Monday, February 27, 2012
Hello Kitty Waffle O.o
Just a quick post cause I wanted to share with you this super cute waffle I ate the other day! So my friend gave me a hello kitty waffle maker a long long time ago, and I finalyl began using it last weekend. Kay, so maybe this picture isn't that great of a picture (I really wanted to get back to eating!) but the waffles were super fluffy and slightly crispy, just the way i like it, plus they're in the shape of Hello Kitty!! What could be better than that?!?!?!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Cream Puffs :) aka シュウクリム！
シュウクリム = shoe cream, but not actual shoe cream. That'd be just plain gross. It's actually a cream puff!! I used tartine bakery's recipe, and they turned out sooooo good! I made cream puffs previously, and while they turned out ok, I guess I didn't use enough batter for each mound because they were too tiny. Also, don't open the oven door during the first part of baking!! I think that's why last time I made them they collapsed :( Anyways, enjoy!
Super thick yummy pastry cream !
Super thick yummy pastry cream !
Puff Part (from here, but actually from the book-im just too lazy to retype..)
Ingredients:
4 oz nonfat milk
4 oz water
4 oz unsalted butter
4 oz all purpose flour
4 eggs
4 oz nonfat milk
4 oz water
4 oz unsalted butter
4 oz all purpose flour
4 eggs
For savory preparations, add 1 tsp salt
For sweet preparations, add ¼ tsp salt and 1 Tbsp sugar
For sweet preparations, add ¼ tsp salt and 1 Tbsp sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line sheet pans with parchment or a nonstick mat.
2. Measure out flour, and reserve for later. Crack eggs, set aside.
3. In a medium size heavy bottomed sauce pan combine milk, water, butter, salt and sugar, if using. Place pan over medium high heat. (Choose a pan that is bigger than you think you need as flour will cause the mixture to swell and expand and the last thing you need is a bunch of hot choux all over you.)
4. Heat mixture until it comes just to a boil, there should be steam coming off and visible bubbling of the surface but not a rolling boil (once mixture comes up to heat, it will boil over easily, so if it looks close, do not wander away from it), then turn heat off and immediately dump in flour. Whisk to combine until all flour is absorbed and no large chunks remain.
5. Return to medium-heat, switching to a wooden spoon. Begin to heat mixture, stirring constantly to release steam and cook off some of the water contained in the dough. This should take about 1-2 minutes and the mixture will transform from a chunkier, more amorphous mass into a much smoother, paste (you will see some of the paste begin to adhere to the bottom, and the dough will look like a mass of creamy mashed potatoes).
6. Transfer paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat mixture for about 1 minute to release some of the heat (if you add eggs to quickly, you will end up with the scrambled eggs in your paste). Begin to add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Continue to beat on medium speed until paste cools a bit and holds medium peaks, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the batch size.
7. The paste can be used immediately or stored in the fridge, for up to one day.
8. Fill a pastry bag and pipe into desired shapes.
9. Bake choux at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes longer until shells are crisp and golden brown all over.
10. Remove from oven and poke with a skewer or toothpick to allow steam to escape, this will keep them from collapsing outside of the oven, especially if you are making larger shapes.
11. Freeze leftover shells for up to 1 month, you can also freeze piped paste up to one week.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line sheet pans with parchment or a nonstick mat.
2. Measure out flour, and reserve for later. Crack eggs, set aside.
3. In a medium size heavy bottomed sauce pan combine milk, water, butter, salt and sugar, if using. Place pan over medium high heat. (Choose a pan that is bigger than you think you need as flour will cause the mixture to swell and expand and the last thing you need is a bunch of hot choux all over you.)
4. Heat mixture until it comes just to a boil, there should be steam coming off and visible bubbling of the surface but not a rolling boil (once mixture comes up to heat, it will boil over easily, so if it looks close, do not wander away from it), then turn heat off and immediately dump in flour. Whisk to combine until all flour is absorbed and no large chunks remain.
5. Return to medium-heat, switching to a wooden spoon. Begin to heat mixture, stirring constantly to release steam and cook off some of the water contained in the dough. This should take about 1-2 minutes and the mixture will transform from a chunkier, more amorphous mass into a much smoother, paste (you will see some of the paste begin to adhere to the bottom, and the dough will look like a mass of creamy mashed potatoes).
6. Transfer paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat mixture for about 1 minute to release some of the heat (if you add eggs to quickly, you will end up with the scrambled eggs in your paste). Begin to add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be fully incorporated before adding the next. Continue to beat on medium speed until paste cools a bit and holds medium peaks, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the batch size.
7. The paste can be used immediately or stored in the fridge, for up to one day.
8. Fill a pastry bag and pipe into desired shapes.
9. Bake choux at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes longer until shells are crisp and golden brown all over.
10. Remove from oven and poke with a skewer or toothpick to allow steam to escape, this will keep them from collapsing outside of the oven, especially if you are making larger shapes.
11. Freeze leftover shells for up to 1 month, you can also freeze piped paste up to one week.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I'm here! :D
Finally, a recipe! :D And a delicious recipe too. Actually, it's more of a flavor combination since I used an old recipe (lame, I know, but it's the standard recipe!). I used the basic italian meringue macaron method (which works well in humid areas -hawaii- btw). But, rather than making some blue or plain macarons, I tried coffee, green tea, and li hing. The li hing turned in to a pile of pink goo, so I still need to work on the proportions, but the coffee and green tea macaron (shells) turned out great. (I added 2 tsp of espresso powder and green tea.) The filling, well, I guess I have to work on those parts too. But dark chocolate ganache never fails, right?!
Oh, and also a cinnamon gingerbread type one with speculoo spread! I used the same basic italian meringue method but with the addition of 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. The filling is just a mixture of speculoo spread, butter, and powdered sugar :]
Sorry about some of those cracked/messy looking ones... :( Gotta work on being neater!
Oh, and also a cinnamon gingerbread type one with speculoo spread! I used the same basic italian meringue method but with the addition of 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. The filling is just a mixture of speculoo spread, butter, and powdered sugar :]
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