Dan Scheitel's Blog

Pie Making Adventures

It has been a significant amount of time since I have last updated this page, so I feel its my duty to update you all with whats going on in my life!

 

Just in the last 48 hours, I have hand crafter 27 individual 9-inch pies, and earlier this week I handcrafted 15, so that brings me to a total of 42 pies just alone this week. I can definitely say that I am confident in my pie making abilities. :)

Pie Crusts, shortening or butter?
Definitely butter all the way, as Chef Laura always explained that shortening can never compare, well in the process of making pies, the 'Women of Pax' where in the kitchen at one point, this group comprised of older women were shocked to find that I use butter in my pie crust-apparently Betty Crocker only taught them its okay to use only lard or shortening.  However I learned that using a mixer is NOT the best way to mix up pie crust, I understand that it would work better if i had a VCM (Vertical Cutting Mixer) but, there's a clear lack of budget/no additional 2phase power sources. 
So for the first time ever, in pie crust (for me), I used an 'enriched' bottom pie crust-meaning it contained eggs. It was beautiful to roll out- held shape, didn't tear. I never got to try any of my pies, so i'll just have to wait for a review on the pie crust from somebody else.  

Fillings...
Apple, Cherry, or Pumpkin.
IQF Apples, you saved my life once again--I made a delicious apple filling, which included brown butter which I think added quite a bit of flavour to the final product :)
Cherry, I had the most beautiful red tart cherries while I was making this, I added a touch Amaretto and it was set!
Pumpkin, now based on past experiences-after Thanksgiving, most people are done eating pumpkin-but earlier this week while doing 'round 1' of pie baking (15 pies for Monday night), I learned from my numbers that pumpkin, in fact, was the first one ate up! So I increased my production of pumpkin, I used 2-No.10 Cans of pumpkin and 2 can's of libby's pumpkin. It was impressive the difference between the 2 products and its very clear that libby's uses a mix of squash and pumpkin in theirs because its definitely more runny, versus SYSCO brand which was a much less runny consistency......I think I prefer Sysco Brand.

Assemblage
Assemblying th epies went off without a hitch! and my litttle secret ingredient to the beautiful crusts just blending so perfectly with the fillngs. Gourmet Heavy Cream
Served many purposes, it also works well for my 'No Calorie Left Behind' policy that I have in the kitchen...I think it's important to indulge in enjoy, especially because the products I produce are PURE, I use the highest quality of ingredients availale to me which always (should) result in  a superior product.

 

Here's a Picture of ALL my hard work in the last 48 Hours.

I'll be writing quite a bit more later, I have yet to Christmas Cookies, Gingerbread House, Pastillage Ornaments, and Chocolate Truffles 

What is in my future...for short term atleast?

Well, this week I am officially finishing up my externship, thus ending my Le Cordon Bleu experience. It was a good one. But looking ahead now, I need a job. I am thinking about doing just a short term job, and hopefully getting in at a seasonal hotel next summer up at Mackinac Island--I've always had a special place in my heart for mackinac--But my job options here in Rochester aren't so great, i've already gone to the creme dd la creme, and they can't afford to hire me :(
So my question to myself is, should I continue a search for a job, or just wait it out until next season-Mind you in the meantime that I do have catering jobs that I do, so it's not like my valuable skills are just wasting away. And I do have income yet, I'm still employed by Cold Stone Creamery (3 Year anniversary this next month) and I have playing jobs at St. Pius and Pax Christi Church with the occasional sub job down at Methodist Hospital. I make enough money to live with my rents, but not enough to live on my own.

Next up in catering orders through my church, Apple Crisp for 200 this friday-Which I'm excited and nervous for, I've never done anything like this in volume so It will be new and exciting however...I've never used IQF apples either-everybody down at the bakeshop uses IQF apples for everything and their stuff turns out just fine, so....hopefully mine will too.

Then this sunday I also need a birthday cake for my older sister :)
Then the following week, I have to make roughly 500 cup cakes for church, and then atleast another 1-2 dozen cupcakes for my Nephew's birthday :)

Then it's back to planning and costing out the Knights of Columbus dinner for the end of october/beginning of GIFT for November, Although I'm pretty sure for november I'm just going to make pies. so it will be all about costing out pie crusts and my options for fillings, I'd like atleast 3. Something unique perhaps, if not I think I will do a Pumpkin Chiffon, Apple, and Cherry pie-I feel thoes are 3 pies that the mass majority of America enjoy and that aren't too costly either. I process all of my own pumpkin from scratch-so despite the pumpkin shortage this year, I really don't get hit at all-especially because I take peoples used uncarved pumpkins that they were just going to throw away :). And I know that red tart cherries aren't too badly priced, and the same with the apples-although it's a bargain to have peeled, cored, and sliced apples that already have citric acid applyed to them for less than a dollar per pound.

So I think my catering jobs keep me pretty busy and looking a head, I know that thanksgiving will be coming up fast and I can sell pies and breads then, and then the holidays hit and bam! it's time to sell more food, more confections and chocolates and the like-So I do keep busy, but then it all spirals back to getting another job...

This whole last 2 weeks at Daubes, I've been responsible for the productions of bread, sweet breads, and donuts. I really don't mind getting up at 2:45 in the morning to be at work by 3:30am, becauase If I work straight through (without any breaks---they hate it when I do that) I can get off between 8-9am every single day. Ok, so it's less than a 6 hour shift, but it's intense hard work.
Anywho....I think that maybe I should get a job doing bread somewhere here in Rochester, plus I'm actually building muscle in my arms (gasp!) And I like that

Hopefully my short term future can get sorted out, if not...I do enjoy what I am doing and will apply for jobs at summer results this next year-hopefully they will hire me, because that'd be friggin sweet to get an opportunity to work at Mackinac Island.

I'll post all of my apple crisp/cake/cupcake adventures in the next week or so!!

Plum Jam

 

So today being monday, I didn't really expect much. But upon arrival at Daubes Bakery this morning I was informed that we were short 2 cake decorators today and that I would really need to step up today. So this morning I began my morning just like any other by building my cupcakes up to par. I got a cupcake order later on this morning which I filled :) (First time ever somebody out front has actually handed me an order that they expected me to make and fill completely). So after all my cupcake frosting I began my cakes for today, my assignment was 6-6in rounds amd 3-8in rounds of Sundae Cake--Dark Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting with chocolate ganache on the top of the cake allowed to drip over the sides--and 6-6in rounds and 2-8in rounds of Carrot Cake. I began my cake decorating from the crumb coat at 1030am this morning and Didn't finish until 4:15 only taking one 15 minute break in there for lunch :).

But moving on to tonight, My neighbours have absolutely gorgeous produce and they work so hard at maintaining their gardens, but when its time to harvest the produce-it seems like they dont care about all of it-and don't harvest it-so it just rots on the ground and goes to waste. Well this year we got permission to pick their plums, and apples (and other misc stuff from the garden that my mother uses). Being the avid baker I am, I wanted to find a use for the plums since theres so many of them. I've seen recipes for plum jam before, and I have always wanted to try them out, well...Since I had the plumbs today I gave it a go.

The recipie was super straight foward, I modified it just a tiny bit and added just a touch of some fresh mint and a pinch of salt to help bring out flavour. The canning process went smoothly-and I didn't break my stove this time either-last time it broke the seal on my ceramic top thus causing damage to electrical internal parts.  This was my end result tonight, 10 jars of wonderful plum jam :) I am very pleased with my result and cannot wait to share it with my family since we have never canned plums before.

 

Tomorrow...Another big day at the bakery, need to frost oodles of mini cakes, and then tomorrow night is the first rehearsal for the Choral Arts Symphonic Chorus which I am excited for :)
Let you know how everything goes down tomorrow, until...Buenos Noches

Peach Cornmeal Cobbler

 

One of my favourite chefs from LCB was Chef Laura, I know that she does TV appearances every so often so I check up on them to see what delicious things she is making. One of the most recent ones I found was a recipie for a Peach (Blueberry) Cornmeal Cobbler. Well, I heard that peaches were on sale for 99 cents/lb this weekend, and blueberry season is just coming to an end So i thought I might as well attempt this dessert before it's no longer in season. I'll let you guys know how it tastes later, this is what it looked like before it went into the oven :)

Ready for (their) school year

Autumn, absolutely one of my favourite times of the year. Something about the cool crisp air, the smell of falling leaves...It's pleasant, and relaxing to me. Even though its just the end of August, my fall cravings have set in. For the last 2 weeks I've been craving a hot apple blast for Caribou, although I don't have the balls to order it because it's not cool enough during the day/night and apples aren't technically in season yet (In minnesota).

The other wonderful part about the school year is that I get dessert orders throuigh church. I dedicate my time and talent in preparing desserts in volume for church events, GIFT events, Knights of Columbus, Staff dinners, fund raising events, and other similar events. It's soo much fun! Because not only does it put my name out there in the world, but there's just something about watching how people get overly excited over a well presented delicious dessert. You never see (or atleasst I don't) anybody go to a restaurant and just rave over the plate presentation and flavor of their dinner. When I go out to eat I might think, 'oh that looks nice' or 'mmm this tastes good' but I dont sit down and admire my dessert like a piece of art-more than likely if I'm at that restaurant, it's because I'm hungry and I'm ready to eat-not analyze my food like art. However...we all know that we don't need dessert, but sometimes we just need to indulge in that sweetness. And when you have a beautiful plate presentation, the customer looks at in in awe, they pick apart their dessert trying each element of it.  They've already eaten their main course so they're not famished and most likely aren't going to devour it without looking at it, and enjoying the plate design.
Maybe that's why I decided to go to school to become a pastry chef? So I can be that person who can watch people enjoy something that I produced?
Maybe it's all about self fullfilment?

My Mom always talks about 'Living in the Moment'. She tells me that I'm always living in the moment, I never plan out for whats coming my way. What's going on now is important to me, and I don't think ahead to the consequences that my decisions my have......Well, she has a point, I know I live only in the moment, I always have.
She desires to live in the moment like I do, many people do.  I just don't completely understand this yet.

First time?

Just starting a blog, Almost graduated from culinary school. Would like to be able to post/share with everyone else what adventures I have had with food and music in my life.