October162009
indian treats part 1
gulab jamun - deep fried dough (with double cream in the batter) that is then soaked in rosewater syrup and/or honey. so pretty with the carmelized sugar. this dessert is everywhere!
tomorrow is diwali and we’re in varanasi. the girl from our hotel is sending us to a sweet shop tomorrow where we can get some great pastries to celebrate.
October72009
For realsies… I know this doesn’t seem to be food relevant, but the girl is supposed to be a pastry chef. Totally hilarious. Thanks to my mom for finding out about this one from the star himself.
disclaimer: major profanity. beware if you’re easily offended.
October22009
why alton brown has a special place in my heart. i went looking for puff pastry history for my homework assignment and found this instead. You don’t have to watch the whole thing… but the song in the beginning is hilarious! :-)
September302009
petit fours - 1st attempt
petits fours - second attempt
final presentation (on the white)
so happy with my fondant on the petits fours for my final exam presentation! still shiny, not too thick, just right. also for the final (as shown in the last photo) are linzer windows and linzer jewels, chocolate covered florentines, baton marechaux, lemon meringue tarts, and gateau l’opera.
September252009
September182009
this is gwennie… the best sous chef ever. she doesn’t talk back, she cleans the floor very well and is always available for taste tests.
"Figs are the most sensual of fruits and one the ancients associated with fertility. No wonder when the baby-soft skin encases such a seductively moist, flame-red heart, composed not of seeds but of more than a thousand tiny fruits. Fecundity indeed."
— Xanthe Clay
September162009
50 best things to eat in the world, and where! »
Anyone want to try #9 with me? Mmmmm. best milkshake in the world?
Gâteau L'opéra
A very brief history (courtesy of my homework research).
Gateau L’opéra debuted in Paris in the early 1900s. The cake is also referred to as Gâteau Clichy after Louis Clichy who introduced the cake. Years later, another Parisian patisserie called Dalloyau reintroduced the cake as Gâteau L’opéra after the Paris Grand Opera. The cake may have been served at a French-American reception held at the opera house in the 1930s.
The practice of layering cakes, however, has a much earlier origin. Ancient Middle-Eastern cooks used to layer cakes sweetened with liquors and nut flavors. The Romans then adopted this practice when they conquered Western Europe.
Coffee and Chocolate were introduced to Europe in the 16th Century, but because of the scarcity and price of these imports, they were not incorporated widely into recipes until the 19th century. Sponge cake was also invented in the 19th century.
The cake itself is a multi-layered cake consisting of 3 layers of almond joconde sponge cake soaked in coffee-rum syrup, and alternating layers of coffee french buttercream and chocolate ganache. A chocolate glaze is then poured over the cake, and the word “opera” is traditionally written in glaze on each piece. The cake is then finished with garnish of gold leaf.
Duperret, Jean-Yves, La Nouvelle Patisserie, p. 155
Davidson, Alan, Oxford Companion to Food, p. 748
