Creme brulee and german potato pancakes

The earliest known reference of crème brûlée as we know it today appears in Francois Massioliot's 1691 cookbook. and the French name was used in the English translation of this book, but the 1731 edition of Massialot's Cuisinier roial et bourgeois changed the name of the same recipe from "crème brûlée" to "crème anglaise". In the early eighteenth century, the dessert was called "burnt cream" in English.
In Britain, a version of crème brûlée (known locally as 'Trinity Cream' or 'Cambridge burnt cream') was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron",The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire country house and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down. However, when the student became a fellow, he managed to convince the cook.  Creme Brulee  is considered a custard dessert.

The definition of tempering is:  Improve the consistency or resiliency of (a substance) by heating it or adding particular substances to it.  We did this in our recipe when we cooked the creme brulle and then reheated it the next day.  The result of our recipe was really good.  We had a nice caramel top and a smooth custardy inside.  It was really rich and tasted good.

 CREME BRULEE:

Ingredients

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

http://visualrecipes.com/images/uploads/recipe_images/344_image1.jpg


Kartoffelpuffer is a type of potato pancakes.  Potatoes are the foundation of most German food.  Oktoberfest  is a traditional beer festival held in Munich.  At this festival they have food such as  Bratwurst, pork hocks, and sauerkraut.  Our result of the potato pancakes were good.  They were under cooked in the middle most likely because they were too thick, but they were good.  We added a little too much water so it was hard to cook them well.  They were very yummy though.  We might have been able to add more onion for flavor.

 GERMAN POTATO PANCAKES:

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

http://www.yesyoucancook.com/img/shredded%20potato%20pancakes.jpg

Tarts originated from Scotland using a common known Canadian recipe. 

Tradition says that the Tarte Tatin was first created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-beuvron, France in 1898

Shehards pie, Biscuits and Muffins

• Shepards Pie!!!
• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
   
3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
   
4. 
   
   Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
   
    (Recipe courtesy of:http://www.marthastewart.com/sites/files/marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/everyday_food/2008Q4/ed104078_1008_shepard_pie_l.jp

 Biscuits:

2 cups AP flour
1tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons buttermilk for glaze 
Procedure
Preheat oven to 450. Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times till small, pea-like pieces form. Dump crumbs into a large bowl and stir in the buttermilk until the dough stays together. Do not over mix. It's better for the dough to seem too soft than too hard — that will make tough biscuits. Lightly flour the counter and knead dough 2 or 3 times to bring it together. Pat into a 6x8 rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 9 even squares. Place biscuits onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk. Bake for15-17 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown. Eat them while they're hot, with butter. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

1. Shepherds Pie was probably invented sometime in the 18th Century by frugal peasant housewives looking for creative ways to serve leftover meat to their families. It is generally agreed that it originated in the north of England and Scotland where there are large numbers of sheep--hence the name. The actual phrase "Shepherd's Pie" dates back to the 1870s, when mincing machines made the shredding of meat easy and popular."

   Source(s):

   http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.ht 
2. Our dish turned out pretty well. The vegetables could have been cooked longer because they were still crunchy and hard.  I  think it was all in all a good and easy dish to make.
3. In making biscuits it is good to cut in the butter because you want it to be flaky and not smooth.  Cutting in the butter will result in this
4. The key to making the biscuits it to not knead the dough too much.  You do not want the gluten to form because it will Result in your biscuits not being flaky.

Scones and Bread Pudding

   Courtesy of :https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJdxE9ohaHiON8uSjV5C1MmYs-1I6Fkp3vIrw2nSWdk2JOQpSIy06YGmUZnP35Qnn2tuVBzNXnbEneZH-PgZxtmzL9-0XHqvrbjDLohCinwtfLkAc4pp0zOJtJ6ctLLW2Y97IV7-hf1Q/s400/DSCN0711.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

courtesy of :https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZVFA0tCu217_VmDzSxl0thVqzRVloXhgG0DK5Bm5JXiBgpK4SZeg8gVHcGJbE7oPcDtQsnZCaaFpptgHUuUKrJL7wdqrnIBR7h65KNas0-Dt7gS1SYpH0yCZ7W7epoqHMeMCGtjTUks/s1600/Choc+Chip+Coconut+Bread+Pudding.JPG



Scone Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour                                                                     8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar                                                                                    1/2 cup chocolate chips
1teaspoon baking powder                                                                 1/2 cup sour cream                       
1/4 treaspoon baking soda                                                                 1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
 2. In a bowl mix sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Grate butter intof;our mixture on the large holes of the grater. Use your fingers to work in butter, then stir in chocolatechips
3.  in a small bowl whisk sour cream and egg until smooth
4. Using a fork, stir in sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form
5. P;ace on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-8-inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles, place on a cookie sheet.  Bake 15-17 minutes. 

This week we focused on European cuisine.  Three countries that make up the British isles can include England, Scotland, Britain, and Ireland. The climate there is a temperate oceanic climate.  They have warm summers and mild winters.  This could affect the type of food because of weather conditions.  These dishes are native to Britain and Ireland.

Home-made Tortillas

Image provided by: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/tortillas.jpg

        This week we made Home-made tortillas.  We started by putting all the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag (flour salt and a little bit of baking soda).  The Ziploc bag prevented a mess.  We mixed the ingredients together and then we added the wet ingredients (water and shortening). Then we kneaded the dough for a while.  You had to mix it until it was not sticky and everything was well blended.  Once it was well kneaded you took it out of the back and "massaged" it more.  You wanted a thin piece of dough.  The best way to get a thin tortilla was to roll the dough up in a ball and then set it on the table.   Then you would hit it until it was somewhat flat.  You would continue making it thinner and thinner.  You wanted the tortilla to be as thin as it can get to cook well.      
       Once its thin enough you can cook it.  To cook it you put a frying pan on the stove and heat it up.  Before we cooked the tortilla we sprayed it with cooking spray so the the tortilla wouldn't stick.  We put the tortilla on  the pan and frequently spun it around.  After we started seeing the tortilla turn brown we flipped it.  When it was done we topped it with cheese and salsa.  I think to make a better tortilla you should make the tortilla really thin.  When it is thick it doesn't cook thoroughly and it ends up being slightly raw and pasty. Also you could try not using a bag. 

The first tortillas discovered goes back to the Mayans in 10,000 B.C.  They were made of native maize and  dried kernel.  They ate alot of maize so they once grounded the maize into a dough called masa.