Summer Joy 9: State fair

Yesterday at the State fair, my husband sent me off to the Arts and Crafts building to look at quilts. I detoured into an air conditioned auditorium and found the Ghirardelli Chocolate baking contest. No free samples, but we got baking tips from the moderator, who took questions while the judges tasted.*

She asserted that baking, unlike cooking, is a science. Exact measurements are much more important in baking. Is this arguable?

Parchment paper: She uses it for almost everything except cakes. Don't use it if you want a cookie to spread and flatten out.
Ganache: Use cream and chocolate. Cut chocolate into equal-sized small pieces. Heat the milk until steaming, then add to chocolate. Wait five minutes. Stir with whisk, starting in middle, moving toward outer edges. (The questioner asked how to avoid separation of particles in a ganache.)
Baking time: The moderator never times her baking. When you can smell a creation, it's almost ready to take out. Then you start using a toothpick to check for inner dryness. She said baking times vary greatly because of differences in ingredients and ovens. Most baking times given on cake mix boxes are too long.**
Fudge: The recipes using marshmallow creme are popular and no-fail.
Flour: Don't buy more than you will use in a month or so. (!) Store in airtight container rather than original package.
I have already forgotten how to obtain gritty sugar or crispier cookies. Overcook the first, adjust fat or flour on the second?

This year, Ruth Cahill became the first Arts and Crafts contestant ever to be inducted into the State Fair Hall of Fame. She has been exhibiting food at the fair since the late 1950's. This culture overuses the word "awesome," but I could almost attribute it to this woman.

*The moderator shared that there were many requests for this job.
**I once had a roommate whose boyfriend baked. He never used a timer. He claimed he waited to remove them from the oven until the Holy Spirit told him to take them out.