… from the Perspectives Kitchen How you doin’? Are you a bread lover? I am! I know for some people it has been popular to skip the carbs and go right to the meat on the plate, but that breadbasket on the table in restaurants serves an important purpose. One of the symptoms of low blood sugar is hunger—that’s when people go to restaurants, right? Hunger signals to the brain, feed me! When you are hungry you can get a bit grumpy and short-tempered. That’s why so many restaurants like to get some food in their guests while they are having their first drink and looking through the menu. You’ve seen it—chips and salsa at Mexican cantinas, Chinese crispy noodles at Asian restaurants and the proverbial breadbasket at Texas Roadhouse. Today many restaurants skipped the table starters to save a few pennies… that’s so wrong. Well-fed guests are happy guests. If you’ve ever been to Texas Roadhouse you know how addictive their pillowy soft, honey baked rolls are. These guys are smart to let you fill up on bread long before any of the other food arrives to the table. You are fulfilled, relaxed and as contented as a pig in mud. Guests may not remember the steak, but everyone talks about the rolls! Richard, my Long Island bakery client, was approached by Texas Roadhouse to make a frozen knock-off of their tasty little squares—that’s when Sweet Yeasties were invented, and they were so good and a dead-on match. What we found is they were simple to make, and everyone loves them. So, here’s my hack for Sweet Yeasties. As with most of my recipes, you already have a lot of the ingredients on hand in your pantry—water, eggs, flour, butter, sugar, honey and, maybe even a fresh package of active dry yeast. I love this recipe and I bet you will, too. Prep time: 20 minutes Proof time: 2 hours Bake time: 12 to 15 minutes Yield: 24 rolls Ingredients 2 cups whole milk 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided 1 package active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water, not over 105⁰ F 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided 3/4 cup honey 7-1/2 to 8 cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs, lightly whisked 2 teaspoons kosher salt Directions
ChefSecret: In a recent email from Richard he reminded me that we sold the roll at a client’s restaurant FRIED and jelly filled! So, make them either way or both ways for a real restaurant-quality treat right in your own home. Quip of the Day: Q. What is it called when you steal a rich person’s dinner rolls? A. Highfalutin gluten lootin’! ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #SweetYeasties #YeastDinnerRolls #TexasRoadhouse #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023
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…from the Perspectives’ Kitchenow you doin’? I don’t know where 2023 has gone, but I see on the calendar that Christmas and the yearend holidays are just weeks away. Some of us love to bring homemade foods to our friends and relatives at holiday time. Cakes, breads, cookies and cakes are great local gifts for those close to where you live. Candy is a great gift for sending out—it’s always easy to send, well received and very much appreciated. In the past I always sent our Choclatique confections, but I’ve decided to change it up a bit this year. I love Italian-style soft and chewy nougat. Most of the time all I can find is the hard sugar kind made with almonds, hazelnut and honey. I decided to try making soft nougat myself. Italian-Style Soft Nougat starts with whipped egg whites, roasted nuts and dried fruit. There's quite a bit of sugar and honey in the mixture. Feel free to make it your own by adding dried fruits or even citrus peel. The secret to successfully shipping these through USPS is to use edible rice paper on both sides of this sticky treat. Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Set time: 4 hours+ Yield: 10 to 12 servings Equipment: Candy thermometer Ingredients 2 sheets confection rice paper (confection supply or Amazon) 1 cup toasted nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons water 1 large egg white, room temperature 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup dried fruit (dried cherries and/or candied, glazed fruit) Directions
ChefSecret: Edible wafer paper sheets are used for making creative edible decorations such as butterfly wings, flowers, feathers or using it to add texture to the sides of cakes, and so much more. Rice paper can be printed or airbrushed on and cut out using different punch cutters. Five 8 x 11-inch sheets cost about $4.00. Quip of the Day: “When you teach a wolf to meditate, he becomes aware wolf.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #ChristmasRecipes #Christmas #ChristmasCandy #Torrone #SoftNougat #ItalianSoftNougat #Dessert #Holidays2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #RedCross #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 From the Perspectives’ Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? Mr. Grinch isn’t fond of much, but he has a few things that will change his attitude. While the Grinch is a bitter old biddy, I think you’ll find my Tipsy Grinch Punch absolutely delightful and refreshing! If you want to make your holiday party stand out this year, consider hosting a How The Grinch Stole Christmas theme, and make sure to whip up big batches of my greenie-meanie punch. Prep time: 10 minutes Yield: 6 servings Ingredients 1 13-ounce packet of Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid (yes, I said Kool-Aid) 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup pineapple juice 8 ounce package frozen lemonade concentrate 1/4 cup Sprite or 7-Up 1 cup vodka (it doesn’t have to be top-shelf vodka) Red sanding sugar Directions
ChefSecret: You can use a bit of corn syrup on your finger, rub it along the rim off the glass then dip the top of the glass into the red sanding sugar. Quip of the Day: Q. Why did the Grinch want to go down the chimney? A. Because it sooted him. ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. #Cocktail #HappyHour #TipsyGrinchGreenPunch #Grinch #Vodka #Kool-Aid #Cheers#Holidays2023 #2023 #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023 |
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