The Making of a Pastry Chef

My amusing story about my first baking experience...

When I was very young I remember helping my mother with baking. My sister and I had to hold the bowl while she stirred her yeast breads together by hand. I remember standing on one side, my sister on the other, both of us holding on for dear life while rocking back and forth against our mother's strength. Then she would remove the dough from the bowl and knead it by hand, explaining to us the reason for every step and what was going on in the dough. I had my own small rolling pin and loaf pans and when the dough was ready my Mom shaped the bread in loaves and braids and gave me a small piece to shape and proof in my own small loaf.

It's funny that my sister doesn't have the same memory, or never had the same perception as I did. This is what makes me believe I've chosen the right path for me. These lessons stuck with me and when I chose to go into cooking, specifically baking and pastry it seemed like such a natural choice. I could have continued with Hospitality Administration or gone into any other number of fields, but baking and pastry is what I love.

The first recipe I did on my own was actually not a recipe at all. I told my mother that I was going to bake a cake and I didn't want any help, I knew just what to do. I didn't measure anything, just threw ingredients together like I had helped my mother do so many times. I put the cake in a round pan and baked it. Surprisingly it actually baked, didn't rise much and was a little dense but it wasn't soup, I had gotten some of the chemistry right. I must have sprinkled powdered sugar on top or something, I just remember bringing it to my mom to taste. It was dense and tasted eggy but sweet. I don't think I even enjoyed it. That must have been when I realized it was important to follow a recipe.

I am grateful to my Mom for giving me the freedom to experiment at such a young age and for being brave enough to taste my experiment! As I look to the future and try to find places to draw inspiration from I enjoy looking back to my humble beginnings. I like to think that even as a child me and food had an understanding. Through all other life lessons that never really clicked, I always got what was going on with food, why things were done a certain way and how to get things to turn out how you wanted. I tried to learn to play the guitar, paint, play soccer, write, understand science, speak foreign languages, dance; and was never really successful. But me and food...we have an understanding.

"Dessert ideas may turn in circles like the seasons, but there is always that new customer to please and the new day ahead, or evening's service to be ready for. That allows the opportunity to do better than the day before, to learn, to improve. This is how we participate and find our place in the long process of history and make a personal contribution to better pastry." Andrew MacLauchlan, The Making of a Pastry Chef

"I've always said that I wake up in the morning and never go to work. I wake up and do what I was meant to do in life. I am so happy that I found food and dessert making because it allows me to do what I truly love." Nancy Silverton

Let the Buffalo Roam....

American Buffalo
In Search of a Lost Icon

By Steven Rinella

An extensive history of the American Buffalo, a riveting hunting story, and a call to speak for the buffalo. I could not put this book down once I finally picked it up. If you don't already have extreme respect for these majestic creatures you will after reading Rinella's account.

What I loved most was the ending...don't worry, I won't give it away, I want you to read it for yourself. The author ties the story and information together in an unexpected way. It caused me to feel empowered to fight for the buffalo and reminded me of my current goals for my community and nation (no one ever said I wasn't ambitious) to become more sustainable, to learn about our food and where it comes from, to take a step backward in "civilization" and come to respect our surroundings, to be thankful for the lives that we take to feed our own. It is miraculous that we still have the American Buffalo at all and although the species may no longer be endangered it is limited to captivity and allowed to roam freely only in the confines of certain national parks and refuges.

The cattle industry is the number one enemy of the buffalo and the major obstacle that must be overcome to get the buffalo back in the wild; surprise, surprise. Imagine a world without McDonald's (the largest purchaser of beef), where you go out to eat and have a variety of choices, all of which came from your local community. Local farmers being supported by local restaurant goers, local money going back into the local economy. I know in doing this you may also try to imagine a world without corporate greed which may be difficult, or impossible.

What I hope to do with my time here is to make the difference that I can in my local community. Spokane is a great place to start, I hope all will join the fight.

I baked a cake...

Almond Dacquoise, Grand Marnier Syrup, Fresh Strawberries, and Vanilla Buttercream; Covered in Fondant and Gold Gum Paste Roses.

Happy 50th Anniversary!!!

I am officially a freelance Cake Artist...what do you think of my first try?

A Book Report: Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson

“The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.”

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is and educational book about the use of pesticides and herbicides around the world in the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the harmful effects this use has caused to the environment and humans. Being that the book is a bit outdated, it was first published in the early 1960’s, it can be used only as a historical reference and for historical educational purposes. Silent Spring is credited with bringing about the environmental movement in the United States. Since its publication the government has made major changes in the use of harmful chemicals such as DDT, which is now banned. Other organizations are also the result of Carson’s work; silentspring.org is dedicated to “break the link between the environment and women’s health….”

Reading this book will open your eyes and make you think about life in a whole new way. For me, it made me grateful to be alive; I consider myself one of the “fittest” to have survived so far. Many questions came to my mind when reading this book which will require further research to be answered. I wonder which of the chemicals Carson wrote about are still in use, if any, and even if none are what new chemicals are there which are harmful to my health, future generation’s health, and the health of wild plants and animals. The book is mostly about pesticides and herbicides used on crops and forests to rid them of insect pests. There is a large section regarding carcinogens, however, which makes me wonder how much truth there is to constant allegations of products in my daily life as ‘cancer causing’. For I hardly go a day without hearing what in my world will cause cancer.

I believe our society has come a long way since the days when this book was written, yet I still believe action needs to be taken by the new generations to further improve our situation. I wonder if we as consumers could force a change by demanding our food, clothes, cosmetics, and household items be chemical free, or at least contain the least harmful of chemicals. I wonder if in my lifetime the produce section at the grocery store will be 100% organic and possibly contain a small section of chemical ridden foods reminiscent of the ‘organic section’ in my local supermarket today. In our effort to make our lives ‘greener’ we need participation from everyone. Hopefully recycling, organic foods, and ‘green’ products will become convenient to the point that the average American will take up these practices and by example and education our efforts will adopted in other countries.

The conservation of our environment is still an important topic as it was 50 years ago, this has not changed. Constant education is required yet I feel at this point the crisis we must resolve is the widespread practice of ‘green’ customs. Convenient programs for recycling and reducing waste are a step in the right direction. As well as a consumer demand for ‘green’ and organic products in our daily lives. I believe Carson’s Silent Spring isan important eye opener and reminder of where we have come from and how far we have to go in our fight to restore our environment to its native beginnings.

Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring, Houghton Mifflin, First Mariner Books edition 2002.

A Cooking Club...

Friends,

Interested in joining an 'Organically Delicious' cooking club?

• The club will meet once a month (this requires that you live in the Spokane area)
• Each month will have a "theme" such as Delicious Desserts, Bountiful Harvest, Holiday Treats, etc.
• The meeting will be held in club members' kitchens, rotating every month
• Recipes, techniques, and tips will be shared and discussed.

Please let me know if you would like to join, looking for 4 or 5 participants, meeting day and time will be discussed once club is formed.

Thanks,
Lynette Pflueger
Founder, Organically Delicious

A Recipe...free of charge

Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients in this recipe...you will be rewarded for your work! This bread keeps well in the freezer well wrapped.



Apple and Banana Bread

Servings: 10

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
¾ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
2 Small Bananas, Mashed (about ¾ cup)
1 Small Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced (about ½ cup)
1/3 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce (tested with Mott’s No Sugar Added Granny Smith Apple Sauce, available in individual portions sizes at most grocery stores)
½ Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Regular Oats, toasted
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Yeild: 1 – 8 ½ inch by 4 inch loaf pan

· To toast the oats pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the oats in a shallow baking dish like a pie pan or on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even toasting. Remove oats from oven and add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg while oats are still hot.

· Combine flours, baking powder, salt, and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.

· Combine the egg, banana, apple, apple sauce and milk in a small mixing bowl and pour into well in dry ingredients.

· Add oats and spices and stir just to combine, about 15 strokes with a spatula, spoon, or whisk. DO NOT OVER MIX. There will be dry bits, stop stirring after 15 strokes!

· Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

· Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the loaf and cool on a wire rack.

· Slice bread and serve warm with butter, margarine, honey, or applesauce.

Nutrition Information:Per Serving: 174 Calories; 2g Fat (8.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 23mg Cholesterol; 245mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 ½ Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; ½ Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; ½ Other Carbohydrates.

Biography

"Organically Delicious is the creation of Lynette Pflueger, professional Pastry Chef.

Lynette first noticed her interest in food after her high school graduation and first trip abroad. After years of working in the industry she can now trace her love of food and cooking to her childhood. Brought up by ameteur chefs her knowledge of food from how it is planted, nourished, and harvested, to cooking methods and flavor combinations began with her Mother, Father, and Grandmother. Lynette remembers the spring sowing of fruits, vegetables, and herbs; as well as the care which these plants require through the spring and summer. The autumn brought harvest time when the fruits of the summers labor were at their peak. The house would be filled with apples, plums, rhubarb, corn, potatoes, onions, scallions, raspberries, beans, peas, tomatoes, mint, parsley, oregano, and basil, all home grown and organic. Lynette remembers her Father to be an adventurous planter and some years they had such crops as popcorn, sunflower seeds, squashes and gourdes, pumpkins, even lemon and lime trees. In addition the the home grown produce the family spent weekends picking wild huckleberries, fishing, and hunting for game. Being from the Pacific Northwest the fish, venison, elk, turkeys and phesants were plentiful and Lynette had her part in the processing of such game once it was brought home.

All summer long produce would be ripening and Lynette learned cooking and preservation techniques such as drying and canning from her Mother and Grandmother. Fruits were made into jams, jellies, and butters, or dehydrated for use as healthy alternatives to fruit snacks and roll ups. Lynette learned most of what she knows about baking bread from her Mother, who at one time used to bake all the family’s bread at home. Her Grandmother taught her priceless amounts of information about baking, confectionary, and pastry making.

But it wasn’t until Lynette began experiencing other cultures that she realized what could be done with the knowledge and experience she had gained. After high school Lynette attended college but dreamed of traveling and began to focus her energy on this goal. When the opportunity came up for Lynette to study for a year in Sydney, Australia, she took it. While abroad Lynette realized what she wanted to do with her life. What better way to make a career than to create beautiful and delicious food! Upon her return to the United States Lynette enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at The Art Institute of California in Los Angeles.

Since attending the Art Institute Lynette has held positions such as Baker and Barista for Muddhouse Coffee, Northridge, California; Assistant Pastry Chef, The Geisha House, Hollywood, California; Shift Supervisor, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Santa Monica, California; Assistant Baker and Pastry Chef, Club Med Sandpiper, Port St Lucie, Florida; Bakery and Pastry Manager, Club Getaway, Kent, Connecticut; Assistant Pastry Chef, Riviera Country Club, Miami, Florida; Executive Pastry Chef, La Goulue – Christian Delouvrier, Miami, Florida; Pastry Chef de Partie, Fontainebleu Hotel, Miami, Florida; Executive Pastry Chef, Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie, Spokane, Washington; Chef Instructor, The Kitchen Engine, Spokane, WA; and Executive Pastry Chef, Chef Mavro restaurant, Honolulu, HI. In addition to all this professional baking and pastry experience Lynette practices her Culinary knowledge in her spare time in her home kitchen.

Lynette believes in using seasonal, locally grown, organic products as well as the highest quality ingredients in her cooking and baking. She believes as professional chefs and home cooks we should be looking out for our environment and future generations. The knowledge Lynette has and hopes to gain is valuable and she hopes others take the same interests to heart as she shares her experiences with them through Organically Delicious. "