Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pastry

Is Johnson & Wales worth it?

firei — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:54:06 -0800

I'm thinking of going to culinary school for baking and pastry. Right now Johnson & Wales in RI is the front runner. My question: is JWU worth it, or should I be looking elsewhere? I live in "upstate" NY - I'm a little more than an hour north of NYC, and about an hour south of the CIA.

I really like what I've read on the J&W website, and plan to go visit the school sometime in the next few months. However, I'm having some trouble finding outside sources talking about the school or the program!

And the few that I've found (mostly on ask.meta) seem to be in regards to the culinary program, not the baking and pastry program.

So, did you go to J&W for baking and pastry? Do you know someone who did? (In a pinch, I'll take info on the culinary program, too.)

Or would you recommend a different school? Let's assume that location, as long as it is within the states, is not an issue.

I would prefer a program that will lead to a bachelors, a program that is not primarily filled with just out of high school kids, and the best bang for my buck. I'm willing to shell out the dough, but only if it will be worth it!

(Please note: I'm not asking if culinary school is a good idea/bad idea/waste of money/whatever. I'm just asking about the schools!)

Thanks!

I think there could be added deliciousness in my life.

A Terrible Llama — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:37:15 -0800

Occasionally I want to cook something that requires a (savory) pie or pastry-type crust of some sort, and I'm completely at a loss. That puts the world of quiches and pot pies (or whatever) out of my grasp.

I can make pizza crusts and breads, but I don't know how to do the thing with the butter. You know. And the chopping it into the flour. And the keeping it cold thing. That thing. Then refrigerating, rolling it out. All of it. I am in general a good cook, comfortable in the kitchen, and my attention to detail is better than this post makes it seem, I'm just not much of a baker and I'm intimidated by dough.

I know there are different kinds and different techniques. I'm looking for simple, reliable, not-time consuming recipes for pie crust type things that can be added to savory dishes. I am not particularly interested in desserts or sweet things.

I'm also interested in other things I could do, other than quiches and pot pies. And recipes for those as well, if you got 'em.

Apologies if this is incoherent.

PhD Pi or Blueberry Pie?

dejah420 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:02:29 -0800

Get a PhD by 50, or go to pastry school? I'm having a midlife crisis and am considering returning to school instead of launching another business. (Launching another business is already in the planning stages, but no hard commitments have been made.) I've been accepted to a graduate program for neuroscience that will let me do masters work and doctorate work at the same time. On the other hand...culinary school is calling to me...daring me to become a pastry chef. On the one hand; a PhD in neural networks with a bioethics focus would be intellectually challenging and a chance to work with some of the most brilliant people in the field. But...I'm returning to school after almost 20 years, and am old enough to be the mother of most of the other people in the program. Optimistically, I could finish/defend my dissertation a little before my 50th birthday. (6 years from now.) I don't know if that will make me way too old to ever get a position where I could be a researcher...but I suspect it would, since I'd be competing with super-geniuses who are 20+ years younger. And I'd have a limited amount of time in which to show an ROI on the money the program will cost.

On the other hand...bread! pie! cakes! tarts! chocolate! I love baking. I am really at my happiest in a kitchen. That said; I don't know that I would love baking in a commercial setting, as I've never tried it.

I could finish culinary school in about 18 months, since I don't need to take any of the actual academic courses, but I have no real idea what one does once one graduates with a pastry chef degree. (Although the idea of owing my own cake shop/bakery holds some appeal to me...I think I'd be just as happy showing up each day to bake and decorate for someone else.) Also a consideration, the entire culinary track would cost about what one semester of the PhD track would cost.

Am I being realistic when I think that 50ish might be too old to enter a competitive research field like neuroscience?

Is anyone a pastry chef that wants to talk about their experiences?

Turn my plain-jane banana bread into a bombshell dessert thingy.

wowbobwow — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:56:38 -0800

Turn my plain-jane banana bread into a bombshell dessert thingy. I am attending a party tonight and underestimated how much cake to bring. I made a 9 inch red velvet cake but it won't be nearly enough, it turns out.

I do have a loaf of banana bread, which is I think decent enough to be transformed into a dessert. It's your standard rectangular loaf, unsliced. It should be something simple to do (aka not hollowed out and filled with truffles, etc). I'm a fairly experienced pastry cook, but I'm stalling out on how to repurpose this.

I'm eager for your ideas!

Sugar Casting Tips and Resources Sought

anastasiav — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:45:39 -0800

MeFi Chef Brigade: Anyone out there know anything about cast sugar (sometimes called poured sugar or sugar glass)? I'm experimenting with some historical cast sugar recipes, but could use some advice..... Because I'm dealing with a historical recipe, there aren't any exact amounts given, and I'm having trouble coming up with a sugar/water/acidic (lemon juice or vinegar) mixture that will set up truly hard when it cools. Both my attempts have ended up in sticky messes. I'm fairly sure its the mix that's the problem not the temp, but I'm open to suggestions.

Also, if you have good links on sugar casting, I'd love to see them.

Where can I buy brioches in America?

Nickel — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:19:17 -0800

When in Italy I love to eat brioches, the typical bar breakfast. Where can I find these tasty sweets in America (Massachusetts or California)? These are shaped like croissants, but I find that instead of being buttery and flakey like the croissants I am used to, these brioches are dense and sweet. In bars and cafes, they come filled with cream or marmalade. Supermarkets also sell them in packs of 8 or so without any filling. I was just in Italy and bought a few packs of Parigine brand "soffici brioches semplici" but they won't last me forever.

Are there any supermarkets, bakeries, or cafes in American (specifically in the Boston/South Shore/Metrowest area of Massachusetts and the Bay Area of California) that sell these? Or anyplace online where I can order Italian pastries?

Can you identify this challah-like pastry?

magicbus — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:20:57 -0800

Can you identify this challah-like pastry from my childhood? I've had no luck googling or randomly searching at bakeries. When I lived with my parents in the 70's and early 80's, my Dad used to pick up rolls that were a lot like challah bread. They were 5 or 6 inches in diameter, with a thin, glossy brown crust and a pale yellow crumb--maybe a little denser than challah--suffused with orange zest. The roll itself wasn't very sweet but it was coated in a thin, clear, orange-flavored sweet glaze and topped with coarse sugar.

My Dad called them mo-NAH. This name could have been mispronounced or misread, and could have been made up by the bakery in any case.

Do they sound familiar? Are they a known, common recipe or something invented by the (Tucson, AZ) bakery that I'll never find again?

WARNING: my croissants are the cooking equivalent of "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

Mutant — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:29:47 -0800

So, is anyone else out there a frustrated wannabe Croissant Chef? Yeh, well, I don't want to hear from you! Unless, of course, you'd like to commiserate.

But if you used to be a frustrated Croissant Chef, or never were frustrated by the creation of croissants can you please help out? With disastrous results I'm using a fairly basic recipe as follows :

1 oz yeast
3 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup honey (we don't use processed sugar, so I'm subbing for 1/4 cup white sugar)
A teaspoon of salt (reduced from two)
One cup milk (reconstituted from powdered milk, only mention this as sometimes I've made it a little stronger)
One pound unsalted butter
1 egg

More flour used for dusting. Additional egg & milk used for glazing.

I'm trying to master a basic three turn croissant, and chilling the dough overnight. I previously was chilling after each turn anywhere between one and four hours. Pushed this out to overnight since I thought this was the problem but the additional time didn't really help.

Can you help me end up with more than a glump of tasty pastry after I'm done? I do all our cooking at home, and would like to add home made croissants to my repertoire and our diet.

Many thanks for your help!!

Ask PastyFilter

popkinson — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:34:03 -0800

How do I get my pastry for Cornish pasties to have the consistency of a good shop-bought pasty? Now I'm Cornish myself, so I feel pretty ashamed asking this question to a group of people who, in the main, are neither wreckers nor tinners, but here we go...

If you've ever eaten a pasty made at a good Cornish bakery, you'll know the consistency of the pastry, but I'll try to describe it nevertheless. It's quite thin (probably around 3mm) yet has a high degree of resilience - it needs that so that it can be carried around in the pocket of one's donkey-jacket. The texture is slightly chewy, distinctly layered, and holds the rest of the ingredients together well. There's nothing crumbly or flaky about it. If anything the consistency is almost like the crust of a calzone.

My mother (a strong advocate of the "it's not a pasty if it isn't wrapped in shortcrust" school) says it's just a variety of shortcrust. But I'm not convinced as I haven't been able to replicate it.

So... do we have any expert pastry- (or better still, pasty-) technicians willing to offer some tips?

Help me make delicious turnovers

craichead — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:50:53 -0800

I am a fan of turnovers, pasties, empanadas and similar instances of the global phenomenon of creating a portable meal by putting something yummy in the middle of pastry. I usually put ground beef in my turnovers, but I'm getting bored of variations on spiced ground beef. Help me find new delicious things to encase in pie crust! I'm looking for recipes, links to recipes, ideas for recipes, and cookbook recommendations. Feel free to recommend things that are sweet, savory, or both.

What is that tasty pastry in Volver?

BugsPotter — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:01:48 -0800

In Pedro Almodovar's Volver... when Raimunda (Penelope Cruz) and Sole visit their aunt Paula, Raimunda eats a pastry from a plateful that is sitting on the table. Can anyone tell me what that pastry is called? Also, if anyone knows where I can find these pastries in NYC that'd be great! Thanks!

Best mail-order food?

shivohum — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:34:53 -0800

What are the finest mail-order food goods available at reasonable prices? I'm talking best bread, brownies, cakes, fruits, frozen pizzas, cookies -- any recommendations for extraordinary food at not-exhorbitant rates.

Lrn2Pastry

redshifter — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:27:30 -0800

I just had a last-minute flash of inspiration for an Xmas gift for my fiancée: she is interested in making pastries and candies and has an innate knack for it. I'd like to get her some lessons from a pro. Possible? I've read about corporate group-building classes where everyone gets together and learns to cook, and I've found some more professional-grade courses from cooking schools, but does anyone know of such a class for the interested amateur?

We are in the Bay Area, so local suggestions would be appreciated, but for the sake of everyone, please post any and all recommendations.

Recipe for a French vanilla custard tart?

obiwanwasabi — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 04:24:29 -0800

I'd like a recipe for French vanilla custard tarts. The Silo Bakery is a Canberra culinary icon. They make good coffee, great bread and amazing tarts. They have a thin, short pastry (not flaky, not crumbly - just crisp and dark golden) and are filled with a kind of baked custard - vanilla, well set but not firm - they might ooze if they were warm, though, pale to golden and creamy. The tarts are flavoured with lemon, or prunes, or apple and rhubarb, or topped with sugar and bruleèd. You can see a (not terribly clear) picture of them at the bakery's website.

What are these tarts called? More importantly, how do I make them at home?

Cream horns: food for good living

Pocahontas — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 11:57:21 -0800

PastryFilter: Anyone know where the cream horn originated? I'm talking about the buttery-flaky pastry usually sold in bakeries (because they only taste good fresh out of the oven) shaped into a horn, open on the large end, and stuffed with a buttercream or whipped-cream filling. And maybe studded with large sugar crystals on the outside. I prefer mine with the heavier buttercream filling.

My best guess would be that the French invented it, because it's so similar to a cream puff, and the pastry is somewhat related to choux, but I was wondering if there was a foodie out there who knows the story.