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!

Focaccia Bread Recipe

Interested in making bread at home? Here's an easy recipe, totally kid friendly if they want to help or easy to make yourself! Please enjoy!


Recipe for Focaccia Bread   Yield: ½ sheet pan (This recipe yield will be perfect for a family of 4-6. It will make a good amount so if you are left with too much, gift it to your friends or you can freeze it after you bake and eat later.)

Ingredients

Granulated Sugar                                               1 TBSP.

Active Dry Yeast                                               1 TBSP.( 1 pkg) 

Water  (110°F)                                                   12 fl oz. or 1&1/4 cup                                                                

All-Purpose Flour                                               1 lb. 2 oz.

Kosher Salt                                                         2 tsp.

Onion, fine dice                                                  3 oz.

Olive Oil                                                             2 TBSP.

Fresh rosemary, rough chop                               2 TBSP.

Directions
1.) Sift the all purpose flour and set aside.
2.) Remove the bowl attachment of a standing mixer and fit the dough hook on. 
3.)  Add to the bowl the sugar, yeast and warm water and mix lightly with a spoon to fully dissolve the sugar.
4.) Wait for the yeast to bubble slightly and begin to add in the flour. Add in 4 parts, incorporating each part well on a medium-low speed. 
5.) Stir in 1 ½ tsp. of the salt and all of the fine diced onion.
6.) Speed up the mixer to medium-high until very smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You can also knead the dough on a floured board by hand, takes about 10-15 minutes. 
7.) Oil a large bowl with 1 TBSP. of olive oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a towel and allow it to proof until doubled in size. (Temperature will vary from household to household, but an hour should be fine.)
8.) After about an hour and the dough has doubled, punch out all of the air in the dough. Place the dough on a lightly oiled half sheet tray and even out to about 1 inch in thickness. Brush the top of the dough with 1 TBSP. of olive oil, you can just use your hand if you don’t have a brush.  
9.) To give a more rustic look, you can give your dough a dimpled look by lightly pressing your fingertips into the top of the dough
10.) This dough needs to proof just once more. Proof for 15 minutes and cover with a towel again.
11.)  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F when your bread is almost done proofing. 
12.) Right before putting the dough in the oven, sprinkle over the chopped rosemary and any remaining salt onto the dough. Add any other flavorings you like such as sliced garlic, parmesan cheese or even green olives. 

10.) Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 10 minutes. You want a light golden brown color and a crisp top. Let the bread cool slightly and serve while still warm or at room temperature.

                                                      

This recipe is so so simple and you can add what ever you like to it. If you feel you can't finish it all, allow the bread to go stale, dice it up in cubes and freeze it. Makes for a great savory bread pudding or home made croutons!! 

Please enjoy my recipe and thank you for reading! 

                                      

Pasta 101

Identifying pasta can be kind of intimidating but it doesn't need to be. The pastas that I have touched based on in this blog, I feel are relevant to know for restaurants here in America or just a basic type to identify in a store. I will share with you a few that you can find in almost any Italian restaurant along with pictures and a brief description as to how you might find these pastas in a dish. Let's get started shall we?? lol


So in no particular order the first one is pretty simple:

- Spaghetti (Spah-geh-tee) : This is probably the most commonly eaten pasta in America simply because it's the most easily identified. It's a long noodle with a circular shape and has a slight thickness to it. This a really versatile pasta because it goes great with a beef and tomato sauce, cream sauce, simple olive oil and lemon juice, you can bake with it, MEAT BALLS (lol) and is often times just referred to as spaghetti on a menu. 

- Angel Hair : This is the exact same thing as spaghetti pasta but smaller in thickness. It cooks in a bit quicker than spaghetti too and can be used in the same way as spaghetti. If angel hair pasta is used in a dish it will state that it's angel hair pasta. Some people prefer it over regular spaghetti although I like both. :3

- Linguine (Lin-gwee-nee) : This pasta is also similar to spaghetti and angel hair except it is flat. It is the same length as spaghetti but instead of it being cylindrical it's flat. Kinda looks like a mini 2x4 that you can eat HAHA. This pasta is a little more sturdy than spaghetti or angel hair and is often paired with seafood such as clams and a wine sauce, or a tomato sauce with calamari, shrimp, mushrooms, etc.  
- Lasagna (Luh-zan-ya) : This pasta is also really easily identified because it comes in long flat sheets. If you buy it in a store it almost always has wavy edges. The edges may serve another purpose besides decoration, maybe for support of layering, but I really don't know. This pasta is so great now because you can buy it parboiled and layer your lasagna as usual and bake it off like normal. This pasta will most likely be called lasagna on a menu unless another ingredient in the dish is more pronounced. For instance, if the lasagna is made in house and the actual pasta is made with spinach inside, it would be called Spinach Lasagna.  

- Rigatoni (Rig-a-tony) : This pasta looks like straight hollow tubes. They are pretty short, no longer than 2 inches and are a little hefty too. Because they have a hollow inside, they hold onto sauce and cheese fantastically. Often times you will see this served in individual portions in a restaurant like in a little boat shaped dish topped with cheese, or done family style in a large dish. Great with meat sauces, regular tomato sauce and cream sauces. 

- Penne (Pen-nay) : This pasta is very similar to rigatoni but is cut a little differently at the ends. Penne has a distinct angled cut at either end of the pasta and are a narrower than rigatoni. This pasta is great for baking like rigatoni and hold onto sauces really well. 

- Manicotti (Man-eh-coht-ee) : This pasta is the Big Pappa of penne and rigatoni. This is a much longer and wider pasta It only takes 3-4 of these to make a meal. These are often filled with a mixture of cheeses including ricotta cheese, spinach, meat sauce, any sauce that is thick and hearty really. This too can be served family style or single portion in a little oval shaped dish. This dish almost always comes stuffed with ricotta cheese in a restaurant. 

-  Fusilli (Foo-see-lee) : lol what? This pasta looks like little cork screws. I see this more and more in restaurants now, especially in house made mac and cheese. These cook relatively quickly, and are great for holding onto cream sauces. 

-Farfalle (Far-fall-lay) : This pasta is sooo stinkin' cute, they resemble little pinched ribbons or bow ties.They can come in a few different sizes and cook quickly. Sometimes in Italian restaurants this pasta is offered on the kids menu, but it really makes for a great pasta in a cold salad at home. This pasta goes fantastically with a pesto sauce or cream sauce.

- Shell/Conchigliette(Con-chee-glee-eh-teh) : These are conch shaped pasta often just called shells because their Italian name is a bit difficult to pronounce. The most popular way I see them are really small sizes like you would in Velveeta, or the large ones that get stuffed with seasoned ricotta cheese. When they are stuffed they are par cooked and then baked with the filling and topped with a tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The stuffing can include spinach, meat, ricotta cheese or a variety of cheeses mixed with egg, vegetables your choice! 


So that's it! I only covered a few types of pasta that I thought were really common and easy to identify. If you haven't tried any of these pastas yet I beg you to try them! Thanks so much for reading, have a great day!!

(Photos pulled from Google Images)

Super Easy Pasta Recipe

I can't stress enough when I say that there is beauty in simplicity. This can be applied so well with food. My example for you is one of my favorite ways to eat pasta. 


You will need:
-Angel Hair Pasta           - Salt/Pepper
- Lemon Juice                 - Raw Garlic
- Butter                           


-When I cook pasta like this, I add hot water to a pot so it doesn't take as long to boil. (All of the ingredient amounts are subjective to your taste)
- Cook the pasta as instructed on the box, or until al dente.****
- Place some butter in a serving bowl, along with a spritz of lemon and garlic (freshly grated or jarred kind is up to you). 
- Drain off the pasta and add as much as you like to the serving bowl. Toss in the butter, lemon juice and garlic. 
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Lemon juice is great in pasta because it gives the taste buds the illusion of salt, so watch how much salt you add!!)
-Optional, zest the lemon for extra added flavor. 


There is no need to overwhelm your pasta in a heavy cream or tomato sauce. 


***Cooks note: Al Dente is a point where pasta is cooked and still has a little bite to it. Most certainly not soggy!
Enjoy my recipe!!

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!!

A Rainbow of Produce?!? Where??

HAHA I don't have a cool picture of a rainbow of produce, but you could make it happen in your kitchen. I am talking about variety here people!! It is so important that you add colorful foods into your diet and those colors speak to you in different ways. This blog will tell you what certain colored foods hold and what produce fall under certain colors. Also, I won't throw anything in there that you can't pronounce. :P


Okay our first color up is.... (drum roll please)...... RED!!
Fruits and vegetables that are red contain nutrients that help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth, lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind, there is a good kind also lol), and support joint tissue in people who have arthritis. So some of the fruits and vegetables that qualify for the red category are: tomatoes, strawberries, beets, red bell peppers, grapefruit, red onions, red apples, raspberries, rhubarb, radishes and much more. 


Next color up is..... YELLOW/ORANGE produce!! These produce share a few of the same benefits as red produce but they also promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, they are full of vitamin C, and encourages alkaline balance (keeping our body at a happy pH). Some produce that falls into this category are: apricots, carrots, lemons, mangoes, oranges, yellow peppers, summer squash, pumpkin, peaches, pineapples, and sweet corn. 


Third color up is......GREEN produce!! I think we can all think of a few different types of green produce, but what about their benefits. So, eating green produce can reduce cancer risks, normalize digestion time (salad before the entree of a dinner), support retinal health and vision and boost your immune system activity. Some of the produce in this category include: limes, honey dew melon, artichokes, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, celery, avocados, and green onions. 


Fourth color up is....... BLUE/PURPLE produce!! Now there are fewer of these types of foods but hold some of the best benefits of all of the colors. Some of their many benefits are: they fight inflammation, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, act as anticarcinogens in your digestive tract, limit the activity of cancer cells and boost your immune system. Some of the produce in this category include blackberries, blueberries, grapes, plums, purple cabbage, eggplant, purple Belgian endive, purple potatoes and black currants. 


Last but certainly not least is....WHITE produce!! lol there aren't very many of these produce either but they too have wonderful benefits. Some of which include: Reduce the risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer, balance hormonal levels, activate natural killer B and T cells (fight off infections and bad things in your body) and reduce the risk of hormone-related cancers. Some of these food include bananas, brown pears, potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, parsnips, onions, white peaches and white nectarines. 


All of this produce talk is making me soo hungry LOL seeing as how peach season is almost here. They get as big as soft balls where I live! lol I thank my mother for introducing me to a lot of great foods. She taught me their benefits as I ate them and now I am a healthy young woman. A variety of foods are so important not only for children but for adults as well, it is never too late to start eating healthy. Learn when these fruits and vegetables are in season and you will save a ton. If you want to eat seasonal foods year round, you can always preserve them or freeze them. If you don't have any at all, frozen produce is a great way to go also. If you can, buy from local farmers and help support your  community too. You can buy produce from local farmers stands or fresh markets for real cheap also. Make it a fun day for you and your kids, have them pick out what they want to eat!! Enjoy!


All of this info is from http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml