jackal10

Not sure that Invertase is used much anymore. Much easier just to freeze the liquid centre before dipping. Old style liquor chocs have the liquor in a sugar shell.

Brining: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=939709 Smoking: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=940911 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=941029 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=941729 Slicing: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=943821 This is over cherry wood sawdust, Good but very sweet and distinctive I have used Oak sawdust with success. To dry I just leave for 12-24 hours in the fridge, to form the "pellicule". Salmon is very delicate and needs to be lightly brined, dried and smoked.

Previews are up now http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=heston_blumenthal

A) He is cooking steak on the bone - ribeye, not ribs. b) Some enzymes that break down collagen (Calpains) start working at 40C, others (Cathespins) at 50C. 50C is above the temperature where common bacteria grow, although not hot enough to kill them. The US FDA Food Code, is a simplification because pathogen growth actually starts at about 29.3ºF and stops, for all practical purposes, at 125ºF. The speed of growth depends on the temperature. The FDA codes appear to be based on a maximum of a 10x generations (doubling) of pathogens such as Listeria onocytogenes at 41ºF and Salmonella / Staphylococcus aureus at 115ºF. See CALCULATING THE TOTAL GROWTH OF BACTERIA IN COOKED FOOD USING THE FDA CODE CONTROLS by O. Peter Snyder, Jr., Ph.D Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management For these criteria I calculate the "safe" time at 50C is about 16 hours. In my view 18 hours over tenderises the meat, and I prefer my ribeye steak cooked at 58C, for about 8 hours.. The FDA specifies safe cooking time of 28 minutes at this temperature. They specify times/temperatures down to 54.4C/112 minutes,

Its a real problem. Things I've found help: - lots of hot water and a high pressure jet. Dough gets stiffer cold - Hands, if you dont suffer from dermatitis, otherwise gloves or a rubber spatula. Balled up clingfilm also works for some, or keep a dishcloth or a green scratchy just for dough, and throw it when it gets too bad - Wash up immediately rather than letting the dough harden - Check the drain traps

By catering I meant restaurant or similar experience. Thanks for all the comments. "In the the restaurant trade to make a small fortune start with a large one" I just wish we could be more positive. There are restaurants that succeed, and people who do make money, even if they are the exception.

Every so often I get a student on the MBA course or who is referred to me who wants to start a restaurant. I've just had another one, who feels motivated to open a Caribbean themed restaurant. What advise should I give them besides "Don't" or "You are foolish and will loose all your money and friends". Usually these are people with no catering experience, but who like giving dinner parties and have been told by all their friends (also not in the trade) what a good cook they are. I try and explain that restaurant cooking and home cooking are different, and the restaurant trade is capital intensive, labour intensive and fickle, and few make money, except from property speculation. If that fails I tell them to get some catering experience first, and if need be arrange for them to work for a while in a local restaurant where the chef will give them a hard time. I also suggest they read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and assure them it is not exaggerated. If that doesn't put them off I then I ask for the budget and the marketing plan, and ask them to justify the expected occupancy figures. I'm glad to say no one has opened a restaurant yet.

It is one of the readings of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "A touch of grace is sufficient to help us through the trials of life " although the King James Version is "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2Cr 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I can't trace the first use of the actual phrase, but "A touch of" sounds early twentieth century. Used as book and record titles, and as bakery and other shop names

That must be what it is....

No - can't you see the antlers?

Many thanks Adam and everybody. Ivan Day sets a very high standard, far beyond my reach. As will be obvious I'm no pastry chef. I would assume the decorative cases were not eaten. Here is what I did. 1, Cooked the venison for 24 hours at 75C with half a bottle of port, pepper, salt, garlic, mace. Essentially John Farley's recipe of 1796, but cooked at a lower temperature for a lot longer. Result tender venison. Strained off the juice and reduced to a syrup, added back to the venison 2. Par boiled equal quantities to the venison of cubed swede (rutabaga), potato. 3. Softened in duck fat an equal quantity of chopped onions and some smoked bacon. Some recipes suggest suet, but since I wanted to eat these cold or at most warm I thought a softer fat would eat better. Could have use butter, but duck fat came to hand. 4. Mixed all together with plenty of salt and pepper. This is more like the vegetables flavoured with the venison, cooked so its falling apart... Rolled out some puff paste (bought I'm ashamed to say), egg washed, and put a couple of spoonfuls in each, turned over, crimped and decorated, egg wash. Bake at 400F/200C for 20 minutes. Very delicious, but a lot of work. My modelling of a deer leaves a lot to be desired. edit: forgot the Mace, such an 18th century spice

I have GF&G I prefer it L'Alicot (Goose giblet stew) anyone?

You are right 90F is too hot, and the yeast slows down. 85F is better. Just out of interest I replotted Ganzle's data on the relative activity of lactobacillus sanfrancisco and the yeast candida milleri. You will see the lacto bacillus dominates when it is cold (fridge) or warm (above 85F). The baker can adjust the ratio of bacillus to yeast, and hence the taste of the bread by fermenting for all or part of the time at these temperatures. I like my bread tangy, so I tend to ferment the preferment quite hot, and retard cold. However if you are making salt-raised bread the leavening agent, the bacteria Clostridium perfringens (see http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/whatissaltrisingbread.html ) prefers it warmer: the temperature range 95F-105F. It may be that is what is responsible for the characteristic cheesy smell

You are working too hard. Leave Mother in the fridge in a covered jar between bakes. No need to feed her. She will be quite all right, May separate into two layers, but just stir them together before use. 12- 24 hours before you want to bake take the preferment, either a poolish (liquid - 100% hydration - equal quantities of flour and water by weight) or a biga(stiff - 50% hydration, twice as much flour as water by weight) plus a spoonful (about 10% by weight of flour) of Mother. It doesn't take much to seed the fermentation. Put Mother back in the fridge. Let the preferment ferment for 12-24 hours at 90F/30C Temperature is important. If Mother is looking a bit skinny and thin because you have used most of her make a double batch of preferment when you next bake and use half to replace Mother. If you do this every few months, when the starter is getting used up you prevent a build-up of acid and other fermentation by products that can inhibit growth. If you are baking large volumes, then you might consider a two or even three stage build. First stage is as above. After 12 hours multiply by at least 3 or even 5 - the preferment so far plus five times its weight in flour and five time its weight in water. Ferment for 12 hours and you have 10Kg of preferment. Repeat and 12 hours later you have 100Kg of preferment, enough for 500lbs of bread and an industrial bakery. If you are baking at that scale we should discuss handling systems, flourbrew or systems, and pumped levain....

I've been given some venison, cubed. I think its probably originally shoulder of a roe deer . I have in mind to make some venison pasties, but need a recipe. I want these as working lunch or finger food. Here I run into trouble. Doing some googling, and looking in my library I get very different results. When I think of a pastie (the edible sort, not nipple covers), I think of a Cornish pastie, a priddy oggie, usually beef or lamb, with a small amount of meat and lots of potatoes, onions and swede (rutabaga), in a traditional turnover shape. I thought ah ha, just replace the meat with venison. Not so. There are a few online recipes with a turnover but where the filling is mostly venison, with a few onions, and the venison is pre-cooked. Back to the books. John Farley (1796) and Meg Dods (1826) both describe a venison pasty as a deep dish pie (a covered stew), covered with puff pastry and decorated, In the words of Meg Dods "This is a dish in which ornament is not only allowable, but expected" Dorothy Hartley (1954) in Good Things in England but without giving a source describes a venison pastry as a a small raised pie, open topped with the top filled with red currant jelly and sprig of sweet gale and eaten cold. " a dozen or so...look very jolly about lunchtime" So my dilemma Vegetables or no vegetables? Pre-cook or not? Pie shape or pasty shape, or just a covered stew Help - historical experts - Adam?

Depends how liquid it is. If its runny I would put it in something stiffer. I have a vision of your bag being squashed under a pile of other bags. Also don't seal it, as the pressure in the hold will change. When I ship starter I make it as stiff as I possibly can - think making pasta. That slows the fermenation right down. It seems to post in a plastic bag in a padded post bag OK. I leave the plastic bag unsealed just in case there is any gas production. You might post some as a backup.

Today's all sourdough baguettes: The flour was supermarket plain organic flour (9.8% protein) (pastry flour) Sponge: 200g flour 100g water 10 g mother Ferment for 12 hours Pre-mix: 400g flour 1g Vit C 12 g Salt 320g water Rough mix and leave for an hour Dough Mix intensively the sponge and the premix. I use a food processor, but I guess you can use a mixer, until the dough picks up and then releases - almost overmixed. Probably too tough to mix my hand. Bench rest (bulk ferment in the mixer) 1 hour Shape and put in a couche. Retard (refrigerator) overnight, covered. Bake hot, plenty of bottom heat and steam in the first minute.

Baking session 22 Sep for Rosh Hashona (hence round loaves) and apple pressing day Breads baking in the wood fired brick oven Chocolate Challah (thanks Comfort Me!) Must use yeast; the chocolate kills sourdough for some reason New Year Challah Round, honey, and fruit (bread with fruit, not fruit bread) More breads: Wholemeal miche, spelt, mixed seed, onion and sultana...

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Desiderio has it right. If you keep feeding it flour and water and keep it at 90F the junk will eventually disappear and you will have a good starter. Might be quicker to start again though with just flour and water and keep it at 90F.

I've jsut been picking fresh raspberries in the garden. Amazing they are still fruiting. You have a lot of choice. SInce its Chicago it has to be beef and lots of it, butter tender. Maybe with german side dishes (kartoffelknodel, saurkraut), or as homemade hamburgers and pickles OTOH the italian goodies say Pizza..

No. The caramel top was cooked seperately then slid onto the cold custard.

Oven too hot. Should be below boiling - more like 160F/75C. Egg yolks coagulate and thicken at between 150F/65C and 158F/70C, so the cooking medium needs to be just a bit above that. You are making an egg custard: warm the cream and dissolve the sugar. Beat the egg yolks, A tsp of cornflour or custard powder helps to stop curdling. Pour the hot cream onto the egg yolks, mix well then put into your molds. Cook gently. Lots of different opinions on how to get a superfine caramel coating...Use castor sugar, or even cook seperatelyy (powdered sugar sifted onto a circle on baking parchment and put in a hot oven)

Turkey leg Salmon Lobster

Upside down beer: foamy component at the bottom, amber or black liquid over, and some scratchings floating on top...