Meet Jay.

Recent culinary school graduate.  Came into the studio for some fresh & contemporary head shots for his blog & web.

Please enjoy images from his session &  brief interview with Jay

(and make sure to scroll to end of post for a delicious recipe!)

What inspires you daily?

I like to try new and different things, and pictures of my friends things push me harder to try and do better things myself. I also prefer to do something new verses something safe.

What are your most essential tools & why?

The things I use the most are an electric scale, because weight is so much more accurate than volume. For example with flour if a recipe calls for a cup of flour the weight varies greatly weather the flour is loosely packed or is tightly packed which will through off the whole recipe. Another thing I use a lot is a silicon spatula. They don’t melt or burn, they can stand up to over 500°F temp. which is higher than home ovens go, and they are flexible to scrape out all the goodness.

Where do you like to go eat pastry locally?

Hereghty Patisserie is my favorite pastry shop. It’s a European sweet shop which is big on flavor, and lite on sweet. Not like all those cloyingly sweet, heavy, and one note American desserts where all you really taste is sugar. Also they great coffee from what some of my friends have said. I don’t drink coffee; I use it as an ingredient a lot though.

What are your favorite flavor combinations?

Cardamom and orange, cherry and pistachio, and caramel and rum. I cook with alcohol a lot to boost flavor, and it adds a nice sensory perception of warmth especially to cold desserts.

What pastry are you known for?

The two things I’m best at are breads and chocolate, but I am best known for great bread.

There is a really good German Christmas cookie called a Spritz cookie. It’s my favorite cookie.

2/3 C Butter

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 C Hazelnut Flour

1 egg white

2/3 C Cake Flour, sifted

A Pinch of Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Salt, Cardamom

Blend soft butter and sugar on medium speed with paddle attachment until smooth.  Add egg white and vanilla; scrape down bowl, making sure the mixture is smooth.  On low speed, mix in flours and spices until just blended. Pipe with a star tip into rosettes (1 ½ in), and squish the center with your thumb. Fill the center with raspberry jam (any jam will do, raspberry is traditional, but you might try orange marmalade)

Bake at 375°F until lightly brown.They’ll be soft when they come out but will crisp up when cool.

Enjoy!!

~Kathy

Now booking custom head shot & *NEW* personal branding sessions through DECEMBER 2015

Please inquire:919-538-8987  or  kathy@kathyhowardphotography.com

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