Lkfarkas

Oooooh, I want to cry! My starter that I've had for quite some time has gone...off. Help! I moved from Indiana to Florida about 7 weeks ago. My starter was babied all along the way, being careful not to expose it to too much heat. However, it's gone...icky...now. It gets a dark colored hooch on top of it, and smells of nailpolish remover?!? It'll still bubble....I've dumped out almost all of it and "started over" with just a bit, but it still goes off-smelling once it's fermenting again. Please help...have I lost my starter? Or...what? Thanks!

These are savory little hand-pies. They're a bit like an empanada, only they're not masa-based. They're more of a pie-crust type of dough, deep fried, and filled with either Gouda, chicken/raisins/spices, or beef of some sort. Aruba has a very large Dutch influence...not sure if these are Dutch, or not. However, they're SO good, and I want some help recreating one. Can anyone help?

When I do samples, I use portion cups (small plastic cups, with lids). I ice a sheet cake, cut them into small sample pieces, put them into the cups, squirt a little filling on the side, and lid them. I slap a sticker w/my company info on the lid, and chuck 'em in a box. Heck, I've even frozen them. They don't dry out. They don't get confused with other people's samples, and they feel strange about taking 50 of them apiece. They stack nicely for display, and they transport nicely, and I don't have to have anyone serving them. Never once had a complaint about my samples - and now the other vendors are doing them that way too. For dummies, I do several contemporary cakes, and a traditional one or two. I have several photo albums, a "consultation request form", brochures, biz cards, etc. on the tables. I usually have my laptop running a powerpoint slideshow hooked to a TV (our booth gets PACKED cuz we do cakes, and catering.) so that people can see our photos/get our info w/out coming into our booth to see the albums/talk to us. I also find that setting tables into a "U" shape, versus the standard "table across the front" works nicer. People feel invited to come into the "u" and interact, versus stopping at the front table, which can be initmidating. More later as I think of them!

I have that book! Yay! Thanks!

Thank you everyone! What great suggestions. I'm going to look at the links as well, and see what's there. Yay, thanks again!

I have a friend who wants something pineapple-y, and being that I'm "the baker" he knows, I'd like to make it something fabulous beyond the usual upside down cake. Under the circumstances, it should be something home-y, perhaps a bread, cookie, or cake concoction. What'cha got that you LOVE? I also have some really great dried pineapple (i never thought there was such a a thing until I found this!), and would love some ideas on how to utilize it, short of sticking it straight in the gob, which is where it's been going. Thanks!

I remember having some amazing black & white cookies from NY once - they were soft, cakey, and wonderful. However, all the ones I see at the bakeries are hard, or the icing is awful... We have a lot of East coast kids that come to our shop, and I'd love to offer a great b&w cookie...anyone have a good recipe to share?

*gasp* Jackal...I had no idea! Thanks!

Please help! I've been working with a homemade starter from The KA bread book. I used to make some pretty spiffy bread with it, but lately, I've just ended up with sophisticated smelling hockey pucks. What am I doing wrong? I've been using the KA recipe. I mix my starter & water, pour that into my ap & ww flour. Mix, wait 20 min, add salt. Rise 1 hour, fold, rise another hour. Divide into 2, shape, rise 2 hours, bake. I either end up with some big holes at the top of my loaf, or just tiny holes all over - but both end up way too dense & not risen enough. I usually feed my starter the night before I make my dough, and then make my dough that next morning. Perhaps my oven hasn't been hot enough? I usuaully turn it to 450 F about a half hour before baking....perhaps it should be longer? *Sigh* Edited to add: I usually feed it about 1 c. ap flour and a scant cup water. Help! Thanks, ~Lisa

Ooh. I think that's a good guess. Hrm. I did notice that my starter seems a bit thicker, and when I fed it today, I added a bit more water. Also, I'm in the middle of making a loaf, and the dough seems heavier in texture, too. Grrr. Can't blame the starter, though - my scale went nuts in the middle of weighing my flour. *sigh* So, I think I've got too much flour in there. Anyway...thanks for the "guess"!

What happened to my starter? I had a great starter going, had it in the fridge for awhile, brought it out, fed it for a week or two (daily), and then one day fed it with whole wheat flour. (I was out of AP) Since then (probably a week or two?), I've fed it with AP. It's not as active as it was - bubbles come, smells okay, but it's not frothy, nor does it have bubbles actively rising to the surface & breaking. I do have bubbles - but they're not "bubbling", if that makes any sense. It smells okay, but just doesn't get "puffy". What gives? I did dump out a good bit of it, and did replenish with plenty of AP flour.....what happened? Thanks!

Maybe not what you're after, at all...but what about styrofoam? I mean, if it's just a symbol, and not a functional dessert......what about a dummy cake? Desserts (or, otherwise) can be served seperately - fresh fruit & SF pudding, etc....?

Nice work. You did well with the fondant application - no puckers (or at least that we can see, which is worth that much anyway!) at the bottoms, nice job with the "appliques", and good use of the lace molds. Nice work - for a first timer especially!

We make the supernatural brownies at the shop, and oh. my. goodness. are they good! Give them a try!

We've been having a very hard time w/the macarons at the shop. I can do them very well at home (thanks to everyone here!), but our baker is struggling. I'm guessing that it's got to do with the fact that she's grinding her own almonds (in the robo coup) that don't get fine enough, and that they're using the convection oven. Does anyone else succeed at these with the convection? Hers are very thin, crunchy, and "empty" inside. Any ideas?