abril9: April 16, 2006

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Follow up on last weeks Japonaise.
�Gateau Japonaise� is a sophisticated blend of dacquoise (nut-flavored meringue disks) and Mocha Silk ganache, a luscious flourless cake, is designed to make even the most discriminating chocolate lover weak in the knees.

***Alison: I froze the Japonaise for one week, it kept fine no deterioration at all. The disks where crisp and perfect no sogginess or like. I just removed it from the freezer let it stand about 15 min. uncovered @ RT and voila!!!!

ISOMALT

http://www.palatinit.com/en/Food_Ingredients/ISOMALT/

This week in Advanced Pastry we worked with Isomalt which is an odorless, white, crystalline substance and an artificial sugar substitute. Isomalt is a synthetic sugar alcohol that is produced from sugar. Isomalt primarily used for its sugar-like physical properties, substitutes regular white sugar in sugar work in the bakeshop. Due to it properties it doesn’t caramelize easily and lends it self to reheating and modeling. Also Isomalt has only a small impact on blood sugar levels, does not promote tooth decay, and has one half the calories of sugar; therefore it is used in some diet foods. / ISOMALT, baker’s play dough! LOL

Jose melting the Isomalt. In the back Joseph and Mark.

Melting the Isomalt sugar in a copper pot (4 fl. oz. of water to 1# of isomalt, heat up to 130 C)

The sugar lamp stations by Bill Hodges

Mark working on his pulled sugar blue rose

Joseph and Jason prepping the VERY HOT sugar / in the end we felt like roasted chicken under the lamp with burned hands and sugar all over LOL But it was much fun! to do!!!

Jason's pulled sugar green with a red tinge

Joseph aerating the sugar by pulling it to a strand and folding

Alsion under the lamp doing a rose bud demo

Alison's rose bud

Joseph's Yellow Rose

Jason's Yellow Rose

Poured sugar with a stained glass effect made using food coloring

Alison making her center piece's base / with the aid of a silpat and silicone mold

Poured sugar

Close up on Alison and Jessica's masterpiece! BTW it is a Geco not a frog! LOL

Alison and Jessica joined forces to create this masterpiece! GREAT JOB!!!!

Roses by Jose

by Jose

Jose's center piece getting lacquered

Roses by Jose (white and blue) and Joseph (yellow)

Jose's White Rose

My poor attempt at sugar work LOL : )

Close up on Jose's "CALAS"centerpiece

Sugar Work / finished center pieces made by: Agnes, Jason, Jose, Joseph, Alison + Jessica... GREAT WORK!!!!!!!!

ADVANCED PASTRY / Sugar Work / The finished center pieces made of isomalt sugar (poured and pulled sugar)

Here are some pictures of our SUPER delicious gourmet dinner and tour of Dallas County Community College "El Centro". We (Jason, Danielle and 'Moi'!) visited the dinning room where El Centro's Hospitality and Culinary students serve real guests and practice what they've learned in class. Then later our kind hosts Bill and Alison Hodges showed us around the back of the house where busy students prepped, cleaned, and took lecture. / Every Tuesday 5:30pm El Centro students serve their guests wonderfully planned 4 course meals to get real life practice and feedback from their delighted guests!

El Centro Dinner / 1st course / Seafood cakes with Thai - sesame seed sauce

LOL you can tell I was hungry and just having a great time!!! half way I realized I hadn't taken a picture of this!!! or the previous salad! so needless to say I stopped and took it! Here we have SUPER DELICIOUS focaccia bread that was MMM!!!, Mushroom Risotto, Blanched Broccoli florets and chicken breast with a herb crust.

COFFEE!!!! LOL you probably wondering why would I post this???? Well I didn't get a chance or more like didn't want to embarrass myself anymore getting up and taking pictures of the whole table setup LOL but as you can see it was all very detailed and elegant... Far left bread basket with 3 types of breads (sour dough, honey whole wheat and focaccia) Comment cards, water, candle, Fresh flowers!!! and packaged Borden Butter! all very, very nice ) OH! and lets not forget the doily on the coffee!!!! please!

Jason's Dessert very well garnished!!! Poppy seed cake.

DESSERT!!!! I chose this one it is a Cherry Claufoutis / "Clafoutis aux cerises et Rhum". This one in particular proved to be a "good-dessert and digestif all in one". Right Alison? LOL

If you mix plenty of unpitted black cherries into what may best be described as a slightly thickened crepe batter, you will have the makings of a traditional "clafoutis limousin" a type of batter cake from the farm country of southern central France.

SEE: http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=3884&typeID=100

For more info and history on traditional Claufoutis.

El Centro's Dinning Room. Run by students of the hospitality and culinary programs at DCCCD's EL Centro College / It is a very professional, energetic, fast paced environment. Here students get to practice the things learned in class. Culinary students cook for the guests and guests get to grade the students on a comment sheet at the end of the meal. Nice High dining with a selective menu, 2 choices on ea. category: Course 1, 2, entree and dessert. The waiter comes takes your full order on all courses and if you get there early you enjoy a elegant course by course meal!!! S-U-P-E-R!!! Make your reservations TODAY!!!! It is held every TUE.

El Centro's Dinning Room (beautiful!!!) On the very far left is Jason & Danielle his fiancee

EL CENTRO! Between the dishwash area and a prep area

BILL!!!! THANK YOU so much for the tour!!! Here we are going from the dishwash area to the kitchen/class area.

EL CENTRO'S Bakeshop... It was huge and very nice equiped! Complete with wood top table + dare is say many,many mixers!!!! (SOS to TCCD we NEED Kitchen Aid Mixers!!!!)

Alison and her Fundamentals of Baking class @ DCCCD's "El Centro" / You can tell Alison is happy to see my camera!!!! LOL (Really Many THANKS to Bill & Alison we had a GREAT Time visiting El Centro)