Making the world a little sweeter one pastry tip at at time.
Interesting read in ConfectioneryNews.com today about the use of botanical or herbal ingredients inside candy. Some are used to provide energy (ginseng and guarana) and others for their antioxidant properties (green tea, acerola, and super fruits). Using these ingredients will enable some manufacturers in the EU …read more
In honor of the upcoming National Chocolate Pudding Day, here are a few recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth. The first is for an upside pudding cake: a baked pudding with a sauce underneath. The other two are for stove top puddings: one with egg …read more
This is on my list of ‘to do someday’ – Bonfire Toffee. It goes by other names, such as Tom Trot, Plot toffee, treacle toffee, and claggum. It is made and enjoyed on Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, in the UK, but I’m sure is quite lovely any time of year. Made of black treacle and cooked to a soft crack stage, Bonfire Toffee makes a rich and deep molasses-flavored toffee. Here’s a video and a basic recipe for Bonfire Toffee.
Cooking Directions
Metric Conversions From centimeters to liters, here are basic equations to help you convert to Metric: Centimeter: Inch to centimeter in x 2.5 to get approx. equiv. cm Gram: Ounce to gram oz. x 28.35 to get approx. gm Kilogram: Pound to kilogram lb. x …read more
In honor of National Peaches and Cream Day, here is a recipe for Peach Cream Pie. Sour Cream Peach Pie Recipe by Renee Shelton Adjust the spice mixture to suit your own tastes. Yield: 1 9-inch pie Ingredients 1 1/4 cups plain graham cracker crumbs …read more
My husband wants a 3-D printer, so I’ve been scouting the Internet to learn all about it. These machines are amazing, not that we’ll get one tomorrow or anything. A 3-D printer essentially prints out in three dimensional form of whatever you tell it to print. I’ve seen videos for 3-D printers that print out ceramics and found those that can print out plastic bracelets and rings.
Digging a little deeper, I wanted to see if there was a food equivalent – specifically, sweets. And surprisingly, there are culinary and food 3-D printers. I came across an article in Design News about Sugar Lab, a Silver Lake, CA company started by an architectural design husband-and-wife team specializing in custom sugar creations made from granulated sugar. Amazing work!
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| Source: The Sugar Lab. http://the-sugar-lab.com/ |
UK-based Choc Edge also produces a 3-D machine, this time made just for chocolate. The videos for it mainly show intricate flat works, especially useful for creating chocolate portraiture. You can buy it directly from Choc Edge.
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| Source: Choc Edge. https://chocedge.com/ |
And if you are wanting to know what a 3-D printer looks like in action, the video below shows the production of an open source 3-D food printing machine, demonstrated at the French Culinary Institute. Created by the tech wizards inside Cornell Creative Machines Lab at Cornell University, the goal is to eventually create a food printer with the same price tag as an iPad.
I’m already thinking of all the fun Christmas cookies I could decorate using a machine like this if I had one in my kitchen. 🙂
I’m in the mood for chocolate truffles now. Coated in chopped pistachios would be nice, thanks. Sash and Satin – DIY Chocolate Truffles from Sash and Satin on Vimeo.
I love watching cake competitions, and when one supports a local charity, it is all that much fun to watch. This year’s Icing on the Cake Competition theme is ‘greeting cards.’ This is a charity-based competion supporting Quota International of Shreveport. All levels are encouraged to participate …read more
There are quite a few beginning baking books new but the Get Started series by Doring Kindersly takes the approach of starting small and ending big. Get Started: Baking begins with this note:
Build Your Course: This book is divided into broad sections that allow you to build a three-stage course in baking. All areas are covered, from quick cakes to artisan breads, with recipes that increase in difficulty to develop your skill set and offer new challenges as you grow in confidence and experience.
Each baking technique starts with an introduction that is so crucial to understanding the ‘hows’ and whys’ of the recipe. The accompanying pictures to both the recipes and procedures are bright and clear and take the reader through the entire process.
A broad range of basics are covered: quick cakes and cupcakes; cookies; meringue; sweet doughs and yeast doughs; pies; choux pastry; classic breads; and even how to work with store bought pastry.
Get Started: Baking is a solid baking book with basic fundamental recipes found in any recipe box. But what makes this book especially useful for beginners is that the ‘whys’ for successful baking are explained to the reader in a way easily replicated at home.
Book Information:
Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own.
I’m sharing this article from Modern Baking magazine I read this morning. Bob Brougham from The Cakery in North Aurora, Ill., shares his tips for piping ombre designs on cakes. Simple techniques but ones that will help pull off successful shading from dark to light. …read more