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Kerry, a chocolate cake is always a correct answer I hope you guys had a fine day! Rachel, I remember making a banana pudding (the dark ages, way before I joined eGullet). My main inspiration was seeing Maya Angelou promoting her cookbook on Oprah and it was what Oprah was raving about. I knew it would've been phenomenal when I got it out of the fridge and the flavors have melded, unfortunately I used vastly inferior (underripe) bananas. Sigh! Michael: Your pictures are great, don't sweat it You know the bread fetishists would want to see the cross-section of the bread, though, haha! I'd love to have a slice of that galette any day. My contribution: Two layers of tall sponge cake (Flo Braker's recipe), slathered all over with whipped cream, filled with sliced strawberries and more cream.

While I do agree that men physiologically and in theory are more suited to physically demanding jobs, I don't believe it follows that women are not suited at all. I'm not going to say what I think of the perception and how it might possibly hinder the advancement of women in the first place, but take into consideration that other more physically demanding jobs, such as emergency room doctors and the military that are well-populated by women (not to say that they make up 50%, but they're not invisible either). In my country, obstetricians are among the most overworked doctors, and thirty years ago were mostly men, but now are mostly (say 99.5%) women. Their work hours are staggering. I believe there are other factors at work. Most quitting is precipitated by a disconnect between expectations and reality. Perhaps it's just a lack of preparation, or maybe those who quit feel that the work of cooking has sucked out the joy of cooking? I'm not familiar with the restaurant world at all besides what I read here-- maybe they were turned off by hazing? A "fraternity"/boys' club tradition? Harrassment? From what I see on the internet and in magazines, outside the United States most pastry chefs are still male. (Rereading my post I realize it has little to do with the original question. D'oh! I apologize. I do think the US is at the forefront of women in the pastry world, but I don't know if they make up the majority in most places. I imagine there aren't that many places anyway?)

Whatevs! Hey Devin, what sort of turndown items have you been producing so far? Just wanted to know where we could start

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/food-sc...rn-green-052210 The explanation seems plausible enough

Oh boy, that's just too funny. That's not really fair to the readers, I think. I thought the whole point was to demystify the process and make it attainable. Real custard is good stuff. And it's easy. I made white cake their way once, just to try it out. It involved processing the butter with the flour and sugar first, then to beat in a milk-egg white mixture. The outcome was kind of meh, certainly not better than the classic method of creaming and alternating milk and flour. The worst part I guess would be that it broke my natural rhythm in making a cake. HA HA! Good one. I find that I consult CI when it comes to classic American recipes, and as mentioned before, foolproof methods of cooking (note: not flavoring) meat, like brining and grilling, etc.

I'm suddenly remembering a moment from a favorite television show of mine... "Once you eat the cake, there is no cake to have!" People's reactions are unpredictable. If you gave your URL away, be prepared for him to read it, and don't be surprised if he reacts negatively, and you might not be able to take advantage of your connection anymore. Great if he is mature about it and appreciates your honesty.

No, it's not selfish at all.. If your relationship with this person is very important, you should definitely not write about it (it's kind of an ambush..). Yet. My advice is to pay a visit to the person and tell him in a very balanced and detailed way what you feel was lacking with the product. After all, they are still in development and if he's reasonable, he would probably appreciate the feedback more, and also appreciate your restraint.

Hi Paul, I've noticed that too but I haven't tried making ice cream base with the sugar and the yolks together, so I can't tell you if there's a difference. It doesn't curdle-- it's smooth and what I strain out are all tiny bits of egg white. Anyway, I finally got the book and I made Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream, a variant of the Raspberry Swirl. (Please don't mind the blog-related title, heh)

Based on the recipe I'm looking at (Flo Braker), there's not a difference in procedure at all, so go ahead The weight ratio according to my calculation is 1.25 butter:1 meringue.

Just in case no one else answers The buttercream will freeze fine. It's the whipped cream I wouldn't freeze. Somehow I envision it weeping, falling out in cracked chunks, etc. It's the thing I'd put on last. Good luck with the cake!

Actually, I think that would make it Maja Maiz-- Maja Blanca is a white gel (from the coconut cream), but it may have bits of corn in it anyway

Fanny featured Claire Clark's chocolate mousse cake on her blog recently: http://www.foodbeam.com/2008/04/17/the-eph...nt-au-chocolat/ I've the book also, but I haven't tried it yet. I also have another book, "Birthday Cakes", where there's a contribution from the editors of Cook's Illustrated (Chocolate Pudding Cake). Unfortunately it's not much to look at.

Vanilla Guiness cake? Heh. I'm the least knowledgable person when it comes to beer. I think I would love plain chiffon layered with panna cotta!

Sethro's suggestion is good; I use a hair dryer myself. I hope someone else will be able to help re: sponge sheet.

Lisa: No, peanuts don't have natural sugars It should be noted, though, that the most popular local brand of peanut butter here in the Philippines (Lily's-- ring a bell, Rona? ) is natural and is also loaded with sugar. It's a taste thing. And perfect for eating straight out of the jar. Er, when I was a kid. Klary: Merstar's comment should settle it then-- you can go for the cookies either way. I hope the taste of Dutch PB works out fine in cookies

Hi Klary, natural peanut butter does not contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. The easiest way to tell the difference (easier than taste or texture) is that freshly opened natural peanut butter has a layer of oil settling on top which you must stir in before using. I think Fine Cooking has asserted that non-natural (processed) peanut butter is better for cookies, since natural peanut butter has a weaker taste when baked. I don't know what Cook's Illustrated has to say about the matter. (Gorgeous cookies, by the way, y'all

I've only made sorbet in a blender (pre-icecreammaker). It did come out acceptably smooth (I'm just glad it didn't turn into a block of ice), but I'm not sure if that's more of a function of the amount of sugar I put in (it was mango sorbet). I did blend it about 4 times every 2 or so hours just out of compulsion/fear.

Whoa. Never mind the sides (as Alana says I've rarely seen them perfect, even in Lenotre): this is a flawless victory. Happy birthday to you! (and Tyler too? (PS I am totally stealing the Exotic Orange Cake technique for next time too!)

Tri2cook: Great use of sliceable curd! You know, the steamed rice cakes you made reminded me of a Filipino snack called "Puto" (I know, it sounds awful). They are just subtly sweet and go with anything.

I'll try to keep that in mind next time I plan something, Rob. Usually it's all stuck in my head. On the other hand, I would love to see the outcome of your sketch

Orange juice sounds nice for kids-- my vote is for diluted maple syrup

Haha, that list is funny. Since the token Frenchman in the list didn't give any instruction, I might as well add Bugat's (from The Art of the Cake): cake pan: grease and flour cake ring: grease and flour, square of greased parchment on the sheet pan let it rest for 5 minutes then unmold. I've not had a problem with rise, even with greased pans. The genoise has always emerged pleasantly drum-shaped and stable every time, and never domed.

Sixela, I've only tried the classic and brown sugar genoise. (I would love to try the orange genoise when I have an unlimited supply of egg yolks). Once you master the classic genoise (heck, forget mastering, just get it right a couple of times), no genoise should be a problem any longer. The classic genoise is more versatile, and the brown sugar genoise is moister and tastier. Your call. Have a soaking syrup on hand. Rob, I realize I've actually never floured! I'm all for economy of ingredients. Pam (actually, I'm shortcutting for ease of identification-- I use Crisco baking spray) is just quicker and less messy for me. I too hand wash but I don't notice any problems with residue. I wouldn't want to risk using baking spray on my silicone molds, though. That could be gross, I'm guessing.

Rob's advice for cooling is the same as mine. I use Flo Braker's recipe and it's been very good to me. Technically I should be greasing, lining, then greasing again (and Braker even says flouring), but all I really do is spray with Pam all over, then line the bottom with parchment because I'm lazy, and it still works like a charm. The advice of CI not to grease at all sounds completely wrong to me. By the way, I've used both a regular cake pan and a cake ring, and it worked both ways. Of course, I had a cheap sheet pan under the cake ring and a bit leaked under the ring, but not enough to wreck the cake. Ha ha ha. Your sinking cake sounds like the whole-egg meringue was not stable enough or was not cooked all the way through. Make sure the meringue reaches body temperature and manages to fall in stable, slowly sinking ribbons from the beater. Also, the oven could have been too hot and the cooking time too short, which explains the dry outside and sinking center. (although genoise tends to be on the dry side, by the way...) Good luck!

I'm thinking just anything retro-themed. Maybe ice cream sundaes?