General Chit Chat until Minute 4:00! Fasten your seatbelt folks, this is a heavy episode! We tackle Inverted puff pastry (where you laminate with the butter on the OUTSIDE of the dough); we also talk you through how to make pastry and almond cream to make the ultimate frangipane. AND finally culminating in the ultimate dessert the French Pithivier.  Amaze your friends and family in tackling this splendid dessert. Yes, there are a lot of steps, but each step isn't difficult on its own.  Taunya & Melody are happy to name this week’s BAD ASS BAKER AWARD! If you would like to be a badass baker join our facebook group “The Baking Podcast” and post your triumphs, challenges, and fails, all 3 of these things lead to badassness! You can also email us your pics and story or tag us on Instagram! The sisters also give an update on the business. You can email the sisters at thebakingpodcast@gmail.com--They would LOVE to hear from you!   The Recipes: Inverted puff pastry Dough (Detrempt) 10 oz flour 3.75 oz water 2.25 oz butter .375 oz salt ½ tsp lemon juice Mix stand mixer with dough hook attachment for 4 minutes on low. OR Mix/knead by hand for 5 minutes. Form into rectangle 3/4” thick (approx. 5x7”), wrap well and store in fridge   Butter block (buerrage) 9 oz  cold unsalted butter (European style is the best) 3 oz flour Cube butter. With stand mixer with paddle attachment add butter with flour, mix until well distributed. Turn out on parchment paper, fold over parchment paper over the top of the butter and roll until it’s approx. 13 x 7” (1/4” thick). Store in fridge at least an hour   NOTE: Go to the The Baking Podcast Facebook Group to see a video of a lamination “turn” To Laminate (best to do this in the coldest time of the day). Do not laminate on hot days without AC. Remove butter from fridge, without removing the parchment paper, gently roll the butter to soften it up slightly AND to make sure it will wrap around your dough. Heavily flour your surface. Place the dough in the center of the butter with narrow side facing you and close the butter around the dough. Flour the top of butter. Give the dough one single fold (add more flour as you go!), wrap and return to the fridge for 1 hour. (or freezer for 30 minutes) Proceed with the folds (if you are working in a cold kitchen you might be able to do 2 turns in one go before returning to the refrigerator) until you have done 6 folds. After the 6th fold, return to the fridge for one hour (or more) Roll out the dough until it’s 1/8” thick. Using a 9” spring form pan as a guide cut 2 (or 4, if you’re lucky). NOTE: You can use any round shape as a guide (9” or less) Stack on a plate (separate with parchment paper and put in fridge for 30 minutes or until ready to use (you can also freeze them at this point. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE SCRAPS, put those in the fridge too. Pastry Cream: 10 oz whole milk ½ oz sugar (#1 sugar) .75 oz corn starch 2oz sugar (#2) 2oz egg yolks 1.25 oz butter (room temp)   Add the whole milk and the #1 sugar in a small sauce pan bring to a boil Meanwhile mix the cornstarch, #2 sugar in a bowl and mix to combine Add the egg yolks to the cornstarch mixture whisk to combine (not to incorporate air When milk comes to boil, add approx 1/3 of the milk to the egg yolk mixture and stir until it’s incorporated Return this mixture back to the pot, and stir constantly (medium heat) until boiled for 2 minutes (should be nice and thick), transfer to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate Almond Cream: 4.25 oz butter 4.25 oz sugar 2 oz eggs 4.25 oz almond meal 1.25 oz bread flour 1 tsp vanilla  In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light. Gradually mix in the egg Add the remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated. Store in the fridge   Frangipane Almond cream Pastry cream In a stand mixer with paddle attachment add equal amounts of almond cream and pastry cream and mix until incorporation.   Pithivier Puff pastry rounds (2)