Wendy DeBord

O.k. I need help. We had a great thread here about making molds with the author of a mold making book. The fellow who taught the guys over at the FPS. His name eludes me right now so I can't do a site search. Surely someone else here recalls that thread. Help me out and post a link to it for Jessica, please. Also a link to his book would be helpful. Thanks.......

Just wanted to drop in and mention a couple things. First, we are working on an index (it takes time to undertake such a huge task). Second, ideas like this should be sent to hosts thru our private messaging system, please. We are always open to ideas, but work very hard to keep threads on topic. Changes or suggestions for change are not topics open for forum wide discussion. Thanks.

Welcome to The eGullet Society For Arts & Letters Jturn00. I think Choux answered your questions very well, I ditto that info.. And I do want to mention that I've had a hard time dissolving dry powdered color in cocoa butter, so this may be a challenge to you also. I use the PBC brand of color suspended in cocoa butter and a similar product line that Albert Uster Company sells (which is greatly more thinned out then PCB). I also use oil based liquid colors that I've found thru wholesalers and at my local craft stores mixed into my own cocoa butter or chocolates. As I recall theres alot of detailed excellent info. in the thread that you linked. If you follow it, you shouldn't have any problems learning this technique.

I LOVE your honesty and showing us what happened to your test airplane! It's so good to know that happens to others and I'm not alone................ Learning these behind the scenes details are priceless! This has more and better info. then anything I've seen to date in a book........HAT'S OFF!!

I have to admit I'm not at all familar with this item. Does anyone have a photo of a treacle sponge........and can you descibe it more, please? Thanks..........

I also am very curious about microwaving pieces. VERY INTERESTING! Also it nice to see another take on underwater cakes............(one day we need to do a thread on Steve and your portfolios, I bet it's stunning.) I love how clean and elegant all your work is........it's really inspiring!

I also add my super fine sugar all in the beginning. I've never seen a difference in volume if I wait, instead I've found times where it didn't dissolve completely if I didn't add it all in the begining. (I don't use xxxsugar mainly because mine is horribly lumpy and it's easier to grab for the super fine.) I use 2/3 c. super fine sugar per quart heavy cream, with 1 tbsp. vanilla, aprox.. Now adding sugar to egg whites, I wouldn't add it all in the beginning. But thats two very different ingredients.

Truffle Guy, we never turn down the offer for a good recipe here. Would you please post in thread so all can see? Thanks

Seriously...........we can dream of making things but actually seeing and learning how you do it, is very educational. Watching and learning from someone with experience is priceless. I personally don't have any questions at this moment because I'm absorbing what your teaching. I'm already feeling more confident that I can use this media and dreaming about what to make in my job using this. And I'm thinking all this applies to making showpieces out of other materials too........

I used to use powdered instant vanilla pudding in whipped cream myself..........years ago, I learn that from my Mom. She did that out of fear. Fear that the whipped cream would suddenly deflate or it couldn't hold on a cake that was out of the refridgerator for more then a couple minutes. And I admit that combo really does make a tight cream. But you can indeed taste the instant pudding and the color change is pretty obvious too. It's just that I'm hoping to pursuede you all and get you to trust us when we tell you, you don't need stablizers in whipped cream. If you can whip egg whites and judge when the whites are firm and not dried out, you can judge when your cream is set. I understand that fear is a powerful drive but everyone has to make mistakes along the way as they learn. Now you know if your cream doesn't whip thick enough to be held for two days in the refridgerator something is wrong. Theres only a couple of things that could be going wrong and it should be easy for you to master this skill with a little more experience.

What an incredible start!!!!!!!!!! I hope everyone enjoys this special demo.............and I do sincerely hope everyone will appreciate all the hard work Chefette has put into this. I think it's safe to say Thank-You from all of us! I/We anxiously await more.......... If anyone would like to make a demo thread, please contact me thru our pm system. We are always excited and happy to be able to feature our talented members. I had no idea chefs/people were doing such detailed pastillage so long ago. Makes me think about some of the molds I have in my collection. Can you use any type of material as a mold? Can I use plastic candy molds to form items?

How embarassing..........I've never had them with apple inside! Oops. I'll have to do that. My Mom used to make them for breakfast like pancakes. I like them with syrup, powdered sugar makes me choke because you can't eat these delicious treats slowly. Mette, I'd love to try your recipe.

Vinegar will tenderize the crust. This is very interesting. I'm thinking the powder in the crust won't do anything.........but I can't wait to find out if it did. Welcome to The eGullet Society For Arts & Letters Bradyvickers. One last note.........I have been working a little out of Ken Haedrichs book (pies)since past January and so far I've been very pleased. I'm thinking I need to buy his book on Apple Pies and work thru that next.

Wow, you cook and bake at home too......... sheesh, my husband better not catch wind of that.

I hope everything goes off flawless for you...........and everyone raves and asks you who catered those baked goods. Looking forward to seeing photos. P.S. I've added you coffee blonde brownies into my folder of recipes I keep on hand at work......not alot of recipes pass into that folder, just daily use items.

Yes, K8Memphis. Although I use a slightly different recipe. I put raspberry preserves, pineapple preserves (and any preserve for that matter) frangipane, cheesecake filling (for danish...any danish filling too) between my shortdough bottom and my choux paste top. I also add more flavors to my choux paste using extracts, oils, fruit zest, etc... sometimes. Last, I bake on my almonds or nuts, that way it holds more (use an egg wash to glue on the nuts before baking). YEAH NEIL! I'll definately have to give that recipe a try the next time I'm making petite fours. I'm excited, can't wait to taste that combo. Wish I could try papabeards version. It must be pretty good to form lines..........

OH yes............count me into the fan club for aebleskivers............love-em. Sliced bananas are my favorite filling, then strawberries. Do you like syrup on yours or not?

The last photo in the link you gave Suzy......the close up of the puff..........it looks fried to me. Not baked. But the photos in this thread looks baked. In fact, the photo in this thread could have a choux puff baked on a shortdough base as I mentioned. But probably not.. a taste test is needed. The custard filling the girl is stirring in Suzy's link is kind of weird, not exactly pastry cream. Looks like a very eggy pastry cream mix. And what's with the photo showing unbaked puffs? I thought they were all made in their main factory and shipped to the stores?

I was just reading the article about Papa Beards and ran across something that stumped me.........I'm hoping someone else might be familar with this. In the article, it says "It's a double crust incorporating a tradtional choux and a pie crust type dough.", Not just choux paste. Which also helps explain to me why these cream puffs are worth waiting hours in line to buy. I've never had a cream puff THAT exciting worth waiting. That's different!!! Yet..........strikingly familar, in that I make a breakfast pastry that seems pretty similar. My pastry is a shortbread/pie dough base pressed into a long rectangle. On top of that crust I put my raw choux paste and bake until light golden. The choux paste isn't like a cream puff as in you don't let it bake up into a puff........you underbake it so it remains soft in contrast to the shortbread base. I do several twists on that adding more flavor, fillings, toppings, etc... I think the original source for that recipe was Betty Crocker..........I'll look thru my book later and tell you the source. Soooooo when you eat these cream puffs we need more details on how they taste texture wise. How do they put the layer of shortbread in the puff (can you see it there lining the cream puff if you cut one in half)?.........you can't before baking, can you (what....dip the shortbread in the choux paste......... but shortbread isn't going to hollow out)? Is the choux paste on a base of pastry (somewhat like I described above)?

I've already got a huge smile on my face and many questions running thru my brain. I'm so delighted to see you blog and really mad at myself that I didn't know about your first time blogging. But you can bet I'll be reading the first one as well as this one! O.k. what "mall"......... and is there good food there? Are there any Canadian baked goods that you like making and might show us? Hey, what did you eat today? How do you start your day with food?

I bought a book that I'm sure is wonderful (even though I haven't made anything out of it, yet). It's called The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, written by Beatrice Ojakangas. It was originally published in 1988 in hardcover by Little, Brown and Company. I recently bought my addition at a local book store.........republished by The University Of Minnesota Press in 1999. I seem to think it was nominated for a Beard Award this year....... but I need to double check that. Anyway.........are you at all familar with Beatrice's work? I stumbled onto her baking recipes in some older books published by HB. Everything I made from her was terrific. I'm not totally certain at this moment, but didn't Julia Child have her on her tv show as a Great Chef? I'm thinking she was the author in Baking With Julia who gave us the blitz style danish dough recipe (of course she has an excellent regular version of dd too). Yep.....just checked my book. So if your really serious I think you'd love exploring that book! I know I want to. I've found her work to be very good tasting and that they've worked well for me in other published sources of her work.

Sarah you communicate beautifully! I try really hard as a host here to keep things open and accessable to all in this Forum. I don't want us to unconciencely have any forbiding type of "culture" here. We really are open to all and all levels! Communicating thru writing is REALLY hard and I'm not a very good writer. So I struggle.......... I don't bake at home, myself because I bake all day long at work. But I'm a child of a serious homebaker...........who turned professional with-out any schooling (nor do I have any culinary schooling). I admit to all that I do use cake mixes for some items at work. I do like some frostings with shortening in them too. I've always stood up for homebakers.......cause SKILL it has NOTHING to do with where one bakes and if they make a living from it. I read members posts here that amaze me............they know more about baking and cooking then ALOT (almost most) of professionals!!!! I've got many Pillsbury and Betty Crocker recipes and an extensive collection of recipes that I use daily that were developed for home baking. I can't say they're better then recipes I've gotten out of professionals book though. I get good and bad recipes from both sources. I sincerely hope that you don't feel like your defending yourself! Please, no. We/I are all about communicating and sharing opinions.............and totally against any kind of personal confrontations. These couple of posts are not about who's right or wrong...........no way........were just talking details...........like one talks details in recipes..........to learn. I'm delighted that your a member here Sarah and I hope that I've in no way offended you. If I have, please accept my sincere apology.

I'll ditto that experience. All water does bake crisper and shinier for me. Also ditto Lesleys remark about the puff being too thick......I missed that.

It might be a bit difficult to photograph well.......... seeing that your looking at a all white item. But I think the differences are very clear to see.........so hopefully Chiantiglace with have the photographic capiblities. If not, hey......... anyone can add post their photos too. It would be helpful to see photographs from members who have been struggling with this item too. Let us see your whipped cream at mutiple stages. In the bowl, on the item, what it looks like when it weeps and how long that takes. Last, I do need to add (and I've mentioned this several times here at eG) that the fat content in your heavy cream is crucial. I have had manufactured heavy cream that would NOT whip, period..........because the percentage of fat in it was too low. I suppose they shouldn't have labeled it heavy cream, but it was. That unwhipable cream came from the same manufactor that on the next (and previous) shipments of cream were all fine...........just a lower fat batch slipped thru.

Sarah and I approach baking from slightly different perspectives just as we have slightly different people that we talk about baking with. I'm not so much a follower of 'the rules' exactly kind of baker. BUT I do really believe that you should follow the rules very closely when your beginning to bake so you know which ones you can break or bend and which ones you can't. I do try to follow a recipe exactly the first time I make it........then the second time I make it I play alittle.......but compared to fine dinning culinary trends I'm definately in the dark ages when it comes to "playing". I forget what it's like to bake at home and probably do loose perspective of what it's like for home bakers in home ovens with limited equipment. I'm glad you reminded me Sarah. Home bakers shouldn't bend the rules until they are ready to, and I want them to know that the 'rules' are bendable, even breakable..............so get ready for it, expect it. Don't get confused because one recipe says this and another one says that. Their probably both right in different ways. Try each and learn from that, then find your own path. That's one of the things I hope to get across to people............that there's MANY ways to bake the same recipe! Rarely is one exclusively right or wrong. I've found over the years of daily baking that alot of rules can be broken and some of them never really made any sense in the first place (at least to me). I use a whisk to "fold in". I bake a recipe in any size pan, quantity or depth I want. I multiple endlessly. I freeze freshly baked cakes to add moisture. I don't mix my sugar with uncooked yolks ever. I don't bake my brulee's or cheesecakes in waterbaths anymore. I do lots of things that might seem to break the rules and here we are at The eGullet Society For Arts & Letters having a great discussion on that topic. We have lots of chefs and serious amatuer bakers saying some of the same things I'm saying. Coming up the with same results, teaching us new methods that create new results. So baking, is flexible, it grows and changes. Sooooo anyway theres just tons and tons of variables that effect baking (weather, method, temp. product, etc...). I really honestly hope with the same passion Sarah has, that I help others learn to bake and or perfect their skills. The core I'd like to get down to is helping people learn the science and art of baking intimately themselves so they understand what's happening at every stage of the game and how each variable interacts with the next...........so you can manipulate and master it yourself and not be enslaved to a recipe. I never want people to learn when an item is done baking by the measurement of time. I want people to know how to recognize when something is done for themselves. I want people to understand why you use the method you use so you can look at a list of ingredients and pretty much make the item with little to no instructions. The facts are that you can learn how to manipulate baking in ways that break rules and get exceptional results. Think about the Scott Wooley Clark recipe (in the best of chocolate cakes thread) that bakes at an unusually low temp. (what like 275F) that you cover 5 minutes after it's out of the oven and then put it hot into the freezer...............he breaks all the rules because he knows how to successfully. I bake in 4 confection ovens set at a multiple temp.s (because I share them with the hot side) and sometimes I have to put items into ovens that aren't at the ideal temp. ..........only to discover that the item baked better in the wrong temp. then the one suggested. Sometimes you just never know about something until you try it yourself. I don't believe that anything I've written in this discussion is "wishy washy". When I know better I go with it..........after all baking is a blend of science and art. I do try to mention all the variables I can think of (or type with-in the amount of time I have online) because I'm certain I'm not any smarter then you and that if I can write well enough you'll understand more of the variables too. I hope not to give you a headache.......instead just some more insight so you understand more.