Baking Flops!

Everything does not always come out just right.  Especially your first attempt at something.  Like everything, baking takes practice!  Things often turn out bad for one of two reasons: either the recipe or the execution.  My deceptively beautiful lemon meringue pie (below).

Who remembers the parmesan parsley muffins I made for book club back in October??  I was being really ambitious, so I decided to make two types of muffins--one sweet (sweet potato muffins), and one savory--these awful parmesan parsley muffins.  I'm not sure if the error was in the recipe or the execution, but parsley overwhelmed the muffins.  

My most recent catastrophe was much more tragic.  My mom, who is the busiest person I know, had been wanting to make a lemon meringue pie.   It was Christmas day, and I decided to make the pie.  I am certain that it is my execution that doomed this pie.  And the sad part is, it took soooo long, and required several hours to set in the refrigerator.  Everyone's taste buds were anxiously awaiting the  completion of this pie.  The lovely meringue (below).

Where it wrong:  1.  The filling never set.  When I cut into it, the filling had not solidified.  I'm pretty sure that this is because I was not used to the slow-to-heat range I was using at my house.  This could have been easily remedied with an instant-read thermometer.  The filling that never set (below).

2. The meringue on the pie had condensation on it when I took it out of the refrigerator.  This is because it did not completely cool when I first put it in the refrigerator.  Plus, I put it in an air tight container because I did not want the pie to taste like the Christmas feast that was in the refrigerator.  

I'm confident that if I attempted this pie again, I would be successful.  Plus, I think the meringue came out beautiful!  It was just so sad when I had to dump the pie in the trash can :(

L.A. Restaurant Week! Jan. 24-29 & Jan. 31-5

It's that time of the year!  Get a great deal on a three-course meal at fantastic eateries. 

There are three categories:

1. Deluxe Dining ($)          3 Course Lunch: $16, 3 Course Dinner: $26
2. Premier Dining ($$)       3 Course Lunch: $22, 3 Course Dinner: $34
3. Fine Dining ($$$)          3 Course Lunch: $28, 3 Course Dinner: $44

Check out the website

dinela.com

Ingredients 101

To my novice bakers and cooks: I feel responsible to emphasize the importance of following a recipe--especially if it's your first time making something! One of the most important parts of a recipe is the ingredients. Good food comes from good ingredients.

Most recipes for baked goods call for unsalted butter. Though you can use salted butter as a substitute, unsalted butter has a better flavor for baking.

Most recipes for baked goods assume that you will be using whole milk. You can almost always substitute it for other types of milk. I've got skim milk in my fridge, so I use skim milk. I've also used rice and soy milk with no problems. It won't taste exactly the same, but it will cut down on the fat and calories in whole milk.

Almost every baked good recipe calls for vanilla extract. I don't use imitation vanilla extract. I use "pure" vanilla extract, but you can probably get away with the imitation vanilla extract.

Some ingredients are NON-negotiable, unless you have a chart with substitutions. Altering any of the following ingredients may cause your baked good not to rise: baking powder, baking soda, and eggs. Also, an ingredient that may be unfamiliar to you may be the key ingredient in the dish (e.g., cilantro in tortilla soup or fresh sage or Marsala wine in chicken marsala).

Lastly, different oils burn at different temperatures. For example, a recipe may call for vegetable oil, but you've only got olive oil. If you are just sauteing something for a short time, it is probably OK to substitute. If something needs to be sauteed for a long time, be sure to use the type of oil that the recipe suggests. Also, the extra virgin olive oil that the pesto calls for is NON-negotiable.

If anyone else has any tips on ingredients, please leave a comment so we can all enjoy!

Because I love good food

I have many sources of inspiration for writing this blog. The main one is simple: i love good food. In this blog, you will find everything from restaurant reviews to recipes. Winery summaries to wine pairing suggestions. The best cheese to the best chocolate!

I have recently been cooking and baking non-stop! I am a baker who cooks occassionally, so my cooking experiences have been pretty interesting. Also, I was watching a dating reality show a few days ago. It was the "meet the parents" episode. The bachelor's mother was shocked that none of the ladies knew how to cook.

Well, cooking and baking (like anything else) take practice! I am going to do some of that work for you by passing along some of my favorite recipes. So, check back often for my cooking, baking, and eating out experiences!