The dessert and pastry thread - Page 5

Sorry to interfere with a romantic moment but...time for some pics:

So, I've decided that I am going to teach myself how to make pastry. Get ready for lulz. Will poast pics, good and awful.

that's something i've always meant to do, too. it would be nice to be able to roll out tart pastry that didn't look like a map of africa.

I don't really know where to start. I think I want to start with classic stuff, like tarts and millefeuille rather than bizarre plated deserts. Mainly because I like learning good technique, but also because I prefer them to most of what I have in restaurants. I should probably make some sort of outline of what I am going to try.

there are some good books. jim dodge's american baker is still classic. nick malgieri has a how to bake book that's good. Sherry Yard's Secrets of Baking might appeal to you ... she tackles one big concept and then spins it off into different uses. i've always wanted to cook my way through lindsay shere's chez panisse desserts ... everything i've made from there has been fantastic. Or you can just wait a year ... i have it on good authority that there is a bouchon bakery book in the works.
in my experience, pastry, more than savory cooking, is a matter of touch and feel. i did a piece once where i made a couple of pies every week for a whole summer, trying to find the perfect crust recipe. what i found was that at the end of the summer, i could get a pretty good crust out of almost any recipe. it was just a matter of how i worked it.

Why can't you just bake a fucking pie and be happy?

Because I like to learn things.

Great. I'm particularly partial to pecan.

there are Pierre Herme and Laduree cookbooks.

I don't like pecan pie. Actually, I don't like pies at all. I need ideas, cause I got none.

how is it possible that a human being can not like pie? it's like not liking sunny days.

Look who you are talking to. I like tarts, because they are thinner. Pies are too sweet, in general, though I love lime and lemon based ones. Pecan is like having a cavity.

Make a quiche. Artichoke is nice.

I made puff pastry this evening. Not sure what the hell I am going to do with it.