Monday, September 25, 2006

"Pastry Arts" both Science and Aesthetics


I was astonished during my pilot training in Contemporary Cakes Class in school (CIA) with Chef Todd Knaster. It was not just about creating the best flavor profile for cakes but also considering all the details like, presentation, texture, crumb structure, temperatures of components, taste and flavor. This is one creation I made the Mango Lemon Cake. It has a "1-2-3 pied dough (1,2,3 meaning ratios of flour,fat and sugar) at the very bottom, mango mousse, lemon curd for the pearls you can see at the diagram, vanilla sponge cake, thinly sliced ripe but firm mangoes and a plain gelee as glaze. Evrything is blast frozen and thawed out for 15-30 minutes right before service. What I am showing is that when creatinga any dessert piece, it is essential to think deliberately on how your cake should be prepared so that when that person makes a slice of that cake that you made will be delighted and will not forget about it! I believe that first and last impression lasts especially for desserts "a perfect ender" for any meal, I bet your friends are gonna like you even more having such knowledge of a dessert piece. I have more to share and actually will show one of this days the end product of this lay out.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

"Kusina"

Kuisna or Cucina in Spanish literally means a kitchen. A nook for cooks and food lovers.
A kitchen is a
room used for food preparation. A modern kitchen is typically equipped with a stove or microwave oven and has a sink with water on tap for cleaning food and dishwashing. Modern kitchens often also feature a dishwasher. Some installations to store food usually also are present, either in the form of an adjacent pantry or more commonly cabinets and a refrigerator.
Although the main function of a kitchen is
cooking, it can be the center of activities as well, especially within homes, depending on its size, furnishing, and equipment. If a washing machine is present, washing and drying laundry is also done in the kitchen. The kitchen may also be the place where the family eats, provided it is large enough. Sometimes, it is the most comforting room in a house, where family and visitors tend to congregate.
I miss my kitchen back home. As soon as I get home, I'd be more than happy to show you how I am going to fix my test kitchen.