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gfron1

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by gfron1

  1. Okay, I try to keep my deep dark secrets until the official unveiling, but maybe I can facilitate this conversation if I tell you exactly what I'm going for. I'm going to do an overthetop Indian meal (think chicken tandoori cannoli shape filled with basmati mousse). For dessert, one of the three things I want to do - and the very last that I would serve - is a total rip off of something I had at Alinea. It will look like a chicklet in shape and size, but basically be a very thin flavored rice paper filled with powder reformed into the chicklet shape. The idea is that the paper will dissolve leaving this explosion of powdered chocolate mint flavor in your mouth - an after dinner mint. So, malt is definitely not what I'm going for - the texture of the maltball is. It can't be moist. And I'm intrigued by the meringue idea unless it wouldn't be dry enough. Maybe I can spread the meringue thinly so it gets super dry.
  2. A while back I thought I read somewhere that you can make a starter from juniper berries. Now that I'm ready to get going, I've searched and searched but haven't found any reference to this method/recipe. Has anyone heard of this?
  3. I'm not familiar with the phrase 'honeycomb' as its being used (in the US it means overly sweet cereal marketed by a bee), but as I've looked at some sites through google, I think that may be one route to get to what I'm looking for.
  4. Tonight following a huge mound of baby back ribs we had Sweet Corn Brulee, and at the recipes suggestion I topped it with a not too sharp aged Irish cheddar. Amernick says this dessert is "as good as anything I've ever eaten." I think I agree.
  5. FULL DISCLOSURE ALERT I own a high end kitchen store and totally agree with Melkor that these are lifestyle stores. And I think their prices are poor except their sales because they stick with manufacturer recommended pricing. On many items, we're all committed to the same price as per our purchasing agreements. Every major city, most medium sized communities and some small towns (like mine) get to have a mom and pop (or pop and pop) shop that can truly give focused service, knows their products, and can be patient with you as you learn. Plus, as I like to remind our customers, more of their money stays in town being returned to our charitable causes, versus going to who knows where corporate headquarters.
  6. gfron1

    S'Mores Bars

    Think McVities no chocolate! only not quite as yummy Actually there are recipes all over the internet for homemade versions if you want it to be more authentic. Edited to add: I don't remember if graham flour is in digestives, but it is key to "graham" crackers... But, again the similarities are there.
  7. Hmmm...this is hard to explain. I don't want the taste at all. In fact, I'm going for chocolate mint for my taste. The texture of a malt ball is very different from say, pixie sticks. Its closer to astronaut ice cream (if that reference has meaning). Its like a freeze dried product in its texture. Now, this won't make it sound appetizing, but think floral foam. I want to be able to finely chop the floral foam/astronaut ice cream into a course powder and reform it into something else. I know this is totally a goofy request, but geez, I can't stop my mind from thinking of stuff like this.
  8. I was also thinking maybe the dry (v. chewy) nougats - which may be in your confectionary 101. Again, ultimately I'm going to powderize the result anyway, so what it becomes is less important than what it will become (you know what I mean )
  9. gfron1

    Zucchini Blossoms

    In From Here You Can't See Paris (which is a super book for foodies BTW), I vaguely recall the chef steaming them or braising them stuffed with smoked trout mousse.
  10. I want to make a candy that has the texture of a malt ball, but will have a different flavor. Ultimately, I am going to chop up what is made to get the powder...any ideas?
  11. It seems to me that the ramekin is not the primary problem. The melted ice cream and browning bananas are the issue. It feels like it all needs a bit of lift. Can you freeze the ice cream in a pastry mold (maybe square) and layer the fruit on top of the ice cream. The other thought that I'm having may not work, but an italian meringue piped into the shape of a container, then filled with the fruit.
  12. Thanks for reporting back...but what!...no pictures of the octupuss in the blanket?
  13. After her comment, it moved way up my 'to make' list! Here it is: Strudel dough with sour cream Filling: golden raisins, dark raisins, currants, cranberries, apricot preserves, walnuts, cinnamon The books says to serve with manchego and champagne grapes (something tells me she just cuts a chunk off and gobbles) And thanks for the comment on the review.
  14. Caramel Nut Cake from The Art of the Dessert You can see other creations from the book here.
  15. Caramel Nut Cake I need to work on my ganache coating, and I burnt my nuts...rough day! But, this is again super. In fact, I'm kind of sick to my stomach right now because I ate so much of the caramel sauce and caramel buttercream - both were absolutely super.
  16. Hemingway, Welcome to the forum - with an outstanding post like this we look forward to your wealth of knowledge. Cheers, Rob
  17. Here's my thought on the pictures...I love pictures because they're inspirational, but 1/3 of the book are straightforward recipes like the fried custard and waffles and ice cream. The rest of the book are desserts made up of components that we're all familiar with. So even as I'm creating the desserts, since I'm using familiar components (genoise, buttercream frosting, custards, etc), I'm going to assemble them however I'm most inclined. None of the desserts above had pics and they turned out yummy enough for me to eat. So don't let that stop you when the book comes in - its well worth it.
  18. Not that New Mexicans corner the market on Mexican foods, but many people forget that we're part of the United States So with that ragtag claim to pseudo authority aside, I only microwave tortillas when I'm desparate. Even in stacks, if they aren't eaten relatively quickly they start to get that radiation stiffness that's only appropriate for Catholic communion wafers. My preferred method is to slap those suckers on top of whatever I've been cooking to keep the food hot and warm the tortillas (basically steaming them) while I'm slurping down the margharita. So...use them as a lid...my final answer.
  19. The custard is sitting in a chocolate sauce which was my pre-lunch warm-up today!
  20. Having just reviewed The Art of the Dessert, now we can start posting our creations from this fantastic book. I started with three, and have a couple more coming this weekend. The first thing I made was the Peach Souffle Tartlets with Ginger Peach Ice Cream Its been hot here in the high dessert, so I wanted to start with anything that included ice cream. The ginger peach ice cream was really outstanding. I wish I had riper peaches for a more pronounced flavor, but it was good nonetheless. The tartlets had a splash of Grand Marnier combined with lime and peach - great combination! I also really liked the pastry crust recipe for this one - very delicate. ===== Next, I made the Sour Cream Waffles with Avocado Ice Cream. Again, I was wanting something a bit cooler to counter our heat. I had trouble getting my waffles to rise and crisp which I think was a function of my waffle iron. The taste of the waffles was absolutely wonderful and became our breakfast the next morning. The ice cream was as creamy as you would expect and tasted nothing like guacamole (thank goodness!). ===== The last dessert was terribly mis-seasoned: Fried Mocha Custard Squares. I wanted to try things from the book that I normally would not have made, so I asked my spouse to pick a few. He made a long list, but neglected to tell me that some were for making in the fall...this was one of them. An espresso laced, cornstarch-based custard chilled, cut into squares, rolled in croissant crumbs and butter fried. I think that says it all. It was very good, and very not light and summery
  21. While reviewing The Art of the Dessert, I took the opportunity to contact Ms. Amernick to invite her to participate in an interview. She was incredible accomodating and willing to help eGullet Society members as they prepare desserts from her book – an attitude that is clearly reflected in the book itself. This is obviously not a person who hoards knowledge, but seeks to share her experiences with the world. Here are a few thoughts that she has shared with us: What was the first pastry that you remember making? Strawberry Tarts. I was fascinated with pies, pastries and most of all fruit-filled tarts. I was just out of college and off for the summer. I baked all manner of miniature tarts. Who have been your culinary role models? Gaston Lenotre, as soon as I became aware of him, but I loved Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simca Beck. Then, I revered Yves Thuries. If you were standing next to someone using your book in their kitchen, what would you whisper in their ear? Get a scale if you don’t have one, and USE GRAM MEASUREMENTS. I fought long and hard to get grams into the book. The theory is that Americans don’t like to use grams, but, well, don’t get me started. What is the food that you love so much that you would gorge yourself on? Maryland Strudel, I love it almost more than anything. Then I might go for the Cranberry and Cassis Bars, and then the Prune Turnovers. What technique or skill would you still like to hone up on? I’m doing that right now with breads and starters. I got a great sour going and I’ve been really happy with the fat sourdough loaves I’ve been making and the soft sour white rolls, as well. But the area I really would like to get involved in is chocolates. I have a lot of gaps there. I never really had any true training in most of the pastry and definitely creative chocolate would be the place I’d need to start. What pastries did you eat while you were growing up? Hot Milk Sponge Birthday cakes, maybe some cookies, but my mother was more of a cook than a baker. But she taught me to make very thin Blintzes so that when I made crepes, they were paper thin. How has the opening of Palena impacted your pastry work? Definitely going more for the a la minute style of plating. When I worked at Jean Louis, there was the big pastry cart and everything was made, finished and set out to serve. Now I like all the components to be made ahead and then the dessert to be completed on order. It’s a little slower to serve, but the pastry is always fresher and crisp instead of soggy. But now that I’ve stepped back from the day to day at Palena, I don’t always follow what is going on in the dessert station all of the time. What was the most memorable time at the White House? It would have to be when the kitchen was koshered for the Begin/Sadat Peace Accord in 1980. What do you consider the most difficult pastry skill to master? Probably pulled sugar. I did it so much in the ‘80’s that I have no finger prints left. I had to have my prints taken 3 times and then get a note from the doctor explaining why I have no fingerprints, when we were applying for the liquor license for Palena. Closing thoughts? This book killed me. I have never worked so hard on anything. The bakery and restaurant were backbreaking and I was no spring chicken then (57). Tack on a book and I could barely stand up.The first two books, Soufflés and Special Desserts were a piece of cake (no pun intended) compared to The Art of the Dessert.
  22. The Art of the Dessert Ann Amernick with Margie Litman ISBN: 978-0-471-44381-0 2007 I look back in fondness to the day I decided that making bars and brownies didn’t excite me any longer. Don’t get me wrong, I still eat them as if they were manna. But, when it comes to time in the kitchen, I much prefer to create something with pizzazz. My spouse says that my sadomasochistic side prefers desserts that take days of preparation for seconds of pleasure. I think he’s right. My culinary transition came with the purchase of Professional Baking from Gisslen and Le Cordon Bleu. With Professional Baking I began to see the techniques behind the complicated desserts that I wanted so badly to make even though I had no formal training. Like many cooks who venture into the more adventurous realm, however, I find that the more "advanced" baking books leave the non-professionally trained pastry hobbyist behind due to technical jargon and unwritten assumptions. Adding to the problem are the books on the other end of the spectrum that offer recipes, however refined, that are still just for bars and brownies, which again, is not my interest. There are few books in the middle that offer both – the basics and pizzazz. Enter The Art of the Dessert, the latest offering from famed American chef, Ann Amernick! Previously, Amernick has authored,Special Desserts and Souffles. Her fame has grown over the years, including working as assistant pastry chef at The White House, and now includes co-owning the Palena Restaurant in Washington DC. She has been nominated for the James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef five times, and is regularly on “Top Pastry Chef” lists released by various publications. With The Art of the Dessert I began to see the techniques behind the complicated desserts that I wanted so badly to make even though I had no formal training. Amernick (along with collaborator Margie Litman) has created that middle-ground book that allows the pastry enthusiast without a degree or years of apprenticeship to make desserts that push the envelope. This hearty, cloth-bound guide presents cakes and tortes, pies and tarts, cookies and candies, and other warm, cold and sandwiched desserts. Some desserts are simple one-item sweets, while others include multiple components assembled into a tower of sugary grandeur. Along with over 100 recipes the reader gets a teasure trove of sub-recipes for the components that go into each overall dessert, making this book an immense wealth of information on the basics of fine pastry construction. Each recipe is very clearly organized, easy to follow, and detailed enough to ensure success. This is the book you need to make a fancy looking dessert easy to make. Aside from the premium recipes, the aspect of the book that I found most useful was Amernick’s precision. Unlike comparable books where you have to flip back and forth to find sub-recipes (“To make this torte, make the gènoise on page 31, the pastry cream on page 46, the frosting on page 74…”), this time-saving gem includes all of the recipes and sub-recipes in order and on the same page. Her precision carries forward into her ingredients where she calls for very specific flours, sugars, butters, etc., all of which her years of experience have found to be the best for the task at hand, and largely available in most communities. For example, “I have also found that the lower the fat content in cocoa, the higher a génoise will rise. For chocolate génoise, I would use Droste cocoa, which is Dutch-processed.” Such tips are indispensable for both the novice and the professional. She also spends significant time encouraging the reader to “know your oven.” Feeling that I knew my oven, but wanting to be true to her instructions, I tested my oven according to the book, and was surprised to find that my oven is, in fact, wildly inconsistent and uneven. The upside is that I now have an excuse for every burnt or undercooked pastry! The downside is that my oven will have to be replaced. The only area that I found lacking in the entire book was photos. As chronicled on a recent eGullet topic, photographs can be very inspiring and instructional in pastry work. The book skimps in this area with only a handful of glossy color photos, augmenting these with a dozen or so recycled background images. These background images become confusing since they appear to be associated with a certain recipe, but in reality, are totally random. This one shortcoming aside, though, the book is easy enough to follow for a beginner, challenging enough for an avid home cook, and full enough of expert tips to make it invaluable for the professional. This is one pastry book that is already covered in spilled chocolate and flour in my kitchen. And as for the photos…I’ll just have to take my own! We can post our creations from the cookbook with photos here.
  23. I was the lucky recipient of The Art of the Dessert, and I'll be posting my review this weekend. I'll also be starting a thread for us to make the desserts in the book, which I'll start with the ones I tested. There's also a little surprise coming for all of you dessert afficienados out there! So, go get the book and let's have some fun.
  24. Caviar are a snap if your solutions are correct. And with the 96 dropper, you can have thousands of caviar in minutes. I did chocolate caviar a few months back on a tuile - yummy! The ravioli I haven't had as much luck with. That's definitely technique. You can get the Lochness monster pretty easily but you'll need to work on the ravioli.
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