Lisa Shock

It's still an oddly small group of members. The one place listed in AZ is in Tucson, and we have a couple of decent places in Phoenix like, oh say, Bianco or Metro. My favorite Tokyo place is not on the list. Garibaldi in Gotanda is run by a chef who worked for several years at Pizzaeria Del Presidente in Naples, and was the pizzaiolo on duty when Mr. President ate his pizza there.

What sort of "treatment"? Did you acidulate the garlic? Pressure cook it to 250°F for more than five minutes? Once again, I'll point out that the standard recommendation is to make and use infused oils in the same day, no longer. And, that the restaurant which you are attempting to emulate would be promptly shut down if the health department in most US municipalities discovered them making and/or serving garlic oil.

I am specifically talking about the chocolate sauce: "Chocolate sauce would be dark chocolate, cream, butter and brown sugar." I doubt that the original poster is cooking dark chocolate, cream, butter and brown sugar at a temp anywhere close to 250°F. The FDA info said that water bath canning did not prevent dairy from spoiling. Low moisture in a product can help with the botulism situation in low-acid foods like this. But, a creamy sauce that has been gently heated to prevent the chocolate from burning and cream from separating, which is then water-bath canned, will still see rapid spoilage of the dairy products in it. That is why the FDA recommends vacuum sealing for such products, and a shelf life of no more than three days.

A quick search reveals that water-bath canning of dairy products and, products containing dairy, is considered to be dangerous -even if you refrigerate the resulting product. Commercial producers use pressure canners. The guidelines allow dairy to be vacuum sealed but note that the product should be consumed within a few days.

You might be able to vacuum seal those lids, but then again, you might not. You can see the FoodSaver jar sealers on amazon, look for FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide Mouth Jar Sealer and FoodSaver T03-0006-01 Regular Mouth Jar. They are $9.99 each, and allow use of the old-fashioned 2-pc canning jar lids that have a flat pc and a ring. The wide-mouth attachment is easier to operate and more reliable. There's a bit of a trick for the regular-mouth attachment to work, but it does work. These are attachments for the machine, so you just need one -unlike the universal lid. Water bath canning may make the sauces shelf-stable, I am not 100% certain on this as boiling water temps do not kill many anaerobic bacteria like botulism -particularly if your food is low acid. My recollection is that the FDA recommends that only high acid foods like pickles, certain fruit and tomatoes are stable at room temp with a regular water bath. You may need a pressure cooker (temps over 250°F) like commercial processors to get a truly shelf-stable product.

I would guess that the chocolate would burn, since that's what chocolate does once it gets over about 120°F. Why don't you vacuum seal your jars? The home-level foodsaver has canning jar attachments that allow easy sealing of the 2 part canning jar lids; I imagine better sealers also offer this option. I use mine all the time to seal mayo and pickles that I keep in the fridge. Outside of the fridge, I seal all of my dry grains and beans in jars to prevent pantry moths. Edit: vacuum sealing won't make it shelf stable, but it will preserve flavor better than boiling for 20 minutes will.

The coolers work well with the hard plastic 'blue ice' freezable bars, which do come in a variety of sizes. They keep things cold for well over 6 hours if kept inside a soft cooler/insulated lunchbag. My local supermarket has ones that are 2.5" x 5" for $1. Larger ones are running $1.79. They came be washed and re-used for years. I keep an army of them in my fridge because grocery shopping in Phoenix can be like wandering around in an oven. -When it's 126° outside, the inside of your parked car can easily hit 165° and literally bake your food. That said, I also like the lava-cupcake idea. You could also consider making hard candies and fancifully shaped lollipops.

I know people who use liquid nitrogen as part of a medical/scientific company, and they have a lot of protocols for handling the nitrogen, canisters, and receptacles. (and they were making ice cream with it back in the 1960's) I get worried when I see people handling it in kitchen situations without safety gear, and using inappropriate containers for the nitrogen and the super-cooled resulting products. Even really good restaurants occasionally do dumb things (I've seen the youtube videos) with it like dipping 100% metal spoons into a bowl of the liquid while the spoon is being held in a bare hand, or not wearing protective eyegear.

I use the chef rubber colors, and have quite a few of the metallics. I temper before use and they are fine. I was always told to temper them, never to trust them from the bottle. (three instructors) And, was shown how to temper tiny amounts on a table with a palette knife. They are just cocoa butter, and once they get over 88°F they are out of temper. Individual bottles you own may have undergone temperature abuse during shipping or something, if you are wondering because you keep your kitchen cold at all times. I keep mine at home, where the temp is very variable, especially in the Phoenix summers, so I know that mine are out of temper. Maybe the metallic dust affects the crystal formation, requiring the tempering? I really don't know anything except they work for me, and some of my bottles are more than five years old. That said, have you tried asking Chef Rubber?

Are you tempering them prior to use?

I know it's too late, but Asiana at the intersection of Union Hills and 43rd Ave is near the I-17 & 101 intersection. It is in a space that used to be a conventional grocery. The owners are Korean and there is a large amount of Korean food there. They produce Korean baked goods on site, and make several kinds of kimchi. They give a nod to other countries, with aisles devoted to Japan, China & Vietnam, but, the other big attraction, IMO, is the two aisles of foods from India. I have gotten big bags of chargond gum there, and other botanicals that LeeLee simply does not carry. They also carry large household appliances such as full sized stoves, and massive rice cookers.

MaxH, thank you so much for posting this information!

You might also look for a mentor, particularly someone who might allow you to stâge at their place one day a week. You can actually learn a lot of beginner stuff on youtube, if you search around, particularly on the Japan site. I like Itasan, his is very good. But, there are hundreds more out there.I'd also try to learn a bit about Japanese culture, just to help fit in a bit better while learning.

SV garlic with olive oil and salt at what temp. and how long? ← 60F for 6 hours; I also place a few sprigs of thyme in there as well. ← That's a pretty good recipe for culturing botulism, and a big reason why health departments in certain cities are not approving sous-vide equipment in restaurants. You need acidity or higher temperatures or exposure to air to kill the spores. Please note that some temps given in the thread are C not F. 60°F in a vacuum without an acid is botulism's ideal environment.

I've got some business things to attend to tomorrow, but I should be able to edit and post more this weekend. Here are two fun images: Chef Robert Ellinger, CEPC and Ciril Hitz Chef Tracey DeWitt, Team Captain WPF US Nationals 2009 Silver medalist (also one of my pastry school instructors at the Cordon Bleu)

What about Pizza Rustica, the Americanized version of Easter Pie from Sicily and adjoining areas?

Italian buttercream holds up at room temp for a few days because the eggs are cooked while the icing is made. You may, however, have problems if the layers of the cake push the air out of the icing -might cause fondant to bubble. I heard Colette Peters speak of refrigerating cakes covered in fondant with clingfilm wrapped on them tightly. I have not done this myself, so I don't know if there are any other tricks to it.

I have a flat square one and a wok one, which takes less product to 'fill.' I tend to use mine to keep cooked/caramel sugar at a liquid temperature for dipping -very useful for croquembouche. And, to keep the post on topic, I will point out that some people make pate choux with bacon drippings and fill the resulting cream puffs with a savory filling before assembling a croquembouche.

Hey! Get over to the Embassy Suites! Only about 60 people have shown up for the Next Food Network Star audition! Pastry needs more representation! The audition was easy and fun. I was interviewed on camera by one very nice woman, and it was very low pressure. Anyone interested should just get over there, and just smile. BTW, I met another eGulleter there, which was also a great experience!

The garlic must get to 250° for at least 5 minutes to kill the botulism. Boiling water temperatures WILL NOT kill it even after hours at boiling temperatures. Most strains thrive at refrigeration temperatures, so refrigeration after making oil won't retard growth if you didn't kill it while processing. There have been instances of botulism poisoning from garlic oil made from roasted garlic. So, you need to be careful while roasting. Here in Phoenix, it's a violation of the health code to make or serve garlic oil, regardless of how it is handled. The FDA recommends processing the garlic with vinegar from the start, so that you get an acid environment that is hostile to botulism.

The peitra dura is made by taking bits of fondant and coloring them so they are a bit marbled in texture. You take your background color and roll some out a bit thickly on cellophane or wax paper, so it's easy to get off later. Then roll and cut the colored fondant into the desired shapes, but smaller than you want the finished product. Starting with the image basics (the parts you don't mind getting a bit covered by other parts, like stems and leaves) place the colored parts on top of the background, and add little bits and strips of the background color in between. Make sure to finish with the highlight bits, in this picture the flowers were set on last. Roll the fondant, taking care to roll in all driections to keep things straight. You then have a section of fondant that can be used as a feature like a medallion on a cake, or actually cut out and inserted into the fondant on a covered cake.

Is the white rectangle with the raised white and darker coloring in the lower part of the photo the example of the pietra dura effect? That sounds intriguing.... ← That portion of the photo was actually her antiquing effect. You simply create shapes in the fondant, attach to a cake, paint the edges with a combination of lusterdust and alcohol (she uses lemon extract because the oil helps it to adhere just a bit) then go over the top with water to accent the highlights. Peitra dura in the classic sense is an Italian art where stone is inlaid into stone, and designs or scenes are created. They make tabletops in in it as well as flooring. I will post a picture of hers, with tips, later. Rudy van Veen rocks, and someone should sponsor and produce a tv show in English with this insanely talented, fun-loving master chef!

I don't have a lot of time, but I added some more images to my WPF 2009 image folder, I can explain in detail later. Yes, that's Robert Ellinger and Ciril Hitz in a compromising position...

Dimitir Fayard's desserts are: Emotion Chocolate Petit Gateau Chocolat (small entremet) made of: nougatine chocolate biscuit chocolate feulletine suspended in hazelnut cream topped with: milk chocolate mousse (38% chocolate) chocolate discs (dark) and a ball of hazelnut cream dipped in glacage Imagine Interaction Plated Dessert made of: clafouti baked in pate sucre fresh banana slices caramelized banana sorbet caramel orange sauce mint caviar rhubarb chips chocolate deco rectangle The orange-y-red rectangles are the rhubarb which was prepared by slicing with a peeler, candying and dehydrating. (edited for spelling)

Day 2 My first class was Colette Peters demonstrating a number of different cake decorating techniques including: royal icing piping, antiquing, stained glass and Pietra Dura Fondant. She was very informative, not just about technique, but also on the business side of owning a cake business. The highlight of my day was asking her a question: Lisa asked, "Does Duff Goldman call you up to ask for advice very often?" Colette replied, "All the time! I have to tell him that I'm going to start charging him the next time he calls." Chef Peters: My second class was with Chef Dimitri Fayard. He made several items from his gold medal win last year. Here are two images of his desserts: