Wendy DeBord

Thanks for the ideas everyone! This scale is a replacement of a replacement, already..........so I hate to have to return it. I used to have a plastic model salter scale, it used to zero out or turn off on me too, but not as often as my new all metal version does. When I first got the all metal one I was measuring one day and realized that 1 lb of butter was weighing only 14 oz.. After further investigation I realized it was off, period and there's no adjusting them. So that one got returned. I've got my current new model (replacement) which is driving me crazy. I'll try changing the batteries and see if that helps......... My other two Salter scales did the same thing.......the plastic version less then the two metal ones. Can one room be more staticly charged then another room? When I sift ingredients I always get static charges. If not, can it just be this brand of scales? Does this happen with other brands? (I know I can't get them to buy a more expensive scale.)

I use raw eggs occasionally (and older recipes).........but I always (with-out any exceptions) use pastrurized eggs. I get yolks and whites in seperate containers and use them, replacing each by weight in recipes. All my local grocery stores carry both so hopefully you won't have a hard time finding them either.

O.k. you guys I don't think I followed this completely. I get that: Knox (dried gelatin) is the strongest gelatin at 225 gold is 200 silver is 160 But can you simplify the math conversions, please? I can't do it on my own............ Then later on as a seperate issue/topic McDuff you mention that 3 sheets of ?silver? sets 1 lb of cream.......is that correct? But when you make your mousse........aren't you looking to set your puree with the gelatin, not the heavy cream? Wouldn't you be looking to find out how much gelatin sets 1lb of puree instead of 1 lb of heavy cream? Assuming that the whipped cream and the pastry cream are stable enough on their own (not needing any gelatin to set). Is that correct? So you don't account for extra gelatin to set the whipped cream or pastry cream? And wouldn't different purees require slightly different amounts of gelatin to set them? 1 lb of lemon juice to 3 sheets of gold gelatin wouldn't set like 1 lb of mango puree to 3 sheets of gold gelatin. I hope that made sense............what am I missing here...........? sorry.......

Filipe............your going to LOVE PCB company. I wish I was rich, I'd buy tons of things from them.

I've got a new salter brand scale that's driving me crazy. It statics out as I'm weighing ingredients. Wait......let me explain better....... It must be drier in my room then I realize because as I pour flour or sugar into my metal bowl on my metal scale it gets a static shock. That turns my scale off. So I have to re-weigh sometimes repeatedly because it keeps shocking out my scale. Does anyone else have this problem? And how do you get rid of it? I'm standing on a rubber mat, I touch the scale to pre-shock it out. I've tried to put plastic saran wrap over the scale to ground it, but it creates more static.

Sooooo..........if I was going to try to reproduce that Pollack spatter exactly the following is how I'd do it: First, I use a rubber spatula to spatter with. Works fine for me. His first layer appears to be the dark chocolate splatter.It's opaque slightly thinned down semi sweet chocolate. Let that dry/cool completely. Next, splatter white colored chocolate thinned down quite abit with cocoa butter. Then apply your yellow (just straight cocoa butter) and let some of it bleed into the white. You can lift and turn your mold to fasilate the bleeding. Also spatter some red (straight cocoa butter) into parts of the white and parts with theres not spatter under it. Let cool. Last he seems to have some straight opaque white spattered and cooled. Very last I'd apply the background color. In this case it would be opaque white chocolate colored with grey oil based food color (not thinning it with cocoa butter colors). HTH......

I don't know if I can add anything to this. Everyones already given you great advice. I'll just highlight a few things in hopes it might help. I agree, pour your syrup into stiffly beaten whites while the mixer is going. Stopping to put your hot syrup into a pyrex is a wasted step and could be enough of a delay to cause you problems. Youv'e got sooo little hot syrup that there just isn't a need to cool it before pouring into the eggs. Anyway, you want it to cook the eggs so that's not helping. I'm not always even gentle when I pour my syrup in, I don't drizzle, I get it in there. If the syrup is too hot/over-cooked it will form rocks that don't incorporate into your eggs. You might have done that from what you wrote. Remember that the sugar keeps cooking in the hot pot. I also think that explains the water in the bottom of your bowl too...........syrup was too hot and hardened too much instead of mixing in. If you have clumps of sugar in your meringue, don't continue, don't add your butter. Throw that out and start again. It's also very possible that your thermometer is off a couple degrees, that happens alot. Don't add any butter until the cooked eggs are at room temp. in your bowl. Later as you get better at this, you can use hotter eggs and colder butter to speed things up, but don't get into that yet. If I was to make that small of a batch, I would pre-whip my butter before adding it to the egg. Again, you've got such a small amount it's a handicap. When you first add your butter it might look like the curdy look in your photo, but that should whip out into a smooth light/aire buttercream. You can probably use that butter. Melt it in the microwave and strain it. See if you've got lumps in it? If so, the sugar was over cooked. But then just use the butter in something else. Make some brownied that call for melted butter or some cookies with it. Or make some lemon curd or cream and use that butter to fold in at the end.

In addition you can sell some homemade candies in your shop. Ones that are easy.......and most have very long shelf lives. You could do: fudge (I know, but make some upscale flavors) very gourmet chocolate covered pretzels (I've gotten some that were fab. in a local shop, I'll look up their website for you asap) Toffee Sponge candy or some call it Sea Foam Can you sell bottled jars of ice cream sauces? Using the same gourmet flavor choices you've got going with your ice creams. Like lavender/honey, chocolate chili, etc... Then there's alway pies ala mode that sell well. You can buy in a decent pie (not telling anyone of course) offer to microwave it and serve with ice cream. Again, getting creative........

Can you do something like a strawberry short cake? You can freeze the biscuits and just bake off daily. Split them, give them a scoop of vanilla ice cream, strawberries in syrup and some whipped cream. An that angle you can flavor shortbread biscuits. I make chocolate chip ones and all chocolate biscuits. You could then do some more creative/upscale twists with them.........or homie desserts too. For example: Chocolate biscuit, chocolate chili pepper ice cream, warm ganache Cannoli: chocolate chip biscuit, riccatta ice cream, sprinkle on chopped pistachios You could also bake off some florentine cookies to use with your ice cream. Florentines would sell just on their own. Shape some into cones and sell a petite cone and put your honey/lavender ice cream in it, etc.... You can use those counter top stoves with-out vent hoods. If you could do a bananas foster I think you'd sell zillions. Or even make it and reheat to order and put it over a dulce de leche ice cream.

Right now I make my own "transfer sheets" using cocoa butters, but a splash pattern is the only one that matches a professional transfer sheet (looks wise). .............I still have more on that I want to explore......just haven't found the time like I'd like to.

Do you mean tempered white chocolate that's been colored or colored cocoa butter? Cocoa butter, I like to use my plain ole rubber spatula to spatter with. I just touch it into the butter and don't worry about keeping it all on the table, hint, hint. If you control it too much it looks controled. You also want to make sure you repeat the same movement in your arm so it's all going the same dirrection. Splattering regular chocolate is rarely done into chocolate bonbon molds........ Can you show us the look your trying to achieve? That would help alot.

Woooo, you might be on to something very cool here Truffle Guy. What if we did some exchanging among ourselves? (right this second I don't have any sheets to trade but....) I'd love to participate in something like this!! I wonder how many people here would be interested?

I'm very short on time right this minute, but we have MANY threads here that would be very helpful for you. PamR's thread explored items she was looking for to keep in a similar case. Was it K8 or CandianBaking who had a BarMitzpah thread with tons of great recipes and ideas? How about Neils marshmellow thread. If anyone has a moment would you please post some links to help out? thanks

It depends upon how you make the filling, etc... I wouldn't use a soft filling of any type so no matter what you do, you have to add some stablity to it. I'd "bastardize" the cannoli filling, myself. Use really well drained riccotta (that's extremely important). Then I'd combine it with some pastry cream with added gelatin, or a white chocolate mousse, or bavarian that contained gelatin. Or go with a mousseline base (that's pastry cream with butter) so it becomes very thick/sturdy (like a napoleon). Some people combine marscarpone in their cannoli filling also, to thicken it/give it more body.

First, do you know that Americans call two very different types of frosting 'buttercream', interchangably? There's buttercream make with powdered sugar and fat (usually shortening and butter but sometimes either or and not combined). It's pretty shelf stable considering it's just shortening, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. You can vary this up a bit, but basicly there aren't any ingredients that must be kept refridgerated in it. Then theres buttercream that involves eggs, a hot sugar syrup to cook the egg and butter. Never will this type have powdered sugar in it. This type of buttercream can be shelf stable also if you use pasturized egg product so your certain it's cooked properly. There are buttercream recipes that involve custard as a base, typically refferred to as a German buttercream. They are rarely used in American baking. As to your last question.........I'd say that most American bake shops are airconditioned (maybe it depends upon the overall wealth of the area to some extent). If the baking area isn't airconditioned, then usually the front of the store is for our customers convience. We also rely heavily on refridgerated cases to sell product from. I think to some extent Americans expect their baked goods to be kept cold even when the item doesn't need it (excluding breads). All our grocery stores sell cakes with artifical whip cream on them that don't require refridgeration out of refridgerated cases and that makes people think their real whip cream cakes. They don't sell when sold at room temp., then the consumer realizes it's all artifical frosting.

Very cool...............dare I say romantic, and it shows he knows your tastes......and is willing to go that extra step to please you. Or he wants to fatten you up so your all his..... (I swear my hubby does that sometimes) just joking........

It's been sooo long since I made that recipe, I forget some of the details. So I pulled out my book and looked at my notes on this particular recipe. I wrote that I used my own custard recipe. Assembled it and had to freeze the cake in order to cut it for buffet. I also wrote the marsala cake was very light and that next time I should try using a mouseline cream in place of the custard. I can't be certain, but I do think I made his custard and it didn't work then resorted to using some pastry cream I had in the cooler cause his didn't set up. Anyway, what I did, put aside for now. Looking clearly at his recipe it won't work as written, period. There's either a mistake in the ingredient list or his dirrections....or both. He does say only bring it up to 185F, so the cornstarch won't even kick in at that temp.. You HAVE to bring cornstarch up to a boil for it to work, so theres not even any point to that ingredients use. He also calls for 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks (not 3)..............but that still isn't enough to set 2 cups of milk/cream and with-out the cornstarch backing up the eggs thickening power.......no way it's going to work. And to reheat it this I think will be a waste of time. I'd scrap it and go with another custard filling....or a riccotta filling (like cannoli). Also........one more point. The whole 'beat your eggs thing' is a waste of time when your going to temper them into a huge amount of liquid. The liquid imediately deflates the air structure. (I've been preaching about that for years....)

In my opinion it's probably your oven, not your pans. It sounds like your heat isn't cirulating at all and it's running hot (off calibration). Is your heat element only on the bottom of the oven? So I'd raise the rack your placing your cakes on (bake higher in your oven) and lower the temp of your oven (start with 25 degrees and test, then lower until it bakes evenly). You can also place items on multiple layered cool baking sheet pans (I've resorted to that before and it helps). That will help insolate your bottom and make the air vent further around the sides as it comes up from the bottom of your oven. In my opinion over browning can happen because of the pan your using too. But it's not likely based on what you wrote (they'd increase the browning on the sides and bottom.......but not bring them to almost Burnt, as you wrote). What are your standard cake pans like? Are they dark in color or aluminum?

No one can copyright a list of ingredients or a list of measurements, so you can share those facts exactly as published anywhere. BUT the part of a recipe where they describe how to make the recipe, the dirrections, can be and usually are copyrighted. So you may NOT reproduce the dirrections as published anywhere with-out violating their copyright. Just take a moment and put the dirrections into your own words, then you can post your instructions/dirrections. I can't address what's done in other Forums or sites. You need to go to those individuals and get clarification from them as to what they disallow.

I'm glad you started posting Smokey, WELCOME!!

O.k.......what you may not know: As long as I've been a host here I've tried to help people who came in demanding a recipe. I've pm'ed them and explained how it's better to be freindly and ask for help verses make a demand, etc... Similarly I've tried to handle students who looking for us to do their homework. So there's plenty that goes on behind the scenes that you all might not see. Similarly, I've tried hard not to let anyone be excluded and not to let this be a professionals only Forum. I read every post in this Forum. I'm not sure if you all do (cause it takes alot of time)...........but I try very hard not to let any thread go away unanswered. Again working with people thru our pm system. Unforunately sometimes I get so busy that one slips past me.....believe me, I always feel bad when that happens. It's very hard for me to compare how we are here, verses other sites. I personally feel really bad if we've scared anyone away, ever. But I think the reality is, some sites you just click with and others you don't, that's life........and I say that after years of hanging out online talking baking at many various sites. Occasionally someone will post something that another person finds offensive. We police ourselves around here pretty well!! Rarely does something slide by where another member doesn't speak up and help. We're all bold enough to feel comfortable posting an opposite view. That's what I love about you all! There is one issue of sharing recipes that I personally haven't been able to make a firm decission on. That's sharing recipes from famous Chefs aquired in private settings, like demo's/classes. I attended a demo by Norman Love several years back and he handed out a couple outstanding truffle recipes. I can't even recall how many times now that I've been approached by people for those recipes. I think each time I've been approached by people that I didn't know, wasn't a familar member at whatever site I was at. I've declined to hand out this set of recipes consistantly. Why...........I ask myself that.......cause I sort of struggle with it.....not sure what is right here. I think it's to protect and honor Chef Love. He does make a living selling chocolates. He does make money teaching. He hasn't published these recipes anywhere so they aren't common knowledge. Even though I can't imagine he still uses them.....or even cares about them greatly or he wouldn't have given them away, no? I guess I want people to pay him/support him in return for his work. I don't have any other reason why I don't want to share them.........but I respect him sooo much. Yet, on the opposite side on that..........I get very excited to recieve similar from others. When someone shares a recipe they recieved at the World Pastry Forum or a private class with someone 'well known' I feel like I've won the lottery. I search out sites where I can find these special recipes, like a spy on a mission.

No.........sorry it's me, I'm not always very clear. Maybe I'm saying too much........... Let me see if I can rephrase this: The temp.'s of each..........well I'm horribly guilty at times of not following recipes as written. Sometimes that's deliberate, sometimes it's due to juggling many things at once, etc... Sooooo there's been plenty of times I've missed my targeted temp.. If I have to run, sometimes I have to add the butter before the curd (or other ingredients) have cooled down to the target temp.. Sometimes I've had to add my butter after the item has cooled completely. So I'm talking about varying from what the recipe says, missing the temp.'s. But if you follow the recipe exactly each time, your results should not vary. You'd be totally correct Patrick then the color variation would probably be due to the egg yolk color and it's variations. So I was assuming to some extent that if someones finished product was varying, they were not making it exactly each time. To me that's more likely to happen then for them to all of the sudden get darker yolked eggs. Usually.......we get our eggs from the same source and they don't vary wildly. Of course if you went out and bought really fresh eggs they could be way different colored then the eggs from penned up chickens on a specific diet. As too the color point I was trying to make: I think you've followed me correctly. The warmer the butter the dark it's color. BUT additionally, if you whip warm butter that will lighten it's color considerably. So a whipped cold butter could be the same shade as a whipped warmer butter. So then if you add a cold whipped butter to a room temp. curd, the curd won't melt out the butter, so it won't darken the color of the whipped butter, giving you a lighter more airiated product. Conversely, if you added warm whipped butter to a warm curd, the curd will melt out the butter to some extent and it will be thinner before it's 'set' and a darker shade of yellow. If you add cold whipped butter to a warm curd, some of it will melt too, but the cold of the butter will chill the warm curd faster so there should be less melted butter. I hope that made sense.............sorry.........

You'd have to perfect your caramel recipe to achieve that. It would have to be at the right degree of being 'set' when you place your marshmellow on to it. So it's flexible, yet not too soft so it won't firm up when set. But basicly if you pour it out into sheets, then you'd lay a strip of marshmellow down it, roll/or wrap the caramel around the marshmellow, cut the seam, then slice into individual pieces. You can see the over lap of the caramel sheet if you look at the candy on the top of the pile, look at it's lower left side. I've yet to perfect my caramel making to achieve something like this. I can't get a thermometer relable enough. I'd definately call this a very advanced skill. If you could buy caramel sheets or that 'perfect' caramel it would be easier. How about those caramel sheets they sell for caramel apples.........do they still sell those?

I ditto that. Plus it's alot of HOW they ask. If your rude asking, forget it. It's weird because I rarely hestitate to give out a recipe to people I've never met on the internet, yet I almost always hestitate to give people I work with them. It's true that they can rarely reproduce the recipe as well. But then I don't want my name attached to the less then stellar product.

I really like this concept! ......stick a chat board onto it and you'll have a busy site........ What about indexing articles in each magazine so when time goes buy we'll still be interested in back issues?