Wendy DeBord

So.............what did you think of Bennisons? I made a special trip there last week myself looking for good bread. I'll reserve my opinion for now.

My answer is different. Looking back at what I've learned and what I want to learn, what's been of the most value to me as a pc.......... I'd choose to study from the best books I could lay my hands on and skip or skim over the rest. I've spent alot of time learning little bits here and there from some of the less then great pastry books........and if I could do it over again I'd just start at the top and learn that. Then find time to study more of the best info. I could find on related topics. I believe in learning the basics, don't get me wrong! But that doesn't nessesarily mean the "classics" as I used the two terms. .........yes you should know what the classics are and what they consist of..... but I'm not sure that reproducing them is as valuable as learning from the best what the best core recipes are. I don't own the French Professional Pastry Series of books. Well, I have bought one or two, only to return them the next day. They're good books, don't get me wrong. But they are reference books in my quick judgement. Good for research (of sorts) but not known for the best recipe on any specific item I'm familar with. Instead I'd rather see you buy The Cooks Book and work thru Herme's and D. Lepards sections. Or get a subscription to P A & D or Sweet Art magazines and work thru their recipes. Even the Grand Finales series of books with recipes from the top pc's in the States (even though it's sort of out dated) or Claudia Flemmings book or learn how to work with chocolate from Wyabauw's book. ..........I'm sorry I've sort of taken a different response to your question...........just my opinion, for what it's worth.

You could use a moist really good coconut cake from the beginning and not need any soaking syrup.

Take a look at these threads, here and here.

How did your demo go Will? What did you demo? Anyone elses demo catch your eye..if so what was it? And............any chance I can talk you into sharing your demo with us in the P & B Forum?

If you ever do talk to them, ask them if they have a pastry chef on staff.

I'd like to mention why this is so from my perspective working in kitchens, although admittedly not starred fine dinning kitchens. Cooks get bored and careless making the same entree's night after night. Rarely do they taste the main entree's after they've been established, they believe that they know the item inside out after making it for so long. They may/can/and often do loose focus as they cook up that item. It becomes a factor that divides the really good chef/cooks from the average. It's not always cooking skill........it's the ability/skill to focus intently on the same thing day in and day out, hour by hour, minute by minute...........with-out loosing focus. Very few people have this skill, chef or not. Where as app.'s usually change more often then entree's so they maybe less boring to the cook. The cook/chef may have participated in creating the app. and therefore want it to shine.......and they pay attention to it. Also app.'s generally take less time to cook off. Therefore the cook needs to pay close attention to it.........while he's also cooking off several entree's that don't need his constant attention..........he looses focus of those longer cooking entrees while he's making that app.. Also dinners are more willing to walk on the wild side with app.'s, salads and desserts...........for two reasons. Price and risk. They don't want to walk away still hungry if their app.'s and salads stink, so they order a safe entree. Restaurants want sales and often that means providing what the customer wants verses what the restaurant wants to make...henseforth the large chuck of protein dominating the plate. I'm not sure about your last comment Fat Guy............"and it doesn't require much in the way of creativity to make them interesting; you just have to read some magazines." I'd say based on my observations that holds true for non-professional cooks far more then professionals. Line guys rarely read anything on cooking (they never walk in and make something from a published recipe). Chefs read more then their line cooks......but in comparision to avid home cooks......they read far less on cooking. Many home cooks own more cooking books then professional chefs. App.'s often stem from items that need to be used up, to avoid waste. Typcially the line guy doesn't know what he's got to use until his shift begins. And they don't quick look to a book for ideas, they look around the kitchen to see what they can pull together.

Here's the recipe I liked so much from B. O.. Cinnamon Pear Tea Bread, page 26. Streusel topping: 2 tbsp. butter 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 c. br. sugar 1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans) Basicly, just combine the ingedients together, until it's a moist sandy consistancy. Place on top of the bread before baking. Bread recipe: (I used apples instead of pears) 1/4 c. butter 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 1 c. ap flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 c. sour cream 1 1/2 c. peeled, chopped apple in 1/2 dice or less Mix as you would any quick bread. Bake at 350F. It makes 3 small loaf pans aprox. 3" x 5". It's very moist and handling is difficult the first day it's baked............but well worth it.

You can add your streusel after your cake has risen but before it's done..........that may solve the sunken problem. I just wanted to make sure this is clear...........I've experienced this colapsing with other authors recipes, it's definately not something that happens with Roses' recipes only.

First I'd like to try to explain that there are different types of molds one can use with chocolate. The type most often seen in retail stores are like these molds. They tend to be under aprox. $4.00 per sheet and the plastic sheet is somewhat flexible. Then theres what are considered professional grade chocolate molds as seen here. These molds are hard rigid plastic molds and they retail around $20.00 per. So which type of mold are you asking about? The wisest thing to do is to try to locate more of the type you already have. Because the cost of comissioning custom chocolate molds is supprisingly expensive. Plus the designs your looking to reproduce may be copyrighted and therefore not something another company can copy for you. Is there a manufactures name stamped into the mold anywhere? If so, I'd try to track down that mold by searching the molds of that manufactor. If that leads to a dead end, I suggest you do a web search on chocolate molds, there must be hundreds if not thousands of companies that sell chocolate molds.

I've never made that specific recipe, but I have encountered that happening with the streusel sinking or folding into the batter. I attribute it to the weight of the streusel sinking on the risingly light structure of the cake batter. If you notice streusel doesn't sink on heavy batters. And or it could be that the batter has so much leavening that the air pockets have to push out of the batter and the streusel is just in the way.........and when the air pocket releases it's steam the streusel falls back into the void.

I didn't find flaws in any recipe I tried. I've got a decent baking library at home and I desided to try out a little book I've had for years and never baked out of. I don't have the book near me to get the title correct, but it's a book on quick breads written by Beatrice Ojakangas. I used her recipe for pear bread subbing in apples in place of the pears. I thought it was fabulous!.........just what I wanted. B. Ojankangas is an incrediable baker............if only she got the glossy photo laden books other authors get...........everyone would be more familar with her work. She's the author of the famous danish dough recipe everyone uses that was published in Baking With Julia.

Do you all know that Christopher is a member here? He used to post often in P & B, but has been quite lately..........probably due to his successful business. But you can get in touch with him thru eG if you had any questions, etc.... On a related topic if you look toward the front of that magazine you'll find an article on caramels. Well that would be another member of eG, she posts under the name Samaki, which is the name of her business.

If you have a minute, take a look at this thread. I found it helpful to learn how to post photos.

If your filling is thin/not set up/not chilled then you can ladle it over your strawberries. But it has to be thin enough that it goes deep into the nooks between the berries. Otherwise it won't look great sliced and won't seal up your strawberries. Sometimes you can give it a light tap on the table to release any air pockets and get your filling to sink well. Otherwise if your filling isn't thin/soft/warm you should pipe it in to make sure it's going deep between your berries.......again to avoid air pockets. I believe it's Herme' that does the fraiser with the pistachio filling.............it's a wonderful combination with the berries!!

Strange happening, but I'm going to stay with the first recipe I tried. Thanks everyone for your help.

First, can you check the ingredient list on the nut butter, to see what else if anything it may contain? Generally you could sub. one for the other in many recipes, but definately not all recipes.

Good news Pam. Any chance you'd share a photo of your new product line..........I'd love to see what you do?

Thank-you, I'll give it a try.

Well I'm stumped. Nothing you wrote seemed obviously wrong and I've never had sugar melt down on me unless it was god aueful humid. I personally don't cook sugar to temp.'s, unless it's less then hard crack. But for hard crack your basicly cooking the sugar right up to the point before it begins to take on color. And............I usually wait and let it take on a hint of color as my signal it's time. I even do that with lolipops. You can shock the pan temp. down quickly so it doesn't get objectionally colored. Plus if your making a dog that's got a dark color being added to it, it really won't hurt to take on some color. Well.........lets hope that Steve Klc or Chefette see this thread........they've got alot more experience with sugar then I.

The type of apple bread I'm seeking would have small chunks of apple and nut through-out the batter and be similar to say a zuccini bread or a banana bread in texture. It could have apple sauce in the batter plus apple chunks. It would be different then a cake in that it would be denser, not as refined..........definately baked in a small loaf pan for support. I normally use a struesel on top of my apple bread, but my neighbor used cinnamon sugar and it was perfect. The bread wasn't super sweet and the cinnamon sugar just made the whole thing pop! I do have Maida's and Payards books. I have tons of books that I could pick a recipe out of.........I was just hoping someone had a really good one that didn't require me searching and testing..................

I think looking at your photos, that your ovens a touch too hot. Your edges are browning too quickly for your center.

I've done my fair share of Italian themed sweets tables over the years........struggling to find good information and good recipes.......and actually try to learn Italian baking. I've got a fairly thick Italian file now, even though I'd say most of the recipes I'll never use, they serve only as references. Sometimes I buy a magazine and only get one or two decent pastry recipes out of it for my file. But that's the bulk of my file...recipes from various magazines collected over the years. So if theres something specific your looking to make, it might be helpful if you just started a thread here asking on that particular item. I can't tell you a name of one or two books on Italian baking you can buy and just follow the recipes and you'll get great results. I haven't found that book for Italian baking myself. And or it's highly possible that I'm too influenced by other baking experiences/knowledge that I expect better or different from recipes printed as is........and vary my Italian pastries to suit my palate. I've purchased and recieved from people that claim to be really good Italian bakers some pastries I couldn't choke down......... I've worked from Great Italian Desserts by Nick Malgieri.......the recipes I've made from this book have all worked fine. But every recipe I've had to add a little bit to..... Like I didn't like his pastry cream and or I added whipped cream or I added additional ingredients like chocolate, nuts or a liqour to reach the taste I wanted in a particular recipe. But I do think this book is a starting place to learn. I don't know if you can find this book, but Patisserie of Italy by Jeni Wright (published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1988) as always done right by me. All the recipes I've tried from that book worked well and I think I like her baking better then Malgieri's. Edited........oops, I see that Ludja also reccomended the Wright book..........

Thank-you, yes I do have his book. I did make that recipe years ago........... I was thinking more American in style......maybe I need to dig thru my Amish cookbooks.....

I'm certainly not an expert in sugar work..........but I'll suggest what may have been problems. First what recipe were you using? As in, did you have added water and if so did it cook long enough to cook/evaporate out completely........ Where are you located, region? Some areas or the world are notoriuously too humid. Even if your not in a tropical area whats going on in your area? Do you have your heater on, drying the air or do you have an air conditioner on? Was it raining outside when you did these? Did you put your figurine on a cake that was in the cooler? My coolers have way too much humidity in them for them to hold any sugar items. I assume you used regular sugar, may I suggest next time you purchase isomalt and use it instead.