Misadventure #13 - Happy Birthday Honey

I’m a food Geek

Some people are able to just put a recipe together.  Some are able to follow a recipe word by word and achieve the desired results.  I do research on an idea I may have.  Every time I try to leap into something it fails = misadventures.  Instead I do a lot of research.  I’m a geek in that way.  I look up multiple recipes, I read up on techniques, and I even go to different places to see how they do a similar recipe.  That is what I did when I did the Daring Baker’s Chocolate Challenge.  I “researched”, which really means I ate a lot of different types of chocolate.  The day before I actually made the chocolate, I had the opportunity to be a taste taker for a hot chocolate line that a local company called Chocolatine had.  I have seen multiple versions of a hot chocolate on a stick, even my friend Anna made me one, but this one was different.  It had a marshmallow in the middle and the chocolate surrounded it.

Chocolate, Chocolate, and More Chocolate

Farmers Market, much needed Chocolate, Book Review, and even a Recipe

Tis’ The the Time to Give–12 Days of Christmas Day 1

It is 12 days before Christmas and this is the start of my holiday baking.  I always make a gift basket for our family friends and family for Christmas.  Last year I wasn’t good about it and made stuff last minute.  This year I’m a little more organized and I started early.  I wanted to share the various goodies I am making for my loved ones. 

 

For the first day of Christmas, I made bark.  I always make bark because 1. It is easy, 2. I am able to get rid of the random stuff in my pantry.  This year I made two barks.  I had a lot of chocolate in the house and I wanted to use all of it.  The first one I made was peppermint bark and the other one was a potpourri of nuts and coconut. 

Peppermint Bark

1 Lb of White Chocolate

12 Candy canes Crushed

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or just a bowl over a pot of simmering water.
2. Once all the chocolate is melted, add the candy canes. 
3. Spread out the mixture on a sheet of wax paper and let it set.  It may take a couple hours.  I normally let it sit overnight.
4. Break in smaller pieces
5. Serve.

You could easily do this with any chocolate and add ins.  The other bark I had a canister of mixed nuts at home and I just poured a bunch of nuts and coconuts. 

 

Peppermint Bark

Misc Bark

Pastry Boot Camp Recap

Here are the recipes requested to be shared. 

Trissa
.
Pain a la Biere - Beer Bread
(Adapted from the French Pastry School)
480 g of Water
500 g of Bread Flour
250 g of Rye Flour
17.5 g of Sea Salt
8.7 g of Dry Yeast
625 of Fermented Dough (similar to a sourdough starter)
55 g of Potato Flakes (yes potato flakes)
195 g of Water

Directions

1. Use a 20-quart mixer with a dough hook, combine the bread flour, salt, yeast, fermented dough, and rye flour. 
2. While that mixes, mix together the potato flakes and water until it is well mixed.
3. Add the potato to the dough mixture.
4. Slowly add water if needed.
5. Mix the mixture on low for 5 minutes, than go to medium for 2-3 minutes to create the glutton.
6. Let the dough rise for an hour.
7. Once it rises, portion into 350 g pieces and shape into loaves.
8. Brush the dough with the beer mixture (see below).
9. Once they are all covered with the beer mixture, lightly dust with rye flour.
10. Let it proof again for an hour.
11. Cook at 495F for about 25 minutes. 

Beer Mixture
100 g of Rye Flour
180 g of Beer (pick a good one)
5 G of Salt
2.5 g of Yeast

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Set aside.

Brioche

(Adapted from The French Pastry School)

Poolish

50 g of Whole Milk

5 g of Sugar

60 g of Bread Flour

Dough

Poolish

340 g of Bread Flour

8 g of Fleur de Sel or (Salt if you don't have this)

35 g of Sugar

220 g of Whole Eggs

200 G of Cold Unsalted Butter

Directions

1. 
   
   In the mixing bowl, pour the milk, than the yeast, sugar, and on top the flour.  Let the yeast proof.
2. 
   
   When the flour breaks, add the rest of the ingredients except for the butter.
3. 
   
   When the dough comes together, slowly add the butter.  Do not over add too much but wait until it is almost fully incorporated before adding more.
4. 
   
   Place in a bowl and cover with saran wrap.
5. 
   
   Let is rise for an hour and punch down to remove the air.
6. 
   
   Place in the fridge for 2 hours and than punch down again to remove the air.
7. 
   
   Let it sit in the fridge overnight for the final rise. 
8. 
   
   Form into loaves or desired shape and brush with egg wash.
9. 
   
   Let it proof again for an hour.
10. 
    
    Brush more egg wash and cook at 400F for about 15-20 minutes.

Oggi
Passion - Apricot Pate de Fruit
(Adapted from The French Pastry School)
125 g of Passion Fruit Puree
125 g of Apricot Puree
7.6 of Apple Pectin
29.75 g of Sugar
264.5 g of Sugar (there is two different sets needed)
53.75 g of Glucose or Corn Syrup
2.25 g of Tartaric Acid Solution
4.25 g of Kirsch

Directions

1. Cook the purees to 104F over a stove top.
2. Add the pectin and sucrose and bring to a boil by stirring continuously.
3. Add the glucose
4. Slowly add the sugar.  Once it reaches 223F, remove from the heat.
5. Add the tartaric acid and the kirsch.
6. Pour the mixture into a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper and a little oil.
7. Once it is set, cut and cover with sugar.

I can't wait to see your take on these recipes.

Pastillas de Leche Recipe

 

Pastillas de Leche Recipe

 

When I was growing up, pastillas was a given candy in my house.  Especially when someone came back from Philippines.  It was so sweet, soft but a little hard at the same time.  Let's not forgot the crunchy texture due to the sugar coating.  We loved the stuff growing up.  I was on the hunt for some Filipino food recipes, until recently, I generally didn't make those types of recipes, I would make pasta, meats, potatoes, any thing that required a microwave.  I stumbled on this recipe and it was so simple, I figured I could try it out.  The first time I tried it, I didn't shift the powder milk so it was a bit chunky.  The texture needs to be smooth.  Like all recipes, there is multiple versions but I always opted for the simple but fresh and good ingredients.  I hope you like it.

 

Ingredients

1 Can of Condense Milk

4 Cups of Powder Milk

Sugar to Coat

 

Directions

1. Pour the can of condense milk into a bowl.

2. Shift in the powder milk.  Make sure there is no chucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Mix until it is well incorporated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Roll out into a rope or just take small pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

  

5. Cut into pieces or shape into short but pudgy (yes, I use pudgy instead of fat) ropes

6. Roll in sugar

7. Wrap in cellophane

 

See Simple!  Unfortunately with my little one, she loves getting into the sugar so I had to bribe her with the end so she would just go watch tv.