PastryScoop.com Online Chat Transcript

Florian Bellanger
November 19, 2003

<Kate_PastryScoop> Today, Chef Florian Bellanger will be chatting about Buche de Noel and answering your pastry questions. As I mentioned, Chef Tina from The French Culinary Institute and Judiaann from PastryScoop.com are also online.

<Laura> I have three questions related to candy making. 1.) I have a truffle recipe that calls for coffee paste. I have had trouble finding a place that sells that. How can I make it myself? 2.) I have a chocolate caramel recipe that says that the first step is to cook just the granulated sugar over the stove until it gets to a caramel color. I find it difficult to do that without overcooking or undercooking the sugar. How do I cook the sugar properly? Is there a specific temperature I should be watching for? 3.) When tempering chocolate, I melt it to 120F and then I work half of the chocolate on a granite counter to cool it. I add it back to the melted chocolate and when it reaches 89F, I use it to dip truffles. I read recently that you should cool the chocolate to the low 80's before bringing it to dipping temperature. Is that correct? I would appreciate any advice you can offer. Thanks.

<ChefTina> 1.) To make a coffee paste, just get some instant espresso and dissolve it with a little warm water to make a paste.

<Laura> To make the coffee paste with instant espresso & warm water, how much of each should I use?

<ChefTina> Just mix enough warm water in to dissolve the instant espresso. It should be smooth and thick when finished. It only takes a few drops of water to the whole jar of espresso. That is the little 4oz. jar.

<cookman> How long will that mixture of espresso and water keep if not used all at once?

<ChefTina> The coffee paste has a very long shelf life. Nothing should happen to it at all

2.) When you make a dry caramel it is important to cook it over a medium low flame. Always stir it to keep it consistent, and try taking it off the heat a little early as it will continue to cook off the heat.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Laura, it's also helpful to have a bowl of ice water handy. You can dip the bottom of the saucepan in the ice water to stop the sugar from cooking further.

<Florian Bellanger> Cooking caramel is not difficult. I prefer cooking using a dry process. Dry process is to cook dry sugar and glucose without water. The caramel gets color easily. Stop when caramel is lightly foamy on top. When you cook your sugar for dipping, stop it at 160C, and leave it on the table, after 5 minutes it will have a nice light brown color and will be ready to use.

<ChefTina> 3.) It is correct to cool chocolate to about 80-83. At this temperature the molecules have completely come together; the chocolate could be used at this time but it will be too cold. At that point it is important to warm the chocolate to 85-89, the holding temp. This is when you should use the chocolate for dipping or any other chocolate work. Never warm it over 90; at that point you will have to start the whole process over.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Will Fauchon offer buche de noels for sale in their Manhattan stores this holiday season?

<Florian Bellanger> Yes, we offer four buche de noel this season: Berries Buche, Chocolate, Candied Chestnut and Pistachio Praline. They will be available in 2 sizes: 4-6pp & 8-10pp.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Those flavors sounds delicious!

<sofi> Every time I bake a raisin or chocolate pound cake, the chocolate chips or raisins stay on the bottom. How can I keep them from sinking to the bottom?

<Florian Bellanger> You can roll the raisins and chocolate (chips I presume ) in flour before stirring them in the cake mix, that prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake during the baking process.

<sofi> Thank you!

<DeeH> Hello Chef Florian, I'm from Louisiana. Do you ship your buch de noel, and if so do you have a website?

<Florian Bellanger> No, our pastries are so fragile they would not stand up to shipping. We deliver in the 5 boroughs of NYC, though. We do have a web site: fauchon.com; it's still in French for now, but an English version is to come soon. There are great pictures of our products, check it out... We do not sell from the web site yet, but that should come soon.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> See www.fauchon.com for New York City locations.

<NhumiSD> Chef Florian, I don't usually like buttercream on my buche de noel. Can you suggest anything other than buttercream?

<Florian Bellanger> You are right not to like buttercream on the buche de noel; that is old fashion, and many people don't like it anymore. Cover your buche with ganache if it is a chocolate buche. For the chestnut buche we do in Fauchon, we use chestnut mousse inside and light chestnut buttercream on the outside, which is much better than a regular buttercream.

<NhumiSD> Yes, I love Chocolate, but my grandma is not too found of it. Could I use some kind of whipping cream?

<pastrytroll> How is light chestnut buttercream (which sounds wonderful) made? With Italian meringue, or is it Italian meringue buttercream blended with whipped cream?

<Florian Bellanger> We make our chestnut buttercream with buttercream (creme anglaise process), pastry cream, and chestnut cream. It takes less butter than a regular buttercream and it is lighter.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> I often see Buche de Noel decorated with mini meringue mushrooms. What kind of decorations do you use at Fauchon?

<Florian Bellanger> Mini meringue mushroom are great but keep in mind that they do not survive the freezing process or even the refrigerator; if you make a huge production of buche, you have to finish them in advance. I recommend chocolate mushrooms.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Yes, that sounds more appealing anyway.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Do you use a mold to shape the buche or do you roll the cake instead?

<Florian Bellanger> For the buche, we do roll some of them, but the chocolate and chestnut, berries and pistachio are molded; I like both techniques, that is the reason we do both of them.

<sofi> Chef, I'm interested in making Pannetone, however, it is very hard to find the mold? Any ideas where I can get some?

<ChefTina> Here at FCI we use paper baking molds for Pannetone, you may be able to purchase them at a specialty baking supply store. Most places in Little Italy have it. Any of the import stores on Grand street or Mulberry will have them, especially at this time of year.

<NhumiSD> I've bought a lot of molds and equipment on line; if you just do a search and compare prices.

<heather> Have you checked NY Cake?

<sofi> No, I have not. I'll check them out, thanks.

<rumcakes> Broadway Panhandler on Broome St. carries the paper molds for Pannetone.

<heather> Chef Florian, do you know of a shop in Manhattan where I can buy high quality chocolate blocks? Like Valhrona, etc...I would love to find a good resource for anything chocolate.

<Florian Bellanger> What do you mean by anything chocolate??

<heather> Chocolate supplies-- like bars/blocks of chocolate for candies and baking.

Do you sell chocolate bars (for baking/candies) at Fauchon? Or can you recommend a store that sells such things?

<Florian Bellanger> Yes, we do sell a chocolate for baking at Fauchon, or you can go to Zabar. They carry a few different brands of chocolate for baking.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Heather, as a consumer your choices are more limited but you can purchase fine chocolates like Valrhona at stores like Dean and Deluca and other specialty stores.

Also we list over 250 different high quality chocolates and cocoa powders on PastryScoop.com. Just go to our LOOK IT UP section under chocolate chart and it will give you a list of major chocolate distributors and their contact information. Many of them sell chocolate on their websites.

<heather> Thanks! I was actually on it this morning and found the Valhrona that I needed, but I had trouble ordering on the Valhrona site.

<Florian Bellanger> I recommend that you check out this web site: www.chefconnection.com ; they sell a lot of ingredients, including the Weiss chocolate line, and they sell equipment, also, at reasonable prices.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> You can also purchase large blocks of chocolate at Jacques Torres chocolates in Brooklyn as well, or go to his website at www.mrchocolate.com .

<heather> Great, thanks, I will check them both out.

<Florian Bellanger> If you are looking for chocolate molds, I recommend Tomric; look for their web site. They carry pretty much every chocolate mold available on the market and they do custom molds too.

<heather> Oh, wow, thanks a lot--I will look for their website.

<Valerie> Try ­ www.gourmail.com ­ for chocolate. They carry Valrhona, Callebaut, Cacao Barry and Peters. Excellent prices but there is a $60 minimum order.

<heather> Oh WOW, thanks Valerie! That sounds perfect.

<pastrytroll> Gourmail has a minimum order, but they sent me four large slabs for $4.75 shipping! If there had been a store close, parking would have cost that much. Be sure to check the 'European import' section of Tomric for the good, heavy plastic molds.

<chris> I want to make fruitcakes and can't find a good place to buy the glaceed fruit, without paying too much. Do you have any locations in NYC to buy this type of fruit?

<Florian Bellanger> You can find fruit confits at Paris Gourmet: 1-800-737-8791. They sell assorted color fruit confits already cut into small cubes. We do sell a huge variety of fruit confits (whole fruits or sliced) at Fauchon, but they cost $ 50.00/lb.

<chris> Thank you for your suggestion regarding glaceed fruits....$50/pound is too rich for me, but I bet they are marvelous.

<gwin> Bonjour, Chef Florian. I love to make croquembouche this time of year. Any tips for me? Merci.

<Florian Bellanger> For croquembouche, this time of the year is the best, because it is the dry season. We do at Fauchon croquembouche all year and sometimes it is not easy to make it during the summer.

<NhumiSD> Chef Florian, can you suggest any places in the Paris, France, area that teach short pastry classes, 3 weeks time?

<Florian Bellanger> For classes in the Paris area, I recommend Lenotre School, for pastry, desserts and artistic sugar work, or Issyngeaux school in the south which is great too.

<Gloria> When using mascarpone cheese, how do you avoid it getting runny??

<ChefTina> I'm not quite sure what you mean by runny mascarpone.

<Gloria> When making a tiramisu, for example, and you add the mascarpone cheese into the mixing bowl it clumps and then is surrounded by liquid...

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> When mixing a liquid into a more solid ingredient (like mascarpone), I like to add the liquid in sections rather than all at once. Stir between additions.

<ChefTina> Mascarpone has a high fat content and when it is overworked or too cold it tends to separate, which is where the liquid comes from. Make sure to use it at room temperature, and do not mix it too much.

<Gloria> Thank you. Would you recommend mixing it by hand?

<ChefTina> Yes, if it is a small amount, use a spatula as opposed to a whisk.

<Florian Bellanger> Add 30 % of whipped cream in your mascarpone and whip it up.

<sofi> I usually pulse it a bit through a food processor before mixing it with other ingredients and it works!

<sofi> In making a pound cake, what is added to make it sticky? Like the Starbucks marble loaf?

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> I'm not sure what you mean by "sticky." I have not had the marble loaf at Starbucks, but is the stickiness on the inside or outside like a glaze?

<Florian Bellanger> When you say sticky about a pound cake, I assume you mean wet; in that case, add in your recipe some trimoline, and also some sour cream.

<sofi> Maybe sticky is not the right word; inside, it is moist and dense, I have used sour cream but the effect is not the same.

<NhumiSD> Does anyone know how I can buy some Ravifruit (Fruit Puree)? Do they only sell wholesale ?

<rumcakes> Try Paris Gourmet or Ambassador Fine Foods.

<chocoguy> What culinary schools do you recommend for their Baking and Pastry programs?

<Florian Bellanger> Culinary school in NYC ?

<chocoguy> Around the U.S.?

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> The French Culinary Institute in New York City is great. You'll learn how to make Buche de Noel, croquembouche, and some other desserts. I mean lots of other desserts.

<NhumiSD> Too bad I don't live in NYC.

<ChefTina> We offer a 6 month program and have student housing available for those who live out of town. The French Culinary institute offers an intensive, hands on curriculum which is very appealing to many people. It allows the student to really get a full feel of what a pastry chef does everyday.

<Christina> Would the French Culinary Institute be your top choice for a Pastry Program in NYC?

<Florian Bellanger> In NYC I will suggest FCI for their pastry program. I think they really teach the important basics of pastry, their location is accessible, their price good too, and the classrooms are well equipped.

<Silvi> What is your favorite frosting for birthday cakes?

<Florian Bellanger> I do not like sweet frosting, like icing. I like to cover cakes with chocolate glaze or white chocolate ganache, or marzipan if I have to paint on it. The sweet frosting overwhelms the taste of the cake.

<Silvi> How do you prepare marzipan for covering the cakes?

<Florian Bellanger> If you decide to use marzipan to cover a cake, use decoration marzipan, 30% almond.

<ChefTina> For covering cakes with Marzipan, you want to be sure to use a high quality Marzipan that is not to greasy, or dry. All you really need is a little powdered sugar for dusting the table and roll it out as if it is a piece of dough.

<cookman> Is it necessary to line the molds for canneles with beeswax, or will another (easier) thing like butter or Pam do the job?

<Florian Bellanger> Yes, beeswax is important in the making of cannelles, the molds are also crucial; use exclusively copper molds, avoid the flexipan molds, it does not work.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> With some canneles recipes, you can use butter to coat the molds instead of beeswax. Check out the story Bring It On Home in our SCOOP section for a great recipe for canneles from Gale Gand that uses butter to coat the molds.

<cookman> What ratio of butter to beeswax do you suggest for lining the molds? Where is the best place to buy beeswax that you know is "edible" grade?

<Florian Bellanger> We do not make canneles in Fauchon NYC , but in Paris, the ratio we use is 20% beeswax in the butter.

<jtcakes> How does a stabilizer for whipped cream or buttercream (e.g., Cobasan from Albert Uster Imports) work? Does it simply extend the room temperature shelf life of what it is used with by a few hours?

<gwin> Try the gelatin method that Rose Levy Beranbaum uses in The Cake Bible.

<chocoguy> Who are your mentors?

<Florian Bellanger> I do have one mentor who taught me a lot, and became a very good friend and still has a special place in my heart; it is Pierre Herme. I started working with him in 1989; he was at that time just at the beginning of his fame. In the Pastrylab, we were like family.

<Gloria> I am looking for a week long intensive program that would cover any type of dessert making, including chocolates, cakes, etc...I need to run my business and cannot take off 6 months to train...I live in the Midwest but have traveled to NY, Texas and Atlanta for classes...scheduling is the key I guess...I would even do something "private".

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> PastryScoop.com is hosting a 2-day conference March 7th & 8th. We're offering a dozen two-hours classes that you can sign-up for. Click on the PASSION FOR PASTRY image on our homepage for more information.

<Gloria> I am there. Thanks.

<Judiaan_PastryScoop> Gloria, we look forward to seeing you there. Sign up soon because space is limited.

<NhumiSD> Judiaann, thanks for the info on the classes.

<Kate_PastryScoop> Chef Florian. You've been so helpful in answering all these questions. We have just a few minutes left.

<Florian Bellanger> Thank you for having me online; I did enjoy it. To all of you, have a great holiday season, and taste a lot of cakes and chocolate ...

<Kate_PastryScoop> Chef Florian, thank you for taking the time to join us today.

<Florian Bellanger>My pleasure ...

<Kate_PastryScoop> I know everyone enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions and hear about Buche de Noel. And of course, go to www.fauchon.com to see the photos of what Fauchon has to offer.

<pastrytroll> Thank you Chef Florian, for graciously sharing. It is such a thrill to be in contact. Merci.

<Kate_PastryScoop> Thank you also to Chef Tina for all your helpful answers.

<Florian Bellanger> Thank you to all of you, and JOYEUX NOEL.