Adventures at King Arthur Flour, Part Two

Reader Contribution by Sue Van Slooten
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When I last wrote to you, I was threatening to do more shopping at King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vt. The next day, Saturday, I was indeed back again, with another two items on my agenda (besides shopping). This time I wanted to check out the folks from Nielsen-Massey, and Brinna Sands, the last owner of KAF.KAF is now employee owned, which in my opinion explains a lot, like their fantastic attitudes, attention to detail, and eagerness to help. More likely, it could also be that they are a great bunch of people. You must remember with a company as old as KAF, (founded in 1790), they have a lot of history. Brinna has also been the author of several KAF cookbooks, so anything she would have to say, or demo, for that matter, mustn’t be missed.

Neilsen-Massey was first, and if you’ve never taste tested various types of vanilla side by side, you should. There is a huge difference between them. It’s all in the flavor, and you can have the liquids, which are excellent, or the paste, which, well, just give me a spoon. Yummy, even out of the bottle. Now most people probably wouldn’t go as far as this, but it is a product you should try. The company also puts out a fascinating booklet on the history and production of vanilla worldwide, and this booklet (maybe you can get them to send you one), was a true goldmine of information on vanilla. In the end, it’s all about quality. It goes without saying that certain regions or countries produce more, and better, vanilla beans, than others, but it was an excellent primer toward one’s vanilla education.When various food authors, me included, or recipe books call for pure vanilla, please, do use it. The artificial stuff just isn’t worth it. Somehow I ended up with a bottle of the fake stuff, and it literally smelled like flowers. Not too great in your food, though.

Then it was on to see the demo by Brinna. The recipe was the Almond Puff Loaf, and afterwards, when we all were given samples, I’m surprised people didn’t stampede to get more. It’s basically a cream puff pastry, otherwise known as pate a choux, with pie pastry layered on top. Yes, you heard me correctly. That is baked, then jam is spread on top, with a sprinkling of almonds and icing. It literally melts in your mouth. If you own the KAF “Baker’s Companion,” it’s on Page 99. A version (for one loaf, at the demo, we made two, or doubled it) is also online if you search their website for Almond Puff Loaf under recipes. Check it out. Warning:Not for the calorie conscious. Cream puff pastry is something I’ve shied away from, to be honest, thinking it was tricky. Not at all. It is so ridiculously simple, I was shocked. The end result was a pastry to die for, rich, just the right amount of sweetness, and oh, you can’t get enough. If you make nothing else for Christmas this year, make this. 

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