tan319

What ingredients are you looking for? I think there are several lists for finding supplies. As for trying recipes, maybe it's just what I picked to try out. Anything I've done off of the website was perfect. The brioche recipe I've made twice ( in the interest of finding another good recipe) and the method just has never worked well for me. I've made brioche that way with fresh yeast but it seems that with dry yeast proofing it in milk or water ( warmed) is more successful for me. The chocolate beet cake was a disaster for me. I was using a convection oven when I made, with celsius /f markings all, of that was cool. The bake ( I was doing individual loaf type cakes) temp may have been too high, the cakes just fell in the middle. If I made it again I'd try canned beets, which I think JI himself said worked the best for the cake ( I read it afterward). But, it was edible, very edible actually, so I filled the "indent" with a nice ganache and ran it for a special, white chocolate ice cream. So, I don't know if the choc cake was my mistake or a typo. One thing I found recently that's a great idea for anybody who has a website and has a book out is a correction page. On Francisco Migoyo's website, The Quenelle he posted a correction to a couple of pages of his book, "Frozen Desserts". I like the JI book very much though, I didn't really buy it to cook from, more to support the project, look at technique, etc.

I wouldn't add an infused syrup. Scale your cream in grams. Add a bunch of mint to your cream, bring just the boil. Off the heat, cover with plastic and let infuse refrigerated over night ( at least 12). With a bowel on a scale strain the infusion, pressing on solids. If the cream weigh's less then what you started with, replace until you reach the original amount. It should whip. The cold infusion would work swell too.

Ask the restaurant for a car service next time. That should be easier for them to understand. Better yet, since the night was so lousy weatherwise, ask the Four Seasons concierge to get you a car to the restaurant address and either pick you up at an agreed upon time or to be expecting a call for pickup at .... That couldn't be more expensive then lunch at Cafe Boulud and dinner at Corton?

The B is Baume! PH uses baume as his syrup measurement, brix for PDF An easy way to decipher the baume question is look at the Conticini recipes in PIE. BTW, if you don't already have it, get the softcover of The Ducasse/Roberts 'Grand Livre de Dessert et Patisserie. It breaks down lot of this with excellent charts, etc. There is an English version but I don't like translations much PA: Baume hasn't been relegated to the attic yet.

30 d B = 1 liter water + 1.35 kg sugar. But if you're going to use Baume syrups a bunch for glacage etc. from PIE or other Euro books, get one of these. Life will be easier.

I don't speak enough french to order from FNAC. ← FNAC should (?) have a page available to order in English. Amazon.fr does. The Kitchen Arts and Letters idea sounds best though.

It sucks the way people start ramping up prices as soon as somethings looks like it's going out of print. FWIW, I still think a soft cover version might show up. This has been an immensely popular book. I wonder if that used 28e one on Amazon.fr could be picked up if you ordered the pickup from Chronopost yourself?It looks like Fnac has a copy or more for 28e

I was curious about the pistachio gelato recipe. I've often seen yolks left out (Balaguer amongst them) but not atomized glucose, dextrose or trimoline.

Do any of the recipes state for Pacojet preferably, etc.?

I don't have a refractometer and I don't make PDF often either. But when I make any kind of thick mix like a candy base, even a syrup for Italian meringue I keep the probe in warm water in between readings and wipe it down. I discovered when taking temps on chocolate that was being tempered it helped to keep the probe "fresh" for accuracy. Maybe all of you folks do that as a given, just thought I'd throw it in the ring. P.S.: I also have a DVD of Albert Adria making various preparations ( including isomalt for sculpting) and he's big on using an infared thermometer.

Caster sugar is similar to cocktail or superfine sugar. I've found that CM brand in the carton is very fine. At work, I use whatever global corporation's sugar we order from. As lond as it's cane, not beet.

Most of the time ordering European books thru the internet will result in money saved, with the euro being down now, etc. Cheapest US price I've seen is JBPrince at 63.00 USD or so. If people end up ordering thru Europe ship thru Chronopost or whatever high end delivery system. You'll wait forever, literally months, ordering regular post. RE: Binding, paper:Since moving to New Mexico 9 years ago or so, I've noticed my euro books don't like the dryness here. PH10, Macaron, Bau, quite a few. Thanks for the report!

Nice one, can't wait!

Wow, that Conticini PDF certainly is awesome!!! 49 euro , I'd go for it. Now, if I could only get a gig...

Tri2Cook I don't know if you've seen Chef Migoyas blog yet, "The Quenelle". Very nice stuff and even an "formula and adjustment page. Discovered courtesy of Docsconz "the blog". Enjoy!

They're available from Chef Rubber.

Wine Spectator did an article maybe a year and a half/two years ago that besides wine( liquor sales?) dessert sales generate the most profit in restaurants. As pastrygirl noted costs can be controlled even when using ultra premium chocolate like Valrhona. Labor is the biggest cost in pastry. I agree with pastry girl generally too that savory can rob the customers attention from the sweet. espai sucre always has had a couple of tasting menus that move from sweetish savory to dessert but that's a more specialized thing.

I'm not sure what the social scene is like in Auckland but if you have a fairly sophisticated crowd in the area you might be able to do it. I agree with (?) the food costs on a tasting menu should be fairly small, except for chocolate. I wouldn't just offer a tasting menu though, maybe four ala carte choices. As a free standing unit ( no restaurant) a bar is a must, ice cream, sorbets,etc. As far as savory foods, none or only like a salad or two, foie (?), maybe something like a couscous salad with (brought in ) duck confit. My two cents Good Luck!

Tailor is the name of the restaurant...

Are you writing about the "Infinement Vanille" tart? I was also surprised not to see it in PH10. But, It seems the creme mascarpone that he uses often these days is basically that creme anglaise based mascarpone cream that's in PH10 in at least a few places. It also has a white chocolate ganache too. You could google for the recipe...

Seems from what I read it's very similar to Cocoa Berry Extra Brut, an excellent cocoa. Don't know what you're using now but the above is very good.

Do you have a walk in at the event? If so, plate at the event. Bring two people along with you to help. Unless those plates are warm to the touch nothing is going to happen to the cakes. All of that in & out freezers will result in condensation. My two cents, Best of luck!

It must be hard to do an interview thru translation like that. I preferred the Chang interview. They had a common thread of the interviewee feeling a bit "overwhelmed"...

You would just use your card and they will get it approved for the exchange amount. No different then ordering from Amazon, Good Luck!