chiantiglace

it does sound like your recipe was too soft, if you wanted to try it again i suggest (before adding the eggs) keep the the mix on medium heat constantly stirring until it forms a consistancy almost like play-doh while pulling away from the pan is if it were all "one" single element. Though to go a safe route i'd just use C.P.'s recipe. Looks stable. I like Milk in my pate a choux. I've also attempted over 10 different recipes and hers seems to have a nice balance, a little sweeter than most ive seen too.

actually eem, those sites i sent you specifically stated non-refrigerated. They have many different categories.

Hey, this is just an idea that sprung on me once you sayed duck fat. Maybe try raplcing 20% of the water with a port wine. Port is great with duck flavor.

French, ha. No not even close. Actually I am a mix of Swedish/Irish/Italian. Odd isn't it. French......

cocoa butter doesn't have any water in it, there are no milk solids in cocoa butter. It's a plant oil. If you add more cocoa butter it will become softer, thats why spraying chocolate is usually around 50% cocoa butter becase is softer and holds longer in the gun, hence its softer structure able to pushed through and air compressor.

You need to find a Husband and friends like me and you, open a business together. That way you'll see them too much and complain you never get time alone, HA. Isn't life grand. I guess life is what you make it. And i know what you mean, im pretty optimistic myself, but people think when you describe the lifestyle that you live it seems as if you should be a bitter person. But im not, im not.

go get a 25 dollar paint sprayer from the hardware store and spray red tinted white chocolate over it. It will also give the cake that natural velvety finish. Spray solution -1part Tempered white chocolate 1Part Cocoa butter. fill the bottle attatchment, put up a card board backdrop and go to town.

I'm pretty much a loner like Neil too. My life is very unusual. I have the luxury of knowing 50% of the people that walk through the restaurants front door, so i socialize particularly while working. Once I'm off I can't stand the sight of people. So i don't mind working a little more. I always tell myself there is so much out there to see and learn, and the harder I work the better chance I will have to move later on to another place and take in a new experience. Through experience I have noticed knowledge is power. I don't care who you are or what you do, the more you understand what you are doing the greater your life will turn out, and for me I continue to feel less resistance and stress, even if i pull a 20 hour shift. The shift flew by because i knew what i was doing at all times and knocked the work out, one thing after another. So in a way the excitement I get from life is what accomplish in it. And if that means I am not getting wasted with my friends at a bar all ngiht, thats fine with me. I don't need to take a girl home everynight, or do the party scene with my friends all the time to be happy. It's just who I am, i still havent met a similar person and thats fine. My friends still like me and they don't get upset when I chose work over play.

A good tip if you use Ultra-pasteurized cream in sauces, ice cream, brulee (custard in general) only bring the cream to a slight simmer, not a full simmer or quick boil like most recipes state. This will keep its flavor better without breaking down its structure too much.

I bet those Madelienes are kind of a change for you now because of a crispier crumb. They look great. Back to Ina Gartens, I would like to try filling them with a Brie and lemon emulsion filling. Give me a glass of Champagne and it would be a happy night. Great work, keep it up.

I'm not sure if these are too big for you but... select appliance acemart heres a couple i found

Tan, about the whole 20 years old thing living in the social scene, doesnt really work. Take it from me, if your dedicated at 20 in this business you never really had a social scene. Since i was 15 years old I myself have been working 2-3 jobs at a time pushin from 60-95 hours a week. It gets to the point for work is life. You Start to enjoy it though the farther you get along, passing all prospects the same age of you by with loads more knowledge, skill, and maturity. I am also vey nocturnal (more or less insomniac) I only sleep like every 19-20 hours compared to the normal 15. And when i sleep i try to get 8-10 hours. I rarely fall asleep before 4 oclock in the morning, i always try to beat the sun. Not too long ago i took a job with a friend pastry chef at a bakery to gain as much knowledge from him as possible. But i had to be at work at 3 in the morning, and im not use to going to sleep until 5. This caused major problems, I didnt sleep the first day and pushed through it. The secound day I was 4 hours late for work (the first and last time i was ever late for work, anywhere). I stayed on for a few more days before i realized that i couldn't learn very much or do a very good job if my sleep patterns would not follow suit. Now that I'm in charge I pretty much work all the time and sleep whenever possible, ha. I guess you really have to have a love for the food and people around you to be in this business. And I do very much, and always will.

All i've got to say is 2700miles. I do beleive im tempted to quit my job and run across country. Whats a beach resort traded for a casino, nothin but more lights. I will be coming out with some colleagues this summer for the 2005 ACF convention this year, i'd love to take a look at that display box and how it works. Any chance of a behind the scenes look?

All I can say is that every single book I own states in the preface that all butter in recipes is unsalted butter. I don't know where that baker got his info from but thats rediculous. Even if it weren't there is no reason why anyone should throw a fit, it isn't that big of a deal as C.P. clearly explains how easy it is to use either or. To prove the unslated standar, look at every American culinary schools books they use and product, i garuntee it will be Unslated butter the majority of the time, even in culinary arts.

Oh lord so much to say, I hope I can remember it all I love to infuse ganache with verbena by the way, gives a subtle aroma and most people can't place it. mini tartlets, ah yes a wonderful selectiojn. First lemon curd to me is a little powerful, i usually fold a little whipped cream in. You could also make caramel pecan tartlets. Not hard, just bring whatever caramel recipe you find to the softball stage, stir in some toasted chopped pecans and fill your shells. I also love to do variations of pirrouettes and florenties. You could easily make cones and fill them with anything from chantilly cream, ganache, bavarian cream, mousse, etc. I also like to make warm ganache or fudge platters but putting an assortment of different and interesting cookie and crisp variations with a bowl of chocolate so that people can dip there own. I don't hear this alot on egullet but one of my favorite things to play with is pate de fruit. You could a number of these pleasures in any kind of mold or cut style and the would be nice for people to eat. breakfast pastries could go quite easily to, such as scones.

I agree with Sinclair because i also caught the baking powder odd but didnt want to say anything because I didn't feel like looking up the percentages. Two leaveners is fine but usually for a cake that has been creamed not one solely leavened by beaten eggs. once again, try try again. It's and expensive time consuming way to learn but by far the best way because at the end you'll be able to explain what went wrong instead of just getting it right the first time.

well if were talking about compounds that have formed under heat then there is no more excess h2o in the solution meaning as long as the solution is heated properly and evenly that it would not matter to what degree you heated it under. so once again my statements stand. and yes, add as much water you want to a sugar solutionand by the time it gets to 230degrees you will still have the same ratio of water and sugar no mattter if you have an ounce of water or a gallon, it will just take a lot longer to boil the water out.

Unfortunately have never take a picture of one of my cakes, call me dumb. I'm actually more professional at plated desserts, it's what i do. The company I work for is opening up a gourmet shop and bakery in a few months in which I will more than like be making trait desserts for the area. When that comes around I will undoubtedly put a profile together for you. Unfortunately they will not nearly be as beautiful as any of you ladies cakes, but I go for more of an abstract one time deal with mine so i never perfect a single cake.

Drizzle on some chocolate and dash a few toasted walknuts in C.P. and send it my way, can't wait to break out my dessert fork on that

Yea but C.P. that's what everyone wants to do what you are doing. See now you can make a good living spend a few years in peace and, my favorite, consistancy. Save the money up and vacation a little in places like Vegas. Gain soem friends in the industry, go out there do some personal research and never have to work those crazy corporate hours.

Honestly, this is kind of my "specialty" so to speak when it comes to specialty cakes. only 10% of the time i actually write on the cake. Usually i make 3d forms and designs that go with the cakes theme that has the writing soemwhere in it. That's where the airbrush and acetate comes in for me. I'm sure everyone here can imagine what I would do with that.

well considering I have grown up in a town right next to the trellis, have had many colleagues work there, One of my Fathers best friends/clients is a very good friend of marcel and I as a young shild of maybe 12-13 longed to work for him have this to say..... It's a waste of 50bucks for a more progressive learner. I would rather spend that 50 for a book by Moriarty/Richard Leech/ or Herme'. At the Trellis (which is nice) they are extremely traditonal aka old-fashioned. So therefore all of his books have simple cakes and desserts. You could just as easily take a week apprenticeship at a fairly decent restaurant and learn more. If you have a question for a recipe of his just look it up or ask someone, but for the most part I wouldn't do it.

Well first off welcome to egullet soceity as i guess sinclair would say. First i find it odd that the recipe calls for 3/4 of the sugar to go into the egg yolks, and 1/4 in the egg whites. It is usually the complete opposite. Though the sponge seems to be a balanced low ratio enriched cake so it sould have baked fine if prepared right. The greased and floured sides should not affect it in this way so i think your in the clear on that, atleast i've never had that problem and can't think why i would. The best idea I have is you extracted the sponge from the pan far too soon and it feel almost like a souffle would. I say try it again with a 10" pan and let it cool until stable to remove. I just don't understand why it would fall in the middle.... only 2 things come to mind -it had too much leavening ability (baking powdered) and rose over the flours support. -the pan wasn't high enough and the sponge had nothing to grab onto as it was rising.

man nighscotsman, it's too bad im 2700 miles away from you and already took up a pastry chef positon at a new restaurant or i'd be there, atleast part time. I'd love to help you knock some major prep out and have an incredible experience at the same time, but that is not my path right now. I hope you will still be around in about 8 years after I tour southbeach, because Vegas is on my top 5 list for working experience.

Could you possibly use royal icing or buttercream instead? And i have a question for chefpeon, how often do you use an airbrush for writing, if ever?