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Kerry

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  1. Kerry

    Meringue

    Jennifer -- can you tell me what you call these huge meringues and are they made just as a cake alternative? I can just imagine one sitting on top of a bed of fruit salad and lashings of whipped cream -- better than a banana split. What is the name of your company so I can quote the use -- and your name if you would like. You can e-mail me privately if you would prefer kvsugarart@aol.com. Thanks a bunch for your comments -- keep them coming. Kerry.
  2. Kerry

    Meringue

    Wendy your comments are just as important as anyone else's and the pros and cons have to be addressed. Thank you for sharing. Kerry
  3. Kerry

    Meringue

    Thank you so much for adding more detailed comment -- I appreciate it. I see you are from the UK where I once lived for five years. I know the widespread use of dessert meringue is more popular there as it is in my native homeland Australia. In the USA, where I have lived for twenty years -- not so. The reason I chose this for my subject is because most average restaurants offer six flavours of cheesecake as dessert, or some kind of chocolate brownie, a molten chocolate something or other, ice cream; summer or winter it's all the same. Souffles are served but not so often. High end restaurants offer more variety. I may get hammered by some think that there is huge variety available -- but I have travelled more than 100,000 miles around this country by road during the time I have lived here, eaten in all sorts of restaurants ranging from superior a la carte to diners so think I have a reasonable overview. The entire USA can't be measured by city life. For example -- New York with 13,000,000 people may have a more sophisticated lineup of exotic food -- but there is another 260,000,000 million eating elsewhere in the country. So I thought to present some interesting tried concepts to encourage more chefs to include it one way or another. Besides I like it myself at the end of a meal -- it is light and seems more balanced if the main course is heavy. The thought of any kind of pie after a heavy course makes my eyes glaze over. I also need to be in touch with some pastry chefs who are actually dishing up meringue in either savoury or dessert forms -- any ideas? Like the thoughful chef who wrote from the bakery -- I use dacquoise between cake layers -- which I mention and give the recipe in my book. I am a weddding cake specialist. Looking forward to hearing more -- please send your personal information, if you would like, to my e-mail address which I listed in the request. I would like to give credit for your inspiration. Thanks -- Kerry
  4. Kerry

    Meringue

    Thank you so much for your comments -- you are right to mention all variants -- that is what I want to address. Please chat on I am interesteed in your thoughts. Kerry
  5. Kerry

    Meringue

    I am writing an article about the use of meringue both sweet and savoury in the commercial kitchen. Do you use meringue in an unusual way? If so, please tell me about it. Does meringue stand up well when used for a large banquet -- no weeping, etc. Do you have an unusual personal recipe that you would like to share? All opinions expressed and recipes shared if published will be given due credit. Personally I love meringue and find it is a neglected element in the pastry lineup. Mostly I find some kind of lemon or lime pie on dessert menus and that's about it. In my experience it is rarely used in a savory sense. I would like to hear from those of you who use it successfully in either medium. Please let me know at kvsugarart@aol.com if would like to make comment or contribute thought and opinion. Looking forward to hearing from you. Regards to all. Kerry Vincent
  6. I notice there are questions about how the cakes got to Grand Central -- not all were shipped by carrier in fact the 'Cake Convoy' group from Oklahoma and Texas traveled respectively 3000 and 4000 miles. Five days hard driving RT. We collected people and cakes along the way -- San Antonio, Austin, TX; Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Welch, OK; Hallsville, Springfield, MO and Louisville, KY. Not a single thing was damaged enroute. At the exhibition it was another story! Lori Cossou's stringwork was vandalized and loose petals I had alongside my cake were simply taken. Lori actually came from Oklahoma not from Louisiana. Carolyn Wanke's cake was designed with The Brighton Pavilion in mind not the Taj Mahal. It was the 'chicita casa' for Lady Caroline Fitzherbert -- popsie to King George III. He did not particularly care for the Queen -- nor she him. So you see nothing much has changed when one looks at the Charles and Camilla situation (although I say good luck to them)! I actually made my cake one-handed as I broke my arm right before the event -- it is not easy to handle sugar work one-handed at short notice especially if one is accustomed to relying on both -- after two weeks I became very proficient and hopefully an inspiration to the disabled. There was a small freight lift in the building up to the studio, but only two cakes at a time would fit -- it was very slow going. We delivered directly to the studio -- unpacked, then repacked every cake in the studio not just our own, after the photography was completed, some 60+ in all. We loaded the cakes onto a large delivery truck single level. I then personally rode in the cab of the truck with a pair of velvet-handed robust looking delivery men who informed me that they usually delivered fine furniture. They knew from the outset there was no way I would put up with tires hitting potholes -- New York streets are deplorable on the whole -- one could lose a truck in some of those holes. We crept about the streets at about 10 miles an hour and seemed to take forever till we got to GCS. The Cake Convoy ladies took taxis from the studio to Grand Central and met me to unpack the truck, carry the cakes into the Hall, remove the cakes from the boxes and place them on the pedestals. It was a huge task and very time consuming. Some of the cakes weighed up to 30lbs. or 15 kg. -- mine was 20lb.s or 10 kg. Lifting was difficult for me because of the cast and no strength. Someone asked about a traveling exhibition, it would be impossible, the cakes can only stand so much vibration and pushing about. Packing them each time would be a headache and the repair work ongoing. I have mentioned the wedding cake competition in Oklahoma on this site before and it is four times larger than the Bride's event, our event site is not quite so grand, but the skill and the display has no rival, so there are two options to see wedding cakes en masse -- New York and Oklahoma! To answer the question about Toba -- I understand she is publishing another book and did not have time to participate -- the others Ron and Mike I have no idea why they weren't there. I also noticed that Polly Schoonmaker was not among the lineup. The gala was lovely and it was nice to meet a lot of designers for the first time. After the event was over my husband and I stayed a few days -- did things other than cake, theatre, celebrated my birthday and drove home at a more sedate pace looking at a few tourist things on the way (took a ride up the big arch in St. Louis for my birthday -- a stunning construction). Now we are getting ready for other exciting events, the ICES convention in New Orleans in July and the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show in October. I hope I have answered some of the questions posted. Best wishes to all -- Kerry Vincent
  7. This year the sugar art show is on October 8 and 9 with setup on the 7th. Alan Dunn's class after the show is at the host hotel -- 10 and 11. Hope to see you there. Kerry
  8. OKLAHOMA STATE SUGAR ART SHOW CELEBRITY DEMONSTRATORS FOR 2005 WONDERFUL FREE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY FOR ATTENDEES. ALAN DUNN WORLD LEADER IN SUGAR FLOWERS Leading international sugarcraft designer and writer Alan Dunn hails from the North East of England. He specializes in producing superb collections of exotic, bridal, garden and British wildflowers. His genuinely realistic flowers are simply stunning and he has a wonderfully uninhibited style of his own. Alan has successfully published Sugar Inspirations -Wild Flowers, Sugar Flowers for all Seasons, Floral Wedding Cakes and Sprays, Exotic Sugar Flowers for Cakes, and collaborated on Sugar Roses, and Sugar Orchids, and Modeling in Cold Porcelain with his two of his closest friends Tombi Peck and Tony Warren. His latest book is Flowers and Foliage for Wedding Cakes, which has just been launched by the B.Dutton Publishing House - part of the Squires Kitchen Group. Alan has firmly established himself as one of Sugarcraft's foremost experts in sugar flower design. His interest in cake decorating started when he was very young - his Grandfather was a Master baker and Confectioner by trade. However, his interest in sugar flower modeling started when he was only fourteen. At first he taught himself basic sugarpaste flowers and techniques from Australian cake decorating books, and then attended private classes with his first Tutor Margaret Morland, and then Tombi Peck, Peter Stott, Maureen Stevenson, Nadene Hurst and Nicholas Lodge. It was through these early lessons that he was introduced and subsequently joined The British Sugar Craft Guild. He then trained to be a baker/confectioner himself studying the old City and Guilds Bakery and Flour Confectionery Courses. Alan began to demonstrate his skills to branches of the Guild at the age of 17 while he was still at college. He was one of the first and youngest members of the Guild to train and pass the training sessions. He still travels to teach and demonstrate extensively throughout Great Britain. His overseas teaching destinations include USA and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Sweden, The Channel Islands, and most recently Japan. Now, almost 18 years later, Alan is recognized not only for his artistic talents in producing life-like flowers, but also for his informative, relaxed and occasionally chaotic teaching style. Although Alan prefers not to enter competitions his work is often requested for display on the Table of Honour (or as he prefers to call it -- Table of Horror!). He has also won several Best in Show prizes for work on general display at exhibitions. Alan prefers to make flowers that please him in the hope that perhaps they might appeal to others too. His interest in Sugarcraft started as a hobby, and although it is now his occupation he still tries to view sugarcraft techniques from a hobbyist's point of view. Most of the baked cakes he makes for people tend to be for friends and family. He is a trained judge for The Porcelaina Society, and also judges annually at both the Squires Kitchen exhibition and at the Celcakes exhibition. Dunn is also interested in other craft subjects with floral themes including Cold Porcelain, waxed crepe paper flowers, silk flowers. Alan is a valued and regular contributor to the Squires Kitchen Cakes & Sugarcraft and Wedding cakes -Design Source magazines, and to The British Sugarcraft Guild Newsletter. There is an opportunity to be a part of his two-day class after the show -- but there are only two spaces left... this is hands on and $200 for the two-days. CHEF JOHN KRAUSE PASTRY CHEF/ INSTRUCTOR AT THE FRENCH PASTRY SCHOOL In August 2002, The French Pastry School proudly welcomed John Kraus as Chef Instructor. A rising star at an early age, Kraus trained as a chef and began his career in London, England, at the Dorchester Hotel. In the kitchen there, he worked with the Boulangers and became captivated by the ritual of afternoon tea and the beautiful and intricate pastry he saw each day. Still convinced he should be versatile in the kitchen, Kraus was next hired for general duties by Chef Michel Perraud, Meilleur Ouvrier de Grande Bretagne, and contributed to the opening of the Michelin star restaurant, Fleur de Sel. He continued to assist the pastry chef there in an unofficial capacity. Upon his return to the U.S., Chef Kraus worked in pastry with Chef Robert Waggoner at the famed five-star, five-diamond Wild Boar restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. He was then appointed Executive Pastry Chef at the exclusive Magnolia restaurant under Chef Emile Labrousse. He is best known in Chicago for the innovative desserts he created while serving as Pastry Chef at NoMI restaurant in the Park Hyatt Hotel Chicago. "John has a beautiful sense of the classic, with a modern twist," says Executive Chef Sandro Gamba of the Park Hyatt. "I love his pastry and he always knows what will please the customer." After Kraus attended an intensive workshop with Sebastien Canonne, he and Pfeiffer saw in Kraus a unique combination of discipline and innovation that matched perfectly the mission of the school. Kraus's depth of understanding about ingredients and equipment was rare and reflected their own standards. In 1999, Chef Kraus was invited to join The French Pastry School in Chicago. Over the last three years he has worked diligently with his mentors, Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer and Chef Sebastien Canonne, participating in major competitions and special events across the U.S. and France. Kraus's fascination with pastry covers a range from viennoiserie to chocolate to candies and confections. Once called a romantic teacher by a former student because of his obvious love for what he does, Kraus is known at The French Pastry School as a generous teacher who makes his lessons applicable to his students' futures in commercial kitchens or their own businesses. He takes his students to new levels by creating an environment where they are free to take chances. Kraus's most recent awards include the prestigious 2002 Patisfrance Pastry Chef of the Year and the National Dessert Champion of 2002. He has completed numerous stages under Pastry Chef Pascal Caffet in Troyes, France, at Le Palais du Chocolat. Chef John Kraus's passion and vision for the art of pastry has become a great asset to The French Pastry School and its students.
  9. Host hotel information is as follows -- Holiday Inn Select, 918 622 7000 speak to Tony Sprouse. Leave voicemail if he is not there, he will call back. A few rooms at $55 per night (up to four in a room) are still available but only if he is contacted, our room block has extended three times. Look forward to meeting some of you. It was nice meeting Neil at the IBIE.
  10. Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show Since last year's event was televised on Food Network the entry numbers have doubled and the interest and response has been quite incredible. Everything of an educational nature is free with Fair admission which is just $7. We have two wonderful cake stylists demonstrating. It will be a wonderful opportunity for those living close to Oklahoma who would like a chance to see these men in action. Visitors and entrants are coming in from around the world. Some interesting background on our celebrity cake designers. RON BEN-ISRAEL Ron’s cakes have been featured in the following publications: The New York Times, New York Magazine, Town and Country, People, Daily News, Martha Stewart Living, In Style, Victoria, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, Elegant Bride, For The Bride, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, The Knot, and TimeOut, to name a few. "Vogue" has named Ron Ben-Israel the number 1 best baker in 2004. Many books have featured his cakes, including Vera Wang on Weddings, Kate Manchester’s The Perfect Wedding Cake, Bette Matthews’ For Your Wedding – Cakes, and Joan Hamburg’s City Weddings. Zagat Survey’s have published glowing reviews on Ron’s cakes for the past four consecutive years. Ron’s personae and operation have been thinly disguised as a feature character in the New York Times’ bestseller novel "Shopaholic Ties the Knot" by Sophie Kinsella. Television credits include: The Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC News, Fox News, ABC "Good Morning America", NBC "The Today Show", WB "The Morning Show", CBS "Eye To Eye", CNBC "How To Succeed In Business", HBO Oxygen TV, MTV "TRL", Japan’s SheTV, ABC’s "The View", ABC’s "Nightline", and The "Late Show with David Letterman". He is a favorite guest of "Martha Stewart Living". Movie credits include: Paramount's "In And Out", Woody Allen’s "Celebrity", and recently "Brooklyn" – acting role (in production). Prestigious gold medals were awarded for his confectionery achievements, most notably from the New York Guild of Chefs, The Societe de Saint Michelle, and the Societe Culinaire Philantropic. Ron has been a guest lecturer at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and is currently an adjunct professor at the French Culinary Institute in New York. He also serves on FCI’s advisory board and regularly judges the pastry class’ graduation. Upon graduation, students from these culinary institutions frequently spend three to five months at his facilities further developing and refining their skills. NICHOLAS LODGE Nicholas Lodge is one of the top instructors in the current generation of sugarcraft artists. Nicholas teaches and demonstrates his unique skills around the world. Over the years his teaching tours have taken him to twenty-six different countries, and have introduced sugar art into unlikely places such as India, China and Fiji. This reputation has also involved him in judging sugar art events around the globe. Nicholas became Principal Wedding Cake Designer at Woodnutts, located in Brighton, one of England's top sugar art schools. Here, he made cakes for large London hotel's, including Claridges, The Ritz and the Savoy. After eighteen months, at the age of twenty-one, Nicholas became the tutorial manager at Mary Ford's School in Bournemouth, another top sugar art school. During this time, Nicholas was commissioned to do work for England's Royal Family and other celebrities. This included one of the official wedding cakes for Lady Diana and Prince Charles. The official visit of the Prince and Princes of Wales to Tokyo gave Nicholas an opportunity to reproduce this Royal Wedding Cake. Nicholas has also worked on cakes for the Queen Mother and Prince William. Nicholas was commissioned to write his first book in 1985, and as his reputation increased, additional books followed. Currently Nicholas has authored and co-authored over a dozen books Nicholas was nominated, voted and approved for "Who's Who in America" in 1994 and was voted into the International Cake Exploration Societe (ICES) Hall of Fame in 2001, being the youngest person to receive this honor. The International School of Sugar and Confectionery Arts teaches all levels and aspects of sugar art, cake decorating and cold porcelain. The school, offices and product distribution are located in Norcross, Georgia, just a few miles north of Atlanta, which has been home for Nicholas since 1991.
  11. Pastry Jen: More thoughts on rolled fondant covered cakes. You may like to know that you can freeze crumb-coated rolled fondant covered cakes with non perishable fillings. Cakes should be boxed then inserted into plastic bags, frozen and when needed defrosted overnight. Do not pipe or add side or top decorations until the cake is restored to room temperature. If you have a busy bakery and need to bake early in the week it frees one's time for the decorative aspects when the pressure is on for weekend weddings. Best, Kerry Vincent
  12. Since I posted the information about the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show some days ago I have had several emails, which emanated from this site, requesting information,. It seems that most chefs did not realise that the show “HERE COMES THE CAKE“ was in fact the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show. The title HCTC was used because the Food Network thought it would initiate more attention, but they are one and the same event. The hour-long program ran three times during Food Network's recent wedding weekend and apparently our ratings were through the roof. Food Network will be returning this year to film “WEDDING CAKES OFF THE WALL 2004,” details of which I posted earlier June 25, under the heading Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show. I am delighted to receive questions at any time and will answer promptly. I certainly would love to see interested parties come to visit and if they wish compete. It is a lovely event with beautiful cakes and open to anyone no matter what their level. We have a focus on education and provide that free-of-charge to all who attend. If the visitor is not an entrant then daily admission of $7.00 gives access to the Fair and to us; those who enter are provided free passes. This year our celebrity chefs (demonstrating) will be Ron Ben-Israel and Nicholas Lodge, they join a long list of wonderful people who have supported me and the event over many years -- Jacquy Pfeiffer, Rosa Viacava de Ortega, Gilles Renusson, Ewald Notter, Anil Rohira and Margaret Braun to name a few. The event was founded on a sentiment that it should be available to anyone who would like to come here for very little investment. All one has to do is get oneself here, budget to eat, hotel rate $55 per night (up to four in a room if you would like) at a very reasonable nicely appointed hotel. There is no registration for attendees, the contestants of course have to complete paperwork. Competitions are available at all levels and luxury and rightly so, however, many times I have heard chefs say, “I wish it wasn't quite so expensive to attend such and such,” so I thought perhaps there was a niche for an event such as this. Twelve years ago the OSSAS was successfully founded. Contestants have access to all sorts of possibilities (cakes published, TV appearances, etc.) and the lower costs make it very accessible to all. Not to say that masters and big names aren't welcome, they most certainly are and many have been and seen, and been happily surprised. It just costs very little for attendees the way it is done here. All who work the event are volunteers, no one is paid. A pdf file of complete details is available to all who would like to request it. Keep the inquiries coming. Kerry Vincent Show Director
  13. OKLAHOMA STATE SUGAR ART SHOW & NATIONAL WEDDING CAKE COMPETITION WEDDING CAKES OFF THE WALL 2004 Crazy cakes? No way! Not really -- well may be! Dressed up walls will inspire wedding cake magic at the 11th national competition. To be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma At the Tulsa State Fair, Expo Building South West corner. Setup: October 8, 3:30-8.30 P: M October 9, 10.00 A: M -11:00 P: M October 10, 10:00 A: M - 6:00 P: M Contestants must use wallpaper for inspiration. With scores of decorative designs available, showpieces could range from the sublime to the contemporary. Cake stylists inventing this sweet-filled collection will present wedding cakes a la mode enrobed in rolled fondant, buttercream or other unexpected mediums - chocolate or marzipan perhaps. Sure to please the huge crowd of more than 60,000 that visit the event annually, designers will dish up surprising and unexpected translations. Uniquely sugar 'papered' these state of the art cakes will be sitting pretty on individual elaborately decorated coordinating tables. Creating these crowd-pleasing table designs will test the skill of contestants and challenge their inventive abilities. Table decorations can be hired from professional outlets; may be acquired finds at a flea market or an estate sale; or something special from the contestant's own linen closets. Entrants who don't care to fuss with all the individual table frou frou can enter the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show - a companion event that focuses on the skill of the decorator without added fanfare. Little or no table decoration is required and each contestant competes against their peers in experience appropriate divisions with eight different categories from which to choose. Prizes total $15,000 in cash and merchandise for both competitions. Celebrity cake specialists Ron Ben Israel and Nicholas Lodge will each alternately present four one and half hour demonstrations throughout the two-day event. A special baking division requires entrants to create a cheesecake that will include Guittard chocolate, Ginger from Royal Pacific Foods and Vanilla courtesy Nielsen Massey Vanillas. Each entrant will receive a complimentary variety package of each of these products for their test kitchen and the ingredients must be used in the final innovative presentation. Food Network TV aired a one-hour broadcast of the 2003 event 'The Matchmaker' calling it “Here Comes the Cake” the week of June 19th, 2004. Food Network is returning to the event this year and will tape yet another documentary. Everyone is a volunteer at this event and access to the demonstrations is simply daily Fair admission or an entry which entitles the entrant free access. Contact me for a pdf file of the rules and regulations if you would like. kvsugarart@aol.com
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