Pastry Maestra
Free Video Tutorials on Baking, Pastry making and Creating Desserts. Have a sweet life!
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f you wish to treat yourself or your special someone with a delicacy that is fancy and expensive, exotic, full of fruits, yet tangy and sweet at the same time, you will, believe me, reach for pâtes des fruits [pɑt d fʁɥi]. And if you happen to be in France at the time, you’re in luck because you can find this little gem in every self-respecting pastry shop over there!
“F
rozen dessert” Now – that’s a nice thought, right? Did you think of an ice cream? I did! The supermarket freezer loaded with different brands and flavors of ice cream, or a local ice cream shop with window display full of freshly made artisan ice cream! Mhm, that image is certainly worth a thousand spoons…sorry – words! I’m so distracted now that only a hefty dosage of frozen delight can repair my train of thoughts, and I think I have just the thing in my freezer! Chocolate, half a gallon of course! O.K! Now I can talk about frozen desserts until brain freeze hits me!
W
e are playing with sugar today, folks! It always amazes me how it is possible to make a heavenly bite using only ordinary, everyday ingredients like sugar and cream! No less than a miracle, that’s what it is!
S
uch a lovely name for an absolutely delicious dessert, isn’t it? Funny thing – you could easily be confused because ordering charlotte in England and France may result in getting two pretty different sweets!
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an you believe that the humble, simple ice cream can be a weapon of war? And not just any war – the second big one, no less! Well, Mussolini thought so, and the result was devastating – ice cream was officially banned in WWII Italy! Why? Because – “It was too American”, Mussolini said! Brrr, imagine the world without ice cream, now – that is a chilling thought, right?
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ave you ever tasted an éclair or glazed petit four? Of course you did! Do you remember that thick, shiny, sweet paste on the top, which was probably the same color and taste like the inside of the pastries? That is fondant icing!
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dmit, are you one of those people who toss their freshly prepared shortcrust pastry in the tart mold and then press it in with your fingers? Are you?! Well, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that you won’t make some sort of tart that way, but…
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oday it is all about egg yolks and the point of view. To some people, egg yolks are a reminder of fat and cholesterol, but I like to look at my glass as half full. That means, my dear readers, that when I look at egg yolks, I see their delicious future: a decadent chocolate parfait, creamy bavarois, silky crème pâtissière, or a luscious zabaglione melting in my mouth…
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hat is so special about sugar syrup? Not unusual ingredients for sure, since, in most cases, it contains only sugar and water. So what is so difficult in mixing some sugar and water?
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ould you care for some crispy, sweet meringue kisses, possibly filled with dark chocolate ganache? Or, maybe, you’ve just felt a sudden craving for a bite of light, melt-in-your-mouth Pavlova – a meringue and crème Chantilly goodness, topped with fresh, seasonal fruits and drizzled with passion fruit coulis? Want to learn how to make all that? You are just in the right place!
