[Sca-cooks] Dariole/Dariola

Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius adamantius.magister at verizon.net
Fri May 5 08:52:33 PDT 2006


On May 5, 2006, at 11:29 AM, cldyroz at aol.com wrote:

> Is there a way of doing the butter pastry to where it doesn't take  
> on the characteristics of lead? Would it help to have the butter  
> cold as I cut it into the flour?

Yes, and ice water is good, too. For a light, flaky pastry, the  
object is to have little unincorporated flakes of butter in your  
dough, at least by the time it's rolled out. When the pastry is  
baked, where each bit of butter was, is now an air pocket and a  
lubricated space between two layers of pastry.

If you want a "mealy" dough, which many would argue is more  
appropriate for custards and other "wet" fillings, you might want the  
butter more fully incorporated.

> Is the ratio of two egg yolks to one cup of milk doable to acheive  
> the 'jiggle' or should that be upped?

The standard [modern] formula is 6 eggs or 12 yolks to 1 quart (this  
may have changed over the years if egg sizes have changed). 2 yolks  
per cup is more than enough. Not a problem, mind you, but more than  
you need.

> How often should I stir the custard as it is baking, or, should I  
> not stir at all?

If you want the "jiggle" effect, not at all. Stirred custards, such  
as pastry cream and zabaglione, have a creamy or foamy texture. If  
you just want it to set, you don't need to stir it.

Adamantius






"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
     -- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry  
Holt, 07/29/04





More information about the Sca-cooks mailing list