Just in case you are not able to come to the book signing at Blue Cashew in Rhinebeck, NY this Saturday to meet Ben in person, follow this link to his blog and you will find some amazing photos plus an interview that I did where I talk about what is was like to work with Ben on Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

I had the amazing experience of riding this train and seeing the Jungfraujoch on my first visit to Switzerland many years ago and it turned out to be the source of one of my most thrilling but also funniest stories ever! I was saving it for my memoirs but now that the 100th anniversary is near I can't resist telling you about it sooner.

I was staying with my friend Charlotte in Zürich and she insisted that I visit the Jungfraujoch because it was such a spectacular experience. So she sent me off to spend the night in Interlaken, in the canton of Bern, and although it was summer, she suggested taking her down parka knowing how cold it would be so high up in the glaciers.

The train passed through beautiful mountain towns, stopping at Grindelwald, and then at Eigerwald and I was reminded of the Clint Eastwood movie The Eiger Sanction. The conductor explained to us that to reach the final station we would be going through a tunnel of rock and that there would be only one track so on the descent, if there were a train mounting, our train would be sidetracked. (Finally I understood the literal meaning of this word!)

When we reached the top, there was space for only about three people at a time to go out into the small open space, which revealed stunning views of a land of ice, glaciers, and snow covered mountain peaks. I silently thanked Charlotte for keeping me warm in her parka while all the other tourists were shivering.

When we started the descent, at first everything seemed to be going well until all of a sudden the train started slowing down, the conductor leaned his head out of the window, and screamed out what sounded exactly like something my grandmother would have screamed in Yiddish had the end of the world been imminent: oy gavooooolt!" I exchanged a look of wide-eyed terror with the other two people in the car who, I could tell by their accent, were from Brooklyn and clearly were thinking exactly what I was thinking which was "oh my G-d--there's another train on its way up and our train didn't side track." We waited for the impending crash but nothing happened. Then it dawned on the three of us, at the same moment, that what he was screaming, in a voice conductors the world over call out the stations for all to hear, was Eigerwaaaald and we burst into relieved laughter.

Many years later I attended a special Chateau Margaux dinner at the Four Season's Restaurant in New York City and had the pleasure of sitting next to Alex von Bidder, one of the owners. Alex is the most charming and elegant man I know and I had never really had a chance to have a conversation with him before. As we started talking, I noticed that he had the barest trace of an accent and asked him where he was from originally. His answer was Switzerland. By this time I had visited the country at least six times and knew the regions pretty well so I asked what part of Switzerland. His answer: "Oh it was a very small mountain town--I'm sure you never would have heard of it." When I explained how well I knew Switzerland he couldn't hold out any longer and I heard the word my psychic soul suspected: "Eigerwald!" How could I resist? I just had to say it: "Oy! Do I have a story for you!"

My friend Patty Maertons asked her husband Edgar for a recommendation as he is the local dry wall expert. He suggested Chris Smigel, saying everyone has wonderful things to say about him. Now I know why! Not only did he go above and beyond my expectations, he and his team cleaned up so thoroughly every Friday that when we arrived for the weekend it was almost as though no one had been there. And how exciting it was each week to see the latest transformations. (It was Chris who recommended the delightful architect Art Demarest.)

Another friend, Margaret Kurzman, who lives in nearby Blairstown and also New York City, and has had vast professional experience in renovations, offered excellent advice and moral support. No matter how wonderful the contractor, having your home "invaded" has to be one of life's most unsettling experiences.

There are always new decisions that have to be made along the way and plans that don't work out quite as expected but the only real drama was being awakened one night by not one but two bats that had made their way into the house and into the bedroom! Was I hysterical? Of course--I'm still somewhat of a city girl when it comes to things like that but I've been working on myself to think of them as my friends as they are known to eat mosquitoes and hopefully their taste will turn to stink bugs as well!

I may have lost most of the summer being so involved in the renovation but it was worth it. The new office is truly paradise.

Here are a few before and after photos.

Extending the office 20 feet over the porch turned out to require hand drilling into the boulders to create secure footings. The area was too small to bring in heavy machinery so this took longer than a day and much effort.

We hadn't planned for a lofted ceiling but when I saw the framing I fell in love with the feeling of airy spaciousness. Chris said he knew when I saw it I'd feel that way and he agreed. He made it happen.

The completed office.

Found the perfect fan out of 100's on line.

Rose Levy Beranbaum Bakeware Rose's Heavenly Cake Strip, Silicone

If you click on this red link above it will take you to Amazon where they are available for purchase.

My friend Mike Quinlan of Nordic Ware just gave me the great news that The Best of America's Test Kitchen - Best Recipes & Reviews 2012" issue (page 94), listed my Rose's Heavenly Cake Strip as their "the best strip."

They also mentioned that its one downfall is that it will not fit larger pans (it will fit a 10-inch pan) so I should add that they can be connected easily using silicone loops that are also great for myriad kitchen activities such as trussing a chicken, and replacing the usual string for wrapping roasts.

Ben Fink, photographer of Rose's Heavenly Cakes, has set up a terrific event near his second home in upstate NY, the Bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy, on February 4th, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Here is the invitation and description of the event.

invitation

So many times, in recent years, when people have questioned me about the safety of making buttercream, I sadly had to advise them that no buttercream made with eggs (and almost all are) is considered to be safe due to the risk of salmonella which potentially could be seriously dangerous for children under 10, pregnant women, older people, and those who are immune impaired.

And think about all the other sacrifices people have had to make: no more soft cooked eggs or mayonnaise, no eggnog. And consider the ever present fear of cross contamination of kitchen counters and other food product when handling unpasteurized eggs.

I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was to discover that eggs, pasteurized in the shell, behave in baking and cooking exactly like the eggs we know and depend on, because they are heated in a warm water bath for a long enough period to destroy all risk of contamination without cooking the egg. There is no flavor compromise; in fact, the eggs are more flavorful because they are so fresh. The eggs are pasteurized one day after being laid and therefore have a long shelf life as well.

When Tom Izzo, of Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs, asked me if I would consider being National Baking Spokesperson I didn't hesitate for one second. The availability of pasteurized eggs for the home baker is something I've been praying for and is now a reality. For distribution in your area check the site.

You will also find useful information such as FAQ's, recipes, and contacts. In the months ahead, I will be offering favorite egg related recipes, techniques, and stories on this blog.

On a recent visit to Kate Coldrick in Devon, England, I spied a copy of the book and quickly turned to my recipe. To my delight, there was a gorgeous photo of the cake and the crumb looked absolutely perfect, but when I scrutinized the recipe I saw that self-raising flour replaced the cake flour but there was still the 4 teaspoon of baking powder. I was certain that this excess of leavening, together with the unbleached flour, would cause the cake to fall, but then discovered the addition of melted 70% chocolate. Ah ha! Could that solve the structural problem resulting from unbleached flour and so much leavening.

Knowing that Kate is in the middle of a move I hesitated to ask her to take on another task but thankfully fellow blogger Catherine Mason, who had come down to visit us all the way from Gloucester, offered to try out the recipe with all UK ingredients and it worked!

Here is the recipe as I wrote it originally and the changes for the UK are at the end. You can use your favorite buttercream or ganache. The one in the Green & Black's Book is for my Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Buttercream also in Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

Fellow blogger Suzanne Lenzer shared with us this impressive chocolate roll spread with apricot and glazed with lacquer glaze--all components from Rose's Heavenly Cakes except for the flourless chocolate roll from The Cake BIble.

Congratulations Suzanne!

Radio host Lilian Woo invited me to offer some tips for cookie baking. Click here for the broadcast!

Nick mentioned that he had a great olive oil crust in his book The Modern Baker that was just recently released in paperback.
The Modern Baker: Time-Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes and Co

He said he was planning to try the crust using nut oils instead of the olive oil. I was so enthusiastic about this that I tried it first but sadly found that on baking, the nut oil loses all of its special flavor. But this means that the olive oil, or say a flavorless oil such as canola oil, works well with sweet fillings. (I also tried it with clarified butter but it made the texture cardboardy.)

Photo Courtesy of ThinkStock

Several weeks ago, Sara Cann interviewed me on the subject of pie crusts and, along with some tips and explanations, offered her my favorite for her blog WomensHealth.

The title of the piece is The Key to Perfect Pie Crust? Add Cream Cheese.

Just in time for your holiday baking, if you haven't already mastered an easy and delicious pie crust, I encourage you to try it!

Note: If using Rose's Perfect Pie Plate, which has a beautiful larger side border than the standard pie plate, roll the dough 14-inches instead of 13-inches.

My dearest friend Nancy Weber has written a most entertaining and educational article on her visit to me several months ago when I was testing buttercrunch toffee for the new book.

When I learned that Betty Fussell, who also lives in the neighborhood, and is a highly esteemed author and friend, is also a friend of Nancy's, I invited her over to watch the process and taste the results.

Several of you have posted questions about toffee so this is a first rate opportunity to review the key steps. Enjoy! NYCityWoman.com

Macarons from La Maison du Chocolat, photo credit Pricilla Martel

It has been written recently that the macaron is the cupcake of the year. It seems that America is having a love affair with the French macaron! But I'll bet no one has ever done for cupcakes what my friend and colleague, Priscilla Martel, is doing for American Almonds and macarons: She and a girl friend did a tour of New York bakeries carrying macarons and created this google map complete with beautiful photos and fascinating information about macarons. What a delightful and enviable project.

Here is an invaluable link all about macarons including a recipe and several tips and step-by-step photos.

Priscilla and friend will be adding additional cities/bakeries in the new year.

Hector has put together an amazing photo collection of all the cakes he made from his personal bake through of Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

If you click on this link you will see each photo in a drop down line and each one can be opened for larger viewing plus more photos and comments about the specific cake.

Has any cookbook author ever received greater validation of her (or his) work?! I live happy.

I've long been intending to try making my own yogurt but somehow never got around to it until inspired by my new bread proofer! I wanted to be sure that it would work so I purchased some freeze-dried yogurt culture from Integral Yoga--a store in the West Village in New York. Yogurt culture is also available on line.

In the space of one afternoon I produced 4 half pint jars of deliciously creamy and flavorful yogurt--ever so much better than anything I have ever tasted that was store-bought. I received some excellent guidance from Michael Taylor, producer of the bread proofer. He also gave me moral support when, after about 3-1/2 hours I could detect no thickening. But sure enough, after about 4 hours I could see it was beginning to 'take.'

Michael said he uses commercial yogurt as a starter and to check on the container to make sure it says live culture. He uses 1/4 cup per gallon of milk. (I scaled it down to 1 tablespoon for 1 quart of milk. Now I wish I had made more but it's a simple matter to make a new batch.)

Michael's basic technique is as follows:

Pre-heat the proofer to 115˚F/46˚C with four empty quart Mason
jars inside to get them warm. (This keeps from cooling down the milk when poured into the jars). After heating the milk to 180˚F/82˚C and cooling to 120˚F/49˚C, remove 1 cup of milk, add 1/4 cup of fresh organic yogurt, then stir it back in. Immediately pour the milk/yogurt starter into the jars. The temperature drops to about 112˚F/44˚C. Put all the jars (covered) back in the proofer at 115˚F/46˚C for an hour, then turn down to 110˚F/43˚C. (As the temperature didn't drop after pouring the mixture into the jars--and was 115˚F/46˚C I used 110˚F/43˚C for the entire time.) The total time once the mixture is in the jars and in the proofer is about 4-1/2 hours but if you want more tang leave it in longer.

Michael writes: Incredible! Creamy and luscious with the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. I entirely agree!

I may stop buying crème fraîche as well now that I have the perfect place to incubate it! All you need is 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of buttermilk. Ultra-pasteurized cream will take as long as 36 hours but plain pasteurized cream at 90˚F/32˚C usually takes 12 to 14 hours. I'm going to try 110˚F/43˚C. No need to heat the cream and buttermilk mixture before placing it in the jar(s).