more IBIE things to see

Some of the food stuffs that were on display at the show.

Sir Galahad in the house hanging out.
Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere were also in attendance. I had no idea that King Arthur actually labeled any of its flour this way, makes sense
& I think it's rather brilliant.
Now someone needs to do something using Shakespeare plays & characters as a theme.

Think about it, a bakery that makes danish could call themselves "Sweet Hamlet".
Envision, if you will-


Rosencrantz & Guildenstern as pastries.

"I'll take two Rosencratz, 4 Guildenstern, and thrown in one Ophelia and a couple of Osric"

(eeehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe)
[yes, I know I am weird but it works doesn't it ;]
*ahem*

Anyhooooo, here are a few more items that I found to be of interest.

Fruit and vegetable gelato essentially.
You have No idea how good these were.

The Dragon fruit one was absolutely ambrosial.

All of this fig paste, I should stop back by the King Arthur booth for a loaf of bread and someone here must have some goat cheese...

Close up of Fig action...

I had no idea there were so many things you could do to apples and other fruits.
(and I'm kind of wondering why you would)

"Does anyone have a bowl of cereal and milk?"

Close up of my favorite find.
I am partly intrigued and amused. Kind of hard to carve a Jack O' Lantern out of that I must say.

It's Cider season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The scent wafts past your nose as you bring it to your lips.

It's the essence of Fall; cool crisp mornings followed by the sun slowly warming up the day. The fog slowly caressing the trees as it dissipates back into clear air.
There is the faintest whisper of mustiness, you sense the leaves slowly cascading off the trees; decaying where they land, leaving a faint shadow etched into the stones underneath.

There is a dryness to it, the crisp, slightly bitter skin crunches and gives way to a tart, juicy interior. Tart enough to make your mouth pucker but with just a hint of sweetness to smooth out that first bite and make it pleasant rather than too bitter.
Yet this is not an apple that you hold in your hand, it is a glass of fresh pressed Cider from Lori Skurdahl's Heirloom apple orchard.

I will just state right now that there is no better Cider out there anywhere and I shall tell you why.

Each batch of cider Lori makes has a blend of several Heirloom Cider apple varieties in it and she changes the blend every time she presses depending on what apples are ready,therefore every batch is unique... and darn tasty.

She told me one time how many varieties of cider apples she had (let's just say a lot) and she always seems to be acquiring different ones every time I talk with her.

Aside from using multiple apple varieties for her cider, there is another thing which makes this Cider stand out from the pack.


Often, when Cider is pressed and sold commercially (at least in the USA) it has to be pasteurized and most often that is done by heating it up. There are a couple of things this does to the cider besides killing off unwanted and harmful bacteria:


1. The juice will loose some of the flavor and aroma which is the main reason you are getting it in the first place.

2. It sets the pectin in the juice so that it will remain cloudy, not that much of a problem if you are drinking it just as juice however it is most definitely not a good thing if you plan to make Hard Cider and want it to be clear and golden when you are all done.

There are various processes you can use to get the Hard Cider clear again but you strip out more of the flavor when you do that.

So, what does Lori do differently? Her Cider is pasteurized using Ultra Violet light, no heat involved and therefore, minimal loss of aroma and flavor and no setting of the pectin which makes for an extremely delicious fresh cider to drink and just about perfect for making a good batch of Hard Cider or dare I say it... Apple wine.















For this particular batch, the apples used were:
Skyrme's Kernel
Michelin
Kingston Black
and Yarlington Mill.

Ohhh, sweet sweet nectar.







Keep up the good work Lori.

I'll be ordering a couple of more gallons very soon
: )

Continuation of the IBIE conference...Touristy stuff

I'll post these by hotels or general things that relate to each other...maybe.

Now, we shall start our tour of the Strip with...

The Bellagio...

which must be said with the intonation of -"Borrrr rach chio"-
as pronounced by Michael Keaton in the movie "Much Ado About Nothing".
(A most excellent, slightly unhinged performance by the way.)

Very colourful Chihuly ceiling on the way to the Conservatory

-Connnnn serve a torrrrrrryyy-
that is just a fun word to say isn't it?
I certainly think so...
Connnnnn serve a torrrrrryyyyy.

Ethereal glass leaves slowly cascade down through the trees.

Now, I give you...
The Woods of the Connnnn Serve a torrrryyyyy!

They all look so realistic and yet so sculptural.


I appreciate how the artist captured the
essence of leaf; the variegation, the lightness, the transparent beauty within.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar"
Wash, Serenity(2005)
Where there are trees, there must be water.
Here is a continuous fountain archway that you can walk through. This grand specimen will make many, many pies.
Mmmmmmm, pie.
See what I mean about the sculptural part?
This could be sooooo in my room right now, mind you it wouldn't fit but it would be cool.
The Green Man watching over the bounty of the season.

A Riddle

I am born on May Morning - by sticks, bells, and ribbons

I am the sap - in the dark root
I am the dancer - with his six fools
I am the tump - behind the old church
I am the lost soul - under the misericord
I am the oak - against the stars

I am the face - that peers through the leaves
I am the fear - in a child' s mind
I am the demon - on the roof-boss

I am killed in October - and laid on church altars

I am the guiser - on the bright bonfire
I am the old grain - sown with the seed
I am the flame - in the pumpkin ' s grin
I am the spirit - in the kern-baby's bosom

Phill Lister 1982

All Hallow's Eve may begin now

Pumpkins...and could those be... Gravestones? Hmmmmmmm, maybe, just maybe.
This is a cake I just finished for display so here are more pictures of it...

but first another superfluous pumpkin picture.
(I'm a little proud of my pumpkins :)

Now, for a proper All Hallow's Eve cake, dead trees and gravestones are an absolute necessity I think...

check and check.

More deliciously decaying trees, one can never have enough of those.

Perfect for some birds and bats to roost in.
Now, here are all of the parts together.

Have a Spooktacular
All Hallow's Eve everyone.
Mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

IBIE 2010

International Baking Industry Exposition.
Setting: Las Vegas Nevada.
Seminars, samples, demos, and tons and tons of really big toys for those of a baking persuasion to drool over.


Think of it as Dragon Con for the baking set except without the really cool costumes but with lots more bread fixings, various forms of fruit ranging from puree to dried, dough enhancers, decorating stuff, cutters, slicers, baggers, and most important of all-Chocolate...lots and lots of chocolate.

Let the games begin!







The mother ship has arrived and it's so shiny. I seriously expect it to light up and start spinning like a carousel or a disco ball...




hehehehehehe-you will now have that song in your head for the rest of the day-hehehehehe.



I couldn't even begin to tell you what most of this equipment can do, suffice it to say, I think pretty much anything it wants to.

This one reminds me a little of when you are standing on the edge of a cliff and you just get this urge to get just that extra inch closer to the edge-you'll be fine really...
















Baker #1: "Hmmmm, I think we could use this in the bakery don't you?"


Baker #2: "Why yes, I do believe it would be just perfect over in the back corner and so multipurpose too."



















"By day a Ginormous mixer for the bakery, by night we are talking Hot Tub central. Look, it can seat 4 easily. "

quick note-they had even larger mixers than this there.

















"Ohhhhhh look, a personal sauna that doubles as an oven...How thoughtful and just perfect after a good soak in the mixer/Hot Tub."


Well, there will be more pictures to follow of the Expo (stop groaning, c'mon there are some nifty things to look at-seriously) and I will even get some video up in a few more days as well as some of the sights on the Strip and a few really excellent places for food and, of course, Chocolate!!!!!!!!!!


Random thought for the day.
You know...I always find it kind of interesting, all of these shows and movies that make places like Vegas seem sooooooooo massive and they truly are in some ways but when you are on the ground strolling about, you realize that in reality they aren't quite as large as they appear on film.


Actually, truth be told, the Las Vegas Strip kind of reminds me of a movie set with the action constantly flowing around you, from the street performers to the mid western tourists to the porn slappers, everyone is a part of the show.

You choose how much you want to watch or participate in the live performance of humanity that swirls around you.

Class time

Here are some pictures from out first class.
It involved learning how to work with fondant to use it as a frosting for a cake and also how to decorate with it.

Topics covered included how different coloring agents affect the fondant. For example, if you use a dry powder the fondant can achieve a marbled effect whereas if you are using a liquid gel a solid colour will be the result.


Getting the fondant to be workable usually means kneading it like bread if you are starting with a large quantity and then treating it a little like pie dough to roll it out. Remember to use something like cornstarch underneath so that it won't stick like glue to the work surface.


Here is the fondant being rolled out by one of the students. There are fancy machines (really pricey too) that can do this for you which is great if you are frosting many, many cakes but rolling it by hand works pretty darn well too.






Here are pictures of the students covering the cake and working out the folds so that the cakes have a smooth surface.



Cutting some decoration.






Fondant is a lot like playing with Play dough. You can cut shapes out, mold it into other shapes, basically just have fun playing with it.

A very small amount of water applied to the decoration and/or the frosting surface will help the decoration stick.






Decorations are applied, just needs some finishing touches and a bottom edge to give it that finished look.





Some close up cake action.



There are different varieties of fondant and several recipes to make your own as well. If you are working colour into a fondant, try doing it with a small amount of fondant first because not all fondants take colours the same way.

































And here are the students with their finished cakes.

We'll be offering some more classes in the future so keep an eye on the facebook/twitter accounts for updated information or you can call the bakery as well.

Monkeying around

I am smitten with the aroma of things baking. The heady perfume of cinnamon and cardamom permeating the kitchen, the extravagant richness of caramelizing butter and sugar rolling out of the oven as I open the door to check and see if what I am making is finally done.

I don't do it nearly often enough at home anymore but I did manage to make Monkey bread last weekend.

Making it reminds me how much I enjoy baking things like this: Sticky buns, pancakes, waffles, fresh Croissants (drooling just a teensy bit here), etc.

It also reminds me that I really do need to stop being so lazy and start doing it more often. Thus the Monkey Bread frenzy.

How can one go wrong with all of those toasted Pecans? and the sugary, buttery, caramel glaze (okay, so it wasn't as caramelized as it should have been but why quibble? It's still darn tasty :)








The pan I used is a mini Bundt pan (I love this thing almost as much as my Dutch Oven) and I found it at Goodwill for $3!!!
I have found a few others there as well so I now have like six of them plus two smaller ones.

Seriously, how can people get rid of this size pan? It's perfect for so many reasons. I never even knew that this size existed. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my 12 cup version too (which I've also seen at Goodwill for around $3-what a steal!) but you have to have about 20 people over to your place to help you eat whatever you bake in it. The mini is much more manageable for a few people, ahem or just one if you are really, really hungry.

If you are ever looking for a pan, pot, or what have you, check out your local thrift stores especially when you live in a larger area like Portland. You can find so many treasures for such a minimal price and some really really weird stuff too.

Well, here's the recipe that I tend to play around with.

The day before:
Basic dough.
3/4 cup buttermilk
6 Tbsp Unsalted butter, very soft
3 large Eggs
2 1/4 cups AP flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
1 pkg dry yeast (can use rapid rise yeast or plain dry yeast**
1/2 tsp Salt

Monkey coat. make this the same day that you will be baking.
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
misc. spices- I play around here, sometimes rosemary, sometimes smoked chipotle powder or smoked spanish paprika-depends on what I am in the mood for.
1 batch of the basic dough
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

**If using plain dry yeast, warm up 1/2 cup of the buttermilk to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, add yeast and let it activate for 5 min. while getting the other stuff together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. In a large mixer bowl (for a stand mixer) and using a dough hook attachment, combine on low speed, 4 cups of the flour, sugar, the yeast, and salt. Add the buttermilk mix and butter, then mix until the dough comes together-about 2 min.

Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough until it's smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticking to the bowl, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup until it no longer sticks to the bowl.
Afterwards you may want to pull the dough out and knead by hand for a few moments, then place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

At this point I usually put the dough in the fridge and let it sit overnight. It will still raise very slowly and it develops more flavour as well. Before you use the dough the following day, let it warm up at least 30 min.
***If not refrigerating then let dough rise until doubled in size and continue with the recipe***

The following day heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bundt pan.

Melt the butter. Mix the Monkey coat together (You make have to make a second batch of the mix and butter).
Roll the dough into little balls, keeping the rest of the dough covered. Roll the balls into the melted butter, then into the Monkey coat. Place the balls into the bundt pan. Sprinkle remaining butter and Monkey coat over the top of the bundts, cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in size.
Bake until done, golden brown and the caramel is beginning to bubble around the edges.
Approximately 30 to 40 min.

p.s. Tomorrow morning, it's pancakes!!!!!