Chef Hellermann Explains How to Make Tulipe Cookies

Enjoy this video, which was taken at Kosherfest 2009!

The recipe Chef Hellermann recommends for Tulipe is equal parts melted butter or margarine, powdered sugar, egg whites and bread flour. Mix using the wet/dry method, then pipe into shapes and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

Mastering the Muffin Method

Mastering the Muffin Method for Seasonal Loaf Cake Recipes

(originally published on kosher.com)

If you study baking like we do here at CKCA, you will learn that there are three types of quick bread mixing techniques, but there’s only one that will deliver perfect blueberry muffins, zucchini bread, banana bread and pumpkin cake every time. The muffin method is perfect for these kinds of recipes, and if you master this technique, your kitchen will always be able to reflect the fresh and delicious ingredients of the season.

The muffin method is characterized by the use of a liquid fat like oil or melted butter, instead of solid fats used with the creaming method such as softened butter, margarine or shortening. In case you were wondering, the third quick bread technique is the biscuit method, which uses a cold fat to achieve a flaky product. Since the muffin method is part of the quick bread family, you will have the benefit of a cake baked quickly, with a minimum of steps.

The goal with the muffin method is to create a tender, soft, evenly shaped cake with an equitable distribution of nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruits, fruit puree or other fillings. The most frequent problem people experience with the muffin method is overmixing, which can lead to a condition known as tunneling in the finished product. Tunnels are large, tubular holes inside the cake or muffins, and cakes with tunnels will not slice well or keep their shape.

There are four easy steps to baking with the muffin method:

1. Measure and combine wet ingredients.
2. Measure and combine dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while alternating with a seasonal addition, such as pumpkin puree, shredded zucchini or carrots, banana puree, etc.
4. Fill loaf cake pans or muffin tins halfway with batter and bake according to recipe directions.

With a good recipe, several loaf cakes or a whole pan of muffins can be baking in the oven within fifteen minutes or less.

One important tip: These recipes tend to include baking powder as well as baking soda, so it’s important to measure these ingredients precisely and mix them well into your flour and other dry ingredients. This will avoid problems later by preventing your loved ones from getting a mouthful of something not so wonderful. (I speak from experience. Bleech!)

The nicest thing about the muffin method is that it is very forgiving and lends itself to a variety of flavors and textures. For example, having a good banana bread recipe on hand is a good idea so that you can make something delicious out of the overripe bananas you’ve forgotten about. If you have a garden and grow squash, carrots or zucchini, you know that they’re only harvested once a year, so having a reliable zucchini bread recipe will help you present a healthy veggie to your family in a sweet way. It’s also a good idea to know how to make blueberry, raspberry or cranberry muffins, because berries tend to cost much less in the summertime, and you can freeze berries for use in muffin recipes all year long. My favorite loaf cake recipe is one given to me by my cousin Laurie Gage, the surprisingly delectable pumpkin chocolate chip cake. It’s perfect for the autumn, when all the pumpkins, squash and gourds are in season and priced well. The recipe is provided for you here.


LAURIE’S PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE

3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 tsp cinnamon
4 large eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups oil
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350º’F. Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light in color. Add, alternately, dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing between each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour until half full into large ungreased tube pan (or 9 x 13 pan). Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until dry in center. This cake also may be baked in muffin tins, two 8”x 8” pans, or two large loaf pans or three small ones. The baking time will be shorter if you use smaller pans or muffin tins, so keep an eye on them. Recipe can be easily halved or doubled.


Bio:

Elizabeth Kratz is a staff writer at the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts. She is a graduate of CKCA’s professional program in culinary arts and also holds a master's degree in non-fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University. Located in the heart of Flatbush Brooklyn, the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts offers professional culinary training programs and hands-on cooking and baking classes for all ages. Classes are taught by experienced chef instructors and are offered during the day and in the evenings. CKCA is the only kosher cooking school in the US, and offers professional level training programs in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts.

Learn more about the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts by visiting http://www.kosherculinaryarts.com. Visit CKCA’s professional baking and pastry program on the web at http://www.kosherbakingandpastry.com.

Kosherfest Crash Course in Kosher Gelatin!

Join us at Kosherfest, conference room CD on Wednesday, October 28 at 1:00pm.

Crash Course in Gelatin - Presented by The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts and sponsored by Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin

We invite you to an engaging presentation from the culinary experts at The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, the only kosher cooking school in the US. This event will feature a demonstration on how to prepare Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin for use in cooking & baking, followed by a Q&A on the characteristics and general application of the product.

Take your kitchen prowess to the next level by learning how to use gelatin, one of the most versatile ingredients out there!


Wednesday, October 28 at 1:00-2:00pm
Where: Kosherfest 2009 - Conference Room CD

**A limited number of CKCA passes are available for CKCA alumni and friends to Kosherfest. Reply in the comments section with your reason for attending to see if one is available for you.

CKCA is an International Kosher Baking Destination!

CKCA, the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, an independent cooking school based in Flatbush, Brooklyn, is welcoming students from numerous states and international locations for this fall's programming. Classes begun directly after the Sukkot holiday.

Because there is no other culinary school in the United States where a kosher-keeping student can taste their own food as they learn the classic art of cooking, the school has students arriving from such locations as Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, and international communities including London and Mexico City. Students began classes on October 13.

Several students have elected to take a full schedule of culinary courses during their time in Brooklyn, signing up for the morning Professional Training Program in Culinary Arts, and the Baking and Pastry Professional Program in the afternoon.

"Those who elect to take both the morning and the afternoon programs have been offered a discounted package," said Jesse Blonder, CKCA's director. He also added that incoming students have been assisted in finding local housing by CKCA staff.

Based in Flatbush, above a cookware store owned by Lubavitcher Jews, CKCA initially offered only recreational cooking, cake decorating and garnishing classes. However, many people who attended the classes requested professional training, so they could learn classic techniques and apply them in professional kosher environments. Until CKCA was established, the only way a kosher-keeping student could study the culinary arts in the United States was to attend a non-kosher program and rely on classmates to taste the food. CKCA is also one of the only ways a non-Jewish student learns the art of kosher cooking, in order to compete for an increasing number of jobs in kosher restaurants and catering.

Several experienced master chefs have joined the faculty as CKCA chef instructors, including Chef Avram Wiseman, formerly Executive Sous Chef at the United Nations and Chef Instructor at the Art Institute of New York, Chef Mark Hellerman, a veteran New York pastry chef and Chef Instructor at the New York Restaurant School, and Chef David Ritter, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, restaurant owner and Chef Instructor at the Art Institute of New York.

Over the past year and a half, approximately 80 individuals from numerous states and abroad have completed CKCA professional courses. All who have desired internships have been placed, and many have been placed in jobs as well. Several grads are opening their own food-related businesses, and many have found commercial success working as personal chefs and caterers.

In the Professional Culinary Arts program, curriculum includes kashrut, food safety and sanitation lectures as well as preparation for NYC Dept of Health and ServSafe certifications. Class size in both Pro Culinary and Pro Baking and Pastry is limited to allow maximum individual attention.
For more information, visit http://www.KosherCulinaryArts.com, or call Jesse Blonder, CKCA Director, at 718.758.1339. There is also a website for the Pro-Baking program, visible at http://www.kosherbakingandpastry.com. CKCA is located at 1407 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230. Email is info@kosherculinaryarts.com.

Baking Apprenticeship Available!

There is an apprentice post available for a person willing to work hard for an intensive internship experience at CKCA. It is for the pro-baking and pastry program, an afternoon program being held four days a week starting right after Sukkot.

Apprenticeships are open to passionate, hard-working individuals seeking an intensive culinary experience. Apprentices are an integral part of our kitchen support staff. They are the chef’s right hand, at the beck and call of our students and guests, and provide much-needed assistance to our clean-up staff.

Apprenticing is the best way to learn how a kitchen runs and a reasonable alternative to paying for our classes.

To apply, call Jesse Blonder at 718-758-1339 or send a brief letter about yourself to info@kosherculinaryarts.com.

Weeks VII and VIII Class Schedule

Here's a description of the syllabus items scheduled during Weeks VII and and VIII of Pro Kosher Baking and Pastry. Finally, we are getting to chocolate!

It's not too late too sign up, there are a few spots left! Classes start October 13 right after Sukkot. Call Jesse asap to request your application at 718-758-1339. You can also email him at info@kosherculinaryarts.com.



Week VII:

Cream Cakes: Bundt
Cream Cakes: Carrot & Spice
Cupcakes


Week VIII:
Molded Chocolates
Molded Chocolates II
Mousse Cakes
Mousse cakes II

Weeks V and VI Class Schedule

Here's a description of the syllabus items scheduled during Weeks V and and VI of Pro Kosher Baking and Pastry. It's getting really yummy!!!

It's not too late too sign up, there are a few spots left! Classes start October 13 right after Sukkot. Call Jesse asap to request your application at 718-758-1339. You can also email him at info@kosherculinaryarts.com.


WEEK 5

Chocolate & Truffles
Non-Dairy Classics
Sponge Cakes: Genoise (pictured above)
Sponge Cakes: Chiffon, Angelfood

WEEK 6
Artisan Breads I
Artisan Breads II
Sheet Cakes: Two Stage Method
Sheet Cakes (Decorating)