How you doin’? Sheldon was a neighbor when I was growing up. His father owned a bagel bakery. This, of course, was when bagel bakers started working at two in the morning and still rolled all the bagels by hand… it was a union job—no rolling machines allowed. There were fifty or so “men” working around a large round table rolling and rolling and rolling for hours. Yes, they were all men—no women allowed. Sheldon’s dad invited us to come over to the bakery to see how bagels were made and try our hand at rolling a few. While the union guys were rolling 6 to 8 a minute, we were rolling about 1 bagel every 6 to 8 minutes.
 
I found out two important things that morning… I didn’t like getting to work at 2am and that I liked bagel-eating a whole lot more than bagel-making!
 
Here’s the “hole” story. It is believed that bagels made their way to New York with the migration of Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s. As Jewish refugees from Poland and Eastern Europe began to arrive in New York City en masse, they brought their traditional foods with them such as challah, brisket, knishes, and bagels. For many decades, bagels were little known outside of the Jewish community, where their popularity was widespread. Bagels became so popular among the Jewish community of New York, that by 1900, 70 bagel bakeries existed on the Lower East Side. In 1907, the International “Beigel” Bakers' Union was formed to monopolize the production of bagels in the city. By 1910, Bagel Bakers Local 338 represented over 300 bagel craftsmen in Manhattan.
 
Why do New York City Bagels seem to be the best in the world?  Many people claim the main difference in taste and texture of a real New York bagel is New York City tap water, which contains certain minerals they attribute to creating a better bagel. The low concentrations of calcium and magnesium found in New York water are thought to make the water softer which has been claimed to strengthen the gluten in the bagel dough, helping to create the chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside bagel.
 
While New York-style is the original bagel type available in the United States, various other cities around the world have their own distinct style of baking and serving bagels. Bagels remain a filling, tasty, inexpensive treat no longer just for Jewish immigrants living in Manhattan. In fact, I ate one just this morning lightly toasted with butter and jam.
 
Prep time:  2 hours
Proof time:  1 to 1-1/2 hours
Boil time:  3 minutes
Bake time:  10 to 12 minutes
Yield:  12 Bagels
 
Ingredients:
For the bagels
4 teaspoons active dry yeast (make sure it’s not expired)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups warm water (110º F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons malt
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
 
For the boiling soda dip
4 cups boiling water
3/4 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons honey
 
Suggested toppings
Coarse kosher salt or bagel salt
Sesame seeds
Poppy seeds
Caraway seeds
Cinnamon-Sugar
“Everything” spice blend (Trader Joe’s)
 
Directions
To make the bagel dough

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let it stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, malt and salt.
3. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add from one to 10 tablespoons of water, one at a time until the dough comes together.
4. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. (I use a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook.)
5. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl and turn to coat the dough ball with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 450º F and grease your sheet pans.

To make the soda dip

1. In a large pot, dissolve baking soda and honey in boiling water.

To form, boil and bake the bagels

1. When the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (or roughly 3.7-ounces per piece). Roll each piece into a rope and stick together the 2 loose ends and seal them together with a little water.
2. Once all the dough is shaped, drop each bagel into the boiling soda solution, for about 3 minutes. Shake off the excess water and drop it on plate with the topping of your choice. Really pack the bagel into the topping to get as much to stick as you can. This is called Montréal-style.
3. Place the bagels, topping side up, on a greased sheet pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and the internal temperature is between 190⁰ to 200⁰ F.
5. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and transfer the bagels to wire rack.
   

ChefSecret: 

• Why is so important to keep the yeast water temperature no higher than 110⁰F? Yeast is a living organism and will expire if the water is too warm—don’t kill the yeast or the bagel will not proof.
  
• I always suggest that you rotate your pans mid-way through the baking cycle for even baking.
  

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  I need to Social Distance away from the kitchen—I just tested positive for a big butt.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  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.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Bagels #BoiledBagels #NYBagels #Breakfast #Brunch #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                              ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Here is a quick, easy and delicious coffee cake that doesn’t even require an electric mixer. It’s a recipe you can make in different flavors by simply using different pie filling flavors. It is a very simple, tender, moist coffee cake made in a 7×11-inch baking pan.
 
While this cake is All-American, the first coffee cakes are thought to have originated in Germany. These were more like sweet breads than sweet cakes. According to the book Listening to America, by Stuart Berg Flexner, it wasn't until 1879 that the term “coffee cake” became a common term.
 
Your family will enjoy this cake for breakfast (brunch), lunch or dinner. You can reheat it in an oven at 350⁰F with just a tablespoon of butter on the top. A spritz of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream turns this from a coffee cake to an outstanding dessert. Delicious Cherry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping is a recipe you will go back to time and time again.
 
Prep time:  10 to 15 minutes
Bake time:  35 to 45 minutes
Yield:  8 to 10 servings
 
 
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup crushed pecans, optional
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 can cherry pie filling or flavor of your choice
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰F.
2. Coat a 7x11-inch baking pan with butter.
3. Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and melted butter in a large mixing bowl; stir together with a fork until crumbly. If you have large clumps get your hands in there and break them apart. Your fingers are your best kitchen tool.
4. Take 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture out of the bowl and put them in a smaller bowl with the brown sugar, almond extract and the crushed nuts if using; set aside for the crumb topping.
5. In another small bowl, whisk the slightly beaten eggs, milk and vanilla together.
   
6. Add milk mixture to the large bowl of crumb mixture and stir until incorporated. There will be small lumps in the batter… that’s okay.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared 7x11-inch baking pan.
8. Spread the cherry pie filling over the cake.
9. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the pie filling.
10. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Start checking cake at 35 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from oven and place on a cooling rack.

ChefSecret:  Here’s an interesting upscaling alternative… spread a half cup of whipped cream cheese over the batter before spooning on the cherries.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  I was just thinking… one nice thing about egotists, they don't talk about other people.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  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.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Dessert #CoffeeCake #CherryCoffeeCake #CrumbTopping #Breakfast #Brunch #ListeningToAmerica #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Whenever I have a reason to make Florentines, I’m doin’ well! Florentine lace cookies are wafer thin, toffee-like, and buttery—that is, they are not your average cookie. In fact, I hesitate to even call them a cookie… it’s a Florentine. As Florentines bake, they spread out to form delicate lace patterns, hence their name.
 
Florentines are simple to make and gorgeous to look at. This cookie technique is versatile and adaptable to many kinds of nuts or chocolate. They also keep well so they're perfect if you're looking for an idea for homemade gifts for any cookie lover on your list—just stack them up in a box or a beautiful clear tube and tie them with a bow!
 
As with other food lore there are many different stories that all claim to know where the Florentine, as we know it today, originated–some say Florence while others credit Austrian bakers. The most well-known legend, however, claims that the Florentine was first made in France at the Palace of Versailles for King Louis XIV. The “cookie” was thought to have been created by the King’s #1 pastry chef for his visiting in-laws, the Medici family of Florence—whose Tuscan relative, Catherine de’ Medici had been Queen Consort of France in the 16th Century. Due to these close ties to Florence, it is not surprising that the French would have thus named the delicacy after Florence. King Louis XIV left Paris and moved his court to live at the Palace of Versailles from 1682 to 1715 so, if this legend is true, the likely time of creation was during this period.
 
There is also another little piece of evidence that supports this story of the Florentine’s roots. Many of the main ingredients of the Florentine are typically French, but perhaps the most concrete piece of evidence comes from the base of these biscuits. The base is known as a ‘roux’, which is a French cooking technique, and perhaps alludes to the fact that the Florentine is a French delicacy that simply took the name of a place that was admired or was deemed to be important to the King at the time of its creation.
 
Prep time:  50 minutes
Bake time:  1 hour (10 to 12 minutes per pan)
Cool time:  30 minutes
Yield:  18 chocolate-filled cookies
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups whole raw almonds
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Line your sheet pans with a Silpat, non-stick (silicone) liner. If you don’t have a Silpat, use buttered parchment paper.
3. Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor; alternate pulsing and running at full speed every few seconds until finely chopped and crumblike. Be careful not to go too far; you don't want them too fine and pasty.
4. Combine the butter, brown sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir a few times and cook until melted and dissolved. Bring to a boil, then carefully remove the mixture from the heat.
5. Add the vanilla extract, salt and flour, and whisk until smooth.
6. Add the chopped almonds and mix with a spatula until everything is combined.
7. Drop eight uniformly sized, rounded spoonfuls of batter (each about 2 teaspoons) onto the prepared sheet. Fine-tune the cookie shapes with a spoon to make sure they are evenly spaced.
8. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until golden brown and a bit darker around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Set a timer.
9. Remove from the oven and slide the pan liner off the baking sheet and directly onto the countertop. Allow to sit until cool and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes, then gently peel cookies off the liner.
10. Repeat to bake remaining dough.
11. Spread melted chocolate over the flat side of one cookie. Place a second cookie, flat-side down, on top to make a sandwich and press very gently to seal. Repeat to form remaining cookies. Check out the ChefSecret for other options
12. Let sit until chocolate has firmed up, about 30 minutes.

 
ChefSecrets:  You can use most types of nuts— pecans, hazelnuts walnuts or even macadamia nuts— and any type of chocolate you'd like, milk, dark or white. You can simply dip a single cookie or you can skip the chocolate and eat them as is which will result in twice as many cookies. Honey is the secret as it adds a pronounced caramelized, burnt-honey flavor. If you let your melted chocolate cool slightly, you will get a little thicker consistency and avoid the chocolate from squeezing out through the holes of the Florentines.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “I don’t think a video could better define the younger generation better than a kid making a Tik-Tok video while being tested for Covid-19 in the hospital and asking “fans” on GoFundMe to pay for the test.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to send a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  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. We added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Dessert #Cookie #Snack #Florentine #Honey #Silpat #LouisXIV #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

 How you doin’? Have you ever thought about what would King Henry might have eaten for dessert at one of his royal feasts? No need to ponder any longer—it would have been English Trifle, of course!
 
Trifle, in English cuisine, is a dessert made with fruit, thin layers of cake and egg custard. It is topped with whipped cream and more berries or fresh fruit. The fruit and sponge layers are usually assembled in three or four layers. You can be very creative… the contents of a trifle are highly customizable. Many varieties exist, some forgoing fruit entirely and instead using other ingredients such as chocolate, coffee or vanilla. According to some culinary scholars, trifles are the origin of modern sandwich cakes, only better.
 
The Scots have a similar dish to trifle, Tipsy Laird, made with Drambuie or whisky. In the Southern United States there is a variant of trifle known as Tipsy Cake. A similar dessert in Germany and Austria is called Punschtorte. In Italy, a similar dessert based on trifle is Zuppa Inglese, or English Soup; in Spain, this dessert is known as Bizcocho Borracho.

Photo credit: Choclatique... 150 Simply Elegant Desserts, Ed Engoron

Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  30 minutes
Chill time:  2 to 3 hours
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients
1 package of either yellow or white cake mix, baked and cut into cubes (be even more creative and make it chocolate)
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
1-3/4 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces fresh raspberries, plus 8 to 10 more for topping
2-ounces toasted sliced almonds
 
Directions

1. Bake the cake mix according to the manufacturer’s directions in a 11 x 13-inch pan.
2. Let the cake cool and cut into 2-inch squares.
3. Spread the jam on the inside of a trifle dish (or medium size glass bowl) and set aside.
4. Heat 1-3/4 cups of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
5. While the cream is heating, beat the egg yolks with the 4 tablespoons sugar until pale yellow and smooth.
6. Strain yolk mixture into a clean bowl.
7. Add the lemon zest and mix.
8. Temper the cream by adding it to the egg yolk and sugar mixture a little at a time to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
9. Pour the remaining warm cream into egg yolk and sugar mixture and stir vigorously.
10. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
11. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The custard will get thicker.
12. While custard is cooling, whip 1-1/4 cups of cream, 1/8 cup sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
13. Place almond slices on a baking sheet and toast, in a 300⁰F oven; stirring frequently until golden, 6 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
14. Spread a thin layer of custard on the bottom of the bowl.
15. Put half of the cake cubes on top of the custard.
16. Top with a third of the raspberries.
17. Spread a third of the custard on top of the cake cubes.
18. Alternate and repeat with the remaining cake cubes and raspberries.
19. Top the trifle with the whipped cream.
20. Chill 2 to 3 hours before serving.
21. Use the remaining raspberries and a sprinkling of toasted almonds as a garnish on top of the trifle.

ChefSecret:  I prefer to assemble my trifles the day before and top them with whipped cream and garnishes just before serving. This is a great way to use stale cake—yellow, white or even chocolate cake. You can make your trifle completely authentic by soaking the cubes of cake in sherry or another fortified wine.
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “I saw my neighbor Tammy out early this morning scraping the ‘my kid is a terrific student’ sticker off her mini-van. I guess this week’s home schooling didn’t go all that well.”
 
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  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.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Dessert #Trifle #EnglishRaspberryTrifle #LemonCustard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? From the archives of the Choclatique website, here is one of our best cookie recipes—in fact, and I’m going out on a limb here, it’s the best damn cookie I’ve ever eaten EVER. It was inspired by the original Toll House formulation, but considerably amped up with four kinds of chocolate chips and chunks.
 
Ever since Ruth Graves Wakefield and her chef Sue Brides invented the original Toll House cookie back in 1933 bakers have been trying to improve on the original. The Toll House Inn was in Whitman, Plymouth County. It was about halfway between Boston and New Bedford and a safe place to stop. It was a place where passengers had historically paid a toll, changed horses, and ate a home-cooked meal. When the Wakefields opened their business, they named the establishment the Toll House Inn. Ruth cooked and served all the food and soon gained local fame for her lobster dinners (yum) and desserts (yum, yum). People from across the region visited the Toll House. Her chocolate chip cookies soon became very popular.
 
I can tell you from personal experience, the original recipe is hard to beat—well, that is until now. And I’m not sure whether we’ve improved on the original or invented a totally new type of chocolate chip, chocolate cookie. To my taste most any cookie is good, and these cookies are exceptional. They are loaded with lots of chocolate flavors, have a wonderful texture and they are simple to make.
 
Large or small, these 4X chocolate chunky cookies are a little crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. For best results, refrigerate the batter for up to 48-hours before baking, as this allows the dough to fully form a mature well-blended flavor and texture.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Refrigerate time:  1 hour up to 48 hours
Bake time:  10 to 12 minutes
Cool time:  30 minutes
Yield: 12 large cookies
 
Ingredients
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
 
Directions

1. Combine and beat the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, forming a deep brown mixture.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until mixture lightens and becomes soft and smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together in a separate bowl.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until mostly incorporated but leaving some white traces of flour.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate chips and chunks.
6. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours to let the flour re-hydrate and the flavors to blossom.
7. When ready to start baking, preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
8. Divide cold dough into 2 1/4-ounce round, flattened portions and place them on a Silpat or parchment-lined sheet pan with at least 2-inches between. These cookies spread when they bake.
9. Bake until the edges start to brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake; the centers will not look fully done until the cookies are cool.
10. After 5 minutes out of the oven, carefully transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack.
11. Cool until cookies are completely set, about 30 minutes.

ChefSecret:  For extra-large, flying saucer-sized cookies, divide the dough into just 5 portions and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “Attention, Attention, your Nose and Mouth are now considered ‘Private Parts.’ Keep them covered until further notice.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  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 and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Dessert #Cookies #ChocolateChipCookies #ChocolateChunks #TollHouse #Snack #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021