Baguettes for Little Chef Co.

So there was a bit of a catastrophe on last Saturday morning.  I used a different type of flour and I'm not quite sure how it affected the baguette recipe, but as you can blatantly see, the baguettes turned out much differently than my last two attempts.  We almost had a major fire in the apartment because the breads baked up much faster than the other times and I didn't expect them to bake so fast!  All things considered, The Little Chef Co. still produced amazing sandwiches.  The pictures below prove it!

And thankfully, we were able to salvage 4 out of the 6 baguettes that I had made!  Later that day I used the scraps for bread pudding.  The recipe is from Tartine, a bakery my roommates and I visited last year in San Francisco.  If you ever find yourself in San Francisco - you must go there!  Everything was amazing - we tasted so much there and kvelled over everything!  I adapted their recipe for bread pudding by using 100% cream because I didn't have any milk in the apartment, and I added chopped chocolate.  Also, the recipe calls for brioche, but my scraps were baguettes.  It just goes to show you that you don't always have to stick to a recipe - the bread pudding still turned out sensational!

I'm employed! Hurrah!

Tomorrow I start my job at Gramercy Tavern as a pastry cook in their pastry department.  I am so unbelievably excited not only because it's my first restaurant job, but because, come on, it's GRAMERCY TAVERN!  It has been quite the journey trying to find a job, but I am so incredibly lucky and gracious for how it's turned out.  


A huge thank you goes out to the pastry departments at Pulino's, Amy's Bread, and Colicchio & Sons.  Each trail was a positive experience and I am thankful for the opportunity to work in each of your kitchens for the day.


My new work schedule will probably change my life a bit.  I'm working Sunday through Thursday 2:30 pm to close.  Which could be anywhere from 1 am-2:30 am.  I am so ready and willing for the challenge and can't wait to start this new chapter of my life!  


While I definitely intend on maintaining my blog, it may lag a little bit in the beginning because of my NEW job.  Or maybe it won't!  Who knows!  I just hope you'll stay tuned because I plan on blogging about my exciting new job and I know you're going to want to hear all about it!


Also on the horizon, more bread to come for my friends sandwich company Little Chef Co.

Biscuits made with homemade buttermilk!

Last week was homemade butter.  This week it's homemade buttermilk.  You're probably wondering just how do you make it?  Well don't you worry, because it's so easy!  All you do is take the reserved buttermilk that's leftover from making butter and add an acid to it.  Tadaaaah - homemade buttermilk that is tangy and delicious and a great way to make your biscuits even tastier!  

Baguettes Day 2

I saved a third of the baguette dough and let it rest in the fridge overnight to see if it would make a difference. I think the proof is in the pictures!

Baguettes

My roommate is starting a sandwich company and asked me if I would be interested in making bread for it!  I of course said yes!  I started my attempt with baguettes, quite the attempt indeed.  I was a little impatient with all the rises and baking time, (total 19 hours!!) but all in all, quite a success!  Looks like there will be much more bread to follow!  I'm going to experiment with a few more baguette recipes and then move on to brioche! Yum!  

Caramel Pots de Crème

Caramel Pots de Crème

Ingredients:

                  1 1/4 cups sugar

                  1/4 cup water

                  2 1/4 cups whipping cream

                  6 large egg yolks

Procedure:

1.   Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Place six 2/3-cup soufflé dishes or 3/4-cup custard cups in large roasting pan.

2.   Combine sugar and water in heavy large saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 6 minutes.

3.   Gradually whisk in 2 1/4 cups whipping cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until caramel dissolves, about 2 minutes.

4.   Beat yolks in large bowl until foamy. Gradually whisk in warm caramel. Strain into 4-cup glass measuring cup. Divide among dishes.

5.   Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes. Cover pan with foil. Bake until custard is just set at edges but still moves in center when shaken gently, about 1 hour. Remove from water; cool on rack. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)

Take pots de crèmes out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before serving.  Suggested topping: whipped cream!

Butter

What do you do with extra cream?  You make butter!  

I remember going on a field trip to a farm when I was in grade school and my class made butter with a wooden butter churn.  Well, years later I return to the process, but with new tools - a kitchenaid mixer!  Before I started, I researched a few methods online.  I tried the shaking method, where you fill a glass jar 3/4 full of cream and just shake the bejesus out of it.  It works, I promise!  If you let the cream come to room temperature before you shake it, it's much easier!  Try doing it with a group of people to share the shaking!  I bet little kids would love it.  

If you don't feel like shaking, then try using a kitchenaid mixer.  Start with a whisk attachment on medium speed.  The cream goes through a couple of stages.  First, the cream whips up into whipped cream, then it gets over whipped and starts to smell a little sour, and then the buttery goodness starts to happen!  You start to see the butter solids separate from the buttermilk (this just looks like a watered down milk).  When you see this start to happen, switch to the paddle attachment, it'll make the butter come together more easily.  Continue mixing on medium low speed, and pour out buttermilk whenever you see it accumulating.  You can save the buttermilk if you want!  When the butter comes together you literally have to wash it under cold water until the water coming out of the butter is clear.  You're basically getting all the buttermilk out of the butter so that it won't go rancid when you store it in the fridge.

So easy and so fun!  Try it!  I know you'll like it :)  I mean, come on - who doesn't like butter! And, when it's homemade - it's even better!

Ricotta Cheese Biscuits

These are so easy, extremely flavorful, light, fluffy, and extraordinarily delectable.  The pictures should be enough incentive to get in the kitchen and bake! 

Ricotta Cheese Biscuits

2 cups of unbleached white flour

4 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of scallions

½ to ¾ cup cooked bacon

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 large egg

1 cup of ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter, crumbled into small pieces

1/4 cup of yogurt

In a medium-large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, scallions, bacon, and pepper. Make a well in the center of the ingredients.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Now beat in the ricotta cheese. Stir in the olive oil, butter, and yogurt. Pour into the dried ingredients and stir until you have a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and gently knead 8 - 10 times.

Shape the dough into round biscuits, using a round pastry cutter or the lip of a cup dipped in flour, roughly 1 inch thick.  Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for a half hour.  Before baking, brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven until the biscuits are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 10 - 12 biscuits.

Macarons with salted caramel filling

I was told that the French macaron is the hardest cookie to make, and I believe that to be verrry true!  Whenever you're working with egg whites and a meringue, you're likely to find some trouble!  The cookies are finicky and subject to the environment, so if it's humid, get ready for a fight.  This was my 3rd attempt at home making this cookie and I was so thrilled to see that they worked!  They might not be perfect, but damn, they were so close!  

If you've never had the pleasure of tasting a macaron, I recommend getting your butt to a local french pastry shop ASAP!  They are a wonderfully delicious and adorable treat.  They are very trendy right now, so much so, that there was a whole day devoted to macarons in NYC. Macaron Day NYC.  If you're in the NYC area, check out the pastry shops who were involved in Macaron Day and make it a point to go there and taste these amazing cookies!

Passover Baking

Last week I made a bunch of desserts for my family's passover seder.  Passover is not a fun holiday for a baker because you can't use flour.  The replacements include matzah cake meal and potato starch.  Let's just say, although they may have looked appetizing, they weren't that fantastic.  Flour is flour and you can't really replace it!


I made:
1. chocolate macarons with a salted caramel filling.  I took a macaron class at ICE last year and tried a method that we didn't use in the class.  I wanted to make these because they don't have flour in them so I didn't have to change the recipe at all.  I did an italian meringue base with a sugar syrup and that was definitely an interesting experience using a ghetto sugar thermometer (I forgot mine at my apartment).  A friend of mine was also over, and we were having a great time catching up, so I was a touch distracted!  They didn't develop the classic macaron feet and they didn't get all glossy and pretty.  While they weren't aesthetically pleasing, the guests loved them! 


2. blueberry linzer tart.  It was beautiful.  Was it beautiful and delicious?.. hmm, probably not because of the stupid matzah cake meal.

3. brownies. 


4. crumb cake.


5. chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with a chocolate ganache filling.

Moral of the story:  Will I be baking this much next year for passover; probably not!  My mom's mandelbread is delicious and will suffice for dessert!  If I have to bake, I'll stick with the cookies, those were tolerable!

American Masala

Author Suvir Saran takes American classics and gives them an Indian flavor makeover.  I decided to try his recipe for PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM POUND CAKE WITH LEMON ICING.  It was so tasty and different.  If you're in the mood for the classic pound cake, be adventurous and try this bold and delicious recipe!  Definitely a success!

Pistachio and Cardamom Pound Cake with Lemon Icing
Ingredients For Cake:

• 1 cup raw, shelled pistachios
• 1 stick, plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Ingredients For Icing:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and browned, about 5 minutes. Cool and then pulse in a food processor until they become very fine (don't over process) and set aside. Reduce oven temp. to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 - inch loaf pan with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Place a long strip of parchment paper in the pan bottom. Grease the top of the parchment with 1/2 tablespoon of butter, set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, whisk in vanilla, and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the remaining stick and a half of butter and sugar until they are light and airy. Drizzle in the eggs, a little at a time, beating between additions to incorporate and scraping the bowl as necessary. Alternate adding the flour and the milk, starting and ending with the flour and mixing until the batter is just nearly combined between additions, scraping the bowl as necessary. Fold the pistachios into the batter by hand, then transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted in the cake's center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and turn it so it's top faces up. Let the cake cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the icing: Sift the confectioners' sugar and cardamom into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and cream or milk. Spread the icing over the cake, letting it drip over the sides. Once the icing has set, slice and serve.