School and some thoughts!

School season officially started this Monday. I have been stressing out over, classes, schedules, and job commitments and of course all the money costs related to school, especially culinary school. F Y I there is lab fees, tools, uniform, etc.
Did I also mention that I joined a gym, have been job hunting, and recently started going to a church group, try fitting that around friends, family and some free time… there is just not enough hours in a day!!
But, alas I have made some free time to post in my lovely blog and describe to you how my days are going so far... yesterday I had my internship class, super fun just introductions and some basic instructions. Today, Quantity took the spotlight… here they’ll teach us about food manufacturing and portioning. Tomorrow (I’m very exited) it’s Baking and Pastry, and Thursday, I’ll have International Food, here we prepare food for actual customers! And at night I have Menu/Layout.
So, you can all feel pity for me at my busy schedule I have three classes at another college that include Small Business, Marketing, and ServSafe Foods. 24 units in total…
And to celebrate all this, I need to share to home recipes that can’t be made in a commercial kitchen; because the crock-pot is not commercial.
Bon Appetit!

Cran-Apple Risotto

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
3 little apples (diced)
½ dried cranberries
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1/4 t kosher salt
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
4 tbsp Splenda
4 cups rice milk

Procedure
Use a 4 qt round crock-pot
Set the crock to high and add the butter, let it melt
Add the rice to the butter, and stir it around to coat it.
Add the apples, and spices. Stir in the rice milk
Let it cook on high for 3-5 hours or on low for 6 or so.

Banana- Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup self rising flour
6tbsp butter
2 ripe bananas
6tbsp caster sugar
1 ¼ cups milk
1 egg (beaten)
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Procedure:
1. Grease and line the base of a 4 cup pudding basin
Put an inverted saucer in this bottom of the ceramic pot and pour 1 inch of hot water. Turn on to high.
2. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, and rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. In a separate place mash bananas, then stir into the flour and butter mixture. Add the sugar and mix.
3. In a clean bowl, add the milk and eggs, then beat into the banana chopped chocolate and spoon in to the prepare pudding basin. Cover with a double thickness of buttered foil and place in the ceramic cooking pot. Pour enough boiling water around the basin to come just over half up the sides.
4. Cover the pot, cook for 3-4 hours, or until the pudding is risen and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Flan de Elote

Corn bread, corn muffins, corn flan? Yes, it’s a very delicious Mexican tradition. A flan is technically Mexican style custard. It can be flavored, it can fruit it in, caramel on top, or be simple and elegant.
The corn flan is a delicious variation, that I set out to recreate and well, it barely lasted long enough for me to take a picture! Hope you like it!!

Flan de Elote
Source: A Cooks Tour of Mexico

Ingredients:
12 large eggs
2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
3 cups milk
.5 fl oz vanilla extract
1tsp cinnamon
16 oz tender corn kernels
12 oz sugar
4.5 fl oz water

Procedure:
1. Put the eggs and condensed mil in large bowl. Add enough milk to total 2 quarts. Add the vanilla and cinnamon.
2. Pour into a blender container, in batches and blend until foamy.
3. Put the corn in blender and blend just enough to break them. Mix with egg mixture.
4. Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add the water and swirl the pan, by its handle over medium heat until the syrup comes to a boil and turns clear.
5. Cover pot and raise the heat for about 6 minutes or until sugar is caramel brown. Immediately pour over 12 x 2 in baking dish. Swirl the syrup around quickly to cover entire bottom of the dish.
6. Pour egg mixture over caramel
7. Pre-heat over to 325F. Make a water bath, (about 1in up sides of flan dish.
8. Place water bath in the center of oven and bake for 1-2 hours. When toothpick comes out clean its done. Cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve.


Yield: 12 Servings

mushroom pudding and red pepper sauce!!

The other day I found myself with leftover bread (stored in the freezer) and two lonely Portobello mushrooms hiding in the veggie cabinet.

Pair that with a die-hard bread pudding fan and you got Portobello Mushroom Pudding!!

It is very simple to make, and the Portobello mushroom could be substituted for regular button mushroom. Plus it looks lovely decorated and can b saved for the following day!!

Ingredients:
For pudding
75 grams unsalted butter (melted)
6 eggs
8-12 oz red wine
3/4 cup of milk
90 grams day-old bread
1-2 Portobello mushrooms (diced)
Pepper and salt to taste
For Sauce:
2 yellow bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
½ onions diced
1 oz red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Mix the wine and milk together
Pour over bread and let soak for 30 minutes
Then mix the remaining ingredients together
Pre-heat oven at 300F
Pour in a buttered oven mold
Bake in water bath for about 40 minutes or until set.
Meanwhile dice onions, sear them until golden,
Deglaze the pan using the wine. Put the liquid in a blended, add onions, bell peppers and add a little H2O if necessary.

Puree until smooth, them bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Once the pudding is out, let it cool completely!! The using cookie cutters form into shapes, plate and serve the sauce over it. Voila!