tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64620634876903706032024-03-12T23:31:21.604-07:00Expecting a Chilli ReceptionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-47663386026958642072018-04-10T15:41:00.000-07:002018-04-10T15:41:10.714-07:0016th Century Pizza<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInM7RfmHk_HiPp1PspM8tWYXCD49LSYkNLbbSH9xNy6nHsW07ALdbSj_f7AFS3Wf_fi0m9CJlll2t7BtKPd9i8FMo-beqJp-BQMeeDCDT8-AOafYSu-gVdvlB5QO7oe2PauvUJFTkG1RQ/s1600/16th+century+pizza1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="16th century pizza from Bartolomeo Scappi" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInM7RfmHk_HiPp1PspM8tWYXCD49LSYkNLbbSH9xNy6nHsW07ALdbSj_f7AFS3Wf_fi0m9CJlll2t7BtKPd9i8FMo-beqJp-BQMeeDCDT8-AOafYSu-gVdvlB5QO7oe2PauvUJFTkG1RQ/s320/16th+century+pizza1.jpg" title="16th century pizza" width="320" /></a>As some may remember, I participate in a medieval and renaissance re-creation group, the <a href="http://sca.org/" target="_blank">SCA</a>. For a recent event, I tried re-creating a recipe for pizza found in the late 16th century cookbook, <i>Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi</i>.<br />
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Scappi was something of a celebrity chef of the day, having been personal chef to several popes. He includes a number of recipes for pizza, none of which look remotely like modern pizza. They are all flat dough or pastry, but there is no tomato sauce. They are mostly topped with fruit or nuts, though one, the 'lady lips' pizza, has a kind of fruit and pigeon sausage.<br />
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The one I chose to do translates as 'dry pastry pizza'. It is a loaf of stacked thin sheets of a rich raised dough, so falls somewhere between a torte, puff pastry, and a loaf of bread. It is thin layers of dough, with melted butter, sugar, and orange blossom water in between. Texturewise, it is probably closest to a cinnamon roll.<br />
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My redaction references two recipes from the Opera di Bartolomeo Scappi. Both are from Book V. The first, recipe 128, describes the procedure for assembling the pizza. It references a previous dough. Recipe 126 has a recipe for a dough, which is presumably what is referred to in recipes 127 and 128.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i>128. To prepare flaky pizza, popularly called sfogliata asciutta.</i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Get a sheet of dough that is rolled out thin and made as the previous one. </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have a torte pan ready, greased with melted butter, and on the pan put a rather </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>thick sheet of that dough, and on that put ten more thin sheets, greased between</i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>each with butter and sprinkled with sugar and elderflower, dry or fresh. Bake it in </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>an oven or braise it. When it is done serve it with sugar and rosewater over it.</i><br />
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<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>126. To prepare a twist with the pastry leaves concealed.</i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Make a dough of two pounds of fine flour with six egg yolks, four ounces </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>of breadcrumb that has soaked in either goat’s milk or a fat broth, an ounce and a </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>half of leaven moistened with rosewater, three ounces of fine sugar, a suitable </i><br />
<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Amount of salt, and four ounces of butter. Knead the dough for half an hour. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfY2NOW5FBdhfT8sHTa3HzSAu6P0gw7VkNhscwmjPzHETgRnM_6siOpkwxlbDR7Ilsl-1kTUoS1PfzOPMr9BtdEkbunf0zU_2XmTvKCaKCen_cz18jWGygvz80jyEYA17FcCi2j1eTGj9/s1600/16th+century+pizza5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="16th century pizza from Bartolomeo Scappi" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfY2NOW5FBdhfT8sHTa3HzSAu6P0gw7VkNhscwmjPzHETgRnM_6siOpkwxlbDR7Ilsl-1kTUoS1PfzOPMr9BtdEkbunf0zU_2XmTvKCaKCen_cz18jWGygvz80jyEYA17FcCi2j1eTGj9/s320/16th+century+pizza5.jpg" title="16th century pizza" width="320" /></a>For this redaction, I did not have elderflower available so substituted orange blossom water. Not knowing how much goat milk to use, I started by soaking the breadcrumbs in 8 oz. but had to add 6 more oz. to get a workable dough.</div>
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<h3>
Recipe</h3>
<div>
<div>
32 oz. all purpose flour</div>
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6 egg yolks</div>
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4 oz. fine bread crumbs</div>
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14 oz. goat milk</div>
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3 oz. sugar plus ¾ cup for sprinkling between layers</div>
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1 ½ oz. instant yeast</div>
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1 oz. rosewater</div>
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2 oz. warm water</div>
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4 oz. butter, softened plus 6 oz. melted for brushing layers</div>
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2 tsp. Salt</div>
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2 oz. orange blossom water</div>
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Night before, combine bread crumbs with 8 oz. goat milk. Let soak in refrigerator overnight. </div>
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Moisten yeast with rosewater and water. Let stand 10 minutes.</div>
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Mix together flour, soaked crumbs, 6 oz. goat’s milk, yeast mixture, 4 oz. softened butter, 3 oz. sugar, and salt. Knead on a lightly floured marble surface for 30 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Round, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and place in a warm place. Allow to rise for an hour, or until doubled in volume. </div>
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Punch down dough, allow to rest for 5 minutes.</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 F.</div>
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Line the bottom of a 9” x 3” spring form pan with baking parchment, and then lightly grease the pan.</div>
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Roll out a portion of the dough to ¼” thick. Cut to size with a pizza cutter. Place dough in pan. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and orange blossom water.</div>
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Do the same for 10 more sheets, but roll out as thin as possible.</div>
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Bake for 50 minutes, or a skewer inserted to the bottom comes out clean.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-22856592173951627982018-04-10T13:37:00.002-07:002018-04-10T13:37:54.965-07:00Back to BloggingHey all!<br />
<br />
I know it has been awhile. After graduating from culinary school, and getting active trying to build my <a href="https://www.epicuriositiescatering.com/" target="_blank">catering business</a>, I kinda dropped the ball here.<br />
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I will be trying to post a recipe every week or so, so keep and eye out!<br />
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Happy eating!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-3846567705488490522016-04-05T16:29:00.001-07:002016-04-05T16:29:17.459-07:00Official Graduation EvaluationI received my official graduation evaluation in the mail. Everything is on track to graduate in June with Associate of Science degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry. Assuming I pass this semester's classes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-85454072377413480372016-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:002016-04-05T14:40:52.468-07:00Smoked Gouda with Bacon and Chicken Mac and CheeseI've not always been the biggest fan of baked macaroni and cheese. Many times, the cheese flavor is just utterly underwhelming. I think two things contribute to this. First, is using a cheese that doesn't bring much flavor to the party, like mild cheddar or American. Second, not using enough cheese in the sauce.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Umu-ffEudllhaQHNtvK64hjYYtOB3LXekUWCNSIgDigpHXlXElWQKJWpjtZPrrp2sT6s5mUH7g-G9q1Kxt3AZwVwtkA0nh-8Qlv_ewoy4Snpc_Kyen-6D4crl2ZL19IjaK41vutVN5eS/s1600/20160404_190446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Umu-ffEudllhaQHNtvK64hjYYtOB3LXekUWCNSIgDigpHXlXElWQKJWpjtZPrrp2sT6s5mUH7g-G9q1Kxt3AZwVwtkA0nh-8Qlv_ewoy4Snpc_Kyen-6D4crl2ZL19IjaK41vutVN5eS/s320/20160404_190446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I prefer to use a strongly flavored cheese, like an extra sharp cheddar, or a smoked Gouda. In this case, I had a some <a href="http://www.yanceysfancy.com/flavored-cheeses">Yancy's Fancy Smoked Gouda with Bacon.</a><br />
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It's a nice semi-hard cheese that grates easily, and melts smoothly.<br />
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The process is fairly straight forward. You cook pasta to al dente, make a bechemel sauce and add cheese, then mix together, top with bread crumbs, and bake. I added some cooked chicken breast to make it a bit more main dishy.<br />
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To go with, I rough chopped some kale,and braised it in a little porter, seasoned with sea salt and some Trader Joe's Flower Pepper.<br />
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<h4>
Smoked Gouda with Bacon and Chicken Mac and Cheese</h4>
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10 oz. egg noodles</div>
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3 Tbsp. butter</div>
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3 Tbsp. flour</div>
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1 tsp. powdered hot oriental mustard</div>
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3 cups cream</div>
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2 medium shallots, minced</div>
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1 tsp. hot smoked paprika</div>
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15 ounces smoked Gouda with bacon, grated</div>
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1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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<i>Topping:</i></div>
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3 tablespoons butter</div>
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2/3 cup bread crumbs</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 350 F.</div>
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In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles to al dente. Drain and set aside.</div>
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In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and mustard to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly, until pale blond in color. Add shallots, cook briefly. Add cream and paprika. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Add half of the cheese. Whisk until cheese is melted and smoothly incorporated. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. </div>
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In a ceramic lined cast iron dutch oven, combine noodles, sauce, and chicken. Add remaining cheese on top. </div>
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In a small pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs, Cook, moving continuously, until lightly toasted.</div>
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Spread toasted crumbs evenly over top of casserole.</div>
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Bake uncovered for ten minutes, then cover and bake for another 20 minutes.</div>
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Remove from oven and remove cover. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-47596324504392732282016-03-28T12:11:00.000-07:002016-03-28T12:11:13.332-07:00Porter Marshmallows with Dark Chocolate and Smoked Serrano Salt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2zSI9r-pKCWlVVRIXnAWecjGdNs7GPp4KHFxKZflKFWAs1Y9fDWHJcEfvb1E_vH95JHDYWZsxGC2jgLLSfPn0jM2Z0i4gCYDSgQKdZC4-tn8HBUFzhMouDPJdYdG84jepw7glCVlg1R6/s1600/20160319_130002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2zSI9r-pKCWlVVRIXnAWecjGdNs7GPp4KHFxKZflKFWAs1Y9fDWHJcEfvb1E_vH95JHDYWZsxGC2jgLLSfPn0jM2Z0i4gCYDSgQKdZC4-tn8HBUFzhMouDPJdYdG84jepw7glCVlg1R6/s320/20160319_130002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We recently catered a wedding Since the groom was a home brewer, I thought it would be nice to reference that in the food. So, for one of the sweets, I came up with a recipe for porter marshmallows. I thought they would be be enhanced with dark chocolate. I added a little smoked serrano chili salt. That tiny wisp of smoke and heat accented everything well.<br />
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I love homemade marshmallows. They have a much better texture than commercial ones; firmer mouth feel, not so sticky. The porter cut the sweetness as well, and giving a great depth of flavor.<br />
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It helps to open the porter and let it get a little flat before working with it.<br />
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To cut the marshmallows, it is helpful to have a pitcher of hot water, deep enough to submerge your entire knife blade. Dip the knife between each cut, and wipe clean and dry with a clean towel. Rub a little of the dusting powder over the blade before each cut.<br />
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I got my smoked serrano salt from <a href="http://www.souperdip.com/">Souper Dip</a>.<br />
<h4>
Porter Marshmallows</h4>
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<i>Dusting Powder:</i></div>
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1/2 cup corn starch</div>
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1/2 cup powdered sugar</div>
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Whisk together corn starch and powdered sugar, set aside</div>
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<i>Marshmallows:</i></div>
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.6 oz. powdered gelatin</div>
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8 oz. porter</div>
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12 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
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1 cup corn syrup</div>
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2 oz. by vol. water</div>
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1/4 tsp. salt</div>
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Stir together gelatin and 4 oz. porter. Let stand at least ten minutes.</div>
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Line a 8" x 12" pan with plastic wrap, and lightly spray with oil.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 4 oz. porter, water, and salt in a small pot over medium low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, to 238 F. Move to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add gelatin. Whip on high speed until fluffy and cooled to just warmer than room temperature. Transfer to pan. Dust with cornstarch mixture. Press into pan to level.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When cool, dust a cutting board with cornstarch mixture. Turn marshmallow onto board. Cut into 1" squares. Toss with more cornstarch mixture.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Makes about 60 marshmallows.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let dry for 2 days.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;">Temper 1 pound of 60% dark chocolate. Brush tops of marshmallows with tempered chocolate. Before chocolate sets, sprinkle with a few grains of smoked serrano salt.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.24px;">Happy Eating!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-72088849236788266702016-01-13T17:41:00.003-08:002016-01-13T17:41:46.361-08:00Lemon MarmaladeA friend has a lemon tree that is currently covered in lemons. She let me have as many as I want, as long as she gets some of the results.<br />
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So today I made lemon marmalade. It is a sweet - tart treat. I especially like it on thyme scones with a little Devonshire cream. It is a fairly easy recipe, though labor intensive.<br />
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I use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, with as little white pith as possible. I then use a thin, flexible knife to trim off any excessive pith from the back of each piece of peel. I have a ultra thin Teflon coated sushi knife that is ideal for this. I then fine julienne the peel, and chop into about one inch long bits.<br />
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I make a simple syrup of two cups water and 2 cups sugar, then simmer the peel in that until it is soft and translucent, about one hour. Strain out the peel. Hold on to the syrup. A lightly lemon flavored syrup has lots of uses.<br />
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While that is goung, I remove the pith from each lemon, cut out sections, and squeeze the remaining core of as much juice as possible.<br />
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I weigh the resulting juice/pulp, and add one and a half times that weight in sugar. This time, frim 20 lemons I got 42 oz , so added 63 oz. sugar. I then add the peel.<br />
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I simmer the mix until it reaches 220 F.I then bring it to a rolling boil, and add a 6 oz; of liquid pectin. I bring it back to a rolling boil for one minute. I remove it from, then put up in jars. I got 10 half pint jars, plus a bowl for immediate use.<br />
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<h4>
Lemon Marmalade</h4>
20 lemons<br />
1 tsp. sea salt<br />
1 1/2 times the weight of the pulp and juice in sugar, approx. 60 oz.<br />
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<i>Simple Syrup:</i><br />
2 cups water<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
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Using a sharp vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the lemons, trying to get as little pith as possible.<br />
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Remove any excess pith from the back of the peel with a sharp knife.<br />
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Cut the peel into a fine julienne, then cut into one inch long pieces..<br />
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Over meduim heat, combine 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. bring to a simmer. Add peel, simmer until translucent and soft, about an hour. Strain out peel.<br />
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Using a sharp knife, remove the white pith from the lemons. Cut out segments, do not get any inner membrane or seeds. Squeeze out as much juice as possible.<br />
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Weigh out pulp and juice. Add 1 1/2 times that weight in sugar. Add salt and peel. Simmer over medium heat until it reaches a temperature of 220 F.<br />
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Remove from heat, can marmalade.<br />
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Happy eating!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-25813331353070006522016-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:002016-01-11T14:30:46.002-08:00New Orleans Inspired DinnerBack in August, the spouse and I got a chance to take a mini-vacation in New Orleans. We ate some amazing food at some fantastic restaurants. A frequent customer asked me to make a meal inspired by our trip.<br />
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The menu I ended up doing was an appetizer of a savory asparagus cheesecake with jalapeño aioli<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">, a shrimp bisque with a whole wheat cheddar Parmesan cracker, an entree of chicken en papillote with crab mushroom </span>b<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">é</span>chamel<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">, braised chard, and green onion hush puppies, and vanilla bean ice cream with bananas Foster.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34hB89HYSxUhdlhFgtARwZrAyNmOonCxnG_TsaJbH_CMFEIayS3PzxN6W937Mz4Pk2dgKHGAwgaiJv72xEOkdfNHuIukZA5CHjp3Y7HpbfIo6dr9bl56oGyDnNTHIQL8xS3lC553PtM6y/s1600/20160108_185956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34hB89HYSxUhdlhFgtARwZrAyNmOonCxnG_TsaJbH_CMFEIayS3PzxN6W937Mz4Pk2dgKHGAwgaiJv72xEOkdfNHuIukZA5CHjp3Y7HpbfIo6dr9bl56oGyDnNTHIQL8xS3lC553PtM6y/s320/20160108_185956.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The appetizer was inspired by one we had at <a href="http://dickandjennys.com/">Dick and Jenny's</a>. Mine was a cheesecake with ricotta, feta, and Parmesan cheese, and blanched asparagus. The recipe I started from is <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/savory-cheesecake-with-ricotta-feta-and-asparagus-368454">this one</a> from <a href="http://food.com/">Food.com</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The crust is a cracker crust using whole grain club crackers. I blind baked the crust before hand, so that it would not be soggy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It is garnished with a </span> jalapeño aioli, made from mayonnaise, roasted jalapeño, key lime juice, and sea salt.<br />
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I served the cheesecake warm. This resulted in a silky texture that was quite pleasant.The contrast with the crispy crust was spot on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedbGfliFSjKpq5QretpLZHXgftaGuypWwG04PNF93Guyb5UZScesGY2vcKXIeBmDeLW2nY6gxONDcoPagxjM7RbyHW6aJzZh5JdDyHhChzu8kECcc_Ejm2NCbN2czQPxi6PZNp1-8ouOr/s1600/20160108_191013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedbGfliFSjKpq5QretpLZHXgftaGuypWwG04PNF93Guyb5UZScesGY2vcKXIeBmDeLW2nY6gxONDcoPagxjM7RbyHW6aJzZh5JdDyHhChzu8kECcc_Ejm2NCbN2czQPxi6PZNp1-8ouOr/s320/20160108_191013.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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The soup is a shrimp bisque. The stock was made from about three pounds of crayfish shells, mostly heads, that I simmered for three hours, then ground up with an immersion blender and ran through my chinois.</div>
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This provided a solid base for the soup. I added green and red bell peppers, onion, and celery. It was seasoned with <a href="http://www.oldbay.com/Products/Old-Bay-Seasoning">Old Bay seasoning</a>, cumin, cayenne, and fresh ground black ground black pepper.<br />
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I pouched one whole shrimp per bowl in the stock for garnish,. The rest are cut up in small pieces, and added right before service, so that they were not overcooked.<br />
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To go with the soup, I made whole wheat cheddar Parmesan crackers. They had a robust texture that held up well to the soup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW_QEB19_436KKtg8w90pdW54F_jkmpEOxngVtcE_3o2xavvKNIlnf9GaPHl_iaA1ErOI-IHxaUPKC19p6h2LfTvWPLjjDi7LhN_XgavF5NkW360JyAYb7Ohd30gcGnxULkZaFwjxd4z6/s1600/20160108_200847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW_QEB19_436KKtg8w90pdW54F_jkmpEOxngVtcE_3o2xavvKNIlnf9GaPHl_iaA1ErOI-IHxaUPKC19p6h2LfTvWPLjjDi7LhN_XgavF5NkW360JyAYb7Ohd30gcGnxULkZaFwjxd4z6/s320/20160108_200847.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
For the entree, I made chicken en <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">papillote with a crab mushroom bechemel. It's a fun way of cooking. En papillote is French for in paper. The food is wrapped in parchment paper, and baked in a hot oven. It steams in the envelope.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">To go with, I braised white chard with apple cider vinegar. That gave it a mild sweetness to counterbalance its natural mild bitterness. It was cooked with bacon and onion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I also made green onion hush puppies, because, really, what is more quintessentially New Orleans than hush puppies. Crispy outside, light and fluffy in the middle, with a hint of heat from a little cayenne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">For dessert, I made bananas Foster over vanilla bean ice cream. No pictures, my phone died before I could get any. Great flavors of rum, banana, brown sugar, and spices over a good quality ice cream. Didn't have time to make my own, unfortunately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Recipes</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Savory Asparagus Cheesecake</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Crust:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">5 1/2 oz. whole grain club crackers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">2 1/2 oz. butter, melted and cooled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">spray canola oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Pre-heat oven to 350 F.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Use spay oil to generously grease six 4 1/2" ramekins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In a food processor, grind crackers very fine. Add butter and eggs. Process until smooth. Press dough into ramekins. Bake for ten minutes. Remove from oven, let cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Custard:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1 bunch asparagus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 medium white onion, fine diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz. ricotta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">8 oz. feta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1 oz. grated Parmesan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">3 1/2 oz.heavy cream</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">2 Tbsp. butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Pre-heat oven to 350 F.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Cut tips of asparagus 1" long. cut an additional 1" of stalks. Blanch asparagus pieces in lightly simmering salted water until al dente. Shock in ice water to stop cooking. Select twelve tips to leave whole. Set those aside, fine dice the rest of the asparagus pieces.</span><br />
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In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Saute onions until tender. Add diced asparagus, saute lightly. Add cream. and turn down to low.<br />
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In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Temper cream mixture, and whisk into cheese mixture. Season to taste.<br />
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Ladle custard into ramekins. Add two<br />
asparagus tips to each ramekin. Sprinkle tops of custard with Parmesan.<br />
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Place full ramekins in a shallow baking dish. Add hot water to half way up the ramekins. Bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes.<br />
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Remove from oven. Let rest about 10 minutes. Gently run a knife between crust Slide cheesecake from ramekin, plate and garnish with jalapeño aioli.<br />
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<h4>
Jalapeño Aioli</h4>
<div>
1/2 cup mayonnaise</div>
<div>
1 medium jalapeño</div>
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1 tsp. key lime juice</div>
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salt to taste</div>
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<br /></div>
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Roast jalapeño in 350 F oven until blackened. Shock in ice bath. Peel, de-stem, and de-seed. </div>
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Blend together jalapeño, juice, mayo, and salt until smooth.</div>
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<h4>
Shrimp Bisque</h4>
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<i>Stock:</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
3 lbs. crayfish shells</div>
<div>
5 quarts water</div>
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Simmer shells in water for three hours. Using an immersion blender, grind up shells. Filter through a chinois to remove shell bits.</div>
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<i>Soup:</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
1 qt. crayfish stock</div>
<div>
1 lb. shrimp tails without shells</div>
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1 red bell pepper, diced</div>
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1 green bell pepper, diced</div>
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1/2 medium white onion, diced</div>
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3 stalks celery, diced</div>
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3 strips bacon, diced </div>
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2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning</div>
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1/2 tsp. cumin powder</div>
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1/4 tsp. cayenne powder</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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In a pan over medium heat, render fat out of bacon. Add vegetables, saute until tender. Add stock and spices, bring to a simmer.</div>
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Take six whole shrimp. Poach in soup until cooked, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.</div>
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Dice remainder of shrimp. Add to soup. Simmer until done, </div>
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Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with whole shrimp and cheddar Parmesan cracker.</div>
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<h4>
Whole Wheat Cheddar Parmesan Cracker</h4>
<div>
4 oz. grated sharp cheddar</div>
<div>
2 oz. grated Parmesan</div>
<div>
3/4 cup whole wheat flour</div>
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1/4 tsp. dry mustard powder</div>
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1/4 tsp. sea salt</div>
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1/8 tsp. cayenne powder</div>
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2 oz. butter, softened</div>
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2 Tbsp. cold water, plus more if needed</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Combine Cheese, flour, and seasonings in a food processor. Pulse a number of times to combine ingredients.</div>
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Add butter. Plus until dough resembles course crumbs. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, processing until dough just sticks together. If too dry, add additional water, 1/2 tsp. at a time.</div>
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Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for two hours.</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 375 F.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
On a floured surface, roll out dough very thin. With a fork, poke holes in dough at regular intervals. Using a pizza cutter, cut into diamonds. Transfer to a silicon baking pad lined sheet pan. </div>
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<div>
Bake ten minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned.</div>
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<div>
Transfer to parchment paper to cool.</div>
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<h4>
Crab Mushroom Bechemel</h4>
<div>
3 oz. butter</div>
<div>
1 oz. flour</div>
<div>
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin</div>
<div>
3 oz. canned crab meat with juice</div>
<div>
3 cups cream</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
In a saute pan over medium high heat, melt 2 oz. butter. Saute mushrooms until tender. Set Aside.</div>
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In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt remaining ounce of butter. Add flour, cook until light brown.</div>
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Add cream, whisking in until well incorporated. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. when thickened, Add mushrooms and crab. Set aside.</div>
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<h4>
Chicken en Papillote</h4>
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3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts</div>
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crab mushroom bechemel</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 450 F.</div>
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<div>
Cut breasts in half lengthwise. Pound each half breast to 3/4" thick.</div>
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<div>
Cut six 10" hearts out of parchment paper.</div>
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<div>
Place each half breast on a parchment heart. Cover with bechemel. Crimp paper closed around breast. </div>
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Put packages on baking sheets. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.</div>
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<h4>
Green Onion Hush Puppies</h4>
<div>
1 cup cornmeal</div>
<div>
1/2 cup flour</div>
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1 egg</div>
<div>
1 cup buttermilk</div>
<div>
3 green onions, sliced thin</div>
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1 tsp. baking powder</div>
<div>
1 tsp. baking soda</div>
<div>
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
canola oil for frying</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Whisk together all ingredients.</div>
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<div>
Heat oil to 365 F. </div>
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<div>
Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until golden brown.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-45207110713339280592016-01-06T08:09:00.001-08:002016-01-06T08:09:35.748-08:00Penultimate Semester of Culinary SchoolGot my grades for my next to last semester in culinary school. Finished with two A+'s and three A's.<br />
<br />
Paid for my final semester, which completes registration. One last semester to grind through. One work study, probably will be TA'ing a healthy cooking class, and one mock restaurant class.<br />
<br />
Glad to see light at the end of the tunnel, and feel relatively sure it isn't an oncoming train.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-84836163706399267732015-06-02T12:19:00.000-07:002015-06-02T13:32:10.753-07:00Renaissance Marmalade reduxSo last year, about this time, I tried <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2014/06/renaissance-marmalade.html">redacting a recipe for marmalade</a> from a early 17th century cookbook, the 1609 edition of Hugh Plat's <i>Delights for Ladies. </i>While inspired by the original, I altered it a lot to resemble a modern marmalade more.This year, I decided to try to follow the recipe more closely.<br />
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Modernly, a marmalade means a preserve with shreds of peel. This is not the meaning in the renaissance. Then, it meant a sweet congealed paste of fruit and sugar. Since it is cooked as whole fruit and strained, there is no peel in the result.<br />
<br />
The original recipe was: <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i>TAke ten lemmons or orenges & boyle them with half a dozē pippins, & ſo draw them through a ſtrainer, then take ſo much ſugar as the pulp doth wey, & boyle it as you doe Marmalade of Quinces, and then box it vp.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><br /></i></span>
Since the recipe calls for either oranges or lemons, I wanted to try lemons this time. Also, I used Granny Smiths last time, and they never disintegrated. This time I used Red Delicious, which fall apart more easily. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The lemons I found were a little small, I felt, so I used twelve instead of ten.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">For good food safety, I canned using modern water processing technique with modern jars and seals.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Because it is cooked with the lemon pith intact, it retains a fair amount of bitterness, but not in an unpleasant way. There is definitely a lot of pectin, it set up solid easily. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Since it calls for even weights of pulp and sugar, I can't tell you exactly how much sugar. Expect around 45 ounces. My first batch weighed in at 43 oz., my second at 49.85 oz.</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Hugh Plat's Apple Lemon Marmalade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdfrofW2bMaI9HhAY2Z5y9UfgFd1MqJQ4tm8wZ9yC_Zr-ZHc3qjf50q_IV5h6pCnuSwtpEZpUX1B_otIVn5rm-4QLNtWe0lmPGwRPFMZ7MGSbrn8LlqW5ED-kAqhspn-nq2DINpCMec_g/s1600/20150602_111442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdfrofW2bMaI9HhAY2Z5y9UfgFd1MqJQ4tm8wZ9yC_Zr-ZHc3qjf50q_IV5h6pCnuSwtpEZpUX1B_otIVn5rm-4QLNtWe0lmPGwRPFMZ7MGSbrn8LlqW5ED-kAqhspn-nq2DINpCMec_g/s320/20150602_111442.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdfrofW2bMaI9HhAY2Z5y9UfgFd1MqJQ4tm8wZ9yC_Zr-ZHc3qjf50q_IV5h6pCnuSwtpEZpUX1B_otIVn5rm-4QLNtWe0lmPGwRPFMZ7MGSbrn8LlqW5ED-kAqhspn-nq2DINpCMec_g/s1600/20150602_111442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdfrofW2bMaI9HhAY2Z5y9UfgFd1MqJQ4tm8wZ9yC_Zr-ZHc3qjf50q_IV5h6pCnuSwtpEZpUX1B_otIVn5rm-4QLNtWe0lmPGwRPFMZ7MGSbrn8LlqW5ED-kAqhspn-nq2DINpCMec_g/s1600/20150602_111442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></a></div>
</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">12 medium lemons</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">6 large red delicious apples</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">sugar to match weight of pulp</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">1 tsp. salt</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Cut lemons and apples in eighths. Put in a covered pot over medium low heat. Simmer until apples disintegrate. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Press through a colander. Weigh resulting pulp. Combine with equal weight of sugar, and return to stove over low heat. Add salt, simmer and reduce. Marmalade will darken. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Press through a strainer. Return to the stove on low heat to stay hot while canning, Can using water process or pressure canner.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Merriweather;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Happy Eating!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><i><br /></i></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-42643238972451837142015-06-01T14:58:00.003-07:002015-06-01T15:39:43.708-07:00Fantasy Menus: part 2For my second fantasy menu, I did an early spring menu. Again, the emphasis is on using seasonal flavors, and trying not to repeat flavors. Early spring is almost as difficult as late winter. Some of the berries have come in, but stone fruit is still a month or two away. I tried to bring in a few more exotic items, but not too odd.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 32pt;">Spring
Dessert Menu</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Chocolate
Orange Cake with Tequila Orange Sherbet</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Chocolate
chiffon cake, Triple Sec buttercream, tequila orange sherbet, rolled
pizelle with orange pastry cream, candied orange slice, chocolate
Triple Sec sauce</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQkyp8RGFCw4rhk5bCpEbLgk5u6zG06GD3iMtfJvHK1g9AgltzIY9eubJkDpR_lPrqsUVABQrG0SXL7pOA5mYEtAo4VlJrs28kWK7MKpN9ZY13vCNC26fGZcLpp7TuoidQ2SDjXqjZBHh/s1600/chocolate+cake+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQkyp8RGFCw4rhk5bCpEbLgk5u6zG06GD3iMtfJvHK1g9AgltzIY9eubJkDpR_lPrqsUVABQrG0SXL7pOA5mYEtAo4VlJrs28kWK7MKpN9ZY13vCNC26fGZcLpp7TuoidQ2SDjXqjZBHh/s400/chocolate+cake+labled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Strawberry
Shortcake with Greek Yogurt Gelato</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b> </b>Shortcake,
macerated strawberries, Greek yogurt gelato, gewürztraminer rhubarb
reduction sauce, crisp meringue chip, whipped cream, candied rhubarb
twist.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObWIzBcvdQQa3udTJ5WJnuDx2hkXxAITk0AeSA3Pdlo0wc-DTRevfcu3hN_Yromr-6xCSbeCjeBm7hSRS6maNXk2kr6-UsKQ6b7vXsMtm-1Xgo_4OE2JisM3bHgx8kOOR-UQwjRLrakG2/s1600/strawberry+shortcake+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObWIzBcvdQQa3udTJ5WJnuDx2hkXxAITk0AeSA3Pdlo0wc-DTRevfcu3hN_Yromr-6xCSbeCjeBm7hSRS6maNXk2kr6-UsKQ6b7vXsMtm-1Xgo_4OE2JisM3bHgx8kOOR-UQwjRLrakG2/s400/strawberry+shortcake+labled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Cherimoya
Custard</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Cherimoya
custard, diced fresh mango, caramelized dried banana chip, lemongrass
sauce, tangerine cotton candy</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedAxvdymkKRIDT_ppah6HFYAztxlvoxXYpVzGqYKcXedccNpGUz18Q7u5_BWTors-JWJUR2HbnBL6toW1q6x64pdr1v57oGUHOwbcKtHIehwGa46Lk-xFejBsfUqAEKTx7slBHP4Zlp5J/s1600/cheremoya+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedAxvdymkKRIDT_ppah6HFYAztxlvoxXYpVzGqYKcXedccNpGUz18Q7u5_BWTors-JWJUR2HbnBL6toW1q6x64pdr1v57oGUHOwbcKtHIehwGa46Lk-xFejBsfUqAEKTx7slBHP4Zlp5J/s400/cheremoya+labled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Sweet
Lime Meringue Pie</b></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> </b><i>Sweet
lime Meringue pie with salty pretzel crust, candied lime peel,
candied ginger brittle, ginger lime sauce</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiA9JmLaW3EE2626Ver3gL5Sv-ZLMbXZQcA4JSV3MF7vfhNibdO3Rex8lQbsGaqMBMFW3uV7pFJBF2oIocrPB6adeHkkTDjqUNkHF41PcjCYVyc7Pjj3F17uIkeiVYT-MDObv0zn8meZv/s1600/lime+pie+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiA9JmLaW3EE2626Ver3gL5Sv-ZLMbXZQcA4JSV3MF7vfhNibdO3Rex8lQbsGaqMBMFW3uV7pFJBF2oIocrPB6adeHkkTDjqUNkHF41PcjCYVyc7Pjj3F17uIkeiVYT-MDObv0zn8meZv/s400/lime+pie+labled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Chocolate
Crepes with Dark Chocolate Mousse </b></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Chocolate
crepes, dark chocolate mousse, chocolate chocolate chip ice cream,
chocolate tuile, chocolate tawny port sauce, chocolate curls</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNwipHRCdEtvOOaZ0Oclv4aT-WeSSWMbRmyA-2VKCxoJYN8LpYmNYcnTBBAEerMymaqWNKBaP3eUm7KuWSHAkux8DOhHcztsyCAewSNbnwLFNe-dCAnxA6tJTwK9EXxU-nkrzzqEl1NNI/s1600/chocolate+crepes+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNwipHRCdEtvOOaZ0Oclv4aT-WeSSWMbRmyA-2VKCxoJYN8LpYmNYcnTBBAEerMymaqWNKBaP3eUm7KuWSHAkux8DOhHcztsyCAewSNbnwLFNe-dCAnxA6tJTwK9EXxU-nkrzzqEl1NNI/s400/chocolate+crepes+labled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> New
York Style Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Lemon
ricotta cheesecake with Graham cracker crust, almond brittle, candied
green almonds, thyme sauce</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> .</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2AMHyIUUOyuHpd9OD41uPMG5qgIJL6Bwd-XVkn2JeTvDvHNaMfvD9QrB-cBSp16Eu0jWlBDiPr49SM8Rqd5ezcb7alL0HBMTEwXpscfP9WxO57AlOuWBPFmsb55dNYXIXsRzz-3eD5Z2/s1600/cheesecake+labled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS2AMHyIUUOyuHpd9OD41uPMG5qgIJL6Bwd-XVkn2JeTvDvHNaMfvD9QrB-cBSp16Eu0jWlBDiPr49SM8Rqd5ezcb7alL0HBMTEwXpscfP9WxO57AlOuWBPFmsb55dNYXIXsRzz-3eD5Z2/s400/cheesecake+labled.png" width="400" /></a></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-10778375509459749932015-05-07T19:14:00.000-07:002015-05-07T19:14:02.512-07:00Fantasy Menus part 1In my Advanced Baking class, our homework assignments were to create two fantasy dessert menus. I thought you all might like to see them. It was quite a challenge. We had to create six desserts. We were to use seasonal flavors, avoid repeating flavors, and have both light and heavy desserts.<br />
<br />
My first menu was a late winter menu. I kept to in season fruits and vegetables, and wanted to avoid holiday season flavor combinations.<br />
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<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 32pt;">Late
Winter Dessert Menu</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Chocolate
Silk Meringue Pie</b></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> A
chocolate silk pie with a chocolate Graham cracker crust, and a
toasted meringue topping. Served with a tawny port reduction sauce
and a dark chocolate curl garnish.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS5gyNhSGb4CxyWEYC5MAEeNcbMRn1iC7HtnM-tj7qDmcWQSJTCvBIGngzzf4I1fqbbnVr9FnC8MF0-j44iZ_KvFJgVdw2acVP1CrN-ZOut6LoGBPmcX9_Jj-_YR0Thh-EanklZXNUwoc/s1600/chocolate+silk+pie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS5gyNhSGb4CxyWEYC5MAEeNcbMRn1iC7HtnM-tj7qDmcWQSJTCvBIGngzzf4I1fqbbnVr9FnC8MF0-j44iZ_KvFJgVdw2acVP1CrN-ZOut6LoGBPmcX9_Jj-_YR0Thh-EanklZXNUwoc/s640/chocolate+silk+pie.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> </i><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b>White
Chiffon Cake with Kiwi Curd</b></span></span></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b> </b>Three
layers of white chiffon cake with kiwi curd, and Gran Marnier
buttercream frosting. Served with cashew brittle and coconut cream
mango sauce.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodc5ssg2oDnADFnwxvIUVpu9bFtAtiVS73ENo6XdFhjztsezdubLdfKYZCQvjDu5rrGD96oeKppoys_KPxIFL_3jqFEr2mgfS5Os57v6GIAGsGS1pwnWzQlD6Lu4SoUuTihROjrx_c5Db/s1600/chiffon+cake+with+kiwi+curd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodc5ssg2oDnADFnwxvIUVpu9bFtAtiVS73ENo6XdFhjztsezdubLdfKYZCQvjDu5rrGD96oeKppoys_KPxIFL_3jqFEr2mgfS5Os57v6GIAGsGS1pwnWzQlD6Lu4SoUuTihROjrx_c5Db/s640/chiffon+cake+with+kiwi+curd.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="font-size: 16pt;">Trio
of Small Tastes</b></div>
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<br />
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i> Three
different small desserts. A chocolate lace cookie cup with a
tangerine pastry cream and a twist of candied tangerine peel. A
creampuff filled with a lemon mousse and dipped in white chocolate
and topped with chopped pistaschios. A lavender custard tart with an
elderberry tea shortbread crust. Served with basil sauce.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL8PhL2_N0HmtrJbcLcrgkacvtCN6MGWnTuhDOByKEdiBxEz3v4UM-kbj9ghhnEKQ-pw6p895jT1axDIBV2VBjIO06d589gfIP4YrU4sSC0Mhms0oVy0KWdovkxfBZeofwSeIvYE-C-uK/s1600/trio+of+small+tastes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmL8PhL2_N0HmtrJbcLcrgkacvtCN6MGWnTuhDOByKEdiBxEz3v4UM-kbj9ghhnEKQ-pw6p895jT1axDIBV2VBjIO06d589gfIP4YrU4sSC0Mhms0oVy0KWdovkxfBZeofwSeIvYE-C-uK/s640/trio+of+small+tastes.png" width="640" /></a><b style="font-size: 16pt;">Warm
Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding</b></div>
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<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> </b><i>A
warm chocolate chip bread pudding with Irish Creme ice cream, mint
sauce, and a crisp whiskey meringue chip.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jA6DjNtMrEKJMdVYiv-tnBASV-O7Fcgz042lJ23OPDt2ujTN-l2gfbid7-8lfqPc5asJCiiDYzXzkhNPjxqTKuGdm6qBCUDhoFtrKNIPtCdpfD06CYaHBZ2qr2DN3KpbobrVwiYDr90j/s1600/bread+pudding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jA6DjNtMrEKJMdVYiv-tnBASV-O7Fcgz042lJ23OPDt2ujTN-l2gfbid7-8lfqPc5asJCiiDYzXzkhNPjxqTKuGdm6qBCUDhoFtrKNIPtCdpfD06CYaHBZ2qr2DN3KpbobrVwiYDr90j/s640/bread+pudding.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> Guava
Panna Cotta </b></span>
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Guava
panna cotta, passion fruit sauce, cardamon tuile, pulled sugar
garnish.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpVu0-bI1nxz9HzwSw2wGCmuOrk0UWYEB1nPlMDUnatriyvmSh7lPuc0ZJyZzjwyyACgdjfVr4XgyRR3_RG8upb7zxLdA_1zQ5YchFrtbEFlHzZ3MKH4Vp5z00z2U9sFyQIyRIkkHOJGH/s1600/guava+panna+cotta.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpVu0-bI1nxz9HzwSw2wGCmuOrk0UWYEB1nPlMDUnatriyvmSh7lPuc0ZJyZzjwyyACgdjfVr4XgyRR3_RG8upb7zxLdA_1zQ5YchFrtbEFlHzZ3MKH4Vp5z00z2U9sFyQIyRIkkHOJGH/s640/guava+panna+cotta.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-size: 16pt;">Butternut
Squash Mousse and Mascarpone Crepes With Bourbon Raisin Ice Cream</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Crepes
filled with butternut squash mousse and mascarpone, with bourbon
raisin ice cream, cinnamon orange sauce, and candied pecans.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RKkbbIfE60D9AbfZmSSW9-CRFaIk6hiejdHKJvvtBzzoDrh9AFMR3TissHMgzqyz8sMVwPvan3q-wuWjiY41F5dkJNxJUq3Nyg0Ts89jEIo0U2ROjDIi1ZZGJf5OVCkwmCBrD3Olywp/s1600/butternut+squash+crepes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4RKkbbIfE60D9AbfZmSSW9-CRFaIk6hiejdHKJvvtBzzoDrh9AFMR3TissHMgzqyz8sMVwPvan3q-wuWjiY41F5dkJNxJUq3Nyg0Ts89jEIo0U2ROjDIi1ZZGJf5OVCkwmCBrD3Olywp/s640/butternut+squash+crepes.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> .</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-83638607361506041242015-01-13T13:19:00.001-08:002015-01-13T13:19:49.631-08:00CSA: Lots of Greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7j07gDvYBRrrBXqEcTLoxzT_OepEvX86sNhKSefkqQA2kyIm4rpZkgzkDa0-7crhZEnjo0yQWz6n8Mi3gfOp8VEI-pj76FdMvd9ydZ1gXuYE_E0Zww4my621vqNGhd2QP5qYPj5-05AW/s1600/20150113_113701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7j07gDvYBRrrBXqEcTLoxzT_OepEvX86sNhKSefkqQA2kyIm4rpZkgzkDa0-7crhZEnjo0yQWz6n8Mi3gfOp8VEI-pj76FdMvd9ydZ1gXuYE_E0Zww4my621vqNGhd2QP5qYPj5-05AW/s1600/20150113_113701.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Got our latest box from <a href="http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/">Farm Fresh to You</a> this morning. Still heavy on the winter greens. Today's box had spinach, purple kale, golden beets, tatsoi, fingerling sweet potatoes, red onions, shallots, broccoli, cauliflower, an avocado, carrots, and a butternut squash,<br />
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The carrots came without greens, so no pesto, but the beets had a glorious crown of greens. Love golden beets, so that was a good thing.<br />
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Tatsoi is new to me. It's a cultivar of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_rapa">Brassica Rapa</a>, making it the same species as turnips, Napa cabbage, and broccoli rabe. It has a very spinach-like texture, with a mildly bitter, mustardy taste. It can be eaten raw or cooked.<br />
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My roommate has requested a curry, as he has never had it. I figure a chicken curry with the beets, carrots, squash, bok choy, and some grape tomatoes over a black cumin rice will be great for dinner.<br />
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Happy Eating!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-30789262633346782892014-12-22T07:55:00.000-08:002014-12-22T07:55:03.135-08:00Grandma's Sugar CookiesChristmas is, for me, probably above all other things, a time of comfort food.<br />
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My father abandoned my mother and me when I was seven, leaving us a mountain of debt and not much else. Doing what was necessary to survive, my mother became a real estate agent. The hours were long and uncertain, and there definitely were no vacations. Luckily, my grandparents were around, so the long breaks (summer and winter) were often spent with them.<br />
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Summer generally meant exploration, tooling around the country in a Dodge van converted to a camper. Summers I expanded my horizons, saw new things, and and learned. Summer was Indian fry bread at various pueblos, carnitas in small cafes, and Canadian pizza.<br />
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Winter was about warmth, and comfort, and family. It was a time of deep, rich, satisfying flavors, like my grandfather's exquisite prime rib roast, or roast turkey with sage stuffing (my number one comfort food). And the desserts, oh the desserts! My grandmother's desserts were amazing. Pumpkin and apple pie, homemade mincemeat pie, Christmas steamed pudding, popcorn balls in red and green, date nut porcupines. But, the number one important ritual of the season was making sugar cookies.<br />
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And what a production it was! On sugar cookie day, we made enough for ourselves, for me to take home, to give to friends, take to holiday parties, gift to carolers, and otherwise spread around. I'm pretty sure Santa got a big plate set out for him every year. One batch of dough makes 4 - 5 dozen cookies; I bet grandma made four batches.<br />
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Grandma made the dough, rolled out and cut out the cookies, and did the baking. I had two jobs. One was decorating the cookies. We generally had a wide variety of things to work with; green and read sugar, rainbow dots, chocolate sprinkles. silver balls, and cinnamon candies, I now understand part of my grandma's frustration, having made a batch all by myself. I tended to treat each cookie as an individual work of art, my grandmother wanted me to just mass produce a tray and get on with it.<br />
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My other job was sorting the cooled cookies by shape. Long rows of Santas, trees, stars, reindeer, wreaths, and more.<br />
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Almost all of the bonding with my grandmother was over food, and no ritual was deeper or more fulfilling than the sugar cookie marathon.<br />
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This recipe is for thin crispy sugar cookies. They are light and crunchy, a perfect accompaniment to coffee, tea, or milk.<br />
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My grandmother used a pastry cloth to roll them out on. I use my marble slab. It is important that the surface be well floured, and flour the rolling pin as well. You want them just as thin as you can get them. I roll the dough out until it is translucent, and I can just see my marble through the dough.<br />
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<h4>
Sugar Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div>
3 cups AP flour</div>
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1 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1 cup vegetable shortening</div>
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1 tsp. vanilla bean paste</div>
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1 cup sugar</div>
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3 eggs, beaten</div>
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Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.</div>
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream shortening. Add flour mixture a third at a time, creaming together.</div>
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While whisking eggs, slowly add sugar. Whisk until smooth, Add vanilla paste, and whisk in thoroughly.</div>
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Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Run mixer at medium speed until well combined. </div>
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Form into a ball, and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 350 F.</div>
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Working with a small amount of dough at a time, roll out on a well floured surface until very thin.</div>
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Cut to desired shapes. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.</div>
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Sprinkle cookies with granulated (white) sugar. Decorate as desired (colored sugar, jimmies, dots, etc.)</div>
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Bake for 5 - 8 minutes, until light brown.</div>
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Transfer to a cooling rack.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-87000507029895095702014-11-11T12:50:00.000-08:002014-11-11T12:50:41.106-08:00A Trio of Persimmon PreservesA friend with a very productive persimmon tree gifted me with two full grocery sacks of fruit. I'm always looking to make preserves for my tea business. It is nice to be able to offer a range of possibilities to prospective customers.<br />
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I ended up making three different preserves from them, so far. In the upper left is a straight persimmon jam, in front is a bourbon persimmon jam, and in the upper right is a lemon persimmon marmalade.<br />
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I figured the straight jam would have the best presentation of the fruit. Always good to have a simple, straightforward option.<br />
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When I tasted the persimmons, I thought bourbon would be a great match, flavorwise. Coincidentally, the spouse had just purchased a large bottle of bourbon for her own culinary purposes. She wasn't going to need all of it.<br />
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I'm always in the need for marmalade, so thought that would be a good idea. And, persimmon works well with lemon, anyway. I was a little surprised at how red it turned, but think that it is a fabulous color. The lemon peel stayed tougher than I would have liked. Have a plan to fix that in the next batch.<br />
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Recipes</h3>
<h4>
Persimmon Jam</h4>
<div>
6 cups diced persimmon ( peeled and cored)</div>
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1/2 cup lemon juice</div>
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7 cups sugar</div>
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1/2 tsp. kosher salt</div>
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1 pouch liquid pectin</div>
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Combine persimmon and lemon juice in a stock pot over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until persimmon is soft. Use an immersion blender to process smooth. Force persimmon mixture through a sieve to remove any peel, seeds, or fibrous material. Return liquid to pan. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add pectin, bring back to a rolling boil. Cook three minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to sterilized hot jars. Seal, process in a water bath for 15 minutes.</div>
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<h4>
Bourbon Persimmon Jam</h4>
<div>
<div>
6 cups diced persimmon ( peeled and cored)</div>
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1 cup bourbon whiskey</div>
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6 cups sugar</div>
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1/4 cup lemon juice</div>
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1/2 tsp. kosher salt</div>
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1 pouch liquid pectin</div>
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Combine persimmon and bourbon in a stock pot over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until persimmon is soft. Use an immersion blender to process smooth. Force persimmon mixture through a sieve to remove any peel, seeds, or fibrous material. Return liquid to pan. Add lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Add pectin, bring back to a rolling boil. Cook three minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to sterilized hot jars. Seal, process in a water bath for 15 minutes.</div>
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<h4>
Lemon Persimmon Marmalade</h4>
<div>
<div>
6 cups diced persimmon ( peeled and cored)</div>
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1 1/2 cups lemon juice</div>
<div>
7 cups sugar</div>
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peel of 4 small lemons, all pith removed, cut in fine julienne</div>
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1/2 tsp. kosher salt</div>
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1 pouch liquid pectin</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Combine persimmon and lemon juice in a stock pot over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer until persimmon is soft. Use an immersion blender to process smooth. Force persimmon mixture through a sieve to remove any peel, seeds, or fibrous material. Return liquid to pan. Add sugar,, peel and salt. Bring to a low simmer. Let simmer until mixture has thickened, and lemon peel is translucent. Bring to a rolling boil. Add pectin, bring back to a rolling boil. Cook three minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to sterilized hot jars. Seal, process in a water bath for 15 minutes.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-46941193573208312092014-06-17T12:15:00.000-07:002014-06-17T12:15:09.188-07:00Sugar Class: Sweet TreatsMost of what we are doing in sugar class is decorative pieces. Yesterday, we had the one day where we made things you actually want to eat. We made lollipops, pillow candies, and making marshmallows. We then practiced making hard caramel decorations.<br />
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Lollipops are fairly easy. You cook sugar to hard crack stage. then add color and flavor. We used <a href="http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product/geometric-metal-lollipop-mold/candy-molds-hard-candy-and-isomalt?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&x=GoogleProdAd&p=GoogleProdAd&s=CSE&r=GoogleProdAd&cvsfa=2792&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=4d4830333530&gclid=CjkKEQjwzv-cBRD_oY2PouKVvMIBEiQAKuGNCz1KS_ZiKwHzU-lTSSnU0RRFEIunLD6oG8ZCrNdcusTw_wcB">metal spring molds</a>. You grease them lightly, then clip in the stick, and place it on a silicon baking sheet. Fill the molds with the hot sugar.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifVY0x--iXc/U6B7PWuPZ7I/AAAAAAAAHcM/RbgqkadcWEE/s1600/14+-+3" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifVY0x--iXc/U6B7PWuPZ7I/AAAAAAAAHcM/RbgqkadcWEE/s1600/14+-+3" height="240" width="320" /></a>Pillow candy is made by heating sugar to hard crack stage. Add flavor. Pour half on to a silicon pad, then add color to the other half. At it cools, roll it up, and stretch it to add air and it becomes shiny. Roll out each color, and stick together. Stretch and fold to produce stripes. Stretch and twist, and cut into inch long pieces. Let harden on non-stick surface.<br />
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Marshmallows are fairly simple. Sugar is cooked to soft ball stage. Then place in a stand mixer with gelatin. Whip until fluffy and cooled to just warmer than room temperature. Add color and flavor, whip to incorporate. Transfer to an eight by eight pan that is lined with greased plastic wrap. Dust with a mixture of equal parts powdered sugar and corn starch. Press into pan. Let set, turn onto a cutting board and cut into squares. Toss with more powdered sugar and corn starch.<br />
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<h3>
Recipes</h3>
<h4>
Lollipops</h4>
<div>
7 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
<div>
3 3/4 oz. by wt. corn syrup</div>
<div>
4 oz. by vol. water</div>
<div>
1 tsp. flavor extract</div>
<div>
1 tsp. water</div>
<div>
1/4 tsp. citric acid</div>
<div>
artificial color</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine 1 tsp. water, flavor extract, citric acid, and artificial color. Set aside.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small pot over medium low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, to 300 F. Remove from heat, add flavor mixture. Swirl to combine. Pour into prepared molds, allow to solidify before unmolding.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Ribbon Candy</h4>
<div>
14 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
<div>
6 oz. by vol. water</div>
<div>
3 oz. by wt. corn syrup</div>
<div>
1 tsp. water</div>
<div>
1/2 tsp. citric acid</div>
<div>
1 tsp. flavor extract</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dissolve citric acid in 1 tsp. water. Add flavor extract. Set aside.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small pot over medium low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, to 300 F. Remove from heat, add citric acid mixture. Swirl to combine. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pour half of sugar mix onto a silicone mat. Add color to remaining half, swirl to combine. Pour onto a separate location on the mat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As they cool, roll up. When cool enough, stretch until shiny and opaque. Roll into 12" rolls, stick together, fold and stretch to form stripes. Stretch and twist. Snip into one inch lengths. Let cool on a non-stick surface.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h4>
Marshmallows</h4>
<div>
Mix together equal parts cornstarch and powdered sugar. Set aside.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3/10 oz. by wt. powdered gelatin</div>
<div>
2 oz. by vol. water</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine water and gelatin. Let stand at least ten minutes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
6 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
<div>
1/2 cup corn syrup</div>
<div>
3 oz. by vol. water</div>
<div>
1 tsp. flavor extract</div>
<div>
1/8 tsp. salt</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Line an 8" by 8" with plastic wrap. Lightly grease, set aside.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small pot over medium low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, to 238 F. Move to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add gelatin. Whip on high speed until fluffy and cooled to just warmer than room temperature. Add flavoring, salt, and color. Whip until well combined. Transfer to pan. Dust with cornstarch mixture. Press into pan to level.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
When cool, dust a cutting board with cornstarch mixture. Turn marshmallow onto board. Cut into squares. Toss with more cornstarch mixture.</div>
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Happy eating!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-76731876354854284372014-06-13T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-13T12:00:37.653-07:00Fruit and Vegetable Carving Class: First Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In my fruit and vegetable carving class, we got right into carving from the first day. On the first day, we learned to make basic carrot flowers. It is a fairly simple process. You want to use the biggest carrots you can find. You square up the carrot. You next sharpen it like a pencil, cutting along the sharp edges to form a point in the center. Then, you cut along the four corners down to the center to form the petals. When you cut the last petal, you slide the tip of the knife inside the flower to cut it away from the carrot.<br />
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We then used half an onion as a base, and created a bouquet from them. We arranged them with the largest in the middle, then worked outward with smaller and smaller flowers. The spaces between the flowers are filled in with parsley to hide any visible toothpicks.<br />
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On the second day, we did a lot more practice with basic techniques. We made more elaborate carrot <br />
flowers, by first incising lines on the faces of the carrots before cutting the flowers from the squared carrots.<br />
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We also made more elaborate bases, by cutting steps in a turnip and a potato.With the turnip, we just cut broad gradated platforms. On the potato, we cut small, spiralling staircases.<br />
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We then made some simple characters. We made a fish from a lemon, and frogs from limes.<br />
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For the fish, we cut a simple mouth, took off thin slices to form eyes. We used slices of black olive for the pupils. We cut for the gills, and used carrots to make fins and the tail. We cut strips of cucumber skin to make seaweed. The fish was mounted on the turnip, then some of the carrot flowers and some parsley was added to finish the scene.<br />
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For the frogs, large mouths were cut, and small patches removed to make the eyes. Again, slices of black olive were used to make the pupils. the skin of the section removed for the mouth was used to make the feet. A bit of radish skin was used for the tongues. We used carrot to make hats. I made a top hat and a winged helmet for my frogs. The frogs were mounted on the potato, and additional decoration of carrot flowers added.<br />
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This is turning out to be a fascinating class. I am curious to see where this takes me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-12255951941336292622014-06-12T10:23:00.000-07:002014-06-12T10:23:17.191-07:00Renaissance MarmaladeAs most of you know, I belong to a group that does medieval/renaissance re-creation. One of the rituals common in it is the passing of gifts between landed nobles. It can be particularly difficult for the King and Queen, as they may need to give gifts to a large number of people over the course of a reign. <div>
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<div>
So, a call was made for artisans to provide a dozen items each that their Majesties could use for largesse. It can be difficult as a cook to help with these things. Most food items have a limited shelf life. Canning was invented in the Napoleonic era, well after the renaissance. Right at the end of the renaissance, we see recipes for marmalades that are recognizable as similar to modern ones. They were not canned, but rather stored in boxes. As a highly concentrated paste of sugar and pectin, they should probably be sterile, as long as they don't get wet.</div>
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For the challenge, I decided to make a set of jars of marmalade from a period recipe. I looked at several, then decided on the one by Hugh Platt, published in 1602. I did alter it based on other recipes from around the same time, and in line with modern practice. I did can it with a modern water bath method, for food safety reasons.</div>
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It is a supremely simple recipe, with only three ingredients: oranges, sugar, and apples. I used juice oranges, as they were cheaper, and since I wanted to maximize juice/pulp, rather than having pretty supremes. I used granny smith apples, because I wanted the tartness, but next time I will probably try it with a mealier apple, as the apples are supposed to disintegrate, and the granny smiths never did, even after 3 1/2 hours of simmering.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One redactor I read suggested the apples were there to stretch the expensive oranges. That is a possibility, but I think there is a more practical reason: pectin. While the cooks of the day didn't know of the existence of pectin, they did know that certain fruits, cooked down with sugar, would form a thick paste. Quince was known to do this by the Romans, and I'm sure that similar properties were noted with other high pectin fruits like apples and pears.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The original recipe was: <i>TAke ten lemmons or orenges & boyle them with half a dozē pippins, & ſo draw them through a ſtrainer, then take ſo much ſugar as the pulp doth wey, & boyle it as you doe Marmalade of Quinces, and then box it vp. </i></div>
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<h4>
Don Avenel's Renaissance Marmalade</h4>
<div>
12 juicing oranges</div>
<div>
approximately 4 3/4 lbs. sugar</div>
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6 granny smith apples</div>
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Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the oranges, being careful to not get any of the white pith underneath the skin. Fine julienne the peel. Set aside.</div>
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<div>
Using a sharp knife, remove the white pith from the oranges, and cut out the sections, being careful not to get any of the inner membranes. Remove any seeds. Squeeze all the juice you can from the core, then dispose of the core. Set aside juice and segments.</div>
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Peel, core, and slice apples.</div>
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Combine orange peel, segments, juice, and apple slices. Weigh mixture. Mine came out to 4 3/4 lbs. In a large stock pot, combine mixture with the same weight of sugar. Stir to dampen sugar. Place over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until sugar is dissolved, and peel and apple slices are soft, about 3 1/2 hours. </div>
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Can marmalade using water bath method. Process jars for 10 minutes. Makes 12 half pint jars.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-63237542345607498942014-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:002014-06-11T11:35:05.841-07:00Start of Summer ClassesI am taking two classes this summer. I am taking Sugar Work, and Fruit, Vegetable, and Ice Carving. I have already had the first two days of Sugar. We had a short lab yesterday, preparing colored<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isomalt"> isomalt</a> for future projects. It was interesting.<br />
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Today I start my carving class. I have already ordered my carving kit. It will be an intense 6 weeks.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-45826444739095634302014-06-05T13:55:00.000-07:002014-06-05T13:56:10.950-07:00Spring Semester GradesI <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2014/03/sanitation-class-final-grade.html">already mentioned I got an A in my sanitation class</a>. I checked the grades on my other two classes.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9KvjBUw_sXo/U5DRsXe1lbI/AAAAAAAAHSA/-x9fVOeNyGs/s1600/Healthy+Lifestyles+Final+Exam+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9KvjBUw_sXo/U5DRsXe1lbI/AAAAAAAAHSA/-x9fVOeNyGs/s1600/Healthy+Lifestyles+Final+Exam+-+1" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
For my Cooking for Healthy Lifestyles class, we had to do a group practical final. We had to produce a healthy three course meal.<br />
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We decided on a Mediterranean style meal, with a pan-Middle Eastern style.I think it worked well. We did a good job working together as a team to produce both the menu and the final project.<br />
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For our appetizer, we made hummus, and served it with a variety of crudites.<br />
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This hummus was flavored with cilantro and a little jalapeno to give it a kick.<br />
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To be healthier, instead of using pita bread, we served it with celery, carrots, and yellow bell pepper. This also gave a lot of color to the plate.<br />
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For our main dish, we had a bed of couscous with peas and raisins. On top of that was Lebanese Orange Chicken.<br />
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To accompany the meal is a Greek salad with marinated onions and cucumbers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and julienned carrots.<br />
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Also with the dish are spicy Moroccan style vegetables with sweet potato, leek, onion, and zucchini.<br />
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For our dessert, we made a coconut milk panna cotta with fresh strawberries.<br />
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To make it more vegan friendly, it was made with agar agar instead of gelatin. It is garnished with a little toasted coconut.<br />
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We can't complain. We got an a on the final, and with that and 100% on my written final, I secured a solid A for that class.<br />
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For my cake decorating class, our final project was to make a dummy wedding cake. The core of the cake was Styrofoam, as the object of this exam was testing decorating skill, not cake baking.<br />
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My partner and I chose to make an Indian inspired cake. We used the peacock, lotus blossoms, and henna patterns in the design of the cake.<br />
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The cake is covered in a light ivory fondant. We wanted a blank canvas for the elaborate decorations we had planned.<br />
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The body of the peacock is made of colored fondant.<br />
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The tail is piped royal frosting.<br />
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The lotus blossoms are made from wafer paper. They were cut out, air brushed, then assembled.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeSJSPg79PjX1K3sEXssrgx_oLWC-slgeyAYX5HagD74fnO1206WRtkEhyphenhyphenrDrmib6UHh5Pw1mQfaRi9SOl7k7vxvmd4l56Pz9_Ak7fn_Z_0JOckuo-y_NfLzXEhSnK9hfzLN5rH3hHpRw/s1600/CAM00392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeSJSPg79PjX1K3sEXssrgx_oLWC-slgeyAYX5HagD74fnO1206WRtkEhyphenhyphenrDrmib6UHh5Pw1mQfaRi9SOl7k7vxvmd4l56Pz9_Ak7fn_Z_0JOckuo-y_NfLzXEhSnK9hfzLN5rH3hHpRw/s1600/CAM00392.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
on the other side are some fondant ropes framing piped henna patterns in purple and gold.<br />
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I'm really proud of this cake. I think it came out quite nice. We scored a 9.4 out of ten on it.<br />
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I managed an A+ in this class, which was a better grade than I thought I would get. I was expecting a B or at best a B+.<br />
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This was a relatively unstressful semester, though I did occasionally get stressed out over my lack of piping skills.<br />
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Next up for summer: Sugar work, and fruit carving.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-32496053756606587572014-06-02T13:10:00.000-07:002014-06-02T13:10:53.006-07:00World Tea Expo 2014 IntroductionJust got back From the <a href="http://www.worldteaexpo.com/">World Tea Expo 2014</a>. This year, it was held in Long Beach Ca., which was nice for me, as it is a short drive, and I have friends in the area to crash with, so I saved a lot of money I would otherwise had to spend on a hotel room. This was my second year attending.<a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/06/world-tea-expo-introduction.html"> Last year</a> the spouse and I attended the <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/06/world-tea-expo-new-business-boot-camp.html">New Business Boot Camp</a>, which included the World Tea Tasting Tour, which I discussed in two parts,<a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/06/world-tea-expo-world-origin-tasting.html"> here</a> and <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/06/world-tea-expo-world-origin-tasting_12.html">here</a>.<br />
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This year, I went alone. I focused on taking classes, but also did some networking, and talking to vendors. I'd like to have a small stock of teas to offer.<br />
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One of my goals at the Expo is to expand and educate my own palate. I mostly focused on tasting single source teas, rather than on blends, or flavored teas. Flavored blends, especially fruity, spicy, and floral teas, are hugely popular in the US. They are, however, kind of the wine coolers of the tea world. Everyone sells them, because that is what people buy, but what we want them to love are the subtle and complex teas, the equivalent of aged varietal wines. I find myself intrigued by the variation within tea, and want to have some ability to guide others.<br />
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One thing I love about the Expo is the energy. It has a positive energy unlike any other professional convention I've been to. I think this is because one does not casually become a tea professional. Running a tea business does not top the Forbes list of fast riches jobs. Everyone there is there because of passion. We can all geek out on tea together.<br />
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I also love the cosmopolitan nature of the Expo. Not only did I meet great people from all over the US, I talked to people from Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Thailand, Kenya, Malawi, and more. I love that you have people in every attire from three piece business suits to cargo shorts and tie-die t-shirts happily chatting.<br />
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I will write more on the classes I had the opportunity to take, and some of the products and companies.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-58642979123201012652014-03-31T19:40:00.000-07:002014-03-31T19:40:44.788-07:00Cake Decorating Class: S'mores CupcakesWe had our first lab for our cake decorating class. The first half of the semester will be more focused on baking and construction, and the second half more on decoration.<br />
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We started off with something fairly easy. We started a cheesecake, which we will finish in the next class session. We also did S'mores cupcakes, that while fairly simple, looked and tasted great.<br />
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These cupcakes are a rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, graham cracker crumbs, Swiss meringue, and a little square of milk chocolate with smoked salt. We baked it in a square shape.<br />
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We torched the meringue to give it the toasted marshmallow flavor. The smoked salt was to give it a little taste of the campfire.<br />
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I really liked the look and taste of this cupcake. It manages to be both homey and elegant.<br />
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We did not explicitly cover the recipe for the ganache, but I expect it is probably the one <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/02/pastry-class-puff-pastry-and-pate-choux.html">here</a>. For the chocolate, we tempered milk chocolate, and spread it thin on a sheet of acetate. It was sprinkled with smoked salt, and allowed to harden. It was then cut into squares.<br />
<h3>
S'mores Cupcakes</h3>
<h4>
Chocolate Cupcakes</h4>
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<i><u>dry ingredients:</u></i></div>
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5 oz. by wt. all purpose flour</div>
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7 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
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1 1/2 oz. by wt. cocoa powder</div>
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1 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1/2 tsp. baking powder</div>
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1/2 tsp. salt</div>
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<i><u>wet ingredients:</u></i></div>
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1 egg</div>
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2 oz. by vol. vegetable oil</div>
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1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</div>
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4 oz. by vol. brewed coffee</div>
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4 oz. by vol. buttermilk</div>
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Pre-heat oven to 350 F. </div>
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Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix until well combined.</div>
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Scoop into lined cupcake pan. Bake 18 - 22 minutes. Makes 12 cupcakes.</div>
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<h4>
Swiss Meringue</h4>
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4 egg whites</div>
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8 oz. by wt. sugar</div>
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3/4 tsp. cream of tartar</div>
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1/8 tsp. salt</div>
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Heat all ingredients in a double boiler over simmering water while whisking continuously. Heat to 165 F. Transfer to a stand mixer and whip on high until cooled to room temperature.</div>
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Happy Eating!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-6639584374365331792014-03-31T16:56:00.000-07:002014-03-31T16:56:40.021-07:00Healthy Lifestyles Class: Healthy AppetizersLast week in my Healthy lifestyles class, we were to make a number of healthy appetizers/ hor d'oeuvres. We were given a number of recipes to work from. One of the interesting things about the way Chef Kim organizes his labs is that he doesn't micromanage us. He gives us recipes, but gives us leave to deviate from them in our own creative fashion. Also, he basically gives us a goal, gives us product to work with, then lets us work out how it gets done.<br />
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As a group, we were to make four appetizers, two hor d'oeuvres, and a salad. We had four recipes given us, and we were to adapt two of them to work as hor d'oeuvres. For the salad, we were on our own to create something. Presentation was to be a big part of things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZERVVtdpW3NIckOaFH4b6b8oR57n9yFig4VH49eC1ECb9mjmd4EMCyqHvyoFey0jhRN2ifHTLOR5GxEluzGsMnB8Vf7y3ej1PFqNCXiQwsKXZbWdReN7pDcoedKLGzIRRZRSgz9rC8E_/s1600/CAM00206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZERVVtdpW3NIckOaFH4b6b8oR57n9yFig4VH49eC1ECb9mjmd4EMCyqHvyoFey0jhRN2ifHTLOR5GxEluzGsMnB8Vf7y3ej1PFqNCXiQwsKXZbWdReN7pDcoedKLGzIRRZRSgz9rC8E_/s1600/CAM00206.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
I made both an appetizer and an hor d'oeuvre from the recipe for Vietnamese style spring rolls. They were very similar to the ones I did for my <a href="http://chillireception.blogspot.com/2013/02/pan-asian-dinner.html">Pan Asian dinner</a>. The rolls have cooked shrimp, lettuce, rice noodles, julienned carrot and daikon radish, cilantro, and slivers of yellow bell pepper.<br />
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The dipping sauce is a mix of rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar, garlic, and sriracha.<br />
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I garnished the plate with a little minced peanuts.<br />
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For the smaller version, I cut the rice paper wrappers in half, and left out the shredded lettuce.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NFYqYouCOOgrA_N-U_XxJsR-GXGkx9SPzXs01TC-1-GVHVgOvimGUNW7-ItqzogaylsxFPIjDKCKo93rh20G9lm5vbN3H363LG_OmA4QCYQOl8HVeIqPsfgkNL7tOSE7jm831OmRkuPg/s1600/CAM00205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NFYqYouCOOgrA_N-U_XxJsR-GXGkx9SPzXs01TC-1-GVHVgOvimGUNW7-ItqzogaylsxFPIjDKCKo93rh20G9lm5vbN3H363LG_OmA4QCYQOl8HVeIqPsfgkNL7tOSE7jm831OmRkuPg/s1600/CAM00205.jpg" height="79" width="320" /></a>This is a great, refreshing appetizer. Very healthy, with no added fat.<br />
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For the salad, I collaborated with one of my teammates on a seafood salad, using some of my leftover shrimp, and some of the scallops from another appetizer made by a different teammate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv10ky0dvT4iwncWN6NabHQL66HQh-YpMeJ4tqlNkZOzmj5IYHtYBSm11Tn0hE-7_AQ41z9aNvqhrLvceAaSmc1_g8tgsLdJLPqjkB1-XI_9wQgQc5XQusWUtfV0T337Bgp1Q-WojlTTkD/s1600/CAM00210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv10ky0dvT4iwncWN6NabHQL66HQh-YpMeJ4tqlNkZOzmj5IYHtYBSm11Tn0hE-7_AQ41z9aNvqhrLvceAaSmc1_g8tgsLdJLPqjkB1-XI_9wQgQc5XQusWUtfV0T337Bgp1Q-WojlTTkD/s1600/CAM00210.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
We included mixed greens, sauteed baby shitake mushrooms, tomato, and some sweet yellow and orange peppers. My teammate made a nice vinaigrette to go with it.<br />
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All and all, I'm happy with both the flavors and presentations we did. Chef had some minor critiques, some ideas for improvement, but there were no terrible missteps.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-45363554287213595532014-03-31T15:36:00.000-07:002014-03-31T15:36:28.889-07:00Sanitation Class final gradeFinished the one credit sanitation class with an A. Other than memorizing specific temperatures for specific foods, it was really just a matter of common sense and be aware of what you are doing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-12876284338526832732014-03-11T15:06:00.001-07:002014-03-11T15:06:49.108-07:00Roots and Greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We got our second box from <a href="https://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/">Farm Fresh to You</a> today. This was a good haul this week. It was heavy on the root vegetables and greens. For greens, we got lettuce, green cabbage, kale, and frisee. I see a lot of salad in the near future. I haven't worked with frisee before. From what I can find, it seems to be best eaten raw, with an acidic vinaigrette.<br />
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For roots, we were given beets, fennel, carrots, and radishes. I kept the greens from all of these as well. The spouse is not a huge fan of fennel, but I enjoy it in small amounts. I have a couple of beets left from the last box, so am planning on pickling and canning all of them.<br />
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We also got some fruit. An avocado, a pint of strawberries, four blood oranges, and a couple of navel oranges. Need to do something cool with orange and strawberries.<br />
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Looking forward to playing with everything.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6462063487690370603.post-81097542318189561402014-03-01T16:28:00.000-08:002014-03-01T16:28:38.239-08:00Healthy Lifestyles Class: First Cooking LabWe finally got around to actually cooking in my healthy lifestyles class. It is interesting to note the significant difference in how Chef Kim organizes his labs vs. how Chef Joe does. Chef Joe is a very rigid authoritarian. He requires everyone to wait to do anything until he authorizes the specific action. He also allows only limited variation from his recipes for the session.<br />
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In contrast, Chef Kim gave us a pile of material, six techniques to demonstrate, and freedom to decide which vegetables to use for which techniques, how to cut the vegetables, and who was to do what. It was an interesting experience.<br />
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We were given some zucchini and yellow squash, carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli. We were to demonstrate six techniques: sauteing, stir frying, steaming, poaching, braising, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_papillote">en papillote</a> (in parchment). The other members of my team quickly claimed various methods, leaving sauteing and braising for me. I was the only one to do two techniques.<br />
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I thin sliced some carrots, yellow, and green squash for sauteing. I was happy that I was able to saute the vegetables just by flipping them in the pan. I did not use a spoon or spatula at all. I cooked the carrots for about a minute before adding the squash. It went quickly, as it should.<br />
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I then went back and thick cut some of each squash for braising, and cut up some chunks of tomato. I seasoned some water with salt and pepper. Once it was up to a simmer, I added the squash and covered the pan. I let it cook for a bit, then added the tomatoes. Once the squash was cooked, I removed it from the water.<br />
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I felt I did a good job. My team thought the braised veggies were the best, and the sauteed the second best. Chef liked both as well, and thought I had properly cut the vegetables for both. The only criticism was that I had been a tad aggressive with the pepper in the sauteed veggies, and I think that was a fair cop.<br />
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We also were to create two flavored vinegars and a flavored oil for doing salads next week. We made a red wine vinegar with blueberries and lemon, and a white wine vinegar with thyme and lemon. For the oil, we went with a classic, garlic and rosemary. Apparently so did all the other tables, independently.<br />
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Should be an interesting semester.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15966068115075540674noreply@blogger.com0