nightscotsman

Which type of vanilla really depends on what you're pairing the buttercream with. The Tahitian is very floral and distinctive which tends to go better with tropical flavors like coconut and pineapple. The Madagascar is good with a broader range of ingredients and would be my choice with chocolate. Mexican might be a good match with stronger flavors like spices and coffee. So, whatcha makin'?

I don't cook the apples at all on the stove top. I've been using Lindsey Shere's recipe from "Chez Panisse Desserts" for years and have ususally had great results.

Another excellent substitute for pumpkin - with exactly the same texture as pumpkin, unlike sweet potatoes - is butternut or acorn squash. Cut in two, bake until soft, scoop out, puree. Much more flavorful than common jack-o-lantern type pumpkins and most likely available everywhere. cheap, too.

I completely agree! I have both her dessert and pastry books and have been completely mystified by the instructions for many of the recipes. She makes them sound so wonderful in the intros, but damned if I can tell what the hell they're supposed to look like from the directions. And of course there are black and white photos of only a handful of finished items. A couple recipes I've tried were complete disasters because the instructions didn't make any sense. Another major peeve in some professional level books from Bau and Herme: no yields! Is it too much to ask to know how many cakes a recipe will make? And Herme doesn't even give ring or mold sizes - I guess you're just supposed to use the "usual" size? There are - thank God - some cookbook authors who get it right for the home cook: clear and complete instructions, measurements in weight and volume, no assumption of specialized professional equipment, reliable results, etc. I'm a big fan of Flo Braker in this regard. Her stuff may not be on the cutting edge of pastry, but I'm never confused about what I'm making and have always gotten great results. Dorie Greenspan is another great recipe writer that I have learned to trust. Anybody else have a favorite, reliable author?

We did a thyme ganache in class yesterday that came out very tasty. Just brought the cream and a bit of trimoline to boil, dropped in fresh thyme (about 12 grams for 1200 grams of finished ganache) and let infuse covered for 10 minutes. Strained over half melted chocolate and emulsified as usual.

The Kerry Vincent class is starting this week, and although I think there are a few spaces left for the second class this weekend, that probably is too short of notice to make arrangements to get to Chicago. The good news is she's doing it again next year in October. You can see the complete list of upcoming Guest Chef Classes here: http://frenchpastryschool.com/guest.cfm . I notice that Nicholas Lodge is doing a class on wedding cakes & gum paste techniques in April.... By the way, she chatted a bit with our class while we were on a break today. A lovely a incredibly generous woman with lots of good stories. I'm sure you'd like her Wendy

Fran's has a shop in University Village and I think there's one downtown, too. Remember the Haas Bar had a caramel filling with salt and chocolate. I would recommend trying a caramel ganache and adding a bit of salt after emulsifying. The large grains of sea salt should not dissolve. Then you can decorate the tops with a pinch of salt to let people know something about what's inside. If you're looking for a caramel ganache recipe, there's one in Flo Braker's "Sweet Miniatures" - look for the reicpe for "Midas Cups" in the tartlet chapter.

That's totally cool! Congratulations. I envy your business card.

One other thing: is that a sweet plum wine you're using? If so, the extra sugar may also be keeping it from freezing. You might try a bit of dry red wine instead - maybe stew the plums in it with some spices? Just an idea.

Yep, way too much alkihawl. The formulas we use at school allow for no more than 3% of the total recipe weight to be alcohol. Any more and it will not freeze properly and the texture will be compromized. So using that guidline, you should be able to use up to 25% plum wine in your final mix - by weight, of course. Adding sugar will cause it to freeze softer. On the other had, we were using commercial ice cream machines, so I'm not sure if even 3% alcohol will work in the canister-in-the-freezer type things.

Non-stick: bad 10": standard

Another great use for day-old croissants: almond croissants! Split open croissants, brush cut sides with almond syrup, fill with almond frangipane, put halves back together and spread top with a little more almond cream and sliced almonds. Bake until topping is browned and almond filling is baked through but still moist. Yum.

I'm a Hattie's Hat fan myself, but have you tried the Crocodile in Belltown? Surprisingly good breakfast. Also Cafe Flora, though vegetarian, make fantastic cheesey grits and a few other items for weekend breakfast (tip: steer clear of anything with fresh fruit other than orange juice). Afterall, if you're truely after the Desolation Brunch, "earthshattering" would be contra-indicated, no?

If you are dipping the fillings very cold - like directly from the fridge or freezer - they could be expanding. But what is most likely happening is the chocolate coating is contracting, which is exactly what properly tempered chocolate should do. A few things I would try: - let your fillings set in a cool room overnight. Not refrigerated, just about 60-65 F. - after dipping, let them set again in the same room for several hours, or overnight. - it's also possible your ganache isn't completely emulsified, so you might try hitting it with a hand blender for a few seconds while it's still quite liquid. - instead of adding brewed espresso to the cream, you might try just adding the crushed beans to just warm cream and letting them infuse in the cooler overnight. Strain, scale and use the cream for ganache as usual.

There's a chocolate maker here in Chicago that makes fillings using stuff like chili pepper, curry and wasabi. I know how many here feel about the overall quality of this company's work, but I thought the flavors worked quite well.

I've actually tried a lecithin-based coating, and I think it actually worked too well. The canneles actually need to stick just a little bit as they bake so they can "walk" up the sides of the pan. The non-stick coating was making my original problem of the cakes pushing themselves up and out of the mold much worse. Also the bee's wax gives a much nicer crust - dark and glossy without being greasy. Maybe you could try adding a little bit of lecithin to the oil/wax mixture and get the best of both worlds?

I don't know about you, but my Opera certificate says it's good until October 31 2004. I'm still excited, but so far haven't been able to convince anyone to go with me.

Wow - one of only 14 five-star restaurants in the US. A fantastic achievement, chefg! Though clearly not in the same league award-wise, congratulations on being named "Best Chef" by Chicago Magazine and 3rd best restaurant (Everest was number one? )

Steve: if you scroll up to the second post from the top of the page you'll see my comments on the 6 quarts we have. We didn't use them much in plated desserts or ice creams, so my opinion hasn't really changed other than the speed switch issue has started to pop up on other units and has become more annoying. I'd still stick with the 5 quart if I were buying one.

I had lunch at Wow Bao a few weeks ago. I agree that the fillings are more interesting than the usual (I had curry chicken and a BBQ pork that was less sweet and had more complex flavor than I've had elsewhere) and the presentation and merchandizing are well thought out. The size of each bao is rather smaller than the ones found in Chinese bakeries and restaurants, so most people would need three or more to make a meal, though the small size lets you try more flavors and makes them perfect for quick snacking. The small size also means the price of lunch adds up fairly quickly. The only thing I found a bit annoying about the operational set up is there is no seating near the point-of-purchase - you actually have to go up two sets of escalators to get to chairs and tables set aside for diners. It is a great concept, though, and I hope we see more locations popping up downtown.

I wouldn't worry about it. All of the larger, higher end machines have metal attachments and doughs come out fine. They've been making these things for a long time, and if bakers were having that issue they'd be out of business pretty quick.

Another question to ask yourself when looking for books (or a school), is what kind of pastry you want to do? Do you like baking bread, croissants and danish? Fancy cakes, individual pastries, and cookies like from a pastry shop? Restaurant-style plated desserts? Ice cream and sorbet? Chocolate and/or sugar candies? And what style are you most attracted to/comfortable with - homey and rustic, sleek and modern, or extra fancy and decorative? I think your best bet will be to look at books that specialize in the areas you're interested in, even if what you're thinking now is you want to "do it all".

Yes, but how can I make my own imitation vanilla extract at home?

I think the problem was adding just a "small amount" of liqueur to the chocolate. You either have to add a lot of liquid or none at all or chocolate will seize, since chocolate is 100% solids. Sugar, for comparison, is also 100% solids and if you add a little bit of liquid it will gather into a grainy mass, but if you add a lot of liquid it will melt and become smooth. I believe it has to do with overcoming the saturation point. To save the chocolate, just chop it up, heat some cream and pour it over. It should melt and whisk together into a decent ganache.

It should also be interesting to see what Chef Hines will do back at Earth and Ocean. I seem to remeber universal bad reviews when she was the head chef when it first opened. I also wonder if there will be any pastry chef changes, or if Sundstrom will have a pastry chef at his new place. I do hope they go into the old Jack's Bistro place. A wonderful space that has gone to waste far too long.