sugarseattle

i usually only make cupcakes out of butter-cake recipes. (sponge-type cakes don't seem to work as well as the egg makes them shrink too much after they bake). I increase the flour a litttle bit, which helps make the domes I like. Also, most home cupcake pans, which I have, don't allow enough air to the middle cupcakes so to avoid the outer ones being overbaked, you might want to fill every-other cup, but that depends on how your oven bakes.

On my last day in Paris, sad to be leaving, but oh so inspired by the wonderful pastry I have sampled here. At Pierre Herme, I had what I believe to be a Montebello. It was pistachio dacquoise, pistachio "mousseline", & fresh strawberries. It was beautiful, delectable. It's the little guy in the front right in this pic http://www.johnmccaig.com/index.php?showimage=252 Anyhow, that pistachio "mousseline" was not light like a mousse, not overly creamy like a pastry cream, super super smooth. It was like velvet. I also had the Violet Religieuse at Les Gateaux et de Pain with a similarly textured preparation, only it was either strawberry or violet (or both). I want to use it as a starting point for a recipe idea. What is it? Merci

i made these just once, and was so overly impressed by how realistic they looked. I sifted cocoa powder over the tops before I baked them, then put a little chocolate underneath the little caps before assembling. They're plus simple (I'm in paris right now so everything I say comes out a little french). Two things to watch out for...make sure your oven isn't too hot so they don't get brown, and be sure to be mindful of humidity as these will get gummy if exposed to the air too much.

have you tried cutting on a severe angle? that would seem to enable you to have the best of both worlds...a little bit of structure from the fibers, and a little bit of give because you won't have one continuous fiber, rather several diagonally aligned fibers. But of course that won't give you the thin threads you seem to want. I know you may want that for the effect of the cake, but perhaps you could alter the design? What are the garnishes around the circumference of the cake?

yes, you could also try water ganache which might work. i know they say don't mix water and chocoalte, but I saw a recipe out there...sounded pretty fabulous.

i am pretty sure you can omit the corn syrup (which is probably just there to prevent recrystallization of the sugar), and to prevent weeping in humid conditions (ie Florida or the Refrigerator), just bring your whites to 160degrees which will not only stabilize them, but will make them safe for overly paranoid bakers

Yeah, we're considering heading to Fish next week so I'd love to hear people's reviews.

I couldnt' tell from your links exactly what model you are thinking about for the Doyon. I do know that for pastries and croissant you're going to want a reversible sheeter, which Rondo only makes, and are substantially more expensive than single pass sheeters, so be sure when comparing you're looking at the same type. (You probably know this already, but I'm telling you just in case you're comparing apples to oranges) I do know Rondo are very reliable, and they hold their value pretty well. You might consider a used one. You can call Rondo directly and they can advise you on the best model to buy, since some of the older models are expensive to work on and might not work out to be a value in the long term. I agree with Dan, that you should try to find a way to try one out, or at the very least take a look at one. You'll be able to see right off the bat whether the Doyon is made well. Also, take a look at Oliver sheeters. They seem fairly reasonable. Keep me informed of your decision. I've been lusting after a sheeter for almost a year, but our bakery is temporarily closed since we lost our lease, and I can't buy one until we're solid on our new location. One other thing is to be sure to check for 3-phase or 2-phase, as I'm sure you know electrical installation is super expensive right now due to the price of copper.

I do the restaurant saran thing, and have also used mini muffin liners (I do a TON of mini-tartlets) I keep searching around Home Depot for something that could work instead of beans, since after a while, the beans STINK. I have heard that putting them in the freezer helps them to not stink, but it always seems like a step I'm too lazy to make. I was thinking some sort of little metal bee-bees (sp?) would be good instead of beans, but haven't found them yet.

I totally agree with ChefPeon's comments. I think there's a time and a place for different desserts...you wouldn't want to give your guests ice cream as a party favor...it's just not the time or the place. I simply would not offer those types of desserts for that type of use. I wouldn't put them under ice, nor would I put a warning label on it which would just freak everybody out. I WOULD, however, give her a long list of things that WOULD work in as favors, that would not need to be refridgerated. Focus on what is possible, rather than what's not possible, and she'll be a happy camper. Remember, she is hiring you because you are a professional in the field, and you are advising her on the best desserts for her event. Why not offer her a dessert buffet so she can serve the all that refrigeratable stuff then? I get tons of brides who want mini desserts instead of cake, or maybe just a small cutting cake as well.

could it be the egg? egg is one of those ingredients that expands when baking and contracts when cooling, for example a lemon tart. Maybe swap some of the egg with other liquid? although it might be a moisture issue as well, (possibly due to overbaking as well), as you noted that when you added coconut (which makes cakes nice and moist), you didn't notice the peeling. I've had this problem as well, especially with straight sided cupcake pans that don't have the fluting that keeps the papers snug against the side of the cake. are your cupcake "cups" in your pans the kind that are spaced well, or are they the home variety where the cups are fairly close together. circulation might be the culprit as jeannecake mentioned.

I think that it's probably an extension of the catering world where pricing is per person. You're not paying for the ingredients per se, mostly the labor, and believe me, with the brides, it's a lot of labor, meetings, tastings, etc. to get them to decide. So for an average price of $5./person and most weddings are about 75 people so the cake person gets $375, but that's for almost 10 hours work, and then after that you usually have to spend about 2 hours delivering, at some random time, pay for parking at some really expensive hotel, and hang out for a while at the reception while everybody figures out where the cake has to go, even if you've planned for it, wait for a check, etc. $35.00 seems like a fair hourly rate, but then you subtract operating expenses, ingredient costs, taxes, labor etc and it's starting to not look so great. So, in the grand scheme of things when brides balk at $5.00 a slice for cake, it's not like us bakers are exactly "robbing" them.

bake standard temp you use for cookies (i usually do 350). i think the sub of whole grain pastry flour could work, but I'd only sub half. you might use less than the ap? However, these cookies have a lot of oats to begin with so proceed with caution.

since my chives are poking up in the garden, i can only recommend one thing...goat cheese and chive brioche...it made my husband cry a little. I use the cooks illustrated version. I find it very lovely, buttery and delicate. It's a dough, overnite rest, form, proof bake, so it's ideally suited for the ambitious brunch chef

i'm sure they will be just fine, as long as the dough hasn't gone grey as mentioned above. I would just slip them into the freezer. I keep all sorts of dough in the freezer for as long as 6 months...I've got these orange shortbread thins I keep finding more of in my freezer and they bake up fine. I can't even remember WHEN I made that dough???!!!

the skewers might give you trouble as the ice cream melts and they become all "slippy" when you're dipping the ice cream balls. Maybe you should "impale" with popsicle sticks before refreezing the balls so it will go quicker. Make sure your chocolate is nice and thin, and sitting over a good bain marie to keep it runny because once it starts to thicken, that will slow you down. You will probably have to work in half-sheet sized batches. You might even add some (gasp) vegetable oil, to make sure your chocolate is thin enough to do the dipping fast enough. I did a bunch of "ice cream cupcakes" with meringue that I froze and dipped. I remember having to breath in and out a few times before I started each pan. Good luck.

I made a bunch of these last year, I don't know why i was so obsessed...probably feeling a surge of Catholic guilt. anyway, I just took a brioche recipe and added some orange zest, my favorite dried fruits (currants, apricots, cranberries), cinnamon, nutmeg, and I think allspice (not sure what the classic "hot cross bun" spices are?) When they came out of the oven, I waited 5 mins and brushed with honey butter (equal parts honey and butter) for a nice shine. Then when they had cooled completely, put an orange cross on the top. These are best eaten within 6 hours of baking. I've also seen the cross made with a thin dough that is actually put on the bun BEFORE baking. This worked out fairly well, but I think I like the sweet frosting

you could also just ask at the bakery counter if you can buy a bakery box, it should be about 1 buck. I think you should put the egg on top...since you're doing mini cupcakes, there is really not much room for filling. regular sized cupcakes are awesome with filling, and I just usually inject pipeable ganache into them (or even creamy filling). One other idea, you could frost with royal icing and some sprinkles, which will dry harder and thus make them easier to transport.

I think the term "chocolate" has already been "tossed" around by major confectioners. Think about the chocolate on a Milky Way bar, that in NO way resembles the high quality chocolate found in artisan chocolates, but it's still called chocolate. I agree with David J. and also add that this is an opportunity for top quality chocolate makers to differentiate their products and educate the public on what goes into their fine products such as 100% cocoa butter. Consumers are already becoming aware of cacao percentages, I think they would be thrilled to know that their $5. bar is denoted with a little burst which also notes the cocoa butter content. I do, however write the above comments with a bittersweet note (yes, pun intended), and I am disappointed with the US's constant greed and hunger for cheaper (and often lower quality) ingredients. As a pastry chef, I understand the struggle for food processors to keep their costs down, which is why many bakeries use mixes (I would NEVER!), but as food producers, I think we should demand the respect we deserve, and consumers should be thankful that we give them only the best, not that other crap that just makes them fat (aka high fructose corn syrup). Also, I find it tremendously ironic that it is ILLEGAL (like punishable) in France to call yourself a bakery unless you make everything from scratch. That just shows their commitment to quality. I wish we could push aside our greed in the states and learn from the French.

We stopped in yesterday for our third time, and we must say it was booming in there...Chef had more than 10 people working and running about, but then again it was Sunday. It looked like they were training a bunch of newbies to keep up with the demand. I had a Muffalotta (sp?). It was my first, and I wish I had had one in New Orleans for comparison. Anyway, it was quite good, a nice balance between the tapanad and very good ham and good chease. ALso wolfed down a apricot croissant, of which I was very impressed at how distinct the croissant layers were. It had good apricot flavor, although I'm not a fan of the glaze he uses, I think it doesn't taste natural, but then again, it's just a touch of glaze. We picked up a loaf of bread on the way out, walnut wheat. It was amazing and just the way I like bread...moist and tender on the inside and crusty on the outside. We're so glad to have a great bakery in West Seattle. I can't wait to see what he does next.

I'm so excited that I will be spending my 40th birthday in Paris! I have wanted to do this my entire life. I am already pretty well versed in pastry, but it would be great to learn a specific pastry (croissant, macaron, or anything really hard!) Anybody been to any classes there?

Your biggest enemy is movement and heat so try to build your packaging around those two concerns. Of course to prevent movement, you can insulate with a double box, except the problem is you have to pack the interior box tight, which can be problematic with a squishy frosting. I've found freezing to work pretty well, and have actually successfully shipped a layer cake frozen, in a bucket that fit quite tightly around the cake, and with dry ice between the bucket and the outside box. The best thing to do is get your proposed packaging together, then turn your stuff upside down, and even drop it a little, rough it up and see what happens. I'm interested to see what other readers think.

One thing I once saw another pastry chef do was cut a bunch of 3" plastic plumbing pipe using a chop saw to the desired height..he then had a ton of rings to setup his individual mousse cakes for like pennies. Of course you can't bake in these, nor can you use a torch to release the cakes from the molds, but for certain cakes, that could save a bunch of bucks since those molds can get pretty spendy!

These are crunchewey (crunchy on outside, chewy on inside) bomb-ass oatmeal cookies. This was the smallest batch I had, but it can easily be halved. These freeze well after baking. 24 oz soft butter 15 oz brown sugar 15 oz white sugar 1.5 T vanilla 8 oz egg 6 oz honey 50 oz oats 25 oz apf 1T Baking soda 1tsp salt 1.5tsp nutmeg 1.5T cinnamon 15 oz dried cranberries 8 oz walnuts, TOASTED cream butter, sugar, vanilla. add egg & honey. Blend in rest of ingredients until just mixed. Scoop and press down slightly. Let scooped cookies chill. Bake for 10 mins until slightly golden. Makes 53 pretty big cookies.

Here's a very foolproof safe meringue from Alice Medrich. It's very stable and can even be frozen! 2T + 2 tsp water 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 8 oz egg whites 6oz (1 cup) sugar Mix all ingredients over bain marie. Stir occasionally (to avoid the whites cooking) until mixtures hits 160degrees. Pour mixture into stand mixture and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over whatever.* *I've read that for lemon meringue, it's best to put the meringue over the HOT lemon filling, but I haven't found that to be necessary with this meringue.