Phase 4, Week 5, Day 19, 20, & 21 (01/31-02/02/11)
I was on my way to class Monday afternoon in pouring rain and sleet when I received a text from my instructor that classes for Monday evening were canceled due to inclimate weather. Which means I missed out on another Monday. That evening the snowpocalypse of 2011 hit and we were actually out of school for two additional days. Which was good for blogging and getting caught up on sleep, not good for our school schedule. In order to keep pace with the other 12 LCB campuses we now have to have school on Saturday and Sunday. Sadness. I'm going to hit the Saturday class since I have to work at the club Friday night and Saturday night, but I'm planning on skipping Sunday.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Let them eat cake!
Phase 4, Week 4, Day 18
It is hard to get used to this class, some of the projects take several days to complete due to our class length. Today we began a layered chocolate butter cake with japonaise meringue filled with chocolate mousse. We completed the cake it's self and the japonaise meringue. A Japonaise meringue is a meringue with nuts or nut flour that has been baked or dried, typically shaped into a disk or daquois. We will use a disk for the base of the cake.
With cakes I've discovered the most important thing about them is volume or the loss there of. Several steps during the preparation of making a cake should be taken to better ensure your cake has successful rise. During the mixing steps (depending on your mixing method) egg whites or foams should be folded in carefully. In the preparation of your pans, you should work with speed so as not to let your batter sit. Prepare your pans before mixing and grease or line the bottom of the pan only if your cake batter is made from a high fat formula. When filling, only fill the pan 1/2 to 2/3 full to allow for expansion and an increase in volume. During the baking process, be sure your oven temp is not too low of the cake will not rise and be very careful with opening and shutting the oven door, a slam will drop your cake for sure. Finally, be sure to let the cake cool the proper amount of time and remove it from the pan. Hopefully, these little tips will help keep your cakes light and airy.
That's it for today....
It is hard to get used to this class, some of the projects take several days to complete due to our class length. Today we began a layered chocolate butter cake with japonaise meringue filled with chocolate mousse. We completed the cake it's self and the japonaise meringue. A Japonaise meringue is a meringue with nuts or nut flour that has been baked or dried, typically shaped into a disk or daquois. We will use a disk for the base of the cake.
With cakes I've discovered the most important thing about them is volume or the loss there of. Several steps during the preparation of making a cake should be taken to better ensure your cake has successful rise. During the mixing steps (depending on your mixing method) egg whites or foams should be folded in carefully. In the preparation of your pans, you should work with speed so as not to let your batter sit. Prepare your pans before mixing and grease or line the bottom of the pan only if your cake batter is made from a high fat formula. When filling, only fill the pan 1/2 to 2/3 full to allow for expansion and an increase in volume. During the baking process, be sure your oven temp is not too low of the cake will not rise and be very careful with opening and shutting the oven door, a slam will drop your cake for sure. Finally, be sure to let the cake cool the proper amount of time and remove it from the pan. Hopefully, these little tips will help keep your cakes light and airy.
That's it for today....
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| Looks like little turds.... |
Thursday, February 3, 2011
B&P Practical 2
Phase 4, Week 4, Days 16 & 17
Again a two day practical. We needed to produce 6 eclairs, pastry cream (for the filling), and a blueberry pie with a lattice top, and take a written test. The strategy was to make the pie doughs, pastry cream and pate a choux, and bake off the choux on day one and take the test, fill the elcairs, top them, and make the blueberry pie on day two.
Day 1- Had a few issues on day one. My milk got too hot for my pastry cream because I walked away to ask Chef a question as the milk was heating. When I returned it was boiling. I didn't think it was too big of a deal at first, until it began to thicken very rapidly. I knew it was not right, but I continued figuring the taste was ok and I didn't want to loose an entire point for starting over. My second major issue was that my pie dough was a bit dry. Not knowing I could simply add more water to it (remember I missed that day), I was afraid to alter the recipe after what just happened to my creme. So I left it like it was.
No issues with making the elcairs.
Day 2- Took the written test and got an 88%. Day two was a bit rocky as well. Got started on the pie first. The dough was a bit too dry and there was not much I could do but mess with it. My lattice was ok, but kind of on the short side. It was not long enough to wrap around the edges of the crust. But it was kind of falling apart at this point, so I went with it.
When I got the pastry cream out it was like silly putty not like pudding. Crap! I whipped it a bit to get air into it and just went with it too. I filled the eclairs until pastry cream was seeping out of the sides to be sure to get enough in them. When the choux bakes off it creates large air pockets inside (see below), that's why they are perfect to fill. The eclairs looked beautiful. The ganache was applied perfectly, no dribbles or lines down the side.
Result:
Pie- Nice flavor, tart. Crust was tough, result of overworking because it was dry. Lattice needed to be a larger. Score: 9.0
Eclairs- A bit small in girth, which leads to not enough expansion and a hollow inside, which lends to difficulty filling with cream ( which was the issue with 2 or 6 of my eclairs. She of course graded me on one of those). Slightly over baked. Pastry cream was too thick. Score: 8.5
Not my best, maybe Baking and Pastry is not my best?
Again a two day practical. We needed to produce 6 eclairs, pastry cream (for the filling), and a blueberry pie with a lattice top, and take a written test. The strategy was to make the pie doughs, pastry cream and pate a choux, and bake off the choux on day one and take the test, fill the elcairs, top them, and make the blueberry pie on day two.
Day 1- Had a few issues on day one. My milk got too hot for my pastry cream because I walked away to ask Chef a question as the milk was heating. When I returned it was boiling. I didn't think it was too big of a deal at first, until it began to thicken very rapidly. I knew it was not right, but I continued figuring the taste was ok and I didn't want to loose an entire point for starting over. My second major issue was that my pie dough was a bit dry. Not knowing I could simply add more water to it (remember I missed that day), I was afraid to alter the recipe after what just happened to my creme. So I left it like it was.
No issues with making the elcairs.
Day 2- Took the written test and got an 88%. Day two was a bit rocky as well. Got started on the pie first. The dough was a bit too dry and there was not much I could do but mess with it. My lattice was ok, but kind of on the short side. It was not long enough to wrap around the edges of the crust. But it was kind of falling apart at this point, so I went with it.
When I got the pastry cream out it was like silly putty not like pudding. Crap! I whipped it a bit to get air into it and just went with it too. I filled the eclairs until pastry cream was seeping out of the sides to be sure to get enough in them. When the choux bakes off it creates large air pockets inside (see below), that's why they are perfect to fill. The eclairs looked beautiful. The ganache was applied perfectly, no dribbles or lines down the side.
Result:
Pie- Nice flavor, tart. Crust was tough, result of overworking because it was dry. Lattice needed to be a larger. Score: 9.0
Eclairs- A bit small in girth, which leads to not enough expansion and a hollow inside, which lends to difficulty filling with cream ( which was the issue with 2 or 6 of my eclairs. She of course graded me on one of those). Slightly over baked. Pastry cream was too thick. Score: 8.5
Not my best, maybe Baking and Pastry is not my best?
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| Not the prettiest, but good |
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| My eclairs, split so you can see the inside cavity. |
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| Jeremy eating leftover cream over the trash can, classy. |
A little white pepper with your quiche?
Phase 4, Week 4, Day 15
Today we finished our lemon meringue pie and made quiche from dough the class made on Monday. A few interesting notes about Pate Sucree Tart shells from today. The Pate Sucree shell is much like a cookie dough and has a few interesting techniques associated with it for it's preparation. Since often they are filled with cream fillings the shell is par baked. The dough is not rolled out, but worked into the tart pan with your hands. You can trim the top off with you rolling pin. Parchment paper is then dropped on top of the shell and the pan is filled with beans or rice (yup, you read right). The baking beans help to bake the shell until the edges turn golden and then the beans are removed and the shell finishes on its own. Cool, uh?
Quiche is quiche. Jeremy and I scrounged around the other classes for ingredients for our quiche, to no avail. We did score some garlic and roma tomatoes. But that was it. It appears as if the new curriculum at school (the curriculum changed after our class enrolled) has better product but far less of it. Anyway we whipped up a tomato and basil quiche. But we did not account for the extra moisture in the tomatoes so the quiche did not quite set up right, and I also added too much white pepper. I wasn't paying attention to the amount I added as I was yapping away with Jarod. I added the entire amount in the portion cup Jeremy had gotten. What I didn't realize was it was only supposed to get a "pinch", I have no idea how much actually went in to it, but it was still tasty.
Today we finished our lemon meringue pie and made quiche from dough the class made on Monday. A few interesting notes about Pate Sucree Tart shells from today. The Pate Sucree shell is much like a cookie dough and has a few interesting techniques associated with it for it's preparation. Since often they are filled with cream fillings the shell is par baked. The dough is not rolled out, but worked into the tart pan with your hands. You can trim the top off with you rolling pin. Parchment paper is then dropped on top of the shell and the pan is filled with beans or rice (yup, you read right). The baking beans help to bake the shell until the edges turn golden and then the beans are removed and the shell finishes on its own. Cool, uh?
Quiche is quiche. Jeremy and I scrounged around the other classes for ingredients for our quiche, to no avail. We did score some garlic and roma tomatoes. But that was it. It appears as if the new curriculum at school (the curriculum changed after our class enrolled) has better product but far less of it. Anyway we whipped up a tomato and basil quiche. But we did not account for the extra moisture in the tomatoes so the quiche did not quite set up right, and I also added too much white pepper. I wasn't paying attention to the amount I added as I was yapping away with Jarod. I added the entire amount in the portion cup Jeremy had gotten. What I didn't realize was it was only supposed to get a "pinch", I have no idea how much actually went in to it, but it was still tasty.
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| Lemon Meringue |
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| Slightly peppery, but good |
Pie Dough
Phase 4, Week 4, Day 14
I attended the Monday evening class again this week. And as usual, they are not up to speed with the morning class. I sat through part 1 of the pie lecture again. We were supposed to produce blueberry pies and their dough was not prepared on Friday, so I completely missed making and the blueberry pie with lattice top which is going to be on our practical at the end of the week. It shouldn't be hard, but as always, the instructors are looking for specific things that the home baker might not do. So again, I'd be winging it.
We did, however, make 2 other types of crusts today. A key lime pie with a crumb crust and a tart shell (Pate Sucre or Short Dough) for a lemon meringue pie we will finish tomorrow.
Although I haven't made a Pate Brisee, or pie dough (yet), here are a couple of tips for avoiding soggy bottoms in your pie...
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I attended the Monday evening class again this week. And as usual, they are not up to speed with the morning class. I sat through part 1 of the pie lecture again. We were supposed to produce blueberry pies and their dough was not prepared on Friday, so I completely missed making and the blueberry pie with lattice top which is going to be on our practical at the end of the week. It shouldn't be hard, but as always, the instructors are looking for specific things that the home baker might not do. So again, I'd be winging it.
We did, however, make 2 other types of crusts today. A key lime pie with a crumb crust and a tart shell (Pate Sucre or Short Dough) for a lemon meringue pie we will finish tomorrow.
Although I haven't made a Pate Brisee, or pie dough (yet), here are a couple of tips for avoiding soggy bottoms in your pie...
- Fully bake the pie dough, it shouldn't look doughy
- Use a mealy* dough for the bottom crust, it will absorb moisture
- Do not add a hot filling to an unbaked crust
- When parbaking, dock the bottom and brush with an egg wash before baking
- Fully baked tart dough cam be painted w/ chocolate to waterproof the crust
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| Key lime is not easily cut... |
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Eclairs
Phase 4, Week 3, Day 13
Snow Day yesterday (1/21/11), 6 inches in St. Louis, luckily we had one day built in on the last Friday of the Phase so we are still are still able to keep on track.
Back at school on today. We had part one of a lecture on pies, made two types of pie dough, and made eclairs.
To many people the eclair is the quintessential French pastry. The food history encyclopedias (including the Larousse Gastronomique) and reference books all describe eclairs, but they provide little if any details regarding their origin. This indicates the eclair is most likely a product of food evolution. There is some conjecture, however, that perhaps Antonin Careme (1784-1833), a famous pastry chef for French royalty might have created something akin to eclairs. In French eclair means "flash of lightening" but there is not really a viable correlation between the pastry and it's meaning.
Eclairs start with a dough called pate a choux. Pate a choux actually translates to cabbage paste. The dough gets its name form its most typical application, the making of small round buns (as used for profiteroles) known in French as choux, literally cabbages. Choux is steam leavened and piped into various shapes for products, including cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, crullers, and gougeres. The trick to it is it must be firm enough to hold it's shape when piped, yet soft enough to be piped.
Eclairs are piped out to about 4 inches long and are typically 1-1.5 inches wide. They are baked and once cooled filled with pastry cream from holes cut out of the bottom. They are then topped with ganache. Ganache is a thickened chocolate sauce that can be heated to be used as a coating or used at room temperature to be used as a truffle mixture.
We did a pretty good job on these. You'll see them again as they will be on our practical next week.
Snow Day yesterday (1/21/11), 6 inches in St. Louis, luckily we had one day built in on the last Friday of the Phase so we are still are still able to keep on track.
Back at school on today. We had part one of a lecture on pies, made two types of pie dough, and made eclairs.
To many people the eclair is the quintessential French pastry. The food history encyclopedias (including the Larousse Gastronomique) and reference books all describe eclairs, but they provide little if any details regarding their origin. This indicates the eclair is most likely a product of food evolution. There is some conjecture, however, that perhaps Antonin Careme (1784-1833), a famous pastry chef for French royalty might have created something akin to eclairs. In French eclair means "flash of lightening" but there is not really a viable correlation between the pastry and it's meaning.
Eclairs start with a dough called pate a choux. Pate a choux actually translates to cabbage paste. The dough gets its name form its most typical application, the making of small round buns (as used for profiteroles) known in French as choux, literally cabbages. Choux is steam leavened and piped into various shapes for products, including cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, crullers, and gougeres. The trick to it is it must be firm enough to hold it's shape when piped, yet soft enough to be piped.
Eclairs are piped out to about 4 inches long and are typically 1-1.5 inches wide. They are baked and once cooled filled with pastry cream from holes cut out of the bottom. They are then topped with ganache. Ganache is a thickened chocolate sauce that can be heated to be used as a coating or used at room temperature to be used as a truffle mixture.
We did a pretty good job on these. You'll see them again as they will be on our practical next week.
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| Eclairs and cream puffs |
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Napoleons
Phase 4, Week 3, Day 12
Today we made pastry cream and put together our Napoleons. Napoleon pastry is known as mille-feuilles in France. It consists of layers of puff pastry interspersed with pastry cream or whipped cream and iced with fondant and chocolate or with confectioner's sugar. It is believed to have been developed in France during the latter part of the 19th century. The Danish people have been told for generations that a Danish royal pastry chef invented the dessert way back in the 1800s on the occasion of a state visit between the Emperor Napoleon and the King of Denmark, in Copenhagen. Some sources believe that the chocolate lines on the pastry appear to form the letter 'N' for Napoleon. A second story or tale of its origin is that the dessert was really a French invention after all, and that it was Napoleon's favorite pastry. It is said that he ate so many of them on the the eve of Waterloo that he lost the battle.
We also made Pastry Cream for the filling of the Napoleon. It is an example of a stirred custard that is most often used as a pie or cake filling. There are a few key tips to making pastry cream that are very important to follow. All your ingredients should be cold, your equipment should be clean and sanitized, it should be cooled quickly and kept cold. Pastry Cream easily can be contaminated with bacteria so sanitation is very important, no fingers in the pudding!!!
We also played around and made some puff pastry fruit tarts with some left over cream and dough. Mmmm..
Today we made pastry cream and put together our Napoleons. Napoleon pastry is known as mille-feuilles in France. It consists of layers of puff pastry interspersed with pastry cream or whipped cream and iced with fondant and chocolate or with confectioner's sugar. It is believed to have been developed in France during the latter part of the 19th century. The Danish people have been told for generations that a Danish royal pastry chef invented the dessert way back in the 1800s on the occasion of a state visit between the Emperor Napoleon and the King of Denmark, in Copenhagen. Some sources believe that the chocolate lines on the pastry appear to form the letter 'N' for Napoleon. A second story or tale of its origin is that the dessert was really a French invention after all, and that it was Napoleon's favorite pastry. It is said that he ate so many of them on the the eve of Waterloo that he lost the battle.
We also made Pastry Cream for the filling of the Napoleon. It is an example of a stirred custard that is most often used as a pie or cake filling. There are a few key tips to making pastry cream that are very important to follow. All your ingredients should be cold, your equipment should be clean and sanitized, it should be cooled quickly and kept cold. Pastry Cream easily can be contaminated with bacteria so sanitation is very important, no fingers in the pudding!!!
We also played around and made some puff pastry fruit tarts with some left over cream and dough. Mmmm..
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| My favorite so far |
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