Creme Brulee
Crème brûlée is really one of the simplest desserts to make. But like French Onion Soup, it seems to be a dessert that many people don't realize they can make at home. It's such a staple of restaurants — it must be finicky and difficult, yes? No. There's no stovetop stirring, no need for a mixer. There are no specialty ingredients or tools involved.
All you do is mix up a few egg yolks with cream (although half and half will do as well — the custard just won't be as dense) and a little sugar. Bake, then chill and broil with sugar on top.
So there you have it...Crème brûlée. Happy tap, tap, tapping!
All you do is mix up a few egg yolks with cream (although half and half will do as well — the custard just won't be as dense) and a little sugar. Bake, then chill and broil with sugar on top.
So there you have it...Crème brûlée. Happy tap, tap, tapping!
Vietnamese Salad Rolls
Italian Pasta...just like Nona makes!
If you haven't had a chance to travel to Italy yet, be sure to put it on your bucket list. It is the ultimate destination for food lovers; and if you are not a big foodie, this country will turn you into one before you get on the plane to come home. I myself cannot say enough about ITALY!
What you NEED to know before you make Homemade Pasta
1. It is all about the dough.
The biggest thing you need to know is that the dough has to be smooth & well-worked dough, it's a cinch to roll it through the machine. In fact, that part is ultra-easy. If the dough is strong and supple, you don't even need to re-fold it back on itself as you put it through the machine.
So, how do you get that kind of dough?
2. Kneading is essential.
Work the dough for at least ten minutes, kneading it and working it over and over again. When the dough was finished, it will be completely smooth and elastic to the touch.
This is the hard work part! If you work that dough until it's completely smooth to the touch, the rest of the project will be easy. And how do you know when it's ready? Well, it is all about how it feels — this will take a few years of practice to acquire the instinct, but don't get discouraged!
3. Don't let the dough dry out.
After the dough is kneaded smooth, separate it into a few small balls, covered with a clean kitchen towel while rolling out the first ball of dough. Roll the ball into a small oval no wider than the pasta machine. It's important to work quickly, because dry dough is harder to work through the machine.
Also, the dough is hard to roll out at this point, which brings us to the next tip:
4. Pasta-making is better with two (or three, or four) people.
It has to be a group effort! Have someone step in to roll the dough portions into ovals, and another to help feed the pasta through the machine. It takes two to roll the pasta through the machine, especially as it lengthens. It helps to have one person holding the top of the dough sheet, and another to grab it as it comes out.
Run the dough through the machine about six times, starting on the first thickness setting, and skipping one or two on your way up the sixth. Keep the noodles slightly thicker if you want it to stand up to a robust tomato sauce, or thinner if you are cooking a thin, olive oil sauce. Finish the noodles with the fettuccine cutter or other choice on the other side of the machine.
Grab the "little ribbons" as they come through and immediately give them a shake to separate the strands and laid them flat to dry. You have to shake them free of their clumps right away or they'll dry together.
5. Making homemade pasta is very easy, and very fast.
You won't believe how fast it is to make pasta from scatch. From the time you start to the time you are completely done, with noodles drying all over the house, it was barely 45 minutes. The pasta also cooks faster, of course: thick noodles take about five minutes.
The biggest thing you need to know is that the dough has to be smooth & well-worked dough, it's a cinch to roll it through the machine. In fact, that part is ultra-easy. If the dough is strong and supple, you don't even need to re-fold it back on itself as you put it through the machine.
So, how do you get that kind of dough?
2. Kneading is essential.
Work the dough for at least ten minutes, kneading it and working it over and over again. When the dough was finished, it will be completely smooth and elastic to the touch.
This is the hard work part! If you work that dough until it's completely smooth to the touch, the rest of the project will be easy. And how do you know when it's ready? Well, it is all about how it feels — this will take a few years of practice to acquire the instinct, but don't get discouraged!
3. Don't let the dough dry out.
After the dough is kneaded smooth, separate it into a few small balls, covered with a clean kitchen towel while rolling out the first ball of dough. Roll the ball into a small oval no wider than the pasta machine. It's important to work quickly, because dry dough is harder to work through the machine.
Also, the dough is hard to roll out at this point, which brings us to the next tip:
4. Pasta-making is better with two (or three, or four) people.
It has to be a group effort! Have someone step in to roll the dough portions into ovals, and another to help feed the pasta through the machine. It takes two to roll the pasta through the machine, especially as it lengthens. It helps to have one person holding the top of the dough sheet, and another to grab it as it comes out.
Run the dough through the machine about six times, starting on the first thickness setting, and skipping one or two on your way up the sixth. Keep the noodles slightly thicker if you want it to stand up to a robust tomato sauce, or thinner if you are cooking a thin, olive oil sauce. Finish the noodles with the fettuccine cutter or other choice on the other side of the machine.
Grab the "little ribbons" as they come through and immediately give them a shake to separate the strands and laid them flat to dry. You have to shake them free of their clumps right away or they'll dry together.
5. Making homemade pasta is very easy, and very fast.
You won't believe how fast it is to make pasta from scatch. From the time you start to the time you are completely done, with noodles drying all over the house, it was barely 45 minutes. The pasta also cooks faster, of course: thick noodles take about five minutes.