In France and in most food industry circles, the name Lenôtre is legendary. It stands for a man — an exacting and genial fellow who was both respected and loved — but also for a global empire of schools, pastry shops, restaurants and catering facilities. I think of him as the first truly modern master […]
READ ONSuch is the subject line of an email I received from reader Alek, who wonders why I have yet to write a critical review of Michael Pollan’s latest book, Food Rules. It’s the latest in a long series of emails I’ve received since the book came out in January. I’ll admit I’ve been tempted at […]
READ ONReader Katy asks: Have you ever made Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding? It’s just a big stinkin’ pile of Krispy Kremes with yummy cream sauce over it. Uh….yum. Never made it, never eaten it, but if some were put in front of me I wouldn’t say no (I like Krispy Kremes). I’ll also confess to you […]
READ ONChef Laura writes: I have never really understood the whole scald-the-milk-for-a-still-custard thing. I understand the neccessity for creme anglaise and pastry cream, but I don’t get the importance for baked custards. I scanned previous posts and didn’t see an answer to this. I have nothing in my notes from school. I have made bread pudding […]
READ ONThat is a question for the ages, for it seems that as long as humans have had access to both stale bread and milk, they’ve put the two together and baked them. Bread pudding predates the concept of sweet pudding as we know it, probably by millennia. Virtually all our modern dessert puddings are descendants […]
READ ONThough I’m not in the habit of giving plugs, the queen of gelatin desserts, Lourdes Reyes Rosas, will be coming to the States — to my old home town of Chicago — to teach some classes on gelatin dessert design. Lourdes Reyes’ skill with gelatin simply amazes me. If you haven’t seen her site you […]
READ ONBecause so many bread puddings can get mushy, I like Gaston Lenôtre’s version the best. Not only is it classic Lenôtre — simple and light yet elegant — it delivers a range of textures from crispy to tender to soft. You’ll need: 6-7 ounces sliced sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into triangles about two […]
READ ONA simple bread pudding doesn’t have terribly many ingredients, which means, according to Joe’s Inverse Law of Ingredient Dynamics*, that the ingredients you use should be good ones. Good milk, fresh eggs and fresh, real vanilla beans are all desirable. However no single ingredient will effect the quality of your pudding like the bread. It […]
READ ONThough I’m technically onto another project, it’s hard to say no to more questions about butter. The topic is just that interesting. Reader Austin asks: You mentioned that winter butter has more saturated fat in it than summer butter. Why? Great question. The reason is simply because pasture grasses have more unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats […]
READ ONI confess that as with tiramisu, I’ve experienced repeated twinges of anxiety as I’ve watched bread pudding creep up the list. That’s for good reason, for just like tiramisu, bread pudding has been done to the point of absurdity over the years. Once monuments to simplicity, today you can find bread puddings built on everything […]
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