gfron1

I received my package yesterday and popped some in my mouth this morning - I giggled like I was 12. They aren't completely neutral BTW, there is a slight sweetness to them. So now I just need to figure out what I want to do with them.

Right, two of my concerns were the same - more pics and her style is very homey. I'm not a homey type of person, so I always use them as components of something bigger. The honey cake was a sweet I served with a Lamb Tagine for dinner service last night.

I just made the honey cake for the first time and it is outstanding warm. I didn't make the ice cream that she called for, but I think a nice lemon cream or mousse would be perfect. Of course it all depends on your honey having some flavor to it. I used the German Langanese. Thanks for reviving this thread lperry.

Mr. Kim is clearly my type of guy - that is a great looking spread!

I think the pop rocks need to be at or near the end as an orgasm.

rooftop I like your thinking! For the wide open I was thinking of a smoked oyster set inside of a vertical loin (tube) of tuna that is split 3/4 so it spreads open. It might be even funnier if there was something to elude to a pearl set atop the oyster. My adolescent humour should do fine on this job.

huh...thanks!

And the policy of this forum, as I understand it, is that you can provide the list of ingredients, but the description needs to be in your own words, and citing is highly recommended. HERE is the official policy.

My next tasting menu is on Valentine's Day. I've been tossing around a few concept but I think I'm settling on modeling each course after a kama sutra position. It could be a steamy affair! Click here and here to see the style I'll be doing. I try to focus on locally sourced and organic products as much as possible. I've already been looking at some fun ingredients such as damiana liquor and pop rocks. From what I see (I don't have the book ), these are the positions I would be going for: Widely Opened Clasping position Indrani Milk and Water Embrace The Tigress The Congress of the Crow The Lotus Suspended Congress Splitting of a Bamboo The Pair of Tongs I don't know if there is sequence to the positions or if they all stand on their own, but my progression will be fairly traditional: amuse, appetizer 1, appetizer 2, soup, salad, entree 1, entree 2, cheese, dessert, dessert. This could be fun! Anyone want to turn us on to some ideas?

Here's a Spanish inspired meal I made on Saturday. Started with an amuse of peppered and toasted piñon horchata genois topped with cinnamon infused blood orange ice Then a tapas plate of olives slow cooked all day in olive oil with fennel and orange; potatoes cooked in smoked hot paprika; and goat/avocado carnitas cones A salad of greens topped with skillet warmed almonds, pimiento strips, fried serrano and brandy soaked raisins Caldo Gallego from Menu del Dia - beans, bacon ends, Spanish chorizo, greens, finished with arbequina oil. Oxtails finished with xèrès vinegar, topped with onion rings, served with black truffle cauliflower puree, white asparagus, floral salt and spiced balsamic, and saffron rice. and finally a dessert I called Spanish Nut - orange almond cremiuex dome inside of a larger pistachio mousse dome, sprayed with Guayaquil chocolate for velvet effect, served with a savory tuile and savory chocolate soil.

My 2 cents: I think its a good plan. Volunteering (but please call it staging) will get you in the door and if your skills and performance are good, they'll find a way to bring you on. But realize if the bakery is too small, there may be no turnover to free up a space for you. If nothing else, you may learn production skills and some decorating skills. I don't know this but I've always assumed they send their people off to bakery school to learn some basic skills. Diversify - you never know what you'll end up doing or enjoying. Look at me - I cook meat now Your call - pay is nice but getting your foot in the door may be more useful in the long run. I think you'll decide that for them. But when you start feeling like you're being taken advantage of then its time for a friendly talk with the boss. You might also consider approaching things from the beginning by defining the time - "I'm interested in a one month staging..." That makes the terms clear from day one and gives you your chance to prove yourself. It would also help you focus your time on what skills you want/need to pick up in that time. If you say 30 days and you're still washing dishes at 29, its time to get stuff done in that final day. Absolutely. Others will have a better idea than I if a restaurant would hire you, but consider coffee shops, hotels, tea shops, maybe a confections shop that might want to expand their offerings, approach a gourmet shop like my own, or really get creative - what about local sororities/fraternities, churches, community groups that have a commercial kitchen. What about corporate kitchens. Let's say that some big downtown office building has a cafeteria, maybe they would take you on, and then you could build your reputation from there. That seems like its up to you. I already, after one year, really want to be in the restaurant race. Its where my passion and pace are. Possibly, but they are more interested in your ability to run the numbers and present them in a coherent manner that shows that you can pay them back. They don't work in the field so they don't know a wegman's baker from RLB. Hope this is helpful.

On a near daily basis I make the peanut butter shortbread, the orange marmalade, the lemon curd (using her lime curd recipe) and a few others with less frequency. My book is pretty much in tatters.

HERE'S my dessert inspired by a bar of hotel soap. Damn was that good smelling soap!

Its rare that I get to use my doctorate in Sport Psychology in these forums, but what you are describing is that point where practice, achievement and confidence merge (efficacy). Performance is very individualistic, but can be molded/inspired by others. When all of these components hit their pinnacle, you achieve, what we call in sports, flow. I'm sure most of you have achieved flow in making that perfect souffle, 10-course meal, etc. This is also why sport practice involves so much repetition - if we create the patterns in our minds on how to climb that route, run the marathon, hit the tennis serve (have you ever been chopping carrots and realized you were done but don't remember doing it?), then we can move beyond that and work on confidence - confidence that is built over the course of the repetition, and ultimately we have achievement which continues the cycle. Thanks for letting me put my student loan to work...now cook on!

Mine is definitely more of a short thick baguette than an elongated boule.

This I don't necessarily understand - how are they not convenient? A boule can last me 3 days keeping the cut side down on the wooden counter. ← I'm referring mostly to the size/shape v. use. Most of my bread eating is either at a dinner or for breakfast which implies toasting. So once I have transitioned from a dinner loaf, if it doesn't fit in the toaster, then I have to cut it more. Not a major inconvenience, but why add the extra work when a batard will fit the bill for me.

I live on the batard. I have a slightly stiffer dough and so its easy to shape, holds its shape in the fridge overnight and then I can fit 3 on my stone when it goes in the oven. And its a great shape for slicing and tossing in the toaster. While boules are pretty especially when I proof them in a banneton, they aren't convenient except at dinner parties.

I'm trying to figure a way to get them inside a sphere...but if nothing else they'll find their way into my VDay aphrodisiac meal.

As a retailer what I'm seeing is companies tightening up their lines (getting rid of peripheral items), adding mid-range lines and keeping prices as is. And I keep being amazed that my distributors actually care enough about me to call me now, which as a small store, they've never done before. I'm sure that once the economy improves, I'll be forgotten again.

Based solely on your pictures it appears that the pastries are very crudely finished - by that I only mean the presentation. They all have rough edges, thick chocolate, etc. Not sure if there is a question here but I'm finding it interesting. Are there more refined pastries that you're just not ordering?

Thanks - I was looking at Koerner and couldn't find any descriptions of their texturas products. And as far as what I'm going to use it for...not sure yet, but I've got some ideas percolating.

I finally have a reason to want pop rocks. This topic is 5 years old and I'm pretty sure I've heard that they sell these but I haven't found them. Suggestions?

I use Romeo or Al Wazir typically found in middle eastern markets.

WTH is a wild dogberry shot?! Verjuice - I expect more from you - how could you pass up a drink with that name?! These Estonians - they are hearty people (actually we haven't seen any Estonians have we - so Verjuice and Chufi are the pastry hounds! )

In a different topic someone asked why SB was found in a dollar store. I dropped them from my store's line up when they were bought out because no matter what commitments to quality were made, it wasn't a good sign in my eyes. So to hear they are in dollar stores and now are closing their plants...I'll just bite my tongue. Its unfortunate.