The Beauty of Meringues

Meringues might be one of the most amazing discoveries in pastry history. Who would ever guess that 2 runny little egg whites -- quite unfortunately mucous-like in nature -- could transform into silky, shiny, gorgeous peaks of sweet white decadence three times their original volume? And the only magic needed for this fairy-tale-like like transformation is some form of sugar and a whole ton of whipping. Amazing. We are learning about all sorts of meringues -- from Swiss, to Italian, to French Meringue -- they each have slight variations in how you add the sugar and whether or not you bake them. But they are all fascinating. Stay tuned.. Later this week, I'll be making delicious meringue cookies with a layer of chocolate ganache in the center... A sweet sandwich, if I ever tasted one!

Pastry of the Week: Biscuits!

A delicious, flaky, buttery biscuit... does it get any better? Warm it up in the oven, cut it open, watch the steam rush up, slap a little jam inside... the perfect breakfast! Or... Try one of my bacon, cheddar, scallion biscuits -- a meal all on its own! Email me if you are interested... 

Custards, custards, custards

Who knew that eggs could be so versatile? And delicious? Turns out, almost everything creamy and rich is actually just egg yolks and sugar. Wow! Bad news for the cholesterol, but interesting. We experienced a whole week of the custard spectrum... from "Floating Islands" (an old, traditional French dessert -- "Oeufs A La Neige"), to Mocha Pots de Creme, to Ice Cream (Yes, it's actually just a custard... frozen), to Creme Brulee (Using a torch is awesome!), to Honey Parfaits with fancy macerated fruit compote, to Flan, to Souffles! I don't even want to think about how many eggs I cracked this week... And then consumed. Sorry, Doc!

Pastry School Begins!

Oh the bounty! Pastry School is turning out to be beyond my wildest, sweetest dreams! We have an amazingly talented and kind teacher and a fabulous group of Pastry-Chef-to-be's. The atmosphere is teamwork-oriented and incredibly supportive... no culinary competitiveness here! So far we've worked on all sorts of fancy cookies, fruit tarts, chocolate ganache, pate a choux (cream puffs and eclairs), and lemon meringue tarts. It's a whirlwind, but in our 4-hour sessions, we sure do create (and taste) quite a spread of lovely desserts. I'm learning so much about technique -- the academic nerd side of me is constantly being fed -- and I'm loving it!