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Everything posted by RuthWells
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It was a phenominal experience, and I hope to post at length about it soon. However, I came home to a family crisis and haven't had a chance to get my brain organized. Soon, I hope.
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I just got back last night from Chef Norman Love's class on entremet, petits gateux and chocolate decor, and I think you said it very well, Alanamoana. I am not a professional, but a very serious, enthusiastic and skilled amateur. I spoke with Chef Love by phone before registering for the class, and I highly recommend that anyone with doubts do the same if at all possible. Only the Chef will know in detail what skill level he/she will be expecting of the students. The staff at the school, while well-meaning, just won't have more than a general sense of whether a class is "beginning" or "advanced." That said, I felt it was my responsibility as a relatively inexperienced member of the class to at least comport myself as a complete professional -- to pay close attention to the Chef, to work cleanly and as quickly as possible (and I was glad to note that I was not the slowest in the room), and to engage fully in the experience and give it my full commitment. I think I pulled it off well -- Chef did not coddle me, but he did keep an extra eye in my direction while we were working in teams, which I appreciated. At the end of the day, I don't think I was out of place in the class, and I don't think that Chef Love thought I was out of place there, either. It was an extraordinary experience for me, and I would hate to have missed it out of misplaced trepidation.
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Wow, gorgeous presentation! You did the leaves yourself, I assume?
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So purty!
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Your cake looks yummy, Jumanggy -- what is "milk buttercream"? I am a devotee of Italian meringue buttercream, and always eager to learn new tricks. Thanks for peeking at the blog. YES, the zucchini is threatening to take over the world, or at least the yard! The fundraising has been phenomenal, but I'm ready to finish it up. It's one full-time job too many in my life. : )
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I've really enjoyed catching up on everyone's pix today -- amazing stuff! It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but I've been baking like a madwoman this summer. I've just completed an 8-week fundraising project, selling baked goods every weekend in our town center. We raised $800 (woohoo!), and if you're interested, you can read all about it here: www.cookiesforacure.blogspot.com A few of the items that sold well: Zucchini cupcakes with buttercream Sesame anise melts Cranberry chews Lemon poppy seed muffins More zucchini cupcakes with buttercream
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Mini chocolate pavlovas, as a variation to the straight meringue shells.
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My husband and I went to Rae with another couple this Saturday, and we were underwhelmed. We started with a plate of the rabbit nachos for the table, and most of tasted cheese and salt and very little rabbit. (And, just to quibble, they weren't nachos at all, but more like empanadas.) The rest of the meal was very similar, in that most dishes were overseasoned with either salt or vinegar, and most of the dishes left very little impression other than their seasoning. The two exceptions were the crab pot served with tarragon flatbread and the short ribs, which were perfection. The other dishes we tried -- the chopped salad, the beet and goat cheese salad, the risotto fingers, the veal kreplach (which, again, were not kreplach at all), the yellow tomato gazpacho, the skate, and various side vegetables -- were wildly over-seasoned. Our server was very sweet, but clearly out of her depth and nervous, and she confessed to us at the end of the meal that this was her first dinner service. Okay, no sweat, but she should have known better than to interrupt the punchline of a story (the entire table was howling with laughter) to ask us how everything was. Including one bottle of wine, cocktails and tip, we spent about $450 for the 4 of us (only ordering 3 entrees). For the price point and on a Saturday night, I would have expected crisper service and food that was more meticulously prepared.
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My husband and I went to Rae with another couple this Saturday and had a meal that was extravagent and in many ways very enjoyable, but ultimately not quite satisfying. I couldn't find a thread here about Rae, and I'm very curious to hear what others have thought. We spent almost $450 for the 4 of us (of which maybe $120 was liquor and $75 was tip), and for the money, I would have expected a more "wow" experience.
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In addition to the lawyer, you MUST have a financial analyst or accountant who specializes in company valuations go over the last 5 years of financial statements (full statements, not just revenue figures!) thoroughly. If the financial statements aren't accountant-audited (and I'll bet they're not), get the tax returns for the business as well. Don't mess around -- there are way too many ways to mislead outsiders about a company's value (ask me how I know!). Good luck!
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I'm sorry, Patrick -- I was reading fast and missed your post. If you endorse this method, I will certainly try it!
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I have a talented baking friend who addresses leaky springforms in this manner: cut a piece of parchment larger than the bottom of the pan; place the parchment over the bottom disk while the pan is disassembled, and reassemble the pan while catching the overhang of parchment between the ring and the disk. My friend swears it works, but I' haven't tested it yet.
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I am taking a class at the French Pastry School in September, Kerry, and I'm having the exact same reaction! As a rank (though very ambitious and dedicated) amateur, I don't want to offend any of the real chefs who will be there. But rules is rules.
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I make a raspberry souffle from Jacques Torres that has Italian meringue as part of the base. It makes for a very stable souffle. Don't know whether that might help in your situation.....
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Seisei, The lemon cream can be made quite easily using an immersion, or stick, blender, as well. Many, many thumbs up for the Classic Banana Bundt, and don't forget to make the lemon glaze to go with it. This cake is moist and richly flavorful, with a lovely chewy crust. My extended family flipped for it over the holiday weekend.
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......... But, how many different countries have you been in in the last 2 weeks?! (You can't bake on an airplane, after all!)
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RLB's mousseline is my default, so this intrigues me. I assume you add more sugar to the egg whites while whipping, prior to adding the sugar syrup? Do you reduce the sugar in the syrup to balance the sweetness?
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My favorite meringue for a lemon pie is an Italian meringue made with brown sugar. Just wonderful!
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I was mortified at the time, but can laugh about it now....... A couple of years ago, I was trying to get more practice decorating cakes, and was therefore making cakes for every birthday in my office of 23 people. For a February birthday, I made a lovely chocolate cake, iced and elaborately decorated in chocolate buttercream, with scroll work on the sides, roses, and fancy borders. As it was February, I figured it would be safer to leave the cake in the cool of my car, rather than have it sit in my warm office for 6 hours before serving. It was a sunny day, so of course, when I went out to retrieve the cake after lunch, all of the piped decorations had melted into a sticky mess. I managed to smooth everything out with a butter knife from the company kitchen and it tasted fine, but what a blow to my ego!!
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Very pretty, Fwed!
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Everyone's work is so beautiful! Fwed, I love the mini Kugelhopf mold. Adorable.
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Thanks to Kerry's recommendation, I bought a used copy of the Time-Life "Good Cooks" series book on candy making, and finally dove in over the last week. I've always been addicted to those commerical caramels with the fondant "creme" center, so decided to see if I could replicate them. The answer was YES! My technique with wrapping the caramel around the fondant could be better, but boy, are these delicious.
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Since we don't have a thread on Dorie's "Paris Sweets" (which is a crime in my book!), I'm going to take a moment here to rave again about the Old-Fashioned Almond Cookies. These have become a staple for me, as they are relatively low-fat (no butter, no egg yolks) and I can sub Splenda for some of the sugar with no ill effect -- to the great delight of my diabetic father. I whipped up a batch this weekend, to celebrate Dad's release from a week-long stay in the hospital. I added a hefty teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon and dipped the bottom of each cookie in tempered bittersweet chocolate. It was perhaps gilding the lily, but the excess melted chocolate got drizzled over top. These have been proclaimed The Best Cookie Ever by my parents.
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Well, I've just spoken with Norman Love, and he was very encouraging that I take his class, so I'm going to go for it. Thanks to everyone for the input. The class isn't until September, but I will certainly be sure to post a report!