what is a japonaise? and other questions...

[m brown]

Have a question, have an answer?
What is the weiredest thing a customer/boss asked you for?

japonaise=meringue layers made with ground toasted almonds. great with ganach and butter cream. (light and heavy, yin and yang)

[cape chef]

M Brown,

"japonaise" is actually a item,usually meat that is garnished with Chinese or japonese artichokes. I have not been able to find japonaise as it refers to meringue. Funny though, My pastry chef was also stumped when he heard what I told him it meant. Because he also refers to this almond meringue as you do. I have also heard this type of meringue called Jocoba (sp)But what you refer to I understand as being Fond de succes
Can you enlighten me on where you found that term used for meringue....You've peaked my interest TIA.
cc

[cape chef]

I'm sorry!!Back to the question.

I make this App called seafood martini. In which I place In a martini glass a little chiffinade of lettuce a couple of 16/20 shrimp a little Maryland crab meat and lobster medallions. I plop a little vodka and lemon sorbet in the middle and a little grated horseradish remoularde sauce.....well one time a customer asked one of the servers to ask the Chef if he could take out the vodka from the sorbet because she didn't drink..Guess what the scary part was? The server actually asked me to do it. I looked at him like I was from outer space,slowly smiled....and said just get a life
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[m brown]

This was the first pastry paper i had to write for RJ Coppage, the great bread and baking instructor at J&W (now at cia). I had no idea where to find it so I asked a sophmore and got the answer, "Look it up!" I must have found it in the Larousse as that was my only source back then. or it was in the avi baking manuals.

but it is almond meringue layers. I have the paper to prove it!!!

[cape chef]

M brown.You never have to prove anything to me! I have a great deal of respect for you.
It is however not in Larousse as a Almond Meringue...it is in Larousse as I stated above. I will keep "looking it up though"
Hey I also went to J&W :
cc

A photo (and recipe) of japonaise meringues (one type, at least) can be found here:
http://www.renshawscott.co.uk/Recipe...gs/mrngfm2.htm

- although I recall having seen a much simpler recipe - just egg whites, sugar, icing sugar, vanilla sugar, a little flour and almond flakes, IIRC.

Japonaise? Gee, that sounds like it should be Japanese Mayo. Maybe Mayo with Wasabi. Eh? Or would that be Wasamayo?

[cape chef]

Nanna, thank you for your research. I have not seen it done that way..but it sounds very tasty....Those little caramel candies look awfully good
cc

[m brown]

Ohmygod! I won the Renshaw Cup a million years ago and part of the prize was a trip to England and weeks seminars at the company headquarters in Mitchum Surry!
Thank you Nanna for posting that site!! I wrote and thanked them!
Wow,

[momoreg]

Japonaise is the almond meringue, as I know it. I never knew about the meat and artichoke one.

I also went to J&W, and Japonaise referred, not only to the meringue, but also the classical torte made with that meringue. Where is my J&W book? I have to find it. Why do I think it had coffee buttercream? Yeah, and it was garnished with a disk of pink marzipan, and ground almonds up the sides? Does this ring a bell for you, mbrown?

By the way, I'm so jealous of anyone who had chef Coppedge. I had Opotzner.

On a sidenote, my assistant (who is 21), garduated from the Connecticut Culinary Institute, and guess who her bread instructor was? Opotzner! That man has a lot of chutzpah! He must be over 80 by now.

[cape chef]

Now how cool is that!!!!!I love the way this whole internet thing works sometimes
M Brown That's quite a presteges award.
I'm not worthy
between you and momoreg, you could rule the world :
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[cape chef]

Ok Ok Ok I get it
Look it up in Larousse! You will see the Asian one I am talking about.....
I truly appreciate your help. You guys are the best....I will leave this thread alone (maybe)Or you guys will ring my Cloche!!
cc

[m brown]

My calculation, Chef Opotzner is 103! He was a dear man and my first bread instructor, I made knot rolls until the cows came home! Coppage was the advanced bread man, he is probibly the sharpest tack I ever encountered when it came to the art of baking bread.
The Japonise torte you refer to is, by my memory correct. For the hallway I worked with Constance Brown the photographer recording each cake ( I visited this past fall and they are still there!). My first food styling gig. good times........................

[momoreg]

In retrospect, did we really have to do that many knot rolls? I think it was maybe a bit of overkill. But he was a sweet, albeit crotchety man. I don't know of Constance Brown. How long did you stay in food styling? I did it for a couple of weeks, for Chocolatier. It was a lot of fun.

[Isa]

There is a recipe for Japonais in the Time-Life book Patisserie. It is a almond meringue, of oval shape. The two disk of meringue are sandwich with a buttercream. The sides are aslso brush with buttercream and rolled in almond pralin. You can also have Japonais rolled in white pralin.

There is no reference of this pastry in the Larousse Gastronomique

A ice cream bomb made of iced green tea and peach ice cream is called Japonaise.