Pastry with Jenn

January 10, 2013 Post a Comment

Bouchon Bakery: TKO’s (Thomas Keller Oreos)

C is for Cookie

There are a couple of cookies I consider classics, one being Chocolate Chip and the other, the Oreo. Thomas Keller’s Oreo or TKO for short is a much more sophisticated sandwich cookie. The dark exterior comes from the cocoa powder in the dough and Chef Keller asks for cocoa noir or black cocoa to get a deep, rich flavor that is not as sweet as the traditional Oreo. The cookie is balanced with a sweet, white chocolate ganache filling that is smooth in contrast to the chalky consistency of the store bought version.

UPDATE 1/14/13: Serious Eats has featured this recipe on their blog with permission from Chefs Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel. You can view the recipe here

January 2, 2013 Post a Comment

Afternoon Tea: Craftsman & Wolves

It was a warm fall day in October and I had a table reserved by the window at Craftsman & Wolves. I was out to try their new afternoon tea, launching a year after the shop opened up in the Mission. Already a fan of the rebel, I was excited for the tea experience and happily photo-documenting what I ate.

December 29, 2012 Post a Comment

Bouchon Bakery: Better Nutters

The classic Nutter Butter made better? Thomas Keller’s recipe consists of a delicate buttery peanut cookie with oats and chopped roasted peanuts and is paired with a peanut butter buttercream. Making this cookie is a bit more time consuming as you have to prepare the dough, chill it for at least 2 hours and then proceed to roll, cut and bake. I did the recipe over the course of two days and it didn’t seem so daunting.

December 16, 2012 Post a Comment

Homemade Vanilla Extract

The past couple of months I’ve found it hard to write a post without mentioning Paris. Truthfully I’m restraining myself because I could go on and on and I’m trying to space out my entries so as to not overwhelm. I compare myself to parents whom constantly show baby pictures. For being patient and understanding, I decided to give my friends a little token from my trip as a part of their holiday gifts. I made my own Tahitian vanilla extract with beans I brought home with me.

December 14, 2012 Post a Comment

Bouchon Bakery: TLC’s

Even though the cookie is named “The Laura Cunningham” for Chef Thomas Keller’s partner, for me it will be “Tender Loving Care” because that is how I feel about baking. Every recipe done with care. It’s the secret ingredient that makes things taste that much better. The TLC is a take on the oatmeal cookie but instead of raisins it has chopped pecans. So here we go, Week #2 of the Bouchon Bakery Book Project.