Thanks to all of you for your continued support. On our part we will forever try our very best to answer your questions. A lot of the questions today are about additional ingredients added to regular or classic recipes. Read on. 

Q: I love making pastry cream, I thought of adding slices of fresh fruits to my mixture. Can this be done? How about nuts? (Marina of Quezon City)

Jun Jun: I love pastry cream, too. The silky, smooth, and melts-in-the-mouth feel it has when you eat it is so sexy, but adding fresh fruits to this mixture will endanger you and whoever eats it. Pastry cream is extremely perishable and adding fruits to it will increase this state. So, I say no to adding fruits even nuts that have gone through slicing. Hands distribute a lot of microorganisms into an environment. However, you can always put fruits and nuts on top of anything that has pastry cream. 

Adoree: Marina, I just have to say that I love pastry cream, too.  Pastry cream makes a lot of desserts more luscious and delicious.

Pastry cream with fresh fruits is a good combination. You may fold in the fresh fruits after you have made the pastry cream. Same goes with the nuts; you may fold them into the pastry cream after you make the pastry cream.

Q: Can I just add fresh and dried fruits as well as nuts into a basic butter cake recipe? (Angela of Manila)

Jun Jun: Yes, you can since you will still bake it. It will give your butter cake a different flavor. I suggest not using fresh fruits that are watery. Using these types will take you forever to bake your cake and sometimes it results into a pudding.

Dried fruits should always be placed in a hot water bath for 15 to 20 minutes to hydrate it as well as lessen its absorption of water once you bake it. 

Adoree: Dried fruits are a better option for your butter cake though some fresh fruits would also work okay.  Fresh fruits will excrete some liquid so your cake will come out more wet.  Dried fruits will work out better.  Regarding nuts, there will be no problem so just add on.

Q: In making pie dough, can I add some nuts into the basic recipe? (Arlene of Quezon City)

Jun Jun: I don’t really know what type of pie dough you are talking about but you can add nuts into pastry dough. When nuts are finely chopped you can no longer see it in the mixture. You can also use crushed graham crackers. You can put as much chopped nuts as you want, it gives a beneficial effect on the texture of the crust.

Adoree: Yes, you may add nuts to your pie dough. Just chop them finely so your dough will not break as you roll it out.

Q: Hi Jun Jun and Adoree, is it fine to put food coloring on all icing most especially boiled icing?

Jun Jun: Yes, you can put color in any of your icing. Just don’t add too much that it will change the color and the taste of the icing. Keep it to a minimum so that changes can still be made. 

Adoree: Yes, you may color your icing most especially boiled icing, buttercream, and whipped cream icing.

Recipe: Praline Truffles

Ingredients
2 cups milk couverture
¾ cups cream
3/8 cups butter
3/8 cups cocoa butter, finely chopped
3/8 cups praline paste
¼ cups skinless hazelnut, toasted and chopped
 
Procedure
• Bring cream to a boil.
• Remove the cream from heat. Stir in chocolate and cocoa butter.
• When the mixture is cooled to 90 degrees, Stir in praline paste and butter.
• Using Glad Cook ‘n' Bake paper, scoop the mixture at 10 g each.
• Refrigerate before rolling to the chopped toasted hazelnut.

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