It seems that Cornish bakers are in something of a tiff after some some clever Devon pasty makers won the British Pie Awards. Those of you who were with me through my pasty posts this past winter may recall that those two West Country counties (which are right next to one another) have always been […]
READ ONShhh!! You trying to get me sued? The local makers of Derby Pie are so aggressive in defending their trademark that a baker can get sued for even speaking those words aloud! In fact, I think you can be prosecuted in this state for even thinking about them without a trademark insignia next to them. […]
READ ONIt’s quite a thing to live in Louisville this time of year, even if you’re not particularly interested in horses. I never was, though I have to say the Kentucky Derby has always loomed large in the Pastry family. My grandfather never owned race horses, but there was a time, early in his career, when […]
READ ONMexico Bob sends along this tasty tidbit about Mexican pasties. The author of the article seems to be a bit confused about their origin (he even manages to get the word “pasty” wrong) but it’s still worth a look, if only for the pretty pictures.
READ ONReader Bob T. writes in to ask: You wrote in a response last week that cocoa butter melts at about 89 degrees [Fahrenheit], yet in my experience it seems to get “melty” around 80, but then doesn’t seem to completely liquify until it’s much warmer than 90. Can you tell me why this is? I […]
READ ONThis is really a fun one, I think. It reminds me of my twin sister and I when we were children, on one particular occasion when our grandmother took us out for a fancy lunch at the Ritz Carlton. I can’t remember the circumstances very well, only that it was a weekday and we were […]
READ ONLet’s be honest, as bakers there are the sweets we’re supposed to love with a great passion (perfect éclairs and chocolate croissants, crispy, citrus-scented tuiles and Hermé macarons) and then the sweets we really do love with a great passion. This is mine, at least when the weather is warm: ice cold home-canned peaches just […]
READ ONAs far as Louisvillians are concerned, only those who live under rocks don’t know that it’s Kentucky Derby week this week. I’m not willing to go quite that far, myself, not being from here originally (I frequently failed to notice the Derby, many of those years while living in a high-rise). However I will issue […]
READ ONGot another good question over the weekend: Hey Joe! Tell me why it is that high-fat European-style chocolate bars are so much more expensive than comparable bars with more chocolate liquor in them. I’d think it would be the other way around. Oh my, no. In the world of chocolate making, by far the most […]
READ ONLOTS and lots of cookie chemistry questions in this week. Interestingly, several people asked whether (other than losing some of the caramelly flavor notes) there are any significant consequences to using all white sugar in chocolate chip cookies instead of the standard 50-50 white sugar, dark brown sugar mix. The answer is: oh my, yes. […]
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