Lesley C

You brush the choux with eggwash then you mark lightly with the back of a fork. This way when the dough develops, it rises evenly and does not burst. This is especially important for eclairs, but I religiously do it for all pate a choux shapes.

I have tried both method with the cooled panade and the hot panade and the differences were minimal. I do the hot panade thing but really, I don't see that as a major cause here.

I think the best gourmet experience is at L'Initiale. Laurie Raphael is also terrific. But these are high-end places.

I bake pate a choux at 375 for the entire baking period and always use half milk half water and always butter. I wonder if you're piping properly. Are you making flat disks or round balls. I pipe at an angle (as the French say "coucher") and not up and down, to make the best ball shape with NO POINT. And I always egg wash and fork before baking. I'm a nut about pate a choux and have always had excellent results. I think piping can make all the difference. Also, pate a choux should be piped in close staggered rows for best results.

OK, I'll add my two cents now that I've read some pretty outrageous comments about Quebec cheese being amateurish (what the ?...) and awful (big word). I was at the tasting Guru mentioned and I spoke to him about the problem with consistency, especially with cheeses like Pied de Vent which ranges from spectacular to too bitter. Any good cheese, and when I say good I mean artisanal, will have consistency problems. In fact, a good raw milk cheese should taste different every month, especially in the summer when the cows are fed fresh grass and clover. My small complaint with the cheese is that sometimes the texture is different and some really superb cheeses can vary from slice to slice (that I don't get). At that tasting we sampled 22 specimens. Out of all of them, only the Providence D'Oka did not score high for me because I found it way too bitter. Otherwise, I just LOVED the Triple Creme du Village de Warwick, the Allegretto, the Kenogami (a long-standing favourite), the Mamirolle, Chevre Noir (another long-stading favourite), and the Sabot de Blanchette. These cheeses were all superb, and that tasting didn't even include most of the Quebec cheese I buy most frequently such as the Chevallier-Mailloux, Laracam, Migneron, Victor & Bertholde, Mi-Careme, Le Douanier, Caprices de Saisons and Caprices des Cantons, Cheddar Perron, and Le St-Basile de Portneuf. There are now over 80 cheese makers in our province and between 250-300 varieties of cheese. Not too shabby. You want some awful cheese, head west or south. In Quebec the awful cheese is made by mega companies who churn out tasteless mozzarella. I would like these people who complain about "awful" cheese, to please name specific brands. Also, could you tell me where you're from and what local cheeses you have that could even come close in variety and quality. It's also worth mentioning that a Quebec cheese (Fritz Kaiser's Le Douanier) won the Canada Dairy Bureau's best cheese in Canada award for the fourth time in a row last month -- and most of the finalists were from this province as well. Quebec cheese makers are going through a tough time right now due to the Government's policy on milk quotas. Luc Mailloux is probably going to cease production and the fellow who makes the Lait and Creme D'Antan is going through hell right now. For anyone who really cares about this subject, and actually wants to learn a thing or two, I suggest you head over to Fromagerie Au Gre des Champs in Iberville and talk to the lovely young couple who produce both the D'Iberville and le Gre des champs cheeses. Ask them why their cheese, made with organic raw milk, might have consistency problems. They will be happy to tell you about the struggles they encounter. I went, and it was fascinating. There is nothing in the least bit amateurish about their installations. Their production may be small, but hardly amateurish (maxanon, I would request you be more specific and name names of amateurish installations you have visited, rather than just shooting off generalizations based on your -- admittedly -- limited experience). And if you can't get to Iberville, pick up a map of the new Route des Fromages du Quebec and choose another region. You'll find cheese makers all over this province, and some friggin' amazing cheese. Again, not too shabby for a province with a population of what, just over 7 million. I'm ready to discuss Quebec cheese ad nauseum, BUT I would kindly request that people please know a bit more about the subject or are willing to give concrete examples before shooting off their mouths regarding one of Quebec's most accomplished, complex and fascinating industries.

Oh-ho good one.

OK, how about an American version of this show with Bourdain in Ramsay's place? I can't imagine Bourdain would be as mean. I don't see it in his eyes. Knowing American TV, though, they would probably toss Paris Hilton in the equation to up the ratings. I guess she could sleep with the miserable chefs to cheer them up. She doesn't seem too picky.

Gee, I don't know, that scene kind of got to me.

Wow, that really sucks. Did he not keep that kid on at UP or Rocco's?

I don't have to try it because I know the mouthfeel wouldn't be to my liking. I saw all those kinds of low-cost buttercreams at pastry school, and I never made any of them again once I left. Even in the big pastry shops I worked in used butter-based buttercream with a pate a bombe. And I certainly know what cake shortening is. I did the production bakery thing for a year and almost went out of my mind. 500 buttercream birthday cakes a day isn't my thing. To each his own, I guess.

Interesting to note that not once did Rocco set foot in the restaurant during that show. Not once. And let's hope that CIA speech was heavily edited, because he ain't no public speaker either.

No offense spyddie (I see this is your first post so I really hate to be brutal but...), but that's the kind of recipe that gives pastry a bad name. Shortening and oil! Talk about unhealthy. If you're going to go the shortening route, I would skip the meringue altogether and beat together white fondant, unsalted butter, and emulsified shortening. I have never seen a buttercream recipe that contains oil. Where did you get that recipe?

Anybody who has made enough meringue knows it pretty much works anyway you slice it if your whites are in good shape (though adding all the sugar at the beginning doesn't give such hot results). I do, however, wait until the whites are quite frothy before adding any sugar to make sure they are "clean." Otherwise, when I was working in France the fellow I worked with always tossed all the sugar in at the stiff peak stage when making lady fingers. I freaked, but -- whatever -- it worked.

Balmagowry, I think many of the writers you worship (and I mean that in a nice way) are great writers and historians who have set their sites on food. But to me they could be writing about poetry or music in the same way. Yes, they are important and yes they are brilliant but they are a tiny elite. Are more people today reading Nigella Lawson or Brillat-Savarin? Julia Child or Barbara Wheaton? I think we all know the answer. I see another facet of this question as well. Should someone who wants to be a food writer be able to cook well? My answer to this is a resounding yes. Why? Because it will open countless doors in a world with few doors to open. Having attended cooking school I can not only write a restaurant review or a how-to food story, but take a chef's recipe written in grams with a yield of 400 brownies and turn it into a 12-portion recipe for the home cook in cups and tablespoons, I can watch a chef prepare a dish and transform it into a recipe (not easy), and I can read through a recipe and tell you if it works or not before even getting out a mixing bowl. Thanks to my cooking background, I also speak the language. I know the difference between the words sauté and simmer, whisk and cream, pan-fry and grill. I meet plenty of people -- young and old -- who want to be food writers and I tell them all to get some formal training. Sure, they can write a story about the mole they had in Mexico, their first taste of good chocolate, and how they make wine in the garage. But unless you’re already an established writer, you probably can’t make a living doing that. To be a full time food writer (which probably means you’re a freelancer), you need to be versatile. And the more you know, the more work is available. IMO, it's only logical that people who know how to cook will have the most opportunities in this business.

Yes, as I said in my post, "I'll bet me left foot most of them cook very well." Reichl also worked in a restaurant.

Yeah I love the dishwasher, but the truth is when making chocolates I always molded from a tempering machine (enrobeuse) so I never was turning out anything but ideal chocolates, so there was never the need to wash the molds. I always just scraped them clean. Wait, come to think of it I once did wash molds. I started at a new job and the fellow who was making chocolates there before me was spraying the molds with Pam because he didn't have a clue how to temper. Oy! And Steve is so right. When chocolates are done properly they should look that shiny, be it in semisweet, or even milk and white. You should even go "wow" when then pop out of the moulds. It really is essential to work at the high end of the tempering scale to get the right fluidity and shine. And there's a whole technique of filling, tapping, emptying, scraping, and turning over molds when making molded chocolates. It takes a while to get right, to avoid those little bubbles, cracks, lines and so forth. But if you're working with the right teacher and obsessed enough, you'll eventually get it. Then there's no turning back.

OK, I slept on this one and I woke up this morning realizing just how utterly ESSENTIAL it is to be a good cook to be a good food writer – and I’m not talking a restaurant critic here, but food writer. Food writing is not just limited to stories like Johnny Apple eating hot dogs in Chicago, Ruth Reichl writing about her mother, or Jeffrey Steingarten researching salt. NO, the majority of food writing involves recipes. Name all the top food writers today, and the legends of the past, and you are dealing with people who specialize in cookbooks and recipes -- and who really do know how to cook very well. Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Mark Bittman, Flo Braker, Sherry Yard, Nancy Sliverton, Nigel Slater, Martha Stewart, Marcella Hazan, Amanda Hesser, Anne Byrn, Shirley Corriher, Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Daguid, Judy Rogers, James Peterson, Marion Cunningham, Rose Levy Berambaum, Maida Heatter, Nick Malgieri, Jill Dupleix, Tamasin Day-Lewis, Anne Willan, Deborah Madison, Anne Lindsay, Alistair Little, Charlie Trotter, Mario Batali, Rick Bayless, Rose Gray & Ruth Rogers, Peggy Knickerbocker, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, Michelle Scicolone, John Taylor, Joan Nathan, Sally Schneider, Gary Rhodes, Alice Waters, Dorie Greenspan, Craig Claiborne, James Beard and so on and so on. These are the BIG names in English-language food writing. Of course, there are the Alan Richmans, the Jeffrey Steingartens, the Calvin Trillins, and the Ed Behrs on the scene, and they are fabulous (and I'll bet me left foot most of them cook very well). But these writers are an elite minority. The majority of food writers aren't writing first person travel stories that focus on Singapore street food or the dangers of farmed salmon. The majority of top food writers are writing about how to make tonight's dinner.

No. To learn to make chocolates properly, you really need to work side by side with a decent chocolatier. Otherwise, if you intend to sell your products commercially, you are really wasting your time. I would say do something else until you have the time to take a class -- or stick to truffles!

I work as a restaurant critic and I can't make a vinaigrette. But I can make just about everything else (maybe I'm just too picky about the quality of the vinaigrette). I went to professional cooking school for three years, worked as a professional pastry chef for ten, and taught professional cooking for four years before becoming a food writer. Has it helped me become a better food writer? Yes, of course. But I also dined out in many restaurants from a very early age and came from a family of excellent home cooks. What my professional background gave me is confidence, confidence to really criticize when I have to and praise when merited. And I didn't have to build that up, I had it from Day One. I also know my stuff, so when faced with a brilliant chef, I like to think I know that I can tell the reader why he or she is so good quite specifically without either having to shove my knowledge down the reader’s throat (i.e. show off) or cover my lack of knowledge with so many turns of phrase (a common trick used by "writers" who turn their interests to food). I also think it enriches the writing. Again, as Russ said, not by spilling over with detailed commentary. But the right smart remark from a pro can really tie a review together, as much as a glaring mistake from an amateur can blow his or her credibility. And I see those all the time.

BTW, as a side note, there are sprays sold primarily by German companies that are used to increase the shine on chocolate. I think they used to be used for competitions but are now prohibited. When you're looking at a picture from a cookbook, remember a food stylist usually had a hand in that shot, and something like this spray could certainly have been used to increase the chocolate's sheen, shine or brilliance. The key is also to always keep your molds in great shape, and polishing them with cotton will always help promote shine. Never, ever wash them in soapy water, or -- God forbid -- the dishwasher! Ideally a mold used for making chocolate is never washed, but always scraped clean and then polished. And never put your fingers inside the mold because the chocolate picks up fingerprints. And then once unmolded, the chocolates should only be handled with gloved hands until boxed. As for glazing brownies with pure chocolate, I would say you're dreaming if you expect to get a shine on that surface. You won't get that slick look unless your chocolate has been molded on a flat surface, preferably acetate (shined with a cotton ball), or metal. As for molded chocolates, metal molds will always give a shinier surface, BUT they're hard to find, heavy, and a pain in the ass to clean. But if you can find one for a large figure (like a rabbit or a duck for Easter) grab it if it's in good shape because metal molds usually give the best results. And chocolate molded in metal left to set in a cool room will always be shinier than one that was refrigerated.

Funny, I consider Italian meringue easier. Swiss meringue can get gloopy, shiny and thick, and whip up poorly. I noticed a few years ago on Martha Stewart's show that they switched to Swiss meringue buttercream for making wedding cakes. I have tried her recipe and it's quite good.

I think we're getting terms confused here. There's French meringue, Swiss meringue and Italian meringue, but there's no French buttercream, Swiss buttercream and Italian buttercream. And that description of German buttercream is certainly NEW to me. You can make buttercream with an Anglaise as your base, but if you're beating butter into pastry cream, you're making creme mousseline, the kind of cream you would use for a Fraisier. And if you're folding Italian meringue into pastry cream you're making creme chiboust. And in my books, you aren't making Italian meringue unless the sugar reaches 121 degrees C; 116 is not high enough.

OK, I think he's time to put the cards on the table and be brutally honest. Carp, you have developed a pouring shield habit that must be broken. But fear not! I hear they have a program at the Betty Ford Center for pouring shield addicts. They wrestle your pouring shield away from you at the front desk, then it's pouring shield cold turkey from then on in. You can do it, I know you can. They say Whitney Houston was in rehab for a drug habit, but my inside sources tell me she was really addicted to her pouring shield. Get help -- fast! And don't forget, we're here to hold your shaky, sugar-syrup-coated hand if need be.

You're doing the Swiss meringue buttercream. No harm in that. Honestly I don't know the advantage of the Italian over the Swiss. Maybe the Italian holds up better because the sugar is cooked? But I'm guessing. Actually my favourite buttercream is with yolks or whole eggs, making a pate a bombe for the base. The flavour is better, but it has a creamy yellow colour, not always ideal for wedding cakes.

The pouring shield is a bad habit. Ditch the pouring shield and train yourself to pour the sugar properly. Trust me on this one, you'll thank me one day. And forget about whisking by hand. It's a waste of time and you need two people to do it properly. If you don't whisk fast enough, you risk cooking the whites and ending up with lumps in your buttercream. As for using your fingers to determine the soft ball stage. I used to work with a young guy in France who always tested this way. But one night he was tired and talking to a guy on the other side of the room and he reversed the oder of things, dipping his fingers straight into the sugar, then into the water, then into the sugar again. Nice blisters the next day.