (although I usually freeze it longer, about 24 - 32 hours). For a colder freezer, the time would decrease accordingly.

    ISO Chocolate Gelato recipe

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I actually had quite a few conversations with Melissa when she was making her gelati. If you read her post, she mostly whipped hers with an electric mixer (if my memory serves me correctly) rather than turning it in an ice cream machine, and had mixed results, according to her.

    The recipe in Room For Dessert was one I made when Marcella Hazan came to eat in our restaurant.

    It's adapted from her recipe, and it's the best chocolate gelato I've ever had.

    David,

    Your gelato sounds great. Can't wait to try it!

    Thanks,

    Meryl

    Pasta Salad for Father's Day

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I agree with the others and wouldn't use 100% whole wheat pasta. However, if you're looking for something a little healthier than the typical pasta, Barilla puts out a line called "Barilla Plus," which is a mixture of semolina and various whole grains. It's excellent, so you might want to check that out.

    Here are two recipes that sound good:

    ANTIPASTO PASTA SALAD

    http://www.recipezaar.com/88585

    DELI-STYLE PASTA SALAD

    http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/salads/pas...yle-pasta1.html

    Packaged Cookies

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I rarely buy cookies anymore, since I prefer homemade, but for storebought, Le Petit Ecolier is one of the best.

    There used to be a Pepperidge Farm brownie cookie that was great, but of course they discontinued it. They also had a lemon nut cookie - don't know if it still exists. Love Social Teas dipped in hot tea.

    dessert for the mega-allergic

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Can she have soy products or nuts? If so, you could make a Vegan Key Lime Pie with silken tofu, and use an all nut crust with vegan/soy margarine. The only problem would be the sugar - you'd need some sort of sub.

    You could also make a peanut butter pie with tofu and a nut crust, but again, you'd need a sugar sub.

    Cooking and baking for those with severe food allergies intolerances/sensitivities

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    This is supposed to be excellent, although I haven't personally tried it. It was developed during WWII when eggs, milk, butter, etc. were rationed, and was called Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake. You can frost it with a Chocolate Water Glaze using bittersweet chocolate or with a glaze/icing of Dutched cocoa, confectioner's sugar, boiling water, and a little vanilla extract.

    Crazy Chocolate Cake

    http://www.recipezaar.com/53524

    Chocolate Water Glaze (Susan Purdy)

    http://www.recipezaar.com/89594

    Cake or Pie? Take your pick

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Cake all the way. It's luscious, sensual, satisfying, with endless combinations and variations. I prefer it to pie both texturally and taste-wise, and it allows for more creativity and originality. If I never ate another piece of pie, I wouldn't care, but I couldn't live without cake, especially when it's deep, dark and chocolatey. :)

    Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    A lovely lady on Egullet sent me a treasured lemon cake recipe, but my first attempt was rather disastrous, as it wasn't until I had all 3 cakes in the oven (it's a rather large recipe) that I realized I had forgotten the butter!  :wacko: While I did make 3 more lemon cakes WITH butter--they were delicious, btw!--I didn't want to throw away the other 3 cakes. (They were still edible and reasonably moist with all that buttermilk.)

    I cubed up 2 of the 3 butterless cakes, threw together a quick custard (eggs, lots of extra yolks, cream, and milk), and re-baked it.

    So here's my lemon pudding cake. (It tasted quite good! I'm so happy I was able to salvage it!  :laugh: )

    143083986_a53252ce70.jpg

    (The three cakes that were made properly are levelled and in the freezer, and will be served with lemon curd and Italian meringue later in the week.)

    Brilliant!

    Lemon/Lime/Citrus Curd: The Topic

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Thanks.  I ended up doubling the recipe and it filled just perfectly.  I must add that this Fine Cooking recipe lacked body.  I don't know why, but I found PH's lemon cream held together much better.  Perhaps I will have to add some gelatin next time, unless you guys have another solution.

    I must say that I glazed the top with a raspberry glaze with white chocolate stripes.  It had the wow factor, but being a perfectionist, I did like the lack of body.

    I made the Fine Cooking lemon curd a few years ago, and also found it to be too thin to hold up in a tart. Great taste, but definitely not enough body. After all the accolades, I thought perhaps my results weren't typical - glad you mentioned it.

    Chocolate Fudge Cake help

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I am looking for a recipe for a really tall, dense chocolate cake with dark, fudgy icing--much like the Cheesecake Factory fudge cake/blackout cake.

    My soon to be 4-year-old daughter wants this as her birthday cake.  Chocoholism starts young in our family!

    I've tried many cakes on the chocolate cake thread that I loved but they don't seem to fit the "fudge cake" bill.  Do you have a recipe that might be what I'm looking for? 

    Please don't make me sell my other child to pay for a Cheesecake Factory cake....

    If you're looking for a Blackout Cake, you might want to check out Wayne Harley Brachman's recipe from "Retro Desserts." It's gotten great reviews. Here's a link to one of the sites it's posted on: http://www.recipezaar.com/55861

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