This week in class we covered custards. Custard is rich and thick, consisting of whipped and cooked milk, sugar and eggs. The first part of the class we briefly discussed food poisoning and safe food handling. While not directly related, it is interesting and an important subject. Many times food poisoning is no fault of […]
Spring break is over and class has resumed this week, with the topic being meringues. The term is French, but there is some debate as two its origin, whether or not its Swiss or German. Egg whites and sugar are the primary ingredients in the meringue. Egg whites are made up of two proteins, albumin, […]
We spent the first part of class talking about TV and Film that cover the current state of nutrition in America. A new show starts tonight called Jamie Olivers Food Revolution. Here’s a blurb on the show from ABC: The impassioned chef is taking on obesity, heart disease and diabetes in the USA, where our […]
This weeks class was a little different from previous classes. Rather than the focus being on the techniques used to produce a specific kind of finished product, the focus was on elements of products. Specifically, the class covered creams and mousses; we made a flavored mousse (used for piping into molds), classic chocolate mousse, lemon […]
This week in baking class we covered Cheesecakes and Souffles. I’ve made a few cheesecakes before, but never a souffle. I don’t think I have even had a dessert souffle before. This was originally scheduled for last week, however, our instructor was sick. Luckily the schedule for the class has a built-in make up day […]
This week in baking class we learned how to bake tarts and quiches. Both are basically the same type of pastry, only one is sweet and one is savory, with different fillings and garnishes. The fillings of tarts and quiches have infinite possibilities, pastry creme, frangipane, ganache, nuts, fruit etc. We learned about the following […]
This week in baking class we covered Pies and Strudel. A pie is usually made of a pastry crust that holds a filling. The filling can be made with many different ingredients, from sweet to savory, from fruit to meat, cheese or even fish. The filling is placed on top of a bottom crust. An […]
This week in baking class we covered quick breads. These baked goods use chemical leavening rather than yeast. Through the use of baking soda and or baking powder the baked item raises. Baking Soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When it interacts with moisture and the acid in the batter it produces bubbles of carbon dioxide […]
This is the first week of cookies in my baking class (the next will be March 25). We made 4 types of cookies (Drop/Scoop, Rolled/Cut Out, Twice Baked and Piped). We learned about 7 types of cookies: Drop/Scoop Cookies Examples: Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Peanut Butter Scoop is used to ensure consistent size, baking time, texture […]
I recently began a class at the local Community College. Even if your not interested in Baking you really should check out the offerings of the College system. Many of the classes are free or have a nominal fee. Professional Bakeshop Skills Class covers information from baking theory and techniques to hands-on production techniques. Prepare […]