Author: Elena Gutierrez
Black Forest Cupcakes
The purpose of this week’s assignment was to learn decorating techniques. In previous posts, I’ve shared my attempts to pipe Italian buttercream and Italian meringue. So, to make of my homework a new experience, I prepared Black Forest cupcakes and piped whipped Brandy whipped cream on them. Black Forest or “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte” is a very common…
Genoise à la Confiture Framboise
This cake tastes like birthday cake. It reminds me about all the birthday parties I had as a kid. And how I wished we could eat cake as soon as the party started and not at the end. A genoise is a very particular cake because you don’t use a chemical agent like baking soda or…
The Art of French Pastry – Salambos
Last week, I went to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and I found a culinary jewel: “The Art of French Pastry” by Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of the famous French Pastry School in Chicago. So, I picked this book to do my first ever cookbook review for Inspired Pastry. As I have mentioned before, I am fairly new…
The Art of French Pastry – Pâte à Choux
Pâte à Choux is one of my favorite preparations because of its versatility and rich flavor. You need Choux Pastry to do Profiteroles and Eclairs, two of my favorite French desserts. And things get even better if I tell you that you can also prepare Churros, one of most famous Spanish-Mexican desserts just by frying…
Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing
This is the first time I bake a red velvet cake mainly because this cake is not very common from where I come from. I have to admit that I recognized red velvet cake from pictures illustrating American cookbooks and magazines I could get a hold of at my grandma’s place. I still remember…
Orange Brûlée Tart
Have you ever tried an orange brûlée tart? Me neither until a few weeks ago when I had to bake one for a final exam. And, let me tell you that it is one of the finest tarts I have ever tried. The orange brûlée tart is quite interesting because it combines different techniques. For…
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