Char

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.

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.

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.

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!

That's how I sold my cheesecakes. You can get pretty (gold, lace, plain, etc...) cake boards, boxes, labels, and bows from Sugarcraft.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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 )

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.

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.)

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.

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.

You are the best! Thanks for posting that. Now, we can put our money where our mouth is. Is anyone entering? I'm no food stylist but I'm sure I could do better than that cover. I wonder where they got the idea for that contest. Hmm...

actually im surprised as well, even with the buttercream you use..ive never been able to successfully freeze decorated cookies without them running ← Same here. Regardless of whether I use buttercream or royal icing, the colors ran. Also, I find that frozen cookies benefit from a little warm-up in the oven to re-crisp them--and you can't do that when they're decorated. I think the problem of runny colors depends on the colors you use. I can't imagine that pastel colors would be a problem but reds, blues, and black? I'm skeptical.

I know! And how do you get around that one? 'Kate, you're not talking, is something wrong?... Are you tired?... What's the matter?... You've gotten real quiet.' Ahh, maybe I'm accomplishing something and if I stop concentrating to shoot the breeze with you I will eff something up, loose my momentum, burn something, burn me, forget the strawberries, the almond extract, the nuts, miss a step in the process, ice in white instead of ivory etc. etc. (And currently I am not doing near the scope of work that Greenbean is doing.) I mean so far I'm just going, "Well, I am in the non-verbal side of my brain." I think that is the reason home bakers often stay up at/all night doing decorating work from the home--so you could hope to string two thoughts together & think undistracted. Then in a previous life after such an all-nighter, I'd shower & go to work at the bakery But some people never catch on to the fact that you are often/usually incommunicado. It's really an occupational hazard, people chit chatting. ← OK!! So I'm not just being a b**ch at work like everyone thinks. Ironically, I lost my temper today because all the cooks were standing around the kitchen, shooting the crap, and working off my table. I had been there since 4am and they come in at 7am. It was now 1:45 and I still had cakes to finish. Someone finally asked, "Yo, what's your problem?!" after I burned them with a pot. (That question was a bad idea.) I replied, "My problem is 1) you four people are standing in the middle of the kitchen, talking and accomplishing nothing but getting in my way. 2) take your crap off my table so that I can finish my cakes. 3) stop talking to me while I'm trying to focus, please make a list of things we need to discuss so that we can chat for a half hour and not every five 'effin minutes." Half of the kitchen left after I finished ranting and I didn't see them for the rest of the day. Nice, huh? Anyhoo, in trying to stay on topic, I offer the following advice. 1) Relax and remember that you're new to the game. Don't compare yourself to someone who's been working in pastry for 20+ years because you'll get discouraged and quit. 2) Keep your mouth shut. Sounds harsh but you really need to focus when you're working on the pastry side. Forgot the salt in the soup?; no big deal, you can add it while it's cooking. Forgot the baking powder in your cake; punch out and go home, you're done. 3) Evaluate your own performance at the end of the day and if possible, ask to be assigned the same tasks so that you can get practice. In pastry, practice makes perfect. If it helps, set a timer. I used to time how long it took me to scoop a few hundred pounds of cookie dough; every time, I had to do it, I'd try to shave a few minutes off my time by working more efficiently. 4) Set your sights on someone you admire and watch how they work. 5) Have a mental game plan before you start working. Do you need soft butter later in the day? If so, pull it in the morning. Nothing aggravates me more than when I give someone a production list in the morning and at 2pm, when they are ready to make a cake, they're throwing ice cold butter into the mixer. Ay dios mio, that's why I gave you a list! 6) My best advice: think lazy. I don't want to walk all the way across the room to get a scoop. Nor do I want to walk outside, into the garage, and round the corner into the freezer to get a bottle of puree and return two minutes later to get heavy cream for the same recipe. And I certainly don't want to hunch over the mixing bowl to scoop cake batter. I'd rather prop it up at waist level so it's easier to reach into. 7) Read, read, read. Nothing annoys me more than working with people who describe themselves as bakers or pastry chefs and when I ask them if they know how to mix a cake using the creaming method and they give me a blank look. You won't learn everything on the job; you need to educate yourself. So curl up with the French Professional Pastry Series during your free time and acquaint yourself with basic doughs, batters and mixing methods. Keep your eyes and ears open, be receptive to criticism, model yourself after people whose work you respect, and above all, be patient. I'm sure I have more advice but I can't think of anything else right now.

You can also try Sugarcraft. They sell 4 oz. and 1 lb. jars Also try Chef's Warehouse. They sell a 7lb. bucket that's a little pricey but worth it if you use it often. Both sites also sell a wealthy amount of baking and pastry products. Sugarcraft focuses more on cake decoration and Chef's Warehouse savory ingredients in bulk and by the piece.

I use royal icing (thinned to different consistencies) for fancy decorated cookies and refer frequently to "Creative Cookies" by Toba Garrett for inspiration and instruction. Give me an idea of what you want to accomplish and I'll try to help.

That surprises me because her recipe is the best one I've come across for chiffon cakes that are delicate, moist and flavorful. Let me know what you are having trouble with and I can help. I've made every mistake there is.

Na-uhhh.... No way! Whew. I just went and checked, and the cover of my September 2005 Gourmet does have flourless-chocolate-cake-puddings-whatever on it. LOL! ← Yes, and it looked sloppy. There's homestyle, rustic, whatever, and then there's sloppy. I'll have to look up the cover I was referring to. This month's cover was a flourless cake but I don't pay attention to the dates (I had to look up this month's cover photo)---"this month's issue" refers to the copy that I'm reading at the moment.

The carrots may have a preservative added that will react with either the baking soda or walnuts in your recipe. If neither are present, then I'm stumped. If it helps, I've gotten rid of the problem by roasting the carrots in a hot oven for about 15-20 minutes before I add them to the batter. But I have a different complaint regarding pre-shredded carrots--they are hard, dry, and tasteless. They are so dry that I have to add liquid (usually pineapple juice) to the batter to thin it out. I'd shred fresh carrots but I don't have time to eat, let alone shred 15 pounds of carrots by hand. Of course, I'd use the robot coupe but the plastic guard went MIA a few weeks ago. Who knows when he'll return...

Yes...this month's cover makes me salivate. I can't remember the drink they displayed but I get thirsty everytime I glance at the picture. I almost want to rip off the cover, shove it in my mouth, and wait for the liquid to explode and quench my thirst. Yes folks, it's that good (or it could be the hot weather). In any case, I couldn't wait to open the magazine after looking at the cover. As for this month's cover of Gourmet, I'm embarassed but I will admit that I thought it was a brownie topped with mocha ice cream. I had no idea it was a steak until I read this forum.