Marla Scissors passed away this morning from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). We extend our deepest sympathy to Marla’s parents and family for their loss.

All of us at Kitchen Conservatory are so fortunate that we had the wonderful opportunity and pleasure of working with Marla. She started working during a December holiday rush and we wanted her to stay and work at Kitchen Conservatory forever. She taught scrumptious cooking classes.

She touched us with her tremendous skill and knowledge of baking and pastry. She was a pleasure to have in the kitchen and she was completely dedicated to the art and skill of pastry. No short-cuts were allowed and only the finest ingredients! We learned so much from working with Marla.

Marla’s best creation was her incredibly flaky croissants. No Parisian patisserie ever baked a better one. These croissants shattered when bit into and then floated in the mouth. It was easy to eat a dozen. In this photo of Marla, she is holding her freshly-baked, soon-to-be devoured croissants. We are attempting to make Marla’s croissants this afternoon at Kitchen Conservatory.

Marla loved the classics in food and her pastries were not overladen with bells and whistles. Why mess with the pure and beautiful flavors of vanilla and chocolate was her philosophy. Here is Marla’s vanilla cake recipe. Yes, she always weighed her ingredients. Making a recipe from a loved one is a wonderful way to honor and cherish the memory of a beautiful soul.

Yellow Cake

• 4 ounces egg yolks
• 1 cup (8.5 ounces) whole milk
• 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups (10.5 ounces) sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

Whisk together the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the chunks of butter and about a third of the liquid. Mix until light and airy on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining liquid in three batches, beating for a minute and scraping down the bowl each time until the batter is smooth and well-emulsified. Divide the batter between two eight-inch cake pans that have been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees until the cake springs back in the middle, about 20 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Chocolate Icing

• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into pieces
• 1 cup (8.5 ounces) heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups (8.75 ounces) granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a stainless steel saucepan, stir the cream and sugar over medium heat until they come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Then stir in the butter and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a stainless steel bowl and place in another bowl filled with ice water. Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula until thick and has the consistency of mayonnaise. Then frost the cake.