JeanneCake

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?

I just checked my Albert Uster buckets, and all of them have hydrogenated veg oil so don't bother going there. Most commercially made fondants are going to have this in it; when Crisco changed their formula, the homemade fondants didn't work well and people started to switch to Spectrum shortening (I think that's the brand...) If you call Bakels and tell them, they'll definitely respond. Especially if they hear from enough of us. Maybe they don't even realize that this "trans fat free" thing will affect them. And there's no way people will pay for fondant designs and HAVE to peel off the fondant. If you don't like it, that's one thing. But having to remove it because you're not allowed to eat it is another!!

What's in this drink?!

what happened to once burned, twice shy? The FN should have known better after the Network Star thing when one of the finalists had been found to have fabricated or embellished some of his credentials. At that point, they should have gone and done due diligence on ALL the on air talent regardless. No exceptions, no excuses. Robert Irvine isn't the only one with egg on the face here.

My most beat up cookbook is Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts. There are three clumps of pages broken completely free from the binding, the paper dust cover has been lost to time and all my recipe notes and adjustments duly noted along with the vanilla stains. I used to keep an elastic (rubber) band around it but now I just let it rest in peace. I had to buy a second copy of it years ago. I'm even considering buying a third just in case. I've also gone through two copies of the Silver Palate books (the original two); and The Cake Bible. As for the savoury side... I have a few Pierre Franey books that have seen better days, as well as my Aida Boni Italian cookbook.

For us growing up, our usual Lenten Friday meal was white fish (cod, scrod, haddock) and tomato sauce poured over it. Usually by the time I got home from practice it was overcooked and rubbery and the tomato sauce was ... well, not soft anymore! I hated it. And my grandmother thought that meatless Fridays should extend throughout the year, not just during Lent. Victoria's dish will be on our menu from now on. Thanks for sharing it. Do you still see her?

for ganache the general guideline is with dark chocolate, you can use equal amounts cream and chocolate; with white chocolate, you use half as much cream as chocolate.

I remember something similar if not the same thing you are remembering - the employer had been given a printed copy of the entire thread, presumably by someone who had access to it and put 2 and 2 together, resulting in the OP's loss of a job. Be very careful what you write, it can haunt you for years.

it's a lot more work but you could use a mold to form the shape and keep them chilled until service. Use bloomed gelatin, add it when the curd is still warm. Your mileage may vary but start with 3 sheets per 2 cupcs curd. I haven't used PH's recipe, or the one in Friberg; I use the curd recipes from RLB to flavor buttercream with or pour over cheesecakes; when I need a tart recipe, I add some whole eggs (an all yolk curd is pretty intense IMO, good for when it will be "diluted" but you get tired of it if you are trying to eat your way through a 4" tart.)

I have great luck - and an excellent response - by adding Irish Cream to an Italian Meringue Buttercream. Add as much as you like to taste, but not too much otherwise the buttercream will be too soft. The amount will depend on your batch size - for about 2# of butter, I'd say not more than 3 oz of liquor....

Make extra pieces of everything and make sure they're dry when you go to assemble them. Having extra will help you if something breaks unexpectedly and if you decide you need to support a piece, you have a duplicate. Sort of like coating the back of a gingerbread wall with chocolate for extra strength. Good luck! Take pictures to share the fun!

I agree with Annie - in the same situation I'd bake and freeze the unassembled cakes; then use a simple syrup to add a little moisture (and perhaps flavor, depending on what you end up with for flavors) when assembling them. Butter cakes tend to be perceived as drier than cakes made with other fats so the syrup will help with that. But definitely don't freeze the cakes fully decorated with fondant; it's hard to bring them back out of the deep freeze without ruining the look of the fondant. I would prefer to freeze the layers rather than freeze the crumbcoated cake - but that's just my preference; I like to have two coats of buttercream under the fondant or a single thicker layer of buttercream. Good luck!