I'm talking with Doire Greenspan tomorrow. Anyone have a question they'd like me to ask?

Gosh...those are words that will never, ever come out of my mouth. Congratulations! Have fun. I'll

think on a question.

(oh, the pressure...this is like the time you asked us if we had any questions for Alice Medrich!)

 
Question: Our store now carries French butter (President). Do I need to adjust her recipes?

Of course, le buggers have packaged only 7 oz.

Or were her Paris recipes developed using French butter?

 
Good question! I'll ask her, but from previous conversations, she sticks to American ingredients.

My understanding is that she tries to do most of her testing in America because between France and the US, there is so much variation in the raw ingredients. The flour, the butter, eggs. So different. It's just easier to test in the US. I know she brings American ingredients (flour, etc) with her to France, but it's mostly for personal use, not testing.

 
Marilyn, I asked your question and she said she used to think ingredients in France were much

different than they are in the US, but has recently changed her mind. It's not as significant as she originally thought. Butter has 2% more fat by law, but it doesn't have a huge impact. Sugar is sugar. She does pack a 5 pound bag of flour for every trip to France. "Do you know how many shoes I could pack instead?!?"

Dorie was utterly charming and my friend recorded the audio. I'm waiting for the file.

You'll be happy to know she's got a new baking book coming out in October....and it has both measurements by volume AND weight!

 
ah...I thought it was the extra water in American version. In some recipes, you actually need that

"expected" amount of water--or so I've read. I've never made anything THAT specific, but I've been making a lot more shortbreads and sables lately.

 
I think that's taking baking to another level. smileys/smile.gif She said her books are specifically aimed at

American audiences, using typical ingredients available in an American supermarket.

 
When I started to buy cheap butter, I noticed a big difference in my pastry. I'm not very fussy

about pastry as I don't enjoy making it. But when I began to check the water contents on various butters, it sure became apparent to me, that the increased water content was the culprit. Even among the cheapo stuff, I noticed the variation.

I still buy cheap butter and just pout a bit more.

 
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