Author: joepastry
In Praise of Parchment
Butter-greased pans, oil-greased pans, foil-lined pans, flour-dusted pans, non-stick pans…none are as reliable for turning out perfect cakes, bars or brownies as good old-fashioned parchment. Yet you almost never see a recipe calling for a parchment-lined pan, probably because your average recipe writer thinks the process is too involved for your average home cook. Balderdash. […]
READ ONA Little Post-4th Flag Waving
A rather cynical article came out in the New York Times dining section a few months ago, which posited that brownies are “one of the few truly American baking creations ever to enter the canon.” Exactly where the author (one Julia Moskin) ever got such a cracked idea is beyond me. If by “the canon” […]
READ ONIce Cream Debrief
I could keep going and going on this topic, but I’d better put it to a stop for the moment (I’ve noticed that after about ten days even the best topic begins to lose its fresh, lemony scent). There’s really not much to say here that I haven’t already said except for something very obvious, […]
READ ONThe Other Ultimate Ice Cream Book?
Spoke to one of Chicago’s premier pastry chefs (and ice cream fanatics) Friday afternoon on business. Her pick for ultimate contemporary ice cream book was this: last year’s A Passion for Ice Cream by the legendary Emily Luchetti. Not having worked with either book I can’t offer an opinion, yet I have heard that A […]
READ ONWork, Work, Work
Due to a very welcome increase in my work flow this week (hey, that mortgage has to get paid somehow), I won’t have time to do much writing today. But I’ll be back with bells on this coming Monday with some serious deep chocolate goodies in mind. If I don’t return before the end of […]
READ ONThe Ultimate Ice Cream Book?
More than a few people that I very much respect are saying so. And why wouldn’t it be? David Lebovitz is one of the nation’s premier pastry makers and educators, having been a pastry honcho at Chez Panisse for a dozen years. In addition to that he’s written several highly acclaimed books, including Room for […]
READ ONDramatic Chipmunk
A darn funny five seconds of video that the College Humor site won’t allow me to hot-link to. No matter, I’ll just put up the URL. Click here: www.collegehumor.com/video:1764124/. Who knew a rodent could have more stage presence than Keanu Reeves?
READ ONWaiter, There’s A Lawyer in My Soup
Unless it’s a story about Krispy Kreme’s stock price hitting an even newer low, it’s rare to see restaurant news on the front page of the New York Times. Yet there is an important article there today about a lawsuit that Chef Rebecca Charles, owner of the Pearl Oyster Bar in the West Village, is […]
READ ONAh, Sweet Caramel
Is this stuff ever going to be good over apple pie this fall (though I’ll be surprised if this particualr batch makes it past 2 PM this afternoon). The secret to really good caramel ice cream (or gelato as the case may be) is to really, really cook your caramel. Which is to say, don’t […]
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