Making the world a little sweeter one pastry tip at at time.
There is something about toasted coconut, chocolate, and caramel that make it an irresistible combination. Girl Scouts have picked up the combo with their top selling cookie, Somaos, which are also Caramel deLites depending on where you live. This cookie was next on my list for ‘Girl Scout …read more
Here’s the lates newsletter, on the new system, so let me know how it looks. Inside is a recipe for Biscuits à la Cuillère (Lady Fingers) to experiment with. http://eepurl.com/vH6ln (shortcut link)
Biscuits have three general terms in the bakeshop:The first two are familiar to most people. The last one is a favorite to industry professionals. Biscuit sponge cakes (an example of which is Biscuit Joconde) are not only quick to bake up and use, but there is literally a recipe for just about every application.
I go into their detail, including a definition and give examples on the Pastry Sampler main site, but also included a link so you can hear how the word is pronounced.
Biscuit (Sponge) – Thin Cakes Great for Layered Desserts and Mousse Cakes
Image above is an example of a mousse cake using biscuit sponge cake. Image courtesy Flickr User avlxyz through a creative commons license.
Sunflower seeds may not be the first thing that comes to mind when making banana bread, but they give a rich, nutty flavor when they are added to the batter. I love the combination, and while my kids thumb their noses to pecans or walnuts …read more
Interesting read from Confectionery News about compound chocolate which may bring sad news for chocophiles. According to the Buhuler Group, the compound chocolate market will grow at a faster rate than ‘real’ chocolate the next several years and the company is working on compound chocolate processing machinery to …read more
 |
| Thin Mint Brownies – Recipe Below. |
 |
| National Girl Scout Cookie Day. Image courtesy Girl Scouts of Orange County. |
Today is the day – February 8th is National Girl Scout Cookie Day. And I know that makes you smile. 🙂 I have two girl scouts and this time of year is nothing short of sweet. And crazy. This year is even crazier as the girls have challenged me to create a dessert with each of the cookie types they are selling. I don’t know if I can do it, there are six that our area sells. All Girl Scout cookies are baked by two different national bakeries, and depending on where you live, the cookies may go by a different name. I’ve included both names, but this is the list I’ve been tasked with:
First up is Thin Mints: Super simple Thin Mint Brownies. I was making brownies the other night and thought stirring them into the batter sounded good. So I just added a sleeve of crushed Thin Mints to a batch of brownies and baked them. No ingredient list or procedure here, just stir the crushed cookies into your favorite brownie recipe and bake. And the kids made sure there were no crumbs left on the plate.
Next up: Samoas. This one will be a little more challenging, so stay tuned…
And look for your neighborhood Girl Scout. Believe me, she has cookies for you. 🙂
Eleven chocolate companies have been fined $82 million US dollars in Germany over ‘cartel price fixing’. Kraft, Nestle, Mars, and Ritter are among the companies involved. This is reminiscent of the news last December of Hershey, Mars, and Nestle facing price fixing here in the …read more
With all the talk of the Hostess company in bankruptcy, I wanted to know what the term ‘stalking horse’ meant to the financial markets as in recent news from Food Business News, a stalking horse bidder was named for the Hostess company. The plain definition …read more
Xanthan gum is used as a binding agent in doughs and acts as a stablizer, and is perfect for creating gluten-free flours. On Pastry Sampler, I’ve shared a couple of different recipes to try for gluten-free flour mixes a basic recipe based on rice flour and another based on bean flour. I personally prefer the bean flour but the rice flour has a much milder flavor. Either one can be used in baking.
Xanthan Gum Properties and Gluten-Free Flour Mixes
Looking for an excuse to eat chocolate on a daily basis? Look to Callebaut for the answer. Their ‘Acticoa’ chocolate is processed to retain 80% of flavanols – which according to an article from Confectionery News is typically destroyed in the chocolate making process. Even …read more