Sources: Eric Gordon Out Two Weeks with Left Ankle Sprain

Rockets guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss approximately two weeks with left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Rockets guard Eric Gordon is expected to miss approximately two weeks with left ankle sprain, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 29, 2020 Source: Shams Charania on Twitter

Baby Season

So it seems to be baby season.  I've done so many baby shower sets.  AND I've received good news that one of my good friends is expecting her first in December.

So I'm not sure what it is about summer babies….is it the settling of the cool weather in the fall?  Make people stay indoors??  I dunno.

Anyway, I'm not going to knock it because I love making baby shower cookies 🙂

So expect to see some soon.

In the mean time, if YOU are in the business of making baby….cookies that is.  Here are a few gorgeous cutters that you might like.

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My New Breville Oven & an Exciting New Technique for Melting Chocolate

Smart_Oven_Air_Hero_ Hig Res.jpg

It’s been over five years since I wrote about my first Breville oven, calling it the perfectly even oven. My test was to pipe a spiral of cream puff pastry to see how it browned and it was perfectly even.

I have been so enamored of this oven, I have since purchased one as a wedding gift and another to have in my weekend home.

A few weeks ago, I discovered the latest model, the Smart Oven Air. When I learned about the extra features this newer slightly larger model offers I had to have it. And I’m totally smitten! I’ve even put it to use for a newly developed terrific technique, which I will share at the end of this posting. First: here are the new features that I most value:

  • An oven light that can be turned off or on at will (oh joy!)
  • Two oven racks
  • A dehydrating setting and mesh basket (I’ll be using this for my citrus powder)
  • A proofing setting for bread dough between 80°F/27°C and 100°F°/38°C

(I tested it and it holds true to temperature with no more than 3°F fluctuation.)

Now here is my great new discovery: Anyone who has ever tried to melt white or milk chocolate without stirring it constantly, has learned the hard way that it will seed. This is caused by the milk solids in the chocolate. And there is no way of restoring the little specks of hardened milk solids. But, if you heat the chocolate at 100°F/38°C it will melt gradually to be as smooth as silk. In short, you can place it in a container in the Breville, turn it to the proofing setting, set the temperature to 100°F/38°C, and leave it to melt on its own.

Breville BOV900BSS The Smart Oven Air, Silver

It’s So Hard, To Say Goodbye…..

With the NBA Board of Governors approving the 22-team plan to finish the 2019-2020 season, fantasy basketball leagues will not be able to conclude theirs. As a result, it’s a sad, sad day in Sonville, as I enjoy writing and shooting the shit with many of you. At least we get hoops back. Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for making Razzball Hoops a community of extraordinary magnitude. See you guys and hopefully girls when we start prepping to dominate next season!

My New Breville Oven & an Exciting New Technique for Melting Chocolate

Smart_Oven_Air_Hero_ Hig Res.jpg

It’s been over five years since I wrote about my first Breville oven, calling it the perfectly even oven. My test was to pipe a spiral of cream puff pastry to see how it browned and it was perfectly even.

I have been so enamored of this oven, I have since purchased one as a wedding gift and another to have in my weekend home.

A few weeks ago, I discovered the latest model, the Smart Oven Air. When I learned about the extra features this newer slightly larger model offers I had to have it. And I’m totally smitten! I’ve even put it to use for a newly developed terrific technique, which I will share at the end of this posting. First: here are the new features that I most value:

  • An oven light that can be turned off or on at will (oh joy!)
  • Two oven racks
  • A dehydrating setting and mesh basket (I’ll be using this for my citrus powder)
  • A proofing setting for bread dough between 80°F/27°C and 100°F°/38°C

(I tested it and it holds true to temperature with no more than 3°F fluctuation.)

Now here is my great new discovery: Anyone who has ever tried to melt white or milk chocolate without stirring it constantly, has learned the hard way that it will seed. This is caused by the milk solids in the chocolate. And there is no way of restoring the little specks of hardened milk solids. But, if you heat the chocolate at 100°F/38°C it will melt gradually to be as smooth as silk. In short, you can place it in a container in the Breville, turn it to the proofing setting, set the temperature to 100°F/38°C, and leave it to melt on its own.

Breville BOV900BSS The Smart Oven Air, Silver

The Fearless Baker by Erin McDowell is Born!

ERIN.jpeg

This is a big year for major baking books. I remember exactly 29 years ago it was the same when The Cake Bible was published and the category itself got huge attention. Erin is going to benefit from being in the company of so many distinguished authors both old and new and they will be proud to have her as a member of the baking cookbook community of sister (and brother) bakers.

Not only is Erin a gifted baker, she is also a professional food stylist and so, of course, the photos in this book are drop dead gorgeous. Erin was the food stylist for my upcoming book. Here’s my favorite photo of the two of us taken during the photoshoot this past April:

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I couldn’t be more proud to be the writer of the foreword to Erin’s first book. And here it is so you don’t even have to wait until the book arrives to read it:

Foreword to The Fearless Baker
When I learned that Erin McDowell was writing her first baking book, my immediate response was Yes! quickly followed by Of course! I had met Erin when she was involved in the baking and styling of the photographs for my book The Baking Bible. We spent two intense weeks in a rented studio in upstate New York, baking, styling, discussing, and getting to know each other. Not only did Erin make delicious, nourishing lunches for the entire team every day, her sunny disposition helped set the tone. I taught her how to make a special border on a tart, and she demonstrated how to make the most luscious, voluptuous ganache and buttercream swirls on cakes.

Reading through this book, I am struck by how eager Erin is to explore new ideas and inspirations and how open she is to learning. One of the secrets to being a great baker is to have love in one’s heart and love for the profession. And one of the secrets to being a great baking author is having a true desire to share. Erin is gifted with both. Her written instructions are a model of clarity and a perfect reflection of her delightful and joyful spirit. And her writing style is so friendly, fun, and unpretentious that it makes baking more approachable than ever.

I didn’t have to test recipes from this book in order to sing Erin’s praises, because having seen her in action, and having tasted the results, was proof enough of her expertise. I tested four of the recipes just because they were so alluring I couldn’t resist. The rhubarb cheesecake, which imaginatively replaces lemon juice with rhubarb puree, is topped with stunning ribbons of rhubarb. It’s exceptionally delicious, and it leaves a surprisingly bright, fresh finish in the mouth despite the richness of the cream cheese. Chocolate puff pastry is something I’d never actually made before, but when I saw the photo for this book, I couldn’t resist the challenge. Yes, it is “hard,” as Erin realistically indicates at the top of the recipe, but it is an empowering experience, and success is guaranteed if one follows her excellent instructions. And her technique for making puff pastry results in the best palmiers I’ve ever made–or eaten.

Erin writes, ” is book is intended to educate you on the whys and hows of baking in an approachable way. If you understand those basics, you can become fearless–and potentially tweak your own recipes to suit your whims, the way I do.” I relate to this goal 100 percent. In fact, this is shades of the young me, at the start of my own cookbook-writing odyssey.

It is inspiring to see the fine and exciting work of this prize representative of the new generation of bakers. I am honored that she claims to have used my books as a launching pad to her baking education. And I am certain that Erin Jeanne McDowell will continue to march to the beat of her own drummer and rise to ever greater heights of discovery and baking excellence.

The Fearless Baker: Simple Secrets for Baking Like a Pro