Your Daily Sweets (2005-2012)

[Ling]

I had the tremendous opportunity to see what it's like to work in a professional kitchen today. I helped out the pastry chef at Feenie's in Vancouver! This is what I got to sample:

-a bundt cake (eggnog? cinnamon?) and the accompanying eggnog cream

-caramel/fleur de sel ice-cream

-chocolate and stout ice-cream

-the best vanilla ice-cream ever!

-chocolate chip and espresso biscotti

-Weiss chocolate (57% and 70%)

-an Irish whiskey and Bailey's creme brulee

Oh...and I got some Shropshire from the pastry chef too, because I told her it was one of my favourites.

Dessert after dinner was some pecan shortbread.

Edited November 25, 2005 by Ling (log)

[tarteausucre]

Ling, I am incredibly jealous of your Feenie's gorging!!

I, alas, only had Diplomat Cake. I finally attempted to make one and it was worth the effort - 2 layers of genoise, three layers of puff pastry, and layer upon layer of rum buttercream. Yum!

[CanadianBakin']

I had the tremendous opportunity to see what it's like to work in a professional kitchen today. I helped out the pastry chef at Feenie's in Vancouver!  This is what I got to sample:

-a bundt cake (eggnog? cinnamon?) and the accompanying eggnog cream

-caramel/fleur de sel ice-cream

-chocolate and stout ice-cream

-the best vanilla ice-cream ever!

-chocolate chip and espresso biscotti

-Weiss chocolate (57% and 70%)

-an Irish whiskey and Bailey's creme brulee

Oh...and I got some Shropshire from the pastry chef too, because I told her it was one of my favourites. 

Dessert after dinner was some pecan shortbread.

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Lorna, you lucky lady, you!! More details please? This might be for another thread but I'd love to hear how you got the opportunity and what you got to do, how the experience was, etc.

[rooftop1000]

I made my first ganache and first mousse yesterday...I seem to have oopsed on the mousse but melting rechilling and rewhipping worked. It was white chocolate to fill a chocolate cake which was topped with dark chocolate ganache

This morning leftover ganache became hot chocolate with a big dollop of white chcolate mousse floating in it

tracey

Edited November 25, 2005 by rooftop1000 (log)

[Patrick S]

Dobos Torte for dessert on turkey day. I didn't do a great job with pouring the caramel or in decorating, but it was delicious!

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That looks great. Good job!

[Daniel]

Here is a picture of the orange pecan pie.. We used candied orange peels and orange zest.. Tons of Karo Syrup and a little bit of bourbon.. I brought it for Thanksgiving and it was eaten for lunch before dinner.. It never made it to the table..

Very good

Tres Leches.. This recipe is from my girlfriends grand mother.. In traditional Cuban fashion a merengue is used instead of whipped cream.. Basically a mixture of sugar and water is boiled an added to six egg whites with soft peaks.. Whipped super stiff.. We made it today in my mothers kitchen.. Was a quick and easy cake to make among the confusion..

Cake

Slice:

Edited November 26, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Ling]

^Both desserts look great! Have you tried Grade B maple syrup for your pecan pies? I like using maple syrup a lot more than corn syrup.

[Ling]

I made brownies and put together a "Brownie torte"...I also made the caramel corn on top of the brownies. The caramel corn was great! Very buttery. I drizzled more chocolate on top to anchor the popcorn to the ganache.

ETA: In addition to the brownie torte, I also had almost an entire bag's worth of caramel corn after a really heavy dim sum/noodle lunch. (Well, one bag minus the 30 kernals or so that I used to garnish my tortes.) I have to take a nap before I go out tonight...I'm too full to move.

Edited November 27, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Patrick S]

Good stuff, Daniel and Ling.

Daniel, what did you think of the tres leches cake? Is it good?

[prasantrin]

Slice:

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Run that baby under a broiler for a couple of minutes...yum!

Also nice if you fold some toasted coconut into the meringue, first.

[K8memphis]

I live (eat) vicariously through this thread

(sigh)

Yum yum you guys are awesome!!

Edited November 27, 2005 by K8memphis (log)

[francois]

Crepes Suzettes. An old classic but still as good as ever!

[Ling]

Thanks Patrick! Your pictures are always so beautiful. Have you been to culinary school? (Or are you in the restaurant industry?)

tejon: I've been following the Dobos Torte thread and I might make one for Christmas after seeing your lovely picture! I have a question--in the thread, people mentioned lifting up a corner of the hardened caramel triangle, and propping it up for the "fan" effect. How is this possible without disturbing the cream underneath? (Won't the caramel have stuck onto the cream already, as soon as one pours it onto the cake?)

[tejon]

tejon: I've been following the Dobos Torte thread and I might make one for Christmas after seeing your lovely picture! I have a question--in the thread, people mentioned lifting up a corner of the hardened caramel triangle, and propping it up for the "fan" effect. How is this possible without disturbing the cream underneath? (Won't the caramel have stuck onto the cream already, as soon as one pours it onto the cake?)

Well, this is where I hang my head a little and admit I learned something the hard way on Thanksgiving day. My top slices were angled quite nicely when I was finished decorating the cake, but ceased to be that way by the time we ate (and I photographed the end result). Lesson learned: ganache melts as it warms, so I should have kept the cake in the refrigerator until service.

The way the cake is assembled, you spread all but one of the layers with buttercream or ganache and coat the top and sides as well. The remaining layer has hot caramel poured over the top, then is sliced into serving sized wedges quite quickly. Again, I learned as I went - the caramel is molten as you are pouring it and cools quickly and I didn't get the edges of the top layer covered. If I were to make it again I'd place that top layer of cake on a cooling rack and pour with abandon, trimming any excess off once I was completely done. The finished wedges get set on top of the cake, either flat or each placed on a ganache or buttercream rosette to set up at an angle.

All in all, it was a wonderful cake and I learned things along the way that I'll certainly use in the future. Success all around.

[Ling]

Hmm...my internet connection is messing up...I thought I posted a reply.

I guess I'll have to post again

Thanks tejon, for the explanation! So I gather that the molten caramel will NOT stick to the unfrosted cake layer? (I thought that was a layer of frosting underneath your caramel...am I mistaken?) Or is the entire top layer (with the caramel) cut through, and the cake + caramel wedge propped up?

[tejon]

You set the very top layer of cake aside, unfrosted, then caramel is poured over that layer. The caramel sticks quite closely. It's dark because the caramel was on the dark side, but there isn't any buttercream between the caramel and that cake layer. The finished cake+caramel layer is then cut through and placed on top of the frosted cake.

Here's a picture of a finished cake that shows the rosettes of buttercream and the cake layer and caramel top pretty well (though the buttercream is awfully light for my taste).

Edited November 27, 2005 by tejon (log)

[Ling]

*sigh* damn internet connection...this will be the third time I try to post this.

Thanks for your explanation, tejon! I understand now that the caramel is not separate from the cake...everything makes perfect sense now.

[tejon]

Glad to help! The caramel layer on top actually stays very crisp and brittle, which is a lovely contrast to the creamy ganache or buttercream beneath.

[Daniel]

Good stuff, Daniel and Ling.

Daniel, what did you think of the tres leches cake? Is it good?

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I have had tres leches cakes... This is the best.. I prefer the merengue to the whipped cream topping.. On this particular cake, the merengue is stiffer and not as airy as others. Almost like a marshmallowy fluff feel Its Gooey.. .. I have seen other merengue recipes for a tres leches and this one called for the most egg whites.. (6) The cake was great too.. The leche mixture was fairly normal. Equal parts condensed and sweetened milk and cream.. Then sugar and vanilla. Its a solid cake with a spectacular merengue.

Edited November 27, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Swisskaese]

Daniel, your cake and pie look great. I have a recipe for Tre Leches, but I have been afraid to make it because it looks like it will be sickeningly sweet. Is it very sweet?

When I make cakes or cookies, I usually cut the sugar by 1/2 or 1/3.

[Patrick S]

Thanks Patrick!  Your pictures are always so beautiful. Have you been to culinary school? (Or are you in the restaurant industry?)

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Thanks for the compliments. You're sweet (but not cloying )

No, I havent been to culinary school and don't work in the restaurant industry. I'm just a passionate amateur.

Daniel, thanks for the description. I'll have to get my tres leches on someday soon.

[Patrick S]

Chocolate mousse cake from Cooks Illustrated, with raspberry sauce. This cake is basically your run-of-the-mill flourless chocolate cake, except that the eggs are seperated and the whites whipped.

[RuthWells]

Slices of granny smith apple dipped in Nutella. Mmmmmmmmmm......

[Megan Blocker]

Last night, wedding cake (my mom's - it was carrot)!

[Daniel]

Lots of Mazel lots of Nakkus! Nice to have you back in NYC M.Blocker..