pastrygirl

Yes, I got my spool of guitar wire from TCF sales a few years ago. Give them a call.

I keep a wish list on amazon and things do often drop in price, sometimes significantly and sometimes by a few cents. Occasionally they go up. I never thought about it being tied to my search history, but it sounds possible.

No thank you.

Rob, do you also do a dry caramel? I think anglaise is similar to that. I do a wet caramel even though it takes longer so I don't have to babysit it and I put sugar in the yolks so i don't have to be careful tempering it. You may prefer being more direct with caramel and not waiting for water to boil off and like saving the step of not returning the custard to the pan (which I would support if I could get it to work for me). Do you prefer to multitask, or do you try to focus on one thing at a time?

CatPoet, I was wondering what the heck ljus sirap was, but I happened to see some at the import store today - I went to stock up on Lyle's and there were bottles of ljus sirap and darker mork sirap! So they are beet sugar syrups? Is there a special/unique flavor or mostly just sweet? Are they usually used in candies and baking, or would you use them on pancakes like we use maple syrup?

Adding the sugar to the milk will definitely raise the boiling temp, apparently enough to make a difference. Edward, are you familiar with Franciso Migoya's perfect pastry cream? It sounds like your hotel recipe, relying on the milk being hot enough to activate the thickeners without being returned to the heat. Sadly, I had inconsistent results trying to follow Migoya. User error, I am sure. http://www.scribd.com/doc/109770117/Perfect-Pastry-Cream

Couple of simple things, easier to link to instagram than download from my phone... pear-passion fruit pate de fruit: I got some pectin from l'epicerie and did a test batch to make sure it set up the same as the last brand. A little slower, but otherwise seems good. Some guy happened to email me about pdf the same day, and he bought all 5 boxes of my test batch. So that was serendipitous! https://instagram.com/p/1yAFe9pDbN/?taken-by=sugarchefseattle pistachio marzipan, greweling's recipe: It came out nice, could possibly be a little sweeter. Does anyone add salt to marzipan? I added a few drops of almond extract, but it seems to be lacking something. I'm thinking about layering it with saffron dark chocolate ganache and dipping. https://instagram.com/p/1yoi3cJDTM/?taken-by=sugarchefseattle

So basic creme anglaise method? My theory is that the sugar in the eggs helps the eggs not scramble. I don't know if it is because of chemistry or heat capacity, but I have made hundreds of gallons of ice cream by boiling cream/milk, dumping it all into my yolks/sugar, whisking well, then returning to the pan and cooking until thickened. The ONLY time I have scrambled the eggs was when I made a caramel ice cream where all the sugar was caramelized then dissolved in the liquid and the yolks were naked. That is when you have to temper in your hot stuff extra carefully. Some people may say that the sugar needs to be dissolved in the milk first, I disagree, sugar is not that hard to dissolve!

I have not used agave (and don't personally believe the hype), but so far all of the liquid sugars I have used in caramels have worked as doctors - honey, maple syrup, steen's cane syrup, lyle's golden syrup, and glucose. I really love the Lyle's in caramels, as it has a caramel-y flavor to begin with. I do use more maple syrup than the thicker ones, figuring it reduces a bit. I make caramels by caramelizing the sugar separately for flavor then adding everything else and cooking to temp. I'm not sure whether method makes any difference when it comes to formula changes. Isn't agave on the expensive side? Or are you just trying to please WF?

Definitely depends on where you are and what you are making, there is no universal standard of thin. I like your tablecloth/napkin/leaf descriptions, it helps to have a measurement or comparison. I might roll a shortbread cookie or cinnamon roll dough to 1cm, but more likely a little less, and I would call that thick, not thin! But 1cm would be relatively thin for a(n American) biscuit or scone, those would usually be 2-3cm. I've never made phyllo or strudel and work with more tarts, cookies, crackers, and biscuits. Since what I roll most often is pate sucree/brisee type tart dough, standard thickness to me is about 1/8" or 3mm, thin is 2 mm (for crackers and a certain empanada dough) and 1mm would be extra thin. Tuiles and some chocolate garnishes are the only things that I can think of that I make extra thin. Oh and one cracker recipe - these are all spread with an offset icing spatula, not rolled.

http://www.starchefs.com/cook/recipe/antonio-bachour/white-chocolate-cremeux-lychee-granita-grapefruit-gelee-campari-meringue Here's my chiboust recipe - Rhubarb Chiboust 1/2 sheet rhubarb juice 700 g dried hibiscus flower 1 tsp reduced rhubarb juice 350 g cream 225 g egg yolks 12 lg sugar 120 g cornstarch 37 g bronze gelatin 4 sheets egg whites 8 lg sugar 170 g glucose syrup 35 g water 85 g Combine rhubarb juice and hibiscus flower and simmer until reduced by half. Combine reduced rhubarb juice and cream and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Soften gelatin and set aside. Mix hot rhubarb/cream mixture into egg yolk mixture, then return to the pan and cook, whisking, until thick. Return cooked pastry cream to the bowl and add the softened gelatin. Stir until gelatin is melted. Set aside at room temperature. Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the kitchenaid bowl and start whipping on medium speed. Meanwhile, combine the water and sugars and cook on high until the syrup bubbles thickly. Slowly stream hot syrup into beating egg whites - the whites should be at soft peak before adding syrup. Fold italian meringue into pastry cream until uniform. Spread over the prepared rhubarb agar and chill until set. Unmold and cut desired shapes. Keep refrigerated.

I've made a rhubarb chiboust that might work. I never tried freezing it, but was able to slice it. I made a rhubarb gellee and let that set then spread a thicker layer of chiboust on top. It was then cut into squares with a cookie cutter and layered between crispy phyllo layers in a napoleon. Reducing the rhubarb juice with some hibiscus flower made a more intense rhubarb flavor and nicer color in the finished product. This would work best if you are making the cake in a ring or mold, it might be too soft before it sets up to spread as a filling. You could also try a white chocolate cremeaux with rhubarb compote added instead of some of the liquid. A couple of variations to get started with http://www.patisserieesmeralda.com/2013/08/fresh-mint-cremeux-and-white-chocolate.html http://www.starchefs.com/cook/recipe/antonio-bachour/white-chocolate-cremeux-lychee-granita-grapefruit-gelee-campari-meringue Here's my chiboust recipe - Rhubarb Chiboust 1/2 sheet rhubarb juice 700 g dried hibiscus flower 1 tsp reduced rhubarb juice 350 g cream 225 g egg yolks 12 lg sugar 120 g cornstarch 37 g bronze gelatin 4 sheets egg whites 8 lg sugar 170 g glucose syrup 35 g water 85 g Combine rhubarb juice and hibiscus flower and simmer until reduced by half. Combine reduced rhubarb juice and cream and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Soften gelatin and set aside. Mix hot rhubarb/cream mixture into egg yolk mixture, then return to the pan and cook, whisking, until thick. Return cooked pastry cream to the bowl and add the softened gelatin. Stir until gelatin is melted. Set aside at room temperature. Put the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the kitchenaid bowl and start whipping on medium speed. Meanwhile, combine the water and sugars and cook on high until the syrup bubbles thickly. Slowly stream hot syrup into beating egg whites - the whites should be at soft peak before adding syrup. Fold italian meringue into pastry cream until uniform. Spread over the prepared rhubarb agar and chill until set. Unmold and cut desired shapes. Keep refrigerated.

Chris, those look fantastic! I totally believe those took all day, I don't even want to count the hours I spent on rabbits

I've been a busy confectionista this week: Nougat with pistachios, almonds, candied orange, and cocoa nibs that nougat cut into bars and dipped in about 66% dark (blend of 72 & 60) Easter egg macarons Easter egg bonbons Sample Easter basket at my pop up shop today caramel apples for a food truck I'm starting to work with

Hey, I've been making nougat too! Made it yesterday, no such drama besides burning the first batch of honey. I approximately followed Greweling's recipe - honey to 248F and sugar to 311F. I would like it just a little softer, so I might play with lowering the sugar temp a little next time. I added pistachios, almonds, candied orange zest and cocoa nibs, then cut it into bars and dipped them in approx 66% dark chocolate. https://www.facebook.com/DolcettaArtisanSweets/photos/a.658452977538432.1073741826.330407983676268/909026599147734/?type=1&notif_t=like

I try not to be an asshole so I don't have to worry about people spitting in my food.

I don't think the restaurant has any obligation to explain the reasoning behind their specials. As long as the food is safe to eat it should not matter whether the dessert special was made because the pastry chef was bored and felt like experimenting or because that case of apricots had seen better days and needed to be used. Cooks all know the really sketchy stuff goes into staff meal, not specials!

The most embarrassing thing about my pantry is how bare it is. And the fridge shelves could use a scrub. OK, and the instant coffee that my brother acquires in his travels and gives to me. It helps that when I buy junk food I devour it pretty much instantly so evidence is destroyed.

Chanjying, the mold is Chocolate World 1468. I have one, but don't remember which of the fine Canadian companies listed above carries it.

Very cute, Ruth!

Hard to pick 'most exotic'. Most different from what I grew up eating? Farthest from home? Rarest? Being one who has both traveled a bit and lives in a large city where it seems like almost everything is available, what is exotic anymore? Not saying that in a bad way, I love having multiple options for Shanghainese soup dumplings and grocery stores with Hawaiian poke bars. Babi guling in Bali was incredibly delicious with complex and mysterious seasoning. On the other hand, is roast pork exotic? Beef lung curry in Wangduephodrang, Bhutan was something I tasted before knowing what it was. Strange-to-me texture, otherwise a fine curry. Also duck tongues, truffles, yak, cod sperm and everything on the menu that night at El Bulli could be contenders.

hmm, I've never actually tried it in that application, but I think you would want to add it at the end, after you have a stable meringue. I think it would dissolve but i can't promise. I use it mixed with toasted coconut so I can't tell if the powder texture can still be detected because it is already grainy. You could also mix it with the minimum amount of water possible to make a thick coconut milk paste, though of course added liquid will soften your meringue/marshmallow. Gelatin or hotter cooking will help with that if you are going more marshmallow-y.

Easter food memories are fuzzy though we always celebrated it. Get dressed up for church then come home and have sunday breakfast, with little easter themed egg cups at our place settings filled with jelly beans and mini chocolate eggs. I saw my mom yesterday and she said 'the usual' lamb and asparagus for dinner this year, though I'm sure sometimes there was ham. My older brother's birthday sometimes coincides with Easter, as it does this year, so sometimes it would be a combo easter/birthday. Maybe that's why I don't remember a traditional dessert, it was birthday cake or easter candy. Egg hunt was indoors, with Brown & Haley mountain bars and/or Cadbury creme eggs hidden around the house. We did dye chicken eggs, but only hunted for chocolate ones.

Bunnies! testing the colors - I mixed Chef Rubber cocoa butter colors into some white chocolate for opacity then drizzled and finger painted the molds before filling with 60% first batch finished packed and ready to sell! I need to get faster and line the mold halves up a little better, but otherwise I'm happy with these.

You can make pate de fruits in a thin layer then cut it and insert it into your shell. It won't be form-fitting, but you could float it between two layers of ganache, probably easiest in square or rectangular molds. Or if you don't mind hand dipping you can make the pate de fruits, let cool, add the ganache layer, then cut and dip.