Reflection

          Garrett and I really enjoyed going on the cullinary adventures together this past semester. We learned several things along the way, and overall it was been a beneficial experience. Here's another look at the adventures we completed this semester from our favorite to our least favorite.

Adventure #12: Chocolate Souffle

            Unfortunately, Garrett was not able to help out with the last adventure, and he was definitely sorry when I sent him a picture of the end result. I wanted to end with something that was known to be challenging but would be manageable for me. Based on the past adventures, I decided that I would do my best if a made a dessert, so for adventure #12, I made chocolate soufflé!

            As with every other adventure, I began by completing step 1, shopping. The recipe called for ten ingredients and of those ten, I was missing three. I set off for the grocery store in search of unsalted butter, bittersweet chocolate, and cornstarch. All of the ingredients were simple enough to find and they cost me less than 10 dollars, so the first step of the final adventure was easily a success.

The full this of ingredients is as follows

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for ramekins
3 large egg whites, room temperature, plus 3 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream
Garnish: confectioners’ sugar

            When I was finished with step 1, I went home and began step 2, baking. I began by preparing 4 ramekins. I brushed each with the butter and then sprinkled them with sugar. I then set them aside and moved on with preparing the batter.

            First I separated the egg whites and yolks. I then whisked the egg whites until they were frothy, added the cream of tartar, continued whisking, added the granulated sugar, and whisked for a final time until medium peaks formed. I set the egg white mixture aside and continued with the recipe.

            I melted the chocolate and set it aside. I then put the milk, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan and brought it to a simmer. Once the mixture was of a thick consistency, I removed it from the stove and whisked it into the chocolate. I then added the egg yolks and sour cream and continued whisking. Finally, I folded in the egg whites, and the batter was complete.

            To complete the dessert, I poured the batter into the 4 ramekins and baked them in the oven for 14 minutes at 400 degrees. When they were done, I served them to my parents and my brother. We all tasted them and had varying opinions. We had never had a soufflé before, so we weren’t sure what it was supposed to taste like. To me, it was like a chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse center. A little bit definitely goes a long way, so I would suggest sharing a soufflé rather than eating a whole one by yourself. Nevertheless, the final adventure was a success!   

 

 

 

 

The complete recipe for chocolate soufflé can be found here http://www.marthastewart.com/356052/individual-chocolate-souffles

Adventure #11: Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodles

            Last weekend I had to complete yet another adventure by myself! Garrett was sick and although I was sick as well, I could not miss an adventure. I decided that since I am much better at baking than cooking I would make a dessert. At this time of the year I love to eat warm homemade cookies fresh out of the oven, so I decided to make a classic with a twist, Rolo stuffed snickerdoodles.

            After spending less than $20 for the last adventure, I was willing to splurge a bit more for this one. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that that wasn’t necessary for this particular recipe. I just so happened to have all of the ingredients except for the Rolo’s. Since the recipe claimed to yield 32 cookies, I set off for the store to purchase one bag of Rolo’s in order to complete step 1, shopping.

            Obviously this step was simple and took very little time. It was also the cheapest purchase I’ve made all semester. Therefore, I returned home happy as could be and in a timely manner eager to begin step 2, cooking.

The complete list of ingredients for Rolo stuffed snickerdoodles is as follows

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bag Rolo’s  

            Step 2 of this adventure was fairly simple as well. I began by combining the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl and then I mixed the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. I combined the two in order to make the dough. Making the dough was simple enough, but adding the Rolo’s was when it got tricky.

            With traditional snookerdoodle cookies I would typically roll the dough into balls, dip them in cinnamon and sugar, and then lightly flatten them on a cookie sheet. However, since I was making Rolo stuffed snickerdoodles, I had to place an individual Rolo in each piece of dough and then roll it into a ball, dipping it in cinnamon and sugar, but not flattening it. This seems simple enough; however, the dough continuously stuck to my hands, making it nearly impossible to roll into balls and dip in the cinnamon and sugar. Needless to say, the first batch of snickerdoodles was less than picture perfect.

 

 

 

I was a little disappointed with the first batch and not very hopeful for the second. However, I was surprised to find that while the first batch baked in the oven for 14 minutes at 320 degrees, the remaining dough had time to form into a much more workable consistency. The dough was easier to work with, so I was able to form perfectly shaped cookies, making the remaining batches picture perfect!

When the final batch was done, a sat down with a glass of milk and happily ate two Rolo stuffed snickerdoodles. The cookies were delicious! In fact, I’m not sure if I’ll ever make a batch of snickerdoodles without Rolo’s again. Overall, adventure #11 was a success.

 

Next week Garrett and I will be going on our final adventure of the semester. We’ll attempt to make the perfect soufflé!

 

 

The complete recipe for Rolo stuffed snickerdoodles can be found here http://rachelschultz.com/2012/11/13/perfect-snickerdoodles/ or here  http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/20/rolo-stuffed-snickerdoodles/.

Adventure #10: Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

            Last weekend I completed adventure #10 by myself. Thanksgiving was approaching and I was in the mood for something warm and traditional, so I decided to make homemade chicken and dumplings. I was a little bit nervous for this adventure, but this is what happened.

As usual, I began this adventure with step one, shopping. For this particular recipe I was lacking just two ingredients. This made me extremely happy since some of the adventures have been a tad pricy for a college student such as myself. Nevertheless, I set off for the store in search of chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken. Both of these items were easy finds, so step one took me less than thirty minutes.

The complete list of ingredients is as follows

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 quarts chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken
 

            After completing step one, I moved onto step two, cooking. The first part of this step was to make the dumplings. This is the part that had me feeling a little nervous. When I think of dumplings, I always picture a little old grandma making them from scratch and of course having them turn out delicious. For this reason, I wanted to make the perfect dumplings that tasted just like a grandma had made them.

            I began this step by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and milk in a medium bowl. These ingredients formed the dough which I then placed on a heavily floured surface. Using a rolling pin, I rolled the dough into a thin square. I then used a pizza cutter to make 2”x2” squares. These, of course, were the dumplings.

            At first I was worried that I had possibly made the dumplings too thin, but I decided to just go with it and see how they turned out in the end. I used a floured spatula to pick up the dumplings and place them on a floured plate. I then set them aside and continued cooking.

 

 

 

            I brought the 2 quarts of chicken broth to a boil and added the dumplings one at a time. I allowed them to cook for 20 minutes and then added the chicken while turning off the heat. I let this set for a few minutes so that the broth could thicken. The recipe didn’t call for this, but I added a little salt and pepper to the chicken and dumplings and then decided that the dish was ready to serve.

            Although I was nervous for this adventure, it was actually pretty simple and turned out well. My family gladly ate the chicken and dumplings, and my dad even went back for seconds. I’m not sure if they tasted as if a grandma had made them, but the fact that my dad had seconds was all the proof I needed to claim that adventure #10 was a success!

 

 

The complete recipe for homemade chicken and dumplings can be found here http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/11/homemade-chicken-and-dumplings/

Adventure #9: Cherry & Dark Chocolate Chunk Scones

            Over the weekend Garrett and I went on our ninth culinary adventure! We decided that since we had made mostly dinners and desserts we would try something new and make breakfast. Although the Oreo pancakes from adventure #3 could be considered a breakfast food, we didn’t count them since they were less than edible. Instead, we decided to redeem ourselves in the breakfast category and attempt to make cherry & dark chocolate chunk scones.

            As with every adventure, we began with step one, shopping. We lucked out once again and already had the majority of the ingredients. Our grocery list consisted of fresh cherries, buttermilk, and dark chocolate.

The complete list of ingredients is as follows

 Scones:

3 ¼ cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cups cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Melted butter for brushing

Glaze:

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
 

            Overall, Garrett and I completed step one successfully. There was, however, one ingredient that caused us some trouble. The recipe called for fresh cherries, but we were unable to find them. We didn’t have many options before us, so we decided to buy cherry pie filling as a substitute.

            Once we purchased the groceries, we headed home to begin step two, baking. This proved to be a fun yet messy step. However, Garrett and I had a lot of fun with it. As usual, we divided the work and began to prepare the scones.

            Garrett began by chopping the chocolate and then the cherries. Meanwhile, I began to make the dough, combining the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. I then added the butter, buttermilk, and vanilla.

            When Garrett was finished chopping the chocolate and cherries, I folded them into the dough with my hands. Once he saw what a mess this was, he had to be a part of it. Together we finished making the dough and then Garrett kneaded it and cut it into wedges for baking.

 

 

 

            Once placed on the pan, the scones brushed with butter and placed in the oven to bake for 14 minutes at 425 degrees. I prepared the glaze while the scones baked, combining the water, vanilla, powdered sugar, and remaining cherries together until smooth.

            When the timer sounded, Garrett and I removed the scones from the oven. This was a process we ended up doing about three times as our scones refused to bake. Eventually, the scones were ready and we were able to try them.

 

 

 

We may have used a little bit too much flour, but with enough of the cherry glaze, the flour taste could be masked. We learned to use less flour last time, but we also agreed that overall the scones were a success.

 

Next week we will embark on our TENTH adventure! What should we make??

 

The complete recipe for cherry & dark chocolate chunk scones can be found here http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/07/fresh-cherry-dark-chocolate-chunk-scones/

Adventure #8: Oven-Baked Frito Pie

            Last weekend Garrett and I teamed up to tackle adventure #8. We wanted to make something fairly simple at a reasonable price and after searching for about an hour, we finally found something that we agreed sounded pretty tasty. We decided to make an old classic with a twist, oven-baked Frito pie.   

            Luckily for us, we already had almost every ingredient. Nevertheless, we still had to complete step one, shopping. We set off for the store in search of 1 can of chili beans, 1 package of taco seasoning, and 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese.

The complete list of ingredients is as follows:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 can (16 oz.) chili beans
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 ½ cups corn chips (Frito’s)
1 ¼ cup sour cream  

            Step one of adventure #8 was not much of a challenge. For the first (possibly the second) time, we entered the store and found everything we needed without any problems. The adventure was off to a good start, so we purchased the items and headed home to embark on step two, baking.

            When we arrived home, we gathered all of the ingredients and began putting the dish together. Garrett, who is now a master at browning hamburger, started with the meat. While the meat was browning, I opened the chili beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and taco seasoning which were eventually added to the hamburger to make the chili.

            A layer of chips was added to a baking dish and topped with the chili. This was baked for 20 minutes at 320 degrees. Sour cream, additional chips, and cheese were then added to the dish which went back into the oven for 5 more minutes.

            The timer soon sounded and Garrett and I removed the dish from the oven, allowing it to cool for several minutes before fixing our plates. When we finally tried the dish, we agreed that it was very good and a recipe that we wanted to keep.

 

 

 

The only drawback to oven-baked Frito pie is that it does not keep well. After refrigerating the dish, the Frito’s become soggy, so the dish doesn’t make for very good leftovers. This, of course, was my opinion. Garrett, however, said that he would still eat it, but to be fair, he would eat almost anything.

            Nevertheless, adventure #8 was a success! Since we have made mostly dinners and a few desserts, we decided that the next adventure would be something in the breakfast category. Check out the blog next week to hear about adventure #9, fresh cherry & dark chocolate chunk scones!

The full recipe for oven-baked Frito pie can be found here http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2011/10/oven-baked-frito-pie.html

Adventure #7: Buffalo Chicken Casserole & Cheddar Bay Biscuits

            This past weekend Garrett and I successfully completed adventure #7. Garrett is a fan of spicy foods while I like anything covered in cheese, so for this adventure we made buffalo chicken casserole and cheddar bay biscuits. This adventure was not much of a challenge for us. For once, we were finished cooking before 10 o’clock!

            As usual, this adventure began with step one, shopping. Garrett had to work, so I completed this step solo. Thankfully, I already had many of the ingredients at home and the rest were not too hard to find. The full list for both the buffalo chicken casserole and cheddar bay biscuits is as follows

 

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

1 ¼ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips

1/3 cup Franks hot sauce
5 cups red potatoes, grated
1 cup light ranch/blue cheese dressing
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (10 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
½ cup panko

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick mix
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt

 

            My shopping list consisted of the chicken breast, hot sauce, cream of chicken soup, Bisquick mix, and red potatoes. All of the ingredients were easy to find, but I guess I could say there were two that gave me some “trouble.”

Once I made it to the aisle with the hot sauce, I had two options in front of me: Franks original hot sauce or Franks buffalo style hot sauce. This is when I wished Garrett were with me since he is usually the decision maker in these situations. Nevertheless, I decided to get the buffalo style sauce since were supposed to be making buffalo chicken casserole. Seems fitting, right?

            The final dilemma involved the Bisquick mix. When I made it to the appropriate aisle, I found the original Bisquick pancake mix as well as some packages of Bisquick mix specifically for cheddar biscuits. However, the packages were those “just add water” mixes, so that didn’t seem right. This left me with the decision of making the biscuits the hard way or taking the easy way out. I decided to do it the hard way despite the fact that I was skeptical of biscuits made out of pancake mix. Nevertheless, I paid for the groceries, drove home, and waiting for Garrett to arrive so that together we could embark on step 2, cooking.

            Once Garrett arrived, we began to prepare the casserole. There were only five steps involved with this dish, but I will admit that Garrett did most of the work. Garrett cut the chicken breast into strips and also grated the potatoes while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. I combined the chicken strips and hot sauce in a small bowl and then placed them in the baking dish. The potatoes, dressing, cheese, and soup were then combined and poured on top of the chicken. Finally, the dish was covered with foil and placed in the oven to bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

            While the casserole was baking, we prepared the cheddar biscuits. This was a very simple process. Basically, all of the ingredients except for the butter, parsley, and garlic salt were combined in a large bowl, creating the dough. Lumps of dough were placed on a cookie sheet which then went into the oven for 10 minutes. It was also during this time that we removed the foil from the casserole and returned it to the oven to bake for an additional 20 minutes.

            While the casserole and biscuits baked, I combined the melted butter, parsley, and garlic salt in a small bowl. After 10 minutes, the biscuits were removed from the oven and covered with the garlic spread. They were then placed back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

            When the timer sounded, both the casserole and the biscuits were removed from the oven. We allowed them to cool for several minutes and then began eating around 7 o’clock! Sadly, this was a huge accomplishment for us.

            Garrett, who will eat anything, liked the casserole while I thought that it was lacking in flavor. However, we both agreed that the biscuits turned out really well, so we decided to keep that recipe. Overall, adventure #7 was a success!


The complete recipe for buffalo chicken casserole can be found here http://holycannolirecipes.blogspot.com/2011/05/buffalo-chicken-potato-casserole.html

The complete recipe for cheddar bay biscuits can be found here http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/10/27/cheddar-bay-biscuits/