Thursday, January 7, 2010
Back to the Market
Hope to see you there this season!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Christmas Cookies...A Reflection
It got me into thinking about all the time (and nerve) saving ways I've learned 12 years in the restaurant business. Here are some of the tricks:
- Freeze cookie dough in logs, cut, or scooped (think sugar cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate chip, etc).
- Biscotti can be made early on; they last practically forever. Or, freeze the logs unbaked.
- Cream puff dough (or Pate Choux) can be piped onto a sheetpan and frozen, then pop them into a ziploc bag. To bake, just lay them on a sheetpan and bake (no need to thaw).
- Pie/Tart doughs are freezer's best friends. For easier handling (if you have the space), roll them out before freezing and place them on a sheetpan with a piece of parchment paper in between. It will take minutes for them to thaw out and be ready to use.
- Most sweet tart dough also works well as cut out cookies. One dough, two results.
- Make extra. If you're making a pie, make enough dough for 2. It will take about the same time, but less clean up.
For me, the hardest thing about putting together a Christmas box is deciding what should go in it. When I was working in restaurants and having daily changing menus, people used to ask me how I decide what to make for a particular day. To be honest, I made what I felt like eating that day, even if I didn't get to eat them all. My taste naturally change with the seasons. By March, I would be sick and tired of pears and apples, and dying for the first taste of strawberries and couldn't wait for the cherries to pop up. By September, I would miss pears and quince all over again. So basically, I made what I thought sounded good. For my boxes, I want to have a good selection, so everyone can find at least one thing they like, but I don't want to go too crazy and have 20 different items. Christmas always got me into thinking chocolate, mint, cranberries, citrus, spices, caramel, and nuts. So this year, I made chocolate-mint cookies, vanilla butter cookies (it's made with my favorite tart dough) sandwiched with caramel, meyer lemon shortbread, cranberry-pistachio biscotti, spicy gingersnaps, almond-cocoa nib brittle with gray sea salt, and soft caramel candies.
It is a very satisfying experience, now that the sweets are done. The best part? I got to eat a piece (or two) of everything. There's only one thing I missed...my mom's red soup (literal translation from an Indonesian dish called "Sup Merah"). Other than that, I am ready for Christmas.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Cupcakes And A Store Are In Order
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sold out!
We tried out 9" galettes and they seem to go out fast. This week, we will continue to have a couple of them, so if you didn't get one last week, come early this week.
For an extra special treat, I bought some precious late summer strawberries. After the first bite, I was sold. They are by far the most flavorful and sweetest strawberries I've ever had. Some are regular size and some are extra tiny. So look for some whole berries in your galettes.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Fall Stone Fruit
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
It's Finally Here!
Another excitement for me at this time of year, is the arrival of huckleberries. They look like blueberries, but smaller and have sweeter smell. They are one of the pricier berries and only available for a very short time. Just to share the excitement, you can have them in our Macintosh Apple and Huckleberry Galettes this weekend. Huckleberries work well with early fall fruits, like Gravenstein apples, French Butter Pears, and Figs.
In general, you can't go wrong combining fruit that are in season at the same time. For examples: rhubarb and strawberries in the spring, peach and blueberries in the summer, pear and figs in the fall, and apples and quince in the winter.
Here's a recipe for a very versatile crisp topping. You can put it on top of apple pie for a dutch apple pie, bake it into a crisp with whatever fruit you can find, or bake it alone and use for crunchy ice cream topping.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
I Will Be Back in Orinda Next Saturday
I have been working on packaging my pastries and cookies this week, under health department's order. You will see my products in a new way. Don't worry, they are still the same goodness, no change in the formula. They will go in unbleached wax paper bags (natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable). I am trying the best I can to not use plastics and create more garbage. I have read online reviews that some people re-use these bags several times, they are so sturdy (I only use new ones of course). Anyway, I am hoping for the best and that the health dept will approve.
Do expect to see me next weekend at the market. In the meantime, if you have any pastry need, give me a call (510-220-3057) and we'll work something out. Have a great weekend!