Crème brûlée

Crème brûlée is one of the most famous desserts known world-wide. You can taste it everywhere around the world. Crème brûlée means for ‘burnt cream’ in French. It usually has two layers: the bottom layer is a sweet custard cream and the top layer is caramel burnt using a torch. I am sure that many people who like to eat sweets will enjoy this dessert. It can be found easily in many restaurants world-wide. Usually, they are found in restaurants that serve French or European food. What I enjoy most when eating Crème brûlée is cracking the top caramel part with my little dessert spoon. A scoop of the Crème brûlée, a little bit of the top caramel with the bottom custard, will attract everyone to try it after their meal. Crème brûlée goes very well with coffee, and in fact, I love to eat them with a cup of Americano. The best Crème brûlée I had was in a buffet in Seoul, Korea. My family goes to the buffet once or twice every month and my final dish is always a cup of Crème brûlée and a cup of coffee. Crème brûlées are usually served in small cups or dishes. One cup is enough to give a finale to the wonderful dinner I just had. There are many variations to Crème brûlées. The base custard is usually made with vanilla, but there are places that alter the vanilla to lemon, orange, rosemary, chocolate, coffee, fruits, and liqueurs. My favorite is the classic Crème brûlée, the vanilla base custard plus the butane torch burnt caramel. When a scoop goes into my mouth, the feeling of the soft custard and the melting of the caramel form such good combinations that it gives, is almost impossible to explain the sensation. The fastest way to learn about this feeling is to actually eat them.

kimchi

Kimchi is one of the main traditional food of Korea. It is popular among the world and is best known for its strong flavor. Many grandmothers or old people who used to live in times of poor era have special sauce for Kimchi. It is because only the women had to prepare all the food and its ferementating process is wholly done by them. The ferementaiton and process of making kimchi is pretty similar to that of making pickles. Instead of cucumbers, cabbages are mixed with salt and the water flows out by the osmosis. Kimchi is considered as healthy food. Because it is ferementated for some time, it has similar effects as yogurt or cheese. Especially, kimchi prevents cancers. When there was not much stuffs to eat in earlier days, people could survive and sustain least nutrients through kimchi. Kimuchi is a fake one. Japanese has copied kimchi and pretend as if it is their own. The hot spicy flavor that represents Korea is not in Kimuchi, instead the Japanese’ imitation consists nothing much of flavor but almost rare cabbage. Kimchi can get along with any food. This is important factor that it suits well with other food. Because of its fresh taste, kimchi shows up almost every meal. For example, sweet potatoes and pizza are two things that Koreans like to eat along with kimchi. There are several types of kimchi such as white kimchi, ggak du gi, cucumber kimchi, chong gak kimchi, dong chi mi. Among those, in summer many people seek dongchimi, which is white kimchi with sweet and sour flavor. However, my favorite is ggak du gi, which is made not of cabbage but from reddish. There is kimchi museum in Seoul which demonstrates the history and the process of making kimchi. As proud traditional food of Korea, it is pleasing to see kimchi spreading out to many other places.

chocolate croissants

Today’s blog post will be about chocolate croissants. Chocolate croissants can be found in many places such as bakeries, restaurants, and cafes. There are so many types of croissants: chocolate, cheese, butter, custard cream, strawberry cream cheese, blueberry and more. Croissants are made by putting a lot of layers of very thin bread on top of each other, and then rolling them. After they are rolled, they have a diamond-like shape or rectangular shape. After they are baked in the oven, they get a rich gold color. They are crispy but as you chew them, they feel very soft. It is the numerous layers that make this crispy soft feeling possible. One of my favorite croissants is the chocolate croissant from Au Bon Pain. They have one of the best croissants in the world. Their chocolate croissants are just amazing. The sweetness of the chocolate and the soft bread go together so well. Another recommendation for croissants is the Kent Coffee, in the town of Kent, Connecticut. Their chocolate croissants are pretty decent. However, their cranberry cream cheese croissants are just incredible. I have never tried a croissant other than chocolate or almond, and when I took a bite of that cranberry cream cheese croissant, it took me to a whole different world.
I never thought that cranberry and cream cheeses are such great couples. My final recommendation for croissants is the chocolate croissant at the Student Center of Kent School. The croissants come in once a week, either Tuesdays or Wednesdays. They come in very small quantity and once they are in, it is most likely that they become sold out at the day. When I go check out the snack bar and they have the chocolate croissants, I buy 5 or 6 of them at once. The croissants, like the crème brulee from my previous blog posts, go very well with coffee, the one and only beverage I drink after a meal.

Beavertails

How good does a warm fried flat flab of dough covered in cinnamon sugar sound? It sounds pretty amazing and tastes ten times better. Beavertails is a chain food stand that is run in Canada. While they also sell hotdogs and soft drinks, their main attraction is the beavertail. I first indulged into this crispy warm dessert when in Mont Tremblant over winter weekend. After a long day of skiing, I wasn’t sure if the advertisement picture of the fried dough in front of me was real or a mirage. Beavertails come in an assortment of flavors, and of course in beaver tail shaped form. You can add hazelnut chocolate spread on top with Reese’s candies, chopped cinnamon apples, strawberries with whip cream, s’mores toppings, powdered sugar or just plain as it is! I was only in Mont Tremblant for a few days so I could not experience the amount of beavertails I was hoping to, considering the calorie count is quite high in these life changing desserts. There were so many tails in so little time!!! I had to make wise choices so I ordered a beavertail with hazelnut chocolate spread and powdered sugar on top. By the last bite, I had chocolate lip liner and powdered sugar all over my ski suit. It was kind of embarrassing but it did not stop me from risking frost bite again to eat another one. The beavertail company has yet to master eating their dessert with ski gloves on… President Obama made a visit to a market in Ottawa to try the famously known beavertail. In honor of him trying one, they named his choice of flavor the “Obama Tail”. Here is the recipe if you’re interesting in baking one.
Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 pinch of white sugar
1 cup of warm milk
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 quart of oil for frying
2 cups white sugar
touch of cinnamon

Hogfish

Hogfish
Working at a fish store, I have been introduced to many different kinds of fish. Some of these include Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Grouper, Flounder, Salmon, and Cobia. One specific fish that has also sparked an interest in my mind is Hogfish. After hearing customers rave about the fish, I decided to take some home and treat my family. In addition, it’s also very wise to taste each fish, so that you know what you’re selling. From the look of the fish, I was extremely skeptical. The hogfish’s long snout and pointy teeth give it the actual look of a hog. Kids often pose for pictures with the fish as it is so strange looking. However, looks are not everything as this fish was the most delicious thing I’ve ever brought home. Since then my mouth waters when I think of the warm rich taste of Hogfish in my mouth.
Hogfish are a tropical fish, they tend to live around Florida, and migrate up the coast towards North Carolina as the water gets warmer. This type of fish lives on the bottom of the ocean and feeds off small crabs and lobsters. In result, the white flaky fillet also tastes like lobster. Because of this rich taste, the fish is perfect with out any seasoning besides lemon, salt and pepper, and basil. Hogfish is perfect on the grill because of the thickness of the fish. The fish should be grilled with the scaled side down so that the meat does not become overcooked.

Who Is Betty Crocker?

My day started out with a debate. In my A-block English class, we were asked to argue over whether ice cream or original cake is better. And there was one name that kept coming back into the conversation- Betty Crocker. We know that most people don’t actually make their cakes from scratch (including myself). They usually are cooking with a Betty Crocker mixture, eggs, vegetable oil, and/or water. I started to think about Betty Crocker, one of the most famous female names in the cooking industry, and I wondered who is she?
So it turns out, there is no actual Betty Crocker. Sad, I know. The house wife that we all envisioned mixing ingredients in her old decorative kitchen is just a figment of our imagination and an idea created by a cooking company. There was no Betty Crocker that was a famous cook who inspired companies to cook like her. No, she is a made up character similar to the Pillsbury Dough Boy. She was created by Marjorie Child Husted, who was not a cook but a home economist and businesswoman. Originally, Betty Crocker was a pen named, created in 1921, used to answer cooking questions sent to Washburn Crosby Company. The name Betty Crocker was expanded into a cooking icon by Washburn Crosby Company (another food processing company), which eventually merged with other companies to form General Mills.
Betty Crocker’s image was created in 1936. She is a middle aged woman, with short brown hair. She is always seen in a red sweater with a white shirt underneath. She has changed slightly over the year with a few variations of style and wrinkles to match the new generation’s preferences. She is meant to symbolize trust, warmth, and the perfect housewife. I’m not the biggest fan of false advertisement.
I was very disappointed (and still am) to figure out that there was no real Betty Crocker. And the comforting, family oriented idea that Betty Crocker cooking is trying to create is a lie because Betty Crocker isn’t real.

Cakes

Cakes are such a versatile dessert; they can be made in many different shapes and sizes, different flavors and different icings and decorations, making them perfect for anyone. They can range from an enormously tall and elaborate wedding cake to a small homemade cake for someone’s birthday. Cakes are very often the go to dessert for celebrations of any kind because they can quite easily feed large groups of people.
From my younger days I remember that the cake of choice for kid birthday parties would be the chocolate caterpillar cake. This was a like a long Swiss roll cake which was completely covered in chocolate and it had eyes and feet and even m&ms for colorful spots on its back. This was always the most exciting part about going to birthday parties.
Carrot cake is a great cake which is less used for parties and celebrations but more just as a general dessert. Some people find it strange that a cake would have carrot in it but I find carrot cake delicious. Cream cheese is usually used in carrot cake instead of frosting with a little whipped cream on the top. The cake also usually contains some fruit such as sultanas or even orange which gives it a sweeter fruity flavor. There is also a bit of spice to the cake which comes from the cinnamon or other spices used. This cake can also be quite healthy as shown in this recipe from http://www.eatingwell.com/.

Cake
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Ingredient Note)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots, (4-6 medium)
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip)
Frosting
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchâtel), softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons coconut chips, (see Ingredient Note) or flaked coconut, toasted

Preparation
To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Drain pineapple in a sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids. Reserve the drained pineapple and 1/4 cup of the juice.
Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and the 1/4 cup pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and 1/4 cup coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting and finish cake: Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.