avid

does anyone know the ratio of mcm:liquid base for this technique?

Thanks patrick - that's reassuring. part of my problem was that i was dipping them in tempered milk choc (shelf life and service issues) so the heat from the choc just kept more or less melting the truffles. so from now on will use this in molded choc's i think.

wanna dress up a frozen slice of cheesecake? why not batter and fry it!! had some tempura fried cheesecake at a little japanese place in lincoln, ne (take that ubiquitous fried banana!!). it was delicous - crispy on the outside, oh so warm and lusciuos on the inside...mmm...... i love dairy fat

Those look great! i've made this recipe twice before and it didn't work for me very well - ganache was to loose to roll. first time used fresh pfruit. second time frozen puree. same problem to varying degrees. can't remember what brand of chocolate i used the first time (2 1/2 yrs ago) but i know the last time i used shokinag (milk ofcourse). don't know the vital %'s of the top of my head, but i wouldn't think it would be enough variance from valrhona to cause the ganache to be as slack as it was. my second batch eventually worked out with the addition of more choc, but the flavor obviously suffered a bit - xtra choc kinda muddied up the the bright notes of the pfruit. well, any thoughts or tips with this recipe? would like to get this recipe worked out a little better. i guess i could always use it in a molded chocolate - it is very yummy.

I agree with ya pras. hey kim - being from the south and all have you considered red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing? seems to be riding a real wave of popularity right now.

where can I find ultra sperse? I will try it out... would you use it just like you would with constarch? ← If cornstarch makes it watery, tapioca starch should not. ← i've really not had a problem with water seperation even in freeze/thaw situations, at least nothing that would cause any alarm. just make it within a few days of your planned cake building and you should be ok. tapioca starch/waxy maize? keep things simple. the larger your mise en place/ pantry gets the more confusing, disorganized and expensive things get. streamlined and efficient makes a good pastry kitchen!

try this recipe (Laurent Branlard): 270g .... Orange juice 30g ...... Lemon juice 150g .... Sugar 225g .... Butter 150g .... Sugar 40g ...... Corn starch 300g .... Whole eggs 120g .... Yolks Boil juices, first amount of sugar and butter. Combine second amount of sugar with remaining ingredients. Temper these two mixes together and cook as for pastry cream. good luck. if you're really picky you may need to adjust the sugar amounts depending of the sweetness of your oranges. also sometimes i like to add a couple drops of orange oil after cooking if it needs a little boost.

i bet you're right caroline. i really added that because the original recipe called for it. i got the recipe at the '04 world pastry forum - can't remember the instructor off the top o' me head, but it was the petit gateau class. you can kind of tell the recipe is french just by looking at the symetry of the measurements - they always do that! especially with custards and such - i love it!

i don't think i would ever risk using an unstabilized curd in a wedding cake either, unless it was just a smear on the layer for a flavor accent. you could try adding gelatine to your present recipe just don't over do it or use a cornstarch thickened recipe...which i thought i had...but can't seem to find ...it must be at work. well, i'll post it tomorrow. fat lot a good that did ya...

sure - here ya go: 7 sheets gelatin -bloom, drain and set aside [could also use 7 tsp powder gelatin added to 7 Tbl h2o, allow to bloom] 7 oz egg yolks 7 oz sugar 18 oz whole milk 14 oz creamy peanut butter 28 oz heavy cream -make a creme anglaise with yolks, sugar and milk -while still warm add bloomed gelatin and peanut butter -allow this mix to cool to warm room temp -whip cream to soft peaks (medium ok too) and gently fold in to cooled pb anglaise -poor into desired mold and chill to set notes: i use a commercial jif style pb. i haven't tried using fresh ground unsalted, unsweetened pb yet but i'm sure it would be great. professionals sometimes don't have the luxury of using the best ingredients - silly huh? it's still great with the jif though. also could use a low sugar praline paste or pistachio paste. i haven't tried this yet but it's got to be pretty tasty (and expensive) with almond or cashew butter. yeild: currently i make this in sheets with an almost equal amount of chocolate cake as a base. this qty would give you 1 half sheet pan (use extender). to finish i cut into desired shape (square, rectangle, triangle) then spray with dark choc and garnish with a few dots of ganache and some candied peanuts.

i'm making a pb bavarian cream lately that i pair with a good ole american chocolate cake. it's not what i would call decedant however. it's so light and the texture is so smooth that it has a more sophisticated feel to it. yummy and satisfying none the less!

Interesting, for some reason I always think of citrus for curds. I'll have to see what sort of fruit I canlay my hands on. Darn! Did yours get lost? I just tried macarons for the first time and, while not perfect, I feel like I am close enough that I stand a chance of getting it right next time. I posted my attempt and questions over on the endlesslyLongMacaronThread if anyone wants to see. ← you could always try some financiers (parisian brown butter and almond petit fours). they're pretty simple to make and you can change the flavor or fruit garnish widely. you can bake them in mini muffin molds and they're delicious!