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"The Secrets of Baking" by Sherry Yard


bloviatrix

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I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Thanks for the clarification, rjwong.

Now I'm really curious: has anyone tried the chocolate souffle with the potato flour? For those who don't have the book in front of you, Yard adds 2tb of potato flour to a souffle containing 4 oz chocolate, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3 yolks and 8 whites. She also uses a tiny amount of cream of tartar to stabilize.

Edited by yslee (log)
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For those of you not familiar with the book, Yard's concept is that desserts can be broken down into assorted components. By knowing the master recipes and variations, you can then combine them to create your own stunning desserts.

The concept is correct.

I met her at Sur La Table when she was teaching some recipes from her book. I tend to recommend books that actually try to teach cooking and I think her book does that.

I can be reached via email chefzadi AT gmail DOT com

Dean of Culinary Arts

Ecole de Cuisine: Culinary School Los Angeles

http://ecolecuisine.com

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I didn't like the blackberry-lime curd at all.

I was disappointed with the blackberry-lime curd as well. I ended up turning it into ice cream since I didn't want to toss it. Somehow, that it made it slightly more palatable, but still had an odd bitterness.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

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  • 9 months later...
I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

I'm also interested in anyone's additional comments with another year gone by. I have the book out of the library and am looking ti over trying to decide whether to buy it or not.

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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I had borrowed this book from Extramsg who ordered it by mistake and was going to give it back but now I'm considering keeping it and paying him for it. I've been meaning to try her baumkuchen (sp?). Sounds like you guys are having pretty good luck with it over all.

Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

I'm also interested in anyone's additional comments with another year gone by. I have the book out of the library and am looking ti over trying to decide whether to buy it or not.

I seem to recall that TurtleMeng tried the Baumkuchen and had a rough time with it, but I can't remember exactly what she said.

Since I last commented on this book, I've tried the caramel custard tart, caramel souffles, chocolate souffles, lemon pound cake, and beignets. None were a flop, and some (like the custard tart) were considered outstanding by at least one of the "tasters." The lemon pound cake seemed to have an odd texture to me, but it was also well liked by those who tried it.

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Thanks for the response, Patrick.

I remember you recommending her caramel sauce made with creme fraiche a while back, but I just finally got a copy to look over.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Has anyone given the Baumkuchen a try yet?

The photo is so beautiful and her description of the cake sounds very nice.

I've tried it a couple of times, and it's the only thing in the book that hasn't really worked for me.

(1) The baking process goes slowly enough that the batter starts to separate (maybe a mixing problem),

(2) The layers don't turn out very distinct.

My inclination to fix both was to turn the oven up to max heat, but that burned the sides of the cake.

Andrew

Edited by ariggsby (log)

Andrew Riggsby

ariggsby@mail.utexas.edu

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