How you doin’? Since you have so much time on your hands and your cooking skills have undoubtedly improved during the pandemic, I am throwing you a bit of a challenge today.

In Lisbon at A Padaria Portuguesa the center of the restaurant is the hot bakery and the star of the bakery is the Pasteis de Nata—Portuguese Custard Tartlets.to edit.

Many cuisines have a custard dessert, in America we have custard pies, in France it’s the Crème Brûlée and in Hong Kong you can find the Don Tarts on the dim sum cart. Pasteis de Nata is so popular in Portugal that every bakery has their version. Pasteis de Belem is the most famous. They bake over 20,000 of these tarts a day.

What makes these tarts so much better than other international custard offerings? The pastry is thinner and crisper and the filling is usually still hot and creamy from the oven. They are sprinkled with a touch of cinnamon—they are absolutely delicious. Despite there being lots of wonderful freshly made Nata houses in Lisbon, A Padaria Portuguesa and Pasteis de Belem are definitely the best.
 
I’ve watched this recipe made in APP central bakery for years. This is a difficult recipe to make at home, but during this time you should have all the time in the world. I decided to simplify it a little to tailor it to the American kitchen. You’ll find that you already have all the ingredients in your kitchen pantry and refrigerator—they just require a few basics. It is a rather busy recipe and some practice is helpful, but well worth it.
 
Prep time:  1-1/2 hours
Chill time:  2 hours or overnight
Bake time:  25 minutes
Ready In:  4 hours
 
Ingredients
For the laminated dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup cold water
1 stick unsalted butter Plugra (European-style), softened, divided
 
For the syrup
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water                                                 
1 tablespoon water
1 lemon, zested with a microplane
 
For the custard
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
Syrup (from recipe above)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
 
Directions
To make the laminated dough

1. Combine the flour, salt and cold water in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be sticky; adjust with more flour or water to achieve a workable dough.
2. Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface. Dust a little more flour over the top. Knead for a minute or two to form a round. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough into a square about 1/8-inch thick, dusting with flour as necessary; dough will still be sticky.
4. To make the laminated dough, spread 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the square using a spatula, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Flip the unbuttered side over the middle of the square and fold the opposite end over it like a letter. Straighten the edges as needed.
5. Turn the dough with a bench scraper to unstick it from the counter, dust with flour. Flip and sprinkle more flour on top. Roll dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle, carefully stretching edges as needed. Spread another 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the dough. Fold into thirds. Transfer onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until butter is slightly chilled, about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the dough with more flour and roll into a square about an 1/8-inch thick. Spread the remaining butter over the dough, leaving a 1- to 1-1/2-inch border on the top edge. Dip your finger in water and lightly moisten the unbuttered edge.
7. Roll dough into a log starting from the bottom edge. Dust with more flour and smooth over the ends. Wrap the dough log with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

To make the syrup

1. Combine the sugar, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water and lemon zest in a pot. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until syrup reaches 210° to 215⁰ F. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 550⁰ F.
3. Butter a muffin tin.

To make the custard

1. Whisk the flour, salt and cold milk together in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. When the milk mixture has cooled enough to not scramble the eggs, whisk the egg yolks into the cooled milk one at a time. Add the syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Strain custard into a Pyrex measuring cup to remove any egg solids.
3. Unwrap the dough and trim to straighten the uneven ends.
4. Score the log into 12 equal pieces using a knife or bench scrapper; cut through the dough log.
5. Place a piece of dough in each muffin cup. Dip your thumb lightly in some cold water. Press thumb into the center of the swirl; push the dough against the bottom and up the sides of the cup until it reaches at least 1/8 inch past the top. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way with custard.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is browned and bubbly, and the tops start to blister and caramelize, about 12 minutes.
7. Cool tarts briefly; serve warm.

#PasteldeNata #CustardTart #aPadariaPortuguesa #Lisbon #Portugal #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #Dessert

How you doin’? If you have been homeschooling and babysitting your kids all day every day it probably seems like the pandemic will never come to an end.

Yes, you love them. You often felt guilty before that you weren’t spending enough time with your kids and now you realize, absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s tough being a teacher, entertainer-in-chief and mom or dad all at the same time. So maybe it’s time to do a craft or baking project as a change of pace.
 
Let me offer you the simplest starter baking recipe project (along with a brief history lesson), which I know is suitable for all ages for both cooking and eating. Take notes—there will be a pop quiz shortly.
 
First, for the history lesson… Shortbread evolved from a medieval biscuit bread into a buttery cookie. Some versions are rustic, some are quite elegant. Shortbread may have been made as early as the 12th century, but its invention (or at least, the refinement to its current form) is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) in the 16th century. She had a team of French chefs who had the time, labor and ingredients to perfect the recipes.
 
Shortbread recipes first appear in cookbooks of the time, although origination often precedes the first reference in print by a significant number of years. Alas, Queen Mary didn’t enjoy her shortbread with tea before her head was separated from her body, nor did her cousin Queen Elizabeth I [1533-1603]—tea didn’t arrive in England until September of 1658. It may be difficult for us to imagine a world without a comforting hot cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.  
 
Why “Short” Bread? There are two different explanations for the name of this cookie. Some sources cite the crumbly or “short” texture of the biscuit. Others attribute the name to its high percentage of shortening, or butter (the word “shortening” refers to any fat). Butteriness is an important quality in shortbread—so much so that in 1921 the British government legislated that a product called shortbread must get at least 51% of its fat from real butter.
 
This is the most basic cookie recipe there is. There are only three ingredients—real butter and brown sugar give it an irresistible flavor and all-purpose flour gives it the signature texture (the extracts are optional). Quick preparation and baking time will give you and your kids a quick reward.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Bake time:  20 to 25 minutes
Yield:  about 48 “biscuits” (24 servings)
 
Ingredients
2 cups salted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325⁰ F.
2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar.
3. Add the vanilla or almond extract if using.
4. Add 3 to 3-3/4 cups flour a little at a time. Mix well.
5. Sprinkle the board or counter with the remaining flour. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding enough flour to make a soft dough. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 3” x 1” strips. Prick with fork and place on ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake at 325⁰F for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are just turning a light golden brown.
7. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place them on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and transfer them directly to the cooling rack.

 
ChefSecret:  Use a low-water content, European-style butter—I prefer Plugra for best results. The secret to Plugra European-Style Butter is a slow churn process that creates less moisture and a creamier texture when compared to ordinary American table butters. This secret becomes yours for higher, fluffier cakes, flakier pastries, unbelievably creamy sauces, rich enviable risottos, sizzling sautés and extraordinary flavored compound butters.

#Dessert #Shortbread #KidsBaking #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? I don’t know about you, but I am missing Dodger baseball. We came so close to getting into the World Series last year that I thought we would be on a tear this season. Alas, it looks like this season is going to start late if it starts at all.
 
What do you think of when you think about baseball? I think summer, I think of the diamond and the stadium, and then I think of caramelly, crisp Cracker Jacks. Well to be perfectly honest, it doesn’t have to be summer for me to devour a whole bag of caramel corn.
 
The original Cracker Jack caramel popcorn had a most compelling, come-back flavor. Once you started eating them you couldn’t put the box down. For me, the reward wasn’t the cheap little prize found in each box, but the caramel coated peanuts—they were the best part of this all-American classic snack. I would set prize aside, dig down to the bottom of the box for the caramel coated peanuts (that’s where they always migrated to) and then, and only then, I would munch on the caramel corn.
 
This Cracker Jack hack is very close to the original, but I did take a few liberties. You will find it’s a little darker because I used brown sugar and dark corn syrup. It’s best for munching right away but is also the perfect buttery toffee popcorn recipe for gifting, snacking, or bringing to any sports event or concert!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  1 hour 30 minutes (approximate time depending on the oven)
Cooling time:  30 minutes
Total time:  1 hour 55 minutes
Yield:  8 servings
 
Ingredients

For the popcorn
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 cups popping corn kernels (mushroom popcorn—see ChefSecret below)
This will make about 12 cups of popped popcorn.
1 teaspoon fine salt
 
For the caramel corn
12 cups plain freshly popped popcorn (from above)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup dark corn syrup (Karo Syrup)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt (often sold as popcorn salt)
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups salted Spanish red peanuts, skin on
 
Directions

1. Pop the popcorn in coconut oil with the salt.  It’s a large quantity… depending on the size of your pot, you will probably have to divide the popping (kernels and oil) into 3 or 4 loads. 
2. Grease a large, disposable aluminum pan with nonstick spray. Pour the popped popcorn into the pan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of fine salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Move an oven rack to the middle position.
4. Preheat an oven to 250⁰F.
5. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add the sugars, corn syrup, and salt. Bring them all to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer the mixture while stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The baking soda will foam, keep stirring until the foaming subsides.
7. Add the peanuts and then pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn, tossing to coat evenly. This will take a couple of minutes—just keep lightly mixing trying not to break up the popcorn.
8. Bake the popcorn, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until it turns a deep golden color and the caramel has set. Be patient; this will take 60-90 minutes. Spread wax paper over your counter and pour the mixture out onto the wax paper.
9. Separate the popcorn while cooling to room temperature. The popcorn will crisp as it cools.

ChefSecrets:

• There are 2 shapes of popcorn you can find in some stores and on the internet—Mushroom and Butterfly.
  • Use the mushroom which pops as a tight little ball and is best for coating.
  • Butterfly popcorn has fly-away wings which will break off while coating.
• Popping in coconut oil will give the best results. Don’t use microwave popcorn—it just doesn’t work very well.
• You can store the caramel corn at room temperature, in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.

#Snacks #CrackerJack #CrackerJacks #CrackerJackHack #CaramelCorn #Dodgers #Baseball #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? Do you have a lot of time on your hands? (Warning: If you are working from home or home schooling the kiddies, this may be too much for you to handle—Ben & Jerry’s Frozen Yogurt may be a better option and more rewarding.)

Do you want to feel that you really accomplished something beyond just pushing buttons on your Instant Pot? Well, here’s the 2020 Quarantine Kitchen Challenge—making yogurt from scratch in your Instant Pot.
As fair warning there are other, simpler ways to get your daily dose of yogurt. If you don’t mind all the sugar and additives there are plenty of brands at your local grocer. Check the labels… some may be cleaner than others.

Or, you can always purchase a single use appliance—a yogurt maker. They cost between $27.99 to a couple a hundred bucks. They are not very complicated to use. They are fairly automatic but take up a lot of room on your kitchen counters or cupboard and will eventually wind up in the same place as your juicer, automatic bread maker and slow cooker.

Let’s face it, you already have an Instant Pot that you are using for everything else, why not take a flier and make some yogurt in your trusty Instant Pot?

Here are some tips for making homemade yogurt. I do guarantee—homemade yogurt tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff. Now that you have plenty of time on your hands, give it a try.

Yogurt Making Tips
For your yogurt culture, you can use either store-bought plain yogurt with active cultures, a freeze-dried heirloom starter, or yogurt from a previous batch of homemade yogurt. A yogurt starter culture contains live bacteria that convert milk into yogurt—that’s a good thing. The bacteria feed on the lactose and convert it into lactic acid. This ferments the milk, making it thicker and giving it that tart flavor associated with yogurt. Every starter culture has its own blend of bacteria which gives the yogurt a specific taste and texture—it’s alive. Check out the internet to find the style of yogurt you prefer.

If you are using freeze-dried heirloom starter for the first time, read the directions that come with it. Instead of adding 2 tablespoons of yogurt, you’ll add the entire packet of freeze-dried starter in step 3.

Smell your Instant Pot gasket before you begin. If it carries a strong aroma of chili or curried lamb, you may want to order an extra gasket, as the yogurt can absorb those smells. Reserve the neutral gasket for making yogurt only.

 Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 4 to 12 hours, plus chilling time (most good things take time)
Yield: about 6-1/2 cups of homemade yogurt
 
Ingredients
 1/2-gallon pasteurized milk (we like organic, whole cow’s milk)
2 tablespoons yogurt culture
 
Directions

1. Pour the milk into the Instant Pot’s insert. Lock on the lid. It does not matter if the steam vent is open or closed. Press the YOGURT button, then press ADJUST so the digital readout says BOIL.
   On some Instant Pot models, you'll need to press the START button. Eventually it will bring the milk to 180° F (this kills off undesirable microorganisms). It usually takes about 30 minutes. When it's done, the Instant Pot will beep and its readout will say YOGT.
   For a thicker yogurt, keep the lid on, press YOGURT, then press ADJUST so the digital readout again says BOIL. Start a timer for 5 MINUTES; once the time is up, proceed with the recipe below. This cooks the milk a little longer and leads to thicker yogurt.
2. Right after the Instant Pot beeps, turn it OFF and lift out the insert of hot milk. Put the thermometer in the milk and wait until it’s 116°F. This may take as long as an hour. To speed the cooling, set the insert of hot milk in a bath of ice water and stir the milk; the temperature will drop in about 5 minutes. (If it dips below 110°F, pop the insert back in the cooker, press YOGURT, then ADJUST and monitor the thermometer until it reaches 116°. Remove the insert from the cooker.
   Remove the thermometer. There will be a film of coagulated milk on the surface of the milk; carefully lift this off with a spoon and discard (this film won’t ruin your yogurt, but it creates a distracting texture once it’s finished).
3. Put the starter in a medium bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the warm milk. Whisk until smooth, then pour into the insert of remaining milk and whisk to combine.
4. Set the insert of milk back in the Instant Pot, lock on the lid (once again, the steam vent may be open or closed), and press YOGURT. If the readout does not say 8:00, add time using the + button until it does to correct.
   The Instant Pot will incubate the yogurt for 8 hours before switching itself off (the display will read YOGT once the 8-hour default programming is complete). You can use the +/- button to adjust the incubation time.
   Note that, when incubating yogurt, the timer counts up (when pressure cooking with your Instant Pot, the readout counts down). When the readout says 2:45, it’s been incubating for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
5. Start checking on your yogurt after 4 hours. As the yogurt incubates, you don’t want to jostle the Instant Pot—it will keep the yogurt from setting well.
   It can take anywhere from under 4 to over 12 hours for your yogurt to set. A lot of it has to do with how active the cultures in your starter are—fresher starter takes a lot less time to incubate. Be patient and don’t lose hope! It will all pull together and it’s worth it.
   Open the lid carefully when you peek; a lot of condensation forms around the gasket and you want to minimize it dripping back onto the yogurt.
   The yogurt is set when it jiggles all as one unit when you carefully nudge the insert, and it does not run if you tip the pot a bit. You may see some clear liquid (the whey) floating on the surface and at the edges.
6. Once your yogurt is set, gently lift the insert from the cooker. Pouring it out or stirring at this point can make your yogurt runny, which you don’t want. You can set the insert on a rack to help it cool faster, but don’t pop it right in the fridge, since rapid temperature changes can also thin your yogurt. Once it’s at room temp (about 2 hours), set it in the refrigerator.
7. The yogurt might seem lumpy after it's been chilled, but a vigorous whisking will smooth it out. At this point, you may strain it or transfer it to sterile containers (I like sterilized mason jars).
8. Homemade yogurt can be stored for up to two weeks. As it sits in your refrigerator, it will get tangier and lose some of its body.

Hey, you did it!  You made homemade yogurt for the first time in your Instant Pot. Isn’t that rewarding? I am so proud of you!

ChefSecrets:

• To make yogurt in individual heatproof jars (of any size), put the steam rack inside the insert. Add 1 cup of water. Fill the jars with milk, stopping 1/2 inch from the rim. Set them on the rack, lock on the lid. Press the STEAM button and use the “-/+” keys to adjust the time to 1 MINUTE. When the cooker beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
• Open the cooker and use canning jar lifters to remove the jars. Stick a thermometer in one and wait for the milk to cool to 116°F. This can take up to an hour. Remove and discard any skin from the top of the milk in the jars.
• Divide the appropriate amount of starter among the jars—it’ll depend on how much the jars hold. Live on the wild side—experiment a little. Return the jars to the cooker, lock on the lid, press the YOGURT button, and proceed with Step 4.
  

#InstantPot #Yogurt #HomemadeYogurt #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

The first year my brother enrolled at the University of California, Davis campus my dad treated our family to dinner at the Nut Tree Restaurant, Vacaville. It was a magically wonderful experience… including the small gauge train that circled the property, and the general aviation airport (that later in life I used to fly in for a weekend brunch). Over the years the Nut Tree became one of my favorite places to stop when visiting Davis and later when driving along the heavily traveled corridor of Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento.

The Nut Tree Restaurant was an early pioneer of, what is now known as, California Cuisine, with fresh fruits and vegetables featured in their recipes. By 1978, the Nut Tree was identified as "the region's most characteristic and influential restaurant." A notable feature of the restaurant was its large indoor aviary that had glass walls extending from floor to ceiling. Nut Tree knives and cutting boards, as well as books on aviation, were sold in the gift shop.
 
The restaurant attracted many notable visitors including Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Danny Kaye, Shirley Temple Black, Chuck Yeager, Peter Marino, and Bing Crosby, among others. In 1983, the Nut Tree catered a luncheon hosted by (California) Governor George Deukmejian for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the State capitol.
 
Don Birrell was design director for the Nut Tree from 1953 until 1990. The Nut Tree's outdoor patio area was designed to loosely resemble Tivoli Gardens, in Copenhagen with unique its lighting and kiosks, and every plate was a food stylist’s dream.
 
The Nut Tree had a number of wonderful signature menu items… Whole Pineapple With Marshmallow Sauce, Seasonable Fruit & Sorbet Fruit Salad, Chicken Almond, Fried Shrimp, Freshly Baked White and Wheat Mini Loafs and, most memorable, Orange Nut Bread.
 
Because of changing times, rising property values and family squabbles the restaurant closed in in 1996.  Fortunately, I managed to save one of the best recipes—The Nut Tree Orange Nut Bread.
 
Prep time:  40 minutes
Bake time:  45 to 60 minutes
Yield:  1 large loaf or 2 mini loafs
 
Ingredients
For the orange rind prep
1 cup, orange rind, ground (from about 2-3 medium oranges)
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
For the cake batter
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, oil or melted shortening
2 large eggs, unbeaten
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, roasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon raw sugar
 
Directions
To prepare the orange rind

1. In advance, grind or chop in blender enough orange rind to measure 1 cup.
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
3. Add the orange rinds, water and sugar to medium saucepan, heat to boiling; then cover and cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes, until rind is tender and practically all the water is absorbed.  Cool and set aside.

To prepare the bread batter

1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar. baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Add milk, butter or oil, eggs, and flavorings and extracts.  Beat at low speed just until well mixed.
3. Mix in the cooled orange peel and walnuts.
4. Divide the soft batter evenly in either two greased 8” x 4” x 2-1/2” loaf pans or use one 9” x 5” x 3” pan.
5. Sprinkle tops generously with mixture of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and raw sugar.
6. Place the pans in the oven. After 5 minutes lower the oven temperature to 350⁰
7. Bake at 350ºF. for 45 to 50 minutes for smaller pans or 55 to 60 minutes for one larger pan, until well browned and done when tested.
8. Turn out of the pan(s) and cool on rack.

#Breakfast #Brunch #Lunch #NutTree #OrangeNutBread #Dessert #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19