The "Barnes and Noble" Scone

The topic of my first official baking class was "Quick Breads."

Quick breads are basically breads that do not use yeast for rise: Banana Bread, Muffins, Pancakes, yes, pancakes (this one surprised me!)

I signed up to make Morning Glory Muffins because it was the only muffin on the list I didn't recognize and Chocolate Cranberry Cherry Scones.

I was nice enough to bring Charlie a sample

 I. Hate. Scones.

They are dry, useless bricks. If given one I would use it as a doorstop or weapon before I would eat it.

If I were a skunk I would have defensively sprayed the room at the thought of making scones.

However, I hoped the irritation of making this thing that I hate would be lessened by using chocolate.

To make the muffins we used the Muffin Method. That's a shock, huh?

Muffin Method in a Nutshell:
You add all the wet ingredients together in one bowl. You sift all the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Then add the wet to the dry and fold together until just combined.

If you mix until everything is incorporated, you've over mixed your batter.

Then get them in the muffin pan and in to a preheated oven lighting fast. If you let this batter rest they won't rise because the reaction you want from the baking soda will happen on the counter instead of in the oven.

Let's just say now that if I had to get up and make these Morning Glory muffins for breakfast my morning wouldn't be so glorious.

this is what a muffin top should look like...still laughing

I had to shred carrots and apples.  And measure out raisins, shredded coconut, and walnuts. Time consuming.

Simple method? Yes. Simple muffin? Hell to the No!

Oh, and I learned all you lovers of giant muffin tops (ha ha...anybody?) are eating crappy muffins. Proper muffins don't have domes. They should have a fairly flat uneven surface.

On to the scones and the Biscuit Method...

Biscuit Method in a Nutshell:
Add and sift all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl. Cut butter in to dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients until just combined. Turn out on counter and "fold knead" no more than 5 times. Shape and cut. Freeze for 20 minutes. Then bake until G.B.D. and done in the center.

one-eyed scone monster

I followed the recipe except I used dried cherries because I couldn't find the dried cranberries. Whatevs.

And, after all that work, according to Chef  I made a "Barnes and Noble Scone" because mine rose tall and had more of a muffin-like consistency inside instead of the sawdust consistency I know and hate.

The dry scone is referred to as the British Scone.

While I might have liked the scone I made a little, not even the addition of chocolate could change my mind.

However, a classmate did make a Cream Scone that I really did like. Hmmm....

Bronco's Review

One of the side effects of being in culinary school is the desire to constantly try different restaurants in Omaha.

So, last weekend Charlie and I were looking for a place to have lunch. After some searching we decided on a small cafe in a  part of Omaha we hadn't yet explored.

beacon of hope

However, when we arrived we realized the restaurant was closed. Disaster!

But, wait, when we got out of the car we were overwhelmed by the amazing smell of onion rings. Ten feet from the cafe we found the smell coming from Bronco's.

Crisis averted! We would not starve! Brunch would would be had!

But, wait a minute. Let's just say from the moment we walked in the door I felt like I'd been here before.

Why?

 old school pac man !

Because it turns out that Bronco's is Omaha's 50-year-old dive version of a McDonald's crossed with a KFC, Burger King (only due to the onion rings) and an arcade.

Yes, an arcade.

After asking several questions about the menu I realized the signature Bronco burger was literally a Big Mac.

The young man working the register tolerated my barrage of questions very well.

I will say the place was really busy for 2pm on a Saturday and the fried chicken did look pretty good.

cheeseburger with onion rings

I ordered the Hickory Burger Combo with fries and Charlie had the Double Cheeseburger Combo with onion rings.

His double cheeseburgers were a replica of Mickey D's except for the lack of ketchup and my Hickory Burger really had no flavor.

Sadness.

Hickory burger

But the fries and onion rings were great.

I can't say we'd go back but I'm glad I know a place like this exists in Omaha.

I do wonder if it is still operated by the original owners. It would be nice if that were the case.

these guys were guarding the bathrooms...random

Side  Note
I've discovered that if I'm going to get a fast food burger in Omaha I want to go to Runza.

They have great burgers, amazing fries, and the most fascinating signature item that is like a burger inside an amazing roll with cabbage. I was skeptical at first but I love them!

If we ever leave Omaha, I'll certainly miss Runza. I can't say I'll ever think
about Bronco's again.

Mini Jalapeno Cheddar Loaves

I did an awkward happy dance when I cut in to these!

Bread is something I have wanted to learn to make for a very long time.

Yes, I've dabbled in rolls and even attempted a pumpkin loaf but making artisan bread or sandwich loaves has always been more of the goal.

All the ingredients, mixed and kneaded

After spending some time looking through my baking textbook for this quarter I decided to give bread a go.

Also, Charlie wanted me to make mini loaves to use for sandwiches now that we are back focused on healthy eating.

After fermenting for  90 min dough is portioned and shaped.

One mini loaf is about the right portion size. And, of course, if I make the bread I can control the quality of the ingredients. Also, it is preservative free.

Before proofing for 45 min

I'm happy to pass this recipe along to anyone that wants to give it a go.


I would say it was just about as easy as making yeast rolls but it does have a few extra steps.

After proofing-dough expanded about 70%

Also, it calls for instant yeast instead of active dry yeast, which I've found much easier to working with at home.

Therefore, since I don't have a proofing box and it is super cold here I had to get pretty creative to create an environment that was the right temperature for fermentation and proofing.

These sandwiches couldn't be any cuter!

And, that was the boring stuff.

I found it really fun to add cheese and jalapenos to a dough.








I made a quick salad with a cranberry vinaigrette, and that's lunch!

EEEclairSSS

often referred to as a paste instead of a dough

Pâte à Choux is a must learn dough for anyone interested in French pastries.

It is very versatile and is used for many recipes including, but not limited to, eclairs, cream puffs, beignets, crullers, and even churros.

Recently, during some stage hours I was tasked with making a batch. And, for the bakery I'm staging at a batch is about enough for 100 eclairs.

The pastry chef that I'm working with had walked me through the process a few days prior and I understood the ingredient list. I went in to the process feel fairly confident that I could make the dough and pipe the eclairs on my own.

don't open the oven during the first 15 minutes or they won't puff up

I proceeded to precisely measure out the ingredients and go through the method as I'd observed but instead of a slightly sticky combined dough I ended up with something that resembled porridge

After talking through the steps again with the pastry chef and having to scrape all that useless dough in to the trash, I still have no idea what I did wrong. I felt terrible about my mistake.

I've decided I love silpat!

However, screw ups like that only push me to learn more and work harder.

Two days later I decided to try the Pâte à Choux again at home. 
Of course, I scaled the recipe down considerably.

Everything miraculously came together on the first try!

I then also proceeded to make pastry cream and a dark chocolate ganache to fill and top the eclairs.

pastry cream chillin in the fridge

While I'm beyond happy they turned out  I certainly need to practice piping the dough. The eclairs were a bit skinny and some ended up with weird knobs. But, they all tasted great!


 I should also probably practice cutting them. I knew the bread knife was SHARP but geesh! Serious blood loss for 30 min. For real! Lesson learned!

6 cuts from 1 angry knife!

 



After some research I have discovered eclairs are much more than this basic version that is widely recognized in America. In bakeries all across France they are really pushing the eclair concept with different fillings, toppings, and dough additions.

I can't wait to try some of these fancier version but decided, as always, the  first attempt should be the pastry in its most basic form.

absolutely worth all the trouble!

Charlie and I had a few to celebrate the success and then I took the remaining batch to the office where I worked from August to February. I really liked all of my co-workers and figured it would be a nice treat.

Besides, Charlie and I are back to focusing on super healthy eating and serious gym time. I knew if they stayed here, we'd eat ALL of them!





I

The Dish That Almost Made Me Hate Salmon

Get it. Get it.

The final for my Foundations I class consisted of a written final and two practical exams: knife cuts and making a warm Salmon Nicoise Salad with a vinaigrette.

The week before the final we were able to practice the dish from start to finish. I did not have much luck.

I was in a pretty defeated mood after the heat on our Beef Bourguignon was accidentally turned up by someone using another burner. The dish requires at least 4 hours. At about 2 hours in we realized the dish was a burnt mess.

So, I was not in the best frame of mind for the practice run.

My fish was basically raw in the middle and burn on top. I had to redo the boiled eggs a few times. And I decided I just didn't give a s*** about this dish. I was over it. Which is not like me at all.

First attempt

After looking at my initial plating, Chef said I had made salmon with a salad instead of a salmon salad.

The warm fish had to be plated on the cold greens.

I am not okay with warm food touching any type of lettuce. Like, I don't even get lettuce on toasted subs. It sends a shiver down my spine. Seriously.

After having a poor first run of the dish and being unable to practice it in the week leading up to the test, I was stressed.

Final Plate-A

This salmon dish was haunting my dreams.

I spent at least an hour the morning of the exam looking at creative plating ideas.

And, despite the encourage from a teammate, I was a bit of a mess until I had the dish ready. Again, not like me.

This dish has a lot of components.

An 70 minutes later, I presented my final plate and received an A. Chef was too generous. My haricot vert were a bit over and my salmon was still a bit under.

However, I rocked the knife cuts. A big thank you to all the sweet potatoes I butchered in the last 10 weeks preparing for this test.

An A on my final knife cuts. What, What!

Here's the list if you are inclined to try this dish at home:

Salmon Nicoise Salad
-salmon filet (obviously)
-mix of greens including arugula, radicchio, green leaf, washed and torn

-Nicoise olives, pitted and halved (again, if its in the name it should be in the dish)
-plum tomato, sliced and seeded
-fingerling potatoes or Yukon Gold, par cooked
-shallot, sliced thin
-garlic, sliced thin

Gonna miss this team! Such great cooperation!

-fresh chives, diced
-haricot verts, blanched (fancy french green beans)
-fresh basil, chiffonade
-veg oil for cook

You saute the potatoes, green beans, garlic, shallots, and olives in a pan adding them in the order listed before adding them to the salad. And, of course, cook the salmon. You can cook if after assembling all the other ingredients and let it rest in foil tent while you saute the items above.

GGB-Ginger Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette

-2 parts oil
-1 part basalmic vinegar
-garlic, minced to taste
-ginger powder, to taste
-salt, to taste
-pepper, to taste
-honey, to taste

Add all ingredients except oil to a bowl and whisk til combine. Add oil slowly while whisking.

53 Meatballs

Meatball deity-Yeah, that's a thing. Read about Pastafarians

The class on pasta inspired me to attempt to make my own meatballs.

Why have I never done this before?

As usual, I initially wanted to do something creative instead of a traditional meatball.

So, I googled "unique meatball recipes." Trust me, I came across some weird stuff.

Eventually, I decided this article detailing 5 Must Try Meatball Recipes was the winner.

However, at the end of the day I decided my first meatball attempt should be traditional. But I did find a pork and apple meatball recipe that I'm saving for later.

You can get a link to the recipe I used as a guide from the link above or go directly to it here.

Here are the changes I made:

I used 80/20 hamburger instead of sirloin because I think meatballs need more fat. Also, I wasn't trying to make a 5 star meatball. Ain't nobody got time for that on a weeknight!

I double the garlic. Why? Because garlic is a food group as far as I am concerned. And, it is a really good immunity booster. Everyone should eat more garlic.

I used a mix of panko and regular seasoned bread crumbs because that was what I had on hand.

And, I doubled the basil. Charlie loves anything with basil.

Oh, and because I wanted to have plenty to freeze in individual meal containers with some homemade pasta for lunch I doubled the recipe with no idea of its original yield.

I ended up with....you guessed it...53 meatballs for two people.

Ridiculous.

Note to self: Stop doubling recipes on your first attempt.

I learned rolling meatballs is a skill. I think I'm a pretty good meatball roller after this experiment. By the end I had mastered rolling a consistent size.

However, I wasn't expecting to spend nearly two hours hand rolling meatballs that day. Geesh!

No, that's not butter. I was practicing my knife skills on a block of mozzarella.

The recipe says you can cook them on the stove-top or bake them in the oven.

I did both.

Why you ask?

Because that's how I roll ;)


I'd say these meatballs were a success.

After packing the freezer with 3 meatballs to a container until the was no more room and using 8 for our dinner that night I still had about 13 meatballs leftover in the fridge.

I had planned to use them for meatball subs in the next two days.

However, when I came home from work the next day I discovered they were gone!

Turns out that was Charlie's breakfast and lunch that day. I guess he liked them!

Orange Cake POPS

For some reason I got it in my head to make orange cake.  An orange chiffon cake to be exact.

And, since we have a juicer I want to put fresh orange juice in the batter

And, then, since Rule #11 of the Chef's Oath is to "Waste Nothing" I candied the leftover peels.

But wait, I couldn't just make cake. That would be too easy. I wanted to make cake pops instead.

Charlie brought a cake pop maker a year or two ago for a project so I decided to test it out.



Bad choice. I think the machine gets too hot. It seemed to burn the outsides or overcook them at the very least while leaving the centers underdone.

After fighting with it for an hour, I gave up and decided to do it the "old fashioned way." Because people did make cake pops before we had a highfalutin gadget for everything.

I crumbled the cake in a giant container, mixed in a vanilla butter cream , rolled the mixture in to balls and then left them in the freezer over night.


The next day I made a chocolate ganache and a vanilla glaze to dip them in.

 I'd never made a glaze like this before and dipped most of the cake pops before I realized it was too thick. So, some of them look a little wonky. (i.e. they aren't supposed to be white)




 Oh, and I also added some of the candied orange peel to the cake and butter cream mixture for texture since mixing the two together created a fairly dense mixture.

This cake pop experience reminded me to keep it simple. I should have just make the orange chiffon cake and frosted it with the chocolate ganache. The candied orange peels would have made an excellent garnish!