Ke Kau

Calcium helps with gellation, but sugar will inhibit. I always process my mixes in the blender, sprinkling the gum into the vortex. Allowing 2 minutes or so of hydration time, then adding sugar. Any time I've added sugar pre-hydration, it never sets.

You could use .5 to 1.5% xanthan gum. You could even add up to 15% white chocolate and vary the ratio of xanthan gum to play with texture. The xanthan gum will give you stability with flexability, so to speak. A little pectin(.25-.75%) would also give stability, but too much would alter the texture of a traditional lemon curd. Methylcellulose would let you do it hot(.5-1%). A gum blend might help. Check out TIC Gums www.ticgums.com Let them know what you want to do and they'll make a suggestion. Very good people. Good luck. Let us know what you come up with.

John, I've recooked many caramel by breaking it back up and adding 35% water to a pot. Cook as you normally would. Depending on the amount of inhibitor in the original recipe you can either leave as is or add 5-10% to prevent crystal growth. To be safe, you may also add 1-5% salt to balance out the sweetness level, and if added at the beginning of the cooking process will also aid in inversion of the sugars. Good luck. Shane

Check out Savage Bros. I got mine from them. It's a nice, heavy cutter with super sharp stainless steel blades. I believe it was around $550 standard. They will customize one for you as well.

David, Try fruit powders. http://www.remarkablefoods.com/fruit-powders.html The Duby's use a wine powder for one of their ganaches. Let us know how it works. Shane

[Moderator's Note: Please see this post below for an exciting announcement concerning the 2007 World Pastry Forum! -- Chris Amirault] I recently purchased my tickets to the 2007 World Pastry Forum where I will be lucky enough to student assist Stephan Iten in the hands on demo classes that are being offered. I'm really excited about going as I missed out last year. My question is, does anyone know who the other instructors are going to be and who the competitors are this year? Particularly backgrounds and recent projects. Also, are there any favorites for the competition? Is anyone else here going? It would be great to meet any fellow eGullet posters. Thanks to all for any information. Shane

I have a question about brix as well: When using a brix meter, do you have to cool the solution before testing or can you put it right on the glass? I know brix is a much finer measurement of sugar concentration, but up to this point I've always done the drop of jelly on a cool surface to test for set point. I guess what I'm asking is will using a brix meter give me a more consistent pate de fruit? Thanks for any advice in advance. Shane

RaviFruit is one I've seen. Shane

The concave designs of most moulds do not allow fine lines. The pressure from the air, even on a double action brush, gets condensed by the dimensions of the mould and pushes the colorant around. Masking and layer building are the only alternatives. They both yield good results, but are very time consuming. I remember someone posting awhile back about devising silicone inserts for moulds which could possibly achieve the same effect. Even this would require some form of adhesive to obtain clean lines which, once again, would be time consuming. In a hobbyist time frame you can produce magnificent pieces with great detail, but from a production perspective...well let's just say, "I wish...." Good luck. Shane Tracey KeKau Chocolatier www.kekau.com

I've experienced similar issues using the mol d'arts. If you don't get the dial right, the chocolate has a tendency to over crystallize and it's a pain to get it back. When in doubt, go higher on the holding temp and when you are ready to work it, just add enough stable seed to bring it back around. In order to fix your issue I have done one of two things. Completely melt out the chocolate (I melt to 115 - 120F for dark) and reseed or you can add a larger amount of "good seed" to the over crystallized chocolate and melt it out with a heat gun. You should be able to reset the crystal structure to its proper stage by introducing an abundance of stable crystals. I hope that helps David. Good Luck. Shane

Fanny, Walk into the situation with an open mindset. Absorb everything you see and volunteer for any task that comes up, regardless of your experience level. Trying is the only way to truly learn. Have faith in your self. If pastry is truly your passion, every experience, good or bad, is beneficial. I wish you the best on your journey. Shane Tracey www.kekau.com

Use the framboise as a component to your main flavor profile. I suggest using real raspberries for a raspberry flavor. Replace up to 50% of your cream with raspberry puree and use the framboise to really bring out the flavor. A touch of balsamic vinegar will also enhance the fruity flavors. [qoute]I really want to make ginger truffles. Seems like there are a couple of schools of thought out there - steep sliced ginger in the cream, or use ginger juice. What are the pros and cons of the two approaches?

It's also available at PACO TORREBLANCA: The Book: http://www.chipsbooks.com/paco.htm

So a friend of mine just gave me an Amish Friendship bread. The instructions state to "mash the bag" for 6 days and bake with it on the seventh. It gets "refreshed" on the 7th day. This contradicts everything I have ever read about caring for a starter but apparently people have been passing this around for a while. The "starter" has no real character, and my guess, no real leavening power. But I'll play with it and pass it on as requested. I wanted to know if any one out there has been given this before and what there experience has been? I can't wait to see! Shane

For a ganache I would boil the cream, remove it from the heat and then add chopped basil. Experiment with a mix of dried and fresh. Steep for 5 minutes and strain over chocolate. Shane

Bread flour is best. Something with an 11 to 12% protien content. And I use SAF instant yeast (red package). But Red Star, available at most grocery stores, would work as well. Shane

Total Flour Weight (TFW) *note* I think it is important to use lard instead of vegetable fat. In my opinion you wil get a more authentic, traditional flavor and texture. Recipe: Start with your poolisch: 100% Flour, 100% Water @ 70F, and .25%-.5% Yeast. Ferment this for 12 to 16 hours depending on quantity of yeast and ambient temperature. Preferably between 70 to 80F. Your Dough could consist of: 100% Flour, Water 64 - 67%, 30 - 45% Pre-ferment, 2.7% Sugar, 2.7% Salt, .25% Yeast (Spike). In a bowl add your starter, water, sugar, lard and spike. Stir to together. Add flour and salt. Mix together for 4 to 6 minutes or until dough achieves a smooth consistency. But shouldn't take more than 4 to 6. Bulk ferment for 45 minutes, pre-shape and let rest for 10 - 20 minutes covered. Shape into a torpedo shaped loaf and proof for 45m - 1hr. Bake @ 350 until done. You can egg wash the tops with a mixture of egg yolk thinned with milk and a little salt. Use steam if you can. Throwing a little water on a stone previously placed in your oven will sort of work. You have to be careful because you'll think they are done before they actually are. You can bake these in loaf pans or free form. It all depends on presentation. I've made minis before in the bakeable baskets. They were cute. I hope this helps. If you're unfamiliar with the bakers math, here is a sample recipe: Preferment: .5# Flour .5# Water Pinch of yeast Dough: 1.25# Flour 11.5 oz - 12oz Water .5 oz Sugar .5 oz Salt 1.5 oz Lard 3/4 tsp Yeast (Spike) .25 - .5# Pre-Ferment Good Baking! Shane

I think, in the case of the pastry forum, the recipes they hand out are compiled specifically for those lessons. I think they expect those recipes to go around. And if you paid for the classes then those are your recipes to hand out if you want to. In todays online world we're all learning not from one chef, but thousands. These forums are an online apprenticeship in a way and I think that is just great! I would not, however, hand out any recipes I use for proprietary purposes. I sort of see those as my competition recipes that I use every day. If I'm ever given a recipe I always use it as a base to modify and make it my own. But you can't always trust people to do that. Shane

The batch I made came out just fine with no changes in the recipe. I think the recipe I gave you would have a sufficient amount of pectin from the apricots to gel. In general I believe a standard recipe without apricots or apples would be equal portions of fruit pulp (or juice) to sugar. As for pectin I'm not sure what a standard percentage would be.

The recipe dictates adding the pectin to a quantity of 500g puree. And adding that portion to the rest of the puree and sugar. Is there a scientific reasoning behind this? And what woud the outcome be adding the pectin at the end? Also, when adding citric acid solution, I assume it is added at the end.....What would be the chemical changes if it were added in the beginning versus the end? You say some fruits resist cooking higher than 205-210? Which fruits in your experience? What is the reasoning behind this phenomenon? ←

Shane, your recipe seems right. At what point in the process does Wybauw tell you add the pectin? Some recipes add it near the start, some near the finish. The most consistent formulas I've found come from the Boirons Purees website. They add the pectin early on. We now use a refractometer to measure Brix, but used to just measure the temps cited in the brochure. We used (and still use for the first few minutes of cooking the fruit) a $20-30 two-piece digital probe thermometer. We got a cheap "bulldog" clamp at Staples which lets us leave the probe in the mixture, even while stirring. We can constantly monitor the temp this way. Some fruits seem to resist going higher than 205-210F without burning. But as long as the stuff seems like it's beginning to gel then it'll probably turn out all right. And don't stop stirring for more than a few seconds at a time. Good luck! Cheers, Steve ← Thanks Steve. The recipe dictates adding the pectin to a quantity of 500g puree. And adding that portion to the rest of the puree and sugar. Is there a scientific reasoning behind this? And what woud the outcome be adding the pectin at the end? Also, when adding citric acid solution, I assume it is added at the end.....What would be the chemical changes if it were added in the beginning versus the end? You say some fruits resist cooking higher than 205-210? Which fruits in your experience? What is the reasoning behind this phenomenon? Thanks, Shane

I'm using a laser thermometer from Thermoworks. Fairly reliable piece of equipment. The battery power was low though. That might have been my problem. In response to the other post: The mixture did boil. I will replace the batteries and try again tonight. Shane

Hello all! I've been a long time reader of the forums but this is the first time I've ever posted. I'd like to take a moment before I get into my question to say thank you to everyone who participates in this forum. Your willingness to share your experiences is greatly appreciated. I only hope that some day I wil be able to offer the same wisdom and energy I've gleamed from reading these pages. Thank you again. Now to the question: I'm working with a pate de fruit recipe from the Jean Pierre Wybauw book and it states in the instructions to cook to 225 F. I cooked and cooked but never got above 205 F. Although, in other recipes I have read, it says to cook till "stringy" or "pearls on a whisk" which I definately went past. I also kept stirring the puree (is this right?) for fear of scorching and I am afraid that I did not achieve that Pate de fruit consistency I so love. The jelly set fine, despite the lower cooking temperature and the fact I forgot to add the citric acid solution at the end. I'm assuming the mango puree contained enough acid to set the pectin. I'm using a pate de fruit pectin I purchased form chef rubber and I used 25 g for 1 k of puree and 1100 g of sugar with 200 g of corn syrup. Another consideration is my higher altitude (Eugene, OR). I'm unsure of the exact calculations for altitude temperature conversions. Any help is appreciated. Shane Tracey