Ad Hoc at Home

This is absolute torture that I wasn't able to bake lately due to... well, how would it be a start of a year without bruising my spirit with OT every night, stomach flu, (near)-ER visit and a flat tire (yes, my car never ever leaves me alone). But it ain't matter, I am sticking to my goal, no matter what!

On a brighter note, I finally got my hands on Ad Hoc!

There are many things I'd love to try, wait, I correct myself, to learn to make. What I love about this book is that he goes into the details for a beginner! I love how he emphasizes that anyone to keep practicing the same dish over and over again.

Let's see if I can do a mid night session tonight!

Almond Chocolate Cake

If you haven't noticed, I've been trying to get rid of my pantry stocking of almond slices by making a number of almond desserts. Yesterday, I baked my first cake ever from scratch for my friend's daughter's 1st birthday. Of course, mine is a "back-up" cake in case they couldn't get the fancily decorated winnie-the-pooh cake. :)

I followed Dave Liebermen's "Best Chocolate Cake" recipe with a few modification. The cake turned out to be quite moist and semisweet. The almonds were (sorta) not helping with the overall taste of the chocolate. (I don't know why I always thought that nuts and chocolates can go splendidly together.)

As always, I don't follow the recipe exactly. I substituted agave nectar syrup instead of sugar and semisweet chocolate for bittersweet.

Madeleine, Madeleine, and more Madeleine

I went to 3 different groceries today to stock up on all my weekend baking needs. As a complete novice (and a stingy cook), I've gotta report that Whole Foods is heaven! They sell everything by the pound that you'll need, well, at least everything that I need in this stage of my culinary career, and with great quality too! The only extra money you probably would need to spend is on empty containers to keep these ingredients fresh!

So, after laying everything out on the kitchen counter, I've decided to give the Madeleine recipe I tried two weeks ago with Nan another try. I'm super nervous because I no longer have the liberty of turning my head over and ask, "are the eggs beaten enough?!" every 20 secs. I am on my own now! I finally buckle down, put on my apron and set up all the necessary gadgets. Oh, and by gadgets, I meant putting on my cooking shoes. Now who says you can't cook in fashion. Mario Batali has his favorite orange Croc and I have my favorite UGGs (at least in the winter).

I am using Chicago Metallic's Madeleine pans (left). They are not the heaviest in all the madeleine pans but not as pricey. I also generally use stainless steel prep bowls because they keeps the ingredients cool.

Gadget Requirement:

• Small pan (for browning the butter)
• Mesh strainer (for filtering the brown butter liquid)
• Stand mixer (for whisking the eggs)

Here's Heidi's Madeleine recipe. I am linking it because I can't take credit for it.

Here's my notes on the recipe.

• Browning of the butter is super important. Don't go too fast on turning on the heat, let the butter simmer on the stove.
• In the mean while, prepare the rest of the ingredients including zesting the lemons
• Since these are non-stick madeleine pants, you don't need to sprinkle flours or spray the cooking oils on it. In fact, it'll brown your Madeleine.
• Last but not least, don't fold the ingredients in your mixer's bowl because the bottom is uneven and you won't have a good feel of whether all the ingredients are mixed or not. Instead, transfer it out of the bowl to another prep bowl to fold.
• When you are pouring the batter into the moulding, do not worry about the shape. As soon as it goes into the oven, it'll figure itself out (i.e. turn into the pretty shape of the madeleine).


• And I fill the moulds pretty high and the recipe makes a solid 2 dozens of Madeleine.

Happy Baking!!

White Chocolate Oatmeal Whole Wheat Cookie

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Ever since my little culinary set-back, I've been on the down for a few days. I couldn't pick myself up to step foot for another disaster until my friend Teresa kindly lent me her Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (a.k.a The God-Sent). I, with all the courage in my heart and the vivid memory of using such a (god-sent) device from Nan, took out the "Tartine" cookbook and devised my very first cookie recipe.

Make no mistake, the recipe is largely the same as Tartine's Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. I did the simple thing by altering the ingredients, the healthier choices. Instead of all-purpose flower, I substituted with white whole wheat flowers. Instead of granulated sugar, I used light brown sugar. Instead of dark chocolate, I used white (ok, this is purely personal preference but because I like it I feel healthier). :)

The result? I'll have to see after my testers tomorrow. That's right, if you happened to be the (un)fortunate ones on my cookie distribution list and found yourself with cookies on your desk. Please comment and let me know how you (dis)like it. Nonetheless, here's the recipe that I will (most likely) alter based on the feedback I get.

Yield: twenty-four 3-inch cookies

• 12 oz white chocolate (340 g)

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (10 oz/285 g)

• 1 tsp baking powder (5 ml)

• 1 tsp baking soda (5 ml)

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats (6 oz/170 g)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (8 oz/225 g)

• 1 3/4 cups sugar (12 1/4 oz/350g)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tbsp whole milk (30 ml)

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (15 ml)

• 1 tsp salt (5 ml)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.

   
   

   Coarsely chop the chocolate into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces. A serrated knife works well for this task. Chill in the freezer until needed.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oats. Set aside.

3. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Slowly add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light in color and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the molasses and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition before adding the next egg. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt and then stop the mixer, again and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until well incorporated. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and fold in the chocolate chunks and the walnuts with the spatula.

4. Have ready a small bowl of water.* Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. An ice-cream scoop works well (about 3 1/2 ounces/100 g for each scoop). Dip your fingers into the water and press out each scoop into a thin, flat 3-inch circle.

5. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned but the centers remain pale, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

1. 
   

Almond Marmalade Cookie

So, I've had my first culinary set-back! It's not Dave Liebermen's fault. It's my hand mixer's fault. In a world of technology, chef's no longer assumes cooks lack proper gadgets and throws in 'use an electric mixer' as the way to prep. Let me say this again, chefs assumes the necessity of a electric mixer in every household. That's right, that $300 gadget is like a sink or a stove. Without it, they'll probably refer you to back to the stone-age of cooking - eating raw (which all by itself isn't a bad health regime, but let's leave it for another day).

If my setup above wasn't enough, let me tell you black and white right now - I don't have a electric mixer. Oh hell, I finally ordered one and it hasn't arrived! With all my energy to bake, I can't wait for another 2 weeks to use up my ingredients I freshly bought. I marched forward without a the proper weapon in my hand.

The result is disastrous! Heart wrenching! Too cruel to watch. In fact, I locked myself in my room for a good 10 mins before I can come out again to face my cookies, the sad flat face cripples all the other properly baked cookies would make fun of. Needless to say, I ain't gonna post any pictures of it.

Oh, and that was Jan 9th. I've been on a culinary strike until tonight.

Shortbread Cookie

I have zero patient to wait for my red hot mixer to get here until I would bake again. I've decided to make shortbread tonight (also, it is perfect that I get to munch while reading a new book of my favorite author - Elizabeth Gilbert).

There are two recipes I'm contemplating. Tartine (the bakery that got me hooked on shortbread) dictates the following recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup superfine or granulated sugar for topping

Kitchen notes: If my butter hasn't softened in time, I put the cold butter into a saucepan and melt a portion of it. Then I mix the rest of the butter into the melted butter to get the very soft consistency I need. Just make sure that you don't let too much of the butter melt.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 6-by-10-inch glass baking dish.

Place the butter in a mixing bowl. The butter must be very soft-the consistency of mayonnaise or whipped cream. Add the salt to the butter and mix well with a wooden spoon or whisk so that it dissolves completely before you add the rest of the ingredients. Sift the flour and cornstarch together into a bowl. Add the granulated sugar to the butter and mix just until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix just until a smooth dough forms.

Pat the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish. The dough should be no more than 2/3 inch deep. Bake until the top and bottom are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. The middle of the shortbread should remain light. Let cool on a wire rack until warm to the touch.

Sprinkle the shortbread with the superfine or granulated sugar. Tilt the dish so that the sugar fully and evenly coats the surface and then tip out the excess sugar. With a very thin, sharp knife, cut the shortbread into rectangular fingers about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long. If the cookies have become cold they will not slice well, so they must still be warm to the touch at this point. Chill thoroughly before removing from the baking dish.

The first cookie is difficult to remove, but the rest should come out easily with the aid of a small, thin offset spatula. The cookies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks.

Heidi Swanson also has a version of her Hearts Castle Shortbread recipe. It is more or less the same without the heavy emphasis on the fluffiness of the butter. I'm leaning toward doing the Tartine way as I've tried and tasted and fallen in love with it.

As Maria Bartiromo said it today in her interview on campus, "I love what I do and that's why I am successful." A split heart of technology and food, I wonder if you have to love just one thing to be successful. :) See you in 5 hrs.

UPDATE:

• In case you wonder how to soften butter (as called for in this recipe), the popular consensus on the internet is to put the stick right out the refrigerator and microwave it for 14 secs. And as for Julia Child, she recommended rolling the butter between two sheets of wax paper with a rolling pin.
• As I was reading the recipe, I wasn't sure whether I should mix the wet and dry ingredients together using an electric mixer. I simply hand mixed.
  
• As for the dough, I used a rolling pin just to smooth it out and I cut it before baking it.
• And lastly, it's better if you cut it with cookie cutter before baking as the whole piece would be too fragile to cut through after baking.
  

UPDATE 2:

• It is oh-my-god GOOOOOD!!!
  

Seeded Flat Bread.... bake night!

So! The night before, I made these seeded flat bread doughs from scratch... with my own hands.... no machinery whatsoever... and rubbed it in some EVOO and stacked them nicely in ball shape in the top shelf of my refrigerator. If you must know, when I excitedly rushed home, dashed to my fridge, I found the doughs lying there livelessly, in flat! My ball shape dough seemed to be deflated and lacking its springiness (is that a word?!). Nonetheless, I picked them up, set them aside for a good hour, stretched them out to paper thin, sprayed semolina flour in my baking sheet, and put it on. While waiting for my oven to heat up, I had a strange idea - what if I dust both sides of my bread with semolina flour instead of just one side?! Afterall, I wasn't trying to make a pizza! Ah-hah, I immediately started to flip over the bread and dust the naked side with semolina flour too - BOY, big mistake!

After baking it for about 8.5 mins, I took it out of the oven. I poked it with a fork and I quite like the little flakiness in its texture. But the inside was completely non-bready (ok, I struggle with a right adjective here) but it just breaks too easily. It lacks the doughy texture that usually comes with bread!

I failed! It was simply the worst bread I've had.

I made my big purchase!

Of Kitchen Aid Artisan Series spanking red mixer on the day that Isaac Newton was born 367 years ago. Hey Newton, how come you didn't invent something like the stand mixer that would rescue millions if not billions of kitchen nightmare!

Seeded Flat Bread

I tried Heidi's Seaded Flat Bread recipe tonight. Let me tell you right now - one thing is to follow the damn recipe, it is a complete different thing as to understand what it means (at no fault of Heidi).

What exactly does it mean by "by hand stir in the olive oil and cold water until the flour completely absorbs the water"? And what about whether the dry mixture are supposed to be mixed? Ugh! The instant frustration went on until I realized that I don't have a proper Kitchen Aid mixer! (Er, yeah, I am not yet willing to commit to a $300 mixer!) Now, the recipe asks for putting the dough on a dough hook on the electric mixer for 7 mins. God knows how long it took me to try to hand mesh this dough until it's some what to my satisfaction. Oh, let me footnote here and right now - when I say "to my satisfaction" that doesn't mean jack! Heidi's recipe calls for "smooth and sticky dough." WTF is a smooth and sticky dough? I had no idea....

Well, all I can say is that I chopped the thing into 6 pieces, rub it with olive oil and rushed it to be refrigerated. I'm guess tomorrow is when I can tell how it turned out.

So much for cooking as a stress-release mechanism. I'm definitely way more stressed out than before I made the dough!

Many "food" inspiration into 2010

I wasn't expecting this to happen. The last few days of 2009, specifically, Dec 29, Dec 30 and Dec 31st, was all about food. Better yet, how to cook food. I've always been mesmerized by food. Shamelessly, 80% of my spending goes to tasting restaurants of gourmet chefs. When travel, the first thing I always research on is where to eat, where do I find those local off-beat but god-can-kill-me food!

My best friend Nan put it in my hand, the minute I landed in LA, "You've got to watch Julie and Julia." Oh a movie I forgot how I missed. As soon as we got home, I couldn't wait to pop in the dvd. There it is, Meryl Streep cooking her way while Amy Adams learning her way through Meryl Streep. What inspired me right at that instance (aside from starting this slightly lame blog) was to cook! Really start cooking!

Taking a bit back in time, the last time that I mirrored something like cooking was probably frying an egg. Hey, breakfast counts as cooking! I was never too proud of my own cooking nor do I take special interest in perfecting thy skill. But watching others cook, tossing the pots and pans, always gives me the orgasm.

I, a China born Chinese, has never even seen an oven until 16, nor do I understand why an oven exists in culinary art. I was never too exposed the vocabulary of puree, reduction, sautee. But I am intrigued. If I have good taste buds, I must have some room to master the art of food!

The next day, while watching "It's complicated" (why Meryl Streep all over again I don't know), I've decided - dessert, pastry, bread is my entry point. I'm going to master these basics before I move on to main course.

Well, not to my disappointment, under the guidance of Nan, I was making a pretty damn good breadpudding and Madeleine! Following Dave Lieberman's Dinner cookbook, I made a "Carrot Mash Cake" to bring to my mom's friends party. Quite a success I feel!

In 2010, I'm going to bake my way through and master the ins and outs of baking! I'll lay my groundwork for Le Cordon Bleu's Pastry course!