Hello!
Last night (lesson 8) was really exhausting and very labor intensive. And I badly cut my thumb about a minute into class (no, we weren’t working on knife skills). We were introduced to eggs. Chef taught us their physical properties, how best to store them and how to use them in our baking. Quiz: How can you tell a fresh egg from an old egg? The Albumen (white) of a fresh egg with has more thick, gelatinous parts than runny. Old eggs are liquidy-er. Also, the yolk of a fresh egg is firmer and hold up higher than an old egg’s yolk. I guess old eggs look altogether older and more tired. They slump.
Then we practiced separating eggs (sorry, no fancy one handed cracking eggs here) and began to beat the yolks with sugar until their properties changed. They went from liquid and golden to thick and pale yellow. I began by saying how tiring and labor intensive this lesson was, and this was just the first time of many that we had to beat eggs into submission using only whisks. No mixers allowed. My partner was thankfully A LOT stronger than I am and was able to do most of the beating. I feel bad about how much I made her beat, but every time I would start my face would get all red with exertion and she would make fun of me, then take the whisk away. Plus, my thumb injury was still fresh so I was at a disadvantage, albeit a slight one. Yes, beating eggs is the most physical activity I have done in a long while and I guess it shows. I truly need to begin lifting weights to develop my upper arm strength. That, or practice some more. After the yolks, we beat up whites, then folded the two together, then folded in flour. Voila! Lady Fingers batter!
Once these were piped out and placed in the oven, we made mayonnaise- an emulsification of yolk and oil with mustard lemon juice and salt/pepper. It’s really easy to make, and the lemon juice “cooks” the yolk. But for the squeamish among us use the Hellman’s version. In my non-expert opinion, mayo is mayo. Unless it’s Aioli.
By the time the mayo was done, it was time to remove the lady fingers-only for some of us it was a bit too late. Industrial ovens should come with timers. Moving on, we made Zabaglione (Zah-Bahg-Leey-Oh-Nay) which is basically yolks, sugar and Marsala wine whipped and beaten and hammered at over a double boiler until…they thicken and lighten in color. You could fold in whipped cream to it if you like or eat it plain, with berries and lady fingers if you happen to have them lying around the kitchen! This was a delicious treat for all those who tried it.
Finally, we learned about whipping egg whites into a meringue. There are three types of meringues, French, Swiss and Italian. French uses no heat, just plain old whites and sugar. Swiss uses a luke warm double boiler and Italian uses a boiling double boiler (the more heat, the more stable your meringue). We did the French version and just whipped our hearts out. Chef did a demo before we began and predictably, held the beaten meringue upside down over my head (I love being sous chef!) to demonstrate their thickness and stability. Classic practical joke of a pastry kitchen.
A word about our equipment. We used COPPER bowls to beat our eggs. Legend (and chemistry) has it, that the metal alloy has special ions in it that allow for a creamier, firmer meringue. Unfortunately, copper bowl easily form a patina that has toxins in it, so you need to rub it with vinegar/salt mixture (or lemon juice) before you use it. This restores its beautiful pink shine (great for use on pennies, too!). We also used a balloon whisk- long handle, huge/wide wire head-which was much easier than a small or standard size whisk. Note: when whisking, grab the whisk from above, not below-it’s much easier. Also, don’t add the sugar too early. Wait for them to foam and become white, otherwise it takes forever to whip up. And, unless you want to look like a fancy pastry chef and show off a bit, USE A MIXER. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER. Even Ina Garten does it.
- The Incredible, (in)Edible Sarah Baer
Last night (lesson 8) was really exhausting and very labor intensive. And I badly cut my thumb about a minute into class (no, we weren’t working on knife skills). We were introduced to eggs. Chef taught us their physical properties, how best to store them and how to use them in our baking. Quiz: How can you tell a fresh egg from an old egg? The Albumen (white) of a fresh egg with has more thick, gelatinous parts than runny. Old eggs are liquidy-er. Also, the yolk of a fresh egg is firmer and hold up higher than an old egg’s yolk. I guess old eggs look altogether older and more tired. They slump.
Then we practiced separating eggs (sorry, no fancy one handed cracking eggs here) and began to beat the yolks with sugar until their properties changed. They went from liquid and golden to thick and pale yellow. I began by saying how tiring and labor intensive this lesson was, and this was just the first time of many that we had to beat eggs into submission using only whisks. No mixers allowed. My partner was thankfully A LOT stronger than I am and was able to do most of the beating. I feel bad about how much I made her beat, but every time I would start my face would get all red with exertion and she would make fun of me, then take the whisk away. Plus, my thumb injury was still fresh so I was at a disadvantage, albeit a slight one. Yes, beating eggs is the most physical activity I have done in a long while and I guess it shows. I truly need to begin lifting weights to develop my upper arm strength. That, or practice some more. After the yolks, we beat up whites, then folded the two together, then folded in flour. Voila! Lady Fingers batter!
Once these were piped out and placed in the oven, we made mayonnaise- an emulsification of yolk and oil with mustard lemon juice and salt/pepper. It’s really easy to make, and the lemon juice “cooks” the yolk. But for the squeamish among us use the Hellman’s version. In my non-expert opinion, mayo is mayo. Unless it’s Aioli.
By the time the mayo was done, it was time to remove the lady fingers-only for some of us it was a bit too late. Industrial ovens should come with timers. Moving on, we made Zabaglione (Zah-Bahg-Leey-Oh-Nay) which is basically yolks, sugar and Marsala wine whipped and beaten and hammered at over a double boiler until…they thicken and lighten in color. You could fold in whipped cream to it if you like or eat it plain, with berries and lady fingers if you happen to have them lying around the kitchen! This was a delicious treat for all those who tried it.
Finally, we learned about whipping egg whites into a meringue. There are three types of meringues, French, Swiss and Italian. French uses no heat, just plain old whites and sugar. Swiss uses a luke warm double boiler and Italian uses a boiling double boiler (the more heat, the more stable your meringue). We did the French version and just whipped our hearts out. Chef did a demo before we began and predictably, held the beaten meringue upside down over my head (I love being sous chef!) to demonstrate their thickness and stability. Classic practical joke of a pastry kitchen.
A word about our equipment. We used COPPER bowls to beat our eggs. Legend (and chemistry) has it, that the metal alloy has special ions in it that allow for a creamier, firmer meringue. Unfortunately, copper bowl easily form a patina that has toxins in it, so you need to rub it with vinegar/salt mixture (or lemon juice) before you use it. This restores its beautiful pink shine (great for use on pennies, too!). We also used a balloon whisk- long handle, huge/wide wire head-which was much easier than a small or standard size whisk. Note: when whisking, grab the whisk from above, not below-it’s much easier. Also, don’t add the sugar too early. Wait for them to foam and become white, otherwise it takes forever to whip up. And, unless you want to look like a fancy pastry chef and show off a bit, USE A MIXER. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER. Even Ina Garten does it.
- The Incredible, (in)Edible Sarah Baer
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