Being from the Chicago area, I had the luxury of growing up amongst Italians. Italian grandmothers, in fact, are part of the reason I had a weight problem as a boy. Because let’s face it, Italian-American food is what every kid loves to eat. It’s flavorful, it’s fatty, it’s starchy, it’s consumed with joyous abandon, […]
READ ONSo why have I resisted doing tiramisu for so long? Its popularity of course. I remember a time, not so long ago, when you couldn’t swing a dirty apron without hitting a serving of tiramisu. However it isn’t the popularity itself that’s put me off — otherwise I would never have done chocolate chip cookies […]
READ ONFruit poaching is a simple process, and, at least for a fruit as delicate as peach, a quick one as well. Start by making your poaching syrup, a mixture of two parts water and one part sugar by weight. Here I have a pint (pound) of water and 8 ounces of sugar. Bring it to […]
READ ON…what’s up with those peaches?…is a question I’ve heard a lot lately. Specifically, the peaches on top of the charlotte down below. They don’t look like normal poached peaches in that they have pink highlights around the edges. How does that work? The answer is that I simply poached white peaches with their skins on, […]
READ ONI confess it: I’ve avoided doing tiramisu for a long time now. However the outcry after my foray into ladyfingers was such that I simply couldn’t say no. I must have had a dozen requests, plus one particularly poignant plea from reader Audi S. which put me over the edge. I can hold out no […]
READ ONPastry Chef Ed writes: Another thought on the historical significance of gelatin over starch. Gelatin was once a sign of wealth, before the advent of prepared gelatin, only members of the elite classes could afford it. It took hours to render gelatin from bones, skin, etc. clarify it, and turn it into fancy aspics, molded […]
READ ONThis obviously isn’t the New York version, but rather the more classic version filled with Bavarian cream and topped with fruit. New Yorkers, I promise I’ll get to your eventually. Though a charlotte is a great choice any time of year, it’s especially good in the hot summer months. For one, it’s a no-bake dessert. […]
READ ONReader Barry wants to know why, since pastry cream (another custard) is thickened with starch, Bavarian cream is thickened with gelatin. That’s a great question, and one I’m not sure I can fully answer. My feeling as that in centuries past, pastry chefs used whatever thickeners were available to them, so there were no hard […]
READ ONOh silky, lovely bavarian cream…all set to be poured into a mold (after I’ve dipped my finger in it a time or two, of course). Making a crème anglaise-style Bavarian cream is only a little more complicated than making crème anglaise. All you’re doing is combining your custard with whipped cream and gelatin. Easy. Below […]
READ ON…it took me two days instead of one to take the bourbon detour. I apologize for that, but whenever I have a load of information scribbled down on a legal pad I’m always anxious to transcribe it and put it somewhere where I know I won’t lose it. In this case, your brain. And now […]
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