RWood
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Posts posted by RWood
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I'm making a lemon pound cake for a coffee shop that is based on my chef's aunt's recipe. Once the cakes come out of the oven and are still hot, I poke holes all over the cake. Then I brush it with a mixture of sugar and lemon juice. The mix is juice with lots of sugar so it's not dissolved and kind of slushy. After the cakes cool, they have a crust on them. I sometimes try to do a couple of coats, but as long as the mixture is not dissolved like a syrup, the crusty-ness forms. Gives it a nice crunch.
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I have several of the white molds like those, and I tend to have better luck with them than the clear.
I never wash my molds. I scrape off as much as possible, then melt every thing with my heat gun. Once it's softened, I wipe them down, then polish the cavities with cotton batting. For the molds with crevices (I have a fleur de lys that's like that) I use a Q-tip. I have the worst water here, it leaves a white spotty residue if anything air dries, so no washing. When I did wash some that were hopelessly stuck, I gave them a rinse with distilled water and that helped with spots.
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One more bar. Chocolate nougat with nibs.
I folded until I thought my arm would fall off, and one little speck of white still shows up. Probably not the only one.
Both these bars look absolutely amazing! I'd prefer a few white spots over a texture that is too tough...
Thanks! These came out pretty good. The thing I'm liking about making these bars is that they are no where near as sweet as store bought ones, and this one is a lot more chocolaty than a 3 Musketeers. The chef I work for likes to make as much as we can instead of buying, so he's putting these in the new cafe/grill he's taking over.
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One more bar. Chocolate nougat with nibs.
I folded until I thought my arm would fall off, and one little speck of white still shows up. Probably not the only one.
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Peeps! A bit of a sticky mess, but even with my poor motor skills I was able to turn out something that looked vaguely chick-like.
That's a cute Peep!
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So if I told you my birthday was coming up, would you send me a box of those macarons?
It's not, just checking...
Well, you never know
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Getting a package ready for my aunt(s). One has a birthday and retirement coming up.
This is a box of assorted macarons, plus they are getting assorted chocolates and bars.
Beautiful macarons! What are the flavors?
And thanks for the ice cream advice
I think I'll try all hazelnut paste + a bit of Frangelico next time.I meant to list them.
Raspberry Rose
Orange
Bourbon Pecan
Espresso
Chocolate Spearmint
Hazelnut w/ Nutella Buttercream
Hope the ice cream works out!
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Getting a package ready for my aunt(s). One has a birthday and retirement coming up.
This is a box of assorted macarons, plus they are getting assorted chocolates and bars.
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Thank you Genkinaonna and RWood! Do you know approximately how much liqueur or paste can be added to about 1 QT ice cream without adversely affecting freezing etc? I briefly considered adding some hazelnut paste to the mixture, but backed out since I wasn't sure how it would behave.
I think the alcohol would be the only thing that would effect it, so maybe start with 1-2 Tbs. I'm not that good at measuring sometimes
, but I would start with 1-2 oz of paste and taste it. More if you only want to use that instead of steeping the nuts. I usually add it after the base is cooked and before I strain it. -
A few more desserts I worked on this weekend: raspberry-rose sorbet (from The Perfect Scoop); gianduja stracciatella gelato in meringue nests (also from the Perfect Scoop); and macaroon tarts with chocolate/coconut milk filing and candied citrus peel.
The raspberry-rose sorbet is fantastic. The gianduja gelato is nice, but I would have preferred a more pronounced hazelnut flavor. The method involves using heavy cream infused with flavor from chopped toasted hazelnuts. The cream was very fragrant after the recommended hour of soaking the hazelnuts, but the scent somehow got lost in the final product. If someone has a way of getting around this, I'd love to hear it! I had better luck with using tart shells for the tarts, but the recipe was also different so it's not a fair comparison
The most time consuming thing was the candied citrus peel, which took forever (or at least it seemed that way). 
Nice stuff!
I sometimes use hazelnut or pistachio paste in my ice cream bases. Especially the pistachio because I've found it gets a muddy color from steeping toasted pistachios. But, that would up the flavor for you.
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interesting.
So, the finished component, when it's baked, is just "flan", or do you still call it an "app"?
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?
uhhh... Either? Both?
Johhny I. is American and works in a restaurant in NYC. I guess what I am getting at is how to describe the completed dish to diners. I'm thinking I am just gonna go with "flan". Or probably "lemon flan"
In all honestly, I was just curious about the usage of the word "app" in this context. Maybe someplace in the full book, he has a glossary that describes the terms in the way he uses them.
If you look at some of the other recipes on the site, that term is in anything that has a similar custard or wet base. Since he considers these beginner level, I would hope he has a glossary in his book. I've never heard the term used in the 13 years I've done pastry work.
I would just call it a lemon meringue tart and explain the layers.
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Hi RWood,
Do you also find the butter ganache firmer than the cream one?
Do you like the butter ganache's texture better?
Thanks,
Omar
Yes, they are firmer. Even though they work for slabbing and cutting, I use them mostly in a molded shell. I use them for most of my fruit flavored centers as well as with red wine. And I do like the texture better.
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Have no clue what an "app" is. Never heard of that either. Must have something to do with the fact that the whole lemon is used and not just the juice.
For this recipe being listed as a "beginner", it's not very clear or concise at all. I'm assuming the tart shells are individual since that's what the picture shows. I think if you are making one larger 9" tart, 6-8 individual (if they are about 3", but since it's not clear, who knows) is comparable to the amount needed.
The curd sounds like it will be fairly firm with that many eggs and yolks in it.
The Italian meringue can't be made ahead and stored. You should make it and pipe and torch immediately. It will hold for a while refrigerated.
I think it's just another mistake in the recipe with the wrong amount of sugar.
Here's my recipe I've used for years.
350 g sugar
210 g egg whites
50 g sugar
Combine 350 g sugar with a little water. Cook to 248.
When syrup gets close to temp, begin whipping whites. Whip until soft peaks and gradually add 50 g sugar. Gradually add hot syrup and whip to stiff and glossy.
Hope some of that helps. I've never tried anything of his, and some of the other recipes on that site are just as badly explained.
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Snicker bars. I need to make a chocolate nougat and try a Milky Way/Three Musketeers type or something. Even though I cut these 1", after being dipped they still looked bigger than I was thinking. I liked the thickness of the layers though.
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Hi Matthew,
How do you like the butter ganache compared to the cream ganache?
Have you tried two similar or same flavor ganaches (i.e. orange) side by side, one being the butter ganache and the other the cream one? Which one did or do you prefer, based on flavor and making/production process?
Thanks a lot,
Omar
I have done a comparison with a lemon butter ganache and a lemon cream ganache, and there was a big difference. The butter ganache had so much more lemon flavor. I used white chocolate in both. I prefer butter ganaches as they do set much faster and I think let the other flavors come through better.
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http://www.dr.ca/ice-cream-gelato-and-ice-pop-moulds/
This is a site I've found in Canada. Their prices seem pretty good on molds, etc.
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I grew up in the South, so they were really the only donuts we ate. But, the closet one was in Atlanta, about 2 hours away, or we always got them when we got to Daytona for vacation. They were an occasional treat. They were available in some local supermarkets as well, but weren't as good.
Too bad they got crazy and over expanded. A lot of the ones in the bay area closed, but the first one in Union City is still there. I hit it when I take 880. I still like the hot glazed, custard filled and lemon the best.
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I worked at a bakery where we didn't have cake pans larger than a 10-inch. So, anything larger had to be baked in half or full sheets and cut to the larger diameter (and square too since we had no square pans). Sometimes piecing them together as well. I just used a cardboard the size of the round I needed, then used that to lift the cake round. It works fine, and sometimes you get a cleaner edge than having to trim the edges of a cake baked in a round pan.
And since it's your cake, use the buttercream you like
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Basic for either added to pasta shells for a cold salad or a tuna melt:
tuna, lemon juice, dill, green onion, s&p, mayo.
Another favorite was called tuna waldorf from a small lunch place I used to hit: tuna, chopped apple, walnuts, celery, lemon juice, red onion, mayo.
I used to make one with chopped green olives that was good too.
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I don't think you can get a bright white frosting other than using shortening. Butter will give you more of a off white color and much better flavor, I know I wouldn't want to eat shortening.
I've always used an Italian Meringue Butter Cream because it seems the most stable and always smooths out nicely when you finish with a hot spatula.
I have seen white color for frosting, but have no idea if it works.
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I have an old recipe (that I will have to find) that I was given when I was in culinary school. It's called Aunt Lou's Burnt Sugar Cake. The base for the cake and frosting is a burnt sugar syrup, from what I can remember. So, the whole cake is caramel. I'll dig it out.
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So, I usually have to make my own birthday cake. I guess I know I'll get something I like that way
.Chocolate Chiffon, Pecan Espresso Dacquoise, Espresso and Chocolate Buttercreams.
The cake looks lovely, Robin. Chocolate, pecans, espresso...all good things. And the chocolate is "GOOD" chocolate.
Because friends know I work with chocolate, they often give me chocolate for presents...and then I give that 'chocolate' to someone who doesn't care.
I invariably make my own birthday cake and last year our 50th wedding anniversary cake too. As you say, I get something I like that way.
I wonder how many others make their own birthday cakes???
Thanks!
My family uses the excuse that they know they will get something good, so why should they go buy something. I keep telling them that's not the point
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So, I usually have to make my own birthday cake. I guess I know I'll get something I like that way
.Chocolate Chiffon, Pecan Espresso Dacquoise, Espresso and Chocolate Buttercreams.
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Along the same lines, I was thinking macarons--does anyone know if pecan flour is a suitable sub for almond flour? And I'm sure you could make a delicious filling using pecan oil...though unfilled cookies are much more portable.
Pecan flour will work for macarons. Sub half of the almond flour for the pecan. I haven't tried it with only pecan flour, but pistachio and peanut flours have worked without the almond. It might work on it's own, I was going to try it at some point.
Twix candy bars
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Really old topic, but since I'm in bar mode, I thought I would see if anyone had attempted a Twix.
I may try this recipe, or another one I have that has an egg. I made a basic shortbread (flour, sugar, butter) and it's way too crumbly and a little too soft. The caramel layer adhered fine, but once it was cut, crumbs everywhere and the edges were not clean. The bite was not crunchy either, which I want.
I thought about scoring the dough first for an easier cut, but not sure about that.
I still have trials to do. I've had lots of requests for this type of bar.