• Profile photo of Leonardo Cartes

      Leonardo Cartes posted an update

      a year ago

      Babka bread

      Banana brioche, filled with cinnamon paste with chocolate and almond praline

      I have been thinking for some time about how to make this publication and I wanted to hang on to a method that I apply in my business and that has led me to innovate in many aspects, to make a couple of publications that the community has liked

      It is well known that many chefs always have a notebook with them, a notebook that they can never be without, where they write down ideas, recipes that they are testing, notes that serve as a guide in their day to day work

      When I was at university, there were two things, two phrases that I will never forget and that have led me to innovate

      The first one is related to the notebook and a professor told us that we should always write down what we were doing because he used to make desserts at home without using measurements and many times he came up with masterpieces that later he could not replicate

      The second was when a teacher told us that he did not understand how we could make a vanilla and chocolate flan, but we panicked if he asked us to make a spinach or carrot flan if the theoretical basis was the same

      Without beating around the bush, the method I use in my business is to have 3 notebooks

      The first notebook is a war notebook, where you write down your thoughts on the air, where you adapt the recipes, where you write down the things you have to do during your shift

      The second notebook is where you find the way to realize that idea, the notebook with spelling mistakes, with scratches, with all those notes and parameters to consider, the improvements and changes you are making. The second notebook will be a learning log

      The third notebook will be where you will make the final analysis, that notebook will be tidy, without scratches, without spelling mistakes, with a legible handwriting

      The third notebook will be the culmination of trials and errors, where you will find all the parameters to consider to elaborate a recipe, the how and the why

      The third notebook is the guide for standardization, the basis for writing a data sheet

      The images I attached are from the first booklet where I adapted the proportion of the puff pastry alfajores

      The second notebook where I saw the variants to consider to make a banana brioche

      The third notebook where is the final reflection for the elaboration of a pair with seed crust with sourdough

      Translated from Spanish
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      Maria Belen Tassino, Mercedes Minaya Palacios and 3 others
      7 Comments
      • Level: level 3 sous 3 Sous Chef

        Eso tiene pintaza y tiene que ser toda una delicia. Me apunto la idea de los 3 cuadernos, me ha parecido muy interesante.

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        • This is such a thoughtful and inspiring reflection—not just on your banana brioche babka, which sounds absolutely divine with its cinnamon, chocolate, and almond praline—but on the creative process itself. Your three-notebook method is brilliant: it honors spontaneity, embraces experimentation, and ultimately builds a foundation for consistency and growth.
          I especially love how you’ve woven in those university lessons—how innovation often comes from challenging assumptions and documenting the journey. Your approach is a masterclass in culinary discipline and artistic freedom. Thank you for sharing not just the recipe, but the philosophy behind it. It’s a gift to the community.

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        • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

          ¡Querido Leo! Qué regalazo nos hiciste con esta publicación 🧡 Es de esas que se leen con el alma y se guardan en favoritos para volver.

          El nivel de detalle en tus apuntes, el registro fotográfico del proceso, la honestidad en la escritura… todo vibra alto. Ver cómo cada cuaderno refleja una etapa del pensamiento creativo (desde lo experimental hasta la estandarización) no solo emociona, también inspira. La estética visual que lograste en las fotos del babka –con ese laminado tan expresivo y la miga perfectamente definida– transmite oficio, técnica y disfrute. No es solo una pieza horneada, es una narrativa.
          ¿Qué valoras más en una buena bitácora de cocina? ¿Lo visual, lo técnico o ese “algo más” que no se puede explicar pero se siente al releerla?✨ Yo aquí veo mucho “algo más”. Gracias por compartir.

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          • @soldamiani si tuviera que escoger diría que es el poder entenderlo cuando lo vuelvas a leer

            Cuando haces el segundo cuaderno no debes pensar en que alguien más lo leerá, eso te da libertad de rayar, dibujar, entrelazar de una forma que para otros podrían parecer jeroglíficos, pero tú entiendes

            Porque incluso si pasan los años y habías olvidado esa receta, al principio parecerá raro, pero será tu propia escritura, sabrás que hay un orden, un cómo y porqué haces las cosas y podrás llegar al mismo pensamiento que cuando la escribiste

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            • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

              @leonardo-cartes Excelente punto. Con la práctica ya te aseguras de tener tu propia simbología para no perder tiempo en el momento de plasmar al papel. Gracias de nuevo por compartir.

              Comenté con el SEO de Scoolinary tu post y me sugirió que probaras subiendo a Scooly las fotos de tus cuadernos para ver si encuentra sugerencias para darte. Con probar… Así vamos viendo qué tal responde a cosas más específicas y si cabe, realizamos mejoras. Si quieres, nos cuentas.

              Abrazo

          • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

            ¡Qué delicioso se ve todo Leonardo! Me encanta la idea de los cuadernos, no lo había pensado, pero tiene sentido porque algunas veces pasa que hago algo rico y después no me acuerdo cómo lo hice 😅. Gracias por compartir!!

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