Baguette- great foodie fail of the year goes to......

      Me!!! bonjour y'all!!! I'm extremely bad at french so that's all I can say... because of the fact that I can't speak french, but I can make some good french food. That's a promise...  so I never though I can make a authentic french baguette and it turns out I can't... I don't have a hot enough oven to create the authentic crust. but this is a baguette and this is after all a good bread.

       Hold on I'm being told that you have to have at least 525 F oven for a baguette which is the temperature that I used. Because the oven I own only goes up to that temperature and my rack in the oven was obviously too low. So now i have a perfectly moist and delicious but not well browned crust Baguette. If I decided to act stupid in Paris, I will bring this to France. but overall it was a moist, tender, delicious bread. 

* Update, I have been told that you can make this bread in the traditional method just add a whole package of yeast and proceed as the kneading method

makes 4 small baguettes or 2 large baguettes 

• 4 cups of bread               flour *you can use AP             flour
• 1/4 tsp of dry active yeast
• 1 1/2 cups of water 
• 1 3/4 of tsp of salt

1- In a large bowl combine yeast and room temp water* make sure its room temp

2- add the salt 

3- add the flour and stir until combined

4- let it rise for 12-14 hours *no this is not a typo since this is a no knead bread you start out with small amount of yeast to develop the gluten

5- divide the dough into 4 pieces 

6- roll the pieces out into a baguette shape

7- take a pan of water into bottom rack of your oven and preheat to  525 F

8-  take a scissor and make cuts for the baguette signature look 

9-the pan with cornmeal i guess you can use foil, parchment or sil pat 

10- bake  it for 15 minute but every 5 minutes mist it with water. 

11- let it cool in a cooling rack or on a crinkled up foil 

12- enjoy!

New York style cheesecake- fogettaboutit

         This recipe came from a accident at the farmers market when I bought 2 lb of peaches and a wild blueberry since it was in season. But I already used the wild blueberries for the short bread demo. Sadly I had nothing to do with perfectly ripe peaches. I was going to do a peach cobbler on cast iron pan demo but i already did cobbler.

 so I decided it was a good idea to make a cheesecake and put peaches over the top to cover up my hideous crack the size of grand canyon on the cheesecake. it was my dumb urge to open the oven to check on the cheesecake. All you farmers who grow peaches, I'm sorry I really am. that's against the law in some areas... this goes to you Georgia!!!

       But the flavors are meant to be together. The acidity and the sweet peaches are amazing contrast against the rich and dense cheesecake is delicious. By the way I was serving these for a small party so this can stretch  easily from 6-8 people 

New-York style cheesecake serving for 6

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 18 graham crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese * i used Philadelphia
• 
  
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan
3. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1/2-inch up the sides of the springform pan
4. Whisk flour, sour cream, and vanilla extract in bowl. Set aside
5. Stir cream cheese and sugar with a wooden spoon in a large bowl until evenly incorporated, 3 to 5 minutes
6. Pour milk into cream cheese mixture and whisk until just combined.
7. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
8. add the sour cream mixture; whisk until just incorporated.
9. Pour mixture into prepared springform pan.
10. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges have nicely puffed and the surface of thecheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
11. When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. This prevents any cracks from forming on the top of the cheesecake. !
12. Enjoy

blueberry mini shortbread with creamcheese frosting- my first time teaching

 hey y'all today I made you a blueberry mini shortbread with cream cheese frosting. and today I'm featuring you my very own student Elise Cuadro. she is a nice person. And a very good cook. today i thought her how to make a cream cheese frosting, and how to use a piping bag she did a great job today. 
 
      I always thought teaching was easy, but it really is difficult, I'm not saying she's bad but she tried to lick off the frosting every time I looked away... 

serving- 4-6 people or 24 mini short bread
 slightly adapted this from food wishes 

1- 24 mini muffin pans *I used the one from pampered chef 

1 1/2 cups of AP-flour
1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 of tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1 stick of butter frozen and cubed
1 large egg yolk 
1/2 tsp of COLD water
1 package of wild blueberry *please use wild blueberry,  regular ones are far too big and not enough flavor

1- 8oz stick of cream cheese
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp of vanilla extractor 1/2 tsp  of pure Mexican vanilla
2 tbsp of butter

1- take a food processor and combine flour and sugar

2- add the baking powder and salt

3- add the frozen butter and pulse the food processors on and off until its very fine crumbs

4- add the egg yolk and keep pulsing it until the yolk in mixed in evenly

5- add the water to the mixture 

6- it should still be a fine crumb but if you squeeze the mixture together it will be solid

7- pack the dry ingredients into the bottom of each mini  muffin pans

8-place the blueberry on top of the crumbs 

9- place the rest of the crumbs for the blueberries 

10- bake at 350F for 20 minutes 

for the cream cheese frosting 

1- in a stand mixer cream the cream cheese until it will incorporated air to make it soft

2-  add 2 tbsp of butter and stir

3- add powdered sugar until tasted to liking

4- add the vanilla extract * I used pure Mexican vanilla,  not extract

5- stir at high speed until done

6- pipe out the cream cheese frosting on to the shortbread