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Category Deconstructing Recipes
Italian Meringue – How a Hot Sugar Syrup Stabilizes an Egg White Foam
Wondering what that luscious, bright white, glossy, foamy topping is on top of your pastry? Chances are, it’s an Italian meringue, made by whipping egg whites and mixing in a hot sugar syrup. Italian meringue is a very stable type…
How Churros Keep Their Shape
Sometimes, you don’t realize how tricky something may be, until you try it yourself. That happened to me when trying to make churros. Somehow, I couldn’t get churros with that nice ridged, shape. They puffed up and lost their pointiness.…
How to Make Brownies With a Crispy Top – Experiment-Along
Want a smooth, slightly crackly, top on your brownie, but no clue how to get there? I started testing different hypotheses a little while ago, but quickly realized there were a few too many tins of brownies I had to…
The Science of Non-Sticky Nougat Candy
If made well, it can have a pristine white color and be light and fluffy. But, nougat is probably one of the more daunting candies to make. Luckily, a little bit of practice can make perfect, especially if you: tightly…
The Role of Sugar, Eggs, and Gelatin in Marshmallows (+ Recipe)
Press into a marshmallow. And let it go. What happens? It should have bounced right back up, thanks to some great teamwork of a mere three ingredients: sugars, gelatin, and possibly egg whites. Egg whites make marshmallows light and airy.…
How to Optimize Your French Meringue
Not happy how your French meringue turned out? Make it crisper by extending the baking time, add more sugar to make it denser, or consider experimenting with stabilizers. There are several ways you can tweak a French meringue to make…
The Science of Creme Patissiere
It’s the cream of a pastry chef: creme patissiere, or creme pat in short. A fancy version of cream. It’s thick and creamy, and works well in a range of treats – what about filling some choux pastry with creme…
The Science of Choux Pastry
Choux pastry is a little piece of magic. A small, dense, little ball of dough, turns into a light and airy hollow ball in the oven! It serves as the perfect casing for a range of fillings to make profiteroles,…
How to Make Fudge – Controlling Crystallization
Making fudge is all about controlling the crystallization of sugar. Dissolve the sugar first and then make sure it crystallizes in just the right way to make some melt-in-the-mouth fudge. It only becomes easier when you understand the science behind…
The Science of Creme Brulée (+ Recipe)
It’s the contrast between its soft and silky inside and crackly brown top which makes a creme brulee such a great dessert. Yet it’s simple to make. No long list of ingredients, nor complex processes are required. Instead, making a…
How to Make Caramel (+ Recipe Troubleshooting)
Light brown, or almost black. Runny and oozy, or firm and chewy. Sweet, slightly salty, or with a hint of bitterness. Caramel comes in all shapes and sizes. You can easily tweak it to your liking, once you understand how…
The Science of Dutch ‘Borstplaat’ – A Crystalline Candy (+ Recipe)
Borstplaat is a sweet, creamy piece of typical Dutch candy. It literally melts in your mouth, thanks to the tiny tiny sugar crystals within. It’s a scientific feat and just one example of a crystalline candy. As a matter of…