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Ciabatta Bread
Ciabatta Bread Ciabatta Bread is an Italian bread that’s chewy and light with a thin crispy crust. It’s surprisingly a very easy bread to make! When I was reading Paul Hollywood’s recipe for the first time, I thought I read it wrong! It has a super high hydration percentage. While most of the dough for bun, pizza etc has a hydration rate below 50%, Ciabatta bread has hydration of 80%!!! Imagine how wet and sticky the dough will be. That, in a way, makes it a no-knead bread ?. Since we do not want to handle the dough much after the rise, it’s better to let the dough rise in…
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French Baguette
French Baguette My very first attempt at French Baguette. It turned out incredible. Who did I learn from? The one and only, queen and goddess of French cooking – Julia Child! Her video is in such great detail, with steps, with reasons and with a lot of humor. It’s just so Julia, witty, unassuming, yet brilliant! Many recipes I read, explored seemed way too dry to me. I adopted Julia’s recipe with 3.5 cup of flour and over 1.5 cup of water. The dough was soft, but not sticky to a quick pinch. Let it rise very slowly, like triple in 3 hours. Pat the risen dough but not punch,…
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Candied Walnuts Egg White Method
Candied Walnuts (Egg White Method) Using egg white method to make candied walnuts might take longer than pan roasted with butter method, I actually found it easier and less labor intensive. Mix sugar, cinnamon, paprika powder, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Beat 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon of water till frosty in another mixing bowl. Toss walnuts in egg white mixture and evenly coat all walnuts. Then pour walnuts into sugar mixture and toss to coat evenly. Spread walnuts in one layer on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Preheat oven at 250F, bake for about an hour. Use a spatula to toss the walnuts…
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Thanksgiving 2018
Thanksgiving Dinner 2018 Menu Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Croutons (Jamie Oliver) Crostini with Prosciutto, Brie, Apricot Jam and Candied Walnut Beef Wellington (Gordon Ramsey) Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes (Alton Brown) Green Bean with Garlic and Bacon Chocolate Souffle with Creme Anglaise Holiday means getting together, feeding on happy foods and having lots of fun. To ease the stress on the day of the feast, think and prepare ahead is really important. First, decide on the main course. Then, determine on the sides that will complement the main course as well as the occasion. Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally a Turkey fest, but this year, we decided to have Beef Wellington,…
