Can it be--an oven that is perfectly even?! Over the years I have baked in many an oven. I even drove several hours deep into Connecticut, with cream puff pastry ready to pipe, to try out a Gaggenau oven that promised to be perfectly even. It was from top to bottom but not from front to back. Resigned to this disappointing fact that ovens are just not perfectly even, I have written solutions into recipes, such as turning a cake two-thirds of the way through baking, or bread half way through baking, but when it comes to cream puff pastry or sponge type cakes such as génoise, opening the oven door to move the pan would spell disaster as the baked item would deflate like a balloon stuck with a pin.

A few years ago I happened to speak to someone at the Breville company about another one of their appliances and the representative told me about their Smart Oven saying it was "an oven with a brain," and that I had to try it. I was intrigued and then disappointed when it never arrived. Many months later I met Julia Leisinger, the delightful manager of Sur La Tabla Soho store, and noticing that they sell the oven, asked her what she thought of it. She told me that she has one and that not only is it even, its size makes it ideal for small apartments. Julia is a baker so now I was really determined to try the oven so that I could know whether I could recommend it.

A year passed and to my surprise and delight I heard from Julia that she had met with the Breville people and reminded them of their promise to me. Shortly after the oven arrived and then, I must confess, sat reproachfully on my dining room table for months while I waited for my schedule to clear to approach this promising new appliance.

FInally I bit the bullet and gave it my standard acid test: I piped a spiral of cream puff pastry on parchment set on the 15-inch pan that comes with the oven, placed the rack at the bottom position as recommended in the booklet, and set the oven on bake, convection, but using 425ËšF/220ËšF for the first 10 minutes of baking instead of lowering the temperature the usual 25 degrees for convection baking. Then I lowered the temperature to the usual 350ËšF/175ËšC and continued to bake for the usual 15 minutes. As you can see from the photo, the proof is in the puff--it was perfectly, effortless, evenly golden brown.

Next I piped little 1-1/2 inch cream puffs. They blossomed from 3/4 inch high to 1-1/2 inches and again were perfectly evenly golden-brown.

This is a beautifully designed little oven that does just about everything except microwave. I moved it into permanent position in my apartment. How many ovens do I have? Four are in NY and 2-1/2 in Hope, NJ. (The half is the GE toaster oven I've had for 44 years and still performs perfectly for toast, baked potato, and other small items, taking up minimal space on the counter.)

As a cookbook author, it is important to test recipes in different types of ovens as the oven is the common denominator of success or failure in baking.

Here is my recipe for cream puff pastry which can be filled with whipped cream, or ice cream (profiteroles) or a savory filling. And as promised, this is the first in a series of monthly postings featuring Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs.

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.

August 1, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Jungfrau Railway, the cogwheel train that takes visitors high up to the Jungfraujoch, dubbed "Top of Europe". The German word Jungfrau means virgin and joch refers to the saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau mountains.

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 office in Hope was a 6 foot deep space at the end of a narrow cat walk. If I had gained 5 pounds I would no longer have been able to squeeze into the space between the back of my desk chair and the front of my desk. It never seemed like a good time to commit to construction but this summer, in between book projects, it seemed like it was now or never.

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

and the cookie dough, and the buttercream, and the whipped cream. Yes! The long cherished tradition of handing the beaters and bowl to the kids to lick is once again reestablished thanks to the availability of Safest Choiceâ„¢ pasteurized eggs for the consumer.

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.

Recently, Green & Black's Chocolate has published its second recipe book and publisher Kyle Cathie, who was my dear editor for the UK edition of The Cake Bible, once again asked me for a contribution. I offered one of my favorite chocolate cakes, hoping that it would work well with the UK flour which is always unbleached.

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!

Merry Christmas and still Happy Hannuka! Here's a special little holiday treat:

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

My friend and fellow author Nick Malgieri and i took a delightful ride to Brooklyn this past summer to eat at a Turkish restaurant we both love. On the way there, of course, our conversation turned to baking--specifically pie crusts. I mentioned to Nick that I have two friends who are lactose intolerant, which means they can't have pie crusts made with butter. Although lard makes a wonderful pie crust, it isn't always suitable, for example, I don't like the taste of the lard with sweet fillings.

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.

photo credit: Sheila Phalon

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.