Holey moley me oh my…
I don’t know how I’ve never tried tres leches cake before. *chefs kiss* fucking delicious!
For this episode, I followed this recipe: https://ethnicspoon.com/traditional-tres-leches-cake/
I highly recommend this one. Its easy to follow and nearly impossible to fuck up. I will say I was a little concerned this would be overly sweet with the sweetened condensed milk, but it’s honestly perfect.
Holy delicious, Batman! Let me preface this by saying: I don’t really like donuts. Okay, now that’s out of the way…this week, I made donuts!
These are absolutely the best donuts I’ve ever put in my mouth. I was extremely grateful that my wife took them to work because me and my jeans would have been in serious trouble…
Here’s the recipe:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/may-day-munkki-cardamom-doughnuts-4037817
I did change it a little. Instead of rolling the cooked donuts in sugar, I did cinnamon/sugar. I highly recommend this as the cinnamon plays really well with the cardamom.
Seriously, make these. You will NOT be sorry. . unless you’re on a diet.
This week, I used this recipe: http://www.feastofstarlight.com/orphan-black-helenas-ukrainian-babka-cake/
One thing to note is that it doesn’t say to add the milk in the instructions, but you should add it in with the “sponge”
Overall this was a pretty easy recipe and despite the goof with the milk, I think it turned out wonderfully. It was also weirdly fun making something in trash. Cans that were otherwise destined for the recycling got another shot at life. Its very important to note that you don’t want to use cans with a plastic lining..no bueno in the cooking process.
This has been a crazy week. My wife had a hysterectomy and I’ve been trying to take care of everything around the house and making sure she’s happy and comfortable while still trying to keep up with my little project, which admittedly has seemed pointless with everything going on. Add in the fact that I’m having a particularly bad bout of shitty self-image while I’m trying to edit a video and well..we’re just feeling fucking peachy.
Onwards and upwards though. I know not many people see any of my efforts in my projects, but at the end of the day, I do it because its something I’ve always wanted to do. So, in my shittiest moods when all I want to do is give up and say “what’s the point?” I try to remind myself that I’m doing it for me.
What a week….
This recipe was challenging to say the least. This is the recipe I followed:
https://leitesculinaria.com/7759/recipes-pasteis-de-nata.html
A few pointers….don’t re-roll your dough. You’ll end up with something hard to roll out and ultimately will ruin your pastry. Learn from my dumbass mistakes, children. .
The custard went off without a hitch. Delicious. 10/10
Since these tarts are typically cooked in an 800F oven and home ovens usually don’t go much passed 500F its a little bit dicey. I tried a combo of the 500F oven and the broiler. *Spoilers* the fire alarm was set off 3 times and I have to clean my oven due to some butter spillage.
Definitely the most challenging thing I’ve made yet and I’m sad to say it defeated me a little. I will definitely try these again though because the custard was very good.
If you’d like to watch the shitshow, watch below 🙂
Ingredients:
(Since we’re using a non-american recipe here, a digital scale is highly recommended)
You can increase the spices to your taste. This was a pretty good balance of flavors for me, but I would probably increase them a little in the future.
This is a pretty simple recipe and comes together like most cookies.
Start by creaming together your butter and brown sugar. Add your eggs one by one, making sure to incorporate well between each one.
In a separate bowl, mix your flour, baking powder, and spices together. Add your dry ingredients to your wet in thirds, mixing well between.
Once everything has come together, flour your counter or whatever surface you’re using and knead the dough to make sure everything is well mixed. Add additional flour to avoid becoming a sticky fingered bandit.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for AT LEAST 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F
Separate your dough depending on how big your work surface is. I did mine in 3-4 separate chunks. While you’re rolling a batch, put the rest of the dough back in the fridge. Roll out your dough to about 1/4 of an inch.
Use whatever cookie cutters your heart desires. Place on a parchment paper lined tray (or silpat) (seriously..I love silicone baking mats)
Bake for 14-15 minutes until you see the cookies lightly browning. Place on a cooling rack and repeat above steps until you’re out of dough. This will take several hours..fair warning. I didn’t realize just how many cookies this makes. I believe I got about 60 out of this batch so it all depends on the size of your cutters.
I highly recommend making these. They’re delicious and perfect for tea time. Also super kid friendly, so get the munchkins to help!
Ingredients are pretty simple here 🙂
For the pavlova:
For the whipped cream:
Fruit or whatever else you wish to add. I used kiwis and blueberries and the kiwis added just the right amount of tartness to cut the sweetness of the pavlova. (highly recommend)
This recipe is definitely more about technique than anything else since the ingredients are pretty simple. There’s not much room for experimenting here unless its with your toppings.
The key is low and slow. Preheat your oven to 225 F
You can either line a baking tray with parchment paper or like me, a silicone baking mat. I had mixed results when I was trying to research which I should use, but my silicone didn’t fail me 🙂
Aside from technique, you need patience. I would HIGHLY recommend using a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work as well. I definitely wouldn’t suggest someone do this manually. You’ll start by whipping your egg whites until soft peaks form. For me, I whipped it until it was passed the foamy stage. Then slowly add in your 1 1/2 cups sugar. Slowly. This is where the patience starts to come in. Once all your sugar is added, you’ll continue to whip until you get stiff peaks which will be a good 10 min or so.
Once you’ve reached stiff peaks, get out a spatula because the rest of this is manual. Add your lemon juice, and vanilla and gently fold to incorporate. Now sift in the cornstarch and gently mix it in. Now, you can certainly pipe your mixture onto your baking mat/parchment or you can do as I did and just plop it on there. I kind of shwooped up the sides to make some peaks and just ensure there’s a little bit of a well in the center. (that’s where your whipped cream/fruit will go later)
Now just pop that bad boy in the oven and forget about with for an 1 hour and 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Just leave it be. Once that time has elapsed, turn off your oven. KEEP THE OVEN CLOSED. Leave it until the oven has completely cooled. We’re talking several hours or even overnight. It will be fine. The longer you leave it, the less cracking you’ll have.
Once everything has cooled. Seriously, all the way cooled. Go ahead and make your whipped cream and cut up your fruit as needed.
I would recommend transferring the pavlova to whatever you wish to serve it one since I didn’t do that and well…that was a mistake. Add your whipped cream and fruit to the top of your pavlova and voila!
Once you’ve added the toppings, you have to eat within a few hours. Your pavlova will lose its crispiness if you put it in the refrigerator. I didn’t know this until I made it…I still put the leftovers in the fridge, I even put some in the freezer as an experiment. I’ll let you know how that goes..
This was the first time I’ve ever tried Pavlova (making and eating) and it did not disappoint. The textures are amazing. Nice crisy shell and that soft, pillowy center. *chefs kiss*
10/10 would recommend
I’ve spent the last few weeks since my birthday trying to decide what my next cooking project would be. After consulting with my wife and trying to get her coworkers input (lets be honest, they’ll be eating most of it) we formed a plan. I’m using the royal “we” as it was really all my brilliant wife and I just took the idea and ran with it.
Pick 50 countries, and make a dessert from each of those countries. I did tweak it a bit, since I decided to diverge into non-dessert items for some countries. Nonetheless, the list has been made, the strips of paper cut out and now all I need to do is draw the first randomly selected assignment.
Since I have a clearcut path and a deadline, I think this will definitely force me to keep a schedule. Lord fucking knows I need one. These are crazy times we’re living and even crazier since I quit my job and started house-wifing it full time. I stay busy, but I also want to focus on my personal projects, no matter how down I find myself getting.
Is it just me or has literally everyone decided to start a cooking channel on youtube during this fucking pandemic? Fuck it. As it currently stands, I have a whopping 44 subscribers. I know, I know..going to start getting recognized in public soon. Alas, earwax.
Onwards and upwards, my friends. We started this for fun and we’re going to keep fucking going; learning and creating new and exciting things along the way ❤
See you next Tuesday
M
For this weeks video I decided to make Russian apple pie via https://www.tiktok.com/@russianforamericans?source=h5_m
Russian Apple Pie Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 375 F
Start by peeling and slicing your apples. In your mixer place your eggs and sugar and beat until fluffy (about..10 minutes) add in your flour gradually and mix until just combined. If you want to add vanilla you can, but the original recipe doesn’t call for it.
Butter your pan (I used a springform) you need something that’s fairly deep. Put half of your batter in the pan, then add your apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and if you wish, add nuts. Then top with the rest of your batter and bake for 40 minutes.
Super simple. Let it cool and then slice and enjoy 🙂
If you’d like to be a little extra like myself, why not have a drink or two…
Moscow Mule Ingredients
Traditionally served in a copper cup, start with about half of your cup full of crushed ice. Add vodka, lime, and ginger beer. Stir, drink, enjoy.
This is a very messy project. You’ve been warned..
Ingredients:
To start off, go ahead and mix your powdered sugar and cornstarch together and set to the side. You’ll use this throughout this daunting process.
First things first, get your gelatin going. Having used the sheets for the first time here..I recommend probably going with the basic ass powdered gelatin. Combine your gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water and let it soften for at least 15 minutes. Put this directly in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment but don’t whisk it just yet.
Grab a small saucepan and add the other 1/2 cup water. Make sure when adding your sugar, you add it to the direct center of your pan. Do it slowly so you’re not splashing about. You want to avoid getting the sugar on the sides of your pan so you don’t end up with grainy marshmallows. I don’t care what you think, but peeps are disgusting. Also add in the corn syrup and salt. DO NOT STIR. Seriously, put the spoon down. If you’re feeling antsy, you may swirl the pan gently. Thats all you get though.
Bring to a boil but don’t let it bubble over. You want to get your mixture to 240 degrees F. Once this temperature is reached, remove from heat. At this point, your gelatin should be good to go. Turn your mixer on low to break up the gelatin. Then slowly (seriously, SLOWLY) add your liquid hot magma of sugar syrup into the gelatin. Try not to just pour it down the side of the bowl but don’t pour it on the whisk either..I promise there’s a happy medium here.
Once the syrup is all added, increase your mixer speed to high and continue to whip the devil out of it for at least 10 minutes. Around the 10 minute mark, add in your vanilla. You can feel the sides of your mixer bowl to know when its getting close as well. You’ll want it to be thick and fluffy, and warm but not remotely hot.
Instead of just standing around while your mixer does all the work, use this time to prepare your pan. Spray a metal pan (9×13 would work beautifully) liberally with cooking spray. Then take your powdered sugar mixture and sprinkle your pan with it so that you can coat all the sides well. (Don’t use all of your powdered sugar, you still need this.)
Once your marshmallow fluff is all fluffy, you’ll want to work fast to get it all out of your mixing bowl and into your prepared pan. You won’t be able to get your bowl completely cleaned out. Seriously, you won’t. Just do your best. Now that your mixture is in the pan, just tap it on the counter to even it out a bit and sprinkle with more of your powdered sugar mix.
Leave it out on the counter to sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Go put your feet up..or maybe start cleaning some dishes..I know you’ve made a mess.
Lets start this party by dusting your clean counter/work area with, you guessed it, more powdered sugar mix. Turn out your marshmallows onto your dusty surface (heh) This may take some coaxing. I had to scrape that sugar loaf out. You can spray your knife with cooking spray, though I don’t think this really made any difference at all. Its going to stick regardless. As you cut up your marshmallows, toss them in your remaining powdered sugar mixture. Store in an air tight container once well dusted. They’ll keep easily for a week or two..unless you eat them.
That’s it! Its quite an undertaking, but the results speak for themselves. You will have a super messy kitchen, but you’ll also have these soft little pillows of happiness that taste nothing like store bought marshmallows.
Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
Peel and grate your fresh ginger and add it into the bowl with your butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy.
Add in your molasses and egg and beat until combined.
Add in half of your dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add the rest and then just mix until just combined. (I’d do this by hand)
Put about 1/2-3/4 cup of sugar in a bowl. This is additional sugar. Don’t Panic! I didn’t add it into the initial list of ingredients. Form about 1/2 sized balls of dough and then roll it in sugar before placing on a cookie sheet.
I recommend using parchment paper because I’m lazy as fuck..and its super easy.
So, line your cookie sheet, and place your balls about 2 inches apart. . The cookies..keep your mind out of the gutter.
Okay..back on subject. Bake for about 15 minutes and let them cool for about a minute on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a cooking rack.
This are super duper yummy and easy to make. I personally really love the bite of fresh ginger so you could add a little more than the recommended 2 tablespoons if you like and I think they’d still be delicious. Just make sure to let your friends and family know there is fresh ginger in there since it kinda looks like hair…..
Anxiety Kitchen 