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[Milchjon]

Absolutely stunning series of cakes folks...especially that S'mores one!

Crumble: Whale Tails Hawaiian BBQ Solid little chip, mango powder being kind of an oddball inclusion versus most.

Cheese: Sartori Mediterranean Fontina Nicely messy, nicely milky, nicely melted, vaguest sense of herb doings.

Looking forward to finally cracking open a new pack of something meat wise come next week!

Dang, I could totally eat one of these right now.
What's your crust for these again?
And do you never get tired of eating them?

 

[OnkelC]

you make me proud, folks. the patisserie is especially great.

thanks to all of you for the great contributions. Keep it coming!

 

[7aged]

I also read about a method of cooking rice where you cook it like pasta (tons of water, add rice, when it's cooked, drain the excess water) but I don't know how well it'd work for short grain or sticky-rice.

Ugh.. I have bad memories of terrible canteen food when you mention boiling rice that way. That's how a lot of English people cook it and it comes out a horrible and soggy mess.

But to be fair, I believe the Iranians boil their rice and they do it well. It's down to execution I guess. You also commonly preboil rice then add it to the base when making rice dishes like Roz Biryani (Hijaz version) and Kabli. The key is letting the rice steam off.

----

On the topic of patisserie. All my baking experience is savoury, what's a good starter cake to begin with? Preferably something without a raising agent because I hate the taste of baking soda in sweets.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Would love to have seen a close up of the layers.

Question on Pistachio Paste
So yesterday I found some cheap Pistachip Paste that will expire next saturday. I have an idea for a use but that will maximum use half of the paste. It's 100g and it's the sweet kind of paste used in confections. Any good ideas for uses?

You're in luck, as I found a couple interior pictures of the s'mores (messy and put together hastily) and vanilla/black currant (much cleaner and more even) cakes.

As for the pistachio paste, maybe you could do a small batch of brioche dough, roll it out, spread the pistachio, cut into long strips and turn it into some quick sweet rolls for breakfast.

On the topic of patisserie. All my baking experience is savoury, what's a good starter cake to begin with? Preferably something without a raising agent because I hate the taste of baking soda in sweets.

Genoise is about the most straight-forward and simple cake.

150g eggs (generally 3 large eggs)
100g sugar
100g sifted flour
30g melted butter

Whip the eggs and sugar until they've roughly doubled in volume, gently fold in the flour and butter in alternating additions until it's all well combined (no flour lumps or streaks) -- but don't over-mix because you'll deflate the batter and end up with a flat cake. Bake it at 350f/176c for about 20 minutes or so.

 

[Alucrid]

i don't think i've ever had baller cake before and now I want some

 

[ElectricThunder]

Dang, I could totally eat one of these right now.
What's your crust for these again?
And do you never get tired of eating them?

Some whole wheat Naan...makes for quick work.

I've yet to get tired of eating and experimenting on these through their various incarnations----well past 100 different cheeses now(don't think I'll hit 200 before year's end, though it has been awhile since I've added the tally to my notes...) and probably past a couple dozen different meats, sauce/seasonings/crumbles all combined go a long way to keeping it fresh beyond "same old pepperoni/mozzarella pizza" that was pretty much my entire pizza and cheese life between chains and the odd frozen one here and there before starting on this grand sampling adventure this past while.


Agreed with Alucrid on the baller cakes---that interior shot on the S'Mores one drives that home.

This is especially good for ideas for me, as I've got 2 specialty cakes in mind(Their best crack at a Chocolate Doberge and the seemingly legendary Boston Blackout Cake) to request from my beloved local place that does it for me for my b-day for the next 2 years----this year's is already set in stone to be a revisit on the original one that got it all started...but with a twist only I would apparently seek out.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

you make me proud, folks. the patisserie is especially great.

They just make me hungry

 

[7aged]

Genoise is about the most straight-forward and simple cake.

150g eggs (generally 3 large eggs)
100g sugar
100g sifted flour
30g melted butter

Whip the eggs and sugar until they've roughly doubled in volume, gently fold in the flour and butter in alternating additions until it's all well combined (no flour lumps or streaks) -- but don't over-mix because you'll deflate the batter and end up with a flat cake. Bake it at 350f/176c for about 20 minutes or so.

Sounds good. I've good some T45 french flour which should be perfect for the job. What kind of topings would work well? patisserie cream and fruit perhaps?

 

[dragonlife]

OMG:

I would stuff my face into this cake and cry as I say goodbye to all my exercise.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

What kind of topings would work well? patisserie cream and fruit perhaps?

Yeah, what's good about a light, relatively flavorless cake like genoise is that it's basically a vehicle for whatever you're putting on it. It can be a bit dry, so they're often soaked with some flavored simple syrup too.

 

[Mario]

How did you decorate the outside wall of the cake like that?

 

[Cosmic Bus]

How did you decorate the outside wall of the cake like that?

First you spread a very thin layer of colored batter called tulipe paste through a sheet stencil (Xs and Os, in this case) onto a silpat and freeze it. Then the stencil is peeled off, leaving all the paste designs on the baking surface. Finally, sponge batter of a contrasting color is spread on top and baked. When it's finished, the designs are set right into the cake itself.

You can then cut the sheet of cake into strips and line a ring mold with them so that once the full cake is finished, the imprime makes a decorative ring around the outside.

 

[jet1911]

I took some pictures of some of the dish we serve at the fancier restaurant at the hotel I work. Mostly entrées.

Snow Crab, Leek, Cucumber and melon with Curry Oil

Emu Carpaccio, Fine Herb Vinaigrette, Watercress Salad with Grilled Lardoon

Rabbit Tournedos Steak, sliced Zucchini and Eggplant, Parmesan

Salmon Fillet with Grilled and Black Sesame, Sun Dried Tomato Oil

Smoked Salmon and Lettuce, Red Onions and Fried Capers

Chipie Beer «Crème Brûlée», Spinach Chips, Prosciutto Ham and Leek

Smoked Duck Salad, Goat Cheese Crouton

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- smoked duck salad and smoked salmon looks great. Do you guys smoke in house?

 

[jet1911]

Nope but we buy it from local producer. The smoked salmon is really good, way better than the one I usually find in store.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Cookies for a bake sale that my work is holding on behalf of the United Way:

Cookies & Cream cookies:

Peanut Butter Cup cookies (not the entire batch obviously):

 

[Collete]

Wow...All of this great food, makes mine look like crap in comparison!
Really, nice job everyone!

For lunch, I made some Thai-spin off recipe I believe.
An eggplant and garlic stir fry.

It was pretty good but in future I might add a tad bit more eggplant and onion.
It was a little salty at first so I added some lime juice which reduced the saltiness quite a bit.

Although, nothing beats eggplant grown in your own garden!

Edit:

Cookies for a bake sale that my work is holding on behalf of the United Way:

Cookies & Cream cookies:

Those look really decadent, any chance of sharing the recipe?

 

[DJ_Lae]

I didn't get around to taking photos (unfortunately) but I made lasagna and strawberry shortcakes last night. Lasagna I love but it's such a finicky, labour-intensive dish, helped in no part by me making the sauce from scratch. I think I also had an old box of noodles as some of them shredded themselves as I strained it, which was frustrating and required me boiling some more.

I did modify my slapdash recipe slightly by taking the casings off italian sausages and browning up that instead of beef. It tasted pretty good.

My only complaint is something that always seems to be an issue with lasagna - ever so slightly watery, even if you squeeze the hell out of the cottage/ricotta cheese. It's part of the reason I prefer leftover lasagna, as it all tightens up in the fridge.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Edit:
Those look really decadent, any chance of sharing the recipe?

Sure. I grabbed the recipe from this blog: An American Cupcake in London

For the Oreos, I used some Halloween-themed ones from Trader Joe's (they're vanilla but colored orange). I've tried different kinds of Oreos: mint, golden vanilla, and a peppermint version from TJ's as well.

Have fun making them!

 

[Collete]

Sure. I grabbed the recipe from this blog: An American Cupcake in London

For the Oreos, I used some Halloween-themed ones from Trader Joe's (they're vanilla but colored orange). I've tried different kinds of Oreos: mint, golden vanilla, and a peppermint version from TJ's as well.

Have fun making them!

What have you done?!...

Must...not...make...everything...It all looks good on this blog!

Still thank you very much!
Can't wait to make these!

 

[Gr1mLock]

I didn't get around to taking photos (unfortunately) but I made lasagna and strawberry shortcakes last night. Lasagna I love but it's such a finicky, labour-intensive dish, helped in no part by me making the sauce from scratch. I think I also had an old box of noodles as some of them shredded themselves as I strained it, which was frustrating and required me boiling some more.

I did modify my slapdash recipe slightly by taking the casings off italian sausages and browning up that instead of beef. It tasted pretty good.

My only complaint is something that always seems to be an issue with lasagna - ever so slightly watery, even if you squeeze the hell out of the cottage/ricotta cheese. It's part of the reason I prefer leftover lasagna, as it all tightens up in the fridge.

Have you tried mixing in a little bit of a dry cheese?

 

[nakedsushi]

Made Chinese spaetzle soup for dinner tonight. It was quick and tasty.

Went from this:

To this:

To eating this:

In less than half an hour.

Recipe is on my blog

 

[Metroid Killer]

Pistachio Charlotte Cake with Strawberry Mousse

Was a bit nervous about assembling this cake, I changed some things from the recipe I was following and was unsure wether I would have enough cake for the walls. That I don't have cake ring mold, but a springform pan didn't help on the situation. But in the end it came out exactly like I wanted, just the right amount of batter apparently, and the size of the springform was perfect. Phew got lucky this time...

 

[Mario]

Pistachio Charlotte Cake with Strawberry Mousse

Argh I'm seeing too many things people are doing I want to try and haven't had enough time at home or in the kitchen.

 

[jackrubyn]

Pistachio Charlotte Cake with Strawberry Mousse

SHOVE IT IN TO MY FACE NOW. That is the most beautiful god damn cake I've ever seen.
Recipe?

 

[Leeness]

Metroid! Beautiful cakes. You and Cosmic both.

And I can't believe you hadn't worked with Swiss meringue butter cream until now! It's amazing for assembling and crumb coats. Italian is great, too, and I found a really tasty alternative that uses flour and milk instead of eggs but still holds well and tastes awesome.

 

[Metroid Killer]

Yes I can't wait to return to Swiss meringue buttercream again. It's already on top of my list on consistency, taste and utility. Now I just need some better kitchen utensils to perfect the look.

SHOVE IT IN TO MY FACE NOW. That is the most beautiful god damn cake I've ever seen.
Recipe?

Haha, thanks! I followed the recipe loosely from this blog. I had a lot of pistachio paste, so I doubled the pistachio batter and used the extra batter as layers instead of making an entirely new batter.

 

[jarosh]

OH MY FUCKING GOD at the cakes on this page!

Cosmic Bus and Metroid Killer, truly amazing work! Holy shit, I want to eat ALL of those cakes! And I dig all the use of pistachio. I love pistachio so much, doesn't get used nearly enough in baking afaic.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Pistachio Charlotte Cake with Strawberry Mousse
.

OMG, marry me mmmkay?

 

[Corto]

Those cakes. So... beautiful... so... so... beautiful.


As for me I made today for lunch Crispy Duck Breast with a simple salad and couscous.

 

[MWS Natural]

I have been subscribed to this thread FOREVER but never post in it, think I will start. I am impressed with the cooking skill of you guys!

 

[nakedsushi]

Wow, that cake looked like it took a lot of work, but the end result is fabulous! It looks kinda like a watermelon on the inside haha. I'm amazed at your patience. I would have just eaten the cake out of the pan after slopping some meringue and throwing some strawberries over it.

 

[Corky]

Entering this thread on a diet what the most stupid thing I've done since I mixed flour in my vodka.

 

[Collete]

Entering this thread on a diet what the most stupid thing I've done since I mixed flour in my vodka.

There's some diet friendly recipes floating around here I'm sure!

...And how did flour flavored vodka taste?

 

[DJ_Lae]

Have you tried mixing in a little bit of a dry cheese?

I almost always add some parmesan to the cheese mixture (and some mozza). I've had best luck when I can actually find dry curd cottage cheese, but the past couple of years I've only ever seen it in large containers and I never need that much.

I suppose if I had a bit more time (and a bit more patience) I could simply cook my sauce a little longer and get some more water out of it.

 

[neos]

This whole page was awesome, but i must show my respects to metroid killer, outstanding presentation on those cakes.
The pistacchio one is...oh god i'd like to have a slice here right now

 

[Corky]

There's some diet friendly recipes floating around here I'm sure!

...And how did flour flavored vodka taste?

I'm sure there are, but the tastiest ones are the ones with carbs ;(

It tasted... tasted like black-out.

 

[Baconsaurus Rex]

Man I'm pretty sure all those cakes and other very unhealthy culinary goodness gave me diabetes. Please, keep up the good work Metroid Killer, Auron_Kale, Cosmic Bus and everybody else.

 

[Collete]

I'm sure there are, but the tastiest ones are the ones with carbs ;(

It tasted... tasted like black-out.

I'm not a nutritionist, but everything in moderation!
...Reasonably.
Cliched, but eating healthy regardless of carbs, fats, calories etc can be something to consider.

Oh dear.
Well at least lesson learned, heh.

 

[Auron_Kale]

From the American Cupcake in London blog, my next attempt:

Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. First batch, dough rested for an hour and these (as well as a second tray of 9) are currently cooling. I'm letting the rest of the dough chill overnight to see if there's much of a difference.

First impression of one that I thought was close to cooling was that it was really soft & still warm. Checking in ten more minutes or so too see if it's cooled enough. So far, it tastes like chocolate, cinnamon & pumpkin.

 

[Metroid Killer]

Haha! Wow at all the comments. It means a lot, and it makes the hard work (and money, why are some ingredients so expensive? ;_ worth it. Thanks a lot!

Next cake!

2 layered Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream

So after trying new stuff for the last 4 cakes or so, it feels good to bake something you've baked before. Well last time I ran out of red food color and lost my patience whipping the cream, so it's still a cake victory. My technique for coating the cake has defintely also improved during the last few weeks

 

[ElectricThunder]

I hate red velvet cake with a passion, but even I think that cake looks deftly done indeed.

 

[BertramCooper]

From the American Cupcake in London blog, my next attempt:

Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. First batch, dough rested for an hour and these (as well as a second tray of 9) are currently cooling. I'm letting the rest of the dough chill overnight to see if there's much of a difference.

First impression of one that I thought was close to cooling was that it was really soft & still warm. Checking in ten more minutes or so too see if it's cooled enough. So far, it tastes like chocolate, cinnamon & pumpkin.

I'm not sure if I've ever experienced a chocolate/pumpkin combo.

Sounds interesting.

 

[Chris R]

I hate red velvet cake with a passion, but even I think that cake looks deftly done indeed.

Why do you hate it? I love it so much but can't have it currently on my diet The recipe I use has roasted beet puree in it to help with the color instead of relying on red food dye... very tasty too.

 

[Metroid Killer]

This was sorta the 'last chance' for this recipe. As mentioned last time the buttercream wasn't whipped enough which made the buttery taste stand out a lot, another time the cake itself didn't come out that great as I used less cocoa to keep it more red.

This time it actuallt smelled and tasted like a chocolate cake and the buttercream was perfect, so it now gets a permantly spot in my recipe collection.

 

[ElectricThunder]

Why do you hate it? I love it so much but can't have it currently on my diet The recipe I use has roasted beet puree in it to help with the color instead of relying on red food dye... very tasty too.

All I've ever encountered for it has been drenched in food coloring and just ridiculously bland on the icing and all else----the quintessential "cheap trash cake" in my area here in GA. Unless somebody explained to me in detail the pitch for their version out someplace, I'd not even consider eating one.

Your recipe actually using a quality thing for the color like beets sounds interesting, as color gimmicks on a cake are off putting to me if that's all they bring.

 

[Silkworm]

I'm not sure if I've ever experienced a chocolate/pumpkin combo.

Sounds interesting.

I've tasted this combination prepared by someone else and it was quite good, though I personally prefer to use a combination of pumpkin and raisins with a sugar glaze. I've used the recipe from A Passion for Baking which has a lot of good baking recipes. The pumpkin cookie recipe can be found at http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2008/12/pumpkin-pocket-cookies.html which someone else wrote out.

 

[Auron_Kale]

I'm not sure if I've ever experienced a chocolate/pumpkin combo.

Sounds interesting.

It's pretty good. Cinnamon plays off of both the pumpkin and chocolate nicely.

Texture-wise, it's like when you have bite of banana bread that's fresh out of the oven before it starts to dry up from air exposure. So yeah, it's a pretty soft cookie, but it's really good.

 

[ElectricThunder]

Damn it, now I'm craving cake with all this cake talk still in my head despite just eating dinner!

Any other sites I should have bookmarked for future plotting/searching for/finding out something actually exists/etc?

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cookies/cakes/glossary.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cakes

 

[Yes Boss!]

IronGAF,

I'm on vacation in so cal with the parents. Looking for something to make for fun and would be a moderate challenge. Anything, really. Just feel like making something. Kitchen is not really equipped but I can improvise.

Any suggestions?