jgarner53

I use Trader Joe's large Cage-Free eggs. The carton advertises no antibiotics, no hormones, and all-natural feed. The yolks are almost always a very deep yellow-orange, which gave me that lovely yellow (pale, buttery yellow) crumb.

I lost my tête! I made the middle class brioche, and made a dozen mini brioche à têtes and one large one (which, in retrospect, was a bit too large, but c'est la vie). Most of the minis lost their caps in the oven, turning into just high-domed mini brioches. And I thought I jammed the ball down in there good! (following the instructions in the Rich Man's Brioche). Here are photos, with some homemade strawberry jam alongside: And a close-up of the sacrificial mini (quality control, you know) Great buttery flavor and really fine texture to the crumb. I probably could have baked them all a few minutes longer to enhance the browning of the crust, but lesson to be learned for the next time.

I know that primarily I'll be working in pastry. The bread guys (who pull the 12-8 shift) do the bread that's done in-house, and there's a small viennoiserie department that handles the macarons, croissants, and all the lamination (yes, the puff pastry is made in-house) Pastry does all the tarts (fresh fruit tarts, lemon and lime meringue, chocolate caramel pecan, tarte tatin, goat cheese/fruit, probably others I can't think of), the cannelés, which are kind of their specialty, mini financiers, éclairs, St. Honoré, napoleons, etc. So those are the things I'll be working on. However, I do know that one of the reasons they hired someone is that vacations are lining up, and they need people to cover shifts, so I will likely be shuffled around and get to learn more about the croissants, savory things like the croque monsieurs, quiches, etc. I don't know if I'll be working bread at all.

Thanks for the advice, all. I know that the night before my tryout, I hardly slept at all. Even though I've never slept through an alarm in my life, there's some small part of my brain that doesn't know that, and I kept waking up and checking my clock. But I'm sure that once I get started, it will be easier to sleep, mostly because I'll be exhausted. Yes, I know this is going to make a big dent in my social life, especially since my husband has a conventional M-F job, so weekend getaways (as well as waffles on Sunday morning) will be a thing of the past. Once I'm settled into the job, I'll try to take some pictures of our pastry kitchen and products. Now, I just need to figure out the best way to get there and park (it's in a busy neighborhood where all the parking is either metered or on a 2-hour limit between 8 and 6. It's too far to walk, or ride a bike, and too early to bus (not to mention that I'd need to allow a full hour probably for the bus ride). But unless one of you knows of a George Jetson type car that I can fold up into a briefcase, I'm on my own with this challenge.

Usually, no. My husband and I do not have children, and our house is not equipped or prepared for children, and for dinner, I don't want to have my conversation interrupted by the kids every 10 seconds (either them asking a question or mom or dad having to intervene to keep the child out of trouble). These friends do have local family who babysit frequently, so it's not always the case of having to pay for a sitter; it's merely a matter of convenience to them to have us over.

I never thought I'd eat fish, raw or cooked, unless it was presented in breaded stick or patty form. Sushi in particular. I remember trying it at a Japanese friend's birthday party shortly after high school and not liking it at all. Leave it to my charming husband to get me to try it again years later. Now I can't get enough! There are probably lots of things I didn't like as a kid that I couldn't imagine eating as an adult, but that's the one that sticks out in my mind the most.

Just wanted to update you all. A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed for a job here (well, not at amazon, but at the boulangerie you see on the cover). I bought a new outfit so I could feel fresh and stylish. They told me they'd be needing someone in a few weeks, and would call me by then. I said that if I didn't hear anything from them by then, I'd call, but I didn't need to. They called me first, a week later, to invite me in for a tryout, which was yesterday (at 5am). And by the end of my tryout, they knew they wanted to offer me the job, and I enjoyed working with them. So this afternoon, they called to offer me the job officially! It's my first pastry job, outside of my internship, and it's at one of the best bakeries in San Francisco, creating product that I think is great, meshes well with my own style, and working with people I seem to get along well with. It will be a 5am shift, Wednesday thru Sunday, which will be a big adjustment for me, but I will manage somehow. For those of you who work (and have worked) baker's hours, what tips do you have to help me adjust to getting up long before the crack of dawn?

Here's another twist. We have friends (their number is growing) with small children. We have extended numerous invitations to them for dinner, which are usually turned around to become invitations to their house (usually for pizza and a rented movie) so they don't have to pay for a sitter. While I love spending time with them, I would also like to cook them dinner because I feel like the hosting burden is always falling on them (by their own choice). And because my husband brews amazing beer, and I'm a newly minted pastry cook, we usually bring beer & dessert, or at least offer, whenever we're invited anywhere.

I'm not sure what I can add to everyone else's accolades, but I will add my own "WOW" to the list. Truly amazing, and really a treat to see it from start to finish like that. I especially like that you showed us the mistakes you made and how you covered them up - a great thing to realize that everyone makes mistakes and not just me. Really, truly impressive. You rock.

I just got my copy of the BBA and can't wait to jump in here (albeit a bit belatedly). I do have a question, though. My husband's coworkers are always eager to gobble up my sweets, but I'm not sure how enthusiastic they'd be about bread. I only have a limited amount of freezer space, and with just two of us, there is only so much bread we can eat. What suggestions do you have on how not to get overrun by bread?

I don't use any cocoa in my chocolate buttercream. I'm not sure if that makes much of a difference, but it sets up nicely. How about using a chocolate whipped cream between the layers instead of the buttercream?

Cameo Cake Serves 12 as Dessert. This cake recipe was given to me by a neighbor who asked me to make it for him. Cake 1-1/2 c butter 3/4 c water 4 oz white chocolate, chopped 1-1/2 c buttermilk 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 3-1/2 c all-purpose flour, divided 1 c chopped pecans, toasted 2-1/4 c sugar 1-1/2 tsp baking soda White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting 4 oz white chocolate, chopped 11 oz cream cheese, softened 1/3 c butter, softened 6-1/2 c sifted powdered sugar 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 T bourbon (optional Yield: 8 cups cake batter Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. Bring butter and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts. Add in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. Toss 1/2 cup flour with toasted pecans to coat. Set aside. Whisk or sift together remaining flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add white chocolate mixture, stirring just until combined. Fold in pecans. (Batter will be thin). Pour into pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely on wire rack. Frosting: Melt white chocolate in a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently and remove from heat while there are still a few chunks left. Residual heat will melt the remaining bits. Cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the melted white chocolate, beating constantly. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla and bourbon (if using). Assembly: Spread frosting between cake layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. Keywords: Intermediate, Cake, Chocolate, Dessert ( RG1246 )

Cameo Cake Serves 12 as Dessert. This cake recipe was given to me by a neighbor who asked me to make it for him. Cake 1-1/2 c butter 3/4 c water 4 oz white chocolate, chopped 1-1/2 c buttermilk 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 3-1/2 c all-purpose flour, divided 1 c chopped pecans, toasted 2-1/4 c sugar 1-1/2 tsp baking soda White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting 4 oz white chocolate, chopped 11 oz cream cheese, softened 1/3 c butter, softened 6-1/2 c sifted powdered sugar 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 T bourbon (optional Yield: 8 cups cake batter Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. Bring butter and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts. Add in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. Toss 1/2 cup flour with toasted pecans to coat. Set aside. Whisk or sift together remaining flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add white chocolate mixture, stirring just until combined. Fold in pecans. (Batter will be thin). Pour into pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely on wire rack. Frosting: Melt white chocolate in a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently and remove from heat while there are still a few chunks left. Residual heat will melt the remaining bits. Cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the melted white chocolate, beating constantly. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla and bourbon (if using). Assembly: Spread frosting between cake layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. Keywords: Intermediate, Cake, Chocolate, Dessert ( RG1246 )

I can't speak to the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch compared to Cinnamon Cap'n Crunch, but boy, did you spark memories for me! I used to like both of those, in addition to traditional CC. There must be something wrong with me that yesterday I found myself longing for a big ol' bowl of the cap'n. Really, really jonesing for it.

Ugh. Happens to me all the time. Just yesterday, in fact. The only thing that saved me at the Asian supermarket/mall was that I only had $2 in my wallet, so I couldn't really get any of the dim sum, or bakery items, or anything else that my hungry eyes settled on. I even avoided the chip/snack aisle at Trader Joe's (after the Asian market) because I knew I was feeling especially vulnerable. I thought, "I'll grab one of whatever they're sampling today," and they didn't have anything out! When I'm hungry, everything looks good.

Mom's turkey noodle soup, made the day after Thanksgiving, with thick homestyle egg noodles and enriched with leftover gravy. I've made turkeys just to make that soup.

Wow, Josette, your cakes are beautiful! (Even with the slumping problem). You don't give yourself nearly enough credit.

I'm with Mignardise on the Cacao Barry. I've used (and liked) both the Extra Brut and the Plein Arome, which I can get for about $9 per 1kg bag through a local gourmet distributor. Makes some amazing brownies. And cakes. And meringues. And...

I was asking because if I'm using old buttercream (whether it's been frozen or has been in the fridge), I always paddle it on low for a bit after it's softened to get the texture back.

Since I don't live in Texas and don't know the stores, I can't help you with a specific reference, but I should think that a high-end supermarket, one that touts itself as gourmet would be the best place to look.

Are you making it the same day you're using it?

Ugh. Carob. I remember friends whose moms did the whole health food carob granola tofu thing in the 70's (not that there's anything wrong with either granola or tofu). Carob=nasty Though I did develop a certain tolerance for the peanut butter Tiger's Milk bars - the precursor of the energy bar. But lying to me and telling me that it tastes "just like a Reese's peanut butter cup" is just wrong. Are your tastebuds that out of whack? So, yes, does your wife like them? Let her eat the muffins.

My birthday cake - banana cake with rum-laced cream cheese icing.

Beautiful cake! I love the caramel drips.

That is some seriously freaky shit.