Hamburger Buns

Well, despite being in the middle of the Hurricane Isaac path, I have enough going to actually post up a recipe. Determination for the win! I am however, going to keep it fairly simple. I worked on this recipe amdist preparing for the Hurricane and everything else, but we were responsible and paced ourselves from the first time we heard about it all. I had A taping up the windows just in case one of them shatters and taking care of our babies (Ie Kitties) while I tinkered away at the recipe. It took three tries before I was happy. I liked the flavor of the first one, but it seemed too dense. I wanted light.

Usually, I go to the Linda the Gluten Free Homemaker recipe for Gluten Free hamburger buns and while they are FULL of flavor, I was really wanting something a bit lighter still. So I poked around the internet and nothing looked quite right. They either completely relied on rice flour or even worse, they did it by cups! Nothing wrong with rice or doing it with cups, but with gluten free recipes being what they are and trying to get back to my pastry school beginnings, I wanted a more 'certain' product. But I was going to try some different recipes and see what I liked about them, and see if I could figure out how to make it more  to my taste.

I'll tell you, some people may say they came up with a recipe on their own, but it's rarely true. You have ideas of what this person did that worked well, and this other thing that happened that you liked. Things and people adapt and create new and wonderful things, and today was no different. First I tried the Food Philospher's recipe and while I loved the flavor, it just wasn't as fluffy as I wanted but I liked the texture, so I tried Carla's Gluten Free Recipe Box. but making them, I did discover what I liked the most.

I've noticed that potato starch and egg whites give me a lot of structure and porous texture, which I personally like.  But I also want something a bit soft and pliable. I want it to have give and to soak up the grease on a good burger.

Hamburger Buns 

Difficulty: Complex but not difficult
Time: 1hr 20minutes
Makes: 8-9 buns

Mise en Place

• Stand Mixer (whisk and paddle attachment)
• Measuring cups
• Microwave or stove top
• Thermometer
• Baking spray (Pam or the like)
• English Muffin rings or some form for the bread
• Sheet pans (I double pan to even out the heat)
• Parchment paper
• Tea Pot (optional)
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Pinch bowl
• piping bag (optional)
• Pastry brush (optional)
• Aluminum foil

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk scalded and cooled to 105F
• 1 TBSP Honey
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 2 eggs, 1 separated out
• 90grams of Sorghum Flour
• 50grams of Millet Flour
• 65grams of Tapioca Starch
• 130 grams of Potato Starch
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Chia Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Flax Seed
• 2 tsp boiling water (I just heat it up till it boils in the microwave)
• 1/2 tsp guar gum
• 1/2 tsp seasoning with salt ( Like Cajun seasoning or Italian Seasoning with a bit of sea salt)
• Sesame Seeds

First lay your parchment down on your sheet pans and put your muffin rings or the like onto it and spray it with your cooking spray. If you're using something like a muffin top form, ignore the parchment and spray. First and foremost, scald the milk. I do this the easy way and heat the milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds to a minute. Then let it cool to 105F or so. Too hot will kill the yeast. You can put the honey into the milk but don't put the yeast in until you have confirmed that it's cool enough.

Now, take the separated egg and whip it to a firm peak in the mixer on high. I will often use cream of tarter just to make sure the whip is firm but that's up to you. Once it's firm, I will check on the milk and if it's cool enough, stir in the yeast. If not, give it more time by drying mixing the flours and starches together in a separate bowl with a whisk. Stir the yeast in and let it sit. The honey and the natural sugars in the milk will get it going just fine in about five minutes and it gives you time to do other things. Like preheating the oven to 175 degrees. I don't do this step, because I've set up a small proofing box of my own for my kitchen but if you don't have a nice warm place to proof the dough, do the oven proofer.

Boiling the water will also help pass the time. I just throw it in the microwave for about a minute and scoop 2 tsps out of it and into a small pinch bowl that I've already placed the chia seeds and flax seed into. Once the yeasty milk is ready (this is dry instant, so you don't -have- to proof it, I just like to make sure), keep the mixer going on low and add the yeast milk, the oil, vinegar, egg and chia seed/flax seed mixture and let it mix until it's a bit slushy.


Then add the flours and guar gum and mix on high speed for about five minutes until a soft nape forms. It looks like the dough is tearing away from the paddle.

I then scoop the dough out into a piping bag and pipe it into the muffin tins, you can also use a scooper or spoon. I spray it again with the cooking spray and put it in my proof box. If you're using the oven, turn the oven off and place your pan into the oven for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Now, you'll still have a left over yolk at this point. Add just a bit of water to it and mix it up. When the dough is proofed, very carefully remove it from the oven and preheat the oven to 375 or already having done it if your kitchen is warm enough to have proofed it without the oven. Brush the yolk mixture LIGHTLY over the tops of the dough and sprinkle with sesame seeds. The dough is very fragile at this point so be careful with the brush.

When the oven is preheated, place pan in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and forms, placing additional sheet pan or some form of covering over the top to steam the bread a bit soft until it cools on it's own. Cut with a serrated knife and enjoy with your favorite sandwich or burger.

Tuesday Tricks and Tips

When dealing with Gluten Free flours, you have to realize one vital thing. You HAVE to weigh things. They will never turn out the same if you use a cup or what have you. In addition, GF flours have different weights per equiviliant cups. So when you  convert, you have to additionally convert into the separate weights needed. If you look up my cake recipe, you'll see this is how I converted the cake flour into gluten free once I'd decided my percentages. Here's some weights.

Evil Cake Flour is 100grams per cup
Evil Bread Flour is 136grams per cup
Evil AP Flour is 127grams per cup

However

Almond Flour/Meal is 112 grams per cup
Potato Starch is 170 grams per cup
Rice Flour is 158 grams per cup

That's a lot of variations, ain't it?

So what you do is when you've decided on percentage you want of each to substitute. So if you have a recipe that calls for 2 2/3  cups of Cake Flour, that translates to 266.6 or 267grams of Cake Flour. If you decide on a 60/40 split between protein and starch. That would mean for example : 267*.60= 160 grams of Protein and 107grams of Starch. However, because GF flours have a different density, you then have to multiple those weights by the density of the GF flours. In this example, that would be 160x 1.12 = 179.4grams of protein and 181.56grams of starch.  Equally a total weight of 360 grams.

(Amount in cups) x (Weight of type of Flour called for in recipe) = Amount in grams
(Amount in grams/Percentage in Starches) + (Amount in grams/Percentage of Starches)= Amount in grams
(Grams in category (proteins/starches/etc) x (Weight of GF alternative per cup) = Amount of GF alternative needed

Tech & Fun Thursdays

First, I hope everyone is doing well. Secondly, if you'll look up at the address bar above this window, you'll see that A Sweet Geek has found a new home at http://www.eatsgeeks.com. We're still working with Blogger as our blog service but liked the idea of a .com for a bit more exposure, even though I'm -sure- you're sharing the site with other people you know, right? *grin*

In addition, this is going to mean I will hopefully (once I remember any website formatting I've done before) that you'll have more content to poke around in like any good Spark and I can be egotistical and vain and show off all the fun stuff I get into and want to get into. In this case, Eats Geeks. This is the parent name for my Food Service Company. Geeks of all types will be welcome as well as the mundanes. Why Geeks you ask? Mostly because Geeks pride themselves on their Knowledge and it's a fact that they are obsessed. I'm obsessed with tasty yummy and especially sweet things and the knowledge of how to make and improve them so I'm a Sweet Geek. Here, let me explain it even more simply.

I'm not completely socially inept, so I wouldn't be a Nerd or Dork, although just like everyone else, there is a time and place for those people as well. There is no 'bad' type of Nerd, just whether it's an appropriate situation. So tell me, what are you a Nerd about? And as we move into our new home, what would you like to see more/any of?

Chicken Nudges

Chicken Nudges

I have a few staples on my list that I make fairly regularly because I know they're good and they're simple to freeze and make later and still be 'fresh' enough my brain doesn't rebel against the idea of eating them. I should be less of a food snob but when I -have- to eat something repeatedly, I feel extremely depressed and my mood sinks. Food security is security for me. If I can find some way to eat something in the kitchen that I want and that appeals to me, I feel as if I can conquer the world. If not, I start to wonder what's next. A bit silly, I know but it's one of those ever so lovely quirks I have.

But one thing that I can make and have on hand and use in a million different ways is chicken nuggets. Now, I make them a bit bigger, but not full size tenders so that I can cut them up and use them in stirfry (which A adores) or I can dip them in whatever I have and so on. The possibilities are limitless. There are a few options on how to do this, but my basic recipe for GF chicken nudges is as follows.

Difficulty: Basic Basic
Time: About an hour
Mise en Place

• Sheet Pan
• Parchment Paper
• 3 flat containers/bowls/etc
• Deep fryer or pan deep enough to fry (Set at 360)
• Frying oil (Canola/Peanut/Vegetable/etc)
• Slotted metal spoon if using pan
• Metal tongs
• Gallon Plastic Ziplock 
• Hand blender (optional) Whisk or fork also works, just not as well.

Ingredients

1-2 cups of Masa Harina (otherwise known as Corn Flour. It should be in your Hispanic/Mexican aisle in the grocery) or Sorghum flour
4-5 eggs/yolks/whites/some mixture therein (or egg replacement = w/water)
3 cups coconut flour (Optional) or GF bread crumbs
1 Tbsp each Paprika, Garlic Powder,
1 cup of pickle juice/buttermilk/ milk and vinegar (1cupmilk to 1 TBSP Vinegar)
2 lbs of Chicken


Preparation: Cut the chicken into the size pieces you want. Soak the chicken in the plastic bags along with the acid base (pickle juice/buttermilk) for about an hour before you need to start prepping.

It's really pretty basic. I make sure there are 3 flat bottomed bowls or tupperware that are big enough. I scramble all of my eggs with a hand blender since it makes sure there is no random proteins causing clumps of eggs that will then drop off. Then lay some parchment paper down on  a sheet pan that's small enough to go in your freezer. And yes, I have a tiny kitchen so things go where things fit. In this case, in front of the microwave. Though now, even it's been moved.


Once it's soaked enough, you grab them out of the bag with your left hand, this becomes your 'wet' hand. Drop a piece of chicken into the flour. Take  your right hand and coat the chicken, then -drop- it into the egg mixture. Coating it with your left hand then drop it into the crumb or coconut mixture. Coat again with the right hand and lay down on the parchment covered sheet pan. This method of dipping will keep your hands somewhat clean and mobile. Crusted fingers =/= yummy.

Fill the pan, then stick in the freezer for about 20 minutes until chicken is solid and crumb isn't going to just slide off. You can fry at this point or you can coat it all again for a second layer then freeze again but that's up to you. This is also the point to turn your deep fryer up to get it to heat up in time. If you're wanting to make this for long term use, ignore the deep fryer bit and let them freeze a bit more solidly and then you can just drop them into a CLEAN ziplock bag and use them like any other prepared fried chicken bag.

Once you've got enough crumb on your nuggets, it's time to turn up the heat. Dropping enough for one layer into your deep fryer basket (but no more), drop them into the ready oil (usually, this is when the green light is lit). Set your timer for 2 minutes. Then bring them out of the oil and shake the excess oil off before dropping them again for 2 more minutes. Repeat this a second and third time. By the time they are done, you should have cooked it for 6-7 minutes and have a deep golden brown like this:

The sauce is whatever you want to use. I made my own marinara for this shot. I've also taken and used hot wing sauce and bleu cheese dressing (Marzetti's is GF)

Tuesday's Tips & Tricks : Xanthan Gum

Okay, everyone -knows- that you have to have xanthan gum if you're making something gluten free. FINALLY, the people who make it realize that there's a market for people who just want to make something for a friend who is GF, but having to buy a $12 package of something that they only use a teaspoon of, is kinda ridiculous so they have mini packs now. But there's something even worse about xanthan gum. It's a gum. So it makes GF products have a gummy texture. It's not anything new but it seems to have missed a few people by so I thought I'd reiterate it here.

Whatever amount you 'need' of xanthan gum, instead mix that much 1/2 and 1/2 of Chia seeds and Flax seed with twice as much boiling water.

For example: You need 1 tsp of xg, then you need 1/2 tsp of Chia Seeds (Link is for a smaller more manageable size if you want to try it out. I buy bulk for around $20 and it lasts FOREVER in the freezer. Going on a year currently and they still work fabulously) and 1/2tsp of Flaxseeds along with 2tsp of boiling water.



It will cool down quickly so I just boil more than I need. Also, don't forget to remove that amount of water from the liquid in your recipe. Then add it before you add your liquids into the recipe. This works amazing for breads, tortillas, etc. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for cookies but you could try it and see if it works for you.

Also, on a side note, I'm getting very excited. I'm going to the Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo in Dallas on September 8-9!!! I can't wait to come back and show you all I've learned!

Changing things up

Let's face it, living gluten free is all about changing things up. The way we eat, the way we think, the way we do. If I'm going on one of my beloved road trips, say to the Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo in Dallas like I am in a few weeks, I have to take GF munchies with me instead of just stopping somewhere and grabbing something or otherwise, I won't be able to enjoy the vendor fair or the cooking classes.

I also now have to have about 10-13 containers of flour substitutes in my kitchen at any given point instead of 4. (Used to have Cake, AP, Bread and Pastry). I have to ask exactly what is in something when I eat out instead of just going with whatever looks yummy. I have to send A into the baking aisle to get my spices or GF treats like Pamela's Product Pecan Shortbread Cookies because it's the frickin' baking aisle and there's flour floating in the air that's going to make me blow up like a balloon and give me tummy issues.

But you probably don't care about that, you want to know why I'm rambling. Well, my new job takes place mostly on the weekend so that means a Saturday recipe update isn't really doable as easily. So here's the new lineup.

Monday - News from over the weekend or random tidbits that I want to share.
Tuesday - Tips and Tricks
Wednesday - New Recipe day

Other stuff might happen on other days, but these will be the set up. And so that's your bit of random for today.

Ta ta from Tabi

Maybe...but not quite right.

Hmmm...So I'm currently working on hacking bread flour like I did with cake flour but it's a bit tougher this go round. My first attempt was okay but it didn't really 'sing' out to me. The crust factor was nice but it dried out WAY too fast to like it long term. The second batch my yeast died so we won't mention it anymore. The third batch...

Hhmmm...that third batch was kinda nice. I did the ratio thing again and had a 40% Starches to 60% whole grain mix and I'm wondering if that's where I screwed it up. It's not bad, don't get me wrong and the crumb is gorgeous. See?

So what caused this happy accident?

I wasn't happy with the use of the quinoa seed that the first batch had, the flavor was a bit weird for me, I thought. So I thought I'd switch it, but with something but what in my ratio.

Attempt at Camp Bread Crust = FAIL

First Batch
35% Sorghum Flour
25% Sweet Potato Starch
10% Potato Starch
10% Sweet Rice Flour
10% Tapioca Starch
10% Quinoa Flour

Second Batch (Doesn't matter)

Seem a bit like hard muffins at first

Third Batch
35% Sorghum Flour
25% Sweet Potato Starch
10% Potato Starch
10% Sweet Rice Flour
10% Tapioca Starch
10% Golden Flaxseed (Milled)


This third batch is what gave the insides the nice chew I liked but it still felt like a not dry but not moist muffin to me. So it's still not right. I am using the same reference recipe as a base that comes from my school textbooks. I think it might work as a GF biscuit scone thing to eat with soup though. Very tasty. But still not quite what I want. So it's back to the kitchen to practice again.

How about your thoughts? What makes a good bread good? And any suggestions for ways to try and incorporate it into this recipe?

Dog Days of Summer

I live in Louisiana and I won't lie, the summers here never seem to end. A day when it's 79 degrees in February? Seen it. What I do love however, is all the options available to us, not just in Louisiana but in the entire United States. We get tomatoes in November and that's great that we can, but they just can't quite match the the sharp tangy yet sweet taste of a tomato fresh off the vine in July. I think we're spoiled in many ways and we restrict ourselves only to the things we know.

We don't pay attention to the 'season' of a vegetable or fruit because we don't have to, but that unrestricted plenty has allowed us to not leave our comfort zone of food. I'm plenty guilty of it and of course, finding out about my wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity has made me even a little fearful of doing so but when I'd thought about it, I realized it shouldn't. Just because I couldn't have some things didn't mean I couldn't explore what I could have and see what it could do for me.

And you can never stop exploring, because if you let what is be the total sum of your experience than you'll never truly enjoy what could be. It's as simple as "Without sorrow, there is no joy." That's the lesson I take into today as I sit here and wait for my latest creation to rise and see if my idea for bread flour and a bread recipe pans out the way I want. I already made a few unintentional mistakes that I'm wondering if I have to go back and fix in the next batch but just imagine. No matter how many loaves it takes, no how many tears of frustration I cry, when it does turn out, it'll be something to really shout about. I'm looking forward to this even if I am baking bread on the first day of August in a building that is not very well insulated and has no central air!

Enjoy whatever your day brings you and remember to live fully!

I blame the Gluten but it was my own fault.

Okay, I was stupid. Foolish and stupid. I was really in need of a little man made relaxation last night so I thought I'd grab a pack of Cider. Only they were out. I'd been told that Mike's Lemonade; a brand I went to before I'd found out about the Wheat Allergy and Gluten sensitivity, was okay for non Celiacs. Now I just wish I could find that person and strangle them. So yes, I got the Mike's...which was very tasty.

But oh man did my stomach complain. And my head. I have a good head on my shoulders even when I drink. Three Mike's at 6% alcohol should not have put me under. But I could barely stand let alone walk and my stomach swelled to disproportionate portions. In addition, my brain was not computing at all. I was there watching myself, going "Something is not right about that statement, but I can't figure out what." every time I or A spoke. Ultimately, we decided that it was a combination of the alcohol and the beer. The problem was, later, when my coordination came back, the stomach issues continued as did the foggy head. And when I woke up this morning? EVERYTHING hurt. My joints, my back. But not like a hangover. But just my entire body was sensitive and out of tune. I'm still groggy now at almost 3 in the afternoon and my normal pep and energy is just not there. Why did I ever think this was a good idea.

So...

The R&D post I was going to have up for you today will instead be next week, and it's very exciting. I HACKED cake flour and it was awesome. I have a GF cake flour and I LOVE it.

French Macarons: Stylishly late

French Macarons: Stylishly Late

I was going to have French Macarons up for Bastille Day last week (That's July 14th for you silly Americans who only observe your own holidays) but life was a bit busy slapping me in the head. But I'm over it now and I made a batch to make up for it and so here it is. I guess I really needed that slap in the head since I'd forgotten my dreams, hopes and purpose. This blog is part of that purpose and I'd started to let it fall behind but now it's time to pick up the slack.

But not just for this blog, also for my dream. Six years ago, my dream was pretty tame. I wanted to make food that made people happy. If I could do that, I'd be happy or so I thought. Then my best friend was diagnosed with Celiac disease just as I was getting ready to go to Culinary School for Baking and Patisserie...the very thing that at the time I believed she'd never be allowed to eat ever again. How was I supposed to make things she'd be able to eat? And enjoy. Trust me, I tried some of the gluten free things and they were either so dry I needed a glass of milk with them or the texture was just horrific. (Thankfully things have improved since then)

But I went through the motions, and more than anything else I did while I was at school, I was grateful that I had a food scientist for an instructor. I learned what gluten did and why it was so important in so many foods. I also learned exactly what it was. But life, being what it was, I ended up getting caught up in it again after I graduated until I realized that I was not only undervaluing my skills, I was undervaluing what I had to offer. After a bad incident that mostly had to do with my lack of self confidence and standing up for myself, I decided to figure out about management what I had figured out about gluten and wheat. What it was, why it was, and how it worked.

Right now, I can't say if I was just pretending so I could put off reality for a bit longer or what, but about two and a half years into my degree, I started having my own issues. Digestive things that many of you already know about, plus I was tired all of the time. I could summon energy up through sheer force of will but it exhausted me for days afterwards. A was worried and I was worried. It wasn't just about getting older. Something was wrong. And then I was wandering through the baking aisle at the grocery and my hands started itching. I didn't think anything about it at first (after all, hindsight is always 20/20)  but when I slept it off for almost a full night and day afterwards, I called up my mum (best friend's mother) and she had recently been doing the gluten free diet as well, since Celiac disease can be heridatary and some of her own symptoms had eased.

Can you imagine my horror? I was trained and loved to work with bread; how horrible would it be never to bite into a soft loaf again. To never wrap everything up in a burrito...or to make a roux for gumbo (Hey, I live in Louisiana, this is a serious concern here) but I was so miserable, I was desperate. I prayed for the first time in a long time, please don't let it be this even as I took all the precautions I could. And sadly, my symptoms disappeared. I had more energy than I could recall having. I wasn't disappearing to the bathroom more than once a class period. But I was dying on the inside. I'd spent a lot of my money and others money on getting a culinary degree that seemed worthless now.

After wallowing in self pity for a few days though, I realized this could be the best thing that could happen to me. I wanted to make food that my best friend could eat and enjoy; I wanted to make food that EVERYONE could eat and enjoy. And this was the perfect chance to do so. If there was no flour in the house, then there was no chance of cross contamination. If all I made were gluten free things, I could taste test them and make sure they were good without going "I'd never eat this myself" as I've seen a few so called gluten free chefs do (and no, I'm not naming names).

But it was also a force to hold me to my convictions even in times I felt weak. There was a so called light at the end of the tunnel. I found out that I actually had a wheat allergy and just a gluten sensitivity. Which means I might develop Celiac disease later but it is far easier to explain to someone that if any wheat touches your throat it might close up and you might die in their restaurant for them to take you seriously. I've seen the shortcuts kitchens take.

However, I was overwhelmed, how was I going to get the upfront money? I had no clue and it slipped through my fingers again as I neared graduation. But then I realized, it doesn't have to start off grand and what could be simpler than a take and bake for allergen free foods. If you want to help me get started, great...here's the link to the fundraiser. But I'm going to do it,with or without help. I'm working on the business plan, I've got someone who's willing to help me with finding a good location and plenty of interest. I just have to get off my butt and realize my dream. KISS. Keep it simple, stupid and follow the dream, the rest will come.

TL;DR: I'm human and I'm trying to get back on the right path. More importantly; French Macarons = Yum! These do not have the coconut like many Americans are used to. This are dainty little cookies that are naturally gluten free, very very French, one of the first desserts I ever made in Culinary School and the first dessert I ever made as I journeyed into my own exploration of all things Gluten Free.

Rustic French Macaron

Difficulty: Easier than whipping a meringue! Just practice patience
Time: Prep Time: 15-20 minutes. Rest time: 1hr  Bake Time: 10-15 min Total: About Hour and half.
Makes: 20-25 sandwich cookies

Mise en Place

• Stand mixer w/ whisk attachment
• Lemon juice
• Sheet pans that fit within one another
• Piping bags with large smooth tip
• Spatula
• mixing bowl
• Fine mesh sifter
• Spoons
• Timer
• microwave
• toothpick or craft stick
• parchment paper 
• Coffee grinder 
• Kitchen scale
• measuring bowls or the like to put everything in once its measured

Ingredients 

• 160 grams sliced almonds (I use non blanched almonds for a more rustic look plus they're cheaper)  or almond meal if you buy it.
• 180 grams of Powdered sugar
• 140 grams of Egg whites ( I separate the eggs myself since I haven't had the greatest experience with premade egg whites whipping up)
• 180 grams of Icing sugar (I'll show you how to make this instead of buying it)
• Half a dropper or more of your preferred flavoring (in this case raspberry)
• Food coloring (No taste version if possible, red and black just taste nasty in large doses)
• 12 ounces of chocolate flavor of choice
• Heavy cream to sight (Use less with white chocolate but milk and dark vary between 2oz to 3oz for recipe)
• Vanilla splash

First, before anything else, use the lemon juice to whip down EVERYTHING that will touch your egg whites. This means the mixer bowl, the whisk and a spatuala if you're going to scrap down the bowl. Just put a splash in the bowl and use a paper towel to wipe it down then move the same piece of towel around the whisk. This will get rid of any residual fat on the equipment and will make sure your eggs don't fall. Also use the paper towel with lemon to wipe down the coffee grinder or blender and then dry it well because it's going to touch the sugar that will touch your eggs.

Ignore the egg yolks in the background

Next, you're going to measure out your sugar and place it in batches into the cleaned and dried coffee grinder. Grind until a fine powder. This is called Icing sugar because it is still in cube form like granulated but smaller. Place in a bowl off to the side.  Now that you've got that out of the way grind the sliced almonds until they are meal like. Think powder but don't grind them so much they turn into peanut butter. After they are powder, then you can measure out the 160 grams part so I always grind closer to 180 grams because some of it just won't make it through the sifter that I then use to combine the almond meal and powdered sugar together.

This is a stiff peak.

Place the egg whites and cream of tarter into the mixing bowl and begin whisking at a slow speed and then increase it as it goes along. Then you can add the icing sugar as it begins to build its body. This will take a bit. Maybe five minutes or so. You'll be afraid that it's gone too far or something else. It hasn't. It needs to get a true stiff peak. That cream of tarter will help it do that as will not touching it with your hands. Even clean, your hands have natural oils on them that cause whipped eggs to fail. The sugar will accumulate along the sides. If you're VERY VERY careful and your spatula is clean, you can scrap it down. Make sure it's a stiff peak. This is the most crucial step of all pre piping.

I make a sculpture out of mine

Now, take the food coloring and flavoring and mix them together. Using the toothpick (of if you're impatient like me; the craft stick) and put them into the egg whites. Using the same whisk from the mixer just in my hand instead, I then softly mix in the coloring and flavoring. It should not deflate the egg whites that much at all if you've done it right. 

Folding almond meal right in

 Then I begin to fold in the powdered sugar and almond meal. This is where most of the deflation will take place since you are placing something with weight onto a deflatable air cushion. Now, if you want a smoother macaron you can be a bit rougher with the egg whites and more of the almond meal will sink into the foot of the cookie but I like mine rough looking and so I use a more stiff egg white and I am fairly gentle with my folding. 

Once everything is mixed in but not deflated, I place my piping tip into my piping bag and fill with the egg whites. I use disposable bags because that way I KNOW there's no trace of oil that could deflate my eggs further and I pipe them out onto a double sheet pan lined with parchment paper. I believe I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I have found no oven that doesn't have idiosyncrasy and for the most consistent result, I double pan all of my baked goods so that they spread out and evenly heat what's being baked. Same idea here. Adds about five minutes to the baking time but I can live with that. After I have piped out the egg whites out onto usually two different sheet pans which are both double panned, I might dip my fingers in water to smooth the piping down a little but not always. I then let it sit for about an hour until the 'cookies' have a sugar crust on them in a cool room.


Once the hour is up, I preheat the oven to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Then when preheated, in they go, sometimes (like in my current apartment) one at a time for about 15 minutes or  so and then they are placed somewhere to cool while the next one bakes. Now, here's an important note: Be gentle with them because they are cooked meringues. Anything you do can affect them at any point. Handle the pan too roughly and you could end up with a broken cookie. Also, don't try and remove the cookie until the pan has fully cooled or you could end up with a broken and pudding like cookie.

See that bottom part? That's called the 'foot' and required for a good macaron.

What I usually do during the hour they are cooking is make the filling. In this case, I take a bag of Hershey's Dark (12 oz) and mix it with a little heavy cream and microwave it. You have to do this in 30 second increments at half heat. Stir and repeat until it's homogenous. I also add vanilla. It's one of my trade secrets that makes anything not homemade taste homemade. Haven't figured out why it works, just know that it does. Thank you Chef Shroll (He's the Food Scientist guy from Culinary School). Once the cookies are cooled and the ganache is made, I put the ganache on one side of the cookie and find a matching sized cookie and make the sandwich. Then once they're all made, they go into the fridge to meld the flavors together for a while.

Any flavor combination is possible with a little imagination. Just like any future.

 I also just wanted to say again, thanks again for reading, and if you do want to help with my dream, here's a way to do so. But no matter what, I will get there. It's only impossible if I say it is.

Blue Cheese Potato Soup

When icky weather comes, I have a few recipes that I fall back on. But I am notorious for not ever doing things quite the same way twice. That's why someone needs to be in the kitchen with me writing everything down or I'd never be able to duplicate it or tell anyone about it.

Well, last week Louisiana was having one of those "Hey, here's a hint that it might still not be 90 degrees completely year round" days and I woke up chilled and grumpy. Well, luckily, A knows to just send me to the kitchen and leave me alone for a while and I'll get over it. I was debating what to fix when my eyes fell upon the russet potatoes we'd gotten on sale. I love my reds for most things usually but I knew I needed to use the russets so I decided to just make potato soup. It was warm, comforting and just a bit easy, didn't have to make my sleep addled brain really think.

So I get out the garlic and I'm about to throw the garlic in a little oil for a quick saute and I realize I have leftovers from a pack of creole seasoning mix I'd gotten a few days earlier. That is they take the celery, onion, parsley, garlic and stuff and make it into a pre-made mix you can buy in the produce section. So I saved myself some trouble and sauteed that  and added some extra garlic for the heck of it. Once I got it going through, my brain perked up and went...I want to do something different. This is the time to fear. Because those words usually signal either something amazing or something horrifying. When it came time to add the cream base to the soup....I threw in blue cheese dressing. And just that simple, a nice sharpness  swept through the soup and spiked it with just enough energy to be a bit of a perk up and go and it was amazing. It isn't going to last long around here, I can already tell.


Difficulty: A few techniques are required, but simple.
Time: About an hour
Note: The celery, bell peppers, garlic, parsley can be subbed out for a portion of creole seasoning mix if you happen to have it in your neck of the woods. The amounts aren't really exact with this recipe. It's up to you and what you feel like.
Mise en Place

• Stew Pot (6 qt or larger)
• Large Bowl
• 2 Medium Mixing Bowl
• Hand Blender(or Blender or Food Processor)
• Garlic Press (If you don't have already minced garlic)
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Spoons (slotted, solid, and ladle)
• Whisk

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Vegetable or Olive Oil
• Large pinch of salt
• 7-8 Large Potatoes (Russets are best due to natural starch levels)
• Bacon or Bacon Bits
• Better than Bouillion Chicken Base or 32oz Chicken/Vegetable Broth and a bit of water (Not stated GF but haven't had a problem with it yet)
• 1-2 Medium Onions (chopped fine)
• Parsley (1/4 cup or less)
• 3 split stalks of celery (chopped finely)
• 1 bell pepper (chopped fine)
• 2-3 Healthy (heaping) Tbsp of minced Garlic (see Mise en place)
• 1 cup Mozz cheese (shredded cheese works best but not fake cheese shreds)
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese (again, shredded)
• 2/3 Cup Sour Cream
• 2/3 Cup Yogurt plain full fat (or whatever level of fat you prefer
• 1-1 1/2 Cup Blue Cheese Dressing (needs to have actual chunks of blue cheese in it such as Marzetti's Ultimate Blue Cheese or Chunky Blue Cheese) dependent on how strong you want the flavor to be.

I find this all easiest to do to make it as much of a one pot meal as possible. Wash and chop your potatoes and place them in the large bowl. Make them about twice as big as you want the chunks in your soup to be. If you don't want it chunky, make them about an inch, we can take care of the chunks later. Don't remove the skins unless you really have to. It makes them so tasty!

Chop the celery, onions, parsley, and mince the garlic if it's not alreadyTake your pot, spread a little oil in it (adding bacon if you want to and of course, who wouldn't want to) and turn the heat up medium.Once the heat is ready, throw in your chopped vegetables (not the potatoes) and sweat them. A little tangent hear. Sweating is similar to sauteing but you're not trying to brown the items, you're just wanting to bring the moisture to the surface of the vegetable. Salt will help with this as well. Back to the point here. Basically, the oil should be hot but not sizzling. If it's too hot, you'll notice when you throw the vegetables in. You should here a gentle sizzle. It shouldn't be loud or popping all over the place. Sprinkle a little salt to help with the moisture draw.  Keep the food moving!

Add the garlic and parsley. and cook until the onions are almost but not quite see through. They'll look like they are really shiny. Once that's done, lower the heat to about low-medium and add the potatoes. Cover with the broth/water until just covered or just the water till just covered. Then add 2 tsps of the Better than Bouillon (or to taste). Don't add a lid but bring the water to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure that the bouillon or broth/water is mixing well and no potatoes are burning on the bottom. After adding the bouillon you can also turn the heat back up to medium.

Once the potatoes are boiling, take a slotted spoon and bring a small piece out, run it under cool water and taste it to make sure that it's cooked through. If not, leave it at a boil for a while longer. While this last part is taking place, take that bowl you'd had the potatoes in earlier and place the sour cream, yogurt and blue cheese dressing. Whisk it all together.

Lower the heat down to the low temp but not quite keep warm. Remove about half of the potatoes from the pot and strain out the broth (if you want it chunky)Now taking a ladle, whisk some of the potato/broth mixture into the cream mixture a little at a time. Try to make it mostly broth if possible. If you want it smooth, leave all of the potatoes in. Using the hand blender, blend the desired amount of potatoes smooth. Add back any chunks and stir well.  This will help the cream not to break up when it's added into the main pot. Do this three or four times to get the temperature of the cream up.

Then still whisking, add the cream mixture into the potato mixture and stir. Then add the shredded cheeses until they are all nice and melted in. Soup is done. Spoon into bowls and serve with your favorite gluten free bread (my favorite recipe coming soon)

Alfredo Ice Cream - Weird but Wonderful

How many times have you craved the wonderful taste of Alfredo sauce but couldn't have it because it was too darned hot?

If I'm honest, probably never and that totally wasn't the inspiration for this dish at all. But it sounded good to say as an opening, right? *puppyeyes* Just go along with it, for my ego's sake if nothing else, okay? Please? T^T

Seriously, what really happened was that I was going to recreate my favorite garlic ice cream that I had with a dear friend at The Stinking Rose. Everything there comes with garlic. It was a stinky but wonderful lunch. And the decor is just a trip. Anyways, we had the garlic ice cream and it was sooo yummy. So when I had some cream and the like left over from my Chocolate Heat Ice cream, I decided to whip it up. However, my recipe called for some more solid flavor material than I really felt comfortable throwing in. I mean...8 oz...yikes. Can you imagine 8oz of garlic?

So I was debating what to do when I realized that garlic goes into Alfredo which is also dairy based...so why not make an Alfredo ice cream. And don't worry too much about my sanity, I figured it'd probably be horrible, but why the heck not!With that in mind, I began getting the ingredients together and it was a blast. And turned out super duper yummy.

Alfredo Ice Cream

Difficulty:  A bit hard like cheddar, but not like Parmesan.
Time: About a hour  + Two hours for temperature adjustments. An hour+ for set up.

Mise en Place

• Pot with Water
• Stainless Steel bowl (needs to fit over the pot for a water bath)
• Hand Blender(or Blender or Food Processor)
• Garlic Press (If you don't have already minced garlic)
• Mixing Bowl (2)
• Plastic Wrap
• Ice Cream Maker(With bowl prefrozen and ready to go)

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of Whole Milk
• garlic powder
• Cajun seasoning
• 5 oz Cream cheese-softened
• 2 Tbsp Pesto (I get premade because Pine nuts are super expensive)
• Garlic to Taste (I put about 2 oz in)
  1 oz Parmesean Cheese
• 1 oz Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 Cups of Cream 1/2 cup of Sugar

First things first, put the water onto boil. While doing that, put the softened cream cheese, the pesto, the garlic, Parmesean and Mozzarella into the mixing bowl. Using the hand blender, or if you don't have one, you can use a blender or food processor (Just make sure to clean them really really well so you get all the 'solids' you need) Make it as smooth as possible.

In another small mixing bowl (microwaveable if you please), put the cream and sugar together, heating for about 20 seconds at a time then stirring until you don't hear the scrap of the sugar which means it's dissolved into the cream. But don't let it boil. Now let the mixture cool.

In the stainless steel bowl, put the milk, cajun seasoning and garlic powder. (I use cajun seasoning because I like a alfredo with a kick). Turn the pot with the boiling water down so it just simmers. Then put the stainless steel bowl over the top so that it acts like a water bath. Let it simmer till it's warm, stirring frequently enough that you don't get a milk skin. (you know, that nasty little film that milk leaves after a while). Once it's nice and warm (About ten minutes) remove it from the water bath and cover with the plastic wrap nice and secure. Let it sit for about an hour to cool down to room temperature.

While that's cooling at room temp, take the 'should be cool by this point' cream and sugar and whisk it into the cream cheese mixture until everything is nice and homogenous (not lumpy and it all looks like the same consistency.) 

Side note: If you're using the food processor or blender bit, you can just add the sugar cream to this mixture while it's still there and blend it that way without putting it in another container. Fewer dirty dishes, the better. 

Now that that's done, put it into the fridge and after the milk is done, do the same to it. All the heat does is kinda...infuse the garlic taste into the milk. You can do this with the minced garlic or even fresh garlic, but this way is a bit more potent and viable. 
Once everything is nice and cool, remove from the fridge and prepare your ice cream maker. Get it started, pour both bowls of ingredients into the ice cream maker and let it do its thing until it's looks like...well...ice cream. Should take about 30 minutes. Put it into a container and freeze. Should be set up in an hour or so after that. Yum Yum.

Wine Slushie

 Geez, I come back from China and I've completely forgotten how friggin' warm La is so I knew exactly what I needed. Wine Slushies! And yes, I know that alcohol dehydrates you so just remember to stay inside with the air conditioning.  *grin*

I had my first wine slushie at Sterling Renfest when visiting my friend Rin in upper state New York about two years ago. Or it will be in August...Geez, it's been way too long since I've visited Rin. I'm sorry Rin!!! *cry*

Anyways, my boyfriend, A and I were wandering around, trying tasty treats and just enjoying the day with Rin, her husband EJ, and their son Shrimpy (Not his real name....or is it...bwahaha). They hadn't had a ton of food exposure outside of their respective cultures (Rin is Canadian married American, EJ American but with some below Florida flavor if I remember right. Rin was also the one who introduced me to Poutine...oh god poutine. Such a sinfully wonderful comfort food...tangent, kitty...tangent. *cough* Sorry about that...) or so I'm led to believe considering her 'shock and awe' act every time I make something I consider fairly normal.

Anyways, we were trying to cool off in the unbearable heat and they were handing out samples of slushies....oooh...Then we found out they were wine slushies and Rin and mine's inner LUSH came out. Hehe. We tried both the white wine and the red wine, finding the white wine one superior. The red wine was just tooo much for us even more so than usual. But the white wine one was delicious. So we relaxed, ate our wine and A made silly faces at the baby (He makes silly faces really well.)

So as the Heat Index keeps climbing this year, and this redhaired pastry chef kept frying, I kept thinking about those slushies. I have very fond memories of that Renfaire (It was the first time I got a public kiss from A *grin*) and of those wine slushies. So I decided to recreate it.

Obviously, it has to have wine. But what wine? I debated for a couple of weeks about what wine to use but then it found me. Currently, I'm working as a demolady for a promotion company. But as it's mostly demonstration for alcohol, it gave me a perfect excuse. Since I have to...ya know, try the wine so I can tell people what they're good for.

Sometime last year, I got to try a Moscato wine, which is a really sweet but not too dry wine and it reminded me of the wine slushies again, so I knew I'd found my wine. But earlier experience (aka trying to freeze alcohol for granitas in culinary school instead of remembering my high school chemistry...which I almost failed;The chemistry not the culinary) had shown me that it wasn't just wine. Now anyone who has tried to speed chill alcohol knows that alcohol doesn't freeze too well unless the sugar content is really low. I've exploded wine bottles before (It's not pretty). Two things cause this. Sugar content and alcohol content. Wine has a relatively low alcohol content, so it freezes pretty quickly. But we don't want frozen frozen we have to pick it apart with an ice pick so that means unless we want to alter the actual taste of the wine, we have to increase the sugar content. And we do that by adding grape juice concentrate. So anyways, onto the recipe.

Moscato Wine Slushies

Difficulty: So simple, a slush could do it. And I often do. *laugh*

Mise en Place

• Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Ice Cream Maker (Ideally new style with two frozen and ready canisters. Leave one in the freezer until ready for second go round.)
• Freezeable Container with lid or Freezer bag
• Bowl for Keys (Because your guest shouldn't be driving after how much of this they'll devour)
• Wine glasses (Frozen, if possible)

Ingredients

• 1 12oz canister of thawed but previously frozen WHITE grape juice concentrate (Welch's makes an excellent frozen white grape concentrate)
• 1 750 ml bottle of Moscato wine (Beringer is my preferred moscato) Red or white doesn't matter. You won't use all  of it. You'll just barely use half. Edit: Beringer at least, has now come out with little sample bottles at around $1 each and the recipe will only take like two of them for this recipe if you don't want to have to drink/waste the rest of a full bottle. But who would want that, huh? *grin*

That's it. Simple, huh?

Basically, just let your juice defrost inside the bowl so it doesn't drip all over your counters. (I usually open up the top and set it up upside down so I can mix the wine with the juice before throwing it into the ice cream maker). Set up your ice cream maker (ie make sure that it's actually ready to make ice cream or the like such a freezing it the night before) so it's ready to go as soon as you grab the canisters. Once the grape juice is liquid, add it to the ice cream maker. Then add the wine to the bowl until it just to just below the top of the mixing blades in the ice cream maker and mix.

Set up and let it start churning. I'm not including the ice cream maker instructions since there are many different brands. However, it works best with the more modern types of ice cream makers. The ones that use salt aren't as efficient or effective.

Now, if you have a second canister for the ice cream maker, my preference is to use them both. And after the first one has gotten to the 'done' stage where it's not that cold, I dump the contents from the first canister into the second canister and let it go again. After it's done, either once or twice (The second time around makes the ice crystals very smooth but it is by no means absolutely necessary), place the mix into a freezable container and throw it into the freezer for a few hours.

Neat little trick? Throw it into a freezer bag instead and then when it's ready to pour (Do this only if you're going to use the entire bag in one go), snip off one of the bottom tips of the bags and you'll  have an instant pastry bag to give it a kind of style to it all since the slushie will hold a little bit of a shape. Nommy!

Side note: Now, you might be asking why the extra grape? This is your added sugar content, without the extra (and different) alcohol content. This will keep it from freezing solid in your freezer too quickly. Not that I really expect you to keep slushies for too long before they're devoured. But as it is white grape juice, it's a similar enough flavor that it doesn't affect the taste of the wine that much.

However, this is where I believe a problem came in. As yummy as the wine slushies were, that red wine slushie at the fest overwhelmed our taste buds and I believe that was because of the tannins. Tannins is what makes red wines bitter. That strong flavor that most reds finish with. I believe that in their recipe, they used white grape juice concentrate with the white wine slushie and normal grape juice concentrate with the red. But normal grape juice has that SHARP tannis flavor too, and freezing anything concentrates sugars, making the flavor even more sharp. Hence why my recipe goes with frozen white grape concentrate for both. Babies don't like sharp flavors, which is why most babies prefer the white grape juice to regular. I just followed the same logic.

China: Love in the Middle Kingdom (now with pics!)

So got back from China last night and I'm still hopelessly in love with the Middle Kingdom. It might have just a little to do with the HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE service level of San Fransisco airport and frustration with my trip mates. Beijing was amazing and Shanghai was...nice.

So after that completely ambiguous summary, I should probably get to the nitty gritty. I'm going to try and do a few summary posts here and there over the course of the next month about my various types of experiences in China, each one focusing on a different aspect but it can really be summed up with Beijing still feels connected to both old and new worlds while Shanghai feels like Las Vegas and New York had a Ugly Bastard Love Child who gets a new facelift every few years because mommy feels guilty for throwing it across the pacific for boarding school so they don't have to deal with it.

Shanghai via night cruise

Entering Shanghai

I've been lucky and never really had many issues when traveling, but then again I've always been in pretty good condition when I travel and having to travel while incapacitated has really opened my eyes to the way that the service industry tends to treat disabled people and I am completely outraged.

Not the carry out but close in taste.

During my trip, I slightly twisted my ankle twice (once at the Great Wall and once at the Forbidden City) but managed to recover by not going out the night after,but the second day before we left, I stepped off the tour bus wrong though and it all came back to me in crippling glory. So instead of going to the Shanghai Urban Exhibition Center, I ended up staying around the hotel barely able to walk more than a block without crying in pain. Luckily, A was with me and he babied me, adjusted my pillows and went out and got me food as well as an ankle brace. We ended up with a very nice black pepper steak that was very yummy.

But the day we left, A had to take all of the luggage to the bus to go to the airport. This was fine, and they even arranged for a wheelchair for me as well as upgraded both of us to Economy Plus. Which trust me, on an 12 hour flight helps tremendously. It gave me enough legroom to sprawl out and actually sleep a bit. Our problems, as mentioned before, started in San Fransisco. Admittedly, thanks to China's government interference, our flight was 2 hours late in getting started and we only had a 3 hour layover window.

So when we got to SFO, we were in a rush and I was still in a wheelchair...They had 3 people at the gate to push 8 people in wheelchairs. So we ended up playing Leapfrog to get to Immigration. We then got a special green tag that was SUPPOSED to get us through everything quickly. Immigration was relatively painless but then we went to grab our bags that  had been checked because on International Flights you have to uncheck and then recheck bags for domestic flights. A got lost while trying to get a cart so he wouldn't have  to hand carry 4 carryon bags plus our two Checked bags, which he was handling that and my crankiness, pain and such with the best sense of humor of ANY man. (He's a keeper, mum. *grin*), but we looked for the bags while waiting on him.

We found my bag, but could not find his. This was not helped by the fact his bag was black. Just black. No duct tape or distinguishing marks at all except for his bright green address tag. After about five minutes of searching, we can't find it and another flight is being put on that belt so we had to leave. We found A and did another look through. Still no bag. So we piled everything on, and despite having our 'handler' leave, the guy who was supposed to be in charge of the bagging area wheeled me to a place where they could take us to security. Now keep in mind we have these green tags that are supposed to get us through security pretty quickly.

Instead, they ignored us, and pushed me over to the side and made A go through the whole shebang. So he's on the other side of security and I'm on the opposite...and still no one's come to help me. Apparently one lady was just standing there, ignoring the call for her to do her job until A almost literally grabs her and asks her to do her job. She stated then that she was about to go on break and he asks her again to do it. She finally does and it's over very quickly, but this is after I'm sitting there like a bump on a log for 15 more minutes. At this point, this was when our flight was supposed to leave. Luckily for us, there was something wrong and our flight got delayed just in time, and it wasn't for us. xp

But A had to leave the cart and so now he's stuck with 4 carryon bags and 1 checked bags and trying to push me too, since no one bothered to make sure there was anyone to assist us once we got past security.  Finally, someone was about to leave and saw us struggling and when A asked, he was happy to help and then we FINALLY began to book it through the airport, making it to the plane just in time. Then of course, we had to wait a bit more for the true delay before we could take off.

I haven't flown as much as some, but I average about 2-3 flights a year or so over the past 5 years and that is truly the most horrific experience I've had. If I had been a normal handicapped person and been treated like that every day I've flown or gone somewhere, I'm sure I can see how they feel so down on themselves. They are treated like less than human. There was a guy in front of me in security who had an oxygen tank who was still there when I left and he seemed on the verge of tears while people just ignored him.

Even on this trip, with people who do not understand Celiac and gluten sensitivity, I've felt like I was a bit less than human. Like I was some alien because I couldn't drink beer or eat udon noodles. I never want to feel like that again, and if nothing else, this has reaffirmed my resolve. It is not Living Without, it is Fully Living, which includes having a healthy functioning system that does not having me fatigued, scatterbrained and in pain so I can enjoy every food I eat. So what if I can't have a few things out there, many people out there are picky eaters and won't even try different ways. I get to explore and create and that makes me very happy!

First meal I made once we were back in US. So never got sick of Chinese style food. NEVER!

Saffron Rice and Stir Fry

The best part about being a geek, at least for me, is using what's on hand to make whatever you need, in the most economical and efficient way. You know, the way things 'should' be run. You don't need to have the fanciest means of doing something, but it should still be done 'right'. By right, I mean the value of it. Yes, I can pay $20 for something, but if a $5 something will get the job done with only five minutes of tinkering? It's worth it to me. And that's the center point of today's recipe.

I have an economy brand of rice cooker, since it's usually just me and A when I make it. But I was really in the mood to use some of my huge bag of rice that I always have on hand. A and I were discussing if we had a chance to travel anywhere in the world, where it'd be and why. This brought up Spain as one of my foodie travel places. He couldn't think of anything that was notable in Spain (sacrilege) and so I mentioned Paella. He asked what it was about and I described it to him and he just didn't get the point of Saffron which doesn't (Don't let anyone lie to you about this) really enhance the flavor of food that much and yet is so expensive. So I decided to show him.

I had a container of Saffron that I got as a present from my mum. Saffron, if you don't know, is the most expensive spice in the world by weight. That's because it's made from the stigma of a flower. Each flower only has three stigmas, and the stigmas have to be hand picked. Hence the reason for the expense. It add a beautiful rich color to the rice that's much like some of the box risottos but is obviously more natural.

But I wasn't up for making Paella itself, so I decided on Stir Fry, since I'd been craving Chinese for a while. Hence, today's recipe. Besides, I'm currently in China so it's theme appropriate, right?

Difficulty: Low Medium (Not difficult, but several steps kinda like the Great Wal---nah, who am I kidding, that thing is a killer, this is not.)
Time: With preparation about half an hour
Mise en Place

• Rice Cooker (and implied compliments of lid and rice spatula)
• Wide mouthed skillet or wok (with lid or if you have another big pan)
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Can opener
• Wooden Spatula
• Small/Medium bowl for sauce
• Spoon (There is no spoon </geek reference>)

Ingredients

• 2 parts dry rice (medium to long grain works best)
• 4 parts water (or rice cooker equivalent, since some have their own 'measures')
• Pinch of Saffron
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 1/4 cup Frozen or Fresh Flat Beans (the flat looking green beans)* or other random veggie
• 1/4 cup Frozen or Fresh Broccoli Florets* or other random veggie
• 1/8 cup Frozen or Fresh Carrot sticks* or  other random veggie
• Alternative*: You can also you just use a premade frozen stir fry mix with your favs. I do it quite often.
• 3  Tbsp Garlic (Minced)
• 1 can (14 oz or so) Baby Corn (drained) If you want
• 1 can (6 oz or so) Water Chestnuts (drained) If you want
• 1/4 lb Cremini Mushrooms, sliced(Makes about 1/2 a cup when sauteed. I like mushrooms, what can I say)
• 1 lb Shrimp (I prefer tails on, raw; thawed or Fresh)
• 3 Heaping Tablespoons of Garlic Chili Sauce (In Chinese markets or sometimes the Asian aisle at regular grocery)**
•  4-6 Oz of Sweet Chili Sauce**
• 3 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar**
• Alternative**: Use favorite sauce from store
• Pineapple Tidbits if you want.

This is a recipe with many substitutes. You use what you want and worry about keeping it moving. Anyone can make stirfry.

First things first. Set up the rice to cook. In a rice cooker, it'll take like 20 or so minutes. Which if you have everything precut is just a perfect amount of time. I'm not going to tell you how to make rice since I think a rice cooker should be a household requirement plus its just a mess to make on the stove so you can do that on ehow.com or something. While you're rinsing the rice (And you have to do this several times) I've found it's a lot easier to drain the water out with a sieve. Like this. Then dump back into pot and back again until water when swished around is mostly clear. Then fill to your rice cooker's line for the amount of rice you're cooking. Add in the saffron and stir around a little. You might even see little tendrils of yellow coming out. Not a bad thing. It does tend to turn the rice yellow.

Also, turn on your stovetop fan if you have one. Things might get smoky. You'll be working with high temps. Now, in your pan or wok, put a little spread of oil in. Let it heat up to a really hot temp. I'd say at least a 6 on an 8 measure stovetop. Or a 4.5 on a 6 measure. If you drop a single drop of water in and it starts sizzling immediately, you're set. Slide in your pineapple from your side. This will keep it from popping onto you. Oil and water don't like to mix. Move it around with your wooden spatula. Then put in the shrimp, chili sauces and brown sugar making sure to keep everything moving. This is going to cook your shrimp. Cook it till it's just underdone and remove all off to side in a bowl set up for this purpose.

Add a bit more oil into the wok/saucepan and let it heat back up again. Add all the veggies which should still be frozen(except mushrooms and garlic but add them too). Again, the water and oil won't like each other so add it in so it won't splash up on you. Keep it moving. This is the single most important thing about stirfry. You have to keep it moving. That's how you keep things evenly heated and everything is yummy. Now if you have broccoli in your stirfry, this is a good time, cover your stirfry with another pan or a lid and let it sit for about 30 seconds at a time before moving it again (this is so stuff doesn't burn) Do this a couple of times but keep in mind that stirfry is meant to be fresh and with some strength to the food (Al dente - to the tooth), it isn't supposed to be mush. Once you're satisfied with your vegetables, throw in your sauce and shrimp and toss the wok/pan around to get everything nice and coated with the sauce.

By now, hopefully, the rice is done and you can move the rice around to thoroughly get any yellow liquid that hasn't dispersed into the rice. It has a distinct smell to it that is very nice and the bright yellow color is gorgeous. Scoop out onto plates, cover with stirfry and enjoy.