JeanneCake

Dear God, how old was your aunt? And did she and her husband ever have kids? I hope not Did your aunt ever apologize? I think I would have been seriously annoyed with my sister had she been the one to subject my 10 year old to a day without nourishment; and I would have not wasted anytime in telling her about it, either!

I use almond and walnut creams for a lot of tarts I make - and I've been able to sub them with macadamia. I use the recipe in RLB's pie/pastry bible and sub out the macs and reduce the butter a little because macs are high fat nuts. I've also used them to replace almonds in pate sablee for tart crusts, again watch the butter. They make great nut tarts - I have a honey coconut macadamia filling that I glaze with dark choc, it's a nice change (at least around here!)

Several vendors - Boiron, Caraman - make multi-fruit purees (the frozen ones) and I wondered how they are. I can't get samples from my distributors to see if I like them before having to commit to buying a case of 6 quarts.... I'm thinking they might make an interesting mousse, curd, buttercream or marshmallow even. The Boiron Fruit of the Forest is strawberry, raspberry, black currant and blueberry, I think. The Caraman Exotic is banana, passionfruit, peach, mango and lime; the Summer Fruit is strawberry, raspberry, sour cherry, blackberry, blueberry and passion fruit. What do you think of these? Are they any good? Too many flavors in one or what? How are you using them?

I use some regular, creamy PB (usually Jif, it's the brand we usually have around), softened in the microwave for a few seconds and added to my Italian Meringue Buttercream. It always gets rave reviews, and would be excellent with a banana cake .... but most often the request is for chocolate cake with the PB buttercream filling. I don't make any changes to the Italian Meringue buttercream (no replacing the butter or sugar).

here, here! I've had three people this year who couldn't do that. Everything I tell you to do is for a reason; not doing it the way I said to is why you made the mistake and cost me $ and time ...

I vote Drama Queen. She could have used the ladies room, which is what I usually did if I happened to be at dinner during the time my infant needed to be fed. But I suspect she liked the attention she was getting from people around her. Have you been to dinner with this friend since? Any improvement?

Going only on previous experience with croquembouche, which would use caramel; and suspecting that caramel would drip/cause the macaron to come apart, I wonder if they use toothpicks or very short skewers. Those could be pushed in enough to be secured to the foam cone, but not so much to damage the macaron shell that shows...... Just a thought...

Sometimes your sales reps can let you know about someone looking to sell a piece of equipment; the local rest supply places are also a good source of info. In our area, we have a used equipment store as well so perhaps you could look into neighboring big cities and see if they have anything for you. Or you could always get a clear front reach in (single door) that can chill beverages as well as put your whole cakes in so it can do double duty....

With two slices of bread per sandwich, and 10 slices from each loaf, 300 sandwiches is 60 loaves. With 30 loaves, he'd be selling only 150 sandwiches. I think we all agree excellent bread is a key component to a good sandwich - one that people will go out of their way for (and make the choice to go there and not to a competitor).

He's doing a macaron class at the French Pastry School in March, I think.

My favorite thing is cinnamon toast with lots of hot tea; but what I make for the rest of the family is the Havana Moon Chili from the epicurious site. It is not a traditional chili the way most of us know chili, but it is addictive and perfect for a cold winter weekend. here's the recipe: Havana Moon Chili recipe When I make it, I leave out the almonds and put in more olives. I never have dark raisins in the house, only golden ones and they are perfect in this. ETA: correcting typo

What I want in a good sandwich is a variety of options on *excellent* bread. I don't like the crust to cut the roof of my mouth, but sometimes you have to suffer in the name of excellence Other random thoughts: I love chicken salad with dried cranberries and walnuts; I also love a really good tarragon (fresh tarragon!) chicken salad. I don't like it when the chicken is dry and tough to eat, then they seem to use too much mayo to cover it up. I like lobster rolls where the lobster is the star and you can barely detect any mayonnaise on a nicely grilled buttered hot dog roll. I don't like overly smoked meats (like turkey, it overpowers anything else you put in the sandwich). On the same note, I don't like overly wet sandwiches because they fall apart, usually onto my lap which means I'd be wearing my lunch for the rest of the day. My personal favorite is fresh mozzarella, proscuitto, maybe lettuce or tomato (in season) and some basil olive oil or pesto. I like to know that there's enough turnover to guarantee fresh meats and cheeses. (I don't like having to think to myself "it's Monday, don't go to X because it isn't going to be fresh).

I have this on the holiday menu; I usually have handmade marzipan maple leaves that I use as a garnish on it, and some acorns or pinecones made from chocolate fondant. I'm not sure if acorns or pinecones will work as well in New Mexico as they do here in New England.... so, maybe a cactus flower?

My mom used to make a jello salad in the summer; all I can remember is it had shredded carrots and chopped walnuts in it but I can't remember what flavor jello it was. Maybe lemon or orange, definitely not lime. I can still see the carrots suspended in the jello and the unexpected crunch of a walnut (it was a different crunch than the carrots.) There wasn't anything else in it (no marshmallows, or cherries or anything else. Just lots of carrots and some nuts. I'll have to ask her about it and see if she remembers.

There is a line of FDA approved dusts that you can buy from Cal-Java or Pfeil and Holing; I haven't tried them but the difference is that these new dusts are ok for food use, where the other ones you already know say non-toxic, not meant as a food additive. From what I remember, the dusts are mostly silver and white.

I would double it if you wanted to be a little lavish with the cream and have plenty rather than stressing over whether or not you'll have enough.

Lattice work and I have never really gotten along - but I could practice, practice, practice. Maybe latticework on a balloon - cause the problem I've had with it in the past is getting it off the bowl without breakage. With the right balloon I could pipe the whole thing handle and all then carefully let the air out of the balloon. I should start fooling with this and see what I can do. ← Or just dip the balloon into the chocolate a few times to build it up? It's much nicer with a handle, but not all baskets have to have a handle I was going to suggest a non-chocolate basket and say do a meringue basket, painted on the inside with chocolate but this would probably only work in a small size.

Payard has a recipe for what he calls a coconut sponge in his Simply Sensational Desserts book. But to me, it is a sheet of macaroon... so while you could cut it into circles, I think it is a little stickier than what you're looking for but definitely a textural contrast to your semifreddo. 4 large eggs 300 gms sugar 244 gms macaroon (dessicated) coconut You basically whip the eggs and sugar over a bain marie til warm, then put it on a mixer until it triples in volume. Then fold in the coconut and bake on a sprayed/parchment half sheet pan for about 20 mins at 350. It will be a light golden color.

I make a biscuit in a full sheet pans; or if I am cutting the recipe down, into half sheet pans. I think the best way this came out was to use the half sheet pan, cut the biscuit in half on the long side. (In the half sheet pan, the strip of biscuit is about 4" wide and 15" long, which is pretty easy to roll.) I spread the buttercream on the biscuit, and then roll it just like a jelly roll or the way you would roll a larger buche. Then I wrapped it in parchment and stuck it in the cooler. When it was firm, I would remove the parchment, put it on a board and then use ganache in a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip and go down the length of the roll, starting from the bottom and going up until the entire roll was covered in ganache. (If you are putting multiple ones on a half sheet board for delivery, put the first roll in the center and then you'd have room for two more - one on either side.) Because I don't know how long the restaurant or caterer is going to cut these, I don't put a knob on top - I just suggest that they use a meringue mushroom or holly berry/leaves and some sugar snow, or a petit four "gift box". I offer people a choice of buttercream fillings in the buche I offer; so if someone wants a yellow sponge and raspberry buttercream, I will put a thin layer of a raspberry ganache or plain ganache on the biscuit and then the layer of buttercream. It is easier to spread if the ganache is just barely firm, and if you have not chilled your biscuit, you won't get a lot of crumbs or pull up the top when you go to apply the ganache. I just like the way it looks to have this thin dark line of chocolate under the buttercream but it is definitely more work that way But most of the restaurants that order this from me go with the traditional yellow sponge and chocolate buttercream filling and ganache on the outside. Hope this helps! eta: covering the roll entirely with ganache...

sometimes I wonder if the traditional stuff will become "nouveau" because so many people have put their spin on it. I didn't have anything else to add to that. Except maybe to do individual buche de noels rather than a large one; I've done it two ways: using a large open tube, make a line down a length of biscuit, chill if you need to in order to firm it up if the buttercream is soft, then roll the sponge around it, chill again then apply the ganache with a star tip. cut as needed Or just cutting a sheet of biscuit in half (or thirds), spreading buttercream and rolling as traditional, then the ganache and cutting as needed. Works either way, it came down to those methods based on what the chef was looking for as an end result. personally I felt there was a lot of buttercream with the first method (I was using a #9 Ateco tube), I liked the look of the second better. You can flavor the buttercream according to your menu - chai maybe? tamarind? It's still a holiday dessert, still has an Asian influence depending on your menu and you can make several and not have to be there for plating.

hopefully because his family would not sue him if they became ill after eating food prepared in his kitchen! I agree that this all comes down to protecting yourself if challenged legally as a result of a claim or in the face of complaints made to your local Board of Health. You need to follow certain rules in order to assure others that you are following accepted modes of practice in food preparation for the public. What you do at home (different rules!) is not allowed in public

The biscuit recipe I use is pretty flexible, and I don't have to roll it until I'm ready. I sugar the top when it is done baking, put a bun pan bag over it (because I make full sheet pan sizes), keep it at rm temp until I'm ready to fill/roll. Usually I am doing this later the same day I've baked it, or if I am doing it the last thing, then it stays on the covered rack overnight and I finish them in the morning. I have never tried to roll this after it has chilled (this is an all purpose kind of thing for me - I use it for swiss rolls, for the base of cheesecakes, mousse desserts...) For one full sheet: 5 whole eggs and 5 yolks in one mixer bowl; 5 whites in a second mixer bowl. I start whipping the whites first.... add 75 gm of granulated sugar when the whites hold a definite shape and beat until medium peaks. Then use the same whip, and start whipping the whole eggs/yolks. Add 250 gm sugar and 1 tbl vanilla, beat to ribbon. Sift 125 gm all purpose flour over the beaten eggs, fold in gently, add beaten whites til incorporated. Spread over a full sheet or two half sheet pans that have been sprayed, papered and sprayed again. Bake at 300 in a convection oven or 400 in a conventional oven for about 13 mins. Top will spring back when done, but don't overbake or it will be rubbery. Throw some sugar on the top, wrap when cool. For a chocolate version, add 50 gms good quality cocoa with the flour.

See if the store will get the callets for you; if they are getting the blocks, they could probably get the callets and save you the shipping....

a fairly thick caramel sauce with the toffee bits would firm up a lot on chilling, right? If you were to pour it onto a silpat, chill, flip it onto a sprayed (buttered) parchment, peel back the silpat and then cut into rounds, chill again and then top the marshmallows? Was it Lior or Desiderio who made those wonderful caramel wrapped marshmallows, I can't remember. That caramel sheet didn't really spread once it was applied to the marshmallow so maybe that formula is the right one for making the rounds to top the marshmallows.

Roland Mesnier has a recipe for a Champagne Creme Brulee in Dessert University that uses the stovetop method for pastry cream - you stir in the butter at the end, then after that is incorporated, you use a mixer til it is room temp and add some champagne (then chill and brulee to order) stirring very gently. This will thicken up nicely and doesn't need whipped cream to lighten but if you were to add it, it would make it a little more ethereal and a nice cake filling too. There was a thread about this recipe a long, long time ago.