Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Last week I went to the bookstore to browse through the cook books, and I stumbled upon The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts by the French Culinary Institute. Although the 512-page book was wrapped in plastic, preventing me from actually seeing what techniques were discussed, the quotes on the back described exactly what I was looking for..."it is a whole lot less expensive than pastry school and every bit as comprehensive." (Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, authors of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

Using this book, I have decided to take on a "Julie & Julia" type goal. Although I do not plan to complete X recipes in Y days, I do plan on going through the whole book, as well as learning and (hopefully) perfecting the techniques. I think this will be a terrific way for me to learn more about baking. It also means that my husband and I will be going to the gym more to keep up with my baking :)

So here goes....

Chapter 1

- Names of pots, pans, and miscellaneous items

I had no idea that I didn't know the names of so many baking accessories! Here are a few that I've learned the difference between:

Angel-food cake pan

Charlotte mold

Kugelhopf mold

- Types and materials of kitchen knives

Although my kitchen knives are brand new, I now know what material my knives will be made of next time...high-carbon stainless steel -- easy to sharpen and resistant to corrosion, which seems to be the two main problems with knives.


I found an excellent review of chef knives at Cooking for Engineers.

Assignment #1 - Cutting Fruit
I cut an apple into Jardinière strips and Macédoine cubes. After cutting up the apple into strips, I was surprised at how much waste there was because of size limitations (anything shorter than 4cm couldn't be used).

Jardinière - 5mm x 5mm x 4-5cm

Macédoine - 5mm cubes

Pile of macédoine cubes

I practiced sectioning an orange by cutting the top and bottom off for support, slicing off the rind, and removing all tastiness from the white membrane. (This may save me a lot of time in the future because I tend to spend a lot of time peeling off the stringy, white membrane before eating it).

I added the orange sections to a salad, creating a simple summery salad! Delicious!

First attempt at orange -- sliced off rind

Sectioned orange pieces

Empty orange that looks kind of like a starfruit

Next time...tarts!