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Char

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  1. If you are subbing butter for Crisco, you may also need to change the mixing method or ingredient ratios. For example, if you are converting a peanut butter cookie recipe to all-butter, you will find that the cookies spread more so you'll have to tinker with the recipe (maybe add more whole eggs or egg whites, less peanut butter, add some granulated peanuts to make up for the flavor, cream the butter and sugar less) to get decent results. The bottom line is: you can't (and may not want to) make a direct substitution of butter and shortening and be prepared to tinker.
  2. I prefer to freeze or chill my cakes because: 1) they're firm and easy to slice in thin, level, even slices 2) they're slightly stale and absorb syrup (i.e. flavor). try applying a syrup to a fresh cake or a cake that hasn't been frozen and you'll see what I mean. In most cases, I won't bake and serve a cake without adding a filling or syrup so freezing cakes works well for me. And if you're looking for a cake that keeps well, in and out of the fridge, try a chiffon cake. They're flavorful, moist, and very resistant to staling. The Cake Bible has an easy, reliable recipe that you should try. I swear by this recipe.
  3. The starch in the flour is reverting back to its crystalline form...aka "Starch Retrogradation'". The worst thing that you can do to a cake---or any baked product---is put it in the fridge because the starch "crystallizes" most often at those temperatures. When you freeze and thaw cakes, they pass through that temperature zone twice, once while it's being frozen and again when it thaws. You can refresh frozen pastries by covering them with foil and heating at 350 to 375 until it's "fresh". Be careful though, you can only get away with this once and it's best to eat to eat the "refreshed" slice immediately. The moral of the story is: if you want to keep your cakes lasting longer, wrap well and store at room temperature.
  4. No, I just melt the chocolate until it's warm (not hot) and liquid, I take my centers from the fridge and roll the truffles to give them one coat. I let the chocolate set and then give them a final coat. Let me tell you, I don't even bother testing the chocolate for temper and I"ve never had a bloom. One of my pastry instructors showed me this method some years back and explained it to me: because you are using such a small amount of chocolate with chilled centers, the chocolate cools down rapidly and the motion of your hands agitates the chocolate and tempers it. By using this method, you are able to get coat the truffle with just enough chocolate to seal the center but not so much that someone has to hack their way through an inch thick layer to get to that pesky center of the tootsie roll pop! When you are using tempered chocolate on cold centers, you'll find that the chocolate sets up and the truffle sticks to your fingers. AAARRRGGGHHH! However, more is not always better and don't think that frozen centers are even better to handle. As the centers thaw, they warm and expand, pushing their way through the chocolatey path of least resistance. The end result? the centers will poke a hole in your truffles and ooze out. Yes sirreee, you won't catch me messing with room temperature balls ever again!
  5. That's how I sold my cheesecakes. You can get pretty (gold, lace, plain, etc...) cake boards, boxes, labels, and bows from Sugarcraft.
  6. I'm not sure if this qualifies since it isn't always brown but: Meyer's Rum I'm a drinker though, which makes my choices easier: if I won't drink it, I don't use it. And remember, if you buy cheap liquor, you get what you pay for. Don't wonder why the flavor tastes wimpy.
  7. Char

    Danish recipes?

    Schnitzel, You're killing me with those pictures. Now I know what I"ll be doing this weekend. ...and I'll be enjoying it with a French-pressed cup of Peet's coffee!
  8. Unfortunately, I have to make my truffles in an open kitchen. I use my centers, ice cold from the refrigerator. I gave them one coat with the couverture (by rolling the center in the palm of my hands with some chocolate), let the coating set, and use a final coat to seal the center. Also, I don't temper my chocolate when using this method because the chill from the ganache center causes the chocolate to set. No bloom, ever. I think the cracking that you are experiencing, is the tempered chocolate contracting away from the center same idea behind molding chocolate--flip the mold over, tap lightly and the chocolates fall out of the mold) . If you see the center oozing out of the truffle, then your center was too cold and your chocolate too warm. I hope this makes sense. Cold center--untempered chocolate Room temperature center--tempered chocolate. Unorthodox, but it works.
  9. Pastries from La Brea bakery. But croissant dough is a soft dough (puff pastry is rather dense) so if your dough was dense and hard and the mixer was hopping, it sounds like your measurements were off. After mixing, the dough only needs an hour-long rest before it's ready to roll and it should be a little poofy but not blown up. You used instant yeast, which should be added to the dry ingredients, not the water. Lastly, did you scald the milk before adding to the dough? If you need the recipe from La Brea, let me know. It's wonderful, makes a very pliable but sturdy dough, and is best made within one day.
  10. Laurie Colwin. It's a shame that she died young but I'm grateful for the body of work that she left behind. Dorie Greenspan is another favorite. After reading both of their books ("Home Cooking" and "Baking with Julia"), I've made a beeline to the kitchen to make dinner or dessert. Not because I'm hungry, but because I want to share the experiences that they are relishing in. Now, that's good writing. P.S. Laurie's ribs are in the oven and I can't wait until dinner!
  11. Char

    Danish recipes?

    I don't know that there is an official Danish. However, I've made many recipes and have concluded that Danish have a tender, moist crumb and a flaky crust. As opposed to croissants that are generally flaky from crust to crumb. Honestly, Danish are generally paired with fruit and cheese fillings so I don't know that you would want them to have too much flake as they are liable to puff in the oven and send your filling in all manners of direction (except where you want it )
  12. It depends on the temperature of your refrigeration unit. During the summer, our walk-in used to heat up during the day so I couldn't leave batters longer than a day. They would take on that grayish tinge, indicative of expired leavening. During the winter, I have left batter in the refrigerator for up to a week (because I forgot about it) and was able to use it. There is a slight loss in a volume even if you freeze the batter right away but for the sake of convenience, it's worth it. I should note that I've prepared cake batter the day before and had to refrigerate it overnight because I had no time to bake it. If you have to resort this method for muffins as well, you're better off placing the batter in the baking tin. If you manipulate the pre-prepared batter too much, you will notice a significant loss in volume.
  13. If you're using pumpkin puree in a recipe where you want the flavor without the added liquid, cook the pumpkin puree first. For smaller batches, I use a saute pan; for larger batches, I spread the puree on a sheetpan and stir it every 10-15 minutes until enough of the moisture is driven off. To give you an idea of how much water is in pumpkin puree, I've lost up to two pounds of water after pre-cooking a #10 can (6lb. 10oz.)
  14. Oh, you're missing out. In Trinidad, fruitcakes are used both as wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. The cakes aren't very sweet, almost bitter, but the bitterness balances the sweetness of the coating (of marzipan) and decoration (royal icing). If you find fruitcakes too sweet and one dimensional, try this technique. As for the liquor, I use Meyer's rum. I think part of the reason people don't like cakes with alcohol is because the alcohol has a high proof. For cakes such as these, I prefer to use lower proof liquours (like Meyer's rum as opposed to Bacardi 151 rum) or liqueurs. But most importantly (as jackal said), if I won't drink it, I don't put on the cake. If you want to cheapen the cost of the cake, use less fruit. Don't use cheap liquour.
  15. Anne, we must have been soul mates in a previous life. I can't get over the chattiness of my co-workers. It's not just this kitchen, it's every kitchen I've worked in. I guess it's the nature of the beast. If the dining room is slow, cooks can only prep so far ahead. I can bake a tart and freeze it. They can't do the same with salads and apps. So, even if the store or the catering is slow, I always have something to do. And I can't make a birthday cake in the same way a chef can whip up a salad. I work in an open kitchen. Although I have my own workspace (tables, freezers, and an oven), I work in the same kitchen as the cooks and share their walk-in. I have such a hard time getting the cooks to understand that I'm not being territorial. Well, I am, but not in a bad way. Pastries and desserts absorb odors like you wouldn't believe, which is why I wash my own tools and store my creams and custards in new containers (because I don't have my own supply). Trying to keep them off my rack is like fending off a rabid dog. I don't mind sharing the space but they won't put their mise en place on the bottom of the rack (in case their anchovies drip, which has happened) so I keep the rack off limits. I've also learned to hide my towels in the freezer and label my mise en place in French. If they don't know what it is, they won't eat it or move it. And I can relate to enjoying the peace of the morning. My official start time is 4:30am but I'm usually there by 3:30 and during the holidays, I start at 2ish. There have been some midnight mornings (tomorrow will be one) but I try to keep those to a minimum. By the way Greenbean, this advice is unrelated to your post but helpful nonetheless: I'd suggest getting a camera (disposable or digital) and take photographs of your work. In this business, employees aren't terribly concerned about where you've worked or schooled. They want to know what you can do for them and the more that you can show them, the better off you are. My teachers suggested this habit and I wish I'd started earlier. So, how's the job going? By the way, are you or have you gone to school? Just curious. Look at Wendy's post. If you answer those questions, we can help you more. Keep us informed.
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