Alice Mudlaff Sweetness by Alice blog

My Life as a Pastry Cook/Chef

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Alice Mudlaff | 0 Comments

Hello Friends,

Hope you are well!

I am often asked about changing my career path and how I ended up in pastry school. This week's installment of Ask Alice Fridays is a continuation of last week's where I explained how I decided to go to pastry school. This week I wanted to take some time to describe what I did after graduation. My chef in pastry school said after graduation, we should take the five years to figure out exactly what discipline of pastry we wanted to focus on (chocolates, cakes, breads, candies, etc.) and to work for as many chefs as we could to learn as much as possible. I took his advice and I am glad I did.

Here is my journey...

Update/announcement: I have just upgraded to a new version of this blog platform and working through all the kinks. The coding is giving me some grief, but hopefully the content is still appealing even though it isn't as flashy looking this week. I should have this all figured out by next week.

Dear Alice,

I heard you went to pastry school and I am interested in knowing more about how you decided to go and what to expect after graduation. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Aspiring Mind Wants to Know

Part Deux :

Dear Aspiring Mind Wants to Know,

Last week I left off explaining how much I absolutely loved my pastry curriculum and even more the practical aspect of making pastries. I throughly enjoyed just about everything about school. I worked and studied harder than I ever had previously. I think that says a lot for anyone. If you can truly love the "work" than you are probably on the right track.

As a part of our course work we had required externships at local restaurants, hotels, bakeries. I landed myself in a small, family-owned restaurant that had a very unreliable staff. By the time I left I was not only making the desserts and breads, but also running lunch service side by side with the chef. I made everything from french fries to sautéed pastas. It certainly wasn't what I signed up for, but looking back I wouldn't change a thing as I probably learned more than any other person in my class. Not only how to prepare the food, but also what it takes to run a restaurant. Things like what happens when your dishwasher doesn't show up? What if the food delivery is late and you have no meat for lunch service? What if the air conditioning in the dining room is broken? As a restaurant owner it isn't enough just to make good food, you have to be ready for anything.

After graduating, I stayed at the restaurant for a while before I decided I wanted to learn more. I left Maryland and headed to Chicago where I worked at a fine dining French restaurant. I came in thinking I knew a ton from school and from my previous job, but quickly realized I knew nothing, was slow and was deemed by others as very "green." Working here came with high expectations. The food had to be perfectly prepared and perfectly plated each and every time. No excuses. I struggled under pressure, the pace and skill necessary was daunting, and I questioned if I was cut out for this type of career. Very slowly and with each new day, I became more skilled and faster and looked forward to going to work again. My biggest issue was that we were paid mostly "in experience" and not so much monetarily. So much so that during this time I also worked at Starbucks to help pay my bills. Working close to 90 hours a week was exhausting and hard to keep up with. After I learned all I thought I could, I asked my chef for some advice. Where should I go next (to learn AND maybe make some money)? At first, we tossed around the idea of working abroad. My chefs had plenty of connections in France, but with no savings and limited language skills, he suggested Las Vegas instead. The casino pastry kitchens are filled with extremely talented French chefs, but they also have much, much larger budgets and can afford to pay well.

So off to Vegas to work at the Bellagio I went. I still can't believe I moved to Las Vegas and lived there for over a year. It was an experience to say the least and while I never exactly felt like I fit in nor enjoyed living there, I am forever grateful that I took a chance on myself and went. I worked a ton and took on as many overtime hours as I could handle. I learned how to increased my speed and production levels even more. I was exposed to new, amazing techniques and grew more confident in my craft.

From Vegas I headed back home to Milwaukee where finding a good fit for me would be a challenge. After working for the best of the best, I needed to be surrounded by people that pushed me and had the same passion for hard work and good food. It took a couple tries, but I eventually started working for another talented chef at his restaurant. I loved the restaurant work and the team there; a true family-owned business with good food and good people. I was lucky to be a part of that team for the time I was there. But then my passion for cakes took over and I took on another risk - starting my own business.

With the help of the love of my life, an entrepreneur himself, Sweetness by Alice was born. I did tastings with a couple of local event planners and had a great website built and soon, the orders start flooding in. I had no idea my cakes would be so well received or that I would get as many requests as I did. It was a very scary, but exciting time. I worked round the clock making cakes, doing tastings, answering emails, accounting, etc. Sooner than I anticipated it became time to decide, what was next - go big and build the business or take a step back and regain some balance in my life? A move to the mountains of North Carolina was on the table at the time, so I took a step back.

Somedays I miss working in professional kitchens; the stress, the sweat, the tears, the cuts and burns. But most days, I feel like the luckiest person alive. Sweetness has evolved and now allows me to use other skills that I enjoy a great deal and better yet, allows for a life/work balance I have been lacking for past 10 years. I hope that this version of Sweetness by Alice will grow and possibly include an edible product or two down the line. In the meantime, I so enjoy this space of sharing recipes and tidbits that I find interesting. I couldn't have dreamt that my life and career would take so many turns, but I am forever grateful that I followed my dreams and interests.

Never stop learning or listening to those little voices in your head regarding things that fill you with joy.

Have a great weekend!

best,

alice.

Posted in baking, balance, cooking, life change, new direction, sweetness, whimsy

Aspiration Friday

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Alice Mudlaff | 0 Comments

Hello Friends,

Hope you are well!

I am often asked about changing my career path and how I ended up in pastry school. This week's installment of Ask Alice Fridays is a little bit of how it all happened.

I feel so blessed that I was able to take a leap of faith and follow a passion. When I think about my time in pastry school, I think a lot about my pastry classmates and how it was filled with people following a passion. Our class was composed of a former attorney, a grant writer, a software guru, a retired Marine, and about 12 others that decided to make a change to do something they have always loved.

Might the world be a better place if we all found our passion?

Dear Alice,

I heard you went to pastry school and I am interested in knowing more about how you decided to go and what to expect after graduation. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Aspiring Mind Wants to Know

Dear Aspiring Mind Wants to Know,

Thanks for your question. If you don't mind, I am going to make this a two part answer. The second part will be posted next week as I tend to get a little long winded from time to time with regard to this topic.

After graduating from college, I found myself pretty lost and knew something was missing. I had a degree in Education and wasn't even sure I was cut out to be a teacher. I wanted to love going to work everyday, instead of dreading it.

I started working part time for a catering company thinking I could possibly leave my day job for a career in event planning. Instead of learning the ins and outs of how to plan a party, I found myself constantly asking the chefs in the kitchen about the desserts they were making. Things like; "how do you make lemon curd, how do you get the buttercream so smooth and perfect, and what's chiffon cake?"

Then, it all clicked. When I was younger, I was always wanting to bake. When with my friends, I was always suggesting we bake cakes instead of riding bikes. When babysitting (after the kids would fall asleep of course) I would be writing down recipes from copies of Good Housekeeping instead of watching TV programs I wasn't allowed to watch at home. How and why I did not recognize I wanted to do this all along I have no idea, but I immediately started researching pastry schools until I found one that was a good fit.

Once I was there I absolutely loved the curriculum. Even more than the curriculum, I love the practicums. I got a rush from folding doughs, frosting cakes, and spinning ice creams. I knew I had made the right choice. Although, I will say I did not appreciate all the weight I gained. I blame the danish.

Next week, I will fill you in on where I headed next.

Until then, happy weekend!

best,
alice.

Posted in baking, balance, life change, new direction, sweetness, whimsy

sweeten up

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Alice Mudlaff | 1 Comment

Hello Friends,

Happy Friday I hope this finds you well! Today's ASK ALICE FRIDAYS question is quite appropriate considering the temperatures are on the rise (albeit a bit faster in some parts of the country versus others). Warmer weather = the return of iced, cold beverages! This should help bring a little bit of "sweetness" to your ice teas, mojitos or iced coffees.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. - I am attempting to teach myself to code. It is a work in progress, but I am excited to be learning a few things. Please bare with me and let me know if you have any technical difficulties viewing this post. I have newfound respect for all my programming friends out there - I am in awe of what you do on a daily basis!

Dear Alice,

What is simple syrup? Is it really just sugar and water?

Sincerely, Simply Inquiring

Dear Simply Inquiring,

Simple syrup is made from equal parts of sugar and water and is a great addition to any bar or coffee station. I try to have it on hand when I making cocktails and ice tea because trying to dissolve sugar in a cold drink doesn't always end up well. You are often left with a pile of sugar at the bottom of your drink and the last sip if always too sweet.

I make at least 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water because attempting to make a smaller batch can result in a thicker syrup if you don't watch it very closely. You should keep in mind the thicker the syrup means the sweeter it will be and the less you want to use.

To make your own batch combine equal parts sugar and water in a clean saucepan. Gently simmer until all the sugar has dissolved. Completely cool and store in an airtight glass jar. The simple syrup should last for approximately one month.

Feel to get creative with your simple syrups as well - add fresh mint leaves for a minty syrup (perfect for all your mojito and julep needs) or if want some spice, add a jalapeño. Citrus zest, ginger, and spices work well too. Just be sure to start out conservatively when making your cocktails - you can always add more, but it is difficult to recover to a good ratio if you've been too generous. If you add these perishable items just be sure to keep an eye on the syrup as your shelf life might be less than a month.

Enjoy your day!

Best,

alice.

Posted in beverages, cocktails, cooking, homemade, spring, sweetness, whimsy

tupelo honey roasted almonds with a kick

Posted on May 08, 2013 by Alice Mudlaff | 1 Comment

Hello Friends,

I have been working on and off on a recipe that I wanted to post here for weeks. Yes, weeks. Sadly, it isn't edible yet. I keep trying different methods of working through it, but it ends up tasting burnt every single time. Hopefully one of these days the stars will align and it will be post worthy. It is strange how some times recipes take weeks to perfect and other times they come together seamlessly.

Just when I was about to kick my oven in frustration, our neighbors kindly gifted us with some Tupelo honey. I put the failed recipe on the back burner (literally; right then and there) and dove in head first working another recipe. Maybe it was the change of pace or maybe the ingredients just spoke to me, either way the latter recipe is post worthy. It is also worthy of making an appearance in your snack routine or on your coffee table next time you entertain friends and family.

I added some cayenne to contrast the sweetness of the honey, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.

Tupelo Honey Roasted Almonds with a Kick

1 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted almonds

1/4 cup honey*** (I used Tupelo honey, but just about any honey should work. Keep in mind if you use a floral noted honey, it will reflect those flavors and you may wish to omit the cayenne and reduce the salt a bit). (*** tip: When measuring honey, very lightly grease the measuring cup with vegetable oil or lightly coat with cooking spray. It will slide out with a lot more ease. The same tip works with molasses or any heavy, sticky liquid.)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 pinches cayenne (more or less per your preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather all your ingredients, a parchment lined sheet pan, an extra piece of parchment or silpat, and a sauté pan. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, cayenne pepper and set aside. Place honey in sauté pan. Gently warm or "melt" honey over low heat until liquified and runny. Add roasted almonds and stir to completely coat. Carefully pour honey glazed almonds into a single layer onto parchment lined sheet pan, scraping residual honey onto top of almonds. Place into oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until honey has reached an amber to dark amber color. Carefully remove from oven. Let sit for 1 minute and then toss in sugar mixture until completely coated. Pour onto a clean piece of parchment or clean silpat and allow to fully cool. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

(I snapped a picture when the almonds were almost ready, but decided to throw them back in for just a few minutes. The color you are aiming for is marked with an asterisk.)