| 297 | 298 | 299 | 300 | 301 |
| 1 | 103 | 205 | 308 | 410 |
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cream of tartar also has a bleaching effect, resulting in a whiter cake. A small amount of salt also
stabilizes the egg white foam, but it interferes with the flavor.
Folding in the foam
Folding is an art that you best learn through experience and watching expert bakers. A
rubber spatula is the best tool for folding (what did bakers use before the rubber spatula?). Some
cake and most torte recipes call for folding egg white foam into a mass of batter, rather than batter
into egg white foam. In either way, the closer the two are in consistency, the easier and more
efficient the folding.
If the batter is too thick, a good trick is to stir about a quarter of the egg white foam into it to
lighten its consistency, even though you sacrifice quarter part of egg foam. Then gently fold the rest
of the foam into the batter in two or three batches. Take your time and be patient. The air pockets
are very fragile. Professionals fold with a gentle scooping action, from the bottom up, while turning
the bowl slightly after each fold. As soon as the result looks respectably homogeneous, stop. Pour
the batter into the pan and slip it in your oven.
Egg yolks
Many desserts use only egg yolks, many use whole eggs and some call for both—whole
eggs plus extra yolks. Egg yolks add richness and increase the quality of desserts because they
contain all the flavor of eggs (egg whites are flavorless). They also contain lecithin, a good
emulsifier that helps a cake batter retain air bubbles, and produce a lighter, fluffier cake. Egg yolks
also add a pleasing yellow color to any dessert.
Whipping cream
A favorite, in fact, an indispensable ingredient in French baking is heavy whipping cream.
Like whipping egg whites into foam, beating cream into light billows of clouds of whipped cream
is not difficult but takes some know-how. Please read about it in detailed, full discussion in under
Unscrambling Dairy and Eggs.
Gelatin
Thickening with gelatin is nearly foolproof if you follow the package directions. But the
results are even better if you understand gelatin and the process of how it thickens liquids.
Gelatin is a protein that the skin and bones of all animals and humans contain. It is very
nutritious, and that is one reason why meat-eating animals gnaw on tough skins and bones. Gelatin
in a living creature is in the form of collagen, a stiff organic substance that provides support and
strength to tissues and organs. Gelatin manufacturers derive powdered gelatin from animal bones
and skins and that’s why strict vegetarians cannot eat food made with gelatin.
This strange substance, gelatin, has the amazing ability to absorb 5 to 10 times its weight in
water, and, after it reaches a certain temperature (appropriately termed gelatinization temperature), it
stiffens as it cools into the familiar soft but stable gel.
Here is the way to use gelatin. Sprinkle the powder over a small amount of cold water
(never the other way around by stirring cold water into the gelatin powder) to let it soften and swell
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