pastrygirl

I've noticed some people (such as the NYT in yesterday's article about soft-serve ice cream) using the title 'dessert chef' instead of 'pastry chef', and I'm wondering where this is coming from and why. I understand how annoying it can be to tell people you're a pastry chef and have them ask you if you can make really good doughnuts (along with all the other silly questions), but 'dessert' is so much more limiting than 'pastry'. I guess dessert chefs never have to be bothered with breads, savory snacks, or anything remotely associated with breakfast? A sweet, if not very well-rounded position If you are well-rounded in the pastry arts, why would you use a more limiting title? I know we have some cake artists here, and I think that is a great way to describe a specialty, just as chocolatier or boulanger are very specific. I don't know, something about 'dessert chef' just sounds a little goofy to me, dumbed down somehow. Anyone else?

I have to disagree with your premise (above), but they do look quite interesting.

Rob, re: suppliers - the squeaky wheel gets the grease. You have to be as much of a hardass as you can be - without being an asshole, of course - a nice, straightforward hardass. Cheese that doesn't make it onto the truck is a tough one if it is coming from far away, but make sure you don't set the standard of accepting inferior goods. If say the herbs come in looking crappy, either demand better or negotiate a discount, then follow up and make sure you get the credit. Cisco is OK for plastic wrap, canned goods, and such, but if the meat you're looking at is only 20 cents a pound more at your local supplier, talk to the local source and see if they can match the price. If you're going to be a good account, they should be willing to work with you. Cisco is the man, they may be a necessary evil in your area but it seems at odds with everything else you've posted to not make an effort to support the little guys. Also, check on local regulations regarding having people drop by the back door with their produce. There may be some licensing or food handling permit issues. Maybe talk to your local farmers market farmers about growing more of the things you want, and possibly delivering. It can be kind of annoying to have people drop by unannounced when you are busy, trying to sell 5 lb of carrots or such, so try to find a few growers you can work with on a regular basis so you'll know what they will have and when. To add to the 'good luck's: tashi delek!

You'll get used to it. Triple mochas exist for a reason.

Kumquats, being citrus, don't like to freeze. Did you have them indoors for the winter? I think you should try again.

If you want a sugar tattoo, take liquid caramel, approximately 340F and apply directly to skin. Cheaper, easier, unfortunately only semi-permanent, but then again it wont look as bad when you're 80.

Just a comment on the pickle debate: Tartine Bakery in San Francisco gives a really delicious spicy pickled carrot with their sandwiches. I'm sure they are made in-house with little effort, and they are a nice, unique alternative to the traditional pickle. Plus, carrots are pretty cheap, so it would add only a few cents to the plate. New Mexico is far enough away that you could copy it and nobody would know!

Add booze. I take my basic custard recipe, thin it a little (more milk), add chocolate and a good dose of liqueur to keep it soft (adding chocolate makes it harder). Chambord is very nice.

Somehow I thought that slower caramelization increased your risk of undesireable crystallization, especially in wet caramels. Apparently not?

Hmmm, I used to think I was a perfectionist, maybe its time to admit I'm only a perfectionist sometimes, and the rest of the time I'm really impatient! I'll have to start reading those recipes! OK, back to the topic at hand.

I tend to go for the darker chocolates, especially because my fillings are sweetened, so it all balances out. You can always add sugar to a darker chocolate, but it's a bit harder to take it away from a sweeter chocolate. That said, I have both of those chocolates and have used both for enrobing. The 54% is somewhat sweeter, but not super sweet, and I don't think the 70% would be over the limit of bitterness for most people. I have 54% and 70%, both with three drops, and I haven't noticed any real difference working with them. There are probably regional variations in chocolate preferences too. It seems like the high percentage chocolates are gaining popularity in the US, but even there I imagine people in urban areas who are exposed to more different foods might be more likely to go dark - this is only a guess, not meant to offend anyone in the rural midwest or whatever. I think I've read that milk chocolate is still more popular in Europe but there is a gradual shift towards dark? And we have one vote for lighter chocolates in Australia. Lucy, are the varietal chocolates and higher percentages available but not catching on, or are you not really seeing those specialty bars of 75, 80, 85% in stores? Danni, buy what YOU like! If other people don't like your chocolates, you get to eat them all!

Really? Can you explain why? I always caramelize sugar on high heat, and have been happy so far, but if there is a better way, it would be good to know.

Really? Why? I always caramelize sugar on high heat, and have been happy so far.

Check out Glerup-Revere www.glerup.com They are in Seattle, have a good selection, especially for bonbon packaging, and IIR, were pretty nice about offering 'samples' of 10 or so. I'm planning to stop in on my next visit to Seattle and stock up on packaging and ribbon before Christmas.

Do you think it would be any different from pan spray propellants?

Kate, that's it, thanks! Jon, thanks, I did try Amazon but wasn't able to search - maybe only on newer books?

I'm looking for a quote from the CT Desserts book, it is towards the back and starts out, 'Except in ways in which we can go too far, there is no sense in going at all....' My copy is in storage 9000 miles away, can anybody look up the rest of the quote and author for me? much appreciated

I was just at Amazon, and they have Ducasse Made Simple by Alain Ducasse. And Vongeritchen has 'Simple to Spectacular', where he offers different versions of recipes, so you can take the concept and go as complex as you want with it. FYI, I do not own either of these books.

cappuccino!

I've been experimenting with the agar jellies from Greweling's book, they turn out nice, but I noticed today that batches made 12 and 14 days ago had some fuzzy white mold spots and also some tiny black spots that I assume to be mold. They were stored airtight at room temperature. Honestly, I was at another property and my staff made them, so I can't say 100% that they followed instructions, but they looked and tasted fine until I checked them today - except the pineapple ones caked with too much sugar, but those had black spots too. I've heard that the shelf life of pate de fruit is quite long, so I was hoping the agar jellies would have a similar shelf life. Anyone have experience with agar candies and shelf life?

Or you can also do a tempered chocolate plaque and write on that, then prop it up on the cake. Not too hard, but looks like a lot of extra effort.

The ganache should be fine, ganache and buttercream are both pretty stable, fat-based foods. I've poured ganache over buttercream plenty of times, writing should be no different. I can see how the royal icing, being mostly sugar and highly hygroscopic, would soak up water from the cream cheese.

Here's a silly question for y'all - how do you define truffles, pralines, and bonbons as they relate to chocolates? I always considered truffles to be rough, round, maybe with a thin coating of chocolate but more likely just cocoa. But then there are truffle shells and Greweling calls his chocolates made in them 'truffles', so are truffles just any more or less spherical chocolate? I would consider a molded chocolate a 'bonbon', but when shopping for molds they are often called praline molds. I associate 'praline' with nuts too much to call molded chocolates pralines, unless they actually have caramelized nuts in the filling. I'm not sure what to call my enrobed/hand dipped chocolates. I've been making them as a guest amenity - candy tray in the 'living room' - but I feel like labeling them truffles is not quite right, and bonbon is a little too frou-frou sounding to me. I guess I could just call them 'chocolates' but that sounds boring and obvious. Salted curry caramel chocolates? Chocolate passion fruit bonbons? Szechuan pepper truffles? Does anything go, or are there guidelines to correct nomenclature? Yes, this really is the sort of thing I worry myself about

Are you the chef? Why aren't you firing these people? If you've been in a chef role for 6 years, you must have been cooking a lot longer than that and should know better than to put up with any of that BS. Still, we all get burned out, and some people and places burn us out a whole lot faster than others. Find a way to take a break, get out of that situation, get some perspective, explore those other options a little more and see if any of them really inspire you. I hope you and your wife can afford for you to take a few months off, or maybe take a less demanding and stressful job than chef, do some consulting, whatever. Good for you for recognizing what you're going through before the drinking & depression get way out of control, so many people just let it snowball. I know you're in a bad spot so I'll try to say this nicely - it sounds like you're not really in charge there, so if you're not actually the chef but a sous chef or line cook who has been in the business 6 years total, I have to recommend that you not call yourself a chef, but be humble and call yourself a cook. That is what we all are, each kitchen has only 1 chef. 6 years is a respectable amount of time to be cooking, but still, pomposity can be a factor in people wanting to abuse you. Freezing your backpack is just fun & games. Theft and destruction of personal property are certainly more serious and should be grounds for disciplinary action. Takes some balls to steal the chef's or even the sous chef's stuff. If I'm reading you wrong and you are the big boss, then you surely have enough experience to be able to decide if you want to continue chefing, just take some time off, think about what's important to you. In 2002 I was in a job that made me think I wanted nothing more to do with the business, but after quitting and a little time off, I found a much healthier, more positive and fun kitchen to work in. Six years later I'm still a pastry chef, still get tired of the BS, but still love making good things. If it's really who you are, you'll find a way to make it work. I dated an EMT awhile back, and my favorite sous chef is married to an emergency room nurse - we all agree there are some similarities in the industries - crazy hours, stress, blood & guts. It seems nice to help people, but you have to consider if you can handle a cracked-out shit-stinking vagrant trying to stab you while you are trying to help them. It might be a little too much like the kitchen. Good luck.

Wear what you would wear if you were dining there, but suitable for a daytime professional meeting.