Memories of Provence

Provence was my second position as a baker. It was wonderful to learn a bit about French baking. That interview was the most nerve-racking. Just that it's French was intimidating, and the head pastry chef requested a portfolio. I had never once thought to take pictures of my products. So, I made a batch of my "Tiramisu Bars" that were featured at Merridee's. It could have totally back fired on me, as it borders on edible bribery. However, it was well-accepted and instantly gave me a shoe in with future co-workers. (That reminds me that I'll have to post that recipe.)
Provence is a much bigger company than what I was used to. They had 5 locations spread throughout Nashville, as well as a large clientele from local restaurants, hotels, and other catering gigs. They also made appearances at the Nashville Farmer's Market during the spring and summer months. All the baking was done at a lovely, flour-dusted building in the Gulch, and it later moved to the airport area.
Baking at the Gulch was non-stop entertainment. In the morning, you get to see hipsters do the walk of shame, as they slink back to their cars with smeared makeup and disheveled hair. I met an interesting group of gutter hippies, who offered me some ganja to go with the biscotti ends I offered to the hungry bunch. At night, there was no telling who would pass by. One night I had a European fellow burst in, flanked by two young hotties, demanding fresh pastries "like in the old country." Being across the street from the Station Inn, which was also Jimmy Carl's by day (excellent coleslaw!), meant a steady stream of bluegrass and country artists. I even caught an impromptu after hours show in the parking lot one night. I swear that one day I saw Robert Irvine of Dinner Impossible.
Our team was amazing. We pretty much all got along. We made vulgar jokes all day, dotted with poorly done Borat impressions. Listened to NPR and pop music. It was common to find something, whether it was European butter or sucree dough, shaped into a sexual organ. Awesome for a morale boost on those early 4am mornings.
There were actual relevant experiences as well. I learned how to make genuine croissants and danishes. I burned caramel at least a dozen times before getting it down. I think my decorating and finishing skills soared. Blair, a Baked veteran, showed me how to flawlessly decorate cakes. Well, his were flawless. I swear, watching him was like watching a ballet. I iced way too many Christmas tree cookies. Discovered the endless possibilities in macarons. Discussing new flavors and ideas was a great exercise. Pistachio. Mango. Espresso. Lavendar. Megan, our head chef, even experimented with bacon pecan bars. Talk about sinful!
The best thing about my time there was learning from all my different co-workers. They all had different paths, skills, and tastes. Our head pastry chef had never been to culinary school but had a degree in psychology. Three of the chefs had culinary degrees with various results. One was a nurse full-time who came in to work for free, because he loved baking so much. There were a slew of interns from the few schools that offered culinary degrees in the area. I also got to know some of the bread department, as well as our administration.
The universal factor was passion for food. Not everyone was a Provence fan so to speak, but they all loved food and wanted to be involved with it in some way. Everyone kept up on new restaurants and new menu items. It was a blessing to be surrounded by so many foodies.

Memories of Merridee's

I was brushing up my resume and thought about taking a stroll down memory lane. I have worked with 3 different companies so far, and each one was a unique experience.
I first worked for Merridee's. To be honest, I was just looking for a part-time job. This extremely vague classified ad began a whole new world for me. (Yes, now I'm envisioning Aladdin and Jasmine on their magic carpet ride.) Back to the story, I remember thinking, 'Yeah, I could do that. Why not?' I spoke with the head baker at the time, Donnie, and set up an interview. I was so nervous that I got there an hour and a half early. I remember peeking in the windows before calling to see where to go in, since the front doors were locked. Yeah, I just woke up my very groggy future boss. Once he arrived, we talked about tattoos, skating, wine, motorcycles, and the details of the position.
I think I took to it fairly well, even though I had only baked the regular stuff at home. The biggest thing that helped me was that Donnie emphasized using your senses instead of tools. Feel the dough. Smell the fermentation. Hear the thwap. See the stretch.
To congratulate me on my new venture, my husband gave me Brother Juniper's Bread Book. I think they meant Bible; it surely is mine. Through the two sources, I learned how all of this came together. Flour. Liquid. Salt. Yeast. Heat. Bam. Bread.
The second after holiday season was particularly slow, so I switched to the day shift. Nothing too exciting, baking wise, but the people! I got to know our regulars, see kids press their faces against the window. We even had a steady stream of celebrities, including Naomi Judd, Kal Penn, and Hayley Williams. I even met a couple, who remembered when Merridee's was in Fairview, its original location when it was a pioneer in the local, organic movement. I met Merridee's widower and got to know our owners better. I won over the Mr. Wilson type by calling him "Sport".
I think it was important for me to see the other side. We always joked that we bakers were the Keebler elves. Most of the employees never saw us until the holidays, when our shifts crossed paths due to over-time. Customers were struck with awe, when I informed them that I was the lovely lady baking their beloved Viking bread. I was proud of our work before, but now I got to see how much others enjoyed it. How much this place meant.
But at night, that's where the fun was. Friday nights were a guaranteed good time. That's when all three of us worked, me, Donnie, and Amy, the current head baker and my best girl friend. The neighboring bars and restaurants meant rich drunks stumbling about, usually asking if we would open just for them. "Just ONE cookie!" Most nights were calm, and the square took on a peaceful, if not mystical, persona.
I learned about so much music. Now, I have this collection of music dedicated just to my time at Merridee's. I know you're begging to know. Dresden Dolls, Snake River Conspiracy, Ratatatat, Dropkick Murphys, Days of the New, Tool, Queen.
I look back on it now as a good time. I got a best friend out of it, a ton of knowledge, mad props for featuring my own recipes. Most importantly, I discovered that my hands are my best asset. They can create food. Not just food but memories. They can help celebrate milestones, bring comfort, or just give people an excuse to meet or catch up.

I remember Thanksgiving dinner not being complete without a slice of my Aunt Sherry's fudge pie. Rich chocolate taste. Smooth and creamy. I would never divulge family secrets, but here is an equivalent.

1. Melt 1/2 cup butter and let cool.
2. Whisk together 1 1/2 Tbsp cocoa, 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1 c sugar, and a pinch of salt.
3. Whisk in melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 eggs until smooth. If your butter is still a bit hot, temper the eggs first.
4. Pour into crust and bake at 325 until middle is set. Let cool before serving.

For something new, try replacing the vanilla with your favorite liqueur, such as Bailey's or Kahlua.

Gingerbread!

I have never been a big fan of ginger. Unless it's pickled and accompanies sushi. However, I wanted to try some gingerbread for the holidays. The kids love baking with me at home, and, really, what is more fun than decorating cookies?
This recipe turned out great. It was cakey and pleasant. It was rigid enough for a house but not dry or crunchy. I have to admit I played the spices by ear, relying mostly on cloves and ginger. Below is by the recipe.
1/2 lb unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temp
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Combine first five ingredients. 2. Stir in dry ingredients until a smooth batter. 3. Bake at 350 about 8 minutes. The cookies will darken slightly, and the edges will be firm.

You may spoon out round cookies. They do not spread, so we rolled them into 1" balls with our hands and then smashed them flat. I like to roll them in sugar before baking. Sanding sugar is gorgeous if you have it.
You can also roll them out to make shapes. I went 1/3" thin. My daughter made hearts; my son made rectangles. Then we made people, or rather giants, that the kiddos decorated with simple icing and candies.
A nice variation would be adding candied ginger pieces or chocolate chips. Golden raisins might be nice, too.
In the end, I am so glad I tried this recipe, as it has overpowered the memory of stale gingerbread houses.

Why I consider myself more of a baker than a pastry chef

I don't get garnishes. I don't get chocolate pieces, sauces, ganaches, fruit, and other edibles used for a dessert that either don't get eatten or have no other purpose than to look pretty. Sure, some stuff is neat. Wow! That's sugar?! It's amazing what you can do with some things. I understand some garnishes actually compliment the dessert or meal. I endorse this category. It's the "Oh, it needs something. Let's throw a mint leaf on it." It's just so empty.
Fondant is a similar story. No doubt it is beautiful and smooth. You can do a lot of things with it. However, no one likes it. I can't tell you how many times I've watched people peel it off to reach the yummy cake inside. I've had the freshest of fondant, too. It still tastes like sweetened wax.
Some do the same thing with bread. Toss seeds, herbs, or whatever on top when it doesn't compliment the flavor at all. And let's not even discuss the gross overuse of kale, a delicious and severely under-appreciated green, as a garnish.
Let food be food. We all know what it is. No matter what mold you threw it in. Or special cut you used. Or whatever else. Make it count!

Back to Basics

First off, I was just skimming through and noticed that the majority of my photos are out of focus. Sorry, guys, I'll pay more attention!

So me and my baking buddy Ames went to a class on baking with freshly ground flours. It was informative and I will definitely be looking into this further. I found the free class through another blog, Life's Daily Bread. A couple run the site and the classes; their adult daughter joined in, too. They also serve as a source for equipment and ingredients. They really are a nice couple, but I have to admit I felt like I stepped into Stepford once everyone else arrived. If anyone has experienced Franklin, TN you know exactly what I'm talking about.
What intrigued me was milling whole grains. I have never done it before, and as far as I can remember I have never known someone who did. It's something I have always been interested in, as I see it as a way to get back to the land, get back to simpler (ie better) ways. However, it seemed too daunting, like how I see canning. Both of those in addition to sourdough are on my divide and conquer list. The biggest thing I took from the class was Bob's story of the drastic improvement of his health since switching. He shares on the site:
“After three months of eating bread made with this freshly milled grain, my cholesterol dropped 30 points. It also helped me jumpstart my weight-loss and now that I am eating a healthier diet including 2-3 servings/day of our homemade bread, I have lost 40 lbs. I feel better than I have in years and look forward to sharing this with our family and friends.”
That my friends, is a good enough reason for everyone to look into this!
I was pleasantly surprised that the products--a wheat bread, some kind of taco pie casserole thing, morning glory muffins, apple spice cake, and blueberry bread--were not heavy and as dense as a brick but had a great texture and what I would consider umami . The electric mill was as loud as a plane and almost as expensive, so I'm looking out for an old-fashioned manual model.

Last week was a lot of fun. We hold at least two themed dinners a week at the cafeteria. Here we have Root Beer Cake for root beer float night, a vegan Pumpkin Cake and Carrot Cake both for World Vegetarian Day.

The root beer cake was way too sweet for me, but it was a big hit with those who love to overdose on sugar. I modified this recipe a little bit, using only the cake, and I made a thick buttercream which I thinned with root beer.
The pumpkin cake came from Sinfully Vegan's P is for Pumpkin Cake!. I cannot believe how great this turned out. It is super moist and not gummy like some vegan items can be. You could easily add in nuts or raisins, top with a streusel, and use it for a coffee cake or muffins. The best part is that you don't have to buy super expensive ingredients you cannot pronounce.
Carrot cake is something I am never done with. However, I am satisfied with this version, as is everyone down at TSU. The football team even got into it. My recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens; I just swap in crushed pineapple for the oil. It keeps it super moist. I actually think my BHG cookbook is outdated; I can't find the correct recipe, so here ya go! I make this one by hand, so if you use a mixer, whisk on low or use a paddle. The batter is rather thin, so use your best judgment.
1. Whisk together 2 cups sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 4 large eggs, 3 cups finely shredded carrots, and 3/4 cup crushed pineapple.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together 2 cups AP flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon (or more if you like!), and 1/2 tsp baking soda.
3. Whisk and fold dries into wets until smooth. Bake 350 for about 25 minutes. Use the spring back test. This batch will make one layered 9" cake. Feel free to add coconut, nuts, dried fruits. I've seen it all but like to keep it simple. I frost with a cream cheese buttercream and press chopped and toasted pecans onto the sides.

I also made popcorn balls for Popcorn Night. It was my first time, and I thought they turned out great. They were not a big hit at the cafe, but I consider it a personal success. If I get another chance, I'll do a Poppycock/Cracker Jack/Fiddle Faddle type of mix. Caramel can be very intimidating. Thanks to my time with Provence Breads and Cafe, I feel comfortable with making my own. Plus, it's just sugar and water. You won't be losing a lot if you burn it. To jazz these up, I drizzled dark and white chocolate ganache, but you could also dip in one of these or a smooth caramel or peanut sauce and roll it in sprinkles, nuts, candy bits, etc. Any of those could go in with the popcorn in addition to dried fruit, chocolate chunks, cookie chunks, etc.