Month: April 2022

Hi!

Today marks our last blog post relating to food for CMM 240. It’s been a fun journey to explore my hobby of cooking for credit, however, all good things must come to an end. In this shorter post, I will recap what we have gone over during the past 10 or so weeks and create a directory to organize and link posts so you don’t have to scroll back in time! I’ve loved this journey and am happy to have had the experience of blogging about something I care so much about. Thanks so much to those of you who have stuck around!

Unit 1 – Pasta

Unit 1 covered posts specifically focusing on Italian pastas, and how to make different varieties from scratch. The first post is mainly explaining some history of pasta and how to make a basic dough.. Second shows some noodle types and how to cook them, while the final post goes over adding variety and flavor to your pasta with different techniques/ recipes. Below I will hyperlink all specific posts from our first unit!

1. Dough and Information
2. Noodles and Cooking
3. Spicing it Up

Unit 2 – Sushi

Unit 2 was on our second favorite savory global food, sushi! We focus on mainly maki rolling, but also some sashimi and sushi variations. The first post is on sushi information, and contains a recipe on a simple staple sushi rice. Second is a more in depth dive into ingredients and fish types used for sushi commonly. Lastly, our final post wraps up the unit (literally) by going over combining all of our discussed ingredients to create an actual maki roll, highlighting technique and process. Below I will hyperlink all specific posts from our second unit!

1. Sushi Introduction
2. Fish and Ingredients
3. Rolling Technique

Unit 3 – Desserts

Unit 3 was interesting and different because instead of focusing on one food for 3 posts it focuses on 1 food genre and 3 different food types. I thought it would be fitting to end the blog with a dessert unit, so posts 2, 3, and 4 are on cheesecake, macarons, and mochi (post 1 being purely informational. Each post contains a recipe from a food magazine that I thoroughly enjoy with slightly tweaked ingredients to make them more attainable. I always include the article linked at the bottom incase folks want to follow the recipe(s) exactly. Below I will hyperlink all specific posts from our third and final unit!

1. Dessert Introduction
2. Cheesecake Recipe
3. Macaron Recipe
4. Mochi Recipe

Heyo!

Today we will be starting and finishing a recipe for yet another one of my favorite desserts of all time. Mochi (もち) is traditionally a Japanese dessert and snack that was introduced to the U.S. and became somewhat Americanized, often being paired with ice cream in the states. Today we will be making another BA-inspired recipe for a coconut flavored mochi that you can fill or pair with whatever you desire! Traditional ice cream or mochi flavors used include but are not limited to; red bean, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and green tea/ matcha. This recipe is extremely simple, as mochi only contains a few ingredients and is fairly easy to make. The real fun comes when wrapping ice cream in your mochi, or pairing it with different flavors. BA’s recipe I’m referencing today uses a peanut butter mixture to fill the mochi at the end, so if that sounds tasty to you give the link at the end of this post a click!

Notes: The only real special equipment you will need is a silicone baking mat to work the mochi on and ensure it doesn’t stick!

Ingredients

Mochi

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk ( 13.5 oz )
• 1 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1 cup sugar
• Cornstarch for dusting

Mochi

1. Whisk to combine coconut milk, flour, and sugar in a medium nonstick saucepan.
2. Cook on medium heat stirring often with a nonstick spatula until a smooth and sticky dough forms, about 5-7 minutes (You’ll know it’s ready when the dough will pull away from the sides of the pan).
3. Dust silicone baking mat with cornstarch, then pour hot mochi onto the mat. Dust the top of the mochi with more cornstarch, then roll it out into a rectangle.
4. Let cool, then mold into any shapes you want! Top with coconut flakes, mold around ice cream balls, etc.

This recipe is a great starter if you haven’t made mochi ever before and want to start, as there are few steps and only a small selection of ingredients. I hope you liked my rendition of Bon Appetit’s Coconut Mochi. Be sure to click the link below for flavoring ideas, as the mochi we made above serves as an easy-to-make base! As always keep cooking, and I’ll see you next week!

BA’s Coconut-Peanut Mochi Balls

Hello!

Today we’re working on a chocolate macaron recipe that’s sure to knock your socks off. I love macarons but have never actually made them, so today I’m posting yet another recipe by Bon Appetit, and changing some ingredients to make the recipe more casual and attainable. Stay tuned for the preparation of these amazing chocolate macarons with orange ganache filling!

Notes: For this recipe, you will need a piping bag with any broad circular attachment to pipe out the cookies.

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups almonds, slivered
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup egg whites, whisked to loosen
• 1/4 cups sugar

Ganache

• 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, chopped into cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚ and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Pulse in a food processor or crush powdered sugar and almonds until fine dust is achieved. Add cocoa powder and the rest of the powdered sugar and blend well.
3. Sift the mixture through a strainer, remove large almond pieces, then blend and sift again until fine.
4. Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat egg whites in a medium bowl until white and frothy, around 1 minute. Increasing from low to medium-high mixing speed, gradually add sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Combine the meringue with the dry powder and fold to mix, then add to a piping bag.
6. Spacing the cookies 1″ apart, pipe quarter-sized medallions of the meringue onto 2 of the 3 baking sheets.
7. Let stand for ten minutes.
8. Bake cookies for around 16 minutes, rotating each baking sheet halfway through. Remove after the cookies look puffed and dry, letting them cook completely.
9. Use the remainder of the batter on the final baking sheet to finish the last batch.

Ganache

1. Place chocolate and butter into a medium bowl.
2. Bring cream to a boil in a small pan over medium-high heat, then remove from heat and stir in orange zest, allspice, cloves, and salt.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the butter and chocolate and whisk to combine.
4. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
5. Fill a small tip piping bag with the ganache, and add a layer of the icing onto the flat side of each cookie. Top each cookie with another (flat side down), to create a sort of sandwich.
6. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
7. Enjoy!

I truly hope you enjoyed this somewhat complex recipe for chocolate macarons with a citrus-based filling! I for one am super excited to try this recipe out and enjoyed writing about it with inspiration from one of my favorite food blogs. As always, check the hyperlink below for the original recipe with exact ingredients, as well as the author and food photographer if you’re interested in more of their work. Take care and get reach for next week’s mochi!

BA’s Chocolate Macarons with Orange Ganache