Gateaux

[Asher Kelman]

Kelman: “Gateaux”
Bottega Louie, Los Angeles
​

Asher

 

[James Lemon]

View attachment 13662

Kelman: “Gateaux”
Bottega Louie, Los Angeles
​

Asher

This image feels too top heavy for me ?

Pastries are bad for cholesterol

• High in saturated and trans fats:
  Pastries often contain butter, shortening, and sometimes hydrogenated oils, which are solid fats that can raise LDL cholesterol.
  
  
• High in sugar:
  The added sugars in pastries can lead to higher blood triglycerides, which are another type of unhealthy blood fat.
  
  
• High in calories:
  Many pastries are dense in calories, which can contribute to weight gain and inflammation, both of which can negatively affect cholesterol levels.
  
  
• Low in nutrients:
  These baked goods often lack essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Kelman: “Gateaux”
Bottega Louie, Los Angeles
Original

​

So here’s the uncropped original! As to nutrition, it’s a treat and part of a rare addition so has no consequence on health!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

This image feels too top heavy for me ?

Pastries are bad for cholesterol

• High in saturated and trans fats:
  Pastries often contain butter, shortening, and sometimes hydrogenated oils, which are solid fats that can raise LDL cholesterol.

Butter does not harm. This restaurant would never use lesser fats! It’s has no added glucose. Fructose might be there from fruit.

• High in sugar:
  The added sugars in pastries can lead to higher blood triglycerides, which are another type of unhealthy blood fat.

Glucose is fine for those who exercise! It’s just a balance of fuel!

• 
  
  
• High in calories:
  Many pastries are dense in calories, which can contribute to weight gain and inflammation, both of which can negatively affect cholesterol levels.

These aren’t “many pastries: just one, “Carrot Cake” to share on a birthday celebration, LOL!

• Low in nutrients:
  These baked goods often lack essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

This restaurant, only uses thr finest fresh I grdients but if one just ate and watched TV, no matter how healthy the diet, one would suffer obesity, hypertension and early demise!

Asher

 

[James Lemon]

Butter does not harm. This restaurant would never use lesser fats! It’s has no added glucose. Fructose might be there from fruit.


Glucose is fine for those who exercise! It’s just a balance of fuel!

These aren’t “many pastries: just one, “Carrot Cake” to share on a birthday celebration, LOL!

This restaurant, only uses thr finest fresh I grdients but if one just ate and watched TV, no matter how healthy the diet, one would suffer obesity, hypertension and early demise!

Ashe

Do you have any others to go with this ?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Do you have any others to go with this ?

Sure!

 

[Jerome Marot]

When I was a kid, "Macarons" were a pastry made of ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. They were soft inside and really good. Only later I discovered that Parisians backers (Ladurée) ruined the concept by presenting them as a sugar glazed sandwich filled with ganache and with garish colours.

 

[Asher Kelman]

When I was a kid, "Macarons" were a pastry made of ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. They were soft inside and really good. Only later I discovered that Parisians backers (Ladurée) ruined the concept by presenting them as a sugar glazed sandwich filled with ganache and with garish colours.

Jérôme,

That’s do good to know as I love almond flavored croissants and other baked goods. Have you come across a recipé for genuine Macarons?

I’ll get my wife to make them happen and report back!

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Have you come across a recipé for genuine Macarons?

In one of the links:

So: as much sugar as almonds, on egg white per 125g of almonds and bake at medium heat.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thanks so much Jérôme!

“On parfume avec diverses essences.”

What do you suggest!

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Orange blossom water is a classic.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Orange blossom water is a classic.

Wow! Who’s have imagined that? Is that a French productions can buy online or at specialty French stores?

 

[Jerome Marot]

I would suppose some is produced in California or Florida, which have lots of orange trees. A quick search shows this site, which reviews some brands available in the USA: https://thishealthytable.com/blog/where-to-buy-orange-blossom-water/

Probably your best bet to get good quality stuff for cheap are supermarkets catering to hispanics.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I would suppose some is produced in California or Florida, which have lots of orange trees. A quick search shows this site, which reviews some brands available in the USA: https://thishealthytable.com/blog/where-to-buy-orange-blossom-water/

Probably your best bet to get good quality stuff for cheap are supermarkets catering to hispanics.

I asked Google Gemini about this sweetener, which until your mention was unknown to me.

“

Why It Isn't Common in American Homes​

This is the most interesting part of your question, because orange blossom water actually used to be common in American kitchens. Its disappearance and replacement tell a story about how American cooking and industry evolved.

The simple answer is that it was replaced by a more practical, potent, and commercially successful product: vanilla extract.

Here is the historical breakdown:

1. Popularity in Early America (1700s - early 1800s): In 18th and early 19th-century England and America, floral waters—primarily orange blossom and rose water—were the dominant "sweet" flavorings. Cookbooks from that era, including early American ones, frequently call for a splash of one or both in cakes, custards, and creams, much as we would use vanilla extract today.
2. The Rise of Vanilla (Mid-1800s): Vanilla, a pod from Mexico, was known but was exotic, expensive, and difficult to use. Everything changed in the mid-19th century when an American pharmacist named Joseph Burnett developed a method to mass-produce stable, liquid vanilla extract.
   
   
   
3. The "Great Replacement": Vanilla extract had several major advantages over floral waters that made it perfect for a growing, industrializing nation:
   • Potency & Consistency: Vanilla extract had a strong, uniform flavor, whereas the quality of floral waters could vary.
   • Shelf-Life: Extract had an almost indefinite shelf life, which was a massive advantage in an age before widespread refrigeration. Floral waters are more delicate.
     
     
     
   • Versatility: Vanilla's flavor proved to be a "universal enhancer," rounding out and deepening other flavors like chocolate, nuts, and fruit without competing with them. Orange blossom water has a very distinct, floral flavor that doesn't blend in as easily.
   • Commercial Appeal: It was a shelf-stable, consistent product that could be mass-produced and shipped across the country, making it ideal for pioneers heading west and for the rise of the processed food industry in the 20th century.

In short, while cuisines in the Middle East and Mediterranean maintained their traditional, delicate flavor profiles, American baking embraced the robust, stable, and industrial-friendly flavor of vanilla extract. Orange blossom water faded from a staple to a specialty, forgotten by mainstream American cooking until its recent re-introduction through interest in global cuisines.”

I wonder why it resisted replacement in Europe or perhaps it has and you are a holdout?

Asher

 

[James Lemon]

In one of the links:

View attachment 13672

So: as much sugar as almonds, on egg white per 125g of almonds and bake at medium heat.

Almonds are a really good source of fibre and protein unfortunately only about 10% of Americans get the recommended daily value of fibre in their diets. One should limit sugar to no more than 36g a day for men about (9 tsp) a day. One tsp of sugar is about 4g. So 125 grammes of sugar is about 31 tsp.

 

[Asher Kelman]

So, James, if you have any gateaux or pastry pictures, post them, calories and fiber be damned, LOL! We want pictures!

[BTW, If you manage to spend an intimate evening with a lovely girlfriend, don’t keep telling her about your conscience! Either absorb the full pleasure or do something else!]

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

I wonder why it resisted replacement in Europe or perhaps it has and you are a holdout?

Vanilla is certainly used in Europe and orange blossom water is not that common.

What your post does not say is that vanilla is an orchid and, as most orchids, dependent on some insect for their reproduction. Vanilla was exported to Reunion Island (old name is "Île Bourbon", hence "Bourbon vanille), but the insect never adapated, so the plants are fecundated manually. This still makes real vanilla expensive.

What your post also ignores is that the molecule giving vanilla its taste (Vanillin) can be synthesized from lignin (available as waste from the paper industry), making it very, very cheap. Most of the "vanilla" in the food industry is artificial.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Vanilla is certainly used in Europe and orange blossom water is not that common.

What your post does not say is that vanilla is an orchid and, as most orchids, dependent on some insect for their reproduction. Vanilla was exported to Reunion Island (old name is "Île Bourbon", hence "Bourbon vanille), but the insect never adapated, so the plants are fecundated manually. This still makes real vanilla expensive.

What your post also ignores is that the molecule giving vanilla its taste (Vanillin) can be synthesized from lignin (available as waste from the paper industry), making it very, very cheap. Most of the "vanilla" in the food industry is artificial.

It is sad that we’d have flavor from waste paper rather than the result of the natural business of insects and fruits of orchids!

Asher