Droo

I've made one of Mme Feber's jam recipes including her pection sources, but has been the case with many of her jams they are way runnier than what you buy in her shop in Niedermorschwihr. I need to add more pectin. But.... If I add yellow pectin i need to make sure the pH is low enough for it to work - but I don't have a pH meter. I was then thinking I could use pectin NH which will give me a softer set jam than if I used yellow pectin. Does anyone have any thoughts on how much to add and whether I need to make any modifications for it to work, or on a method to use yellow pectin without it becoming PDF.

Sounds like a typical asian cookbook (for the locals)! Chilli powder wouldn't be specific - so get one of an appropriate heat level for your tastes. Nyonya cooking likes it HOT! If it isn't hot, then its bland as my Singaporean friend kept reminding me that night at our local Nyonya restaurant. Streak pork = pork belly - ie the meat has streaks of fat through it. Deep frying, the wok method, is very popular. Although, having to wait for the oil to cool down and then poor back into a bottle once cold is a pain. A western deep fryer would be simpler in my books - throw a lid on it and store. I think washing the spices comes down to quality - this day and age I think we're fine. You heat the spices individually before grinding to release the aromas. I normally heat on the stove with a dry frying pan on medium, when the aroma hits you you're done. Careful not to burn the spices, so stir frequently.

From memory, I am pretty sure chocolat chocolat have the half egg moulds I have - again mine are chocolate world as well.

I asked an exec pastry chef of a 5 star hotel in my city how do it - he said create the two half shells, join them together, melt a small hole and then use one of those alcohol based filling nozzles to deposit the liquid caramel, then reseal with tempered chocolate using a cornet. I'll give it a go over the next week or two once I get my hand on the nozzle.

hmm, its a pity my thoughts were confirmed... I might have to reevaluate what filling I'll use - honeycomb will be nice. Now Easter is close I'll have to visit our local chocolate shop and see how their make theirs.

Flat sided half egg moulds - ideally i'd like to do it without having chocolate in the middle when sticking the two halves together. I was thinking similar things with a 3d mould and decided it was too hard so went for the half sided egg mould

I want to make a liquid caramel filled small easter eggs - I'll be using polycarbonate moulds. Any thoughts on how I can assemble these without having the caramel run out?

Yes, I think that could have been my problem. It was room temperature when I whipped it and not cold. I also expected it to whip up a lot more than what it was doing. At 11 egg yolks I didn't want to waste it, so hopefully it won't be too dense. Next time, I'll cool it further.

I'm making the citron cream recipe in Migoya's Elements of Desserts (p318/9?). It says to cook the anglaise to 85 degrees, place on an ice bath then whip the anglaise. I've done that but it doesn't seem to whip (let alone to a medium peak). This is a new technique I've not tried before so I'm at a loss. Anyone have any ideas?

Sorry I don't understand. It wasn't that the glaze wasn't covering enough entremets. If you exclude the entremets - and just focus on the glaze as a standalone element - I reduced all ingredients by the same proportion. The glaze was coming out way too thick. So I think, as someone previously said I am boiling off too much water, so I'll need to "top up" with water or 30 baume syrup.

The recipes in question are for about 9 to 10 entremets. One glaze in particular is very thin where it is translucent on side of the cake when we made the batch for 9 entremets - when I make it, scaling it down to 3 cakes, it was very thick once poured on the cake. The recipes are those that contain gelatine and neutral glaze. I made a white chocolate glaze this week and it was fine, although the recipe was for 2 cakes only.

Thanks. I'll use the chipping out as patience building.

Well don't I feel silly! I bought this: http://www.cacao-barry.com/en-OC/chocolate-couverture-cocoa/ncb-hdo3/deodorized-cocoa-butter?categorypath=0-9-19 and as it came in a bucket I assumed it was liquid. I've just opened it and yes, it is a solid. I assume this product has the same characteristics as a block, as mentioned above?

Yes all contain gelatin. I have a range of recipes all from the same source and the same thing is occuring with each of them. As I've had this problem for a while, calculations, weights and temps were my first check, and they were all correct. So I am at a loss.

I'm always finding that my glazes are incredibly thick when I downscale my recipes. I am not sure whether it is the ingredients I use, my technique or the recipe is problematic when scaled down. Do I just add sugar syrup to thin it down to required viscosity?

What's the difference between liquid cocoa butter (at room temp), blocks, and mycryo in terms of use/application? I understand that mycryo is deodourised but that's pretty much it.

I've just bought a wagner spray gun to apply velvet glazes to my entremets etc. can I please get some advice on how to clean / sterilise it for food use.

That's it, what I want is a contemporary haute patisserie cookbook crossed with the book "how baking works". It doesn't exist does it? For example, I recently learned that when adding butter to a ganache, the ganache should be under (off memory) 34 degrees c, i presume to ensure the butterfat doesn't melt. It's little tips like that i love and want more of. I'll have to get my hands on how baking works in the mean time.

Thanks for the recommendations. The two Friberg books are on my to buy list as well as Elements of Desserts. I suspect I'll use the latter more than the former. My only concern about Migoya's book - is to purely focused on plated desserts? I normally make entremets and layered petit gateaux, I don't tend to do plated desserts as I need to take what I make into work as so I don't end up with clogged arteries and the size of a house. Are the Hermes books (apart from the Dorie ones) in English? I wish pH10 was in English, that book looked awesome. I was recommended So Good as well but what I have seen of it, there isn't the explanation (the why) I'm seeking. As gfron1 suggests, I think I am after a cross between a textbook (which should provide the why) and a cookbook (providing the up to date recipes and techniques). I don't want something that's dry. My local patisserie supply store recommended So Good Recipes and Ramon Morato's Chocolate. He preferred Morato's book over someone like Paco Torreblanca's tome as the former explained a lot - alas both are incredibly pricey. He also suggested that the next step in my learning is to understand ingredients and how they work. This is so when something does go wrong I understand what has happened and why and what to do/not to do next time. Is this something I'll be able to get from So Good or other sources?

I'm wanting a good haute patisserie cookbook that's more than just a recipe book but would be more of a "textbook" for those of us who patisserie is a hobby, but aims to recreate professional level type patisseries etc. I am more interested in the more gateaux type desserts rather than chocolates. Can anyone suggest any books?

try this link: http://www.fresh-as.com/stockists/USA-STOCKISTS/

Steering back west, like others, I love the Ottolenghi and David Mallouf books. Yotam mentioned on his Mediterranean TV series that his "Moroccan" tome was Paula Wolfert's Food of Morocco.

mrk, I too made pdf which was too sticky. I used a recipe similar to Chris' above. Note that different fruits used will use slightly different ratios to get to the correct pH. The tips I was told were: Getting the correct pH is important - Tartaric acid (and I presume citric as well will work) helps gel the pdf which reduces the stickiness. It is also important to get to 107 celsius. I was recommended that to reduce the stickiness, I needed to ensure i used the acid and whisk like there is no tomorrow. Ive used a couple of different pectins as well - a NH pectin which produced a softer pdf and citris pectin. I'd recommend the citrus. I'd try and source the acid from the net if you can't get it from your supermarket.

Coming from a country where tipping is optional, and at most 10% is given if the service is great, I must admit I nearly fainted when i read that server's ytd was 26%. I found the conversation about the customer's behaviour quite interesting as it is something, thanks to the number of foodie / restaurant review blogs popping up, our restaurant industry has been asking as well. How to restaurants deal with the objectionable diner - whether in the restaurant or via a review? This article, about an online booking system, Dimmi, potentially turns the table on customers. The question still remains - what does the restauranteur do? http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-news/when-restaurants-google-customers-20140601-zruc0.html?rand=1402790019582 http://www.smh.com.au/comment/restaurateurs-take-revenge-on-diners--finally-20140613-zs713.html

Has anyone bought and used Stephane Glacier's new patisserie book "Petits gâteaux, tartes et entremets au fil des saisons"? Any thoughts?