I would say go with your instincts - you may have taken the apples a bit too far initially...and make sure you are using apples that are suitable for cooking. Don't give up, practice makes perfect!

You are correct. Very dark rouxs are used in particular dishes in Creole/Cajun cooking. The longer roux is cooked, the less thickening power it has, so you'll likely need to use more to obtain the desired consistency of the sauce in your dish.

The comes down to different rouxs being used for different applications/dishes. One is not better than the other - they are just used for different purposes, flavors and colors. Cheers!

Seasoning eggs before or after cooking is up to you. You can run the risk of the eggs becoming watery if you season at the beginning, especially when scrambling only whites. The key is to practice and see what method you prefer / what works for you. Glad you enjoyed the eggs!

Glad you enjoyed the dish. The technique is called velveting. It is a Chinese cooking technique used to seal in moisture in the meat during stir frying. It is commonly done with cornstarch + oil... or cornstarch + egg whites. Happy cooking!

Flour contains different levels of humidity from day to day, especially season to season. Depending on how you measured it, you may require a bit more or less liquid to create the proper dough consistency, so no worries there.

There are many ways to roll pasta. The main thing is to develop the gluten to make the dough elastic and stretchy. Glad you enjoyed the dish!

Hi Judith,

We here at Rouxbe also start to panic when we are running low on stock. It is such a fundamental part of cooking that we always make sure we have some on hand, as it adds such great flavor to so many dishes.

In the Cooking School Lesson on "How to Make Stock Fundamentals", we cover the parts in Topic 2 (backs and necks of chicken are typically used).

Sometimes the amount of gelatin will vary in a stock (even when using the same parts). My advice would be to use a higher ratio of bones to liquid to produce the most gelatin. Sounds like you are using a gigantic pot. If your pot is really wide, you may have had to add too much liquid to cover the bones...a pot that is tall and somewhat slender is better for making stock as you can cram the bones in and use just enough liquid plus a couple of inches to cover the bones, making the ratio more concentrated.

As for controlling temperature, as you know, every stove is different, so you'll just have to keep more of an eye on it to ensure it does not boil.

There is no need to complicate the making of a stock with adding egg whites. Perhaps watch the lesson on How to Make Stock Fundamentals again. Whether you are making a small or large batch, stock making doesn't need to be stressful or complicated. Don't give up!

Ah, better solution. Have a fun gathering!

The flavors in this dish will be fine, but reheated pasta is usually never as good (or as pretty) as when it is cooked and then served immediately. If this dish sits overnight, it will soak up much of the stock-based sauce. I wouldn't under cook the pasta too much - that would mean that you'll need more time during reheating. You'll likely have to add more stock to finish cooking and loosen the noodles. You also may run the risk of overcooking the chicken if the noodles take too long. You might also want to add the feta just before serving. Good luck, hope it works out!

Hi Ugina,

You're welcome. Ahhhh...the memories of Athens...what a great city! I say, stick with the butter in your recipes since you have access to such great products - you'll get the best flavor. Cheers!

Hi John,

It doesn't sound like you cheated at all! It sounds like you are using your intuition and common sense to guide you and find what works for you.

All ovens are different, so your adjustments with cooking time have proven to work. As far as the substitutions go, it's all about experimenting and trying different things. Glad that you didn't make the flavors too crazy though - sometimes people get carried away with changing a classic way too much.

Overall, nice job! Glad to hear you are having great success in the kitchen. Happy Cooking!

A propane torch is ideal for caramelizing the sugar on top of the custard. You can control the heat and spread it around the surface to quickly caramelize the sugar. They are quite inexpensive and worth the few dollars to ensure success.

Do not use a toaster oven - they are usually not hot enough. You will run the risk of melting the custard before the sugar on top becomes caramelized and wind up ruining your dessert. You can try the broiler in your oven, but make sure it is very very hot. Some home broilers just can't get hot enough. Again, you may run the risk of the custard melting before the sugar is caramelized. I don't think it's worth it - sometimes certain tools are required for the best results. Cheers!

The chuck and shoulder are the same part of the steer - there are just different terms to identify this area. This area contains tough muscles and plenty of connective tissue, but is very flavorful. This type of meat is most suitable for moist-heat cooking. Hope this clears things up.

Pastry shops and professional kitchens usually have an excess of whites or yolks and never throw out the excess. It is ok to keep cracked eggs in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and then use them, but only if they are going to be cooked through.

It is fine to freeze egg whites or egg yolks. Simply thaw them in the refrigerator. Once thawed, use immediately. Again, these eggs should only be used in products where they will be cooked. Hope this helps!

Hi Ugina,

Oil is 100% fat. In North America, I believe butter must have a minimum of 80% fat, but rarely is the content higher. If you have ever visited Europe, you'll understand why their butter is soooooooo good as they have higher requirements for fat content.

Each type of fat will give baked products, such as cakes, a different texture and crumb. A cake made with oil will be moister than a cake made with butter; however, most oils are very neutral/bland in flavor so it affects flavor. It becomes a toss up - flavor over texture. Butter will add delicious flavor and give the product a less greasy texture.

Basically, if you want to substitute oil for butter, measure out 80% oil and top up with 20% liquid. If you substitute 1:1, the product may be too dense/heavy/greasy. Sometimes substitutions take experimenting to find what works for you. Hope this helps!

I usually need to add more vinegar or fresh lemon juice to get the mixture to thicken enough: 1 tablespoon vinegar or fresh lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit until it thickens.

I'm sure the substitution would work well for this recipe. I haven't had a lot of success though when using the substitution in the Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Pancakes. It just never seemed to get thick enough so I stick to the real thing for that particular recipe. Hope this helps!

Hi Amanda,

Just a few more comments. Once the dough has been kneaded, it just needs to rest (covered) in a bowl until it doubles in size. Depending on the temperature, this could take anywhere from 30mins to quite a few hours (especially if the dough is in the fridge). The colder the temperature, the slower the rise...but you don't want the temperature to be too much warmer than room temperature. Next time, if proofing the dough at room temperature, don't go by time...just look at the dough to see that it has doubled in volume.

Also, it may have been the type of flour you used. I know you indicated that you used bread flour...is this bleached or unbleached? We much prefer unbleached over bleached (and make sure it has a protein content of at least 12%). Even though you scaled the ingredients, some bleached flours will make the dough wet. Make sure you are not using bread flour designed for bread machines.

We will be releasing a couple of dough/bread making lessons in the near future. Hopefully the information in there will also help you to troubleshoot. Happy baking!

Glad you liked the lesson. It's fine to use cold eggs - just lower them gently into the water and you'll be fine. Cheers!

Did the cake not have a name or description on the menu? Sounds something like a flourless chocolate torte or something similar. Have you seen the recipe here on Rouxbe for Chocolate Torte? To help you with your search, you could always call up the restaurant and ask them what it is specifically. Sometimes restaurants are friendly enough to even share their recipes - it has happened a few times for me. Cheers!

It's true that beef cuts are named differently across the country and from country-to-country, which can make it quite frustrating.

Tri-tip is not the same as sirloin tip. Tri-tip is a small and specific triangular muscle in the hip. It is a specific butcher's cut that is not easy to get, just like a hanger steak. The sirloin tip is often sold as a bigger group of muscles. Here is a website that goes extensively into beef cuts. Perhaps your butcher would be willing to make this cut for you. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi Rodrigo,
Apologies for not following up. Our production schedule has been re-arranged and is set to complete a basic culinary program first. I can tell you though that a couple of basic bread making lessons are coming out within the next month or so. In terms of sweets and the pastry side of things, we also plan to cover custards and basic pastry doughs within this basic first level, but there are about a dozen lessons or so in the pipeline before we get to those. Trust that we are working hard to complete this first level so we can move on to more advanced techniques. It is crucial that we lay this foundation first before moving into pastry. Hope you are enjoying the school to date. Happy cooking and baking!