Ah, ze éclair…si simple, si marveilleuse. I feel like eating one right now. Oh, right, I just did. But with all my prepared shells, pastry cream and ganache on-hand, there’s plenty more where that came from, n’est-ce pas? So what am I waiting for? I start by filling a pastry bag with pastry cream and […]
READ ONWhen it comes to excellence in ice cream, there is no more discerning palate than the inimitable David Lebovitz. Clearly why MSNBC tapped him to take them on a tour of America’s premier ice cream makers (I was in line for the gig but unfortunately had a scheduling conflict). All I can say is thank […]
READ ONToday marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of legendary blues man Howlin’ Wolf, one of the great exponents (along with Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson) of the electrified Chicago blues sound. One of the most commercially and financially successful blues musicians of his day, Howlin’ Wolf was a giant of the […]
READ ONSo then, after mixing the choux is ready to go. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spoon the choux into the pastry bag of your choice, fitting it was a collar but no tip (so as to maximize choux outflow). Pipe it into the shape of your choice. Here I’m making short, stubby éclairs, which […]
READ ONIf the Japanese can send us Beard Papa and the Koreans PinkBerry, it’s only fair that we send something back, doncha think?
READ ONDid I remember to say it’s pronounced like “shoe”? No matter. Making choux is a simple process, mostly just stirring. The traditional method is to simply use a wooden spoon, though a lot of people use food processors nowadays. Me, I can’t tell much of a difference between the methods, so I figure, why dirty […]
READ ONAlso in the New York Times food section today an item about a beater (a.k.a. “paddle”) attachment that does your bowl scraping for you: the BeaterBlade. This new piece of gadgetry from New Metro Design is evidently meant to compete with the SideSwipe Spatula Mixer Blade that came out earlier this year. Both promise to […]
READ ONIt seems the initial fears over the purchase of the White Lily flour company by the J.M. Smucker company were justified. By the end of the month the historic White Lily Mill in Knoxville, Tennessee will shut its doors for good. It seems insane that in a day where the food world is on fire […]
READ ONIn yesterday’s laundry list of things made with pâte à choux I neglected to include pâte à choux beignets, which are essentially deep fried spoonfuls of choux paste. Dropped into hot oil or fat, they blow up into incredibly light, practically transparent, puffs which are then sprinkled with powdered sugar and eaten. These delicate little […]
READ ONPeople call it choux for short. The word literally means cabbage in French, and if you’re wondering how a pastry dough (batter, really) made of eggs, butter and flour ever got that name, reflect for a moment on the knobbly top of a cream puff and you’ll get it. Choux dough (batter, really) is, along […]
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