Pastry Sampler's Pastry and Bakery News

ISM - The Future of Sweets

2012-01-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

There's still time to register for the ISM - The Future of Sweets event. It is labeled as the world's leading trade fair for the confectionery industry.

ISM 2012 will be held in Cologne at the Cologne Exhibition Center, which will be a central location for the international sweets and confectionery sector to meet each other, discuss the latest trends, and see new products. Exhibitors will include the following sectors: Cocoa; Chocolate and Chocolate Products; Biscuits; Snack Items; Sugar Confectionery; Ice Cream; and Marzipan Products.

Info:

January 29th to February 1st, 2012
Admission Requirements (reserved for trade only)
Kiosk and events

Pizzelle Cookies

2012-01-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Pizzelles - crisp, flat, and oh so versatile, they are to pastry what biscuits are to baking. They can be stamped in a variety of shapes using whatever iron you have. Some pizzelle irons have designs that are geometric and formal looking while others are more arabesque and romantic.

I make pizzelles for a great number of pastry items (ice cream cones, cookie sandwiches, or even by themselves as cookies) and if they are kept tightly covered can be stored for up to a week to save time during busy holiday events.

Try my basic pizzelle recipe, and learn more about this fun, versatile Italian cookie.

Eau de Vie - Fruit Brandy

2012-01-17T00:02:00.000-08:00

What is eau de vie? It is a fruit brandy that is clear and unaged. These brandies are good for all kinds of desserts, such as sorbets or fruit dessert sauces.

For more about eau de vie and a list of popular fruit brandies, read What is Eau de Vie? on Pastry Sampler.

Image of poire eau de vie, courtesy Scott Dexter through a creative commons license on Wikimedia commons.

Sweet National Days for January

2012-01-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the different National days for January:

Jan 2 - National Cream Puff Day
Jan 3 - National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
Jan 5 - National Whipped Cream Day
Jan 8 - National English Toffee Day
Jan 10 - National bittersweet Chocolate Day
Jan 12 - National Marzipan Day
Jan 15 - National Strawberry Ice Cream Day
Jan 16 - National Fig Newton Day
Jan 20 - National Buttercrunch Day
Jan 22 - National Blonde Brownie Day
Jan 23 - National Pie Day
Jan 23 - National Rhubarb Pie Day
Jan 26 - National Peanut Brittle Day
Jan 30 - National Croissant Day

Make January 23, National Pie Day, extra special. On that day, you can celebrate Vermont's State Pie (apple pie), Massachusetts State Dessert (Boston cream pie), and Florida (key lime pie).

Image source: Morguefile.

The Decorator's Motif Bible by Sheila Lampkin

2011-12-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible (Sheila Lampkin, Quarto, 2007, ISBN: 9781554072811) is nothing but the goods, with all the illustrations you need to complete any flat fondant project. Kuo Kan Chen is the illustrator, and without the easy-to-follow guides, the book wouldn't be as useful.

The book comes spiral bound which makes it easy to flatten the book to any page you are working on. The color photos and examples of finished alphabets at the back of the book make it also a pretty good pastry reference book.

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible Chapters and Overview

The book is separated into two main categories: Materials; and Design Directory. The Materials at the beginning of the book contain information on different decorating ingredients (gumpaste, cake recipes, fondant, and different icings) and the materials for creating the cakes (how to make and use templates, piping icing, ideas, and tools). The Design Directory is where all the colored design pictures are, and here is where the Motif selector is, and all the designs are kept: Animals; Flowers, fruits and leaves; Seasonal; Celebrations; Novelty ideas; Surfaces and textures; Cupcakes; and Alphabets.

There is a quick conversions chart, as well as a glossary of terms used, in the back of the book housed with the index.

The actual design pages have a chart showing the elements: Template (a graph with the illustrated line drawing of the design); Color Photograph (showing an example of the work); Order of work (step-by-step instructions); Degree of difficulty (easy to complex); Use for - flat, low relief, linework, or 3-D (ways to use the motif, such as cake tops, borders, or side designs); Icing colors you'll need; and the tools used.

For anyone needing just a quick guide or idea book for fondant images, this book covers all the major holidays and family events. I wish there were more 3-D items, but for what the book is designed for, it is a handy book to have on the pastry bookshelf.

Book Information:

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible: 150 Fabulous Fondant Designs with Easy-to-Follow Charts and Photographs; by Sheila Lampkin, Illustrated by Kuo Kan Chen and Photographed by Karl Adamson
Quarto Publishing, 2007
ISBN13: 9781554072811
Spiral binding, hardcover, 256 pages, full color

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible: 150 Fabulous Fondant Designs with Easy-to-Follow Charts and Photographs is available through Amazon.

Disclosure: This book was purchased with the author's own funds, and any opinions are the author's own.

The Sweets of Araby: Enchanting Recipes from the Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights

2011-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

I was eager to open the cover of the book as soon as I received it. The Sweets of Araby (Muna Salloum and Leila Salloum Elias, Countryman Press, 2011, ISBN: 9780881509298) is a beautifully illustrated pastry book interwoven with 25 tales of Scheherazade followed by a dessert. All the illustrations are done by Linda Dalal Sawaya, a Lebanese-American artist, and are richly colored providing the perfect backdrop for the Arabian sweet recipes.

Seductive Tales and Pastry Recipes

The Sweets of Araby is cleverly divided not by chapter, but by 25 nights of tales Scheherazade spun for her beloved, Shahryar, the caliph of the land. Each night includes a short story (some are humorous and some are fable-like) and each have a recipe to accompany it. Most recipes are derived from or contain one of three basic recipes which are featured at the beginning of the book: Qatr, a fragrant sugar syrup; Asal, a warm honey and butter syrup; and Qashtah, a thickened, cheeselike milk that is flavored with rosewater and orange blossom.

Historical Relevance and Research of the Recipes

Both authors are scholars of Middle East and Islamic studies and are of Syrian descent. Leila Salloum Elias teaches at Penn State University and Northampton CC and Muna Salloum works at the University of Toronto. During both sisters' journey in pursuing their Master's degrees and reading six medieval manuscripts, they discovered many culinary recipes. The story of how the book came to be, according to the authors' introduction, was from a lighthearted argument between friends of different cultures, of where the best desserts originated. Interesting notes from the authors: cannoli most likely originated from an Arabian tubular fritter called 'qananit', and baklava was most likely derived from 'kunafah', paper-thin sheets of dough that is shredded (probably similar to kadaife in this case).

Each recipe in the cookbook is adapted for modern kitchens. Because I enjoy collecting historical cookbooks and recreating recipes myself, it was significant and interesting that the authors listed the sources for all recipes, and included the original, translated text.

Arabian Desserts

True to form of traditional Arabic pastry, the desserts contain a heady and sweet mixture of all or some of these ingredients: nuts, honey, rosewater, butter, orange blossom water, spices, or sesame oil. The authors have included for most recipes notes after the stories describing what changes they have made to modernize the older recipes, rich descriptions of the finished product, or best ways to present and serve the desserts.

This book has a little something for everyone. Those who are interested in Arabic pastry-making will find the original recipes fun to try. Those who are interested in the 1001 Arabian Nights will find the tales interwoven with a dessert a treat. And still, those who have an interest in obtaining a beautiful and totally functional art or coffee-table cookbook will be intrigued by all the colorful illustrations by Linda Dalal Sawaya. Either way, this cookbook/storybook/art book will please anyone who picks it up. Highly recommended. And the recipes are good, too.

Book Information:

The Sweets of Araby: Enchanting Recipes from The Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights; by Leila Salloum Elias and Muna Salloum; Illustrated by Linda Dalal Sawaya
The Countryman Press; 2011
ISBN13: 9780881609298
Hardcover, dust jacket; 126 pages

The Sweets of Araby: Enchanting Recipes from the Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights is available through Amazon.

Disclosure: This book was provided to the author by publisher. Any opinions are the author's own.

Pastry Chef Kid's T-shirt in a New Treasury on Etsy!

2011-12-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

My Pastry Chef Kid's T-shirt is listed in a new treasury on Etsy. How fun!

Treasury is called 'Easy to Please...Easy to Love...' and curated by Jamie Birkholz of jaysworldatetsy. Big Thank You, Jamie!!

-- Renee.

Swordfish Tuile Tutorial Video

2011-12-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

How to make swordfish tuiles, using pate cigarette batter and a custom swordfish tuile mold.

December Tips for Pastry Sharing

2011-12-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

November fell into place and went by quickly. December usually goes by fast, too. Stretch the holidays by making each day festive for the month of December. How to accomplish that? Here are some ideas for sharing cakes, cookies, confections, and candy, all relating to the world of pastry:

Start your own cookie exchange, either with family members or friends.
Help plan and host a progressive dinner on your block and be the dessert stop, or make it a progressive holiday cookie or dessert party and spend an evening with desserts, coffee or tea.
Test your baking skills and give away your treats to someone in need, or someone who might enjoy a batch of freshly baked treats.

No matter what you celebrate this year or how you celebrate it, there is usually a pastry to go along with it or a dessert to make it even sweeter. I'm sharing a photo of cake balls I made recently for the kids with scraps of cake and leftover buttercream. Kids loved them and so did we...

Merry Christmas from Pastry Sampler!

Holiday Molds Giveaway Ended - Congrats to the winner!

2011-12-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Just a note to say the holiday molds giveaway has ended, the winner has been notified, and the items have been shipped off. Thanks to everyone who participated! It was fun for us as well!

Buche de Noel Throwdown

2011-11-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of a Bûche de Noël throwdown? Well, me either, but this event happening in Chicago on December 1 should be fun to attend. It's the Cafe des Architectes Holiday Rock and Roll, hosted by Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy and Chef Greg Biggers, and goes from 6-8 pm.

Cafe des Architectes Holiday Rock & Roll

Tickets 35.00 plus 2.92 fee
Cafe de Architectes at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower

Image of Bûche de Noël courtesy Kelly Sue, Flickr, through a creative commons license.

Vegan Pie in the Sky: Great Baking Book For Everyone

2011-11-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Vegan desserts are those that are obviously meatless and completely animal free. Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-this-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More provides fun and tasty desserts for any diet.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero have teamed up again to produce Vegan Pie in the Sky. Their previous team works include the books: Veganomicon, Vecan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. They are also the backbone of the The Post Punk Kitchen.

Vegan Baking Tips Good for Non-Vegans, Too

I'm not vegan, but loved trying the recipes. Vegan Pie in the Sky gives great tips on 'boozy' pie crusts, or those containing vodka, and crusts made with solid coconut oil. I'm always looking for new ways to make pies and using coconut oil was new to me.

Vegan Pie in the Sky Chapters and Contents

The book is separated into two main parts: How to Create the Universe or Bake a Pie From Scratch; and The Recipes. Since this is a baking book focusing on fruit desserts and pies, pies, tarts, and cheesecakes are all covered as well as these popular fruit desserts: cobbler, betty, crisp, pandowdy, and buckle. For those looking for recipes, they give good, tested recipes in these chapters: Pie Crusts; Fruit Pies; Creamy Pies, Harvest Pies, Chocolate Pies, and A Few Toppings.

The Base and the Top

If you've never made a pie before in your life, the authors have documented the work over several pages with their steps:

Work in the fat
Add water and acid
Divide and chill
Roll 'em out

These are true no mater what kind of pie your making or what ingredients are inside. The first section on pie crust also gives ideas on making the edges pretty and ways to top them. The last chapter offers different recipes for topping (and decorating the top of) vegan desserts. The featured recipe, 'Rad Whip', contains unroasted cashews and coconut milk, and sounds rich enough to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Recommended for Vegans and Non-Vegans

While this cookbook is obviously geared for vegans and those who would like to create desserts that are completely animal-free, this is also a good baking book on its own. The baking tips throughout the book on the subject of pies are sound, the color photos are appetizing, and most recipes use ingredients already found in many family pantries so sourcing out special ingredients is unnecessary.

Vegan baking isn't just about recreating something out of tofu. Successful vegan baking begins with the vision of a great tasting dessert. Vegan Pie in the Sky shows readers that vegan baking can embody the use of fresh ingredients and finish them in a tantalizing way - that just happens to be completely animal-free.

Book Information:

Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-this-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More; by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Da Capo Books; 2011
ISBN13: 9780738212746
Paperback; 223 pages

Link to Amazon:
Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More

Link to Publisher Detail Page with Author Links:
Vegan Pie in the Sky: Da Capo Press

Disclosure: This book was provided to the author by the publisher. Any opinions are the author's own.
Image courtesy Da Capo Press.

Pairing Cookies with Wine - Cookies & Corks

2011-11-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

Must...try...this !

Cookies and Corks pairs wine with different sweet and savory cookies. They have a flavor for every wine, and they have special selections available for different varietals. From their Pairings Page, you'll find different flavors geared for different wines.

Examples:

Parmesan Thyme cookie with a Brut sparkling wine
White Cheddar Rosemary with a Cabernet Sauvignon
Apricot Sage with a Gewurztraminer

Visit their Facebook page for photos of your favorite stars when they were at the 2011 Emmys Gifting Suite. Their website has a convenient printable Expanded Pairing page in pdf form listing their cookie line and the wines that go best with them. Nine flavors to choose from.

The First Holiday Molds Giveaway Ends November 18

2011-11-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that the first holiday molds giveaway ends tomorrow at the end of the day! I'll pick a winner from a random entry the next day. I'll announce the winner the following week to give time for the winner to be contacted.

This has been fun! A second giveaway will be held the 28th of November and will be open for one week. It will be conducted via Rafflecopter and be all about Christmas candy and chocolate molds, and molds for gingerbread houses.

Thanks, and good luck!

Renee

November Pastry Sampler Newsletter

2011-11-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

November's newsletter was sent out - and the newsletter can be viewed online.

Thanksgiving Day Pies and Desserts

2011-11-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Looking for ideas for Thanksgiving pies? Or need to brush up on pie-making? There are lots of ideas for crusts, borders, and making Thanksgiving desserts look special on Pastry Sampler.

Thanksgiving Pie Ideas and Turkey Day Desserts.

Holiday Chocolate Molds Giveaway

2011-11-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Giveaway has now ended. We'll select a random winner and announce it on the blog later. Thanks so much everyone!

Pastry Sampler has a giveaway of a set of different holiday chocolate molds that can be used throughout the year.

Value of the Giveaway: 34.00
Ends: Friday, November 18, 2011.
Random entry will be drawn on November 19th.

Included: 15 different clear chocolate molds for different holidays or events throughout the year. Items are:

Stars
Double Hearts
Shamrocks
3-D Faceted Easter Eggs
Assorted Carrots
Assorted Easter Designs
U. S. Flag
Mushrooms
Assorted Leaves
Halloween Mint Squares
Jack-o-Lantern Chocopicks
Turkey & Pumpkins
Assorted Thanksgiving & Pilgrim Designs
Ornaments
Nativity Scene

Requirement: Fill out the form below, and follow this blog. Want extra entries? Follow the Pastry Sampler Facebook Page and Pastry Sampler Twitter and receive two extra entries (one for each follow or like).

Have fun and good luck!

Who is Karl Kessab? The World's First Tea Sommelier

2011-10-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Flipping through the September/October's issue of Hotel Dining, the supplement to HOTELS and Plate magazines, I read about a tea sommelier. Tea Sommelier? We all know that traditional wine sommeliers are experts in the field of wine, so why not have a tea sommelier to assist guests in the art of tea service? The Lanesborough in London has the one person to guide anyone in selecting just the right tea for any occasion. Karl Kessab is the tea sommelier there, and in 2003 he was appointed as the world's first tea sommelier through the United Kingdom Tea Council.

The famous Lanesbourough has been awarded with the UK Tea Council's Award of Excellence three years in a row (2009, 2010, and 2011), so Kessab must know a thing or two about tea service.

The idea of tea sommelier is romantic to me. Here are resources and people related to tea::

UK Tea Council: Behind the Scenes with the UK's First Tea Sommelier
Chris Cason: Tea Sommelier to Tavalon Tea
Tea Association of Canada: Typical Course for Tea Sommeliers
Edumolinanfossi.blog.com: Quest for Tea Sommelier
Jeffrey Hattrick: Tea Maitre d' at the Ritz-Carlton Pheonix

More Info:
Afternoon Tea at The Lanesborough Hotel in London

Image Credit: Morguefile

Adult Chocolate Milk - What Desserts Can You Come Up With?

2011-10-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

Always looking for something new as an ingredient for desserts, I spotted this liqueur. It's a vodka-based cream liqueur, and the makers are touting it as an adult version of the classic treat - chocolate milk.

Instead of the usual Irish cream or the heather honey cream liqueur, Sylk Cream, from Drambuie, try a 'chocolate milk' liqueur for flavor.

More info:

Adult Chocolate Milk (must be 21 years or older to view the page)
Adult Chocolate Milk Facebook public page - where the picture came from at right
40-proof

Coffee Plantations in San Salvador - For Sale

2011-10-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wanted a coffee plantation to call your own, Schneider Industries has two working coffee plantations for auction.

The first property is located in La Liberdad, San Salvador, and it is a complete coffee plantation set on just over ten acres. The second is located in Sonsonate, El Salvador, and is also a complete coffee plantation set on 59 acres. What makes them complete coffee plantations? Property real estate itself as well as all buildings, homes, and equipment are all up for sale.

Both properties details can be viewed online via documents that can be downloaded and viewed, with maps and photos of the buildings. The La Liberdad location has a .doc Word document (in Spanish), and the one located in Sonsonate has a .pdf document (in Spanish).

Upcoming Auction: The Corner Ice Cream Shoppe in Naperville, IL

2011-10-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Auction: The Corner Ice Cream Shoppe

This auction is conducted by Bob King Auctions, and includes many frozen dessert equipment pieces, such as display cases and mixers. If you have cash on hand for the items you want, there is a 2% discount for payment made by cash or certified funds.

Details:

Date: October 17
Location: 2835 Showplace Dr., Unit 103, in Naperville, IL
Items up for auction: Pictures of all items available
Details & terms: Equipment details with terms and notes of auction

Boston Pastry Rendezvous

2011-10-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Presented by Boston After Six, the Boston Pastry Rendezvous happens on November 2, 6-11PM at the Back Bay Events Center. Sample pastries and start the holiday shopping sweetly.

Tickets are 35.00 at Eventbrite, but for a limited time they are available at 43% off (20.00 each ticket) through Boston Deals. That deal ends on October 19th.

Location: 180 Berkeley St in Boston, Back Bay Events Center.
Time: One day only - November 2 from 6pm to 11pm.

National Angel Food Cake Day - October 10

2011-10-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Think angel food cake is a recent invention? Well, you'd be thinking wrong. Angel food cake has been around a very long time, and the author of The American Pastry Cook, Jessup Whitehead, who goes into detail about its origins way back in 1894, and makes you appreciate this gem of a cake.

Read more about the history of Angel Food Cake from my Old School Pastry blog.

National Dessert Day - October 9

2011-10-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Celebrate it by making a dessert! What is a dessert? Basically, anything that you serve at the end of the meal. It could be baked, frozen, fresh, or warmed. It could also be something not even remotely sweet, like different cheeses, or even nuts and dried fruits.

Satirical Bake Sale at Berkeley: Prices Based on Race & Sex

2011-09-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

The thought of mixing politics and bake sales is a first for me. Here's the premise: A bake sale where prices for the pastry, baked goods, and other offerings are based on the student's sex and race, and is a protest for an affirmative action.

According to the events public facebook event page, Conscious Cupcakes Giveaway! is happening on Sept. 27, from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm in the Upper Sproul at Berkeley. As of this posting, 851 people will be attending. The official cause page from facebook, I Support the Increase Diversity Bake Sale, now has 352 likes.

From the Conscious Cupcakes Giveaway! event page:

Join us in celebrating and representing UC Berkeley's diverse community! We recognize we still have a long way to go in bridging the gaps in understanding the complexities of race, gender and sexuality, but we take the first steps by taking our first bite of FREE Conscious Cupcakes in solidarity!

If you want to contribute to cupcake making or donate cupcakes, please contact us! :)

From the I Support the Increase Diversity Bake Sale facebook cause page:

September 26, 2011

Show your solidarity with the Berkeley College Republicans who created the "Increase Diversity Bake Sale"
Mission: We want to express our solidarity with those who want consistent policies:
either it is the case that race, gender, ethnicity & nationality are not a proper basis for treating people differently -or- those factors can be considered when deciding what to charge for a muffin!

If politics and pastry are your thing, this would be a bake sale to attend.