etalanian

I don't think you will have a problem, as long as your fridge keeps things nice and cold. If you were using unbleached flour, the dough may have turned grey. Other than that, you should be okay. Why not take out a bit of dough first, roll it out, and bake a cookie or two to taste them? Eileen

Just a quick reminder: Please remember that it takes a lot of time, money, and energy for cookbook writers and professionals with recipes on the web to develop recipes. Soooooo, be sure to credit the originator of a recipe if you are using someone else's as a base, or especially if you are using someone else's as an entry with little change. Thanks so much for your kind attention. Eileen

You can't go wrong with anything from Chufi! Enjoy! Eileen

You can add 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls of molasses for every cupful of white sugar. Depends on how dark you want the brown sugar to be. Eileen

My experience was that Nuts to You was far better quality and much fresher than Wricley. And easier to work with, also. I found the staff at Wricley less than helpful. Eileen

I created a chevre fig tart for a client that had a fig base, and goat cheese/cream cheese layer on top. (More goat than cream.) It's a great combo. Eileen

How hot does it get where you are in July? You might consider providing a small styrofoam cooler with a couple of ice packs so their chocolate treats won't melt if they leave them in their car. Eileen

I tend to agree with K8 in that it's not an overwhelming proposition, especially since you are looking at 14 months for practice/development in your spare time. And there's no reason why you couldn't do it and do it quite well. Just be sure to be as specific as possible in questioning the bride and mom regarding the flavor, style, and decoration of the cake. Ask them to give you a photo from a magazine of a cake they like, and talk about what it is they like about it. And recap everything in writing to both of them. Then practice, starting with small cakes, increasing to a larger version for each consecutive practice. By the time you are done, you'll be able to make the cake with no problems and will have one more feather in your experience cap. By the way, your friends/family will love eating all of the practice cakes. And, yes, get a Wilton book, which details information on the basic construction of a tiered cake. Good luck! And don't worry - you will do well. Eileen

I used hilliard machines when I had my bakery. A large floor model for dark, and table top for white. They were easy to use, parts could be rushed to me if I needed them, and they would walk me through replacing parts if I needed them to do so. Easy company to work with. And the chocolate maintained a good temper. If i started another company I would probably use them again because of past experience. Good luck! Eileen

You can get it here [click]. Look for Holiday Coconut Macaroons in the column called "cookies." You don't have to decorate them with colored candies. Good luck! Eileen

One reason bakers' ratios aren't used in recipes for the general public is that it scares many non-professional people. So publishers and food editors prefer to use volumetric measures instead. If that is where you are looking, you're looking in the wrong place. You can find them in professional baking cookbooks. eileen

I use the Trader Joe's private label cocoa among many others that I use, and find it to be of consistently good quality. It's also reasonably priced. At ourTJ's it's stocked in the baking section. And thanks, aguynamedrobert, for putting up the link to Chocosphere - I have forgotten about that one lately. Eileen

Most European cocoas are dutch-processed. You can find good quality non-alkalized cocoa at Trader Joe's, if there's one near you. Many well-stocked grocery stores sell Ghirardelli cocoa, which is non-alkalized, and sometimes Scharffenberger cocoa, also non-alkalized. Penzey's Spices shops also carry it. Natural (non-alkalized) cocoas are also available online at these sites: King Arthur [click] Scharffenberger online [click] ShopGourmetsMarket.com [click] Penzey's Spices online [click] CocoaSupply.com [click] ChocolateSource.com [click] There are many more places to find natural chocolate online in addition to those listed above. Eileen

Unsalted butter has less water in it than salted butter, and of course it doesn't have salt. Both of those differences could have minor impact on the outcome of the souffle in texture and flavor. Without being familiar with the recipe you are using, I couldn't say for certain, but my feelding is that you won't have a serious problem. You could add a teaspoon or two more flour to compensate, depending on the amount of butter called for in your recipe, and you should reduce the amount of salt by 1/4 teaspoon for every stick of butter used in the recipe. Let us know how it turns out. Eileen

What king of macaroons are you looking for? The kind that are made with ground coconut, or the kind made with shredded/flaked coconut? (You can see the coconut shreds in the latter.) I have a recipe made with shredded or flaked coconut, annd they hold their shape well and don't require piping. Let me know if you would like the recipe. It only has 4 ingredients. Very easy to make and delicious. Eileen ps - If I were you I'd keep the assortment to things that are quickly made. If you aren't used to baking a quantity of stuff, you could find yourself terribly overwhelmed.

My Finnish grandmother used suet to make pasties (vegetable and meat hand pies), and they were most amazing. But she used butter for her sweet pies and the crusts were always delicious. I can't abide shortening in anything, and I use a high-fat butter to make pastry doughs. They are nicely browned, flaky, crisp but tender, and always meet with rave reviews. Eileen

You're welcome! Macaroons that look like that have been piped through a wide, fluted pastry tube. Eileen

Your choices look great! I'm not sure if they are popular in Montreal, but Rice Krispy treats are really popular at US bake sales. Eileen

Couldn't have said it better myself, Vadouvan. Thanks. Eileen

Years ago, before I started my bakery, I baked specialty cakes from my home. A woman had ordered a cake for her husband's big 40th birthday bash. White cake with lemon curd filling and buttercream frosting. It was a triple layer halfsheet cake. I spent all day and night making it. My son, 4 years old, loved to see the finished products. He was outside with my husband when I loaded the cake into the back of our station wagon. I went into the house to get my purse and keys, and as I started for the door, my son ran in breathlessly, saying "Mommy, I hurt the cake!" He was really upset. I figured he had put his finger into the cake to taste the frosting. I told him not to worry, I could fix it. He said, "Mommy, no, I really hurt the cake!" and started to cry. I went outside to find the cakebox on the driveway, and the cake lying in an enormous, crumpled heap. My son had pulled the box out to look at the cake. My heart sank. My husband, who was supposed to be watching my son, was sitting in a chair reading the newspaper. Fortunately, the woman throwing the party had a good sense of humor. I was able to make cupcakes in time for the party. And I didn't charge her a cent.

Here's a recipe that doesn't use Crisco (from my web site, so I'm not breaking copyright laws): Chocolate Whoopie Pies (Makes about 30 sandwiched cookies) Pennsylvania, where I live, is noted for the Pennsylvania Dutch influence in its food. At many of the farmers’ markets throughout the state Amish and Mennonite stalls offer home baked goods that have become synonymous with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. One of the baked items that you can always find is the Whoopie Pie. It is a cake like, soft cookie that comes in a small variety of flavors and is sandwiched with a “cream” filling. My family has a joke that these yummy cookies got their name because whenever they were made, the baker’s family would yell “whoopie!” This is an adaptation of the traditional Chocolate Whoopie Pie. 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 eggs, graded large, at room temperature 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup cocoa 4 cups all purpose flour, bleached 1 cup sour cream 1 cup warm water Fluffy Cream Filling (recipe below) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and arrange the oven racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set up your mise en place. (See the Helpful Hints section of this web site.) First make the cookie batter: Using an electric mixer beat the sugar and the butter on high speed until fluffy and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cocoa and beat on medium for about 1 minute, until completely mixed and creamy. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat on low speed until it is well blended. Add the sour cream and blend well on low speed, then scrape the mixer bowl well and add the remaining 2 cups of flour and beat on low speed just until it is mixed in. Scrape the bowl again and add the water, mixing on low speed or stirring with a spatula or spoon, until the batter is smooth and evenly blended. The batter will be very soft, but that is how it is supposed to be, so don’t worry. Using a #30 dough scoop, or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop the batter onto the parchment lined baking sheets, leaving three inches between each cookie. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when your finger doesn’t leave an indentation when you lightly touch the cookies. Remove the pans from the oven and set them on wire racks to cool. Do not remove the cookies until they are completely cool. Carefully pull the cooled cookies from the baking sheets when you are ready to fill them with the Fluffy Cream Filling. Place half of the cookies upside down on your work surface and place a heaping spoonful of filling on each cookie, adjusting the amount so that all of the cookies get about the same amount of filling. When this is done, spread the filling so that it comes to the edge of each cookie, and then cover them with the other half of the cookies. Whoopie Pies will keep, well covered, for a few days at room temperature or for 5 or 6 days refrigerated. Fluffy Cream Filling (or Frosting) 2 egg whites, graded large 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) divided into 2 equal parts 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft but not melted Set up your mise en place. (See the Helpful Hints section of this web site.) Beat the egg whites with 2 cups of the powdered sugar, using a mixer on high speed, until the mixture is very white and shiny and holds a stiff peak when the beater is removed. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat just until it is blended in. Scrape the bowl and add the butter in four parts, beating well after each addition. When all of the butter has been added, scrape the bowl again and add the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating on high speed until the mixture is completely blended and smooth.

I agree. I always use unsalted butter to make fudge, and I have never had a problem. The person who made that comment messed up, but just can't accept that fact. Eileen

That's exactly the problem. If I were a restaurateur who has had the pleasure of being fully booked most nights and this "service" comes in and starts taking bets on reservations (which is basically what they are doing) at MY place, and all of the tables don't fill, I would really, really be pissed. There are far too many ways a restaurant can lose money. Who needs to add this to the list??? Eileen

The costs vary by locale. $14.50 per hour doesn't seem like a lot to me. Does that include utilities? Do they give you a locked area to store your equipment and ingredients? Eileen

What happens with restaurants that require a credit card for a reservation? I guess the "service" doesn't deal with those restaurants? Just sounds so sleazy.