Source: Ana Maria Kruger
Reviews of exisiting recipes and bits of knowledge collected during my baking.
Last added: February 2014
Baking
Tips & Bits
Bear Claw - Pastries/ Quick filling
Bear Claws filling: use (1) container of Pecan- Caramel Frosting as sold for German Chocolate cake. Add more chopped pecans, sweetened coconut and about 2 Tablespoons of flour to make a thicker spread.
For a added surprise flavor, spread a small amount of Almong filling before spreading Pecan filling.
Make pastries bite size.
Condensed milk/ weight
1 cup condensed milk = 11 ounces
Mocha Layer Cake/ Italian Buttercream Alternative
The Italian Buttercream in the recipe is prone to failure. A better alternative is to use the French Buttercream (recipe under Fillings & Frostings section) You may add some Swiss Meringue, (recipe under Candies & Desserts section) to the French Buttercream for a lighter filling.
Bagels/ Oven setting - tray position
The recipe under Breads correction:
-Set oven on Bake, NOT Convection Bake, or tops will brown too soon.
-Placing cookie tray with Silicone mat (Silpat) on top of baking stone is fine. A very thin cookie sheet may brown the bottoms too fast if place directly on stone, but not the heavy kind plus the silicone mat.
If top not gold by end of baking you may switch to Convection Bake for few minutes but, remember Bagels are usually toasted before eating, so better pale than too gold.
Brownies / Jenny L. Roufosse recipe - Enriched Variation
My taste has change a bit during the years, these brownies recipe, quite sweet can be turn into a Rich brownie with a intense Chocolate flavor laced with Coffee.
9 inch square pan
1/2 Original Recipe - Brownies (see under Cookies)
Replace: the cocoa powder called for with 3 ounces of 60-70% Belgian chocolate bar.
Add: 1 teaspoon of instant powder coffee, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Bake at 325 F degrees for about 35 minutes. Do not over bake, just until top starts to crack.
Meringue / For quick baked shells
From The Professional Pastry Chef by Bo. Friberg
Ratio: 1/2 lb. egg whites / 1 lb. sugar
See Meringue recipes under Candies and Desserts for variations/options
Flan / Individual - Made look like Soufle
Flan recipe baked in individual ramekins: bake as per recipe indicates, after 30 minutes in oven, cover ramekins with Teflon sheet and they will puffed up like soufle.
Eclairs / Filling as per “Well Bread Bakery” Weaverville, NC
Well Bread bakery makes eclairs the size of Mountains: big round pastry about 6” at the base that requires at least two to eat it. The filling inside is a mixture of: 1/2 Whipped cream and 1/2 Pastry cream. Makes a filling that is light and airy.
Classic CCC cookies/ how I like them
To recipe/ adjust as follows:
Add 3 Tablespoons of flour, measure brown sugar slightly heap. Bake at 350F for ~15 minutes.
Good uniformely brown, semi-flat, moist not crispy.
Cinnamon Rolls Susan’s Recipe/ Cinnamon-sugar dusted rolls variation
Make 1/2 recipe. Cut 16 rolls and lace in either cup cake molds or ramikens well buttered.
When out of the oven and as soon as they can be handle, brush each roll with melted butter all over and roll into a mixture of 1 cup sugar + 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Place in platter. My favorite rolls.
Parchment paper cup cake- muffins liners / Fancy shaped
For a elegant fluted cup liner use 5 1/4 inch squares of parchment paper. Press paper square between two cups or glasses similar size to shape into cups.
Croissant Baking / Oven settings = Bake
Oven temperature called in recipes is for Non Convection setting. If convection setting is used, pastries will brown excessively soon before completely baked.
