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Patricia Austin

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Posts posted by Patricia Austin

  1. Just joining this topic . . .

    I have tried probably a half dozen different recipes, my current favorite is the Rigo recipe with added orange oil, lemon oil and orange blossom water with the option of vanillla bean butter. The humps are dramatic, and I have been able to freeze the batter for up to a few weeks with excellent results. I like them dipped in hot chocolate.

    I have lots of people who think there is something inside of the madeleine. Anyone know of a filled madeleine?

    Patricia

  2. Hi Folks,

    Today at the Farmers' Market where I sell I had a customer ask me if I had ever had "Sawdust Brownies". He said they are made from a real tree in the New England Area and he couldn't remember the name of the tree. I googled it but came up empty. Does anyone know anything about this? I am just being gullible? Please enlighten me if you can.

    Thanks!

    Patricia

  3. Thanks for your response. I think it must be the stiffness of my paste. I vaguely remember adding 25 g. of cocoa powder instead of 20 g., just because I wanted it darker . . . but it must have been just a bit too much. I also have been wondering if when I froze them they were left in too long without covering which would tend to dry them out . . .

    I do use the PCB biscuit transfer sheets, they are amazing timesavers and some really fun designs too. The only drawback is I have to be extra careful to keep them away from hot surfaces because they warp within minutes!

    Thanks again, I'll soften my paste and see what happens.

    Patricia

    .

    I bake off Joconde almost every day.

    I have found that whether you use your own cigarette paste or are using a transfer sheet, if you peel off the paper or silpat when the joconde is warm it always works best, and;

    like you said, make sure your cigarette paste isn't too stiff or dry. The difference in textures will make the pattern want to come off, if not sooner, then later.

    Also, don't make the pattern too thin. Thin, yes, but not TOO thin. I have found all of this information out by trial and error.

    I ordered Joconde Biscuit transfer sheets from PCB Creation in France. They are SO COOL. Definitely easier than making your own patterns and it saves time. There's lots of neat patterns to choose from too. The website isn't the easiest to navigate if you speak English......click on PCB Store, then click on Entremets on the left hand side, then click "transfer for biscuit".

    Anyway, with the transfer sheets, it's VITAL to peel them off while the cake is warm. I learned that from experience too. :raz:

  4. I'm going crazy with my joconde cocoa paste transfer. For a few years I made them with no problems. Recently the cocoa paste has been peeling off after baking or later on . . . when I go to use the joconde the cocoa paste isn't adhered properly, seems to be too close to the outside and rubs off leaving the joconde bare!

    I remove the silpat while the joconde is still warm; sometimes the silpat removes perfectly and later the paste rubs off, sometimes the paste comes off with the silpat.

    Is my cocoa paste too stiff?

    Is my Silpat too oily? I did clean the silpat REALLY well before this last batch this morning.

    Help! I need to resolve this, these are a regular order for a local restaurant!

    Experience, Ideas?

    Thanks. Patricia

  5. O.K. Excellent, so I could go sweet or savory. I love the idea of candied walnuts, apple slices (or pears)and caramel. The savory side sounds really good but what I offer professionally is the sweet side, so I'm leaning that way. I'm sure there is a place for Triscuits but they have always scared me (like shrunken salted shredded wheat cereal biscuits).

    I wonder if the blue in the Gorgonzola would dissapear after baking. The tricky part seems to be in finding the right amount of tanginess without overwhelming the palate with that blue zing.

    Thanks for the recipe ideas!

    Patricia

  6. Has anyone ever made a Blue Cheesecake??

    Maybe it would be more on the savory side?

    I've had a request for it from a new wine shop in town and I have not seen a recipe for one that I remember . . . but there must be something out there.

    Let me know if you have any ideas.

    Thanks.

    Patricia

  7. Good idea to checkWendy's blog, Canadianbacon.

    Mirrors . . . I like that idea too and I do have a little collection of them, tucked away and forgotten until now. Thanks for posting the delicious photo McDuff, It's so true that beautiful tempting desserts can create a restless crowd.

    Pam R, I am leaning towards doing a floral centerpiece with cranberries in the vase. I think I want to keep it simple partly because this is a first for me and also because there is alot of dessert variety which will bring it's own interest.

    My table will be rectangular and I have a long list of items per their request. I wonder, is there any reason to place the whole, sliced items higher-up or down? I guess asthetically they could be in either place.

    Here is the grand list: the cakes will be whole except the Chocolate Mousse and Tigers. All of the other pastries will be individual servings or petite four size.

    CAKES:

    Ginger Cheesecake

    Pumpkin Rum Cheesecake

    Chocolate Grappa Current & Pine Nut Torte

    Joconde-Raspberry Mousse

    Chocolate Mousse Cakes

    Tiger Cakes

    TARTS:

    Raspberry Frangipane Tarts

    Lemon Cream

    Apple Tart Tatin

    Almond Cream Tarts

    Chocolate Victoria Tarts

    CREAM PASTRIES:

    Eclairs

    Cream Puffs

    Fresh Fruit Tarts

    Napoleons

    COOKIE ASSORTMENT:

    Chocolate Macarons

    Chocolate Truffles

    Sablés: Chocolate, Lemon, Linzer

    Almond Horns

    Tuile Cookies

    Shortbreads (Scottish & Cocoa Bean)

    Hazelnut Meringues

    Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

    Yeow!

    Patricia

  8. r, T, g, D,

    Thanks for your responses, all very helpful.

    gfron1, I'm not sure what you mean by glass blocks. How large are they and where would I find them?

    Trishiad, I do have some large cookie tins, good idea. Are the "tiles" your speaking of ceramic tiles?

    I need to decide about a centerpiece. Since I am incorporating edible miniature roses into some of the pastry decoration I'm leaning towards a pastry centerpiece. I will be using different sized and designed antique glass plates for display. I live in Vermont, and so I can go towards the rustic/elegant look (which is my tendency anyway), so in this moment I am thinking about using a few wooden boards (nice ones!) and perhaps wooden blocks for display. Wood coupled with glass, flowers and pastry can be very earthy and elegant. I'm also considering how to possibly incorporate the season. . . .

    Geez, there are so many possible directions to go in; how exciting and somewhat overwhelming. I'll center my focus eventually, but there is so much energy in the beginning of a creative process. I really appreciate the eGullet forum for support and ideas.

    Patricia

  9. Hello All,

    O.K.

    I have taken on a job to make pastries for the local bank at their annual who's who gala function. The event is for 300 people; they have hired two savory caterers and myself for pastry/sweets. Originally I was going to just drop the goods off and let the caterers take it from there but the individual I am dealing with at the bank convinced me to be there, set up my own 8 ft fancy display table and use the function to showcase my work. This is a great account for me and if everything goes well she (the bank person) said they would contract with me again next year.

    So . . . the part that is totally new to me is creating a table display! I arrange pastry case displays alot but this is different. I am imaging a tiered look of some sort but I'm completely starting from scratch. I thought that I could practice before hand with gathering boxes and draping them with cloth etc. but then it occurred to me that it would be a good thing for me to reach out to see if anyone on egullet has experience and/or thoughts on the subject. How does one go about creating a table display????? Hints? Tricks? Things to be careful of?

    The event is in three weeks. I will have an 8 ft. table that will be positioned at the entrance to the party. There will also be trays of petite fours being passed around by the caterers that I will need to keep replenished.

    thank you , thank you.

    Patricia

  10. I've been following this thread with happiness and received my copy of Dorie's new book on Friday. I made the chocolate chip cookies. (I don't have the book in front of me but I believe it said "my best chocolate chip cookies". Sorry, no photo options). Like many bakers, I too have tried a bazillion CCC recipes and these are my new favorite: exactly as described with crispy, buttery edges and softer centers, very yummy and a nice slight wrinkle/dimple factor after cooling from the oven. Thanks Dorie!

    Patricia

  11. I use yeasted puff pastry (croissant dough) which is popular. There is a fair amount of crust which soaks up some of the egg mixture, but isn't soggy at all. For me, the yeasted puff bakes through to the bottom better than straight puff.

    So many choices . . .

  12. its possible that even though you say its cardboard it might also be reffered to as a cake plate

    It could be :biggrin: . That could be why my search hasn't turned up anything.

    Thanks so much for all of the ideas, links and numbers. I'm going to check all of them out and see what I can do. In a couple of hours you've all helped me get much further than I got on my own in a couple of weeks. Thanks!

    I order my boards from these folks: Edge Vantage - Boards for Better Baked Goods!

  13. I'm crazy about the Korova's too. With the log rolling, slicing technique I was having a difficult time getting an end product that looked appealing and they weren't selling so well. So I changed the technique: I chop the chocolate bits a little finer, roll the dough flat, cut them, give them a light egg wash, a tiny sparkle sugar sprinkle and bake. They look great (they have a crackly texture from the wash), still taste wonderful and they sell.

  14. The Grand Marnier Cake is wonderful. I made it for a 25th wedding anniversary cake last week, then again for my husbands birthday and sold some mini extras at the farmer's market. They were a big hit. You can make the cake in a bundt or tube pan as suggested or in round cake pans for slicing which is what I did. I sliced them in 3 thin layers, heavily brushing each layer with grand marnier syrup, a thin layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache, a thin layer of orange buttercream and a finish with bittersweet glaze. Another vote also for the Golden Almond Butter Cake.

  15. I'm assuming the part about how you make the patterns with the cigarette paste and put the cake/joconde over it, is what your interested in? .........I sort of thought this thread took it from there. But maybe I've not been clear enough?

    Thanks for considering this idea. Some of the demos have close-up, very specific info. and seeing the step by step process of working with cigarette paste, making patterns via various techniques and covering with joconde is what I am curious about. I have worked with many types of pastry and this is something I have not yet worked on, so I am very interested. I hope I wasn't being too forward in suggesting this.

  16. Hi Thornado,

    So sorry the timing didn't work out.

    Here are a few great places I went to last fall.

    It's always good to call ahead.

    Dorie Greenspan has a fine list in the back of her

    book if anyone else has easy access to it.

    Patricia

    Boulangerie Poilane (famous for their bread)

    8 rue du Cherche-Midi

    0 1 45 48 42 59

    Patisserie Arnaud Larher

    53rue du Caulaincourt (Montmartre)

    0 1 42 57 68 08

    Lauduree (my favorite. PH spent some time here)

    3 choices

    16 rue Royale( lovely tea/lunch room)

    0 1 42 60 21 79

    75 avenue des Champs Elysees

    0 1 40 75 08 75

    21 rue Bonaparte

    0 1 44 07 64 87

    Lenotre

    48 avenue Victor-Hugo

    0 1 45 02 21 21

    15 boulevard Courcelles

    0 1 45 63 87 63

    Patisserie Mulot (great savory to go as well)

    76 rue de Seine

    0 1 43 26 85 77

    Boulangerie-Patisserie Poujauran

    20 rue Jean-Nicot

    0 1 47 05 80 88

    Sadaharu Aoki

    35 rue Vaugirard

  17. So, no unfortunately I am very sorry, after that long dumb story, I do not have a recipe to share.  But I just wanted to try to contribute... maybe this summer will be the summer I resurrect the famous, retired champion Blue Ribbon Blueberry Muffins....  In the meantime, maybe I can try Cali's recipe (along of course, with my Nana's secrets tips!!!)

    Thanks for letting me share.  (now I am sad...  :sad: )

    Thanks for sharing. I throughly loved your story, like a great blueberry muffin.

    Good luck resurrecting the recipe.

    Patricia

  18. I have a ongoing mystery I am trying to solve and wonder if anyone has a clue to the answer.

    Approximately once a week I bake a batch of chocolate macarons using a Pierre Herme recipe. I pipe the recipe to yield a total of three half shiners worth of baking. I allow the macarons to sit out for 15-20 min. to dry a bit and form a skin before I bake the first tray. The first bake and the second bake come out perfect, I couldn't be happier with them. The third bake is unpredictable :hmmm: . . . sometimes about half of the macarons have only a partial foot developed with what appears to be a collapse of the top over one side. They do not have their roundness, but are mis-shapen. They still taste great but do not look right and consequently I do not sell them. :sad: The only thing I can think of is that the drying time is too long and this affects the rise of the macarons. I have tried baking the first tray sooner but end up with wrinkly tops. Sorry I do not have photo capabilities here.

    Ideas, Experiences???

    Thanks, Patricia

  19. or just add some flavored oil instead of vanilla

    Sugarbuzz,

    Is this what you meant to say?

    I would not add oil to meringue because it will deflate the whites.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Patricia

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