411 on Hors d' Oeuvres

This blog is going to talk about “Hors d’ Oeuvres” (Orr-durves). Some people might think that these little 2 bite concoctions are for the fancy type and are super time consuming to make but that’s not the case at all!! You can make an array of hors d’oeuvres right at home. Hors d’oeuvres are a great way to utilize leftovers or things in your kitchen that are about to go bad. But before we go into that, let’s talk about what makes up an hors d’oeuvre.

Base: This is the most bottom part of an hors d’oeuvre. This can include anything from a slice of cheese, a cracker, bread, a cucumber or even a piece of fruit. This is the first layer to an hors d’oeuvre.

Spread: A spread can include things such as mayonnaise, butter or jam. It’s a flavor agent as well as a protector of the base. The spread is put on the base so the base won’t become soggy from the topping on the hors d’oeuvre. This is the second layer to an hors d'oeuvre. 

Binder: A binder would be used if some kind of food in the hors d’oeuvres needs structure. An example would be gelatin: gelatin can be added to a mousse of some kind so that it can maintain its volume. Not only is this great for presentation, but it is also great for its texture. It’d be a shame to pick up a salmon mousse barquette and you see a tiny pool of pink goo in a soggy piece of crust.

Aerator: Beaten egg whites or heavy whipping cream are perfect examples of an aerator. These items also give volume to mousses or other food items to make for a great presentation and texture. If they are over beaten they can appear grainy. The binder/aerator would make up the middle part of the hors d'oeuvre. 

Optional: Garnish: Sometimes an hors d’oeuvre can have a garnish such as caviar or fresh chopped parsley, but it really just depends on what’s being served. This would be the last part of the hors d'oeuvre. 

So like I was saying earlier, hors d’oeuvres are a great way to incorporate leftovers or things that are about to go bad in your pantry! If you have some bread about to go stale, you can take a cookie cutter cut out a fun shape, toast it lightly, rub on some raw garlic, add a small slice of tomato and some cheese and basil if you have it, and BAM! You have an amazing Italian style crostini hors d’oevre. A small splash of an aged balsamic vinegar would add a nice touch to it too! 

You could also thaw out some frozen shrimp, saute them with a little butter, salt, pepper and garlic and top with creme fraiche and cilantro. Serve on a butter cracker and you have heaven on a cracker!! Seriously, hors d'oeuvres are so simple and quick to make.

They are meant to be small because they are usually served before an appetizer or as an appetizer. You could host a party with just hors d'oeuvres if you wanted, just make sure you have a wide variety.  Here are some examples of what you could make: 

               This one is a spin on like a cooled seafood salad: Cucumber slice as the base, citrus mayo and cocktail style shrimp.  

Prosciutto and Melon on toasted bread

Gravlax, Dill Sour Cream and Hot Pepper flakes on a Cracker

Buckwheat Pancakes (Blini) with Creme Fraiche and Caviar

Toasted Bread Stars, Caramelized Shallots and Parsley Creme Fraiche

Rectangle cut white bread, tuna salad, two types of caviar and parsley garnish. ( I only used caviar in a few of these because I had them at my disposal in culinary school. You could easily use diced red and yellow bell peppers.)

Get creative with a display. We were given cool shaped Mirrors! 

I really hope you enjoyed this and you can become creative in making all kinds of hors d'oeuvres!

 Oh and if you are thinking that you are never going to be able to spell hors d'oeuvres, this is the way I learned. The first half is pretty simple Hors and then a single "d" with an apostrophe. But for the "o" part, just think of that song from the Wizard of Oz. The men who were guarding the witches castle near the gate that sung, "Ohhhhh weee ohhh...we ohhhhh ho." Well put in a letter for the sounds. O-E-U-VR-ES. You can't fail!! LOL! Enjoy and thanks for reading!! 

Pate A Choux aka Eclair Paste

 Pate A Choux    A.K.A Éclair Paste Yield: 3 lb. 2 oz

(Patt-A-Shoo)

Ingredients

Milk**                                      4 fl. oz.

Water                                       4 fl. oz.

Salt                                           1 ½ tsp.

Unsalted butter                         7 oz.

Bread Flour                             10 oz.

Eggs                                        10 ct.

Directions

1.) Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.) Dice the butter into small cubes.

3.) Sift the bread flour to remove any lumps.

4.) Place the milk, water, salt and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and make sure the butter is fully melted.

5.) Remove the mixture immediately and add all of the flour. Vigorously mix the dough by hand with a wooden spoon until all flour is incorporated.

6.) Replace the mixture to the stove over medium heat and continue to mix until the dough comes away from the sides. The dough should look relatively dry and should begin to leave a thin film on the saucepan. (It will look kinda lumpy)

7.) Transfer the dough to a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat for a few seconds on medium speed, then begin to add in the eggs.

8.) Add in the eggs one at a time until the dough mixture is shiny but firm. It may not be necessary to add in all of the eggs. The dough should pull away from the side of the bowl in thick threads; it will not clear the bowl.

9.) Put a workable amount of dough into a pastry bag with a piping tip, or snip a small hole in a plastic bag.

10.) Pipe into the shape you want onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake immediately.

11.) Bake for around 35 minutes, cool completely and fill them as desired. Éclair Paste becomes really hollow when it bakes and can be filled with different things like whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate mousse what ever you like! You can pipe these out into crème puff shapes and fill them with a flavored cream. You can also fill them with a savory filling such as a gravlax mousse or caviar.

** Cook’s Note: If you would like a crisper dough, replace the milk with an equal amount of water. 

Here are some pictures of what you can do with Éclair Paste

Eclairs filled with pastry cream and plain puffs

Puffs and Eclairs filled with pastry cream and covered with ganache.

                          Piped on melted white chocolate

 Designs made by dragging a bamboo skewer across the white chocolate lines in different directions. 

These are so easy and fun to make. Great for parties, center pieces and as house warming gifts. You can even take the little puffs and fasten them onto a large styrofoam cone with royal icing to make an edible centerpiece!! 

Enjoy this recipe! Thank you!

It's Music to My Ears

I have a somewhat weird way of thinking, and it can really differ from others when it comes to food. I feel that when I see a plate of food, it really speaks to you. Not necessarily in words but in a musical sense. A plate of food can look really sensual and so appetizing, to me I think of a smooth romantic number. Or when you see a plate full of colorful food items, it makes me think of a song you would hear at Cirque de Soleil. A casual dinner of craw fish and dirty rice just screams creole music right?


But when you find that one meal, and I mean the "one", your eyes roll back into your head, goosebumps take over your skin, your mouth begins to salivate and you almost want to make sweet sweet love to your plate. How could something take such a hold on you? It's just a plate of food! But no, it's not.... it's an edible piece of art that is about to grace your palette in a way you have never experienced. When I find a meal like that, this is the song that I think of. "Digging My Potato" - by The Seatbelts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_H3Kw21lJk The song, like your meal, starts out slow. You really savor the beginning of your meal, the steam rises slowly from your food and you take a big whiff that rushes to the back of your skull. You get into a good rhythm of eating your meal, then as the song moves on it gets quicker and quicker and your food is becoming less and less on your plate. Your table gets quiet but all you can hear is the deafening sound of you chewing your meal. Suddenly you are overwhelmed with the sensation of your food sliding down your throat. Take a swig of that wine, cut some more of your steak, shovel that potato, break some more of that bread, the slamming of silverware on your plate, throw down that napkin and then........BAM! You're plate is empty. 


You're heart beat begins to slow down and you are awoken as if you were in a pleasureful food coma, but you remember everything. You remember that you are in a restaurant and not at home and then you take your leave. 

What's The Rush??

All my life I have noticed that here in America, just about every meal is rushed. If you are meeting friends for dinner you can pretty much guess that dinner will only last about an hour or an hour and 15 minutes, even when it's busy. So you took time to get pretty to go out and then you only spend that little time sitting down and relaxing, so what else are you supposed to do with your evening? Here's another thought, if you are a student, breakfast may or may not fit into your morning routine. High school for me started at 7:15 am. and I barely made it on time to catch my bus let alone put a piece of toast in my mouth.


 Our country has become one fast paced  place to live. Restaurants are turning tables so quick that customers are left not remembering what they ate or how much they spent!! A server is given like 6 tables at a time and really wants those tips so they will rush you right out of your table with mediocre service. I think servers could still get a good amount in one night if they provided excellent service at a restaurant that allowed the guest to stay longer for dinner. Make the tip percentage a minimum of 18% and most people will tip 20% when they receive great service anyway, I know I do. 


Our country is slow on a lot of things, but we certainly aren't slow when it comes to food. I think our country needs a serious renovation when it comes to taking time to eat. People at home aren't even connecting with their food. A lot of families are eating dinner in front of the television. Not only are you eating blindly, but you are distracted by the t.v. and not really enjoying your food. It's like taking time to eat is becoming an inconvenience to those families.


 Try something for me, try to recall the meals you eat in a week. Don't cheat and write them down, think back and see how much of your meals you can actually remember even if it were fast food. I think you will be surprised at how little you remember. It's not your fault, it's our country's fault. 


There are a few great restaurants that will actually encourage you to stay and relax at your table you just have to find them. There are a few where I live one of which I worked at. The restaurant is called Bistro Aix, it offers a private dining room, a regular dining room, and they also have a large room that can be split in half to make 2 private dining rooms. Often times they are used for business dinners but anyway, they would emphasize fresh local, organic ingredients, and a slower pace of eating. Also the servers are intensely trained on the menu, wine selections, desserts, and oh yeah, the menu changes weekly, sometimes daily. 


If I could have it my way, our country should have a few hours in the day where places shut down for a few hours and we emphasize more on meal time. It is a totally normal thing in Europe to take around 3-4 hours to eat dinner. If you are at a table for long enough, it becomes your table for the evening. Also, restaurants stay open a little longer, like until 12pm or 1 am everyday, but it's those few hours that they close that give the workers a time to relax and prepare for the evening.


 I want people to really savor what they are eating. Enjoy the freshness of a fish fillet or feel the crunch of your vegetables, really appreciate what you are eating. We are so quick to wolf down food and hardly chew anything, it's no wonder people get really gassy or have huge nasty bowel movements LOL. 


Find a great restaurant where you live, spend a few hours with your lover or a small group of friends, and really savor what you all are eating. So do a little homework and find a great restaurant, ask around and see what people say is good and take a breather. You deserve it!!

Why Must You Do That???

 I have to get this off my chest. There are a handful of people who love to either drown their food with various sauces or add a load of salt before even trying their food. So I am going to share with you my experiences and how I think this can be solved.


I find that there are certain people who like to smother their food in sauce and it really disgusts me. For example, I used to work at McDonald's and there would be guys who would ask for 8 sweet and sour sauces for their chicken nuggets. This was for a 10 piece meal. LOL So you are telling me you need almost 1 packet of sauce per nugget? LOL Are you even wanting to taste the chicken nugget? It kinda makes me want to ask, you want some food with that sauce?? Or, why so many sauces? We had to charge them for so many sauces and they would put up a fight over it. lol we were only allowed to give 2 sauce packets for a 10 pc. which I think is plenty but after that, you are making our business lose money. Those sauces add up, trust me. Another example would be people who drown a perfectly grilled and seasoned steak in A1 sauce. A1 sauce is so concentrated in flavor as it is, why would you ruin a steak with a pool of sauce? The cook took their time to ensure that your steak was cooked to your liking and seasoned it perfectly, why would you butcher that steak with a lake of sauce? I guarantee you if that cook saw you using so much sauce they would slap you with a frying pan, it's insulting really. Or better yet, cook a few steaks yourself, and watch one of your friends eat their steak with a bowl full of sauce. See how that makes you feel. After you took your precious time to cook that steak to perfection then have it ruined in a bath of sauce. 


Next, I really hate it when people put a ton of salt on their food before even eating it. You know, I worked at a restaurant that didn't place salt and pepper shakers on the table because the cooks made sure every food item was seasoned perfectly. If someone really wanted salt they could have it, but it was pretty rare that they asked. The lack of them not having the shakers on the tables, it really says a lot. Most people don't even notice they are missing but not having to reach for them sure is nice.(It gives you that much more room on the table too.) I admit I used to do the same thing, and my mom would yell at me for it but I dare not do it now. I am actually adapting a taste for less salt in my food and it is doing my body good. I am more sensitive to salt in my foods and I am very careful about foods with a lot of salt. I buy low sodium food items or fresh food items over canned if I can help it. Often times when I eat out now, I feel like the foods are over seasoned, but that's just my tongue trying to adapt. 


So next time you cook a meal, see what happens if no salt, pepper or sauce are placed on the table. Will those who would butcher their food actually get up from the table to go get their seasoning? If it's not too much trouble, ask people to give an honest opinion about their meal and see what they say. Take into consideration that if you know their eating habits, don't take offense if they say something was bland. Everyone knows when something is seasoned just right or over seasoned. Well, smokers and old people might not. Their taste buds aren't as sharp as the rest of us. 

Whipped Cream Recipe A.K.A Creme Chantilly

Welcome to my second recipe installment!! I feel that this recipe is so useful in any kitchen and is incredibly easy to make. This is a recipe for sweetened whipped cream also known as “Crème Chantilly”. It’s best to use this whipped cream as soon as possible and doesn’t really keep well in the fridge, but nevertheless, it is fantastic tasting! You will need:

This recipe yields 2-2 & ½ pints of whipped cream

-Standing mixer with whisk attachment/hand mixer & bowl/or whisk & bowl

- 1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream

- 3 oz. Powdered Sugar (This recipe helps if you have a scale. I have a digital one I bought online for around $25.00 on Amazon.)

- 2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract ( Home made if you have it)

Directions:

·         When making whipped cream all elements must be chilled. So chill the bowl, whisk attachment/ hand mixer attachments etc. in your fridge for 20 minutes.

·         Be sure your heavy cream is also chilled.

·         Measure out the powdered sugar and sift to remove any lumps.

·         Put together your mixer elements and pour the chilled whipping cream into the chilled bowl. Whisk until slightly thickened.

·         Once the cream is slightly thickened, add in the sugar in small increments until it’s all incorporated.

·         Continue to whip until cream looks fluffy and slightly glossy, but don’t over mix! You don’t want butter lol.

·         Measure out your vanilla extract and add to the whipped cream. Be sure to add it when the mixer is off, you wouldn’t want to splash yourself HEHE! ****

·         Do a taste test to see if the sweetness it to your liking.

·         Use immediately! Great on top of cakes/pies, inside Charlottes, and simply splendid as a topper for hot chocolate.

·         Powdered sugar is used here instead of granulated sugar because it’s not grainy. A bonus to using powdered sugar is that the cornstarch in powdered sugar helps stabilize the cream and keeps its volume longer.

****Cook’s note: It is best to measure out the vanilla extract at the last minute because vanilla extract is infamous for evaporating. (Refer to Vanilla Blog for more info) Home made extract has alcohol in it which will begin to evaporate at room temperature. Also, adding it in last minute won’t make it evaporate versus adding it in the beginning.  

I hope you enjoy this simple and tasty recipe! Feel free to ask any questions! Rock on ya'll!  

Cooking Methods

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people mixing up cooking terms. An example would be “This is a deep fried item” when it was really pan fried. So this blog will clear up any confusion so you the reader will know which terms to use at what time. Each cooking method is different and used for different foods and if used incorrectly, it can ruin a meal. So I will list a cooking method and explain it briefly:

-          Broiling: This method uses a heat source that is above the food. In a restaurant you can find a piece of equipment called a “Salamander” that does just that. You can have a flame or an electric heating element and this is used to brown foods, great for melting cheese on soups.

-          Grilling: This one is pretty obvious. A heat source is underneath the food and can be done by gas, charcoal, wood or briquettes (They are like charcoal but made from a special material, you can use these over and over again). The food that is cooked on a grill should have distinct cross hatch marks.

-          Roasting/Baking: These two methods are the same! Baking is more often used when making sweets or sweet items and roasting is for more savory items. They are most often times interchangeable but I feel that baking is used for sweets and roasted for savory. Be careful when roasting because there is “Carry Over Cooking (see Chef’s note at the bottom)” that you need to account for in cooking time. Food can be cooked in an oven with heating elements or use hot air in a form of convection.

-          Sauteing: This method is used for quick cooking items or slightly cooking an item, say to warm it through. A small amount of fat is used to protect the surface of the pan and then it is warmed to the desired temperature. The food is placed in the hot pan and cooked to desired doneness.  

-          Pan Frying: Very similar to sautéing but more fat is used and the cooking time is a bit longer. This technique is often used to brown items such as pork chops and latkes. Drain the excess fat from the food with a few paper towels.

-          Deep Frying: This technique is done in a large amount of fat whether it’s peanut oil or lard (yummy) where a food is completely submerged in fat. This technique can be done in a standing deep fryer, built in deep fryer fry or as restaurants call them friolaters. Great for doing a turkey for thanksgiving!!

-          Poaching: This can be a tricky cooking method because the cooking liquid is not boiling or simmering. It’s a very low bubble, the temperature is between 160-180 degrees F. This is can be done in a few different pans including a stock pot. A stock pot and is great for making poached chicken, fish and eggs. If you want a really luxurious meal, poach something in olive oil.

-          Boiling: This cooking method involves submerging a food in a hot boiling liquid such as water or broth. I really hate boiling vegetables so I only blanch the veggies for a few minutes, shock them in ice cold water and then sauté them to retain their nutrients and color. This cooking method is essential for cooking pasta. If anyone says they can’t cook, just teach them how to boil water and you will see a little light bulb go off over their head lol.

-          Steaming: This is a method where a boiling liquid is placed below some kind of perforated pan with a food inside. Great cooking method for vegetables, and who says the liquid had to be water? Stock is fantastic for steaming vegetables, gives them a deeper flavor.

-          Simmering: Similar to boiling but at a slower rate. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil then reduce to a medium or medium high temperature to maintain it’s slower bubble. Great for less tender cuts of meat and this temperature is ideal for making soups.

-          Braising: Braising is a cooking method that combines pan searing and cooking a food in a liquid. The food is cooked at a lower heat so the meat doesn’t become tough. The food item is covered with liquid 1/3 way up and often times the cooking liquid is served as a sauce.

-          Stewing: This cooking method is used for tougher cuts of meat and also uses pan searing. After pan searing an item it is placed in a cooking liquid. The cooking liquid covers the food item completely and is cooked low and slow. Low temperature for a long time. This cooking method can done on the stove and then put in the oven or done just on the stove.   

I hope this clears up any confusion people might have about different cooking methods. It would be very embarrassing for you to tell someone that a food was cooked one way when it was really done in another way. Feel free to ask me any questions!!

---Chef’s note: Carry over cooking occurs when a food item is pulled from the oven and it continues to cook from residual heat. This occurs most often in thick cuts of meat being roasted, so just when your roast reaches a certain minimal internal temperature, it might be too late for it. Pull the meat just before it reaches that core temperature and let it cook just a bit more on your counter, it will stay a lot juicier that way. 

We Call That Ice Cream....

OK! So I don't know if this is a northern thing or what, but lately I have been hearing a lot of "Hey! Let's go get some frozen yogurt at (Where ever they want to go)." I'm thinking, don't they mean ice cream? Because to me yogurt is something that is served cold but not frozen, eating it frozen tastes funny. (lol if u can name a place that serves yogurt let me know, like Activia or Yoplait LOL)

 Also, yogurt has a bacteria culture in it, which is where it gets its tangy flavor from, and ice cream doesn't. Ice cream is way sweeter and is meant to be frozen. Ice cream has actual milk and heavy cream in it not yogurt. I have eaten actual frozen yogurt, and it just wasn't the same, not nearly as smooth. I think that if I owned an ice cream store and I heard people calling ice cream frozen yogurt enough, I would crack on someone someday and be like, " If you want frozen yogurt, go to your super market and buy some yogurt and freeze it yourself cause I only sell ICE CREAM here!!"

LOL Am I right? 

You Want Me To Eat WHAT??

Something that really ticks me off is when people say that they think something looks gross to eat, and they haven’t even tasted it!! That to me says that they are very ignorant and have no sense of adventure or willingness to try anything new. I just have to ask, well how is it that you came to like things you enjoy now? Oh yeah, you had to EAT THEM! I think the subject matter I would really like to present is, how Americans are afraid of their food when it comes to them in a more… whole state. That by which I mean, a fish with the head and tail still attached, or a whole roasted pig. All over the world, fresh seafood is coveted and the heads, tails, eyeballs are all attached. The cheek meat in fish is a delicacy and so are the eyes of the fish. Don’t diss something until you have tried it.

          I noticed that here in America, is it very rare to find a restaurant that will serve a whole fish. People don’t want to know that a fish fillet came from an actual fish. They don’t want to look into the eyes of their dinner, which to me is just pathetic because wouldn’t you want to know that your fish wasn’t flash frozen, or precooked and reheated? It’s reality people, this shit is real. There are people out there who make a living butchering animals and they can tell you how they would prefer to eat their meats and fishes. Often times, when a restaurant receives a whole fish, or whole pig, the restaurant pays a lot less for those products because they aren’t cut or portioned out. The more broken down an animal is, the more is costs the restaurant to purchase, which in turn, makes the meal more expensive. If a restaurant butchers in house you will pay a little bit to cover the wages of the butcher, but you can rest assure, someone with great skill has cut your meat perfectly for you.

 In Hawaii they roast pigs whole on a spit, or underground and proudly display it for large groups of people to eat. Everyone from tiny kids to the elderly would be in attendance and marvel at the wonderful roast pig! The keep the head and feet on and you wouldn’t believe the flavor those animals take on when you leave them whole! It’s insane what a lot of people are missing out on. I feel like a lot of seafood places here in the U.S are really skimping on their customers because they don’t serve them whole. The little pieces of meat that just don’t make it to the plate are being wasted and could fill up the customer that much more! I dare anyone who is afraid of food like that, to travel to another country and see how fast it takes you to get your ass whooped. People take pride in preparing their food all over the world and take great offense if you refuse food just because it has a head on it. Hell that wonderful place that you call France, serves fish whole. In any fine dining restaurant to a mom and pop place, they serve fish a certain way and I feel that it’s the best way to serve it. You can get your fish cooked, broken down into fillets and served tableside if you want…and let me tell you that it is worth giving it a try. If none of this changes your mind, watch Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and see if my blog isn’t a little less scary to handle.

Learn How to Brine

Looking to jazz up your next chicken, beef or turkey dinner? This blog will explain a great technique that will do so, and it’s called “Brining”. Brining penetrates the meat and provides a great depth of flavor that an ordinary marinade or plain salt and pepper can’t match! It is so simple but requires some time so plan ahead when making a meal with brined meat. Let’s begin with what goes into a brine.

Brine: A solution of salt, water and seasonings used for flavor and preserve foods.

When making a brine you can make as much or as little as you choose, depending on the meat you are preparing. You want to make enough so that the meat can be submerged in the brine to obtain maximum flavor. If you are a little pressed for time, you can inject the meat with the brine in the meat. I found a recipe but I thought that I would make it more customized so people can add what they wanted. Here is a list of ingredients which go well in a brine:

-Salt, sugar, brown sugar, honey, black peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, onions, juniper berries, sage, rosemary, citrus peel, thyme, pickling spice and of course water. Use warm water and taste the brine before adding the meat to make sure it is to your liking.  

There are so many more ingredients that can go into a brine but those are just to list a few. You can add as much or as little of any ingredient to make the flavor profile of your choice. If there is one thing I can advise is that you be careful not to add too much salt!! Lol you want a happy medium of salt, sugar and spices so your meat can be happy too! :D  Use warm water when making the brine so the sugar and salt will melt and not settle to the bottom. Cool the brine before placing the meat in.

Depending on how much time you have to brine the meat you can brine for a few hours or overnight. Before cooking the meat, rinse it lightly under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Any excess salt needs to be removed. Proceed with the cooking method of your choice and enjoy a great brined meat. I find that brined meat comes out a lot juicier and more tender than regularly cooked meat. Also, if you have the tools to do so, brine your next Thanksgiving turkey and you will have your guests begging for your recipe. Enjoy! Please feel free to ask me any questions. Rock on ya’ll!!   \m/

Recipe For Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 This is a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! I though since spring was here, this would be a great way to start it out. This is even great to enjoy in the summer. The lemon flavor in the muffins are profound and refreshing and the mixture of flours makes them filling. Also, the amount of ingredients might seem like a lot but the taste it worth it. Enjoy!

 Yield: 24 muffins (This recipe originally calls for 48 but I cut it in half. This recipe also requires the use of a scale. I have a digital scale which I use at home, they are pretty cheap online. )

Pastry Flour                                                                                          1 lb.                    

Bread Flour                                                                                         4  oz. 

Baking Soda                                                                                         ½ tsp.

Baking Powder                                                                                  1 ½ tsp.

Poppy Seeds                                                                                     1 ½ oz.

Unsalted Butter (room temp.)                                                                 8 oz.

White Granulated Sugar                                                                       12 oz.

Honey/Glucose                                                                                      2 oz.

Olive Oil                                                                                            2 fl. oz. **

Eggs                                                                                                      6 

Salt                                                                                                        1 tsp.

Vanilla Extract                                                                                1 ½ fl. oz.

Lemon Zest, Grated                                                                          0.25 oz..

Sour Cream                                                                                           8 oz.

Powdered Sugar                                                                          As needed

Directions:

1.)    Preheat your oven to 425° F.

2.)    Sift together the baking powder and baking soda, bread flour and pastry flour. Stir in the poppy seeds and set aside.

3.)    Using a mixer, cream together the butter until lump free and fluffy. Add the sugar, honey/glucose, and olive oil and cream until light.

4.)    Gradually add the eggs one by one incorporating into batter, followed by the salt, vanilla, lemon zest and sour cream. Then with a spatula, fold in the flour mixture.

5.)    Portion out the muffins into 5 oz. each with a scoop and drop into a large greased muffin tin. (You will need muffin tins that are a bit larger and deeper than regular muffin tins.)

6.)    Bake for 15-18 minutes, just until the center of the muffins bounce back when lightly pressed.
 kj  Optional: Dust the muffins with powdered sugar after they have cooled.

**** Cooks note: When measuring small fluid ounce measurements, know that 2 Tablespoons equals 1 fluid ounce. So for this recipe measure out 4 Tablespoons of olive oil or ¼ cup olive oil. 

For Those Who Can't Cook...

 I’m sorry but I had to do this! I have to get it out. There’s not a whole lot in the world that I really dislike, but one of them would have to be when I hear that people say they don’t know how to cook. Oh my GOD! I can’t tell you how frustrated that makes me!! It makes me want to go up to those individuals and slap them across the face. If you know how to boil water or how to make ramen noodles in the microwave, you know how to cook! Although microwaves are not prevalent in many commercial kitchens, a lot of people have them in their homes. Believe it or not, microwaving IS considered a way of cooking.

I saw a woman on the cooking network who said she had been married for 27 years, and never cooked a single meal for the entire time she has been married. WHAT KIND OF WIFE IS THAT? That is so selfish and lazy of her to put all of the cooking on her husband. Like she didn’t even cut vegetables for a salad but she would go grocery shopping for the ingredients. If you were single and didn’t cook for yourself, what’s the point of having a kitchen? “OH but I need the sink to wash stuff.” Wash what? You don’t cook!! You won’t need a counter either because all you do it sit on it. GRRRR!!!

   I think that that is a huge turn off if someone never cooks or doesn’t know how to cook. How do those people expect to make a living at home or support themselves if they are single? Take out food gets expensive and microwave dinners are infamous for having tremendous amounts of salt. I think I have a solution for these people. Step into your kitchen and really get to know your appliances. Seriously try this some time and see if you won’t thank me later. Really look at your stove top, does it have gas burners or electric burners? Do you have numbers to measure heat on your stove or do you have words like warm, low, medium or high? All of these details are things you need to pay attention to when you go to cook.

          If you are watching food network and a chef is making pan seared fish, you are going to want to put your heat on medium-medium high, or if you have numbers put it between 6-7. If you want to cook vegetables, you can’t go wrong with a simple sauté. Warm some olive oil in a pan and add in the veggies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. You don’t want to render out all of the nutrients so simplicity with vegetables is a must. If any of this is sounding like too much to handle, grow some balls and go and get cooking lessons. A lot of times you can get a great deal on a cooking class. Like $99 specials on a 2-3 day cooking class and you are getting the basic stuff. While you are there, they can teach you what utensils are the best to use for certain cooking processes, what are the best ways to cook certain foods and how to get the most flavor out of your ingredients. Everyone has potential in the kitchen, it’s those who don’t treat it like a chore that have fun with it. You don’t need someone to hold your hand to cook, you just need a little self confidence and some basic know how!