29.6.13

Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu # South Vs North June Challenge

As part of Divya's South Vs North Challenge, this month Priya (akka) from Priya's Versatile Recipes challenged us to cook Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu.  It was the first time i heard the name. but once i cooked it, i realized i had eaten it several times in our Chennai mess. they used to cook it really well and  i always ended up over-eating whenever it was served. I however didn't know the curry by this name. we used to call it the south Indian pakoda curry which (i learnt from wiki) is what Pakoda Kuzhambu translates to in English. 

While it is a fairly straight-forward recipe to cook through, it took me two long kitchen sessions to get this curry right. while the gravy tasted wonderful, i wasn't very happy with the way the pakodas had turned out when i cooked it the the first time. they were dense and hard. so i asked Priya akka if she had any tips to share. almost instantly she asked me if i had fried it too long.. yes i had. well, while frying vadas/pakodas(which i almost never do)  i always have this phobia that the interiors will remain uncooked and so i tend to over-fry them (as a consequence make them rock-hard)... anyway the second time i was more careful with the pakodas and they worked out fine.. weren't perfectly porous... atleast not the slightly bigger ones but so hard either. the smaller ones were better in every way and i think the  Pakoda Kuzhambu would have been perfect had i stuck to the smaller pakoda size and not rushed through the recipe by dropping larger chunks of the lentil mixture  in the oil. anyway those are just notes for me for next time... 


now the recipe....

Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu
Recipe Source : Priya's Versatile Recipes
 ingredients
  • for the pakodas
    • 1/2 cup Chanadal (split gram dal)
    • 3 dry red chillies
    • salt
    • oil for frying
    • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • for the gravy
    •  oil
    • spices for seasoning
      • 1 inch cinnamon stick
      • 2 cloves (the spice)
      • 2 green cardamoms
      • 2 bay leaves
      • 1 tsp fennel seeds*
      • few curry leaves
    • 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
    • 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
    • 4 garlic pods, grated
    • 2 green chilles, split lengthwise
    • 1 tbsp coriander powder
    • 1 tsp red chilly powder
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • to be ground together 
      • 1 tsp poppy seeds
      • 4 tbsp grated coconut ( I used coconut powder)
      • 6 cashew nuts (second time I used almonds)
      • 1 tbsp roasted channa dal
    • 1-2 tsp tamarind paste
    • salt 
  • for garnish
    • finely chopped coriander leaves 
 * i did not add this.

 what i did
  • for the pakodas
    • i soaked the channa dal overnight (it is however enough to soak it for 2 hours).
    • next day, i ground the soaked channa dal along with the dry red chillies, fennel seeds, salt and very little water. the ground mixture was slightly coarse in texture. i believe, keeping it that way is important for the porosity of the fried pakodas.
    • i then heated the oil for frying. once the oil was hot enough i dropped golf sized balls of the ground mixture in the oil. on take two i was careful enough to follow the instructions and pinch the mixture balls so that they form shapeless pakodas.
    • once the pakodas looked golden brown, i removed them from the oil and drained off the excess oil with a paper towel.
    • i then kept the pakodas aside and went ahead to prepare the gravy.
  • for the gravy, 
    • i first dry ground the the poppy seeds along with the coconut powder, almonds and roasted channa dal in the coffee grinder and then adding enough water to the mixture to form a fine paste, i kept it aside.
    • next heating enough oil in a medium sized saucepan, i added the spices for seasoning and fried them till they browned. 
    • i then added the onions, tomatoes, garlic and chillies and cooked them until the onions and tomatoes were well done.
    • once a lovely fragrance came across, i added the ground paste to the veggies and simmered for a couple of minutes. 
    • i then added 3 cups of water, chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt to the saucepan, gave it a good stir then covered the saucepan and cooked over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
    • at this point i tasted the gravy, adjusted the salt and to suit to our taste, added 1/2 cup water and the tamarind paste and cooked the gravy for a few more minutes.
    • once the oil started separating from the gravy, i added the pakodas to the gravy and over medium-low heat brought the to a boil.
    • then switching off the heat i transferred to a serving bowl and garnished the curry with the chopped coriander.

We enjoyed the Pakoda Kuzhambu that night with rice, yogurt and papad.  It was such a treat !!
Many thanks to Priya (akka) for the challenge and the tips and a big thanks to Divya for starting the South Vs North Challenge



Linking this to Priya's Versatile Recipe & Divya's space...

and a few other food events on the web...






French Ruffly Poached Eggs

The French sure know how to make the mundane look spectacular. 

Look what they did to the white of a poached egg. 

They found a way to ruffle it and called it Ruffly Poached Egg. 

I made one for lunch today and then snapped because it looked so
pretty.. don't you agree ?

Hop over to Dorie's page to know how to make these.. I used her recipe and it worked great !

Sending the first photograph to "The Colour Me Photography Challenge Series"  ~ Colour Me White , a photography event  at Priya's  place The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen. 

Sending the second photograph to the Black and White Wednesday #90. Black and White Wednesday is a Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar and this week Priya of  The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen is hosting it.

28.6.13

Socca from Vieux Nice # French Fridays with Dorie

This week we made Socca from Vieux Nice for French Fridays with Dorie. 


In the book, Dorie describes them as "large pancakes made from chickpea flour". That made me wonder if socca was the Niçoise version of the Indian Besan Puda or Adai Dosa. and indeed, if you spread the batter a little thick, these do taste like our Adais but a little crunchier since they are baked and broiled in the oven rather than being cooked on the griddle. but if you let the batter rest overnight or for a couple of days in the refrigerator, and then bake your socca... then the result is lovely. for whatever reason it is easier to make thinner pancakes from the rested batter and that tastes really good. 

I had decided to make Socca on Monday. however i had not read the recipe in advance. so, on Monday, i ended up making it with a batter that was mixed  just two hours in advance. since i do not have a pizza pan, i made the socca in my trusted iron skillet using exact procedure as mentioned in the book... i.e., baking it in a preheated oven for a few minutes and then broiling it for a couple of minutes to get the authentic  slightly burnt Niçoise-socca look. 

though the recipe recommended it as an appetizer, i topped the socca with spinach (prepared the same same way as i had cooked the escarole here), grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and feta and happily served it for dinner with a cup of soup and it was a satisfying meal. as i mentioned the crust tasted like stiff herbed adai and i wasn't overly impressed with it. i felt that it was the topping that made the slices delectable and the crust was merely a supporting actor in the show.


though you can't tell from the image above, the socca pizza really looked good and as a result a triangle had to be cut out for the toddler even before we could take a snap. the little one however did not eat beyond the first bite. i think he was put off by both the topping and the crust.. 


since Dorie mentioned that socca batter improves with longer resting time, i decided to try it again and this time i made the batter a couple of days in advance and made the socca  with the well-rested batter last night. the result was radically different. I really liked it. So did my husband. the same quantity of batter yielded 3 thin socca pancakes or crusts which tasted awesome with out little asparagus salad. so yes. socca rocks and so does shaved asparagus salad...


while i cannot post the original recipe in the blog, you can find a recipe for socca in the Kitchn and here is my recipe of the Socca with Shaved Asparagus Salad ... though the recipe does not say so, please let the batter rest overnight for a truly delicious treat ... it really great better with rest.

Socca with Shaved Asparagus Salad 
 ingredients
  •   a socca crust
  •   basil pesto
  •   1/2 pound asparagus, shaved
  •   olive oil
  •   salt and pepper to taste
  •   1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  •   2 pieces of sun-dried tomato, chopped
  •   shredded mozzarella
  •   crumbled feta
  •   few pine nuts

 what i did
  • i shaved the asparagus, added some olive oil, salt and pepper to it and kept it aside. 
  • next i caramelized the onions and kept that aside.
  • finally i prepared the socca using batter that had rest in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
  • once the socca was done i turned the oven temperature to 400 degree F.
  • Meanwhile, i smeared the pesto over it, topped it with the caramelized onion, shaved asparagus, pieces of sun-dried tomato. added the cheese and nuts over it and put the topped socca back into the oven and baked for 5 minutes.

 For the original recipe of socca and many more delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.
I shall be sharing this with the following food events:
nap-time creations
Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked MomCast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on Show and Share @ Semi Homemade MomWonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network
Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven AliveCreative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty CreationsFantastic Thursday @ Three Little ChiefsThriving on Thursdays @ DomesblissityFreedom Friday @ My TurnFull Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid SimpleFriday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet HomeFoodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness MissFriday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes, Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mamma

27.6.13

Hokkaido Milk Toast with Tangzhong, Orange Marmalade & Dorie's Nutella Tartine

My day started on a rather delicious note today... For breakfast we had Dorie's divine Nutella Tartine. While the actual recipe calls for slices of brioche or challah as the base, I happily substituted it with slices from my Hokkaido Milk Toast and then felt all good about myself for finally baking this super soft yummy loaf yesterday.....

and just so that you know the marmalade was also homemade and it was delicious !



Back in March, many bloggers around the world were baking the Hokkaido Milk Bread using Tangzhong and each of them were full of admiration for this loaf. Being still a novice at bread-baking at that time, I bookmarked the recipe intending to go back to it later. finally I tried it out yesterday and was beyond excited with the cotton-soft-pillow-y texture of the loaf.both husband and I agreed that this is by far the B-E-S-T loaf I have baked so far ... Because the exterior of the freshly baked loaf almost compared to the store-bought Brioche loaves in texture, I decided to make the Nutella tartine for breakfast. Though the slices weren't as soft as brioche, the toasted bread with a slather of butter, orange marmalade, a drizzle of warm Nutella and the crunchiness of sliced almonds, presented  us with a delightful treat for breakfast today....


Apparently, the Hokkaido Milk Toast also known as the Asian Sweet Bread and Hong Kong Pai is a very popular bread in South Asian bakeries around the world. This loaf owes its springy-fluffiness to the "Tangzhong method." As I learnt from Christine's Recipes, this method of making bread was introduced by Yvonne Chen in her book, whose title translates to "65°C Bread Doctor". In the book, she described tangzhong as the “secret ingredient” which originated in Japan to make soft and bouncy bread. Tangzhong is actually a kind of "flour paste" or water roux starter, prepared by cooking 1 part of bread flour with 5 parts of water to 65°C. At 65°C, the gluten in the flour and water mixture absorbs the moisture and becomes leavened. As a result when tangzhong is added to the other ingredients the bread dough is heightened and that produces a softer and fluffier loaf.

Though I had been scaring away from this bread for a while, it turned out to be a simple recipe to work through.. I minimally adapted the recipe from My Diverse Kitchen and baked an eggless loaf. the only changes I made were the ones which Aparna had suggested. i.e. I halved the recipe for the tangzhong using the measurements from Pastry Scoop.com (which yielded the exact quantity of roux that the recipe called for) and added an extra helping of milk and cream to ease the dough of its initial firmness and make it softer. Also since the rising time for the dough (as mentioned in the recipe I was following) was the same as the rising time in the dough cycle of my bread machine, i made the dough in the bread machine and then proceeded with the steps following the first rise. to finish I used a maple syrup glaze. I had read here that the maple syrup glaze is a good substitute for egg wash and was quite happy with the way my baked loaf turned out.


now the recipe.... 

Hokkaido Milk Toast  
(Original Recipe appeared in Yvonne Chen's Chinese book "65 Degrees Tangzhong “65C Bread Doctor” and adapted from My Diverse Kitchen)
    ingredients
  • for the Tangzhong (makes 1/3 cup flour-water roux)
    • 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1/4 cup milk
  • for the Dough
    • 1/2 cup (+ 1tbsp)* milk 
    • 2 (+1)* tbsp heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup tangzhong
    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)
    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 tbsp powdered milk
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 2 tsp bread machine yeast
  • for the glaze
    • maple syrup
  * I added the quantities in the bracket a little later (about 10 minutes after the dough cycle started) because the dough felt firm and needed to be softened. 

  what i did
  • for the tangzhong 
    • i whisked together the flour, milk and water in a saucepan until there were no lumps. then placing the saucepan over medium heat, stirring continuously  i cooked the roux until it began to thicken. 
    • it is suggested to cook the roux till if reaches 65 degrees C and then take is off the heat. but since i do not have a thermometer i cooked till stable lines began to form in the tangzhong. (you may want to refer to the initial 3 minutes of this video to see the desired  consistency of the roux).  
    • once my roux was made, i took it off the heat and let it rest for the next 3 hours. **
  • for the dough
    • as i mentioned, i made the dough in the bread machine. so i put in all the ingredients(minus the quantities in the bracket) in the order recommended by the manufacturer, (mine recommends liquids first, then the solids and yeast goes in last)  and programmed the machine for the dough cycle.
    • half way through the first knead i felt the dough with my fingers. at this point the dough felt a little firm. so i added the extra helping of milk and cream that i mentioned and let the dough cycle finish.
    • when the machine beeped at the end of the cycle, I turned out the dough on a baking tray, (at this point the dough was easy to handle so i did not have to flour the baking), then divided the dough into 3 parts and started shaping each part as follows.  
      • first using a rolling pin i rolled the first portion into a 1/8 inch thick oval. then i folded 1/3 from the top edge to the middle and folded 1/3 from the bottom to the middle and pressed over the first fold.
      • flipping the dough over i rolled it and stretched it 11 inch long.
      • then flipping again, with seamm side facing up, i rolled it into a cylinder and put it in a well oiled 9x5 inch bread tin.
      • i then repeated the process with the remaining two portions of the dough.
    • once the dough was shaped, i covered the bread tin with a clean towel and let the dough rise for the next 45 minutes.
    • 15 minutes before i was ready to bake, i positioned the rack to the top third and preheated the oven to 330 degrees F.
    • after the second rise was done, i glazed the surface with maple syrup and transferred the bread pan to the preheated oven and baked the bread for 30 minutes, until the surface turned golden brown.  
   ** if you are not baking your bread the same day, you can transfer the roux to a bowl, cover it using a plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a day. 
         i believe it is best to use the roux within a day since the recipe suggests discarding it away after that.
     while i have written down how i shaped the dough, you might find this  pictorial description more helpful. i used it as a reference.


This recipe yeilds one 9x5 inch loaf and the total time for preparation is 4 1/2 hours of which the active cooking/preparation time is only 15 minutes. i.e., 5 minutes for preparing the tangzhong, 2 hours resting time for the tangzhong,  30-35 minutes of kneading in the bread machine followed by 50 minutes of rising time, then another 10 minutes for the shaping the dough, 45-50 minutes of rising time before baking the loaf and 30 minutes of baking time. So you see this is a rather easy loaf to bake and yields a bread that you'll love to have for breakfast, tea or dinner...

and if you care, heres the recipe of the orange marmalade... its simple, easy and your kids will LOVE it. at least mine does :-) 



Orange Marmalade
Adapted from Ina Garten's Recipe
  ingredients
  • 6 small oranges
  • 1 lemon peeled
  • 2 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 cups water (+ more in case your marmalade becomes too thick)

  what i did
  • i peeled the oranges and lemons and cut the peeled fruits into 1/2 inch pieces. i also cut half of the orange peel into thin long strips 1/2-3/4 inches long.
  • i then put the cut oranges, lemon and orange peel in a saucepan, added the water to it and stirring often, brought it to a boil.
  • once the water began to boil, i switched off the heat, stirred in the sugar, covered the saucepan and left it that way overnight.
  • next morning i simmered the mixture over medium-low heat for about 30. once the mixture acquired the desired consistency i switched off the heat and poured the before marmalade into a sterilized jar.

the recipe says that without any added preservatives, the marmalade stays good at room temperature for upto an year . isn't that great ?? while the recipe above yields only 12 ounces of marmalade, i feel the long shelf life is a reason good enough to make it in larger batches.. don't you agree ?

That is it for today. Hope you all are doing great. Lately I have been trying out some crafting projects. so far they look pretty good. hopefully i'll be able to share them with you by the end of the week.


Bread Baking Day #60 - Glazed Bread for 6th anniversary / Brot mit Streiche zum 6. Geburtstag (last day of submission July 1st 2013)
Since this loaf is glazed with maple syrup, I am sharing it with Bread Baking Day #60. BBD is celebrating its 6th Anniversary this month and Zorra the creator and this month's host for thr event chose Glazed Bread as the theme for BBD #60.


Yeastspotting the Hokkaido Milk Bread.   


Also sharing it at Made with Love Mondays , Tuesday Food:  Tempt my Tummy @Blessed with GraceTotally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe BoxTasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations,  Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug BlessingsShare it Link Party @ Winthrop ChroniclesHearth and Soul Blog Hop 
Wednesday Food : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of Overworked MomCast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain  Wednesday Whatsit @White Lights on Show and Share @ Semi Homemade MomWonderful Food Wednesdays at @ Home Take 2Seasonal Celebration @ Natural Mother's Network
Thursday Food:Link it Up Thursday @ Seven AliveCreative Thursday @ Michelle's Tasty CreationsFantastic Thursday @ Three Little ChiefsThriving on Thursdays @ DomesblissityFreedom Friday @ My TurnFull Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage  
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid SimpleFriday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet HomeFoodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness MissFriday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes

21.6.13

Sablé Breton Galette with Berries # French Fridays with Dorie

Yet another berrylicious dessert on the block !! and how gorgeous is it ?  


This week the Doristas chose to make Sablé Breton Galette with Berries. Though the dessert sounds rather complicated, it is really simple to whip up... the buttery crust is wonderful ! even before i put it in the oven I knew that it is going to be a favorite in our house. the butter and the sugar smelt so good. and of course it did not disappoint us. since my little one, is not fond of sauces, i gave him some crust  and berries while we were having the dessert. and his immediate reaction was "um more.." :-)  


and the lemon curd was simply A-W-E-S-O-M-E !! the easiest I have ever made and best I have ever tasted.. and just so that you know I have sampled lots I love lemon curd and without failure order a lemon tart for myself whenever I see one. since this one is whipped using whole eggs and not just the yolk it is lighter. plus you so not need whip it over a water bath (isn't that great ??).


of course this recipe uses tons of butter and might not be a dieter's favorite. but once in a while, an indulgence so delightful is always good for the soul.  it keeps you happy and satisfied... don't you agree ?


As a member of french friday's with Dorie I am not supposed to post the recipe on the blog. However you can find this particular recipe in Dorie's   July, 2009, Newsletter.  For more delicious recipes order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book.






p.s : interested to know where the box of berries vanished after the first click. this is where they went. :-)

19.6.13

Raphanus Sativus aka European Red Radish...

Red Radishes got included in our meal plan recently. i.e when i stumbled upon this easy and delicious   Salata recipe in a Greek Cookbook that I had borrowed from the library. Till then I simply admired the vibrance of their hue. don't they look gorgeous !!


   


My husband took these photographs and he likes the second shot (the horizontal one) more. but i like both. so sending both the black and white photographs to Black and White Wednesday #88. 

Black and White Wednesday is a Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Cinzia of Cindystar and this week Sreevalli of  Ammaji Recipes is hosting it.

p.s : As most of you might have guessed, Raphanus Sativus is the scientific name of Red Radish. I found it on wiki when i was feeling all geeky and wanted to find out some facts about these veggies...

update : Priya, the second colored click is for you  :-), 6/21/2013

Chocolate éclairs # Baking Partners June Challenge - II

As I mentioned in my previous post, this month Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen, challenged us to bake éclairs and/or gougères. While the gougères baked us happy, I also wanted to try my hands at éclairs. The method used to prepare the éclairs was similar to that of gougères. the only difference was in the fact that an extra helping of sugar was used in the dough for éclairs and one had to keep lowering the oven temperature at regular intervals so that the outside of the shells becomes firm and crispy and the inner core is soft and dry..

In the words of Dorie, "Antonin Carême, the father of modern pastry was the first to pipe Pâte à choux into long fingerlike shapes. Once the pastry was baked he sliced the strips in half, filled them with pastry cream, glazed their tops, thereby creating an enduring classic which he christened éclairs (meaning lightening)." While there are several theories as to why he named them so, Dorie says, "I hold with the camp convinced that the name described the way an éclair is eaten - lightening fast." I quite agree with Dorie on this because the chocolate éclairs that i had made hardly took time to vanish even though mine were not glazed... just filled and piped with some chocolate custard on top...


As in the case of gougères,  these are best consumed within a few hours of baking. however if  you need to prepare a large-ish batch in advance, you can store them by shaping the dough, freezing the mounds on a baking sheet and packing them off in airtight plastic bags soon after they solidify and then bake them straight from the freezer whenever you want to... and if you are like me and choose not to fill some of the pastry shells and serve them later, then you can heat the shells in the oven at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes before filling them with the cream and serving...


now the recipe... For the chocolate filling I followed the recipe from Around the French Table and for the pastry shells I followed the measurements from Alton Brown's recipe and procedure from the recipe that Swathi had mailed to us. I  also used The Joy of Baking for video and reference. 

  Chocolate éclairs (makes 12 pieces)

ingredients :
  • for the chocolate filling
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 2 large egg yolks
    • 4 tbsp sugar
    • 1 1/2 tbsps cornstarch
    • pinch of salt
    • 4 ozs semisweet chocochips, melted (i melted it over double broiler)
    • 1 1/2 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into bits, at room temperature 
  • for the pastry dough 
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    • 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
    • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

       what i did :
    •  for the chocolate filling:
      • first i brought the milk to a boil.
      • meanwhile in a medium saucepan, i whisked the yolks together with the sugar, cornstarch and salt until it was thick and well blended. whisking continuously, i then drizzled 2 tablespoons of the milk to the yolk-sugar blend and still whisking i added the remaining milk to the blend.
      • then putting the pan over medium heat, i whisked the mixture as hard fast as i could and brought it to a boil and whisked non-stop for another couple of minutes before turning off the heat.
      • i then whisked in the melted chocolate and after letting the mixture stand for 5 minutes, i whisked in the bits of butter and stirred the mixture until all of it was well combined and the custard looked smooth and silky. i then scraped out the mixture into a bowl, covered it with a cling wrap and transferred the bowl into the refrigerator until the pastry shells were ready to be filled.
    • for the pasty shells : 
      • first i preheated the oven to 400 degrees F; drew 4 1/2 inch straight lines 1 1/2 inch apart with a chalk on the baking tray and lined it with parchment paper. 
      • i then sifted the flour and sugar together and kept it aside.
      • next i combined the water, butter and salt in a medium sauce pan and placed it over medium low heat and stirred until the butter is melted. once the butter melted i turned the heat up and brought the mixture to a simmer.
      • then removing the pan from the heat i added the flour-sugar the mixture until it acquired a paste-like consistency. then placing the pan over medium high heat i stirred the paste rapidly for a minute until the dough began to pull off from the sides of the pan and looked smooth and glossy.
      • instantly afterwards i transferred the dough to the mixer bowl and mixed the dough on low for 30-45 seconds to release some of the heat and moisture. i then added the eggs to the dough, one at a time, beating continuously until each addition was completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next one. i continued beating the dough for another minute or two till it began to pull away from the sides of the bowl when pulled with the paddle but grabbed back on again.
      • i then increased the speed of the mixer to medium for 15 seconds to make sure that the egg and the yolk get well incorporated in the dough. next stopping the mixer intermittently over the next minute or so i checked if the dough passed the bird's peak test when lifted. that is, if it held its shape and turned down on itself without breaking off when lifted up.
      • once the dough passed the test, i spooned the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 2 inch diameter-ed nozzle and piped out the dough over the image of straight lines that could be seen through the parchment paper.
      • i then transferred the tray to the preheated oven. after 15 minutes i reduced the oven temperature to 350 degree F and continued baking for another 20 minutes. i then reduced the oven temperature further to 325 degrees F and baked for 10 minutes and then reduced the temperature to 300 degrees F and baked for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.
      • then removing the shells from the oven i let them cool completely before cutting them in half and filling them.

    though I had intended to publish this earlier I couldn't. glad that i managed to post it before the linky tool closed... do check out what my fellow bakers have baked.. i think most of them look really professional.. do they ??

    BakingPartners






    Like us

    Printfriendly

    .

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...