Recipe and Review

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[font=century gothic]I have an heirloom sourdough starter I'll mail you that you can substitute
LOL. I feel the same way about starters.



Over $1,000?? How much are limbs going for in the black market these days? I don't really need my left arm.


Better yet, I call dibs after DD.
Yeah, they are pricey but worth it I think. They save you so much time and effort in the kitchen. They can also be used safely by children and basically anyone who doesn't know anything about cooking. You follow the instructions for the settings and temperature and just let it do it's stuff by itself. I can't live without mine. There are also thousands of free recipes on the internet in many languages. They don't seem to sell it in the U.K. but it seems popular in Australia. I've gotten many a great recipe from Australian cooks. It makes perfect bread.

If I could send you mine to try out, I would.

That said, I'm going to try out the recipe for that scrumptious looking chocolate cake.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Clarified Butter

Why clarify butter? Without it, you will never fix the perfect steak, the best hash-browns, or have the finishing touch for Valentine dinner.

Clarified butter has a higher smoke point (485 °F or 252 °C) than regular butter (325375 °F or 163190 °C) .This allows you to crank up the heat for that perfect sear or other high temp. needs.

Yeah great. Anybody can melt some butter and skim solids and liquids. This method is the definition of inefficient and results in a lower yield. With solids on top and liquids on bottom, good luck skimming.

I'm not claiming to be the first to do this. No matter who I asked or how much I interneted, all roads led to skimming. The path to easier, faster, and better lies before you.




leave nothing to the imagination, I always leave the light on



low heat is fine, high if stove-top napalm is the desired effect



looks like I need to clean the tub



find a nice cold place once melted, he won't bother it


your golden hockey puck should have solids on top and wet nasty on the bottom



Warm water and an attention span longer than 3 seconds is all you need.



The Prestige















“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese



chicken stock was still in the makeup trailer

Ingredients

- 6 tablespoons room temp butter
- 2 lbs broccoli (stems and florets separated)
- 1 large onion
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 6 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese


have to do it to keep it from turning to mush

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli stems and onion; sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and tarragon; sauté 1 minute. Add stock; bring to boil. Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cream. Mix remaining 3 tablespoons butter with flour in small bowl to make paste.



brown the flour before you start cookin'

Whisk paste into soup. Add broccoli florets. Simmer until soup thickens and florets are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, then refrigerate uncovered until cold.


"hey man, what'd you do to get in here?"

Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing. Preheat broiler. Place ovenproof soup bowls on baking sheet. Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over each. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles around edges, about 4 minutes.





My thoughts...


- I used 3 garlic cloves, but it could have used a little more
- the flour got browned, just do it
- before blending the butter/flour mix, thin it out with some of the soup to make it easier to blend.
- I ended up adding salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
- just shred the cheese you need at the end, no need to do 2 cups
- I had leftover half-and-half that I used. It really worked out fine and made the soup lighter. Its not so heavy that you feel d.e.d. after eating two bowls.



Soup is great, but store bought is so over-processed that it makes me feel sick or assume I will be getting there soon. This is great because you can just freeze it off in bags and warm it up when you need. Super easy to make, the knifework in separating the florets and stems is the only thing that will take time. I probably spent more time than needed doing this. Nothing mindblowing here, but solid dish for a cold day.











I love broccoli, but often, broccoli soup is just awful. Watery, with the bits of broccoli mushy and the smell reminiscent of really old fart.

But I haven't given up hope of finding a good broccoli soup. I will try this!
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You're an enigma, cat_sidhe.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
I love broccoli, but often, broccoli soup is just awful. Watery, with the bits of broccoli mushy and the smell reminiscent of really old fart.

But I haven't given up hope of finding a good broccoli soup. I will try this!

Broccoli cultivates the worst body odors known to man.

I would have never thought about separating the stems and cooking them first. I like my broccoli "al dente", but the crowd insisted I make it mush, so mine went past the five minutes after the florets were added.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Lemon Velvet Cake with
Lemon Italian Buttercream



lemon velvet cake with lemon italian buttercream


Acid is my favorite profile and sugar is my favorite thing in life. What better way to combine both of my loves, than in a lemon cake.


dat cake

Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
  • 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp pure lemon extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • zest of two small or one large lemons, grated and finely chopped

Instruction
  1. Grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans and line the bottom with 2 circles of parchment paper. Sift together both flours, baking soda. baking powder, salt and sugar, Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the vegetable oil, shortening, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat well at high speed with whisk attachment until light and fluffy
  3. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
  4. Fold in the lemon zest.
  5. Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
  6. I always add dry ingredients in three divisions and liquid ingredients in 2 divisions. It is very important to begin and end the additions with the dry ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. As soon as it has no lumps in the batter, pour into the two prepared 9 inch cake pans.
  7. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.



dat italian buttercream


whipped butter or buttercream?

Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar
  • 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions

Boil Sugar & Water
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Prepare Egg Whites
While the sugar syrup is heating, put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whip Egg Whites
When the syrup reaches 230°F on the candy thermometer, begin to whip the egg whites on medium/high speed. Whip until the egg whites are stiff.
Combine Sugar and Egg Whites
When the syrup reaches 240°F, immediately remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer running, pour the syrup into the egg whites in a very thin stream. Pour the syrup between the side of the bowl and the whisk attachment.
Whip It
Whip the meringue at high speed until thick and glossy and the bowl is no longer warm on the outside, about 8 to 12 minutes.
Add Butter and Vanilla
With the mixer running, add the butter, a piece at a time, whipping until each piece is fully incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula occasionally.
Whip Your Buttercream
After all the butter has been added, continue to whip the buttercream until it’s thick and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla.




2 cents

- I made my cakes in square pans, which is going to be my method going forward. Why? I'm tired of circular cake pans and wedge slices.


- Everything needs more lemon. As stated, I'm a big fan of this flavor. This means I want LEMON! Any flavoring ingredient could be doubled as far as I'm concerned.


- The italian buttercream is probably the best frosting you will ever eat. WARNING It can be a pain in the @$$ to make. I would suggest whipping your eggs as soon as you start warming the sugar. Then whip it 5 mins longer than suggested. If the bowl still feels warm, keep whipping. After you add the butter, you may start to wonder, but then...Voila! out of nowhere this stuff will stiffen up and amaze.


- I used a teaspoon of lemon extract and I reduced the juice of 2 lemons down to a tsp...still not lemon enough. I would suggest a lot of zest in the icing, something I will try next time.


- I used store bought egg whites to reduce waste and avoid eating 2 weeks of cholesterol. My test on a regular egg showed that 1 manually separated white = 35g . 8 egg whites = 280g




This is a great cake recipe and the best buttercream I know of. The cake came out just like I like it, dense and moist. Not too heavy, but enough to know you got a slab on that plate. Is this cake perfect? No, but I don't come across many that are. The flavor is really good, but I would prefer more. I would say this is a hint of lemon cake, as opposed to


!!!LEMON CAKE!!!






“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Served with milkshakes made from 1 part cake : 1 part ice cream : leftover icing.



@doubledenim, looks fantastic, but a heck of a lot of sugar. 3-1/4 cups of sugar if I added properly.

Did you really serve this to accompany? “Served with milkshakes made from 1 part cake : 1 part ice cream : leftover icing.”
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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Those milkshakes are on par with what you find restaurants charging you $10.

That frosting only uses 1.5 cups of sugar, where most frostings use 3-4 cups 6x sugar.



Tzatziki Paste



I discovered Tzatziki at the grocery deli a couple of months ago and was immediately addicted, using it in wraps and on salads. I quickly learned how to make it myself and it tastes even better made at home with your own quality choices.

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. Plain Greek Yogurt
3 Cucumbers
1 teasp. Vinegar
2-3 TBSP Dill Weed
Small pinches of salt

Peel your cucumbers with a potato peeler or manually with a knife. Chop them up small enough to fit in your blender. Blend them into grain size, pick out chunks. Squeeze the water out of the cucumber, it will look neon green. Drink it or dump it but don't mix it in the sause.

Stir everything together well and let sit in your fridge long enough to let the salt and vinegar set and soak into the yogurt. Start very small with the salt and vinegar and increase it to taste. Too much of either will ruin the sause.

I love this stuff and now prefer it to ranch dressing, my previous fave cream sause.

Price is about the same to make it yourself but much better and fresher.
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