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Q: There is a famous Brazilian sweet called brigadeiro (I've seen a few questions related to it around here) that is basically made of condensed milk, cocoa or powdered chocolate, and butter.I've been making it my whole life using Brazilian ingredients (especially condensed milk) and it has always come out with a shiny caramelized texture, as follows:I have just moved to Portugal and the results from using the local condensed milk are sightly different in texture: it's a lot more grainy (as if it had flour added) and less shiny.As from the products labels, it seems that the local condensed milk has more proteins per serving. It makes sense, since I thought that those grains could be small curdles of protein. Also, by having a smaller ratio of sugars, it could be that less caramelization (which is important for the texture) occurs.So, before I start experimenting and wasting food, I would like to know if anyone knows a way to make this work.My first guess is to increase the ph a bit by mixing some baking soda before heating as it may inhibit the formation of curdles. On the other hand, maybe just adding more sugar could help, but these things already are damn sweet, it seems wrong to put even more sugar into it!Any insights on this?

A: Making brigadeiros in Portugal similar to the ones in Brazil
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Q: It seems to be a popular ingredient in Asian (esp. Chinese?) food. I encountered them on pork spareribs, and some side dishes. Apparently it turns everything completely black when it is added.I can rule out soy sauce (which is too salty and tastes entirely different) and I realise that this question is rather vague. What additional information could I provide?Edit: I can rule out oyster sauce. I asked in a restaurant what the black stuff was, but either she didn't understand me or she didn't want to (all she told me was that it contained salt). Finally she said she made it herself. Anyway, I bought Hoisin sauce:and I think it's as close as it gets (perhaps the restaurant uses a slightly different version of the one I bought, as mine is a bit saltier and a bit less sweet).Update: I finally discovered the exact sauce I was looking for. It turned out to be Black Bean Garlic Sauce.

A: What is the black, slightly sweet, flavour in some Asian food?
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Q: Last time I made pizza dough I was a bit...generous with the ingredients - not a problem, I thought, as I'd read before somewhere that pizza dough is nicely freezable. So, I broke the dough in half, sealed up one piece and placed it in the freezer - this was done immediately after kneading, with no time given for rising.Now I've got a frozen lump of pizza dough in the freezer, and I'm not sure how I defrost it so it also then rises correctly and cooks well.If I just leave it out uncovered it will presumably rise inconsistently because the middle will take much longer to defrost? So should I leave it in the fridge first?Or, is it better left somewhere warm through the entire defrost to help fire up the yeast?Or have I "done it wrong" and may as well dump this particular piece?

A:
Defrosting pizza dough correctly?
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