gfron1

I add my thank you for the report. You and I travel in slightly different eG forums so I had no idea that you would have a conservative stance toward pastries. That word "trendy" seems a useless word to me unless we choose to never seek and experience evolution and betterment. While I don't seek the next "trendy" ingredient, I am constantly seeking ingredients and ingredient combinations that can take pastries to antother level for me. A very small example is Paul Raphael's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Did he brown his butter and replace standard brown sugar with muscovado because it was trendy? I assume he did so to improve on the classic. Or when I did my celery dessert series last year it was not for the sake of trend but rather experimentation (with some hits and some misses). I know that my feelings of trendy technology sound similar to yours on pastry. I cringe when my spouse "has to have" the latest gizmo..."no you don't really have to have it," I respond. But one person's trendy is another person's improvement (hence my active use of FaceBook after months of refusal...same goes for the cell phone which I still despise). And so slowly and painfully I'm learning to remove that judgment from my paradigm because I only find it limiting. If I hadn't taken that step I never would have had as many wonderful meals and desserts as I have. And so for these reasons I recommend "trendy" be thrown out and you should go get your tonka bean espuma with radicchio gelato.

Celery is soooo the key ingredient of 2008 (and I haven't decided what 2009 is yet), but IF i were doing a celery pop-tart, which I'm not, it would be Celery Calvado filling in a Lampong pastry crust. But that would be an obvious choice wouldn't it

Its in my hot little hands (actually my hands are fairly large, but that's another story). And, I was expecting to either love or hate it instantly. On the contrary, I'm going to have to really give it a good read and try a few recipes before I can decide - its...dense. So hold your marzipan horses and I'll get a post up in just a few days.

While I like the filling, try this crust and tell me its not a spitting replica of the original (I say spitting in a positive way). I think Chris and Paul will like it. As for the frosting, really, you decorator types can figure that one out for us all...I'm very weak on frostings since I rarely use them. And finally, no, I am not kidding about the foie. I clearly see a use for a miniature version, but very accurate replica of a pop-tart filled with some amazing adult flavors, whether it be foie or something else. Or better yet, what if we figured out the whole frosting thing and every table had its own toaster for people to toast their own with all sorts of adult flavors - foi, salmon, tonka...I think it would be fun at one of my tasting dinners.

While I certainly can agree with all of your assertions, my experience is that neither the forums nor blogs can be whitewashed quite that nicely. When I first arrived at eG I was seeking a resource of knowledge. There has definitely proven true, but I also discovered a community as a nice side perk. When I started my blog it was to have an outlet without inhibition. I find it nearly impossible to discuss a meal without relating to the context within which it is set. But in some forums that is what you are expected to do. I also participate in forums such as foodieblogroll, that seek to be the convergence point for all bloggers, but have zero moderation (that I have seen-and in that instance I've yet to see a need for any moderation). Both forum and blog have their role, and depending on my mood and the placement of the moon, that will dictate to me which outlet I am seeking. The grail that I've been seeking in my little niche is a site that becomes the convergence of related blogs/twitters/facebooks, etc. In essence this idea creates a page of summary blurbs that you can 'click to read more,' but allows for evolving technology and allows for self-regulated content.

Yeah, it was an assumed to me, but then when I made my batch today I forgot. So, once you roll out the dough, prick it with a fork then chill or freeze (I freeze).

To answer all of the "can I put XXX inside?" The answer is yes. Just play. For those of you not familiar with pop-tarts, they are meant to be a lazy American school child food - grab it and run off to the bus. Today I made the chocolate fudge version - haven't figured out the top yet. Stewing in my mind is an apple and foie gras.

Alright - back down you over achievers! What's the point? The point is I had some free time and wanted to see if I could replicate the flavor and texture and then improve on it. It can't be dropped into a toaster unless you leave the frosting off. If someone wants to play with the frosting recipe, knock yourself out, but remember why you had to toast the originals. You toast them because the darn things have sat on a store shelf for five years and the chemicals have all hardened. These are fresh, so no need to pop in the toaster. So if you want to call them something else, feel free. All harassment aside, you probably could put these in a toaster oven, but not a horizontal toaster. As an aside, Bodum is releasing a horizontal toaster (not toaster oven) in about a month. Jellies...absolutely, and I think that would be great. I've already had customers asking me to make their favorite flavors. I think the base would be the same: almond, powdered sugar, egg white, but then maybe some jams, or I would actually try purees. The one component that I have no idea how to re-create is the white sprinkles on top of my second favorite variety - fudge. I'm sure its some type of sugar, but not sure what kind. And Peter - thanks for calling me a genius. Maybe I should take one of those online IQ tests. However, no factory or quality control here - in fact my batch this morning had some glitches - I over stuffed the filling and it oozed (I also forgot to dock the dough). So for now I'll call these Pop-Tartesque pastries.

Lunch is over and here's some answers. The frosting: I take about a cup of confectioners sugar, add just a bit of vanilla (drop or so), and about 1 T. cinnamon. Then I add just enough milk to make a thick, but spreadable, paste. Everytime I do this I make it too watery and have to add more sugar, but it works in the end. This goes on after the tarts are cooled to room temp. The ingredient question - formatting snafu from my blog to eG: 1/3 C. & 1 T. (110 g) Milk at room temp And yes, very little sugar, just like a Kellog pop-tart pastry.

Depends on how big you make them, but a half dozen as described above. I think making mini versions would be fun too.

btw, here is Kellogg's list of ingredients for the same thing:

That's right gang, I cracked the Davinci Code for making pop-tarts at home! And you'll see that now you can have much more filling inside! Pop-Tart Dough 13 oz Unsalted Butter at room temp 1/3 C. & 1 T. (110 g) Milk at room temp 1 Yolk at room temp 1 t. (6 g)Sugar 1 t. (6 g) Salt 3 1/2 C. (645 g) AP Flour In food processor, combine butter, milk, yolk, sugar and salt and pulse until roughly blended. Add the flour and pulse until it just starts to come together. Form into a disc and wrap in saran wrap, chill at least 3 hours. Brown-Sugar Cinnamon Filling 1 Egg White at room temp 3/4 C. Powdered Sugar 1/4 C. Almond slivers or slices 1/4 C. Brown sugar 1 T. Cinnamon In food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until well combined. Assembly Roll the dough into a rough square, dusting with flour, until 1/8" thick. Cut dough into 4"x6" rectangles. Pair the rectangles for tops and bottoms. Brush the edges of your bottom with a whisked egg. Place a large dollop of filling on inside the egg wash, then spread it evenly. The amount of filling is up to you, but you can see in the pic below how much I did. Place the top sheet of dough on top and press firmly but gently onto the bottom sheet. Chill your Pop-Tarts for 30 minutes. Oven to 350F. Bake for abut 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Let sit until room temp. Frost with a milk and powdered sugar frosting with just a bit of cinnamon added.

Here's a lil' update on this quest. I tried my compadres...I mean Emeril's recipe and it turned out a bit dry. I overbaked, so I'll have to try it again. I did, however, then move on to Paul Raphael's recipe which he graciously shared with me. I scarfed one for breakfast the morning after it was made and sold the rest for the next two days. Everyone who bought one said it was the best they've ever had in their lives. As far as what I was looking for, it was good enough that I could leave well enough alone...but of course I won't. It was really a great recipe. Over at my blog you'll see that I had to adapt the chocolates since I don't work with Valrhona except on special occasions.

I know this is a minutia question but on your raspberry lychee petit, what is the red garnish?

Just another comment. I've finished mine, and did two steeps on both batches. This was a nice tea, and as I usually feel with nicer teas, I was out of my realm. I can nuance wine, salt, chocolate, etc, but teas are more difficult for me, which leaves me with - like it or don't like it. I would not put it in the don't like it category because it was a good tea. But it surely didn't kick me in the butt like many teas that I enjoy. I received a very useful PM suggesting that my previous puerh experiences might have been with poorly stored teas. That's something I definitely want to follow up with and learn more about. Prior to this tea I thought all puerhs would be downright nasty to the nose but acceptable to the palette. So it was nice to have a different experience. Thanks again for the sample.

Thanks.

I'll take one for the team here - I ordered it this morning because I've been needing something new. The hype feels a bit shwarmy to me, so I hope the substance lives up to the hype. I'll report back as soon as its in my hands.

I'm heading to PHX/Scotts June 5-13th. I have a cater that I'm being flown in to chef at on the 6th, but otherwise I'm coming to play - I rarely get away and in fact have not been to PHX in 5 years. NOCA is on my list as is the pizza place. If anyone is interested in meeting please PM me. And if there's anything that I just can't miss, especially with pastries, please let me know.

First, it sounds like we're talking someone younger, so what age are we looking at - I wouldn't send a smoked salmon to a 10 year old for example I would look at some fun artisanal products. I like the idea of Fran's. Yoo hoo, Mexican food is well...Mexican. Apple butter from Indiana. Vosges chocolate bars - like the bacon bar. Doritos are very American...not sure if they are worldwide. Maybe think across the regions - some pralines from New Orleans, chocolate egg cream from Brooklyn, BBQ sauce from the Carolinas, etc. Or, look at what is produced in your home town - surely there's something. We have a great green chile hot chocolate mix. And maybe a locally produced cook book from the Junior League or something. Watch heat and the chocolates - pack very insulated.

the difference is pressure. You could do the technique that you're referring to but you would end up with a rough surface that has the likely potential of falling apart of disintegrating. The slabs look and feel like a soft marble, and that takes a lot of pressure to achieve. I'm guessing that theoretically you could put some between to steel sheets on a vice or something like that but then you're getting to the point where you might as well just buy them.

my base recipe is the monk dude who had the PBS tv show a few years back - from St. Louis I think. Anyway the two keys, I find, are not over work them and get the butter to the right size. I also find most recipes start off too dry - might be a flour issue. I use Bob's Red Mill unbleached white. I add a bit more milk than the recipe calls for but it still doesn't seem like its going to pull together while mixing. Once everything is thoroughly combined I pull it out of the bowl, work it just a bit with my hands - melts the butter some and pulls it all together. Then I stop - just like biscuits - don't overwork. I then shape as gently as I can using my pastry scraper to form the sides while I gently press down. The issue of butter - I put half of my flour in the food processor and add the butter cut into 1/2" cubes. I pulse until the butter is smaller than peas. Stop, then work through it with your hands to find any sizes that remain large and those I work through my fingers. With that I always have scones that are just light enough to be enjoyably dense, moist enough to be enjoyably dry, and always hold together. You can find a couple of my recipes at the bottom of THIS page.

if you're looking for a course more than a vacation, start right here with Chad's knife class. I did that, but once I had his book my skills really took off.

John, I just want to clarify that you're talking about the books by Roland Bilheux and Alain Escoffier and not the Bo Friberg books.

you decorators are really amazing! I remember back in the pre-mac college days (for the record they came out right as I was in the graphic program at college), we would laboriously have to re-create fonts by blowing up the one we wanted (now done by computer) and drawing a grid over the font to break it down, then draw a larger grid to scale, and finally redraw the font inside the larger grid. WTF! If I was born a year later that would have been a silly waist of time. However, it did give me a keen eye for recreating fonts because you view fonts by their components instead of just writing away and hoping for the best. Not sure if this trip down memory lane is useful here, but I couldn't just leave my Annie and OneTough, 'you're so great' comment by itself.

Absolutely. I was seeing one meal, but I know that they were eating two or three meals after their rides. And as for me, I'm fairly active myself...but that's for another forum