Cooking
I rarely get cravings, and there's very little in the way of baked goods that even come close to tempting me. But I do love crossiants. Oh, my, do I ever.
Unfortunately, not since we left California have I come across a truly good one. I keep looking, of course. You know, for research purposes. Willing to give 'em a try. For science.
It's not as though I'm eating them on a daily basis, but every once in a while I just want one of those golden crescents.
To this day, I hold up the Rockridge Market Bakery as my croissant standard. I've made them a few time at home, with varying results.
After some back and forth with breadchick, I decided to give Martha's recipe a chance. Yes, she's all pretentious & whacks away at the average home cook's self-esteem (and in fact, that of women in general; I'm so sorry I don't grow my own cotton so I can make clothes for my entire family. bad, deficient, me), but she's a good source for recipes.
So yesterday was croissant-making day. I followed this recipe, and despite the fact it took well over fourteen hours from start to finish...mostly due, I think, to the near-freezing temperatures in the house stunting the dough's risings...I was fairly impressed with the results.
Perhaps my oven runs a bit high, maybe due to the tiles I keep in there at all times; whatever the reason, my croissants cooked up in considerably less time. What really mattered, though, is this: they were flaky, buttery, and good
Took me over half a day to make them. Not nearly so long for everyone else to finish them off.
Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for our 42nd get-tether, it's Tiki, Two here at Blog Party!
Hope to see you there.
- Cookbook Review: The Sweeter Side Of Amy's Bread
Pecan Sticky Buns, the Original Version Revised On the advice of a friend who also happens to be a trained pastry chef (hi, Katherine!), I picked up the original Amy's Bread cookbook last year. Having overcome my yeastaphobia seven or so years ago,...
- Fail Whale...er, Some Soup For Souper Sundays
I've always been a soup fan, and I'm rather fond of Deb, so making a point of adding a soup to each week's menu took zero effort. Unfortunately, they're not all winners. This, sadly, doesn't even deserve a certificate for participating....
- Chile Cashew Chicken
Not much to say here. A nice little stir-fry type recipe, another Donna Hay. Ginger, onions, red pepper, chicken (or in this case, Quorn), rice noodles, chilies, cashews. Good. Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for...
- Smoked Chicken, Lime & Avocado Pasta
This was such a pleasant surprise! Another Donna Hay recipe, it's pasta tossed with a dressing of olive oil, lime zest & juice, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar. To this, add thinly sliced smoked chicken (or in our case, smoked Boca 'chik'...
- Souper Sundays: Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Another Sunday, another soup. Another chance to join up with Deb & Souper Sundays. This soup was all for Matt. I think the name explains all. I used this recipe, with a few changes. First, for the broth, I roasted the chicken beforehand, giving it a...
Cooking
14 & .5
I rarely get cravings, and there's very little in the way of baked goods that even come close to tempting me. But I do love crossiants. Oh, my, do I ever.
Unfortunately, not since we left California have I come across a truly good one. I keep looking, of course. You know, for research purposes. Willing to give 'em a try. For science.
It's not as though I'm eating them on a daily basis, but every once in a while I just want one of those golden crescents.
To this day, I hold up the Rockridge Market Bakery as my croissant standard. I've made them a few time at home, with varying results.
After some back and forth with breadchick, I decided to give Martha's recipe a chance. Yes, she's all pretentious & whacks away at the average home cook's self-esteem (and in fact, that of women in general; I'm so sorry I don't grow my own cotton so I can make clothes for my entire family. bad, deficient, me), but she's a good source for recipes.
So yesterday was croissant-making day. I followed this recipe, and despite the fact it took well over fourteen hours from start to finish...mostly due, I think, to the near-freezing temperatures in the house stunting the dough's risings...I was fairly impressed with the results.
Perhaps my oven runs a bit high, maybe due to the tiles I keep in there at all times; whatever the reason, my croissants cooked up in considerably less time. What really mattered, though, is this: they were flaky, buttery, and good
Took me over half a day to make them. Not nearly so long for everyone else to finish them off.
Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for our 42nd get-tether, it's Tiki, Two here at Blog Party!
Hope to see you there.
- Cookbook Review: The Sweeter Side Of Amy's Bread
Pecan Sticky Buns, the Original Version Revised On the advice of a friend who also happens to be a trained pastry chef (hi, Katherine!), I picked up the original Amy's Bread cookbook last year. Having overcome my yeastaphobia seven or so years ago,...
- Fail Whale...er, Some Soup For Souper Sundays
I've always been a soup fan, and I'm rather fond of Deb, so making a point of adding a soup to each week's menu took zero effort. Unfortunately, they're not all winners. This, sadly, doesn't even deserve a certificate for participating....
- Chile Cashew Chicken
Not much to say here. A nice little stir-fry type recipe, another Donna Hay. Ginger, onions, red pepper, chicken (or in this case, Quorn), rice noodles, chilies, cashews. Good. Time to unpack your grass skirt, and gather your coconuts, because for...
- Smoked Chicken, Lime & Avocado Pasta
This was such a pleasant surprise! Another Donna Hay recipe, it's pasta tossed with a dressing of olive oil, lime zest & juice, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar. To this, add thinly sliced smoked chicken (or in our case, smoked Boca 'chik'...
- Souper Sundays: Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Another Sunday, another soup. Another chance to join up with Deb & Souper Sundays. This soup was all for Matt. I think the name explains all. I used this recipe, with a few changes. First, for the broth, I roasted the chicken beforehand, giving it a...