custom cookies

i've done a couple of custom cookie orders lately (oddly both have been with birds). i actually have a lot of fun decorating these cookies, and it's exciting planning out how to decorate them. the worst part is making the cookies. i hate cutting cookie dough. i have so little counter space, and rolling out dough is such a pain in the butt. and then using a cookie cutter and transfering the dough to the cookie sheet is super annoying - it takes forever to get it right. but once you get the cookies out of the oven, the fun can start!

ps. hi jess :)

key lime pie with pretzel crust

i made this pie for my friend's birthday. i've never actually had key lime pie, and i didn't get to eat this. so i hope it was good. looked delicious..

momofuku's crack pie

i was invited to a pizza party, and i offered to bring dessert. i was going to stay in the theme of "pie" (pizza PIE), so i decided to go with the momofuku crack pie. la times posted the recipe not too long ago, and i bookmarked it since everyone seems crazy about it. i can see why - it's pretty much a pound of sugar and a pound of butter, baked inside a cookie crust. oh my.

momofuku crack pie recipe can be found here

professional baking class - Pate a Choux

time to get fancy! pate à choux is a pastry dough used to make profiteroles, eclairs, and other fun and pretty things. it's made with only butter, water, flour and eggs. it rises because of all the steam! that's why these things hollow out, and then you fill them with delicious pastry cream.

my partner and i made chocolate mousse filled profiteroles, and then we built them into a croquembouche. i took it home with me but since it was warm outside it fell apart. but i ate most of the profiteroles anyway. heh. also notice the pretty swans that another group made!

professional baking class - soufflé

our soufflé class was a lot of fun. i had never made soufflé, or even attempted it, because it always seemed so scary. they're so delicate, they're notorious for falling after removing from the oven, the slightest breeze can crush these babies.

however, after making what seemed like a dozen different types, it's really not all that hard. you should try it. you will easily impress your guests/yourself.

included flavors: coffee, almond, blackberry, goat cheese and chocolate

professional baking class - vanilla sauce

in this class we used a main "vanilla sauce" recipe to create ice cream, creme brulee, creme caramel, and pot de creme. it's really fun to see how one basic recipe can be changed to result in so many different things.

lemon pound cake

i made this lemon pound cake back in january, and it's something my coworkers still talk about. i guess i should make it again...

i used a basic pound cake recipe and added some lemon zest, and used a lemon glaze for the top. i tend to like a denser pound cake. otherwise i feel like i'm just eating birthday cake.

professional baking class - cakes 2

for our second cake class, we did butter based cakes. this included cheesecake (not my favorite but they turned out pretty good nonetheless), pound cake, and checkerboard cake. i love love love pound cake, so i was excited that we got to try three different versions: the master pound cake, the perfect pound cake, and the great pound cake (i think that's what it's called). they were all tasty, fyi. for the cheesecakes, we did a test to see what happens if you bake it without a water bath. my partner and i were in charge of the sacrificial cheesecake, so ours cracked down the middle. it still tasted good, though!

julia child butter cake

for my brother's birthday i decided to try something challenging (and fun) and make a cake from my new julia childs cookbook. i decided on her basic vanilla cake, with buttercream frosting. however, i had some bananas laying around to i decided to throw those in there, and add some rum to the buttercream - voila, banana fosters cake!

the buttercream though, being a traditional french buttercream, was 90% butter. so putting the cake in the fridge did not work. eating the cake was pretty much like eating a stick of butter. but after letting it sit out and come to room temp, it was pretty darn good.

professional baking class - cakes 1

for our first cakes class, we made egg based cakes. so using a sponge cake recipe, we made a jelly roll, tiramisu, and a chocolate version which was rolled into a bouche de noel. this was a really fun class, but i think i was suffering from sugar overload all weekend long.

professional baking class - quick breads and cookies

so here are some pictures from my first two baking classes at the epicurean school of culinary arts. our first class was quick breads. we made scones, biscuits and muffins. pictures below are my currant scones, buttermilk biscuits and blueberry muffins.

our second class was about cookies. each group made two different batches of cookies, so you can imagine just how many cookies we had at the end of class. my partner and i were in charge of making thumbprint cookies and double chocolate cookies. other groups made chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, biscotti and mexican wedding cakes.

the best part of class is the critique/sample time. we all try some of everyone else's work, and our chef tells us about what we're eating, that way we can learn to determine if something is overbaked, undermixed, too salty/sweet, etc etc.

next classes - cakes!