Wendy DeBord

Heres a few sites that are interesting. http://www.wilton.com Http://www.americancakedecorating.com http://www.earlenescakes.com Http://www.ladycakes.com http://www.nicholaslodge.com http://www.mailbox-news.com http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45889 When it comes to cake deorators sites you can look through these forever, theres so many. You can follow these peoples links to other similar decorators too. I have to run right now, but I'll post some decorators sites tommarrow for you.

Gosh I'm not at all critisizing this event, I hope others don't take it that way. No, I'm just trying to talk about one specific issue that I think should be regulated, thats all I've posted on. I have not posted one negative thing about this event, because I think it's a really cool event. It's not about argueing for the sake of argueing. I've tried to make my point yes, guilty. But in doing so I'm seriously trying to understand what people that oppose this point really think, specificly how you would regulate this or why specificly you don't think it needs regulating. To me it's not logical that this issue not be regulated unless you don't think this is an important world event in our profession. In order for things to grow discussions take place. This is one of the rare places where many professionals meet and can discuss topics relivant to our profession. We do have influence when we work together, just bringing up issues that the 'people in charge' will see is helpful to them too. Micheal S. might not always like everything written here, but I believe he comes here to communicate too. This is a great forum for conversation in real time. It's not about bashing at all!! Hopefully we all take the good and the bad and learn from it.

I agree on finding thick professional style pans verses the less expensive thin ones many stores sell (actually the professional ones aren't very expensive either). I inherited a couple of thin pans from my husbands family, I double them up when I use those......

This is how I make sorbets. You don't need an ice cream maker for sorbet. You got alot of great information, have you been able to resolve this Gul_Dekar? P.S. Welcome to the pastry and baking forum here at egullet!

Welcome to Egullet Momlovestocook! You don't need to buy a pan specifif labeled a double boiler to double boil. All double boiling is, is placing a bowl (stainless steel is best) over a pot of simmering water. They don't have to match at all. I second the mention of using ganche. Its something 'different' (you can learn how to use it both hot and cold) and totally wonderful to eat. You mentioned you have RBL's baking book.........boy, she's got tons of frosting recipes that I'd suggest you try before you try Wiltons buttercream frosting. I've made the Wilton buttercream (years ago) and it's really not the best of that style. I've seen many people rave over RBL's mousseline buttercream.

Welcome Sweet Caroline, have your been here for a while? Right this second off the top of my head I'm drawing a blank on how we can do this. Let me talk to Neil and Steve and see if they have any ideas on this topic. Typically we talk informally about any topic your interested in. In the mean time, do you have any questions, issues or topics that your specificly interested in learning about or improving with your decorating? I can tell your that I've spent hours probably weeks (and still do) seeking out cake decorators sites online. I love viewing others work and find it very inspirational and educational. I learn alot by copying and suggest you try that too. Have you spent any time doing similar and becoming familar with who's who of the cake decorating world? Most of the top individuals have web sites, some teach classes, some sell specialty equipment that would be helpful. I also just got a subscription to a new decorating magazine Kerry Vincent is editing. Theres also Mailbox News, Wilton year books and American Cake Decorating magazines. They all include instruction as well as photos. I've heard of using things other then frosting to practice with but I honestly think it's best to use frosting. You can use the same frosting over and over, piping it on hard surfaces instead of actually baking cakes. As mentioned previously, just scrape it back up and reuse.

I just wanted to bump this thread up and see if anyone can help you.

Man, I can't seem to express myself clearly......please be patient. Let me try again, please. I agree with both of you, your right. Rules change, life isn't fair.........I agree to all of that. Pretend your Micheal S. and your in control to make the rules. Don't you think having rules that apply to everyone all of the time and sticking to them, makes your event more crediable? Are you saying the whole system is corrupt and there isn't any reason to make rules and hold every country and competitior to the same exact standards? I do understand they're doing these border crossing tactics in sports, I also think it's wrong to do in those arenas too. WHEN we are representing countries competing internationally citizenship should be relavent, in my opinion. When its just an exhibition, who cares....I agree with you there. I'm trying to say we should keep things from being corrupt..........teams representing a nation should not be allowed to buy in players. Prevent people from using these international events to their own personal advantage by having rules everyone must adhear to. Have set standards. It seems like you guys have just given up......thats the way it is, oh well, no? Neither of you had a specific answer to my question about how long or how much money or taxes do you have to pay, to be considered a representitive of a country. Even if you think the event is dumb, still would you take a moment and tell me/us what the rules 'should be' if things were fair, if you had to write the rules?

I had gotten away from baking cookies the last several years of my career. My current job has me making them again. I recently bought Carol Walters cookie book and can highly reccomend it. It's at work, I'll take a look today and see if she has anything similar for you.

Good ending Rachel, mentioning the diet coke ..........you made me chuckle!!!!!!!!!! Honesty like that is so ------- good!

To tell you the truth I always trip on this issue..........'yellow' cake. I've been searching my whole life for the perfect 'yellow' cake and I can't find it. You have butter cakes, pound cakes, chiffon cakes, etc...........but when you open a baking book it's darn rare to find one labeled 'yellow'. In fact I've only found one or two over the years labeled 'yellow'. One is from Martha Stewart. I baked it...ah it's o.k. but nothing worth repeating. I have brides ask me for yellow cakes and I have to go thru that long winded explaination and lead them toward a butter cake with the explaination that it won't be light and fluffy like a 'yellow' cake mix. If they want a fluffy yellow cake, I do make a cake mix cake for them........ I know........but I it's my job to please the people paying me. I've baked my fair share of other cakes looking for one I can label 'yellow'. My favorite butter cake recipe is from "The Bakers Dozen" cookbook. I also really like chiffon cakes but I'm not comfortable using them in wedding cakes. We've needed to explore this topic, in fact it should be a "search for the best of thread" topic. Anyone want to explore this further?

First, welcome Ladyyou98! I don't make decisions on what classes egullet provides but sometimes I'm asked what my opinion is. I'd probably not vote for a beginning cake decorating class here. I think a hands on personal class would be far better then an online class to learn the basics of decorating. Although I do see possiblities for classes on advanced decorating work...........when your more advanced- learning becomes more about knowledge then being shown something hands on........and I think that can be more easily conveyed thru internet classes then beginning work. BUT I'm always open to other peoples thoughts and if there was alot of interest in a beginning class I think that egullet might consider it. I'll give you my personal take on learning cake decorating in the meantime. I'm self-taught and I think it's very possible to teach yourself. BUT you need to buy good books and practice. Really, learning cake decorating is all about practice and not so much about classes. I think many people will reccomend taking classes in person from a skilled decorator will be the fastest route to learning. Teaching yourself thru books and or the internet will be a slower route then having someone sitting right by you that can instantly correct you as you learn. Hand and arm position are important issues when you begin and watching someone work is the best way to help and correct someone. We have several really really talented decorators that particapate here at egullet! Feel free to ask them any questions or about any advice.

Welcome to egullet Ichigo! Lorea made some great suggestions. I agree with her take on it being your oven, that it's still too hot. That's pretty much the only answer for what your describing: burned edges and bottoms before the center is done. You can decrease the size of the batch your making but it could lead to problems because you don't have enough ingredients in your bowl to mix them correctly. For instance, many recipes have you cream your butter with your sugar until light. But if you only have a very small amount of butter most of it will get stuck in your paddle and there won't be enough in the bowl to get hit by the paddle to make it light/incorporate air. I'd suggest you make a full batch and then freeze 1/2 of it. Cookie doughs typically freeze very well both raw (scooped into balls) or baked. But it's unlikely that decreasing your recipe is whats causing your bottoms to burn. It could effect your cookies rise, but the burning issue is too hot of an oven. In addition to Loreas suggestions are you placing your baking sheet in the middle of your oven? Some ovens don't distribute their heat well and too much heat comes from the bottom heat source. So place your pans higher up in the oven.....even the top shelf.

I was just going to ask if someone could post a photo of these cookies because I'm not familar with them. Thanks for posting one adegiulio. I feel cheated, in the mid-west where I live we don't even have black and white cookies yet alone an assortment of Chinese cookies in our deli's. They look like traditional chinese almond cookies I'm familar with.......it's just adding the chocolate that's different. Ganche would be good but if won't wrap in plastic with-out smearing. Chances are they're using a chocolate frosting that comes in buckets, is my guess. I'm not so sure about the walnuts in that recipe Ruthcooks............ it seems out of place to me. I agree with the granulated sugar and the shortening as your fat....but I think it needs more yolk for color, add almond extract and loose the walnuts............

Cool, great work Mktye. I'm having a hard time desiding which one looks best all around. I would have guessed that the smell test and the panna cotta would score in the same range and the baked items would score similarily close too. It happened with the baked goods from the Penzys' both ranking #1 and the scent and panna cotta results for the lower scored items were each close. So it seems that whats best for baking isn't the best for nonbaked goods, right? Did you see any number of people score similarily........any patterns........all it would take is one person to desend and that would throw off the results, no? I can see why companies hire professional tasters.

Hum............interesting stuff Mktye. Just checking: Did one person do all the work making huge batches then breaking them down into portions and adding the different vanilla's into the same batch through out each tasting? You can't make seperate batches and then compare or worse yet have multiple people making batches that were tested. To some extent I think you have to mention who your judges were and how fresh your vanilla products were (so no one used something that was sitting in their cabinets for a long time). Another thing is you only tested one brand of imitation. Shouldn't it have been more of a 50/50 mix? I think it's sort of not fair to only test one manufacture of imitation against all the big name real vanilla choices. Also was this a blind taste test where no one could detect what product was in which bottle or item?

Welcome Gemini and chef Akwa. Gemini, good opportunities don't wait. Get your foot in the door when they need help and hope to still be there when your internship comes up in the fall.

BettyK, you can also add the cornstarch to the juices dirrectly in your pot to thicken them. That's what it's doing inside the pie, but in the pot you can see that it's enough cornstarch and adjust if needed. You can do a similar method with every fruit; thicken it's juices then add fruit, chill, fill pie shell and bake. Don't put a hot liquid into your raw shell or it won't bake properly. 425 is dangerously close to too hot of an oven. I'd go with 400f myself. As it gets close to finishing baking you'll need to cover the whole top of the crust while the bottom crust finishes. It typically takes another 20 minutes covered still baking before my bottom crust is done and I'm protecting the whole top of the pie not just the edges from getting too brown.

It's important ro re-read Brians post. This is dead on right and important! All these factors he pointed out make a difference. I'll restate them and explain why....to the best of my knowledge. 1. Warm chocolate. Don't use too hot or too close to room temp. chocolate-either will make incorporating your whites harder (even though it can be done if your familar with mousse making). Slightly warm chocolate takes in the whipped whites (which are acting like a liquid to your moisture sensitive chocolate) easiest. 2. Fold your whites into your chocolate first. Typically this will take a little more force and the words "fold in" are really sort of wrong. I use a whisk to fold and I rather agressively fold in my whites. At first the chocolate resists accepting the moist whites...........and if you don't add enough whites it will sieze up on you just like adding water. If you add enough liquid it won't sieze your chocolate. So if your cautious and don't add enough whites during this first incorporation your chocolate will sieze up. Then you'll really need to put in alot of force to incorporate your whites. If you don't that's what leaves bits of chocolate behind like you got Celenes. It's bits of chocolate that didn't get incorporated, they seized up on you. 3. Adding your whipped cream. Like Bri mentioned they'll make a nice mousse if their not whipped too stiff. They should be solid, yet soft. When the cold whipped cream hits your partically done mousse it firms up your chocolate almost instantly. If you have too much volume (alot of whipped cream) it's harder to fold in fast enough that you don't leave strecks behind. Thats why Brian does this in two additions. I typically do it in one addition but that makes me use more force then Brians method....which could make a flatter (more deflated mousse). But because I use a whisk in my folding-it doesn't deflate the mousse. I hope this all made sense and helped clarify the specifics that might trip someone up until they're a master at mousse making. The brand of chocolate shouldn't make too big of a difference in it's ability to become a mousse. BUT the exception is using chocolate chips-don't, they don't melt easily and are much harder to make mousse with. HTH?

I'm certainly not an expert on this topic but I'll venture to give my thoughts on this. Hopefully other people here will chime in with their knowledge. First your never going to get everyone to agree on whats best. We'll all give our opinions but you need to actually explore and come to your own conclusions if your serious. Because of the pricing on vanilla I am forced to be conservative in my uses and purchases at work. For everyday baked goods like cakes, fruit breads, I use imitation vanilla thats X3 strength and I use it just like reg. vanilla ounce per ounce (I don't use less). I don't believe anyone can detect a taste difference between real vanilla and imitation vanilla in 99.9% of baked (oven baked) items. I'm leaving that .o1% just to be open minded but I can't think of an exception. Alot of people will probably not want to agree with me on this issue but I respectfully desend, I don't believe you can taste the differences to warrent the extra expense and hassle of obtaining certain origin specific vanilla's. For items that aren't baked-thats where you will really notice the difference in your vanilla choice. Using fresh vanilla beans is always my top pick, but I don't get them at work (too expensive). I use Nielsen Massey's vanilla bean paste in all my mousses, bavarians, custards, etc.... I think this paste is fabulous and not too far away from a real bean flavor. I'm not up on the Mexican vanilla's I've read things about them not even containing real vanillian. I personally avoid these completely. So I always stock two vanilla's, vanilla bean paste and imitation liquid vanilla. If given a choice (and I do for home use) I'd alway buy Nielsen Massey's brand over any other, I think they really have a great product. http://www.nielsen-massey.com

Yes, I've used other thickeners, still do. Pros and cons: Flour: works great it leaves your juice binder whitish instead of clear. Just a matter of preference. I like flour used in my apple and blueberry pies. Tapioca: works great too. You have to let it soften in before baking or the beads remain hard little beads. Just a matter of preference. Theres other thickeners too. Most work fine, some cost more then others, some are easier to work with then others, etc... It's really all about personal preference. Is there anything specific your interested in amccomb?

I agree completely with you Confiseur when it comes to who represents a country. I don't want to argue and keep going around in circles on this issue.......... because I've written enough on this topic, honestly I don't understand why everyone doesn't agree. I have to ask to Duckduck and Tan or any others who disagree..........how many pay checks or taxes do you have to pay to a country to become offically one of them enough to represent them in a world event? Two pay checks, two years of paying taxes? Seriously, how much? Do you have to live in a country for 3 weeks, 3 years, 3 days.......is it when you wake up one day and say "I like it here, I want to live here." ? There has to be some sort of standard or competitions become meaningless if people can cross borders and countries in minutes. And yes, I'd be happy to tell these nice talented people they have to follow the rules. They have to follow the rules once they particapate. I believe the only logical standard is citizenship. Thats something that all countries acknowledge and can follow with-out alot of fuss.

You definately don't want to bake this in water. Even well wrapped in foil it's common for water to find it's way in. A couple things. Sometimes it's the recipe and perhaps your recipe was off (sorry I haven't looked at your link yet) making it seem dry or dense. You really can't follow times written, your better to know what your looking for as a signal that it's done. For cheesecakes a slight knocking of the pan to see if the center is fairly set or still very jiggilly (thats underdone) is how most of us judge. Cheesecakes are like custards and continue to cook after they are out of the oven until they start loosing their internal heat. So we are better to under bake a little then over bake. Wet cheescake batter is shiney, as it bakes it becomes dull. Look across the surface of your cake is it all mat or is the center still shiney? Typcially a cheesecake does rise a little in the pan. If your observant and lucky you'll catch that signal. When you see that it's risen, it's done. If you take it much past that risen point it will start to crack. Sometimes it's develops hairline cracks around the outter edges while still in the oven. It's over done, or in too hot of an oven. To increase your odds of making a good cheesecake put a pan of boiling hot water on the bottom of your oven to create a humid enviroment. Place it (the cake) in the bottom 1/3 of your oven. Also never bake a cheesecake filling in an oven hotter then 325, no matter what a recipe tells you. It's a custard and your better off baking it at a low temp. for a long time then a hot temp. in a shorter time. HTH

As I've written many times, making fruit pies isn't easy. Because so much depends upon your fruit quality and it's moisture level no recipe can give you perfect results all the time. Making pies becomes something you learn how to do well from experience.......that includes alot of failures along the way. The most unpredictable problem is how moist your fruit is, so you add enough thickener so the juices set and don't remain liquid once cooled. I don't have an exact recipe I use, I'm sorry I know that might be confusing. But I think you should be able to follow me anyway. This isn't as exact as most baking, since your not leavening anything. I'd peel about 6 cups of peaches for a 9" pie. I put my peaches in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl I combine aprox. 1 1/2 cups of sugar depending upon how sweet the fruit is. Where I live I never see sweet ripe peaches so 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar is very generous. If your peaches are very sweet go with about 3/4 c. sugar. You mix your starch/thickener into your sugar. Assuming your peaches are juicy I use about 1/2 c. of cornstarch. I add melted butter and a splash of lemon juice to my bowl of peaches. About 6 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. lemon. I also add a little almond extract or vanilla extract in my peach pies, you could use either one or both, aprox. 1 tbsp. total. Mix this up in your peaches. Then roll out your pie crusts both the top and bottom. Set the top aside while you finish mixing. To finish I lastly add my sugar and cornstarch to my peach. This makes them extrude alot of their moisture quickly. I want as much moisture as possible to remain in my peaches, but not wind up with a wet crust because that won't bake properly. So after I have my pie filling all mixed and ready to go into the pie shell, I drain off the excess juice in the bottom of my bowl, put my peach mixture into the shell, adhear the top crust, cut vents and freeze. Once solidly frozen I bake aprox. 1 hour until I see the bottom of my crust is done and thru my vent hole I can see the center has come to a boil and thickened. I hope this was helpful. Please feel free to ask any further questions.........and welcome!

To the best of my knowledge tartufo is a semi frozen dessert. The liquid center you encountered was something that that particular pastry chef created in their personal version of lemon tartufo. Finding a recipe for exactly what you ate........might be impossible, unless that chef has shared it. Where did you taste this and do you recall the pastry chefs name? Perhaps someone here will be familar with this and help you find that chefs recipe.