JeanneCake

I was talking to the Amoretti rep this week (I also got a big box of samples - I hadn't bought from them in a while and so they sent me a present!), and asked her the difference between their compounds and extracts. The extracts are more concentrated, which is why they list it as 1% by weight, rather than the 3-5% for the compounds, but she said they can be used interchangeably in whatever you are making (batter, buttercream, filling, etc) as long as you remember to add the right amount. I also find that with their stuff to start on the lower side. When I use Seiben or Dreidopple, I need more for some of the flavors. For years, I used AUI's coffee paste because it is so wonderful and concentrated. But it lists peanut oil as an ingredient, and with all the allergy issues around, I had been looking for a replacement and Amoretti's coffee compound is equally as good and the rep said all their compounds/extracts/etc have no peanut oil in them.

I have this problem happening on my flourless chocolate cakes. I think it has more to do with the case they're stored in sometimes, but this is just a guess. I used to use a water/choc with a little butter glaze and it cracked horribly, I had to use two coats to get decent coverage so I stopped using that kind of glaze. When I go with the cream/choc/butter, the coverage is perfect (only one coat) the shine is acceptable for a few days and it doesn't crack in my walkin. But at this one customer's site, it might crack. I played around with the proportions of cream/choc/butter and found that if I used more than 2 oz corn syrup, it would break, especially if I rewarmed it. It would break if I didn't weigh the butter properly - it has to be the 8 oz (or 4 oz for a half batch). Not all of them crack, and they tend to crack as they sit there (like, the cracks appear on the third or fourth day, but not always). It drives me nuts.

It doesn't increase the shine factor when used as a glaze for a cake (you'd want a mirror glaze for that kind of shine) but it can help hold the glossy look for longer than it would without the corn syrup. Usually I sub about an ounce of corn syrup for an ounce of cream in a small batch (2# choc/2# cream/8 oz butter) if I am going to glaze a cake with it or fill tartlet shells or dipping cupcakes. If not, I don't add it.

Happy Birthday! How'd it go?

What problem are they trying to solve? And is it something they can even begin to address at school? After all, they have one (maybe two if breakfast is offered) meal and limited time for snacking. Do the powers that be really think they can make a difference by banning junk food in school? What'll they try to do next, search the lunch bags and boxes upon entry? And where is the $ coming from for the contraband? Are kids spending their lunch $ on candy instead of the meal? That's when the lunch card system makes a tremendous difference. Our school district did that this year, and it works very well. No more forgotten lunch money - you load the card (a virtual card to be honest with you) and you can choose to limit the choices your child makes as he/she goes through the lunch line and it helps. Every little bit helps. The school is now offering much more freshly prepared items, and a salad bar every day. Huge difference from the frozen chicken nuggets and fish sticks that were a staple on the school lunch menu. We keep saying we want to combat childhood obesity, but the problem stems from so many sources: lack of exercise (limited PE classes, no afterschool activities perhaps?), lack of healthy choices in foods (prepared foods are easier to get on the table and easier to get a kid to eat if that's all they're used to because of a parent's working schedule or limited resources), filling up on juices and soda and fast food from the kid-friendly restaurants like McDonalds, BK, Wendy's , etc.. Like annecros says, once you make something forbidden, it becomes much more desireable than it was before. Banned books, food, wine... suddenly the allure of not being able to have it when you want it makes it more glamourous.

I wonder if sometimes it has to do with the local shoppers - in my town there's one grocery market that has a high elderly clientele. They want a ton of bags, or they want a double bag - paper and then put the paper bag in a plastic bag. Some of them are walking next door to the apartment complex but many are still in their own cars or use the courtesy vans from the retirement communities they live in. So I bet it is easier to bag every customer's order the same way than to ask each one in turn. I also notice that there's no rhyme or reason when the bagger is a teenager - the ice cream goes in with the bread and even if I have loaded the conveyor with all the cold foods/frozen/dry/etc in groups, they get mixed up when bagged. That drives me nuts. Not a quarter mile down the road is a Whole Foods who has done away with plastic bags completely. I don't mind them using two or even three paper bags because I use the paper bags for newspaper recycyling.

My experience with happy chef pants is that they are not made (constructed) as well as chefwear pants. They didn't stand up to the wash after a few months. By contrast, I've got a pair of chefwear baggies that is over 5 years old and is still going strong, despite all the washing. I don't like the traditional check so I go for plain black or a black/white small print. No chili peppers for me so I look for what's on sale and buy a half dozen or so pairs when I can, which last me quite a while.

If he decides Boston looks inviting, the site www.bostonchefs.com has a restaurant job section.

I'm not trying to play devil's advocate; I'm just not sure how all this semantics is working out and I am asking honest questions below, not trying to flame the fires here..... What does it mean to have a blog underwritten by a company? Does it mean the blogger uses a computer or internet access provided by the company? Why would someone need or want a blog underwritten by a corporation? Is it just the exchange of money that defines a relationship between a blogger and a sponsor/underwriter or whatever it is called? Should the blogger be asking questions about how the blog is presented to the public or is that not done? Is it like writing an article for a magazine and then the author doesn't get to see the edits made by the publication before it runs? Again, I am asking because I don't know; I'm not trying to incite any riots here or ask any rhetorical questions. I really would like to know!

Your fastest option might be to make your own. Is there a vocational school near you with a metal shop? You'd get something sturdier made from them and could probably get several. A few people I know use a type of flashing to make their own cutters; I just don't know what kind of flashing or how long it lasts without warping. Sounds as if you want the little notches on the sides, but in a pinch, would a plain square cutter work? Ateco makes a nested set of squares (largest is 3" I think, smallest is 1.5"?) that you could probably find from a local restaurant supply place, or from the above mentioned Pfeil and Holing or even online at places like Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma. (A plain square looks more like a pullman loaf. It'd be way too much work to have someone else take the notches out of the square with small rounds!)

Pfeil and Holing have one; they are a commercial distributor near NYC. Here's a link to their item: Handled Dog Bone cookie cutter I like the copper cutters from CopperGifts.com - they make them to order and you could ask about adding a handle to any of their items. I've found they're very nice to work with, and their cutters are rugged enough to stand up to commercial abuse....

I found that with enough sugar lodged into the mechanism (the part the cage swings around into), it just locks into place and it will operate with the cage wide open. I think it was a marathon day of buttercream making (and me holding a pen into the mechanism) that made it happen. It's been that way for months now and I'm hoping it's permanent....

I found that if I didn't beat the marshmallows long enough, they would pour into the pan fine, and spread without any problems, but were softer than the other kinds I'd made. Over the next few days, they began to become even softer and break down. This happened with my first batch of strawberry ones. It didn't make sense because I'd been making other flavors with no problems, but I didn't beat the strawberry ones for as long as the others and that's the only thing I can come up with.

I can't make chocolates to save my life so I live vicariously through all of your endeavors. (I am much better with cake!) These look wonderful, good luck with your festival. Let us know what happens....

Seriously? That's how they cook steak?! How could you resist not jumping in to that conversation?!!!

Last year, I used an Italian Meringue for the outside of a Lady Baltimore cake that was a special request from a client. The filling was fine, and held up for a few hours, but the outside broke down. I didn't see the finished product, but when I checked what I had left in the mixer bowl, it had definitely deflated and did not look the same as it did when first made. The client later said that the outside had started to weep by the time evening rolled around, and this was probably about 4 hours after delivery. I made it (the outside meringue) just before applying it on the cake. I've heard that the neutral mousse mixes are a substitute but I have no idea. I think the kind that you mix with water and then add whipped cream to is the kind this could work with.

How are you putting it on the batter? Do you sprinkle on a thin line down the center or all over the top or? I find that I often don't use all the struesel topping that a recipe calls for, (at least half to three quarters, but not all of it entirely)maybe if you add just half the next time you bake it it might not sink into the cake? Any chance that the flour and butter measurements got reversed?

I am sure to get into heaven because I spent the weekend in hell. I ended up getting the bric from AUI and it was fantastic. It took two of us less than an hour to put 100 of these together; and they were terrific. Even the caterers I share with want to use this stuff. The bric was an 11" round, and it turned out to be the perfect size - a nice frilly top, great presentation. It wouldn't stick to itself as previously noted in another thread but the chef said they bake these wrapped in foil so once we put them together, and then in the foil, I stuck them in the freezer. After a half hour in the freezer, it stayed in place perfectly. Marilyn, many many thanks!

The risk might have nothing to do with reliability. It could be the business insurance doesn't cover anyone who is not a paid employee. It would be easier if people would just say so, but maybe that's part of the reason.

I agree--with all that runny-looking glaze on the plate, that angel food cake is going to get soggy fast. I hate soggy cake! If not ice cream, at least a cake with more body, like pound cake. Or even biscuits/scones would be better. ← Great idea... like a play on strawberry shortcake. I like the biscuit idea...

As a chef, I'd want the panini because there's so much going on in it and it sounds wonderful. But you already know the people's choice is the oreos.... I like the idea of the tropical flavors. What about a plain oreo with passionfruit filling? So it depends on what you're after

Today I was told they use crepes to make this dessert, not phyllo. I'm going nuts looking for a place that carries bric or crepe (AUI has some, it will cost to get it overnighted!) They also said that the center is a thick ganache, some rum, fresh berries - they wrap in foil to bake. What's the difference between a crepe and bric (assuming both are purchased)? I'm trying to get more help in for Friday (I'd rather make the crepes myself, but the reality is two gala dinners on Saturday for 500 ppl each and only so much time), but want to have a backup plan just in case. I'd love to have the recipe for your chocolate cake center!

I am being asked to make warm chocolate phyllo purses for a restaurant on Saturday (their pastry chef is on vacation). I'm ok with phyllo in general and making the purses is probably not unlike making those folded triangle pastries; but all I have for chocolate is Schokinag disks (chips really) and callets from Callebaut. Well, I also have some blocks of unsweetened but don't think it would call for that... I'm hoping they'll provide a recipe but in case they don't, any hints on whether I can just pile up a tablespoon of chips in the center of the phyllo square and then twist the tops? If you've made this sort of dessert before, are there any "gotchas" to be aware of? I'm also expecting that they will bake these onsite - if I were to bake them, the filling would harden and they'd need to reheat and that might cause the phyllo to brown excessively.

"Chugging" and "Guinness" in the same sentence is ..... not allowed in my house!

It hits us (the independent producers) first, then consumers will see rising prices in the "regular" goods like pizza (when cheese first went through the roof, most pizza joints tried to absorb the cost. But there's only so much you can handle); and with the poor economy most people are cutting back everywhere they can. Last week, there was an article on several online news outlets about people not doing take out pizza as much, and the article also mentioned the high price of hops affecting beer prices and liquor stores were seeing people buy less as a result of price increases. I'm seeing a general decline in cakes - it's an indulgence that people can definitely rationalize away and buy something from the supermarket. But bread is another thing. People will always buy bread, but will be forced to make a choice between organic or not. Maybe your boss would be willing to offer just a select three or four organic breads and do more with regular flour?