Challenging items

[lennyk]

Are there any other pastry/cooking items which carry the same kind of challenge/failure rate like macarons ?

I spent a lot of time and efforts on getting macarons right,

and believe it or not I am interested to find other similar things to make.

L

[Tri2Cook]

Buttermilk biscuits.

Ok, I'm being a bit silly but those things are more of a knack than a technique... you have the feel for it or you don't and no cookbook is going to change that. If you think yours are good, go find some grandmother in a little house way out in the country and try hers. If yours are still good, you've got it.

[gfron1]

Not nearly as bad, but a perfect madeleine is a rare find.

[prasantrin]

Canelle? Or is it Cannelle? I don't know if the dough, itself, is difficult to make, but I don't remember ever seeing a good homemade one.

OK, I lied. FoodMan, Patrick S, and Pille's partner made some really beautiful ones at home, and you can see them over in this topic. Paula Wolfert has some pretty ones, too, but I didn't really read carefully enough to determine if they were homemade or not. But I still think they're difficult to perfect with the first try.

According to those in the know, it's "canele" (with an accent aigu on the final e).

Edited September 16, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Sethro]

Breadsticks...

[chefpeon]

Breadsticks?

Reminds me.....when I was on the breakfast line, we had a lot of trouble making toast (every time we pushed the toaster unit down, it was enough to blow the breaker).

Seriously though.....perfect pate choux can be tricky......even after 18 years I still know how to make a crappy batch of them.....but they're mostly good most of the time. Knowing exactly how many eggs to add is always the challenge!!!

[ejw50]

puff pastry for me.

[jfield]

As almost all the examples indictate, and as Tri2Cook said, the hardest things to make aren't the ones with tons of exotic ingredients. It's the items with short ingredient lists that rely on the baker's technique to achieve perfect results that are the real kickers.

I submit for your approval--a perfectly flaky pate brisee. There are 4 ingredients: flour, butter, salt and ice water. I spent more than a few sessions trying to get it right. I even watched others do it, and ended up with overly wet dough that toughened and shrank upon baking. I've finally gotten it down, and it all comes down to "feel."

A recipe can't teach "feel," you've got to find that for yourself!

[oli]

As almost all the examples indictate, and as Tri2Cook said, the hardest things to make aren't the ones with tons of exotic ingredients. It's the items with short ingredient lists that rely on the baker's technique to achieve perfect results that are the real kickers.

Exactly, a simple recipe and not a lot of ingredients, angel food cake, I can't get the height that you find at the bakery stores

[petite tête de chou]

Definitely cannelés.

[Lindacakes]

I know how you feel. I did this with pie crust. My mother made wonderful pie crust. Fabulous. And she used lard. And I tried and tried to replicate, to no avail. I took a class with Carole Walter. At lunch, I told her what I was trying to do. She took me under her wing, she helped me, and at the end of class she put her hand on my arm and she said, "Linda, I want you to go home and make five more pies this week." I did. And I got it. It's one of the major accomplishments of my life. My pie crust is better than my mother's.

My next holy grail: Napoleons. Why? Because I like them. And they all stink.

Same as with the pie. All I wanted was a decent slice of pie, unavailable anywhere.

[chefpeon]

My next holy grail: Napoleons. Why? Because I like them. And they all stink.

You need help with Napoleons? I can do them in my sleep.

It's sort of like with the pie crust......if you do it a lot it becomes a no-brainer.

[pastrygirl]

You want a challenge? Move to 7000 feet and try to make meringue. One of the chefs just told me he wanted coconut madelines. I haven't tried madelines at sea level, might as well dive into them up here. No problem

[chefpeon]

You want a challenge?  Move to 7000 feet and try to make meringue.  One of the chefs just told me he wanted coconut madelines.  I haven't tried madelines at sea level, might as well dive into them up here.  No problem 

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How does altitude affect meringue? One would think that if the air pressure is lower up there, that meringue would whip up beautifully......what happens?

[pastrygirl]

How does altitude affect meringue? One would think that if the air pressure is lower up there, that meringue would whip up beautifully......what happens?

←

You have to be really careful with it and go kind of soft, otherwise the bubbles pop before the structure sets and they collapse. I was really happy with the french macaroons I was making in Seattle, but I've tried about three times up here, and all complete disasters. I also can't seem to make pate choux to my satisfaction. Bread, on the other hand, loves it.