Wendy DeBord

Can you paint me a mental picture of the wasabi sorbet on the ice, please? Since I did my centerpiece cakes I've really been thinking about my own serving pieces as part of my visual presentation. Was it a rustic or refined slab, what size and shape?

Theres one thing I want to highlight and perhaps as you read the pie thread it will pop out at you....the recipe you posted from foodtv told you to whip your eggs. That's wrong and will completely change the texture of your pie, as you experienced. The recipe doesn't look bad off the top of my head. But follow Brians instructions from that thread, you just mix the eggs-don't get them frothy. My families favorite Thanksgiving items have no gourmet undertones, but I'll suggest them anyway because their old fashioned mid-western good. I make a fresh strawberry jello on a pretzel crust (it's the only jello thing I'll eat) that's a favorite. Also I'd miss not having sweet potatoes with marshmellows. My hubby wouldn't attend if there wasn't corn for his mashed potatoes and gravy. Try as I have, nothing out sells pumpkin pie for this day. I wouldn't dream of not making it. And you have to make your own FRESH whipped cream-not out of a can.

I've gotten that expensive powder you mentioned Irwin. I keep wondering if there was a mistake in the what I got. It's beyond bland and doesn't have any scent compared to a fresh pod....or even an extract. I keep hoping that I'll find a use for it, but so far I haven't. I'm hoping someone might shed some light on this. In contrast I have used vanilla powder that's not just scrapping from the bean and I've liked that.

Zilla I would have done the same exact thing, but I would have jumped for it before the words were finished coming off the chefs lips. I have no harsh words for you WHAT SO EVER. I wish you great success!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many great PC's started exactly as you. I have concerns, jealousy, frustrations, worries but they have nothing to do with you as a person Zilla. Any possible anger/frustration I might have is toward your chef who undercut my profession which is something I'm always hurt by when it comes from an seasoned pro from a fine dining background.....and because from what I read earilier on this thread he is experienced and well thought of-yet his actions tell me he doesn't really take this seriously. And at Fatguy who keeps telling us PC's that our profession turns out horrible desserts as a average- ....because hey " in the end the restaurant is probably getting a more enthusiasit, conscientious, and useful pastry chef then it would have gotten by hiring an actual pastry graduate from one of the cooking schools". Can no one but a pastry chef understand how hurtful those words are? I'm enthusiasitic, conscientious, I didn't graduate from a cooking school. I have experience and probably know more about pastry then any of the candiates in your kitchen yet I wasn't offered the chance to even apply for the job. Why? My bet is your chef knows that I'll want more money then his candiates. He's also just told everyone in the kitchen dessert isn't important cause he isn't going to put his money into that position. That's re-installing a constant murmer that runs rampent thru even top culinary schools-dessert isn't nearly as important as the rest of the meal. It's a very quite murmer but it sets the tone for kitchens throughout the States and underminds pc's importance and sets back our industry. There is history in the culinary world, patterns of employment, dues some ask you to pay before you call yourself a chef. "Issues" that you won't read in a cookbook and plenty you won't get taught in culinary school either. Kitchens are full of politics, favoritism, sexism........we have the same issues all jobs have, plus some that other fields aren't as plagued by.

I'm guilty of being cheap about somethings (been places where it just wasn't optional to be cheap). And I honestly can't taste a difference between real and imitation in many baked goods.... with some HUGE EXCEPTIONS. Where I'll use imitation: strongly flavored baked goods like carrot cake, chocolate, cinnamon etc... Where I'll use real vanilla: butter cookies and butter cakes or plain sponge cakes, frosting etc... Where I'll only use vb paste or fresh beans: custards, anglaise, etc... when the item is eaten cold and often I'll ad my paste after the item is cooked. BUT I do think there's good and bad imitation vanillas out there just like there are good and bad tasting compounds. I trust anything Nelson Massey produces in the way of vanilla.

Wow, this thread has it's angles. Kate your frustration comes in loud and clear. Believe me I do understand, not understanding something. You got to push your emotions away and take a deep breath while re-focusing. You've been given some advice by some VERY very knowledgable people. Trust nature and understand that your elders may know what they are talking about. This whole thing is about your inability to draw a crepe with sauce?............wow! I hope when you get a moment to slow down you'll re-read the help offered and wake-up and understand how lucky you are to have been offered it.

I'm sorry to post this....and have nothing but well wishes for you Zilla (in all your pursuits). BUT Fat guy you got to be kidding? I can't recall now how many posts of yours where I've read about how lousy desserts are due to lousy pastry chefs and you do a 180. Gladly embrasing a person who, until 5 seconds ago wasn't even interested in pastry? I'm terrible confused!!! I've studied and worked hard to be a PC and I: A. Don't believe your a chef of any sorts imediately out of school. B. Feel a angered, that at a much cheaper rate- your chef has filled a job that requires a highly skilled and EXPERIENCED PC postions with anyone he could sucker into it....demeaning my profession completely. I'm sorry to bitch....but well that's life... and this is an issue we often talk about here in the pastry area. In fact it pisses me off that we (pastry chefs)take grief for the over all quality of pastry in every restaurant in America....and yet you want to condone chefs for dumping pc's in place of new grads!!!

Ditto on the 2 to 1. Valhrona is a damn good chocolate, no problem with it. (wish I had that good of a chocolate to work with). I think your splitting hairs Chocophile it far more likely to be a recipe or proceedure that's giving Popcorn trouble. A couple points I've learned (from some well known and very respected chefs): when melting the chocolate with the cream, after you've poured the cream in the bowl (you should only pour about 1/2 of your cream to start with) begin with a spatula in the center and stir the middle of the bowl. Then gradually bring in more of the bowls contents into your stirring area (hope that made sense?). This method really does make a nicer ganche, it's creamier and smoother like a professional chocolatiers work. For a completely different texture if you take melted chocolate and cold cream and whip them together you get the lightest truffle, full of air that dissapears in your mouth. You can also take your traditionally made ganche and whip it too.

Oh yeah, the process could be expanded upon (it's only a matter of time and work). Being able to create your own signature shapes is what interests me the most. Whether I use the mold for cold item molding or baking. Hopefully the link I've posted below will work. Can you explain how what your talking about would be similar or different then what's shown at this web site? http://www.kerekesequip.com/dept.asp?id=26 For instance, could you design the silicone so it's thinner, which I think would cut down the way silicone shields the heat. If the mold was very thin could it be pressed or inserted into something else that helped conduct the heat more intensely near the silicone(with out harming it)?....So your heat temp. would balance out on the whole surface of the baked good. Instead of the way if works now, the silicone blocks the heat. Pressed or inserted into a sheet pan full of something like: small ceramic beads or metal shavings (or course they'd have to be safe etc...). What baked goods would we reccomend for plunking into a hot mold? Popovers are "plunked" into a preheated mold. Perhaps items that bake quickly or are thin like cookies or madelienes. Typical items I'm familar with using in silicone molds are items that I need to shield from heat like baked custards and cheesecakes. Have you contacted someone like Rose Levy B.who's very into the science of baking to see if she has an interest in developing recipes suitable for silicone?

I had no idea that you could make your own mold to bake in, that's amazing! Does this involve a different type of silicone then the two you've previously mentioned for edible work? Wow I think the applications of making your own molds to bake in would be much farther spreading then molds made for sugar or chocolate work. Since there's more people baking then doing show pieces. Typically silicone molds aren't great for baking because of how they don't transmit heat as well as metal. Is there anyway we can make silicone molds more baking freindly? With all your contacts into the culinary world you must have a few really skilled chefs out there experimenting with this, if so can you share any info. you've learned thru them? As far as what we would use this for...I think the possiblities are endless. It would let us bake items that fit a theme, like individual sized turkey or bunny cakes or things like rollerskates or computors. If I wanted madeleines or rolls for a "shore dinner" I could shape them like lobsters or crabs. It could save us time especially when it comes to individually portioned desserts. Also I would like to make molds that fit the size I want and need instead of having to compromise with whats available. Please tell us more?

Your not alone Ian, I admit I'm bad at accepting compliments on any topic. I'm not trying to milk the subject or insult the person complimenting me....not at all! I just have a horrible habit of saying exactly what comes into my mind with-out filtering it and I'm certain nothing I do is that good. Compliments always make me feel aueward and aueward = babble. My hubby straightened me out and taught me to just say thank-you and accept kind words. It actually feels better accepting them then deminishing them.

Whew.......first I have to tell you that I meant no harm or personal insult to the work of S. Canonne. I'm nothing, I have the abilities of a child compared to him. I attempted to make a point, and failed. I look to these national and international chef/competitors as the most elite heros of our profession. Perhaps I've gone over the edge of idolizing these competitions, because I never saw their work as something that could be compared to ice skating....and I find that comparision to be a let down. "the history of pastry competition is very young" "It has come a long way ....and it will continue to move quickly" That's part of what I've tried to say. Whats being done and written about in current pastry work is to me, mind blowing, very advanced thought provoking work. I was just trying to say (and I still think this) that the centerpieces aren't on that same level-yet. Perhaps that's because of the judging or the rules, but I know that people that can think so intelligently and creatively can indeed produce a visual product to match. I'd hate to see preconcieved thoughts of what showpieces should be, limit what they can be in such creative pastry chefs. I believe in technical perfection being very important but if it out weighs artistry and creativity in Show Pieces I simply refuse to understand and go along with it. Especially now that mold making can be learned and practiced by everyone (I didn't say it was easy) and minds are open to stepping away from preconcieved notions of what dessert should be....I think the time is ripe for the artistry of show pieces to grow in importance. Wow........I really do stand alone...............?

Yes, I don't seem to understand that nightscotsman (seriously). Aren't they supposed to be showpieces like we would use as a centerpiece to our sweet tables?...an attraction? Otherwise why have a theme? Technical perfection can only be judged if everyone is reproducing the same thing, no? And judging the level of difficulty only screams to me that molds shouldn't be used at all, unless it's made during the alloted time by the chefs on the team with-out outside interference or imput. How about level of difficulty with the pastrys? How come their judged on a more intellectual level then "difficulty"? So I'm just confused. As to scoring the Spanish, I'd elminate them for not keeping within the rules, they didn't execute the theme. The way the judging is going it's narrowed down technically challenging to tall and fragile. I just don't see technically challenging as synonymous with fragile....ah the thrill, if the piece will make it to the judging platform/table. Craftmanship and skill require real world applications and the ability to move an object without breaking it....otherwise your creating a museum show piece and limit creativity, no?

I realize I probably haven't spent enough serious time thinking about my response tonight, but then I'm known for speaking and writing with my heart and not my mind. I'm a former artist...or I should write a former 2D artist vs what I do now which is more then being a 3D artist because it involves taste and smell. As a 2D artist I attended art school (in Chi town, too) at The American Academy of Art. (I mention that because I know your familar with others that attended there (in your posted links I came across links to the Palate and Chisel where several former classmates of mine now teach)). The Academy was really entrenched in realism (I'm not sure if that's changed) when I attended......and just like every student there I learned how to do representational work since that's what we were graded upon more then artistic merit or thought. When I entered the world away from school I quickly learned there was alot more to art then copying what I could see. And there was alot more to art behind the scenes then I ever could have believed. From what I gather, culinary competitions are very similar in politics, etc... I suppose I'm reading too much into it, but I see the level of artistic skill in pastry competitions as being just as narrow minded as my education was at the Academy. Like you mentioned, everyone is looking for the magic technique no one else has discovered that I think the 'art' in the competitions has been neglected....and that others are confused by the ability to copy realism in the edible medium as art. Hense forth my delight in Spains centerpieces! Not having any background on their intentions I do HOPE that I haven't misread their stance. I see their move to go with the work they did, as shattering (or I hope it will be) the illusions. I fear that it got more laughs instead of any serious thoughts on the subject. But I know in a few peoples minds- the wheels are turning ....I can't wait to see what happens. Personally, back to what I tried to explain earilier I think that the level of art in culinary competitions is still in the baroque era. Where as the culinary aspects of these food competitions are closer to todays modern art. These pastry chefs are challenging everything, read Michael L.'s post on his upcoming event at Trio, he's taking culinary into another realm. Yes, I'm glad that there are people like you teaching chefs....but I'm worried about it too. It takes away my advantage of being able to create my own molds with art skills unique to me as a person and shares them with people who can't make the mold, they only fill it. PA & D had a photo of S. Canniones' (hope I spelled that correct) sugar piece for his MOF competition (which they mention you). Tell me how he's doing more then filling the mold? If I was Edwald Notter, I'd be chafed. Pastry Chefs sharing recipes is different. The same recipe in two peoples hands turns out different results, because there's a chemical element to it. The same mold in two peoples hands turns out different results too-but can todays culinary judges see the differences? I know they can taste the difference but I don't think they see it, yet.

I hope the lack of posts on this thread won't detour you from posting your thoughts. I'm very interested in your opinions! Is a mold like a recipe- something that varies depending upon the person using it? Doesn't it make a bigger difference if it's in the hands of someone highly competent? Thank-you for your links, I found them very helpful! Your book is definately on my list of MUST BUY books!

I had a couple items from Gerhards Bakery in lake Forest this past week that were excellent. Keylime tart- in a spicy crust (definately cinnamon but not sure if there were others). Fruit tart-using a puff pastry base- it was very light and just the perfect balance of the natural sweetness from the berries to pastry cream and whip cream. Chocolate tart- chocolate mousse disk with groite cherries sitting on a fuietine ganjua base, thin topping of ganche and unsweetened whip cream Black and White tart- white chocolate mousse set in a molded chocolate tart shell (Purchased and stale unforunately) layer of sponge cake soaked with coffee, topped with a light chocolate mousse. I really liked the fact that he doesn't sweeten his whipped cream- it plays a perfect balance against the sweet pastry. The sales clerk was just a bit too freindly and for each description/question (since they don't label items) she'd step around to the front to view the pastries. She also bragged about his macaroons- yet there weren't any available for sale. She went to great lenghts to tell me how he has people on a calling list waiting for theses. Which didn't make any sense to me........I'd have them on hand all the time if there was such a huge demand for them. All and all it was worth the $21.00 for 4 individually sized (yet petite) pastries.

Oh my GOD are you kidding.........I'm thrilled your visiting!!! I'm an absolute beginner having never made a silicone mold before. Although I have seen "kits" you can purchase where you mix the two parts together and press your item into it. I have many really basic questions, I hope you don't mind me asking? 1. Can I use a silicone mold for either hot sugar or chocolate? 2. Isomalt is hotter then regular sugar when melted, does it require a mold of different materials? 3. Price- can you reccomend a place to purchase the ingredients for molds that's more affordable then what's sold thru food sources? What are your feeling about using molds in competitions (art or food competitions)? You must have some mixed thoughts being a teacher of the medium and an artist who'd rather not see someone win an artisitic competition based on work they couldn't produce on their own. Thank-you

Some people inject ganache to their molten cakes for insurance and extra ooze. I don't see why you couldn't do the same thing. So long as you turn that site down on the plate, who's to know.

I think you get what you pay for in a cake decorating airbrush. The finer the mist, the less it clogs, the easier it is to refill- all makes your job easier. There's nothing worse then ruining something because your color leaked or your spray spattered. Unscrewing jars to load color is a hassle, so look for ones that have cups instead. Airmaster is a brand I've used and liked. As for other applications: (I learned this thru a demo from Norman Love, (he's terrific) and I use the info. as often as possible) Buy a cheap airbrush for spraying chocolate. Don't confuse this with a wagner air gun that you'd use to coat an item. I own a couple bottom of the line badger brushes (about $20.00). What you want to buy is an air brush where the "paint/ chocolate" doesn't feed thru the nozzle of the brush. If it did, your chocolate would harden up quickly and you'd constantly be cloged. The cheap types feed the liquid thru a tube and the air hits the chocolate propelling it forward. You won't get a really fine mist this way, but it's not bad. If you look up Normans chocolate company you'll see how he sprays a colored coating on the inside of his chocolates and you can notice the way the spray hits (not as fine as a airmaster) with a more ganular look. If you use canned air with chocolate colors it will freeze up your chocolate in a minute. Instead hook it up to a regular compressor. As to applications, there's ALOT you can do. I spray the tops of my mini pastries with the colored chocolates (after I cut them). You can use large sheets with patterns or small metal stencils and spray each pastry individually. I spray the tops of whole tortes too with patterns and color. Chefete did an incredible portrate of Marilyn Monroe using a stencil. I'm not sure if she air brushed it but I have to tell her it's given me alot of inspiration! You can also make your own chocolate transfer sheets by spraying color onto actetate. Your can use multiple colors and make custom transfer sheets pretty easily cutting your own stencils. There's many possible applications with airbrushes it's auesome. Just use the right medium to the right product.

Jeez-so much to learn. Thanks for the explaination.

Oh god....more of my ignorance is leaking out. But I'm here to learn so I must ask to understand. So I'm sorry to ask but what is the Conticini style? And, what's Blumenthals approach? P.S. I understand the different approaches you can take with molten cakes (I've made MANY and used many recipes)....I just don't know what name matches what type. thank-you.

Well then, I'm very glad for Chef Torres influence. I'd like to see it expanded. Unforunately as a viewer I can't taste. One day I'd like to see their recipes written and submitted. And if that wasn't crazy- I also wish they'd announce the theme no more then 12 hours before the competition....or maybe not until the time clock begins. I'm not sure I have the verbal skills to express this thought but....I'll give it a try....I think that knowing a theme in advance dulls the creative process. The only way I can describe it is: knowing in advance creates great technical art because you can prepare for that. But great art is when technical skills meet expression. One time I attempted to ask about show piece design with J. Pfeiffer. I asked him about the styling of show pieces and why there isn't more variety of design and why is the work always representational/realistic. He looked at me like I was crazy (which I suppose I am for asking such a question). His brief answer was that they look for height (yes) and difficulty in regard to lightness of design. But coming from an art background I have to say none of that really makes sense to me....and of course his reply was only scratching the surface due to what a complicated question that is to answer. BUT seriously I'm glad that Spain rocked the boat with their design (was that this year, I forget) was it a slap? Was it a statement with no regard to judging as if to say who are you to judge my art? What is art? Do the competitors see that and questions what their doing? P.S. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm really curious and don't quite honestly understand why every piece is a surpentine design with "stuff" attached to it.

I got my issue of PA & D..............something bothers me-so I'm wondering if it crossed anyone elses mind- The article shows sugar pieces from Sebastien Canonne's MOF entry. They are brilliant sugar pieces, but I'm bothered by his use of molds. Granted I don't have a clue about rules etc...for these types of competitions and I'm certain Mr. Canonne is a briliant pastry chef able to create with-out use of molds wonderful work, but I feel that the use of molds I saw was far too liberal of an application. Yes, if everyone is free to use molds that levels the playground- but I believe that makes pc's more technications then artists. The guy with the best toys wins. Tell me I'm wrong please?

Ah.....somewhere you got tangled up in too many definations of couverture which led you to think it's hard to find. Most chocolate is couverture-it's everywhere. It's chocolate that is made with cocoa butter vs chocolate made with other oils or fats.

This is very interesting and I greatly enjoyed reading the other threads you linked into this conversation. Ingredient choices: curry paste fresh ginger root saffron cucumber This adventure seems like a jazz rift and something you can't really plan. I lean toward a harmony of sorts.