Irishgirl

You seem to get around. Culinary Research?

The dampness was because you cut into your bread too soon. When the Flour becomes hydrated and then cooks it becomes a gel. When baked, that gel needs time to set. Cool your bread for at least 45 minutes after baking and you will have a much better result. This also allows the bread to develop its final flavour. Carry on!

Just don't use candied fruit. This is the biggest abomination of fruit ever. At my old work we dried our own fruit and put it into a white chocolate and dark chocolate pound cake. These were amazing. Had toasted nuts too. I mean, you can do almost anything with "fruitcake". Pick a cake you like. Add fruit. Must have hard sauce.

And here is the response from the "legendary" Connor Butler.

A fabulous idea. Sorry I missed you when you were here in B.C. I would have liked to have met you two, but alas, all i can do is give you this: Culinary Tours He has built a whole business around it. I totally think that you could do this.

Mr Maw? Any comment?

This is what I want for my remodel. I love the look. Please post your findings!

Green color is okay, as is a strong smell. Red on the outside can be cut off. It's when it starts to smell like iodine that is (for me) the time to throw it out.

Rosemary sorbet would go excellent with the pears or apples, and would probably be bright enough to clean the palate. Carry On!

Now working with someone who recently worked with Connor Butler... Quote of the day: "He is either brilliant or totally insane....." I vote insane just on knowledge of the location, the pretentiousness and the Versace, What a way to throw away money.

Are you making the custard fresh? Or has it sat in the fridge overnight to ripen? I find that "fresh" custard has a harder time setting up. A trick that I used for this was to scald the milk/cream and then let it sit off the heat for 1 hour before mixing with the rest of the ingredients for the custard. Don't know why it worked, but it did. Obviously cold custard will take longer to set than warm. Unless you have the problem that I had. Good luck!

I did mine without a 90 degree temp. Room temp is fine. But if you are desperate, a box with a lightbulb would work.

I somehow thought that you would be the next participant. I look forward to your contibution as I am interested in your take on things. FWIW, Smoke with apples and pears is outstanding. Think about how either one of those goes with bacon. Carry on.

Wooo Wooo! I am in the middle of a bread phase myself. Glad that it has finally worked out for you! I am contemplating my next bread now. Starter is in the fridge looking VERY bubbly. Hmmmmm.

I am keeping my eye on this place as I have heard the same thing, and may know the chef(s). If it is, the scheduled opening was supposed to be in Nov. but I highly doubt it at this point. I live close by and walk by frequently. Will keep you updated. ← Find an interview with the chef here ← This guy was not who we were talking about. At 16th and Granville there is a boarded up storefront. Connor Butler is at 6th. (P.S. I think that he is crazy serving his food on Versace. That alone will run him into the ground. People will steal, and employees will break it.)

I am keeping my eye on this place as I have heard the same thing, and may know the chef(s). If it is, the scheduled opening was supposed to be in Nov. but I highly doubt it at this point. I live close by and walk by frequently. Will keep you updated.

Green dessert? Pistachio! I know that you already have the Hazelnuts in the pasta, but if you made it chocolate pasta, you could have the pistachio sauce....but that kind of ruins the regional thing doesn't it? HMMMMM..... You had those Kiwis didn't you? Basil is nice sweet. I've made basil sorbet before and it was killer. Rosemary also lends itself well to sweet preparations Still thinking....

I'll second that -- I am a merely home baker (though an ambitious one) and as a croissant first-timer, I found the BWJ recipe to be very rewarding. ← Check out the "Breakfast - the most important meal of the day" thread...Pg 51. I made the croissants - Top of page. Then keep scrolling down for Ling's picture. There were only a few items that I adapted from the Roux Recipe. They were fantastic! Ask Ling! Continue Baking!

I like the idea of the hop and malt marshmallow! What about pairing it with a malt and graham cracker or something with graham/barley that is a bit yeasty, and THEN warm Chocolate ganache for a deconstructed beer S'more! This would incorporate the barley cake (kind of like an oat cake/wafer). Or a hop and malt marshmallow with a warm barley/malt drink or barley/malt/chocolate drink? Or....you could make the marshmallow, and then the malt syrup, a barley flavoured ice cream, and make a float, with soda, the malt syrup, the icecream and the marshmallow as garnish? Toasted hops that are caramelized and then crushed as another garnish? (I don't know what hops look like or the consistency of them, but this appeals to me...) Carry on!

I usually toast mine in the oven first before cooking it like rice. It gets a nuttier flavour that way. I have been known to use it to stuff cabbage rolls with a variety of other ingredients like caramelized onions, roasted garlic, duck confit, parsley....etc.

According to Jeffrey Steingarten, the cut that you are describing is called "spinalis dorsi". This at least is what butchers would call it. My Preference? Dry aged 28 days 16 oz Rib steak, bone in. Either pan seared and basted with butter and its own juices or grilled until crusty on the outside and rare-medium-rare on the inside. With Bearnaise.

This morning: Homemade Croissants Peaches & Grapes Homemade Grape Jelly Bacon Hardboiled Eggs Applewood Smoked Cheddar French Raw Milk Brie Bresse Blue Mango Juice Calamansi Juice Sorry...no pictures...I'm not good at that. It is our 14th wedding anniversary, so I thought we'd go all out. The croissants were a combination of the recipes and techniques from "Baking With Julia" & Michel Roux's "The Roux Brothers on Patisserie". They were Fantastic! Light, Buttery, Crisp, Flaky and yet Soft, Well Layered, and very tasty. Lorna, you would have been impressed! I actually made them a few weeks ago and froze them before proofing. Pulled them last night and left them on the counter to defrost and rise. I am happy! I still have 16 more.

I'm certainly not intending to come off as the "lone whiner" here. I just sorta don't get it, is all. If the challenge (and I understand this is NOT a contest) is for Ling to add her "special magic" to a dessert, how much of LING'S special magic gets lost in the suggestions of others? This challenge ends up being a challenge to ALL rather than just Ling.....you see what I mean? And if this morphs into a challenge where everyone can offer input then maybe "The eG Supreme Baking and Pastry Challenge" should be offered to everyone from now on, and not just one individual. So instead of a "tag-you're-it" kind of thing, Ling can say to everyone, I challenge everyone to try to make "X"" Then everyone can come up with their own ideas, bake them, take photos and post. Then we'll have a thread full of everyone's inventions rather than a thread where one person's ideas get completely lost in everyone's input, and at the end only one baked item created. The point I'm trying to make is that the challenge to the individual person is completely lost here....it's actually pointless. The way this thread has played out is that EVERYONE participated in the challenge, and Ling was the one to execute it. She of course makes the final decision, but you can't argue the fact that she was influenced by all of your suggestions. That's all I'm sayin'. I feel that since everyone seems to enjoy participating so much that the challenge should be directed to all who want to step up, and everyone can post their creations. That way we'll have tons to look at and enjoy the different items that people come up with that stems from one idea. ← May I just point out that Ling derives inspiration for her desserts from MANY different sources including discussions with people on eGullet? So...in a way, this is only a little different from her normal process...(or so I think). I don't see how the challenge is pointless, as Ling will be the one executing the dessert. It is her STYLE and PRESENTATION that Kerry was looking for. Ling is the only one that can execute her style. (Just as Patrick is the only one who can execute his style) Any input are only suggestions. Ling's choices will determine her style and presentation. I highly doubt that she would take one suggestion and execute it verbatim, without "tinkering" a bit. That is what she does...plays with recipes until they suit her. Whatever. I love the thread. If anyone ever feels overwhelmed, they can always tell the rest of us to can it. Ling was the one to post her thoughts in the first place. Why, unless to get feedback? Carry on....and do yourself proud Lorna!

Just to add fuel to the fire..... Personally, I would poach the pineapple in caramelized pineapple juice that has a shot of rum and a vanilla bean in it....and just to gild the lily, some butter, cause butter makes everything better. The jelly roll idea, I would keep, but create a brown sugar mousse or brown butter mousse to fill it with. I would make the cake quite thin like a genoise, and when it is rolled, slice it so that can be stood up like a cylinder. Poached pineapple and liquid (reduced) on top. Top with cherry ice cream and pecan brittle. Rum anglaise. Sorry Ling....had to do it.

For chopping large quantities of chocolate quickly and evenly.... Depending on the size of the block.... If it is 1kg or larger, this method works well. unwrap the block so that the end of the block is still in the wrapper. Turn the block so that it is standing on its thin side. Support the block by leaning it up against your body and securing the wrapped end under your arm. Use your other arm to use a STRONG BREAD KNIFE (or serrated) to push down through the end of the chocolate that is on the cutting board. Adjust the size of the pieces by how wide you slice down. (You can go as thin as shavings if need be.) Be sure to use the part of the bread knife closest to the handle to achieve the best control. (I had people take issue with this method before, as they felt that putting the chocolate "under your arm" was unsanitary.....but believe me, this is the most effective way to achieve consistent pieces. A Chocolatier taught me this method, and I still use it to this day.) P.S. Cluizel may taste great, but is a #$%@%&* to temper without cracks in final product! Good Luck!