I bet the secret is to blind bake the crust but I’m just guessing.
Mmm Portuguese custard tarts with slightly burnt tops…the best
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Tried that, tried an egg white wash, egg white on blind baked. If you can come up with a method, let me know. Burnt sugar caramel custard. My Dad always talked about it, and Mom never would try, said it wouldn’t be right.
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Baked a lot more growing up. Dont seem to have much time for it anymore.
I do make my kids bday cake every year though. Some are better than others lol
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Great job!!! Lucky lil guy
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Fondant makes for better artistry, buttercream for better eating!
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@Eudaemon i enjoy the show so far. netflix has seasons 1-8 i think. so starting with season 1. that’s fuckin gross dude.(edit: i think Chetna from season 1 is attractive if she were 10 years younger, and less lesbian looking, lol.) i know i wouldn’t do well with baking, it’s not for me. but it is still relaxing to watch them bake. i would attempt the pretzel bread but my oven is broken.
I agree 100%. Recipes are the least important part of cooking. They are no doubt invaluable for certain things(in the baking field especially), but using your sense and understanding the systems is far more important. I feel that in general thinking about the systems is something we as humans don’t do enough when we seek answers or to fix problems. Soil is my latest obsession, and another one I’m sure I will spend the rest of my life learning about.
At my first restaurant job there was a new dish on my station. The first time through the chef had prepped everything out. About two weeks in I ran out of the pickled fennel we used on it. I asked the chef for a recipe. He asked me if I was tasting it every day (I had) as it is expected that you check all of your mid en place for quality each day when you come in and set up. He then asked me if I had seen him make the first batch (I had, although somewhat peripherally). He then asked me if I had ever pickled anything before ( I had). He the told to “well then go pickle some fucking fennel!”. Took some tweaking to get just right and to his liking, but that lesson definitely stuck with me and has been invaluable.
Out of all those, I think Ratio is the most important for baking, and is definitely worth the price of admission(probably also the cheapest on the list).
Also, I think most of these may be available on Hoopla, if your library system happens to provide access to that or another ebook resource.
As far as savory pastries go, there are many. Indian cuisine is a good one to look to if you are a vegetarian. The UK crushes it on savory pies, but many call for lard or suet in the crust. Coconut oil can be an ok substitute for animal fat, depending.
In terms of types of pastries samosas, Cornish pasties, empanadas, pot a feu are some things you could definitely take a look at.
Also, yeah it’s definitely AIDS…big time
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Sourdough bread is the 
right now. I bet it would be keeping you busy as it’s tricky as f&%# no bakers yeast… chemicals, just pure yeasts that are naturally occurring in the cereal itself.
Have a good look around and I guarantee you will be busy with that.
Then enjoy a tasty unique bread.
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I agree with you. I have always questioned myself and what other people do and why…I worked in simple restaurants to luxury places and even here many chefs wouldn’t question their methods… but regurgitate what others had told them.
This has always been very frustrating for me.
You can learn how to cook… but if you don’t understand why you do what you do you are just a slave, a robot that cooks.
In a way when you understand that cooking is chemistry and how it affects the outcome of your work you start seeing things in a different way and new possibilities rise.
This is even more apparent when you are in the shit and are hit by orders left and right and, just like your example with the fennel, you come up with a solution much faster and sometimes better than the initial product.
Peace
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FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
PREP TIME 15 minutes
COOK TIME 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup chopped chocolate, or dark and/or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup chopped chocolate, or dark and/or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan. Place it in the bottom of the pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
To make the cake, put the chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the butter is melted and the chips are soft, about one minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. If you need to reheat, do for 10 seconds at a time and stir.
Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Add the eggs and stir until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for 25 minutes or until the cake has a thin crust on the top and the center registers 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges of the pan with a butter knife and carefully turn it upside down onto a cake plate or serving plate. The bottom of the cake will now be the top of the cake. Let the cake cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Combine the chocolate and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and heat until the cream is very hot so it will melt the chocolate. I always start with 30 seconds and check it. It might take longer, it just depends on your microwave. Remove from the microwave, and stir until the the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
Spread the chocolate ganache glaze evenly over the cooled cake. Let the glaze set up for a few hours before cutting and serving the cake. I always put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
Cut the cake into slices and serve with powdered sugar and raspberries, if desired. This cake is also great with whipped cream or ice cream.
Tips:
The protein in the eggs is what gives the cake structure since there is no flour in the recipe.
Make more ganache than it calls for.
You can go lighter on the sugar.
Use the best cocoa powder you can find.
Be sure to have milk on hand!
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I’m not a baker by trade,but i do like to bake cake and pies apple turnovers lol sausage rolls soda bread potato bread,I have to be in the mood to bake.I did want to open an Irish bakery one time
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i’d like to try one of those meat pies, they look very good. also, you should submit your rasta dog picture to the pic of the month contest, it’s a guaranteed win. @Irishrocker
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I love meat pies ,side of baked beans started to get the wife to like them ,she was bring them
To work they have potluck,all the nurses bring in a dish,this was a Filipino dish I turned into a pie
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Ill take a pie crust and basically make a calzone with it. Then hit it with an egg wash for a golden finish.
I dont actually have it written out but will love the opportunity. The first time I tried pecan pie it was by a fluke. My wife and I ate at this restaurant called The Old Mill. They had a whole kitchen on display where all they were making was pecan pies. Even being autistic I felt like it was a nobrainer. You know how donkey brained we can be.
The only thing they did different was use chopped pecans instead of whole. Been contemplating trying to make a similar pie with different nuts.
Id seen it on Anthony Bourdains’ Parts Unknown (RIP My childhood hero 
) They were in Morroco and he “did/didnt” try it but they covered it. Was one of those if they have been making it for thousands of years I want to try it.
I also have to say honey is an obsession of mine. Also, the darker the honey the better. In fact I have some that is as dark as molasses. I saw honey in it and wanted to try it.
I plan in the next month. Have some leaves I plucked from buds as I smoke them but would rather just take keif from my plants when I trim.
Do ya have any pictures of your creations? Would love to see them!
First try at baked beans. Was quite happy with this bean situation.
Tortilla sopapilla from the airfryer. I dont know why I like them so much but damn theyre really good.
Really enjoy making simple wonderful things.
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Would that happen to be a Lumpia?
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I make lumpia lol and adobo few other dishes
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Three Cheese Tobasco Bread: For a 2lbs loaf… 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup Park-skim ricotta, 1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup grated Asiago, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon Tobasco or other hot sauce, 4 1/4 cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
I use a bread machine that kneads, rises, and bakes it for me. The rising period is about 2 hours and 45 minutes, with baking at about 45 minutes. Not sure of the exact temperatures.
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Ordered! I managed to score it from goodwill on eBay for 6 bucks.
I am also going to try my first bake today. I am going to start with something pedestrian: 7up bundt cake with lemon-lime cream cheese filling. I had a 7up cake ages ago and loved it, so I’ve been interested in elevating it a bit.
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I miss that guy 
I don’t have any pictures yet of my creations. I just got the bug pretty recently. I’ve been focusing a lot on ‘osmotically’ learning the principles via baking shows. I swear, I can probably make a Genoise sponge just from watching The Great British Baking show at this point. Same with a rough puff lol
I am going to be making my first non-recipe item today or tomorow, a 7Up Bundt Cake filled with lemon-line cheesecake. Basic, pedestrian, but a good way to come up with my own take on an existing dish.
I love Sopapilla! I had no idea you could make them in an air fryer! How do you like your air fryer? Is it useful, and is the taste good?
I love honey! I used to always keep several different types, but I eventually just started using buckwheat honey for everything. The darker the better. Have you thought about keeping bees?
I used to know a lot of bee keepers when my life was more ‘agrarian’ and it looked… fun is the wrong word. It looked rewarding.
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