artisanbaker

in case you're interested they own artesa winery in carneros

bell looked really really bad but trefethen said it could take up to 2 weeks of flooding

for napa: come to the model bakery in st. helena. the pain au levain baguette will set you back $2.50 but it's worth it. view from artesa winery is good and wine won't break the bank picnic lunch at oakville grocery (voir crab cake) dinner at zuzu napa or something like that...

echire is zee best

molds can be purchased at sur la table or you might try your local artisan bakery. panettone without the fruit: you might need to make the dough a little dryer since the fruit contribute a lot of body. another product might be more suitable like la mouna.

nielson massey makes vanilla powder that would be good for you

excellent service/food/wine/dessert wonderful "sofa" seat next to the real fire was a treat. would like to know how they got the candles lit on the "canoe log" suspended in the center of the dining room. only critique is they need to make sure their white truffles are of *utmost* quality to expect people to feel like they are getting their money's worth. they weren't "top." one plus is that everything you see on the menu can be made; even if it's on part of the tasting menu. that's pretty cool i thought. edit: just read southern girls post above saying that the candles are "faux." is suspected that but i was fooled!

most people's opinons of this are in agreement: it's dry and not that good. some natives claim that it is just our "taste" in pastry, but i'm not convinced. for a mouth watering recipe see the pro book alain ducasse desserts recipe. i made it to decent success in with tennessee clientele

i don't know if it would qualify as inventive but just take your pick at any of the high end restaurants around the vieux port of Marseille. i can still taste the freshness of the seafood. definately one of my best meals EVER. i'd be happy to supply specifics for those interested.

take the mulled wine idea as mentioned above and make a reduction (use a good fruity napa cab like Screaming Eagle

Surely there are loopholes to "full disclosure" of one's real identity, therefore rendering it impossible to eliminate anonymity from cyberspace. Moot point? -Robert Alexander

I might add that Blankiet in Yountville is arguably the "hottest" winery in Yountville, but I don't think they offer tastings.

The bread at the Model Bakery isn't too bad so I'm told...

I might recommend Staglin in Rutherford for wine quality and and Vine Cliff for excellent wines with a gourgeous estate. Artesa for wonderful views of Carneros. Try for appointments at Spottswoode, Neal (Howell Mountain), Marston, Neyers, Paloma. I don't know a lot about wine but maybe that could get some wheels turning.

La Toque in Rutherford but I cannot personally vouch for their quality. see site for more info/past menus

I've been to Brasserie Flo once and had a wonderful experience.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=48961&hl= check this thread out also see the compagnon patissier at douceurs de france

you should be able to refridgerate it for a week no prob you can bake muffin batters directly from the freezer

Pro bakers tend to use dry milk in recipes to save precious fridge space and to aid in liquid temperature calculations. Cold milk can throw off the temperature and creates another factor to take into consideration when aiming for a specific "Desired Dough Temperature." One other advantage to using the powder is for mise en place. One can weight the milk into a container with the other dry ingredients (including instant yeast) and just add the water for mixing. I've also heard of the enzyme interference but have never heated milk for this reason or used heated milk powder. Note: most fresh buttermilk contains enough salt to cause a slowed activity. I've reduced the salt amount to 1.8% the flour weight quantities with perfect results.

SiseFromm: Redd may be open by that time. On Washington in Yountville.

the walk in at the TFL is kept clean and the kitchen in general is kept remarkably clean

i use one to heat up brick ovens to bake bread with, but it probably closer to a blow torch

i've seen the above mentioned people at trade shows and they have a dazzling array of products like what you are looking for but you might want to try http://www.ungerco.com/ as a second option

I went thanks to an invitation, so since I was not a "participant" I did not stay long. What impressed me the most was the concentration of pastry/bakery professionals that one could meet. As mentioned, networking opportunity.

Thomas Haas did the nougat demo. It was a cool event from what little I saw, and I would say that from a networking standpoint that it would be worth attending.