KarenS

I do stovetop; they all turn out the same, and they can be made and ready to serve (chilled and set) in a couple hours. Wendy, for cheesecakes- i just put a pan of water in with them so that they have steam.

I used to be Pastry Chef there. I think that Staffan Terje (the Chef) is great!

I live in Hawaii. I use Italian meringue buttercream almost always. I sometimes use gelatin in the buttercream. I find that it is more a question of refrigeration/ freezing/ transportation. I very often freeze the cake overnight before the wedding (wrapped, boxed, and in a bag). It will thaw by the time it is needed. I do fondant only occasionally- it will get very sticky and soft. When I lived on Maui- I had to assemble cakes in the walk-in some days!

My favorite is Chef Mavro- I enjoy Hokus though too... (and I work with Doug Lum!)

Finally, I can add mine. VINAIGRETTE DOES NOT HAVE SUGAR! I like acid, and balance. I am tired of eating salads that taste like dessert. In Hawaii, everything is sweet or creamy; I try my best to alter this palate. I am getting there. When I started cooking here- there were no fresh herbs. Now there are major growers of everything. We have the best mangoes, lychee, rambutan, papaya, and pineapple. The big island is kicking butt on it's rambutan production. I am sure that they will be looking to the mainland to sell some of it.

Save the meat- I know the kind, they will never notice and love you the same. Give prime meat to people who will notice and love it. It should be a very special present that is very appreciated.

You live in Florida. They must sell achiote everywhere.

Sashimi is sooo important in Hawaii, and it needs to be ahi (yellowfin). I would go also with seared fois gras on toasted vanilla bean brioche (I really love foie gras AND vanilla beans.

Orange- mango zoom, but rarely- they are very fattening. Here in Hawaii, the people who have the Starbucks franchise also have Jamba Juice, so they are right next to each other all over the place.

Swirling works best when you are using batters of the same consistancy. Put a few inches of your batter in the pan, pour or pipe three rings of the other batter on top (think bulls eye pattern). Fill the pan the rest of the way and repeat with the circles. Use a chopstick or a knife (reaching almost to the bottom) and swirl- lifting up from the bottom. I don't go for just the visual on the top- I want the cheesecake marbled with flavor throughout also.

Tangerine pudding cake. Tangerine granita with tangerine sherbet. Tangerine panna cotta. Tangerine and vanilla bean semifreddo. Tangerine parfait. Tangerine floating island. Etc...

Making bread above speed two is a bad idea anyway. You overwork the dough and cause it to get warm (the yeast gets too activated). Your dough will rise too fast- this will affect the texture. Be gentle with the yeast!

I really enjoy Chef Mavro (and he is a really nice man too). He and his new Pastry Chef were in for lunch last week at Mariposa- I sent them a bunch of desserts.

Or, you actually lift the cake off the cone. It is quite sturdy- the caramel is strong.

I don't build it inside a mold, but on a stainless steel cone (I have used parking cones before). Use many pots of sugar (I turn them on in stages). If you dip and turn the puff, you won't have to dip the top separately- the caramel will roll down the side.

I would also remove the sesame. For a garnish, a tiny chiffonade of shiso.

It sounds interesting and creative. My opinion would be to reduce the flavors. I would not use the avocado or the cilantro. I would also probably not use the sorbet. I don't care for sorbet paired with things such as cake, tarts, warm dessert items. It just melts and makes them soggy (I really don't like to be served sorbet on top of cake/pastry). I would go for a caramel sauce infused with vanilla bean. It would focus, and add depth to your citrus. Are you using fresh yuzu or bottled?

Silvadene is the best! Also, you want to keep the burn clean and dry. I am like Chefpeon; I burn myself all of the time. Our convection ovens are oddly close to our popover cooks work table. I have to work a maze around the table , speed rack, and narrow hallway- into a small room. I see a dermatologist from time to time (when my hands get really bad). I have listened to his advice about touching and cutting raw fruit- I always wear disposable gloves now. The good news is that I almost never cut myself- I'm a burner, not a cutter!

I learned after many years of struggling; you say no, you quit, you move on. You can find a kitchen where the cooks are a team. They will help you when you are buried. The more that the cooks respect you, the more they will help. I give tastings, teach people about fruit and ingredients- they care more about the pastry. No one has ever used my tools or equipment without asking. Complaining and resentful anger is a terrible cycle. Your life is too short to work like that. Bad egg whites? Tell your Chef "no I can't use them", and use fresh- the cost difference is very minor. Make it so that it is not an option for a cook to turn the oven up. I will write them up (as an extreme). Take their items out of the oven. Place all of your burned items directly in front of them- save them to later discuss with the Chef. A Chef that is doing his job keeps you supplied with tools. If the Chef if not doing the job, get another job.

I see all of the time, "with au jus"-why not just write it in English? I am also bothered by "Ahi tuna". Ahi is a tuna. I find it all entertaining.

Here's what I use: 9c corn syrup 4 1/2c white sugar 4 1/2c brown sugar 10 oz brown butter (browned with two vanilla beans) 24 yolks 12 whole eggs 1 1/2c Jack Daniels Combine everything when you have it all together (don't let the sugar sit on the eggs and "burn" them- ther is so much sugar. Bake convection 325 covered (with foil- I weight with knives), for 1 hour in a slightly under- blindbaked pie shell (I use cream cheese dough). A ten inch tart pan, with one inch of dough above the pan will take about four cups of chopped nuts. You will probably want to cut this by half; I make one a day, plus orders- this will last a week.

I also don't make desserts and refuse to use things that I can't stand- I am making them for others and thinking of good flavor combinations. I don't care much for chocolate- but I use it everyday!

Tan, Very coincedental- I just took off the kabocha creme brulee- and added a malted milk chocolate creme brulee (with three choc chip, orange cookies). I took off the green tea white choc cheesecake- and added the eggnog/ cran-rasp cheesecake. There has been pumpkin burn out here.

Wher I live- leeks are $3 a #. I love them, I use them at work constantly. Remember, the rich are getting richer! I eat leeks at work, and not at home. I'm trying to get richer too.

Ice cream machines- still no good answer. It is crazy that the cheap ones are crap (I threw out a Donvier after the first use- it was a fit, and I have never done anything like that- my thought was that I would have had a better product , stirred with a whip, in a hotel pan in the freezer,) I remember one that in college the roommates bought; it used ice cubes and salt (and was very easy). I don't remember the brand. The best ones I've worked with are Italian and cost $20,000. I have worked with lots of $5000 coldites though. I have a problem with the volumne of the makers of the cheap machines. One quart is very small.