BOBBY LLOYD LOVES HIS WORK. THE PRESIDENT AND THE MAIN BAKER OF MAGNOLIA BAKERY EVERY DAY IS CARRYING OUT BAKING POPULAR NEW YORK CUPCASES, CAKES AND PIES. IN DECEMBER, LLOYD TOGETHER WITH BLOOMINGDALE'S HOME STORE IN DUBA INVITED FANS OF PRESENTATION-TASTING OF CAKES ON UNIQUE HOUSE RECIPES. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO THE RUSSIAN EMIRATES JOURNAL, BOBBY DISCLOSED THE SECRETS OF THE BEST CONDITIONS OF THE WORLD AND SHARED THE RECIPE OF A FAVORITE DESSERT.
You are one of the most famous bakers in the world ... How did it all begin?
Bobby Lloyd: It sounds incredible, but I started baking professionally when I was eight years old. We often cooked with our family. Together with mom, grandmother and great-grandmother. And once I wanted to take a cooking course. And mom wrote me down on them. Of course, for the little girl the program was reduced! But it was the courses that helped me determine my choice of profession and understand who I want to become and what to do in life.
Why is baking so attractive to you?
Bobby Lloyd: It seems to me that today only the lazy does not cook! However, there are not so many professional bakers. I like to cook. For me, this is a way to relax. Baking is my expression. I grew up in Chicago, but I was educated at the School of Contemporary Cooking in Boston. There I decided on my passions and specialization.
Hollywood is constantly confronting chefs - men and women. And what happens in real life?
Bobby Lloyd: In Europe, of course, the ball is still run by male chefs. However, in the United States in recent years, more and more women have become chefs.
You got to the stove at an early age! What exactly was baked?
Bobby Lloyd: Apple Pie!
I grew up in a house with a large garden.
We grew berries, vegetables and fruit trees. And my mother always used only fresh homemade apples, as well as the Betty Crocker recipe for making the best apple pie. By the way, the recipe book from Betty Crocker was very popular in the postwar years.
What about Martha Stewart or Julia Child? Indeed, unlike Betty Crocker, these are real characters!
Bobby Lloyd: Oh, yes! And add that Child just brilliantly played Meryl Streep! But mother respected recipes from Crocker!
Do you have a favorite movie about culinary art?
Bobby Lloyd: For example, I adore The Big Night by directors Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. I am always amused and inspired by this film. Still love the "Good Guys." Especially the scene where the heroes of Martin Scorsese cook dinner with improvised products - this is just a masterpiece and very vital!
Do you think baking is a science or art?
Bobby Lloyd: For me it is, of course, science! And she does not tolerate approximate numbers. Everything is very clearly calculated - in quantity and in time. For example, I do not decorate my cakes. This is done by special masters, by the way, who are able to create magnificent jewelry from sugar glaze or thick cream.
And my main task is to create new original baking recipes.
And here the scientific approach is important! For example, I need to understand how and for what this or that ingredient is suitable. So, white sugar makes baking more crispy, and cane, on the contrary, makes it soft. In my opinion, baking differs from cooking in that it is very difficult to predict the result here until the last moment! So I read so much about it.
For example?
Bobby Lloyd: One of my favorite handbooks is called How to Bake Properly: Learning the Basics of Baking Science. This is truly fundamental work! And if I need to learn something about eggs, then I just open a specific chapter and find in it everything about each ingredient, food processes and reactions.
Your favorite pastry is apple pie. Why?
Bobby Lloyd: Do not get tired of experimenting with him! Be it a regular apple "Charlotte", a pie with meat or homemade cakes with seasonal vegetables or fruits.
There are millions of ways to make dough and as many recipes for toppings! By the way, the method of making the pie can be called health-improving. You have to work with your hands, and creation is always useful!
Have you ever cooked in the field?
Bobby Lloyd: Yes and more than once! It's funny, but one of the stories is related to the preparation of an old, good cake! Once my friends and I set up a camp in nature, and I was asked to cook a special dish. Of course, I did not have my favorite measuring cups and tools. But there were the necessary ingredients and insanely delicious "mountain apples". My daughter and I made something in the form of small pies and put them next to the fire. After a couple of minutes, everything was ready!
Perhaps this seems silly to some, but it is ordinary things that are most difficult to do professionally and well. The same Julia Child once said that "the degree of skill of the cook is determined by two dishes - fried chicken and omelette." It seems to me that the third in this list must be a pie! It has only four ingredients: flour, butter, water and a little salt. But only a few are able to make the simplest dessert right!
What recipes do you use most often?
Bobby Lloyd: Everything we do at Magnolia Bakery is based on my mom’s home recipes. Therefore, do not look for frills and difficulties with us - everything is delicious and simple at home!
Do you have a dream? What would you like to start cooking at Magnolia Bakery?
Bobby Lloyd: Ice Cream! I would like to create his most unusual combinations. For example, Banana Pudding ice cream or ice cream with spices and lemon zest. Our bakery is small, but I hope that soon we will begin to offer additional desserts!
