CONCEPT 19: GENTLE HEAT GUARANTEES SMOOTH CUSTARDS Flashcards
How do eggs aid in baked goods?
They add richness and help them to thicken and set.
What happens when protein in eggs become active?
They begin to move about, running into each other, breaking delicate bonds that hold them as coiled-up balls. Once unfurled, they are able to bond with other proteins, creating a weblike structure that becomes increasingly opaque and solid with time.
Temperature at which egg whites and yolks begin to coagulate.
140 to 150 for whites, 150 to 160 for yolk.
What is happening when eggs curdle?
When exposed to too much heat, the egg proteins will coagulate too much. They will for strong bonds with surrounding proteins, making clumps and separating from the liquid surrounding them.
What type of cooking environment is best suited for custard desserts?
Low and slow.
The principles of what cause a pumpkin pie’s outer edges to cook faster than it’s interior?
Conduction
Why do you cook a pie or cheesecake low and slow?
Mitigate the heat differential and increase our window of opportunity.
What’s the purpose of a ban-marie or water bath for baking egg-based desserts.
Because water never reaches a temperature higher than boiling point, or 212 degrees, the water further slows down cooking. In addition, the water evaporates, creating a humid environment that reduces level of evaporation from the cake.
TEST KITCHEN: CHEESECAKE IN WATER BATH AND ON RACK.
Outside closest to the edge was 184 for WB and 213 for rack; smooth against brown and cracked.
What’s happening when the top of a cheesecake is cracked?
The egg proteins coagulated so rapidly un the unmitigated heat they clumped together, creating a lumpy texture and pulling apart the cakes surface.
How far up should a water bath go?
Half way up the sides.
After a cheesecake is made, how long does it take for crust to lose its crispness?
One day
Should you excrete extra moisture from the canned pumpkin for pie or cheesecake?
Yes, use paper towels or a cheesecloth.
Why does a springform pan need to be protected with foil or a larger cake pan?
To prevent leakage.
Are there any problems with using foil? Possible solutions?
Steam from the water bath can condense inside the foil; us a large cake pan.
Why is using a slightly larger cake pan better than foil?
The slight gap between pans isn’t wide enough to prevent the water from insulating the springform pan, and there is zero danger of water exposer since moisture that condenses on the sides rapidly evaporates.
Ratio of egg yolks to cream in crème brûlée recipe.
12 yolks to 4 C
Great way to lower temp of cream before tempering.
Use reserved cream to combine after steeping.
What % of fat is Hal-and-half?
10-18%
What % of fat is heavy cream?
36%
What % of fat is whipping cream?
30%
Why does crème caramel use whole eggs while crème brûlée uses only yolks?
Whole eggs help you achieve a clean cutting quality. CB is richer and softer–with a pudding like, spoon-clinging texture–in part because of the exclusive use of yolks.
Is it harder to extract flavors using the cold method?
Yes
When using a water bath, how do you also protect the bottom?
Use kitchen towels.
For caramelizing crème brûlée, why is the broiler a bad choice?
It’s almost a guaranteed fail with uneven heat distribution.
The world’s two largest producers of vanilla bean.
Madagascar and Indonesia.
Flavor compound in vanilla beans.
Vanillin
Is vanilla the most expensive spice in the world?
No, it’s second only to saffron.
Why were initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico and Central America futile?
The symbiotic relationship between the vanilla orchid and its natural pollinator, the local species of Melipona bee. Pollination is required to set the fruit from which the flavoring is derived.
How was it finally spread globally?
In 1841, Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old slave who lived on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, discovered the plant could be hand-pollinated. Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant.
What family of plants does vanilla derive?
Orchidaceae or the orchid family.
Are vanilla beans cured?
Yes
Vanilla and chocolate were completely unknown in the Old World until who?
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.
Which part of the vanilla flower contains the bean and its seeds?
The ovary and its ovules.
The majority of the world’s vanilla.
Commonly known as Bourbon vanilla (after the former name of Réunion, Île Bourbon) or Madagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia.
Where do differences in most vanilla beans come from?
How much of the flavor compound vanillin was developed during curing.
Explain the curing process for Madagascar beans.
Pods are dipped in hot water to halt growth, dried in the sun and placed (while wrapped in cloth and straw mats) in wooden boxes to sweat over night. Cycle is repeated until manufacturer decides they’re ready for a holding room, where they rest until shriveled, brown and fragrant.
