#meringue-technique

#meringue-technique

Contrast is at the center of many popular culinary trends. There's also a strong emphasis on contrasting textures within a single baked good. For example, soft milk breads and laminated doughs that have been hard-baked create exciting combinations.

"Because if people ask you, 'Do you have a beer?' you say, 'Yeah, yeah. It's next to the truffle in the refrigerator.'"

"The recipes that you have as a child are very powerful, they are very visceral. They stay with you, too. I remember many recipes, but certainly one of them, when my mother used to go to the garden just before we ate, and unearthed those tiny potatoes we called grenaille in France, which are like a fingerling potato."

Fashioned after a traditional French gateau Breton, the gateau Basque and even the galette des rois—all cakes made of sweet or quick puff dough doubled up and filled with fruit or cream or nuts—this cake, uniquely Louisianan and lovingly called gateau nana, takes inspiration from each.

I grew up in the Philippines, it's a tropical country where desserts are straight-up fresh fruits. It just made me realize that I want to use ingredients that [make people say] that's a great dessert. I took my culinary experience from the Philippines through my schooling and then moved here to America and fell in love with desserts.

Cutting a pizza fairly involves more than just making a straight slice; it requires consideration of how toppings are distributed across the pizza. If one side has significantly more toppings, the division is inherently unfair.

"I'm certain some wonderful store-bought brands of duck confit may exist, but, in my experience, the homemade product is always more tender and moist."

Suddenly, a strange, loud, rhythmic, prolonged noise, like the dying moan of an organ, then the dying wail of the breeze sighing in the cloisters, struck the indignant ears of the nuns with astonishment. The nuns all turned to stare at Sister Agnès, who in her embarrassment, tripped and let fly a spoonful of her chou pastry dough into a pot of boiling fat, and the doughnut-like pet de nonne, 'nun's fart' was born.

I love a rich chocolate ganache, which is usually a blend of sugar, heavy cream, dark chocolate, and salt. The ganache in this particular cake slice is ganache cream that layers the cake. I like the richness of the cream and the appearance of the chocolate layer on top. The cream is denser and more flavorful in the Ganache Cream than in the two previous cakes, too.

"You used to have to dress up to go out to lunch," says the fashion designer, cabaret singer, and foremost man-about-town Isaac Mizrahi. "I really liked the idea of having a reason to put on a coat and tie. But over the years, everything has become much more casual. Now you go in a sweatshirt, and it's okay because everybody around you is dressed like that."

One piece of evidence is that there are actually quite a few cake mixes out there sold in bulk and specifically marketed to bakeries. A 50-pound bag of red velvet cake mix doesn't have a lot of uses aside from a fairly large-scale operation. But beyond that, there are plenty of bakery employees on the internet spilling the beans.

Using phyllo dough instead of traditional shortcrust for quiche changes the whole personality of the dish. The paper thin sheets of phyllo dough becomes light, flaky, and crunchy when baked, swapping rich, buttery heft for a lighter quiche with a crispy shell that shatters a little when you cut into it.

Even though we will always defend the viewpoint that the best way to eat Nutella is with a spoon straight out of the jar, this beloved creamy hazelnut spread actually has many creative uses in the kitchen. It's super easy to bake with and handy to have in the pantry when you're craving a rich chocolatey dessert that tastes homemade without taking hours to prep. For example, the easy-peasy two-ingredient chocolate puff pastries.

I love dessert as much as the next person. The existence of dessert is truly one of the best things to have happened to mankind, and I've always had immense respect for people who know how to make these sweet treats. Now, if you're curious like me, you've probably also tried whipping some stuff up in the kitchen (no one's going to ask if you failed. That's between you and your stand mixer).

Few desserts are more evocative in French cuisine than a decadently creamy chocolate mousse. And if anyone embodies the spirit of simple French cuisine that folks can make at home, it's Julia Child. When you put the two together, well, you're guaranteed a sure hit. In Julia's world, however, you don't just make a chocolate mousse - you make mousseline au chocolat, a lighter, heavenly version of the popular dessert.

The step is coating blueberries with cornstarch before adding them to your mix. "Blueberries leak a lot as they bake, and that juice can mess with the crumb or make things a bit wet," Daud explains. "The cornstarch soaks up some of that moisture, so the berries stay more contained." Dredging in cornstarch gives you more control over the berries and resulting texture of your bake, as it keeps them intact and their moisture in check.