thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
Ok! With this post I finally finish the year 2010.This cake "happened" on December, 31st. My daughters were on vacation, traveling with my parents. My husband was working, on duty until midnight. Alone at home, I wanted to eat a cake and at the same time, do something nice to wait for the New Year.I opened the fridge. A refrigerator after Christmas, more than that, a refrigerator post-Christmas trip, which was nearly empty. Looked here, looked there: - "Uh, I have some packets of different types of nuts staring at me from the back of the first shelf. Some Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds and walnuts. Oh, there's also some dried apricots, raisins and dried cramberries. Great!"- "Grab an electric mixer, let's have cake. Wait! I stil lhave a bit of brown sugar. So it would taste good with a pinch of cinnamon and ginger. And what if I add some brown butter to it? I think it would be very good. It was like that. I gathered all these things and the cake came out. I soaked the dried fruits into an orange liqueur and ... done! My cake was perfect.New Year's cake (or nuts, fruits and spices cake) 3eggs1 cup sugar1 cup brown sugar1 1/2 cup mix of nuts and dried fruits soaked in orange liqueur - I used apricots, raisins and cramberries1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground ginger2 cups cake flour1 cup milk200g brown butter 1 tablespoon baking powder1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon almond extractBeat the eggs at high speed until doubled in volume. Add the sugars by spoonfuls, stirring constantly, until mixture is white. Add the vanilla and the almond extract and continue beating. Add the cinnamon, the ginger and the mix of nuts. Reduce the mixer speed and proceed slowly adding the corn, alternately with the milk until everything is well incorporated. Add the melted brown butter. Stop the mixer and add the yeast. Mix gently with a spoon or spatula. Bake in moderate oven, 180 o C, in a greased and floured baking pan. Bake for 30 min. or until a toothpick stuck in the dough, get completely clean. Tambem em www.labgastro.blogspot.com Blog-checking lines: The 2010 December Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Penny of Sweet Sadies Baking. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make Stollen. She adapted a friends family recipe and combined it with information from friends, techniques from Peter Reinharts book.........and Martha Stewarts demonstration.Unbelievable! U.N.B.E.L.I.E.V.A.B.L.E!I have not even a picture of my Stollen after baked and decorated! It was so beautiful ...I prepared the dough, stuffed, rolled, cut, let it grow. At this point, I asked my husband to take some photos (the ones you guys are seeing here). And I continued with my chores.After that, I took it in the oven. It was late at night when all was ready, covered with sugar and decorated for Christmas.The next day, I woke up early, packed it carefully. We all went to Rio, where we always spend Christmas with my parents.On December, 24th I spent the day very busy, helping mom to
finish all things for Christmas supper. We unmolded cakes and pies, and all those final preparations for a festive dinner for the whole family.We chose a largeand beautiful platter for the Stollen, the adorned with ribbons and Christmas tree balls. It was beautiful. In the rush, I shouted to my husband: - "You have to take some pictures of the Stollen!To which he replied:- "I've already done it"Late this evening was the time for the celebration. All very good, nice and cheerful. The Stollen was tasty, everybody liked it.The following day, Christmas lunch, the same party and same joy.On the third day, farewells and return home. Of the Stollen, not left nor crumb. Good! Good sign. Signal that was good, we all enjoyed it.Until it came time to download the photo to my computer and post them here on the blog. Oh!...Nooooooooooooooo! "Where are the pictures of the baked and decorated Stollen?" I asked my husband:- "You said you had taken the photos"- "Yeah, I did"- "So, where are them?"- "Those ones you see there"- "Yes, but the stollen is raw. Where are the ones that show the Stollen already baked?"- "Ah, just took those"- "But what happened when I asked you to take more shots of it, there in Rio?"- "You asked not. Just asked if I had taken pictures of the Stollen and I told you so.Was I supposed to take some more pictures? "Oh, sadness.Now only when I bake another one ...Christmas Stollen14 cup lukewarm water4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast1 cup milk140 g unsalted butter (can use salted butter)512 cups all-purpose (plain) flour (Measure flour first - then sift- plus extra for dusting)12 cup sugar34 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter there is no need to alter this salt measurement)1 teaspoon cinnamon3 large eggs, lightly beatenGrated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange2 teaspoons (very good) vanilla extract34 cup mixed peel1 cup firmly packed raisins1 cup orange liqueur1/2 cup red glace cherries 1 cup flaked almondsMelted unsalted butter for coating the wreathConfectioners (icing) (powdered) sugar for dusting wreathSoak the raisins. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the liqueur and set aside. Pour 14 cup warm water into a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let stand 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast completely. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup milk and 150 butter over medium - low heat until butter is melted. Let stand until lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Lightly beat eggs in a small bowl and add the vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange and lemon zests. Then mix on low speed the yeast/water mixture, eggs and the lukewarm milk/butter mixture. This should take about 2 minutes. It should be a soft, but not sticky ball. When the dough comes together, cover the bowl with either plastic or a tea cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Add in the mixed peel, soaked fruit and almonds and mix with your hands or on low speed to incorporate. Here is where
you can add the cherries if you would like. Be delicate with the cherries or all your dough will turn red! Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing with the dough hook) to distribute the fruit evenly, adding additional flour if needed. The dough should be soft and satiny, tacky but not sticky. Knead for approximately 8 minutes (6 minutes by machine). The full six minutes of kneading is needed to distribute the dried fruit and other ingredients and to make the dough have a reasonable bread-dough consistency. You can tell when the dough is kneaded enough a few raisins will start to fall off the dough onto the counter because at the beginning of the kneading process the dough is very sticky and the raisins will be held into the dough but when the dough is done it is tacky which isn't enough to bind the outside raisins onto the dough ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put it in the fridge overnight. The dough becomes very firm in the fridge (since the butter goes firm) but it does rise slowly... the raw dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week and then baked on the day you want. Let the dough rest for 2 hours after taking out of the fridge in order to warm slightly. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to moderate 350F/180C/gas mark 4 with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Punch dough down, roll into a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches (40 x 61 cms) and 14 inch (6 mm) thick. Starting with a long side, roll up tightly, forming a long, thin cylinder. Transfer the cylinder roll to the sheet pan. Join the ends together, trying to overlap the layers to make the seam stronger and pinch with your fingers to make it stick, forming a large circle. You can form it around a bowl to keep the shape. Using kitchen scissors, make cuts along outside of circle, in 2-inch (5 cm) intervals, cutting 2/3 of the way through the dough. Twist each segment outward, forming a wreath shape. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof for approximately 2 hours at room temperature, or until about 112 times its original size. Bake the stollen for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue to bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will bake to a dark mahogany color, should register 190F/88C in the center of the loaf, and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Transfer to a cooling rack and brush the top with melted butter while still hot.Immediately tap a layer of powdered sugar over the top through a sieve or sifter. Wait for 1 minute, then tap another layer over the first. The bread should be coated generously with the powdered
sugar. Let cool at least an hour before serving. Coat the stollen in butter and icing sugar three times, since this many coatings helps keeps the stollen fresh. When completely cool, store in a plastic bag. Or leave it out uncovered overnight to dry out slightly, German style.Thanks to Penny for this amazing challenge. Don't forget to visit The Daring Kitchen to find out what other fellows had done, ok?Tambem em http://www.labgastro.blogspot.com/
Blog-checking lines: The January 2011 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.Mandatory Items: Make the full biscuit joconde imprime, cut and fit into a dessert mold. Complete entremets. Variations allowed: We could use any fillings for your entremets. We could use store bought fillings, to save time, or make homemade. The real task here was making the joconde wrap properly in a beautiful molded dessert presentation.You may be asking what is this Joconde Imprime? Despite the difficult name, making it is not difficult al all. Just follow these few steps and everything will be done.Patterned Joconde-Decor Paste200g unsalted butter, softened200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar7 large egg whites220g cake flour *Food coloring gel, paste or liquid *COCOA Decor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 170g. Add 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture. - That was exactly what I didCream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand). Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously. Fold in sifted flour. Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.Joconde Sponge34 cup - I used hazelnut flour, and omitted the butter 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar25g cake flour 3 large eggs3 large egg whites 212 teaspoons white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar2 tablespoons unsalted butter, meltedIn a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later. Sift almond flour, confectioners sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl). On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand). Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix. Fold in melted butter. Reserve batter to be used later.Preparing the Joconde - How to make the patternSpread a thin even layer of decor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan. Pattern the decor paste Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one. Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes. Remove from freezer. Quickly
pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Decor paste. Bake at 475oF /250oC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 15 minutes. You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully. Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat. Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting).Preparing the MOLD for entremetsStart with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by 12 inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.Preparing the Jaconde for MoldingTrim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape. Decide how thick you want your Joconde wrapper. Traditionally, it is 12 the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler). Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to wrap your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough. The mold is done, and ready to fill.*Note 1: If not ready to use. Lay cake kept whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze.*Note 2: As I had some Joconde Sponge and Decor Paste leftover, I repeated the whole process and baked over another rectangle of biscuit. When ready I cut a circle the same diameter of my spring form pan ring and lined the bottom of the pie with it. Then it was ready to receive the filling. I chose a lime cream and a chocolate mousse as fillings. Lime Cream2 cans condensed milkJuice of 3 limesMix well and pour over bottom of pie. Refrigerate until firm.Chocolate TerrineThis is the same recipe of the Chocomint Terrine I did at the first dinner of
the Laboratory, whose theme was Terrines. 5 eggs150 g sugar1 spoon (soup) of mint liqueur 350 g dark chocolate200 g butterBeat eggs with sugar, mix the mint liqueur and set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a baking dish and melt in double boiler (or microwave minutinhos 5). Add the beaten eggs mixing gently, without stirring. Pour chocolate mixture over the lemon cream. Spread over some of the almonds and top with another layer of chocolate. Place in the freezer for about 10 hours (preferably overnight). Serve cold.If you have paid attention, you may have noticed that at the end of all this game, there was 10 egg yolks left over. Hence I decided to test a recipe of Quindao (Brazilian traditional dessert, with egg yolks, sugar, coconut and/or cheese) which I found in an old magazine.Quindao12 egg yolks3 egg whites500g crystal sugar1 tsp. soup butter 200g fresh grated coconutButter for greasingCrystal sugar for sprinkling the formMix the egg yolks, egg whites and sugar. Add the grated coconut and butter and stir well. Grease the pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Pour the batter in it. Arrange the pan on a roasting pan with boiling water and bake in water double bath, in preheated oven for about an hour (actually my Quindao took 1 hour and a half). Umold when fully cold.To be honest, I did not like it. I prefer the old recipe of my mother and grandmother, but that is something for another post.I had also a good Decor Past leftover. So I made a plain white cake and roughly mixed the Decor Past with it. I got a kind of "marble" cake. Yummy. Additional Information: http://lesotlylaisse.over-blog.com/article-realiser-un-biscuit-joconde-i...http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/recipe/joconde-cakeshttp://www.marthastewartweddings.com/recipe/pate-a-cigarette-batter-choc...http://ricettedafairyskull.myblog.it/archive/2010/05/29/biscuit-joconde-...http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/02/pierre_hermes_aztec_ent...http://sum.ptuo.us/roller/ks/entry/entrement_project_at_nwcavhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Qhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e1DsyDtcd0&feature=relatedMany thanks to Astheroshe of the blog accro for pushing me out of my confort zone with this really amazing challenge. I learned a lot with this Joconde Imprime and I'll be doing this again and again.If you liked this, please don't forget to visit The Daring Kitchen and check what wonders the other guys had done! Tambem em www.labgastro.blogspot.com
Kutna Hora is a small town located an hour and half drive from Prague. During 13th century this was the second most important city in Bohemia, on account of its silver mines. From16th century mines were being depleted, and with them the importance of the place.Cute! Its main attraction is the church of St. Barbara, patroness of miners.Bratislava was a surprise. We did not expect much from this city, capital of Slovakia. Before leaving home, I tried to find travel guides, information, anything about the city and did not find much. But we were delighted. The city is beautiful, the people are friendly and the atmosphere, the mood of the place is great! In addition, it doesn't have lots of tourists crowding everywhere. Despite of having a good information center and all the structure for receiving tourists, there isalmost no one there! What peace ...Tambem em www.labgastro.blogspot.com A few more pictures from the trip to Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey. This time the photos are from Prague.The city, like Budapest, is crossed by a river, the Vltava. The east part of town is where we find the Old Town (Stare Mesto) and the New Town (Nove Mesto). It is also the most crowded with tourists. This is where you can find the famous astronomical clock, the Jewish quarter, with the oldest synagogue in Europe, the cafes and restaurants, the main shopping streets. On the other hand there is the Prague Castle, at the top of the hill, and the Lesser Town (Mala Strana), best preserved historic district of the city.Tambem em www.labgastro.blogspot.com Blog-checking lines: The February 2011 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com .Hiyashi SobaSoba Noodles:2 Liters water + 1 cup cold water, separate340 g dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)Heat 2 liters of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.Mentsuyu - Traditional dipping sauce:2 cups Kombu and Katsuobushi dashi (recipe HERE.) Or a basic vegetable stock.1/3 cup soy sauce or a low sodium soy sauce1/3 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)Put mirin in a sauce pan and heat gently. Add soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan and bring to a boil. Take off the
heat and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.Spicy Dipping Sauce34 cup spring onions/green onions/scallions, finely chopped3 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons rice vinegar12 teaspoon granulated sugar14 teaspoon English mustard powder1 tablespoon grape-seed oil or vegetable oil1 tablespoon sesame oil (if you cant find this just omit from recipe.)Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - roughly 1/3 a teaspoon of eachShake all the ingredients together in a covered container. Once the salt has dissolved, add and shake in 2 tablespoons of water and season again if needed. Common Hiyashi Soba Toppings: Thin omelet stripsHamBoiled chicken breastsCucumberBoiled bean sproutsTomatoesToasted nori (Dried Seaweed) Green onionsWasabi powderFinely grated daikon (Japanese radish)Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)All toppings should be julienne, finely diced or grated. Prepare and refrigerate covered until needed.What I've used:- Chicken breasts diced- Red and Yellow bell pepper- Onions- Shitake mushroons- Spring onions- Bean sproutsI've cut the bell peppers, the onions, the spring onions and the shitake mushroons in julienne style and stir-fried everything in a Wok pan.Tempura1 egg yolk from a large egg1 cup iced water12 cup plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging12 cup cornflour (also called cornstarch)12 teaspoon baking powderOil, for deep frying preferably vegetableIce water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choicePlace the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura. Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320F/160C; for seafood it should be 340F/170C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you dont have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that wont leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the
oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.ShrimpsOkraOnions, carrots and sweet potatoesCourguete and cauliflowerShitake, shimeji and Paris mushroonsI also made a Fig Tempura and served with Passion fruit (yellow) and Brazilian Berry (jabuticaba - purple) ice creams.This was another amazing challenge. Many thanks to Lisa. I loved being part of this!Don't forget to visit The Daring Kitchen website and check what great work my fellows had done.Tambem em www.labgastro.blogspot.com