Saturday, April 30, 2011

What's Not to Like?

Demarle's line of unique, flexible, nonstick bake ware is made with a patented process using woven glass coated with food-grade silicone. Combined with the Demarle perforated baking sheet, it cooks evenly, quickly, and beautifully. No one has duplicated the process, though you may have used some products that have tried to do so. 

You may not own Demarle, but you've eaten food prepared in it. Subway bakes bread in Demarle trays. Cheesecake Factory uses the large round mold to make their cheesecakes. Demarle comes with the kit in culinary schools and is used in Five-Star restaurants everywhere.

Top 10 reasons that I am sold on Demarle:

1.      People who own it, LOVE IT! When I ask my new customers how they like their Demarle, the response is an enthusiastic "I LOVE IT!"
2.      It is truly the "chef's secret." For over 40 years, chefs around the world have been baking with it. Only recently has it been available in the USA for use in our family kitchens. 
3.      It is the healthiest way to cook that I know:
·         The food-grade silicone is completely inert. No chemicals leach into your food. That cannot be said for coated nonstick cooking pans or bake ware, plastic storage containers that are reheated in the microwave, and packages that hold microwave popcorn. Annual Kosher certification verifies that claim.
·         The nonstick properties eliminate calories (keep reading).
4.      It is completely nonstick. Cooking and clean-up are a breeze.
·         Never use oil, spray, or flour again to coat your pans! Can you imagine never having to work to clean up a Bundt pan?
·         Baked-on spills come off easily so your Demarle continues to look brand new.
·         Never soak another pan— for an hour or a day. Quick clean-up in warm, soapy water. Casseroles, lasagna, and cheese/egg dishes come out of the pans with ease.
·         Never fill up your dish drainer with Flexipans® or Flexitrays® to dry for hours because water doesn't stick to them, either. Simply shake them dry.
·         The Roupat® allows you to roll out pastry without using flour.
5.      Originally designed for bakeries in France, it makes you look like a pro.
·   The nonstick properties and even cooking caramelizes the sugar in baked goods, creating a coating on cakes that is to die for. You no longer need to cover up a cake with frosting to make it look appetizing. Save calories, too!
6.      It has unrivaled versatility.
·         Use the same pan to bake a roast, make microwave popcorn, bake a cheesecake, bake a cake, and bake lasagna or a casserole. Clean out your cupboards!
·         It tolerates -40° to 480° for use in the freezer, oven, or microwave.
7.      Proportional sizes create portion control and unique storage options.
·         Prepare desserts and dishes in the Flexitrays® to create pre-measured portions.
·         Freeze leftovers (see hockey puck soup) in individual portions for later use.
8.      It is completely guaranteed as long as you follow the guidelines for care.
·         30-day money-back guarantee
·         2-year warranty on Silpats®
·         Life-time guarantee on Flexipans® and Flexitrays®
9.      Care guidelines are easy to follow.
·         Demarle flexiproducts cannot be used with direct heat sources such as a stove-top burner or grill and cannot touch the sides of the oven.
·         You cannot use a knife or metal to cut or serve food because it can pierce the silicone. Food easily slides off the Silpats® or Flexipats® or unmolds from the Flexitrays and molds.
·         You cannot stack heavy items on top of Demarle bakeware because it can cause creases that break the woven glass structure. You can, however, roll them up and store them in ⅓ the space of rigid bakeware.
·         Flexi-products are not dishwasher safe. They wash up quickly in hot, soapy water and shake dry.
10.  The ease of cooking with Demarle lets you enjoy cooking, even if you hate to cook.
·         My customers who hate to cook find the ease of cooking and cleanup makes their time in the kitchen more enjoyable.
·         Those who love to cook spend even more time creating healthy meals and beautiful baked goods for their family and friends.  


You have to see Demarle products to believe them.  
Schedule a no-obligation demonstration with me!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Buddy's Birthday Cake

Buddy requested a red velvet cake for his birthday.

Baked in the flower mold and frosted with cream cheese frosting:














Topped with chocolate ganache:

YUM!












Any red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting recipe will work.
This is the chocolate ganache recipe I use for my cooking workshops:

  1. Heat ½ C. heavy whipping cream in DD stainless on medium heat until it is steaming.
  2. Remove from heat and add 1 C. semisweet chocolate chips.
    Be sure chips are covered by cream.
  3. Let sit for about 5 minutes. 
  4. Stir well with whisk or heat resistant spatula until uniform consistency.
  5. Let it cool until it is quite thick before putting on cake.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Comfort Food

Sometimes the only thing that will satisfy your appetite is a favorite comfort food.  The other day I was craving my mom's original "TV" dinner, a creation made long before Swanson appeared in the stores: a hamburger patty topped with a slice of onion and a cut up potato and carrot, seasoned with salt & pepper, wrapped up in foil, and baked in the oven. 
I no longer use foil because Al3+isn't good for you, and my Demarle Flexipat cooks faster and more evenly.
Here's what it looked like:


Have you tried fixing your favorite comfort food in Demarle?

Friday, March 18, 2011

Breakfast Ideas using Demarle

Chocolate Brownie Eggs
With Easter approaching, you may be planning an Easter Brunch. Special occasions provide an opportunity to prepare special dishes or food that is a treat. The parties I'm doing this month feature our egg-shape tray to make cakes and chocolate eggs.  Call me to schedule your cooking demonstration!


Recently, I experimented with preparing bacon and hash browns using the Flexipat® and Silpat® (no pics, sorry). Not surprisingly, the results were great!

If you set the temperature at 375°, you can also prepare both of these side-dishes (first bacon, and then hash browns) on the bottom rack of  the oven while you cook the chile relleno crust-less quiche.

Oven Bacon
Preparing bacon in the oven with your Flexipat® not only eliminates the need to stand over the stove and turn the bacon strips, it does not smell up the whole house.
  • Preheat oven to 400°
  • Place the Flexipat® on the medium PBS
  • Cut bacon strips in half
  • Position bacon strips on the Flexipat®; some overlap is OK
  • Bake for 15-20 min, depending on desired crispness
  • Remove from oven and use the polyamide spatula to take bacon off  Flexipat®
  • Placing bacon on paper towels removes excess grease
  • Serve and enjoy!
Clean-up: Use paper towels to absorb the bacon grease in the Flexipat® prior to washing.  I am always amazed that I can cook something at a high temperature in the oven with this bake-ware and not have stuck-on food. As always, clean up any spills on your PBS immediately, and it will continue to look brand new.
    Oven Hashbrowns
    This quick and simple idea using prepackaged frozen hash browns makes hash browns that are crisp without frying.  I used the large Silpat® and PBS.
    • Thaw frozen hash browns in refrigerator overnight
    • Preheat oven to 400°
    • Place Silpat® on the appropriate size PBS
    • Toss hashbrowns in Demarle Stainless Steel mixing bowl with enough oil to coat them
      I used grape seed oil because it has a high smoking point and I like the nutty flavor
    • Season with sea salt
    • Spread hash browns on Silpat®, either in individual portions or as one mass. Do not pile too high.
    • Bake for 10-15 min
    • Remove from oven and use the polyamide spatula to remove to serving dish
    • Serve and enjoy!




    Monday, January 17, 2011

    Hockey Puck Soup

    I love to make home-made soup, especially during the winter months. Not only does it warm my tummy after filling the house with tempting aromas, there is much to share or save for later. True comfort food. One of the things that sold me on Demarle products was the idea of  freezing leftovers in the trays, and then storing them in freezer bags. It is so much healthier than using plastic ware that leeches chemicals into foods upon reheating. My favorite is the Round Tray, which holds six 8-ounce portions. The frozen bricks resemble hockey pucks, hence the nickname "hockey puck" soup.


    Here's how you do it:
    1. Place Flexipat tray of choice on the medium perforated baking sheet.
    2. Fill wells with soup.   
    3. Cover with the medium Silpat®
    4. Place in freezer until portions freeze.
    5. Remove from freezer and uncover.
    6. Immediately pop out the frozen hockey pucks and place in a freezer bag.
    7. Store hockey pucks in freezer.
    To reheat, microwave a hockey puck in a bowl covered by the octagonal Silpat® or warm in DD stainless on your stove top over medium-low heat.

    Tuesday, January 11, 2011

    Cheesecake Made Easy

    Over the holidays, I made my first cheesecake using the large round mold that Cheesecake Factory utilizes to bake their product commercially. It is a little intimidating to imagine that you can peel away the flexi-mold and slide the cheesecake out intact, but you can.

    I got this recipe from the internet and modified it, but the result was so tasty that my sister-in-law requested it.  So, I'll share it with you, as well.  The texture is very light for a cheesecake, and the lemon flavor makes for a tart dessert. 

     
    Lucious Lemon Cheesecake

    INGREDIENTS:
    CRUST:
    1 1/4 cups ginger snaps, finely ground (GF: 1 7-oz pkg Pamela's Ginger Mini Snapz)
    3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
    1/4 cup sugar
    1/3 cup butter, melted
    FILLING:
    4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
    1 1/4 cups sugar
    4 large eggs
    juice of 2 lemons
    2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    TOPPING:
    2 cups sour cream (I substituted Mountain High Yoghurt)
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
    1 teaspoon lemon extract
     
    DIRECTIONS:
    1. Combine crumbs, almonds, and sugar in a bowl; stir in melted butter. Press onto the bottom and about an inch up the sides of the large round mold; set aside. 
    2. In a second mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour into crust.
    3. Bake at 350° F for 60 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes while you combine topping ingredients; spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. 
    4. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
    5. Refrigerate overnight. 
    6. Remove from mold by peeling the side of the mold down and sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
    7. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.
     Savor one luscious bite at a time:
     




    Tuesday, January 4, 2011

    The Ease of Cooking with Demarle Products

    I prepared several desserts for a church function this week.  I was thrilled anew with the ease of cooking in  Demarle non-stick flexipans and trays. It is so easy to make batch after batch of muffins, cakes, and cookies.
    • The baked goods pop right out of the pans or slide off the Silpat®
    • The clean up in hot, soapy water goes so fast.  Just shake the tray or mold dry and move on to the next baking project.
    If you haven't tried this amazing product, call me to schedule a show 'n go or a party. Excelled host rewards mean you get extra free product this month.