JeanneCake

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.

OK, if this bakery was all that and then some.... can you please post the recipe for the chocolate one you have? Thanks!

I do this a lot - and the parchment is key. You want to make sure you spray the corners well, this is the only place I run into "dry"spots. Find the most level pans you can (I hoard them) so you don't inadvertently create hills and valleys to over/under bake. Depending on which oven I'm in, there are different hot spots to watch for, so as long as you time it and spin the pans if you need to, you'll be fine! I've never really had to adjust anything like leavening (which RLB tells you is necessary when scaling into different pans in The Cake Bible) in any of my recipes, the issue for me is oven temp and how the oven bakes.... Sometimes, if I am picky about height, I will use a pan extender. But I only have them in half sheet sizes, not full sheet sizes....

As with everything in life, size matters If you are doing four layers of cake (three thin layers of filling), you'd want the 2" pan. (cutting each cake in half gives you the four layers) If you are doing three layers of cake and two layers of filling, you can do either. With a 2" pan, you'll have one extra layer; with the 3" pan, you'll have to see how the cake bakes to see how thick each layer will be. The 2" pans will bake faster compared to the 3" pans - the trick is not to overfill the 3" pans. Plus, if you are aiming for a 4" high cake (finished) your filling layer with a 3" pan will be thicker For me, the deciding factor was the ovens I was using at the time I bought most of my pans. I couldn't get the velvety texture I wanted in a 3" high pan. Having said that, the imported Australian pans are only available in a 3" height and for the larger pans, I end up baking the large size twice to get the texture I want and the height I need (so I end up with four layers of cake).

Today I was making a type of panna cotta with sour cream (in addition to heavy cream etc) and noticed that the new brand of sour cream I'd just got in that morning (it came in cold, at the right temp) was grainy rather than smooth and glossy. It handled fine, tasted fine, the expiration date was Dec 1 but I started to wonder if it had been frozen somewhere along the line (the liner was intact, the sour cream wasn't runny or watery) or what else could cause the grainy-ness. When I strained it, there was about a quarter cup of "stuff" in the strainer (usually there is nothing in the strainer so this was odd) but when we sampled the panna cottas after an hour or so, you couldn't detect any grainy texture. Both 5# buckets were the same. So, while I know that the sour cream isn't "bad", I wonder if the grainy is because this is how this brand is (it's Daisy) or if the buckets were mishandled. I thought if it had been frozen, it would have been watery or runny, but it wasn't. Is this typical of the brand?

Amazon is shipping it on or after Oct 28; there's a video available but no peeks inside the book

Looks great (there's a pic on t's website)! I might have to make some of these for tomorrow!

Well, you could always prep a limited number of them in the morning, using puff pastry, bake them off midafternoon so they'll hold for dinner service with just a few mins for rewarming. Create a bit of an aura around them - when they're gone, they're gone! Maybe zest up the caramel a little with some spice to make them a little different - enough to warrant the "order one before we sell out" ? Another alternative is to use a cream cheese pastry dough (I know, not traditional, but it would hold well), bake off circles of it to use with your deconstructed idea. Maybe with a creme fraiche sorbet or garnish...

There's a company I've bought from in the past, Lorraine's near Cape Cod. She stocks the imported Australian pans, which come in a diamond shape. The pans are 3" high, and you need to be careful about washing/drying them. They tell you to line the pans with parchment in case of leaking but I haven't had to. Her website is here: Lorraine's Cake Supply And the pans are here: Diamond shape pans

I let my cakes sit overnight in the walk in before I cover with fondant; and I have a humid walk in so once I cover a cake with fondant, I have to put it in a box, then put the box in a giant bun size bag and then refrigerate it. During the summer, the condensation that formed on the fondant covered refrigerated cakes was just awful. (There's no A/C in our kitchen.) A cold cake is easier to handle, especially for a topsy turvy design or squares when you really need to smooth the fondant against the corners, or the curves. If the cake is too soft, it "gives" too much under the action of smoothing the fondant. If you give the cake an overnight rest once you assemble it, you don't have any issues with bulging filling either.

it's a flower nail (looks a little like a gigantic thumbtack?). You hold the "nail" part in your fingers, put a square of waxed paper on the nail and pipe the flower on the wax paper. Some people use it as a heating core of sorts when baking a big cake (14"+ but I've never found it to be useful). So now I have another suggestion for using it, thanks Rob!

You can also get bun pan bags from your distributor - they'll fit over a whole sheet pan with room to spare and they're thin. I use them to insulate my fondant covered cakes overnight in the walk in.

I think if you use well chilled cake layers you'll be fine. If you use rm temp layers, you get lots of crumbs and risk breaking/cracking the bigger layers. If I freeze any cake, I let it thaw overnight, but I know of other bakers who use the frozen layers and seem to have no ill effects. I like grinding the coconut because the long shreds can be a pain, the shorter strands make handling and eating it easier. I have also found that I can use this filling the day I make it, I just dump in the coconut when the "custard" is still cooling but not too hot. I've also been known to add more coconut than it calls for

Are the cookies labelled with an ingredient list? I just went for my ServSafe recertification and listing allergens (as well as knowing what to do in case a customer exhibits an allergic reaction) was on the test and the instructor spent some time on the topic of allergens and food labelling. Maybe if you find an opportunity to bring it up again, you could mention that if someone had a reaction, they would be held liable (regardless of whether they purchased the cookies or not. They're still selling them). That might get them to notice... but the truth is, if the guy is a clerk selling the cookies he has no skin in the game so to speak....

OMG I had just taken a sip of water before I read your post, and the thought of ketchup on lovely proscuitto and melon made me spew it all over the computer desk.