Cookies and Petit Fours

Brenna Morgan

[bee-cookies]

Biography

Hello, I am Brenna and I am a Baking and Pastry Major at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. I learned about JWU in sophomore year of high school, a rep came into one of my classes and told us all about the school and programs and made us food that was simply amazing. After that school day I went home and looked up Johnson & Wales University and learned about the countless opportunities and how they allow you to do labs first to get right into your field. After that I knew I just had to go to this school and learn all I can about Baking and Pastry Arts. I knew that Johnson & Wales would be the best school to teach me all I need to know to have a successful career.

I am in the baking and pastry program because ever since I was little all I wanted to do was make cookies and cakes and cupcakes. I remember always bugging my mother to let me help her bake cookies and cakes for family parties and birthdays. I simply loved making things so sweet and delicious. It was so much fun  to me to make everything and to see how happy it made everyone around me.

I was also hugely inspiried by my grandmother, she was in no way a world class pastry chef, she really only made store bough cookie dough and only made really simple pies. But what really inspiried me was how she treated baking. My grandmother always told me "Nothing cures a bad day like a cookie fresh out of the oven". She didn't think of baking like an obligation , like my mother did, she thought of it as a medicine, like it could help any bad day and could make any good day even better. It didn't matter if they were store bought or made by hand, to her a cookie was great if it was made with love and the person making it truly enjoyed the process. Whenever I went over her house, she always had cookies waiting for us, and she always told me how much she loved making them for us cause she knew it made us happy and that made her happy. That's what I strive to be like as a pastry chef, not to be best best, or paid the most but to simply love what I'm making and seeing how happy it makes the people around me, just like my grandmother did. Because nothing cures a bad day like a cookie fresh out of the oven. 

[bee-cookies]

Petit Fours Glace- Frangipane

Petit Fours are small bite sized cakes, usually no more then just one to two bites each. The most common type of cake used is Frangipane, because it is very dense and wont fall apart when cut. Petit Four Glace are very small, we cut ours into 1.5 in x 1.5 in sqaures. We then dipped them in fondant and topped them with Marzipan. Now what is Fondant? Fondant is a glaze that is used to top Petit Fours and cakes, it is ver sweet since its main ingredient is powdered sugar. You have probably seen Fondant on things like wedding cake or birthday cakes you have purchased from a bakery. And what is Marzipan? Marzipan is a sugar dough, it is a lot like play-doh where it can be molded and sculted into an infinite number of things, like roses or pumpkins. The end product is very beautiful when cut and dipped properly, which isn't as hard as it looks. However, it is very sweet, since most of the ingredients in the Petit Four is sugar or something sweet, so it can be very overwhelming. Most people only eat one because of how sugary and sweet it is. 

FRANGIPANE

INGREDIENTS

-          ALMOND PASTE 9.25 OZ

-          SUGAR 9.25 OZ

-          BUTTER, ROOM TEMP 9.25 OZ

-          EGGS 12 OZ

-          CAKE FLOUR, SIFTED 4 OZ

METHOD OF PREP:

1. Cream Almond Paste + sugar until it resembles sand.

2. Slowly add small pieces of butter.

3. Add eggs very slowly, scraping bowl half way through.

4. Slowly add cake flour.

5. Batter must be spread evenly onto a VERY FLAT, greased + papered 1/2 sheet pan.

6. Bake for approximately  30 - 40 min or until golden brown.

7. Un-mold at room temperature onto a cutting board or cake cardboard

FONDANT

INGREDIENTS

-          1 pound 8 oz Sifter Powdered Sugar

-          2 tablespoons Corn Syrup

-          ½ cup Room Temp Water

-          1 teaspoon Almond Extract (optional)

METHOD OF PREP:

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix until all is blended together.

Heat in a heavy bottomed pot to 98 degrees, whisk constantly. IMPORTANT: DO NOT heat over 110 degrees!

Place pot in a large bowl with a towel on the bottom.

Angle pot so fondant gathers to one side of the pot, and start to dip petit fours, spread fondant using fork and lift out with fork.

MEP- Scale, Stand mixer, Paddle attachment, Half sheet pan, Large offset, Cutting board, Knife, Pot, Whisk, Fork

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Rolled- Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies, like chocolate chip cookies, are one of the most popular and frequently made cookies. It's so popular because it is so easy to make, it tastes good and the dough can be cut into to nearly any shape. This makes it perfect for any occassion, such as holidays, birthdays, or parties. Unfortunately we won't be able to finish them until Monday 10/6, so I do not have a picture of the finished product. However, my cookies are shaped like moons, for Halloween, and frosted with yellow Royal Icing and a dark yellow (kind of like mustard yellow) face. Sugar cookies are universally loved by people of all ages, they are easy to make and they are delicious which is why they are so popular.

1-2-3 DOUGH

INGREDIENTS

-          Sugar, granulated 1 lb.

-          Butter, unsalted, room temperature 2 lbs.

-          Eggs, whole 6 oz.

-          Flour, pastry 3 lbs.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. In the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the sugar and butter.

4. Add the eggs gradually. Scrape well.

5. Add the flour and mix on low speed until well blended.

6. Refrigerate before using.

MEP- Scale, Stand mixer, Paddle attachment, Rubber scraper, Sheet pan, Parchment paper

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Ice Box- Checkerboard Cookies

Checkerboard cookies are great if you need a quick cookie for a party or event. They look amazing and take a very little time to bake.They dont have much flavor wise, which is why I didnt really like them that much. However, they did look very nice when we cut them.

VANILLA COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

-          U.S. Standard Metric Butter 1 lb., 11 oz.

-          Sugar, confectioner’s 10 oz.

-          Extract, vanilla .25 oz.

-          Extract, orange .25 oz.

-          Flour, bread 2 lbs., 3 oz.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Cream butter and sugar.

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

5. Form into desired shapes and place on parchment-lined sheet pan.

6. Assemble checkerboard cookies as directed by the instructor.

7. Bake at 350°F (177°C) until golden brown.

CHOCOLATE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

-          U.S. Standard Metric Butter 1 lb., 11 oz.

-          Sugar, confectioner’s 10 oz.

-          Extract, vanilla .25 oz.

-          Cocoa 4 oz.

-          Flour, bread 2 lbs., 1 oz.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Cream butter and sugar.

4. Add remaining ingredients, mix until combined.

5. Form into desired shape; place on parchment-lined sheet pan.

6. Assemble checkerboard cookies as directed by the instructor.

7. Bake at 350°F (177°C) until golden brown.

MEP- Scale, Stand mixer, Paddle attachment, Ruler, Knife, Pastry brush, Egg white wash

[bee-cookies]

Petit Fours Demi-Sec- Madeleines

Petit Four Demi-Secs are like Petit Four Secs but are slightly less dry, they are dipped in a glaze, chocolate or are sandwiched together with jam, unlike the Secs. Now, there are many stories attributed to the history of Madeleines. One of them says, in the 17th century a duke visiting a French castle in the town Commercy was given the biscut by a peasant girl, her name was Madeleine. It was also said that he was introduced to the peasant girl by the duke's daughter. Madeleines are very cake like, with no decernable flavor, from what I can tell. We dipped them in an orange glaze, this gave them more flavor and made them into Demi-Secs, instead of just Secs. 

MADELEINE

INGREDIENTS

-          Butter, melted, for molds As needed

-          Flour, bread 4 oz.

-          Flour, pastry 4 oz.

-          Baking powder .2 oz.

-          Whole eggs 5 ea. 

-          Sugar, granulated 6 oz.

-          Lemon zest 1 ea.

-          Butter, melted 6 oz.

-          Sugar, confectioner’s For garnish

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Brush the molds with melted butter and reserve.

4. Sift together the flours and baking powder.

5. In the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a whip, whip the eggs until foamy. Continue whipping and add the sugar gradually until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Add the lemon zest.

6. While whipping on low speed, gradually add the flours.

7. Remove approximately 1/3 of the batter and fold into the melted butter. Return the butter mixture to the batter in the mixing bowl and blend.

8. Fill the molds almost to the top.

9. Bake in a 425°F (218°C) oven until the madeleines are golden brown.

10. Unmold and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

MEP- Madeleine molds, Pastry brush, Sifter, Stand mixer, Whip attachment, Zester

[bee-cookies]

Petit Fours Sec- Financiers

What is a Petit Four Sec? It is defined as a cookie that is dry, no filling or glaze or frosting. And now you may be wondering what a Financier is. A Financier is a very rich and buttery almond cake. Some chefs believe that it originated in the finacial district of Paris. It is believed that the bankers liked these cakes made by local bakers, and became very popular in the area. Now in our class, we made them and stuck whole almonds in the dough before baking them and them dusted them with Confectioner's Sugar. 

FINANCIERS

Ingredients:

-          Butter 1 lb., 5 oz. 

-          Flour, bread 4.5 oz.

-          Flour, pastry 4.5 oz.

-          10x sugar 1 lb., 8 oz.

-          Flour, almond 9 oz.

-          Egg whites 1 lb., 5 oz.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. In a heavy-bottomed pot, cook butter on low heat until brown. Remove from heat and reserve.

4. Sift bread flour, pastry flour, and 10x sugar together. Place in the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, and add the almond flour.

5. Gradually add the egg whites while mixing on medium speed.

6. Add the room-temperature browned butter and blend.

7. Place in a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

8. Pipe batter into prepared molds and bake in a 375°F (191°C) oven until the edges are golden brown.

MEP-Scale, Heavy-bottom pot, Sifter, Piping bag, Finanicier mold.

[bee-cookies]

Bagged/ Pipped: Spritz

Spritz cookies, otherwise known as butter cookies, are not commonly known or made in a common household. The dough is as thick as a chocolate chip cookie dough, because of its thickness it can be piped. Though it takes a lot of strength to pipe, the end result looks great. The shape is easy to make, you just pipe in a circle from the inside to the out. After they are baked and cooled you simply pipe raspberry jam on top of it. 

BUTTER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS: 

-          Butter 1 lb., 1.5 oz.

-          Sugar, confectionery 10.5 oz.

-          Eggs, whole 6.75 oz.

-          Extract, vanilla 1 oz.

-          Flour, pastry 1 lb., 10.5 oz.

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. In the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs and vanilla gradually. Scrape well.

5. Add pastry flour and incorporate.

6. Using a pastry bag with the desired tip, pipe shapes on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

7. Bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven until golden brown.

MEP- Stand mixer, Paddle attachment, Pastry bag, Star tip #823, Sheet pan, Parchment paper, 

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Sheet: Brownies

Though it may not seem like a cookie, a Brownie is actually considered a Sheet cookie, which is cooked in a sheet pan and cut up into portions. Brownies are very popular, mainly for its chocolate flavor and the endless ammount of things you can add it them to give them added flavor. You can add nuts, peanut butter, caramel, more chocolate. You can frost them, or do what we did and put chocolate ganache on top of them. Brownies can be served in the pan it was baked in, can be put on a serving tray or you can put them in tins like we did. 

BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS:

-          BUTTER 12 oz

-          SUGAR 1 # 8 oz

-          EGGS 6 whole

-          VANILLA EXTRACT 3/4 oz

-          COCOA POWDER 6 oz

-          SALT 1 1/2 tsp.

-          BAKING POWDER 1 1/2 tsp.

-          CAKE FLOUR 5.14 oz

-          BREAD FLOUR 4.5 oz

-          CHOCOLATE CHUNKS 1 # 2 oz

-          WALNUTS 6 oz

METHOD OF PREP:

1. Lightly toast walnuts, set aside to cool.

2. Whisk together sugar with the eggs, add vanilla, donʼt over whip, just enough to combine.

3. Melt the butter, in microwave, + drizzle into sugar mixture.

4. Sift the dry ingredients together, add to the egg mixture by ʻfoldingʼ gently- donʼt over mix the batter.

5. Fold in the walnuts + chocolate chips.

6. Pan the batter in 1/2 sheet pan that has been greased + lined with parchment paper.

7. Put 1/2 sheet pan on a full sheet pan before putting in oven.

8. Bake brownies until they are 95% set, ie: when tested with the tip of a knife, the crumbs sticking to the knife are slightly moist.

9. Baking time will vary depending on the oven used, check the brownies after 20 min, rotate the pan to insure even baking.

10.Cool brownies, depan, apply ganache, then chill until firm before cutting

MEP-  2 Half sheet pans (for walnuts and for brownies), parachment paper, Stand mixer, whisk attachment, Rubber scraper, large offset, decorating comb.

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Dropped: Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Chip cookies are the most famous and common cookies in America. Families make them at home all year round, kids get them at school, you can buy them already made or from scratch. Chocolate Chip cookies are loved across the nation and around the world and a garunteed crowd pleaser. We made our chocolate chip cookies with chocolate chunks in them instead of chips, they still tasted the same butit gave it a little more of the chocolate taste. 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

-          BREAD OR ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 238 g

-          BAKING SODA 2.3 g

-          KOSHER SALT 3 g

-          BROWN SUGAR (LIGHT) 134 g

-          UNSULFURED BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES 12 g

-          SUGAR 104 g

-          60-70% 3/8” CHUNKS CHOCOLATE 107 g

-          CHOCOLATE CHIPS 107 g

-          BUTTER (UNSALTED), ROOM TEMPERATURE 167 g

-          EGGS 60 g

METHOD OF PREP:

1. Place flour in bowl, sift in baking soda, add salt.  Whisk together.

2. Place brown sugar in bowl, stir in molasses.  Add granular sugar.

3. Mix chocolates together in a bowl.

4. Cream butter + sugar mixture together for 3-4 min, until fluffy.

5. Add eggs, mix on low speed until combined.

6. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions, low speed, just until combined.

7. Add chocolates, pulse low speed until combined.

• Refrigerate dough for 15 - 30 minutes.

• Scoop evenly using # 30 scoop

• Bake at 325° F for 12 -14 min.

• Yield: 18 - 20 cookies

MEP- Scale, Stand mixer, Whisk attachment, Rubber scraper, Sheet pan, parchment paper, cookie scoop # 30

[bee-cookies]

Bar Cookies- Biscotti

Biscotti is usually paired with either coffee or tea. It can be served with brunch, during high tea, with coffee after a meal, or just on a regular morning. Biscotti can be flavored in many different ways and flavors can be paired together. To make Biscotti is quite the process, but the outcome is always great. When I made them, I flavored them with chocolate and nuts, and garnished it by dipping it chocolate ganache. However, it can be flavored with lots of other things, I chose chocolate to make it sweet and nuts to give it a bit more of a crunch and give it a nice nutty flavor to compliment the chocolate.

BISCOTTI

INGREDIENTS

-          BUTTER 4 oz

-          SUGAR 14 oz

-          EGGS 5 ea.

-          PASTRY FLOUR 1 # 2 oz

-          BAKING POWDER 2 tsp.

-          SALT 1/2 tsp.

METHOD OF PREP:

Creaming method.

• Roughly shape dough into logs, dust with bread flour

• Roll logs 3” x 10” • Roll in parchment paper, looks like a ʻsalamiʼ.

• Put in freezer.

• Bake 3 on a full sheet pan, 350° F in convection oven, 40 min.

Cool for 20 min, slice while slightly warm, with serrated knife.

• Bake second time until done.

FLAVOR OPTIONS:

• Nuts or dried fruit       10 oz.

• Anise seeds                 2 T

• Cocoa                          4 oz, decrease flour by 4 oz.

• Orange, lemon or        to taste # lime zest

• Cinnamon. or any spice       1 tsp.

• Honey                         replace half the sugar with the honey, brush with honey

• Chocolate                   8 oz.   

MEP- Scale, Serrated Knife, Stand Mixer, Paddle Attachment, Rubber Scraper, Teaspoon measure, Parchment Paper, Full sheet pan, Plastic wrap.

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Day 8: Tarts (Fruit, Chocolate Ganache, Frangipane and Lemon Curd)

FRUIT (Pastry Cream topped with fruit)

Ingredients:

Part 1

-          Milk 32 oz

-          Vanilla Bean ½ 

-          Sugar 4 ½ oz

Part 2

-          Cornstarch 2 ½ oz

-          Cake Flour ½ oz

-          Sugar 4 ½ oz

-          Milk 3 oz

-          Egg Yolks 6 oz 1 ea

Part 3

-          Butter, cubed, softened 3 oz

Method of Preparation:

1. Gather equipment and ingredients.

2. Part 1:  Heat milk, sugar and vanilla to scalding in a medium pot.

3. Part 2:  Combine sugar and starches, whisk in milk.  Once milk/starch mixture is smooth, whisk in egg and yolks.

4. Slowly temper egg/starch mixture with hot milk from part 1.

5. Return tempered egg mixture back into pot.

6. Cook mixture on medium heat until it is bubbling and thickened—whisking constantly and briskly.

7. Once pastry cream is cooked to correct thickness remove from heat, whisk-in the butter from part 3—use gloves when handling the butter.

8. Cool immediately on ice, cover with plastic wrap—allowing wrap to cling to the surface of the pastry cream.

9. Record time and temperature

10. Once mixture is complete cool (50-60˚F), LABEL and store in the refrigerator.

11. Enter cooling times into log-book Gather equipment and ingredients. 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE (topped with raspberries and bottom lined with raspberry jam)- recipe can be found on Day 7

FRANGIPANE (with apple slices)- recipe can be found on Day 6

LEMON CURD (topped with blueberries and bottom lined with dark chocolate)

INGREDIENTS:

-          Egg yolks 4 oz. 113 g

-          Sugar 6 oz. 170 g

-          Lemon juice 4 oz. 113 g

-          Lemon zest .5 oz. 15 g

-          Butter, softened 4 oz. 113 g

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

4. Cook the mixture in a bowl over simmering water, stirring constantly until thick.

5. Strain.

6. Add butter while mixture is still warm. Mix to combine thoroughly.

CHEF’S NOTE: If the lemon curd is to be baked after cooking, omit the butter to prevent browning.

MY CRITIQUE: Honestly I didn't like the Lemon Curd, it was too much citrus and sour for me, but it was nice to work with. It was easily spread around and manipulate it the shell, though the shell was a little too small. The Frangipane was great, as it was the last time we used it. The only really difficult part of this recipe was cutting the apples thin enough to be able to bend and manipulate in the Frangipane. The Chocolate Ganache was good, we had to reheat it from yesterday, so it would get smooth again. But all were easy to get into the shell and to spread around in the shell. I topped them all with fruit and glazed them. The Pastry Cream was topped with blackberries, kiwis, strawberries and blueberries. The Ganache was topped with raspberries. The Frangipane was topped with apples and the Lemon Curd was topped with blueberries. All were glazed with a clear glaze to protect the fruit and fillings. I liked how all the tarts came out.

WORKS CITED: 

Bravo, Olga. Pastry Cream. 9 September, 2014. Print.

McVety, Paul. “Pies and Tarts.” Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 237. Print.

[bee-cookies]

Day 7: Turtle Pie and Chocolate Ganache

TURTLE PIE

INGREDIENTS:

U.S. Standard Metric

Pie shell, baked (see page 300) 2, 9-in. shells 2, 23-cm shells

Caramel Sauce

-          Sugar, granulated 5 oz.  

-          Butter, salted 2 oz.

-          Heavy cream, warmed 4 oz.  

-          Pecans 5 oz.  

Chocolate Mousse

-          Cream, heavy 10 oz.  

-          Chocolate 10 oz.  

-          Butter, salted, softened 1.5 oz.

-          Sugar, granulated 4.5 oz.

-          Egg yolks, pasteurized 2 oz.

Garnish

-          Cream, heavy, whipped As needed

-          Sugar As needed

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

Caramel Sauce:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale the ingredients.

3. In a heavy-bottomed pan, caramelize the sugar using the dry method.

4. Remove from heat and add the butter.

5. When the butter is melted, add the warmed cream.

6. Add the pecans.

7. Place the mixture in the baked pie shell.

Chocolate Mousse:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Whip the cream to a soft peak and reserve.

4. Melt the chocolate and add the butter.

5. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream.

6. Add the egg yolks and blend.

7. Fold in the remaining cream.

8. In the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a whip, whip the egg whites on high speed to a medium peak while gradually adding the sugar.

9. Fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture.

10. Place the chocolate mousse on top of the pecan/caramel mixture in the pie shell.

11. Refrigerate until needed. Garnish with crème Chantilly.

MY CRITIGUE: We didn’t get to taste this pie but it looked so good. We used an Oreo cookie crust, and then put the caramel sauce on top of the crust to strength the crust and keep it from crumbling. The mousse is very light and airy, and very rich, but it taste amazing. I really liked how it looked when it came out, you can see all three layers, the crust, the caramel and the mousse, and you can top it with Chantilly cream or just whipped cream.  

  CHOCOLATE GANACHE

10 oz     

-          58% chocolate 8 oz       

-          Heavy cream 1 1/2 oz 

-          Butter 1 1/2 oz sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Place chocolate in a small bowl heat up heavy cream, butter + sugar (until butter melts)

2.Pour over chocolate,

3.Stir/whip till chocolate melts

MY CRITIGUE: I have made ganache before, and this recipe is basically the same thing I have always done. Saying this, I do really like how it come out, it is always really smooth and rich. You do have to put the mix in a double boiler after pouring it onto the chocolate to get out all the lumps and to keep it from getting to thick. But overall it came out nicely, I liked the consistency.

GLOSSARY:

Caramelizing sugar- heating sugar with a little water, until it gets to a brown color and all the sugar dissolves and it gets to a thicker consistency.

WORKS CITED:

McVety, Paul. “Pies and Tarts.” Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 318. Print.

Bravo, Olga. Chocolate Ganache. 9 September, 2014. Print.

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Day 6: Frangipane, Linzer Torte, Linzer Dough

LINZER DOUGH

INGREDIENTS:

-          Butter 1 pound 9 oz

-          Sugar 18 oz

-          Eggs 4

-          Vanilla 2 teaspoons

-          Cake Flour 1 pound 14 oz

-          Cinnamon ¼ oz

-          Baking Powder ½ oz

-          Hazelnut Flour 12 oz

-          Cake Crumbs 8 oz 4 oz

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Creaming Method

2. Portion into 1 pound pieces

3. Flatten to ½ inch, chill well before rolling

  FRANGIPANE FILLING {also called Almond Cream}

Ingredients:

-          Butter, room temp (65-70˚F) 4 ½ oz

-          Sugar 4 ½  oz

-          Egg, room temp. 1 ea

-          Heavy Cream 1 tablespoon

-          Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

-          Rum 1 tsp

-          Almond Flour 4 ½ oz

Method of Preparation:

1. Gather equipment and ingredients.

2. In a 5 qt. mixing bowl cream butter and sugar.

3. Add egg, mix until fully incorporated, scrap the bowl down.

4. Add in almond flour.

5. Mix in cream, vanilla, and rum.

6. Use immediately, or store in refrigerator.

Note: When reusing cold frangipane, soften by mixing with a spatula before using

  MY CRITIGUE: I’ve never tried Linzer Dough or Frangipane before, but I ended up really liking it. What we did was we rolled out our Linzer dough, we used about a half a pound for the bottom crust. We rolled it out to about ¼ inch thickness, and laid it out using a cake ring. We then spread the Frangipane in the dough, make sure it’s even. We then spread a thin layer of Raspberry jam over the Frangipane, this gave it a little more sweetness to the whole thing, which I really liked. The last thing we did is we rolled out some more dough, about another ½ pound, and created a lattice top crust and sprinkled some almonds around the top.

  GLOSSARY:

Creaming Method- To mix butter to add air and make smooth, you then add sugar and mix again until smooth, mixture should be very light yellow

Frangipane- Almond-flavored cream, similar to pastry cream.

  WORKS CITED:

Bravo, Olga. Linzer Dough. 9 September, 2014. Print.

Bravo, Olga. Frangipane Filling. 9 September, 2014. Print.

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Day 5: Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Tarts

PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS:

U.S. Standard Metric

Pie shell, unbaked (see page 300) 2, 9-in. shells 2, 23-cm shells

Filling

-          Milk, evaporated 1 lb. 454 g

-          Sugar, brown, packed 10 oz. 284 g

-          Corn syrup 4 oz. 113 g

-          Eggs, whole 4 ea. 194 g

-          Pumpkin, solid pack 1 lb., 8 oz. 680 g

-          Salt .1 oz. 2.5 g Extract, vanilla .1 oz. 2.5 g

-          Cinnamon, ground .2oz. 5 g

-          Cloves, ground 1/4 tsp. 0.5 g

-          Ginger, ground 1 tsp. 1 g

-          Nutmeg, ground 1/2 tsp. 1 g

-          Allspice, ground 1/2 tsp. 1 g

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Prepare a 9-in. (23-cm) unbaked pie shell.

4. Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, corn syrup, and eggs.

5. Add the pumpkin and blend.

6. Add the salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

7. Place in unbaked pie shells.

8. Bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven or in a 425°F (218°C) oven until the crust begins to brown; reduce the heat to 350°F (177°C), until slightly firm, approximately 40 minutes

MY CRITIGUE: Pumpkin has never been my favorite thing in the world. I don’t know why, I just never really liked it that much. However, this recipe does make a very nice pumpkin pie. It has a very nice color and very nice texture. I cut out small leaf shapes out of leftover dough and lined the sides with them and then made a big leaf to put in the center. I think it came out very nicely, it browned very nicely and the leaves gave it a fall/ Thanksgiving sort of vibe.

  PECAN PIE

  INGREDIENTS:

U.S. Standard Metric

Pie shell, unbaked (see page 300) 2, 9-in. shells 2, 23-cm shells

Filling

-          Eggs, whole 12 oz. 340 g

-          Butter, unsalted, melted 4 oz. 113 g

-          Corn syrup, light 1 lb., 8 oz. 680 g

-          Sugar, granulated 7 oz. 198 g

-          Bourbon .25 oz. 7 g

-          Extract, vanilla .25 oz. 7 g

-          Pecan pieces 11 oz. 312 g

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Prepare the pie shells, as needed.

4. Place the eggs in bowl and whisk lightly.

5. Add the melted butter, corn syrup, sugar, bourbon, and vanilla extract to the eggs. Mix well using a whisk.

6. Place the pecans in unbaked pie shells.

7. Pour the liquid mixture on top of the pecans.

8. Bake in a 425°F (218°C) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake until the filling is set, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

MY CRITIQUE: Again, I am not a huge fan of Pecan pie, I never really liked the texture and flavoring. Saying this, I didn’t really like this pie recipe. We made them in tart tins instead of pie tins, which was nice for a change but getting the dough into the tin was difficult and the tarts ended up getting stuck into the tins, and to get them out we really needed to dig them out. Doing this ended up ruining most of them. The one thing I did really like was that I added chocolate to my filling, this gave it a little bit of a better taste, that I really liked.

WORKS CITED:

McVety, Paul. “Pies and Tarts.” Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 312- 313. Print.

[bee-cookies]

Day 4: Banana Cream Pies

CREAM PIE

INGREDIENTS:

-          Pie shell, baked (see page 300) 2, 9-in. shells

-          Cornstarch 3 oz. 6 tablespoons

-          Milk, whole 2 lbs., 4 oz. or 4 1/2 cups

-          Eggs, whole 8 oz. or 1 cup

-          Sugar, granulated 8 oz. or 1 cup

-          Butter, unsalted 3 oz. or 6 tablespoons

-          Extract, vanilla 1 oz. 28 g

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and a small amount of milk to make a slurry.

4. Combine the eggs and yolks and add to the slurry.

5. In a heavy-bottomed pot, boil the remaining milk and granulated sugar.

6. Temper the boiling mixture and the slurry and return to the heat.

7. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to thicken.

8. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract.

9. Place the filling in the prepared pie shells.

10. Refrigerate until needed.

11. Garnish as desired.

Formula Variations:

Chocolate: Pour the hot filling over 8 oz. (1 cup) of melted semisweet chocolate and stir well.

Coconut: Add 6 oz. (3/4 cup) of toasted flake coconut to the filling.

Banana: Half-fill the pie shells with the filling. Cover the filling with sliced bananas and top with the remainder of the filling

MY CRITIQUE: I've never really tried it before, but after making it I did really like the texture. It wasn't too difficult to make, except for the pastry cream. For the pastry cream, you really need to watch it, definitely do that separately so you can really pay attention to it and watch it. The rest of the recipe really isn't difficult, just takes a little time consuming. But I really liked how it came out, I added the Banana to my Cream pie, and I really liked it. The only problem was that the bananas start to discolor after a few hours.

GLOSSARY:

Temper- Too add a small amount of a hot mixture to an egg mixture to bring up temperature and then back into hot mixture to keep eggs from curtailing.

WORKS CITED:

McVety, Paul. “Pies and Tarts.” Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 319. Print.

[bee-cookies]

Day 3: Strawberry Chiffon Pies

STRAWBERRY CHIFFON PIES

INGREDIENTS:

Filling

-          Strawberries, frozen, thawed and drained  1 lb 5 oz. or 2 1/2 cups

-          Sugar, granulated 3 oz. or 6 tablespoons

-          Salt As needed

-          Cornstarch .25 oz. or 1 1/2 teaspoons

-          Water 1 oz. or 2 tablespoons

-          Gelatin .25 oz. or 1/2 teaspoons

-          Water 1.5 oz. or 3 tablespoons

-           Lemon juice .25 oz. or 1/2 teaspoon

Chiffon

-          Egg whites, pasteurized 5 oz. or 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons

-          Sugar, granulated 4 oz. or 1/2 cup

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Prepare baked pie shells and cool properly.

Filling:

1. Place 2/3 of the strawberries, the granulated sugar, and the salt in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil.

2. Make a slurry by placing the cornstarch in a bowl and adding 1 oz. (2 tbsp) of water while stirring.

3. In a separate bowl, bloom the gelatin with 1.5 oz. (3 tbsp) water and reserve.

4. When the strawberry mixture boils, vigorously whisk the slurry into the mixture.

5. Bring to a second boil and cook until thick.

6. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice.

7. Add the bloomed gelatin to the mixture and combine well.

8. Fold in the remaining strawberries.

9. Set aside until cool but not cold.

Chiffon:

1. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stationary mixer fitted with a whip and whip to a soft peak while slowly adding the granulated sugar to the egg whites.

2. Fold the meringue into the strawberry filling.

3. Place in a baked pie shell.

4. Chill well prior to serving

MY CRITIQUE: I've never made a Chiffon pie before. The only thing I ever really remembered about them is that my grandmother used to make them in the summer for parties and cookouts, I believe it was a Lemon Chiffon but it was so long ago i really don't remember anymore. Anyway, I really liked this recipe an how the pie came out. It was very airy and mousse like and the chunks of strawberry in it gave it a really nice texture. It was not very difficult to make, just time consuming because you had to wait for it to chill and set before being able to decorate it. We topped it with a whipped cream, very sweet and easy to make. The hearts are made from just left over pie crust I had after rolling out the dough. I just used a cookie cutter and baked them in a separate pie tin while my crust was baking. Then I just drizzled it with chocolate and let it chill until; the pie was ready to decorate.

GLOSSARY: 

Gelatin- a thickening agent that is used to give body, can either be a powder or in a "sheet" form.

Chiffon- A gelatin based filling, very airy in texture because of meringue that is folded in during recipe.

Slurry- a combination of cornstarch and water, helps make mixture thicker and translucent

Blooming the gelatin- hydrating gelatin in water before adding to mixture.

Meringue- whipped egg whites and granulated sugar, adds volume and airy texture to pies.

Soft peak- when meringue (or any whipped product) is able to stand in a peak and the tip droops to the side. You can test this by remove whip from meringue, on the whip a peak will form you can just flip it over and see if it droops.

WORKS CITED:

McVety, Paul. “Pies and Tarts.” Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 315. Print.

[bee-cookies]

Day 2: Apple Pie

 APPLE PIE

Yield: 2, 9 inch pies

-          Apples, fresh, peeled and sliced 2 lbs., 8 oz

-          Water 1 lb., 4 oz

-          Sugar, granulated 6 oz

-          Salt Pinch

-          Cinnamon, ground .25 oz

-          Cornstarch 2 oz

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

2. Scale ingredients.

3. Combine the apples with 2/3 of the water, all of the sugar, salt, and cinnamon; place in a heavy- bottomed pot.

 4. Boil the mixture.

5. Make a slurry by placing the cornstarch in a bowl and adding the remaining water while whisking.

6. When apple mixture begins to boil, slowly add the slurry, stirring constantly. Boil the mixture until it is thickened and translucent, approximately one minute.

7. Remove from heat.

8. Cool the filling and store for later use.

  MY CRITIQUE: We were given a choice between making either a blueberry pie or making another apple pie using a different method. I chose to do the apple pie with a different method. I actually like this pie much better than the first one. I like the filling a lot more, I think it is sweeter and retains its shape better than the Dutch Apple we made the previous day.  It is a little more time consuming and a little more difficult, especially if you have never made a pie before, but the results are great and it tastes amazing.

  GLOSSARY:

Slurry: a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid, usually water, to help thicken a mixture.

WORKS CITED:

McVety, Paul. "Pies and Tarts." Baking and Pastry Formulas. Ed. Anthony Vernon. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 297-98. Print.