| Chef Ralph |
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Member Joined May 31 2009
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Maine
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Mystical Inspiration Outdoors and Nature Photography |
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About Me
I am Pastry Chef who has RA. I have a bakery restaurant in Maine. I do suffer from chronic pain, but wrok through the pain also. My friend Chef T turned me on to this site, I am glad he did. I have felt so much better being able to visit you all everyday and share my life. I make all kinds of cakes, wedding is my most popular cake Post a CommentOops!The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again. 11 Comments
You have a good career and you are able to do so much. I hardly bake these days, but do like to make muffins for breakfast - blueberry is my favorite. Welcome! geri
Hi chef Ralph I am doing great tired from being busy but its a good day, I hope you are doing the same?
Hi Chef Ralph, I need some short cut recipes that use maybe a few tins and some magic. I have always cooked the hard way, starting with fresh ingedients but I may need to alter my preferences for a while. Wow you ARE a REAL chef! I am still learning to navigate this site and I seem to have managed to send my self a reply -Lizzy will be calling me a dill. I look forward to getting to know you all when I have more time.- Ro
Thanks for the friendship. I love new friends, especially those that love to cook.
Is this cake for real? It is so lovely. Can this seriously be an edible item? This is too beautiful. I love this photo, and the complete stunning elegance in all of it's simplicity. I have a sweet tooth now.
Things been real busy! Been helping out with fund raising for missions... so we haven't been home. I think we missed out on a lot!!!!! Gotta catch up sometime!
Back from the mountains with ominously gorgeous lightening storms, so lost all communication with technology. Back to writing. XOXOXO Lizzy
I changed my picture are you happy you old stick in the mud ,LOL Work was tough last night. You have a mess waiting for you .LOL
Paris is my favorite city! I go as often as I can. A group of us rent barges and barge through the canals of France, way too much fun and highly recommended!
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c. = cup
T. = tablespoon
tsp. = teaspoon
lb. = pound
lg. = large
Pinch = app. 1/8 of teaspoon
Allemande: one of the four mother sauces. It is an egg-enriched velouté. A velouté is a white stock-based sauce.
Al dente: usually referring to pasta—slight crunch to the bite.
Au jus: the drippings released from meats as they are slow cooked.
Bake: to cook food in the oven, usually with little fat or liquid. Also refers to the cooking of baked goods.
Bard: the process of wrapping meat in a thin layer of fat to retain moisture.
Baste: to pour or spoon liquid over food while cooking.
Béarnaise sauce: an emulsified butter sauce made with egg yolks and clarified butter, seasoned with tarragon, shallots, and vinegar. Usually served with steak.
Béchamel sauce: This is also one of the four mother sauces. It is a white sauce made from a butter and flour roux. There are hundreds of sauces that start with this classic white sauce.
Beurre blanc sauce: a classic French sauce made from a wine and vinegar reduction finished off with butter.
Blanch: to immerse food into boiling water briefly to par cook. The food will then be finished using a second cooking method. This method is also used in the canning process of fruits and vegetables to remove the skins.
Braise: to simmer foods on the stovetop in a very small amount of some form of fat to brown.
Break: usually means a cream sauce has separated during the cooking process.
Butterfly: to cut food in half but not all the way through; when completed, it will resemble a butterfly with open wings and will lay flat on any surface.
Caramelize: to cook food over a fairly high heat until the foods’ natural sugars are fully released, and the food turns caramel in color.
Chiffonade: to roll leafy vegetables and cut into small strips.
Chutney: an Indian condiment made from fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices; usually spicy and sweet.
Confit: usually refers to duck or goose that has been slow cooked in large amounts of fat and stored in the fat until service.
Deglaze: to use liquid to remove the remits of the item cooked in a pan, such as meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Wine is usually the first choice for deglazing—some use stocks, broths, and water.
Egg wash: equal parts of water and beaten egg used to brush on baked goods for added color during baking and to seal pastry before baking.
Espagnole: one of the four mother sauces. It is a brown stock-based sauce used to make various other sauces. For example, to make this sauce you could start by using a beef stock and finish with seasonings and slurry.
Fillet: To remove the bones from fish, meat, or poultry.
Ganache: a creamy mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream used over cakes and desserts.
Julienne: to cut vegetables or any food into small, even strips.
Leaven: the act of rising in baked goods. This usually happens when leavening agents are used such as baking soda, baking powder, potato starch, air, and whipped eggs.
Marinate: to soak foods in a seasoned liquid to enhance flavor.
Mince: The procedure used to chop food in tiny little pieces. This is usually performed with a chef’s knife.
Mirepoix: celery, carrots, and onions that are chopped and used as a soup base and to season other foods while cooking.
Mother sauce: There are four basic sauces that are referred to as mother sauces simply meaning they are the base sauce where many other sauces are created from them. Some believe there are five, the fifth being emulsified sauces such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce.
Pipe: This is when you are decorating cakes, cookies, and pastry using a pastry bag and a decorating tip. It is also when you are filling foods with a filling using a pastry bag.
Poach: to cook food in liquid.
Puree: to puree, grind, or mash solid foods to a smooth consistency.
Reduce: to boil liquid to concentrate its flavor and thickening.
Render: to cook down, melt the fat in meat.
Roux: flour and butter or any fat mixed to form a paste. Used to make a base for sauces or stews.
Sauté: to cook food quickly on the stovetop over high heat with little fat.
Sear: to brown quickly over high heat.
Simmer: to cook food over low heat for long periods of time.
Metric Conversion Chart
US Canadian Australian
1/4 tsp 1 mL 1 ml
1/2 tsp 2 mL 2 ml
1 tsp 5 mL 5 ml
1 Tbl 15 mL 20 ml
1/4 cup 50 mL 60 ml
1/3 cup 75 mL 80 ml
1/2 cup 125 mL 125 ml
2/3 cup 50 mL 170 ml
3/4 cup 175 mL 190 ml
1 cup 250 mL 250 ml
1 quart 1 liter 1 litre
Weight
1 ounce 30 grams 30 grams
2 " 55 " 60 "
3 " 85 " 90 "
4 " 115 " 125 "
8 " 225 " 225 "
16 " 455 " 500 " (1/2 kilogram)
Temperatures
Fahrenheit Celsius
32 degrees 0 degrees
212 " 100 "
250 " 120 "
275 " 140 "
300 " 150 "
325 " 160 "
350 " 180 "
375 " 190 "
400 " 200 "
425 " 220 "
450 " 230 "
475 " 240 "
500 " 260 "
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