lauramacleod1970

Author Archives: lauramacleod1970
- As I watch the sky darken
  
  Posted at 8:25 pm by lauramacleod1970
  
  Jan 12th
  
  We had a much needed break in-between Christmas and New Years. We all forgot about early mornings and last minute orders. We shared presents, meals and wine. Played with the dog. Cooked around snow storms and wind storms. Froze our butts off and ate fruit cake for lunch (don’t worry, kettle chips provided balance to that seemingly poor life choice) Side note: balsamic and green onion kettle chips should be illegal.
  
  Back at it now with renewed zest. I knew I would have to wait until after Christmas to play, and there’s time now. January is land of the gym, not the bakery. So I finally got to see if I could cook macaron in an oven built for bread. And I can, so the oven is as great as I hoped it would be. As much as I stress over paying the rent in the early months of the year, when people are resolving, or not wanting to leave their office because it’s too cold, I need that time to come up with new ideas. Try new recipes. Remember the joy of baking delicious things. That time is now and I hope you enjoy trying new things as much as I enjoy coming up with them. Making macarons was in the very first draft of my business plan, and I finally have the oven to do it. I can’t wait to explore the myriad of combinations they allow. And the colourful shells should lend a bit of light to even the greyest of Halifax winter days, this day, for example.
- Are you done yet…how ’bout now
  
  Posted at 12:10 am by lauramacleod1970
  
  Dec 8th
  
  Out with the old, in (ish) with the new
  
  It was a long day, thank you to all the customers who smiled when we told them there wasn’t any food, just coffee and tea. Who walked around the giant oven blocking our door to hear that statement. Who cheered us on.
  
  The old oven is out the window and the new oven is in, plummed, electrified and ALMOST ready to cook things. There was swearing, there were snags, its me, so I’m also pretty sure there was eye rolling which accompanied “a look”. I repeatedly reminded myself that we need this new oven, that it will make all of our lives and your bread better. Installation during December may not have been perfect timing. But trying to lift a 2900 lb oven over a snow bank in January probably wouldn’t have been great timing either.
  
  Bank loans and bells and whistles. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and buy an oven that is the price of a really nice car. Then keep driving the Prius. I believe in what we’re doing, and you gotta have the tools. Business books, entrepreneurial books, and book club books. Cause you also have to have balance. I am currently out of balance, but when we get that beast fired up tomorrow and start putting food out again, I’m sure it will come back. Please be patient with us (I’m talking to myself as much as my customers).
- So…this doesn’t suck
  
  Posted at 3:58 pm by lauramacleod1970
  
  Nov 28th
  
  Almond pate sucree, hazelnut pastry cream, coffee/milk chocolate whipping ganache
  
  I came in Sunday morning, after attending a very enjoyable Festival of Trees on Saturday night. I was not at the top of my game. I got to bed at around 1am, so the 5am alarm was unwelcome. I made myself a coffee, vowing to get the food for the day in the case, then head home to have a long nap. Here’s the problem with coffee, it wakes you up, even if you don’t want it to. So after I finished the eclairs, the brownies, the key lime, the linzer tortes, the lemon tarts and the rum cakes, I didn’t pack up and run back to bed. I thought to myself, self…what if you took the dough from the linzer torte, added the hazelnut cream from the Paris Brest, and finished it with chocolate ganache. I bet that would be tasty.
  
  So that’s what I did. I made a batch of dough and put it in the individual tart rings and baked them. While they were baking I made the hazelnut pastry cream and the whipping ganache. I added a shot of espresso to me, and to the ganache and popped all of this in the fridge to chill overnight. Then I went home and slept for 4 hours. I’m not exaggerating, for once.
  
  On Monday morning I assembled the three components and it did not disappoint. I have declared it the tastiest thing I have ever made. I really think it is. The moral? Wine+too little sleep+coffee = creativity. I can’t wait until my honey’s staff party Saturday to see what I come up with next.
- From in my head to finished the cake
  
  Posted at 1:49 pm by lauramacleod1970
  
  Nov 24th
  
  Peppermint Forest Cake for The Mental Health Association of Nova Scotia
  
  From concept to completion, things change. Sometimes because I overestimate my level of skill and patience, sometime because it looks better in my head then it does in real life. When I was asked to provide a cake for the luncheon I readily agreed. I like doing over the top cakes and I don’t get to do them very often.
  
  Original concept – almond cake, with white chocolate buttercream, covered with marzipan. All these things happened without a hitch. For the decor – white chocolate trees, snow, and greenery. A super classy, stylish cake. That part sort of went to shit. Firstly, tempering chocolate is something I learned in culinary school, I don’t do it often, but I know how to do it. However, the school had the “chocolate room” a beautifully air conditioned space sealed off from the rest of the class. The downside to this room was that it had a giant window that faced into the dining room and people would watch you. I don’t mind it now, clearly, but at the time, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. My kitchen here has less of a controlled environment. Bringing the temperature of the chocolate down to where it’s supposed to be can be difficult when that number is below the temperature of the room your working in. Long story short, it bloomed, twice, and I had to think of another plan.
  
  I’m not sure how it morphed into something that looks like it was illustrated by Dr. Seuss, but I’m happy that it did. I sprayed the surface of the marzipan with white cocoa spray to give it a bit of snowy texture. I made some peppermint flavoured swiss meringues and dunked them in white chocolate, then dipped them in crushed candy canes. Topped with edible snow flakes, its whimsical and delicious.
  
  Things rarely go as planned, roll with it, sometimes you end up with something better.
- Not ready for my closeup
  
  Posted at 10:58 pm by lauramacleod1970
  
  Nov 16th
  
  In an effort to regain the personal connection I had with the wonderful people who come into my shop everyday, I’m blogging. I used to be upstairs during the morning rush when people came in for their coffee and croissant. Get to chat about the goings-on in Halifax, describe the things I had been making, apologize for the bread coming out so late. When I first opened the bakery, there were just three of us. My daughter Katie, full time caffeine dealer, ad maker, manager of everything – reluctant part-time baker. Madison, barista extraordinaire. And me, chief cook and bottle washer, treading water, burning myself, sleep deprived and excited.
  
  Thankfully there are more hands these days. Katie and I get more sleep. My son, Donald, who we call the oven lord, takes care of all things bread. And if its late coming out now its because he’s a perfectionist. The bread tells you when its ready to go in the oven, not the other way around. Emily, Donald’s lady, followed him to Nova Scotia to help his mom. She is responsible for all of the divine croissants and danishes, sausage rolls and cinnamon buns. He made a good match!
  
  We have had some great people behind our counter, serving you coffee since Madison. Megan makes all of our hearts happy, its impossible to imagine not smiling when she twirls into the room. Maddie and Michael maintain our coffee shop to art school grad ratio beautifully.
  
  Laura H. and I are mostly responsible for the items found in the display case, and thats why i’ve been relegated to the basement, and why I don’t get to chat with y’all very much anymore. I love having all the help, my sanity needed it. But I do genuinely miss seeing everyone.
  
  This Saturday, November 25th, The Old Apothecary, is going to be featured on the Baker Sisters on Food Network Canada. We filmed the episode in August and it’s finally airing. I can’t say I’m excited to see me on TV. But I’m very honoured that the bakery was chosen. Not one person that knows me thinks I’m shy. But if you know me well enough, you know I hide from the camera like its my job. I fear there will be a lot of awkward for me to look past to see the benefit of being on TV. I hope the food speaks for itself. Donald of course was cool as a cucumber. I won’t be wrecked by fame, the producers will not be pounding down my door to offer me my own show, I guarentee I made editing a challenge. At one point, when I was annoyed at being asked the same question for the 10th time, Kate said “mom, your face” – I don’t hide emotions well. TV isn’t my bag baby, so back to writing.
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