Thursday, January 31, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me.....


Woohoo!  This blog is 1 whole year old in February....and what a difference a year makes.  Here are a few highlights from the past year.....

  1. My first food video--Mexican Food 101.
  2. Recipes at the Recipe Riot website are now FREE.  Choose from over 1000 recipes, with more to come in the next year.
  3. Need published cookbooks?  Check out our Amazon.com store for cookbooks, kitchen products and more.

Rest assured, there's more to come in the next year, so stay tuned and keep on cookin'!

Posted by QueenBe at 11:24:46 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Differences in Types of Flour

Ever wonder how cake, all purpose and bread flour were different? It all boils down to the protein content of the flour, which affects how well the flour can form gluten.

Here's how it breaks down:

Type of Flour

Protein Content

Used For

Cake

6-8%

Tender cakes

Pastry

7.5-9.5%

Biscuits, pie crusts

All-purpose

10-13%

General baking

Bread

12-15%

Yeast breads

Whole wheat

13-14%

Breads

High gluten

14-15%

Bagels, increase protein content of weaker flour such as rye, whole grain or specialty

Vital wheat gluten

40-85%

Added to flour to increase protein content of weaker flours such as rye, whole grain or specialty flours
Posted by QueenBe at 19:04:22 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Thursday, January 24, 2008

An Easy and Warm Soup


Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
    • 1 large dried pasilla chile, stemmed and seeded 15 ounces diced tomatoes in juice 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
    • 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
    • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
    • 2 quarts chicken broth
    • 1 large sprig fresh epazote, optional
    • Salt
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
    • 1 large ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped out and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
    • 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican melting cheese (Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar
    • 4 cups tortilla chips, roughly broken
    • 1 large lime, cut in 6 wedges, for serving
      Instructions

      Quickly toast chile by turning it an inch or two above an open flame for a few seconds. Break the chile into pieces and place in blender, along with the tomatoes in their juice. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 7 minutes. Scoop up the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon, and place in blender. Set pan aside and process contents of blender until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan and cook on medium-high until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. Add the broth and epazote, if using. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Just before serving, add the chicken to the saucepan. Divide the avocado, cheese and tortilla chips among the serving bowls. When the chicken is done, usually about 5 minutes, ladle the soup into the bowls. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

      This soup is so good and so easy.  I like to bake or fry my own tortilla strips using corn tortillas

      Posted by QueenBe at 13:36:19 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

      Thursday, January 17, 2008

      Troubleshooting Meringues

      Problem

      Cause

      Solution

      Weeps or beads or sugar syrup are released.

      Old eggs.

      Egg whites overwhipped.

      Not enough sugar

      Not baked long enough.

      Browning too rapidly.

      Moisture in the air.

      Use fresher eggs or add starch or stabilizer.

      Whip only until stiff peaks form.

      Increase sugar.

      Increase baking time.

      Do not dust with sugar before baking; reduce oven temperature.

      Increase baking time.

      Fails to attain any volume or stiffness.

      Fat present

      Sugar added too soon.

      Start over with clean bowls and utensils.

      Allow egg whites to reach soft peaks before adding sugar.

      Lumps

      Not enough sugar.

      Overwhipping.

      Add additional sugar gradually or start over.

      Whip only until stiff peaks form.

      Not shiny

      Not enough sugar.

      Overwhipping.

      Add additional sugar gradually or start over.

      Whip only until stiff peaks form.


      Adapted from On Baking, by Sarah R. Labensky, Priscilla Martel, and Eddy Van Damme
      Posted by QueenBe at 09:33:47 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

      Wednesday, January 09, 2008

      Make Your Own Ricotta


      With just a little careful temperature control, you can make your own ricotta cheese.  This allows you to control the amount of salt added, and the texture.

      Ricotta Cheese

      1 quart milk
      3 fluid ounces fresh lime juice

      Allow milk to reach room temperature in a covered container.  In a stainless steel saucepan slowly heat the milk to 180F, stirring often.  Hold the heated milk at 180F for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and gently stir while adding the lime juice.  Stir until curds form.  Gently pour curds into a strainer lined with cheesecloth.  Allow the whey/liquid to separate and drain away from the curds/solids and discard liquid.  Rest for 1 hour.  For firmer cheese, tie bag together and suspend in a tall, covered container in refrigerator to drain 4-8 hours.  Unwrap and season with salt if desired.

      Posted by QueenBe at 09:38:38 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |
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