RichardJones

Weirder than keeping a cow or goat in an artificial state of lactation and drinking that?

I was surprised to run a quick search on 'breast milk' and find that no one brought up the London ice-cream shop that started selling breast milk ice-cream last year. Perhaps it was mentioned under a different name. Anyway, since a close member of my family is currently breast-feeding I thought this would be too good an opportunity to miss for a little experimentation (on family only, I ought to add). Has anyone out there tried using breast milk in anything? Ice-cream does seem the obvious thing to me. I haven't had a chance to try it yet - I'm abroad and planning ahead - but I understand breast milk is watery, low in fat content and sweet. Can anyone add anything to that? What about flavour? Does it really pick up on what the mother's eaten? And if so what kinds of flavours are likely to come through strongest? Can anyone who has tried breast milk (since developing a palate...) suggest flavours which might work well? I have thought about trying a custard based ice-cream (possibly adding cream) but am worried this would wipe out all characteristics of the milk. I've never worked with other thickening agents for ice-cream. Are there are any recommendations, please? Thanks a lot, Richard

Are we talking in English or French, now? In French, I've never heard appareil used to refer to something cooked but you can bet someone somewhere says it. You'd probably be more likely to hear it referred to as the crème or crémeux. Or quiche sucrée. I'm afraid I've never worked in an English kitchen so cannot be sure. Imported words often lose their nuances so you may find people saying app even when the thing is cooked. Has anyone heard it used like this?

App is almost certainly short for the French appareil which means a (wet) mixture of raw ingredients. We might use the word preparation or mixture but there is no decent equivalent which I guess is why he uses the French.

I 2nd Hermé's Mozart. It's published in several books. It was the first entremets I ever made and is still one of my favourites.

I'd definitely open it and have a taste.

Thanks, Dystopiadreamgirl. I've been living without a kitchen for 3 months which has been a very testing time - cannot wait to get home at Christmas and cook again. I didn't do any bûches as part of my training so I'm looking forward to trying. Did you use a mould for yours or roll it? (Not sure on etiquette here - should this kind of conversation switch to PM?)

Another thought is to check whether you have any bubbles on the surface of the pots when they go into the oven. The bubbles can dry out causing an unpleasant texture. A good way to get rid of them is with a quick pass of a blow torch before cooking.

My advice would be to lose the waterbath and cook at around 210F. I've not had a problem with crusts this way.

It might be worth pointing out that Champagne Cognac, a kind of brandy, has nothing whatsoever to do with champagne as I think the OP means (sparkling wine). Similarly, Marc de Champagne, another kind of brandy, is a byproduct of the process of making champagne; both its flavour profile and alcoholic nature are rather different. I don't think one can really call Marc de Champagne or Champagne Cognac truffles 'champagne truffles' without being misleading at best. However, if you have champagne somewhere in the title you may gently pull wool over a few unwitting customers' eyes... I think I know a number of chocolatiers who do this. Hm.

Thanks emailish, please don't worry, I have a little converter that should do the work. Kerry, is that the unrevised recipe from the first book? If so I already have that as mentioned but thank you for taking the time to post it. Just since we seem to be collecting recipes for sponge toffee on this thread, here is one from Gordon Ramsay (with olive oil ice cream). Untried: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article2567969.ece Richard

Dystopiandreamgirl, that's a blinder. Do you mind if I am inspired by that, please?

Emmalish, thank you ever so much for your timely posting of the recipe - and your photos look super. I'd eat it with pleasure! Would it be ungrateful, though, to ask whether the recipe is also published in metric in that book? I don't know about cups (being English...) and I understand that approximations can be taken when converting so an original metric version would be better than my online conversion. Sorry to ask after you spent the time copying out the above so kindly for me. I think I might be able to answer my own question about the science of the warmed oven if anyone else is interested. I think the reason for it is to stop the sugar collapsing before it cools to a solid structure. If you leave the sugar in cool air, the bubbles will contract and the toffee will collapse. If you leave the sugar somewhere warm the sugar will set before the bubbles have contracted too much. Richard

Could someone be kind enough to post the second recipe being discussed, please? I only have his first book with the old recipe. Thanks a lot. Richard. (And if anyone can explain the science behind the slow cooling, please, I would be interested to hear.)

I hate induction plates! I've only used them in Germany and found they burnt everything. I ruined a lot of crème anglaise, too - even on less than half power (and cooking large quantities). I'd never curdled a custard before. In the end I just had to keep the power right down. Do you have the patience to try it with your pates?

The joconde should be suitable to line in the way you describe - David J's comment makes sense for lining purposes but I am not sure this is conventional wisdom for other applications. The fact the biscuit is tearing at the cigarette lines suggests those lines are too thick so maybe keep them as thin as possible next time you try. Re cooking time, this depends hugely on your oven and your baking trays. Cooking until it starts to colour should be about right - it shouldn't matter if the non-design side starts to colour? You can protect the design side by doubling your trays. Re ladyfingers, the flour in 3 might work but it does increase the risk of deflating the batter if you are not careful. Maybe worth a go. You might also try sifting in one go directly into the bowl - that way you avoid the mass dump which might cause a lot of deflation from the concentrated weight.

Oh good, that's what I thought you meant but I was confused because I was not sure why you were breaking the joconde in the first place? If you are cutting it to size, I recommend a long serrated blade which should give you very clean edges. I think it's inevitable that if you tear it by hand it will tear along the cigarette lines because these form a natural perforation, if you will, in the joconde. Or was there a specific reason you wanted a teared edge? Your ladyfinger recipe seems pretty standard - the one I use has a little less white - but if you are whipping them well this should not make too much difference. Was this your first ever attempt? Why not have a second go taking extra care during the folding? Good luck, R

I still don't quite understand - sorry, being dense. Do you have any photos of what you mean?

QbanCrackr, The Joconde looks good, the design seems to have transferred well. The air bubbles can probably be reduced by letting the frozen tray sit a little while at room temperature so the batter does not freeze on contact. Can you explain a bit more what you mean here? Cigarette batter is normally quite opaque so you can keep it thin - which I think should leave it more flexible. The joconde might be a little thick - c.5mm is about normal if you want it to be flexible but it does depend on your recipe and intended application. Your ladyfingers do look a bit runny. Could you post the recipe? I wonder whether you underwhipped the eggwhites before folding or, as you say, overfolded when adding the other ingredients. It's a delicate batter. Try beating the egg whites quite stiff and be extra careful during the folding to see if that makes a difference. You might like to add a little extra starch/flour for more structure. When folding don't feel the need to incorporate each ingredient fully. I.e. add the yolk and fold a little but don't wait for the mixture to be fully homogenous. A few streaks of yolk will be fully incorporated when you fold in the flour and this means you are working the batter less. Hope some of this helps. Good luck and post some more photos! R

I agree about wrapping. What a pain that is. Here's a good take on the wrapping side: http://mlaiskonis.typepad.com/workbook/2009/09/mou.html

Mostlylana - interesting to read your observations. 1. I think this is a fair point but I reckon you can go darker than 320F (=160C). At Schneich's patisserie, for example, they aim for c.180C (=356F) and the flavour is very good. It does depend on your batch size, though, since I think it is easier to get a larger batch hotter without danger of the flavour impairing. 2. A lot of people note that the longer the cooking time the better flavour but I don't think this is a Maillard reaction - it's simple caramelization since there is no protein? As for dipping these caramels - I think it would be overkill. Genin's caramels have a beautiful texture and flavour all to their own. What would be added by dipping them in chocolate? He also does a fine Paris-Brest, but he doesn't dip that in chocolate either. I agree, the greasy surface might make straight dipping tricky but technique always has answer to any problem posed...nothing is impossible!

Dear Lior, I mean 42g gelatin which you then hydrate. I.e. if using powdered, the gelatin is hydrated in 210g water or if sheet, soaked and squeezed. As normal, the weight is the dehydrated weight. Is that clearer? Send a photo of whatever you make! R

Couple of puds from a dinner party last night. A 'predessert' verrine of rhubarb/raspberry compote with a tarragon crème anglaise: And a chocolate, caramel and hazelnut entremets. There are three layers of hazelnut dacquoise, a caramel crémeux and the body is a chocolate mousse. There is also a layer of chocolate covered pailleté feuilletine for texture. Although, as it happens, I had to make do with cornflakes. A while ago someone asked for the recipe for the chocolate glaze (I used the same glaze on something else) and I have now (obviously) refound the recipe: 870g water 720g cream 360g cocoa powder 1040g sugar Cooked to 102C then 42g hydrated, melted gelatin added. (I let the syrup cool a bit before adding the gelatin.) Use once cooled to 32C.

People always say use the best you can afford. That would make sense here. It would be a shame to spoil a nice cheesecake with an unpleasant glaze.

Thanks for the replies. I shall set forth with experimentation! R