Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
Operation Croissant was a success! Wow that was a lot of steps… Stuff that I’m happy with: shatteringly crisp exterior, good amount of lamination, rich and buttery flavor. Are they perfect? No. But for a first effort, I’m so pleased. I followed the Claire Saffitz method.
This year, I was so happy to get to celebrate my birthday with actual physical gatherings with my loved ones. As a theme, I decided to lean into this being my “golden” years with a couple of very sparkly gold outfits. The festivities began on the morning of July 3 at my favorite SF bakery,…
“If I gave you a bag of flour and water you could live on it for awhile but eventually you would die. But if you take that same bag of flour and water and bake it into bread you could live indefinitely.” Bruce German, food scientist, UC Davis. From “Cooked” by Michael Pollan on Netflix….
Just got back from a delightful two weeks in Maui, Hawaii. And man, am I browner, chiller and fatter. Getting back to Hawaii has long been on my bucket list, to make up for several disappointing trips to the islands with my family as a teen. This time around I promised myself I would get…
I’ve eaten my share of bugs in my life. I’ve had mopane worm in South Africa (do not recommend), fried grasshoppers in Southern Mexico (so delicious), and roasted mealworm (like cheetos!). I’ve been around enough to know that insects are a part of many local diets, even if Western culture considers them “gross.” But overall…
Everyone has their own feelings about steel cut oatmeal. I’ve read a ton of different recipes and discussion about technique. Personally, I favor a thicker, more nutty textured oatmeal, and this is how I achieve it. The key question to successfully make steel cut oatmeal is the ratio of water to oats. Many recipes call…
One of the skills that I learned from my parents is how to put myself last. I have a strong memory of being in a fancy European restaurant with my family. I was maybe 12. The main course was over, and the server urged me to order the “bread pudding.” I had no idea what…
Yes, these are square biscuits. Why you ask? For superior rise and less wastage of precious buttery dough. Also, they look fancy. I love this buttermilk biscuit recipe (based on Bon Appetit and America’s Test Kitchen) because it is so easy and yet has beautiful lamination and texture. I like to make these ahead of…
This long weekend I decided to work on a baking project I’ve been thinking about for a bit: a Porg Pot Pie. The inspiration was this awesome Porg pie bird that my dad got me two Christmas’s ago. Key parts of this challenge for me were to: make my first double-crust pie, successfully blind bake…
I am slowly getting better at pie baking, after struggling with some basic skills. I think I am finally getting the hang of blind baking a pie crust, which is the technique to pre-bake a crust so that it is browned and properly cooked when the fillings are added. Here’s the techniques that I have…