Alison Mahoney

Pâte à Choux

ohoadmin — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 15:12:38 +0000

Pâte à Choux ohoadmin Thu, 07/09/2015 - 11:12 Life as a Pastry Student July 9, 2015

For as long as I can remember, my father, a native Bostonian, has had a serious love affair with the Boston cream pie. So much so that after my parents got married, they went straight to the Omni Parker House—which invented this confection—for a little slice of heaven.

I’ve always wanted to make this dessert for dear old dad, but a whole Boston cream pie is much too large for just the three of us. So I wondered, what would be an alternative way to make it? Of course! Single-serving éclairs.

The inside of éclair shells made by ICE Creative Director Michael Laiskonis

Lucky me, lucky me! In class last week we learned how to make pâte à choux—the dough used for éclair shells. And since I’ve already mastered the art of pastry cream, I’m already halfway to crafting a Boston cream éclair recipe. Choux pastry is awesome for a number of reasons—mostly because it’s everywhere. For example, I was in Paris just six months ago, and I tried my first Paris-Brest, which I learned is also made with choux pastry! It’s the base for so many beloved desserts: cream puffs, profiteroles…you name it.

Paris-Brest crafted by ICE students

What’s the trick to making choux? Essentially, you start with a roux. From there, you add eggs: delicious, forgiving, wonderful eggs. In fact, making pâte à choux isn’t all that hard—you just have to pay attention and move fast. As long as you follow the instructions your chef instructor provided, you’re golden. Once you’ve made your dough, there are so many options, and each one is more delicious than the last.

The batter is so easy to work with—silky and shiny and super forgiving. If you pipe something that looks a little wonky, all you have to do is wet your fingers and shape it the way you want. And, while I was a bit nervous about making pastry cream the first time, I felt confident making it again for this class. In short, my éclairs turned out to be quite the success.

The true test? My dad. My parents came into town for Father’s Day, and I was in my pâte à choux glory. I mean my dad was certainly grateful for just one delightful Boston cream éclair, but add on a Paris-Brest, cream puffs and profiteroles? I think I just earned the daughter of the year award.

Click here to learn more about ICE’s Pastry & Baking Arts program.

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Facing Your Fears

ohoadmin — Thu, 14 May 2015 17:47:45 +0000

Facing Your Fears ohoadmin Thu, 05/14/2015 - 13:47 Life as a Pastry Student May 14, 2015

By Alison Mahoney

Following rules isn’t something that comes naturally to me as a baker. Despite the stereotype that successful pastry chefs use relatively scientific methods, my more off-the-cuff approach has gotten me fairly far in the kitchen. That said, there’s only so far that one can go without structure, which is why I decided to enroll at ICE: to leash the puppy, so to speak.

With that in mind, it probably wouldn’t surprise you that I’ve had my fair share of baking disasters. I am the queen of trying a new recipe the day of a really important dinner—and tearing my hair out as I try to troubleshoot the saggy buttercream, or feverishly dumping cornstarch into my lemon curd to get it to thicken, or cursing the day the French macaron ever walked into my life.

I can recall, in vivid detail, every single baked good gone bad: the crater cake, the s’mores that tripped the fire alarm (and, in turn, the fire department) and the quicksand fruit tart. Since that last disaster—almost five years now—pastry cream and I have not been friends. Not even frenemies.

So imagine my disstress when I walked into class to learn that we were making tarts: fruit tarts. I felt my knees weaken, my pulse race and I think I even broke into a cold sweat. But it was time to finally laugh in the face of danger and master the art of pastry cream. In truth, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I would have to face this demon head on. I was in the midst of a course focused on classic pastry techniques, after all.

Fresh and poached fruit tarts with pastry cream

As I watched our chef instructor walk us through the demo, I realized a couple of things. First and foremost, technique and knowledge—not to mention having an expert on hand to ask for help—are king. Additionally, I realized that when it comes to finicky techniques like pastry cream, my own ugly history of disasters could actually be to my benefit—at least I knew what I was up against.

Practicing piping with pastry cream

With trepidation, I gathered my ingredients and went to the stove. I heated the milk and the sugar, I tempered the eggs and I added the cornstarch and flour. Then, the moment of truth: stirring until it became thick, glossy and doubled in size. What I didn’t know when I first attempted pastry cream is that it is truly all in the wrist. The more rigorously you stir, the faster your pastry cream comes together.

From there, I pulled my pot off the heat and folded in the butter. As I poured the pastry cream into a bowl over an ice bath, I thought, “What if I was just destined to remain a pastry cream failure?” There was only one way to find out. The moment of truth came when I filled my perfectly golden tart shell with my pastry cream and started to pile on the berries. Would this have the same fate as my quicksand tart? You be the judge…

To learn how to make your own photo-ready fruit tart, click here.

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The Great Bread Debate

ohoadmin — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 17:43:40 +0000

The Great Bread Debate ohoadmin Thu, 04/09/2015 - 13:43 Life as a Pastry Student April 9, 2015

By Alison Mahoney

For as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with bread. Growing up Italian, good bread was compulsory at every meal. Some days, my after school snack was a hunk of Italian bread and a Big Gulp of orange soda (don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it). Since those days, bread has been a mainstay in my diet. As a vegetarian, it’s sometimes the only item I can eat on the menu—and you won’t hear me complaining about it.

So why would a self-proclaimed “avid home baker” and bread lover never make bread? That’s right, this baker—who has laughed in the face of the French macaron and homemade puff pastry—has run away from bread-making like I was the only woman left in the zombie apocalypse. And the reason is yeast. Yeast has always scared the daylights out of me, because yeast is, after all, a fickle mistress.

So, just imagine my shock, awe and utter trepidation when I heard our first class at ICE was Bread 101. Not only would I have to use a scale for the first time and make sure that all of my measurements were perfectly accurate, but I would also have to face my greatest baking demon head on. (Secretly, I was hoping my first day of pastry school would be like the first episode of Top Chef where you make your signature dish and show your point of view. Ah, not so much.)

Luckily for us, our chef calmly walked us through the process of making bread. It didn’t look that hard, and I was fascinated by what I was learning about my former foe; who knew that sugar feeds yeast, while salt slows it down? I was starting to feel slightly more excited. But first, I had to create the perfect temperature for my yeast in order for it to bloom (and figure out what an ounce is using the pesky scale).

At home, I’m pretty fast and loose in the kitchen, so the concept of exact measurements is a bit foreign to me. I need structure and technique to stay on task, which was part of the appeal of culinary school. As it happens, my scale is actually pretty cool and does all the thinking for me! So I follow the directions and I bloom the yeast, scald the milk, cube my butter and measure out a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour, plus a little honey for sweetness.

I give it a whirl in the mixer and out comes this gorgeous, warm pile of silky dough. Whoa, did I maybe actually do this right?! I set my dough aside to proof and while I wait for it to rise, I start dreaming of all the kinds of bread I can make now that I am a “master” bread maker. (One loaf of bread hardly makes one an expert, but a girl can dream.)

When my bread comes out of the oven, it feels like life is in slow motion, and the song “We are the Champions” is playing in my head. It is golden, delicious, smells like a dream and the texture is in this magical place between spongy and dense. This, of course, opens the flood gates.

Since then I have made white bread, wheat bread, cinnamon bread, focaccia bread, dinner rolls, rosemary bread, challah bread–which I made into banana foster french toast—and I am now a woman completely obsessed with bread in all the right ways. Despite all my worries, making bread never felt so right. The one challenge I haven’t faced? Sourdough. Anyone have a starter I can borrow?

Click here to learn more about ICE's Pastry & Baking Arts program.

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Pastry & Baking Arts

The Singing Baker

ohoadmin — Thu, 12 Mar 2015 19:34:46 +0000

The Singing Baker ohoadmin Thu, 03/12/2015 - 15:34 Life as a Pastry Student March 12, 2015

By Alison Mahoney

I grew up with a mother who was the embodiment of a “hostess with the mostest.” Martha Stewart had nothing on this domestic goddess. She always made her creations look fashionable, gorgeous and delicious, and she did it all on a dime.

Needless to say, assisting my mom in the kitchen during her fabulous parties was a must. My sister and I would dress up in our party outfits, don vintage aprons and pass the hors d'oeuvres. Looking back, I think that’s where my penchant for entertaining began.

Yet despite my deep appreciation for my mother’s entertaining style, I never expected to end up in the kitchen myself. For me, baking started innocently, as all hobbies do: a chocolate chip cookie here; a pizzelle there; a wedding cake for a gluten-free friend.

People started to tell me (often) "You should open a bakery." I laughed it off thinking, "Riiiiight…a musical theatre actor and night owl should definitely get up at 4 am to start baking bread." Not in this lifetime.

Baking was just a sublime obsession, a creative outlet outside of my day-to-day grind of auditions and rehearsals. It was also a great way to make new friends. Nothing says “be my BFF” like freshly baked muffins, cake or pie. (Seriously, just try it.)

Pistachio macarons

More and more, I found myself day-dreaming at auditions about what kind of baked good I would tackle that night. I would rush home with an hour or two between commitments to bake a cake, French macarons or cookies, and then go out for the night. It suddenly became my routine, and boy did I love the challenge.

Suddenly, I found myself in the kitchen three or four times a week. Singing had always been my first love, but baking? Baking was quickly becoming the dark horse. My baking addiction got so out of hand that I actually found myself competing for baking domination on a Food Network show where I was the only home chef.

I clearly could not hang with the big boys on national television, but I so desperately wanted to. I am creative and fast and loose in the kitchen, but I quickly learned that, when it comes to baking, a strong foundation in technique is truly what gives a chef freedom. I started researching pastry programs, seeking a curriculum that felt serious but not confining—a course that would teach me how to create something classic, but then encourage me to color outside of the lines. I found that place in ICE.

With my reckless tendencies in the kitchen, I’ve found weighted measurements to be a challenge (and I’m certainly keeping my fellow classmates on their toes). That said, I’ve discovered that I love having to follow direction. It is so fascinating to find out why ingredients are incorporated at different points in the process and about the different chemical reactions behind seemingly basic sweets.

I love watching my classmates’ eyes light up, triumphant when their bread comes out of the oven, or when my instructor explains to me why my pastry cream has never, ever, ever set-up correctly. (It’s ALL in the wrist.) I feel all abuzz with knowledge and confidence when I leave class each day, and immediately go back to my home kitchen to practice what I’ve learned. I invite you to follow me as I embark on this wild new adventure, attempting to transform into the master baker that I feel I was always destined to become.

Click here to learn more about ICE's career program in Pastry & Baking Arts.

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