Category: Pastry

Maple Mousse and…

Reader Mel asks:

I’m thinking of making a maple version of the Charlotte Royale sometime in the next few weeks. I have a solid maple mousse recipe, but I’m at a loss as to what to sub for the apricot jam for the “Royale roulade.” Do you think a maple buttercream would be too rich? Maybe some sort of walnut butter? I’m racking my brain for something that would be light enough and still have color contrast to show off the spirals…any suggestions?

In fact I have several suggestions! My feeling is that you should stick with a jam of some sort since you won’t want a buttercream clouding your glaze. Also a jam is a nice counterpoint to a Bavarian cream. Apricot is a fine complement to maple, believe it or not, as are other fruit flavors. Orange marries nicely, but also raspberry and strawberry, which would give your roulade sections the more dramatic look you’re after. For something unconventional, a dark chocolate ganache would no doubt make an impression. But that’s just me. Other suggestions, anyone?

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Memorial Day

…is today. It’s the day when we here in the U.S. remember those who have died, especially in war (indeed the observance of Memorial Day dates back to the close of the Civil War). It’s a day when many Americans decorate the graves of lost friends and family with flowers or flags. But regardless of whether or not we make it out to a cemetery, we all spend the day with family and loved ones…grilling. I’ll be doing that today instead of posting. See you tomorrow!

UPDATE: An excellent account of the origins of Memorial Day can be found here.

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All Hail the Mighty Baguette!

Yesterday was a landmark day in the history of racing — and baking — as Belgian race car driver Bertrand Baguette came within an eyelash of winning the Indy 500. Baguette was leading with just three laps to go, but was forced to return to the pits for fuel. He ended up finishing 14th. Ah […]

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What about eggs?

Can’t eggs be used for a Bavarian cream filling? It depends on what you’re using the filling for, reader Gerri. A cream-filled doughnut? Sure, an egg-thickened filling will work just fine. However for a big item like a Charlotte, where the gel needs to support the structure, there’s nothing like gelatin. To have any structural […]

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Well THAT stinks.

The site has been down all morning, which is the time I usually blog. This afternoon is all taken up with meetings, but I’ll do my best to work in some of the tutorials I was planning. Sorry gang! Blame my host…the one I’m strongly considering changing.

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I’ll take mine to go.

Brick pizza ovens aren’t the food scene novelty they once were. But who would have ever thought of putting one on the back of a truck to create a mobile Neapolitan pizzeria? Answer: these guys.

They park their traveling tribute to Naples a block away from my house once a week. If your first thought was my first thought, it was something on the order of: how do you get a license for a mobile fireplace?

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In the Eye of the Beholder

Reader Janice asks:

If there were so many portraits of Charlotte with African features…that’s pretty strong evidence that she had African features, no?

Well…no. The reason: because all of the portraits that show Charlotte’s so-called African features were painted by the same man, an artist by the name of Allan Ramsay. Ramsay was an extremely sought-after portrait painter in Georgian England. He was also a vehement opponent of slavery in the British Empire. Mario de Valdes y Cocom speculated that it was his strong opposition to slavery that prompted him to accentuate Charlotte’s African-ness as he did, as a sort of abolitionist propaganda.

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Fifteen???

Yes, reader Lindy, Charlotte had 15 children. That is indeed a lot, but not all that unusual for families of that time, even royal ones. One can point to even larger families in the history of the British monarchy. James II had nineteen children by two different wives. Edward I achieved the same number but did it the old-fashioned way with just one wife. Braveheart fans know Edward I as Edward Longshanks, a.k.a. the “Hammer of the Scots.”

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