LoveTheJourney

Oh silky, lovely bavarian cream…all set to be poured into a mold (after I’ve dipped my finger in it a time or two, of course). Making a crème anglaise-style Bavarian cream is only a little more complicated than making crème anglaise. All you’re doing is combining your custard with whipped cream and gelatin. Easy. Below [...]

It may not be traditional, but I can tell you how it tastes: phenomenal. The assembly goes like this: roll out your puff pastry to about 1/4″ thickness and cut out your crusts. You want the circles to be as big around as the outside lip of the ramekin molds. Once they’re cut, store them [...]

Look around a little and you can find recipes for full-sized tomato tartes tatin, however I think the original mini-tarts still work the best. The New York Times’ large version from 2008 calls for a pound of cherry or grape tomatoes, but I think that’s still too watery, and I don’t much care for the [...]

The more you eat, the more you want. It’s been the Cracker Jack slogan since 1895 and it’s still true. There’s a little bit of candy-making process to this never-fail treat, but it’s painless if you can lay your hands on a thermometer. First, we make the popcorn. Throw a few kernels in a 3-4 [...]

Here’s en excellent question from reader Pete:
I like your idea about clafoutis in cast iron, but I get nervous about using my cast iron pan because I don’t know if it’s properly seasoned. Can you tell me a little about seasoning and how to do it right?

Pete, I would love to. Seasoning is the process [...]

You want to talk about the dynamic nature of a soufflé? By the time I got this beast into my preferred light to snap this picture, it had already fallen from its peak about two inches over the rim of the form to a level about even with the form. That’s normal for a soufflé [...]

That from reader Robert L., and what a good question it is. I myself once wondered who ever thought to “condense” milk, sugar it heavily, and deliver it in syrup form in cans. The whole idea just seemed screwy to me.
In fact several inventors in the early 19th Century spent years trying to develop [...]

What, you mean you didn’t know you could make ganache with crème fraîche? Indeed you can, and a splendidly rich, smooth, sweet and tangy experience it is too. Some people make ganache using nothing but crème fraîche (or sour cream) for the dairy component. I myself prefer a mellower 50-50 blend of crème fraîche and [...]

Praline is what we’re going to use to flavor one of the layers of pastry cream. It’s a simple, fun and kinda silly part of the marjolaine-making process. Start by greasing a sheet pan or cookie sheet. You can use butter, oil or cooking spray like I’m doing here. (A Silpat comes in very handy [...]