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Thats pretty cool. I wish we could have had time to discuss it as you were putting it together, but unfortunately its one of those weeks. Maybe during holliday weeks we should try to aim for people in professions that allow them time off . did you roll the citrus pearls in sugar? I have to say that the pulled sugar really helps create the party feel. And I never thought about using a textured mat to cook custard in. I am surprised that never occured to me. Now about 100 new possibilities opened up in my mind. wonderful work, and I hope you had a good thanksgiving too. Oh and, is there champagne in the sorbet by chance?

Next time cook the brown sugar and butter until it's homogenous(it will come to a boil somewhat). Then pour in your cream. I garuntee you will have more success.

what was your procedure. It's best to make sure the brown sugar is properly dissolved or melted.

that would be the proper way to go

its better to have mousse sit over night in my opinion. hell everything prepared is better after 24 hours, except of course the obvious stuff like bananas fosters. Creme brulee is better if you make the mix, let it set overnight, bake it, let it set overnight again. Giving the ingredients the proper amount of time to do their thing is just another piece of the art of pastry.

first of all, your body needs fat, but not in excess. But your body can also have an excess amount of water. It's just too bad nobody is addicted to water or we would have an example. If your body doesn't get what its asking for it will find other ways. A lot of times people think they have a sweet tooth, but what they really have is a fat tooth. My father is guilty of this. Everytime he unwraps a creme brulee, he says he has to get his sugar fix. What is really happening is the fat in the cream and yolks is making the sugar and other flavors taste better. Nobody smells sugar cooking, they smell the fat. Do you ever smell sugar boiling? No but you do smell a ready made caramel sauce. With that said, all that I really want to say is people need to be educated to control and moderate. Any kind of restricted diet is just as bad as a binge once in a while. Either your brain is going to snap, or eventually you will give in and infact balance out the equation of what you have restricted yourself. Most of the times over balancing. To elaborate more, I really think that the whole idea of fat replacement is a lost cause. People need to pay more attention to their instincts and less to cravings. The craving will subside. If we all begin to understand our own body and mind, then we can begin eating the right foods at the right time, it is that simple.

dazzle her with croquem bouche

A good friend of mine's parents own the Thai Room. He once told me he'd rather cook AND eat french food.

If you want to discuss the structure in the kitchen I have no problem with that, but I think it should be another topic. Here in my first corporate job I am a little appalled at the ranking system. I personally think it should be Chef, Soux Chef, Cooks. Not all these different ranks for stations and then titles under them, Chef Brigade, Cook III, Cook II, Cook I, Extern/Intern/Apprentice. Its retarded because while people climb the rank their mouth gets bigger until they are at the top and all the sudden they calm down. At least I think because I haven't seen anyone with a big mouth reach it to the top yet. If you want to give pay raises to seniority, thats fine, but don't promote them "higher" unless there is requirements to follow. If they have the same duties as the ones under them, then they should have the same title.

no, I know all of those chef titles. And that is why I couldnt find it on the net either. It's chef Brigade.

All I want to know is the spelling of this title, the one just under soux chef or assistant chef. Anyone? I cant find it on the net.

maybe its just the picture, but it looks like somthing wrapped in alumminum foil. Also, withe everything flowing to the left it feels like the product is comming off the plate. Once again it might just be the picture.

definately needs to be stored well. Cook the sugar higher.

I instantly had the idea of champagne with xanthan suspending agar pearls of lemon, orange, grapefruit, and blood orange.

you know I have never been a fan of fruitcake, well at least the generic kind. But I tell you this, I would certainly eat that. Unfortunately though, if it were on a menu and said 'FruitCake', with a breif description I may be tempted to go another may, due to my already lacking appeal for fruitcake. When I looked at it at first, I loved it for its clean and appetizing look. I also liked the various components. But then as I looked closer there was a downfall. I realised that the dessert was being held, and the first thing that came to my mind was acetate. I thought nobody would put a dessert out with acetate holding something together. Then I realized it had to be a glass, so for a second I was re-birthed with the concept. And then I realized that the glass would kind of be a pain to scoop out of being that small. So once again I was on the downside. Then I went to read the components and found out that it was sugar. Why I never thought of it before, but it works and works well. nice work.

Sweet. Lets keep the fame at "known only in emergency".

I was qouted. Kind of scary.

The second you start mixing the ingredients aren't you kneading it? I dont think anyone really kneads foccaccia and ciabatta very long anyways. It's kind of hard. Also I have always been for of a fan of foccaccia with more of a pull to it than cakey texture. Meaning I like a little gluten structure to mine.

We are never going to get out of these measuring techniques if people dont stop printing them in it. Honestly mignardise, you cant really tell what an author is doing. I think Peter Reinhardt said in his book that in his book, and its true. Your best bet is to find a recipe that is already in weights. Because every author and reader does it differently, or has different equipment, or product, or climate differences. One persons flour may be well sifts (light and fluffy), while anothers may be somewhat damp and clumpy. And whos to say the authors were in perfect condition when testing it? Your best bet is to convert your own recipes. Break out the scale and the cup and make a conversion list for yourself. That way your product will always bee the same at least.

Well in foccacia the oil is imperative. Fat in general enriches bread, makes it softer and possibly shortens gluten strands. The higher the amount of fat, the harder it is for the gluten to be worked, because its harder for them to inter and over lap each other creating a web. This can also mean if you add the fat too soon, or at the wrong amounts, it will take longer for the dough to knead which will essentially heat it up and speed up the yeast production plus reducing proofing time. Flavored oils (depending on how strong) can have a profound inpact on a finished product. Some oils, like lemon for example, can be over powering. I, for one, make my own rosemary oil just for foccaccia. I use it throughout the process, in the dough, kneading, and brushing with. Tastes phenomenal. Foccaccia should be used with olive oil (atleast a derivitive of olive oil). Very very very few breads in this world do not contain salt. There is an tuscan semolina bread that has no salt in it primarily because it is solely used for prosciutto tasting. The reason being because prosciutto is salty and has enough flavor to overwhelm the bread. Simply put, bread (especially on its own) NEEDS SALT. It really has no flavor without salt and is a poor choice of food when lacking in salt. Salt not only is the flavor enhancer but it also controls yeast activity, allowing the bread to rise without getting out of hand. Salt also kills yeast so be cautious with its use and when you add it to the dough. Maybe you missed them putting in the salt, maybe they were careless and forgot to put it in, or maybe they are just not right in the head, but dont always go by what you see on TV. Remember this, bread with out salt is as good as cement. Always adjust your yeast according to your total dough weight. But it doesn't really matter unless you have way too much yeast. Just remember that the longer it takes for the dough to rise, the more flavor you are going to get out of the dough. The alchohol released from the yeast is where you get a lot of your flavor. That alchohol relaxes and messages glutens strands. the longer those strands undergo this procedure the more enjoyable they will be to eat. But also remember to keep folding the dough so that the gasses (CO2 + Alchohol) excreted by the yeast do not suffocate them. So as long as there is some yeast in the dough, you can let it go a couple days retarded and you will still acheive a wonderful bread. But if you want your recipe to always come out consistent you will want to keep the yeast at the same percentage to your flour. I think I just explained that, but if you need me to go further I will.

Thats actually not a parfait. Its actually just a mixed dessert in a glass. Hell you could even call it a coupe because it is as much a coupe as a parfait. A parfait is actually only a single substance, not a collection of things in a glass, aka trifle. A parfait is basically a frozen mousse similar to that of a bombe. It has yolks and meringue folded together seperately while bombe is solely yolks, and it is also naturally combined with other layers of ice cream in a singular mold. The reason why parfait carried over into America as, well basically a coupe or a trifle, is because of the original shape the parfait was bolded into. Which happens to be the cylindrical shape of that of the champagne glass we so commonly see today as being exemplified for the "American Parfait". But I guess in this day in age we can call things whatever we want. I just thought you'd like the background.

well the nuevoline is made from sucrose simalrly to what you described of the sucroline, so I am betting they are very similar. the factors that will change are: Temperature resistencies Crystallization Moisture attraction sweetness texture of product outcome carmelization degree and preservation degree Depending on what you want your invert sugar to do and how to do it or when to do it, that is what you are going to have to experiment with your sucroline. I am sure if it is not exactly what you want, you will still be able to find trimoline. Even if its not from the same company.

I definately like the 2nd plating the most. This is a dessert not dedicated to one person or a quick meal. It is something to be taken time with in the company of many. I am not sure if you were aiming for that or even aware, but it definately attributes to the idea of being homey. You really did a good job of bringing a new idea like "tea caviar" into a comfortable realm. Normally something like that would raise an eye brow. But really the second you look at it, thats what you want to eat. I would try everything on the plate, but I would continue to go back to the caviar throughout my tasting, and I think that is a very important action. well done.

Things eaten with sweet tea: Crumbcake BBQ biscuits and jam cobbler and pie Breakfast lunch dinner and everything else. though I do really see biscuits and jam right alongside of sweet tea. And yes, Jasmine is affensive

Well, I thought someone might ask, and I am glad they did. Southern tea is usually, or was anyways, Orange Pekoe. I've also seen other Black teaa utilized as southern sweet tea (I think Arizona Southern Style uses a different black tea? maybe) Basically the idea of tea is a little different than the rest of the world. Less tea leaves/ressence is used and is steeped for a considerably long time. Sometimes someone would put a pot on, bring it to a boil and let it sit for hours. Southern Style is, as you said, just tea with a lot of sugar in it. It is as some may say a cheap drink, easy to make and we always make a lot of it. I have been known to go out and buy several pitchers just to fill them all with tea at once. Then I dont have to worry about making more for a few days. It is not so much that the flavor is used for the dessert, is the idea and the feeling. Southern style sweet tea is suppose to make you feel at home and comfortable. If I go to anyones house and they have a pitcher of sweet tea on the dining room table I already feel welcome. I would like K8 to use southern sweet tea to recreate that feeling in a plated dessert.