I have been looking forward to this trip for MONTHS because that meant new grocery stores, fun and unique shops that sold wacky and relatively inexpensive cooking tools and most importantly new restaurants to explore. In order to prepare for my culinary journey, I went through all of my cookbooks so that I can make a list of common obscure ingredients that I know I could get at a cheaper price (or find in general) in America and most importantly, cooking tools.
The first cookbook that I devoured (ha ha not literally) was Pâtisserie at Home. I purchased this gem back in May and it quickly became my favourite cookbook. There are so many recipes that I want to attempt but can't because I don't have the specific cooking tools that these recipes require. You can find the necessary pans or specific ingredients here in Winnipeg but it is very expensive. Because of that, I have only managed to make one recipe at this time: the honey vanilla madeleines because I already own that pan (which cost $21.99 plus tax!)
Before I get back on topic, I want to share with you why this is one of my favourite cookbooks and maybe you will be inspired too (to become the ultimate pastry chef... well at least within your own household :))
Pâtisserie at Home by Will Torrent, an award winning pastry chef and chocolatier, is like a 1-2-3 how-to guide for anyone who wants to make french pastry and desserts at home. Anyone who's tried this knows it can be an overwhelming, daunting, frightening and exhilarating task. With French baking, you must be so precise in measurements, cooking temperatures and of course your timing when adding ingredients, mixing, whisking and whatever 'ing' that needs to be done. This type of baking is an art, and not everyone can master it. See what I mean by daunting and overwhelming? This is like trying to attempt organic chemistry. Many will try, but most will fail.
As I mentioned, I made honey and vanilla madeleines. Baby steps, right? They have coffee and chocolate madeleines that I want to try next!
I love the touch of the honey and the nuttiness of the almonds.
I found the directions to be much more complicated than it needed to be. I guess that's French baking, right? With the directions from the recipe that I posted here, I baked my second batch with the ingredients from this book and it worked just as well... why wait for the mixture to cool off in the fridge for 20 minutes when I can bake it now? Obviously, I must be missing something here through my impatience. That is one thing that making french pastries requires: patience. Something I need to work on.
But, the pictures from this book are really beautiful and inspiring, and it fills me with hope that I will master at least 58% of these recipes because the section of macaroons is still scaring the (expletive deleted) out of me. That and the mille feuille (thousand layers) cake, crème brûlée, red berry charlotte and croissants.
This is why I bought this book. I was looking for a challenge but I wanted authentic(ish) French baking recipes with no short cuts. This book delivers on that.
So, back on topic, what is on my 'must find' list for my trip to help me reach my goals?
- A tartlet pan (small and large)
- Brioche pan
- Second madeleine pan
- Macaron pan
I had a further list that included:
- Large glass bowl to use as a bain marie for ganache and brownie mixes
- Mandarin Olive Oil
- Yuzu juice
- Donut pan
- Pastry board
These were not on the high priority list.
What did I end up finding? Stay tuned...
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