Separating Eggs

I had such a hard time learning how to do this, but I guarentee with lots of practice, you can become an expert! Learning how to separate eggs is crucial for making special pies and meringues

1. Take out your number of eggs and place them in a bowl.


2. using a knife, crack the top part of the egg, and take off the top part of the shell.


3. With the top part taken off, pour the egg into your hand. That's right directly into your hand.


4. Throw the empty shell away (unless you want to use it as fertilizer for your pants) and pour the egg from your left hand, to the right, making sure that the yolk stays intact and the egg flows out of your hand.

Cooking Tips

Here are some cooking tips that I have learned the hard way (haha)...

1. when cooking with chocolate, (semi-sweet, unsweetened etc) make sure you ALWAYS have your heat on low. Chocolate burns very easily

Whipped Cream

Mmmm...sounds yummy doesn't it?

Tons of people use redi or miracle whip, but wouldn't you like to make your own? I tried this a few weeks ago for mother's day and it was a HIT!

1. have a cool whip, cold whipping cream and cold steel bowl before you start making your whip cream. It makes things a lot easier.
2. Take a cup of heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and whip together, the same way you would whip egg whites. you want to make sure that it becomes stiff and little peaks form.
3. Not enough sugar or vanilla? ADD SOME MORE! People are always worrying if they need to strictly follow the recipe. You don't. If you think something doesn't have enough sugar, then add some sugar. It's your instinct, and you should always follow it

Red Velvet Cake

This is my specialty! I first tried it when I was eleven years old. My aunt made some, brought it over to the house and I was hooked! I told my mom and that I had to try to make it. Both of my parents thought I was too young to bake an entire cake by myself. Little did they know that I was determined to make the best Red Velvet Cake EVER. I have tried many recipies but this is by far the best!

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
3. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well.
4. Sift together flour and salt.
5. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.
6. Blend in vanilla.
7. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture.
8. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

This came from Paula Dean's recipe. She's an amazing cook. She always makes me smile and inspires me.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandmother-pauls-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html

Kai's Key Lime Pie

This recipe is dedicated to an awesome baker that I know, Kai Arindell. You can look at her blog here http://thefoodspatula.blogspot.com/


Ingredients- Pie
¼ cup of lime juice
1 can of condensed milk
2 eggs yolk
1 drop of green food coloring (optional)
1 store bought graham cracker pie crust (or follow directions)
Ingredients-Meringue
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cream of tartar
2 egg whites

Directions- Pie
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees Farienheight
2. Stir lime juice, condensed milk and egg yolks
3. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake until firm. Make sure that the pie isn’t runny by testing it with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, that means it’s fully cooked. While that’s baking, start to make meringue.

Making Meringue

This took a long time for me to master but the results are amazing!

1. take out your number of eggs (will vary on recipe) and leave them in a bowl to get to room temperature. It's easier to whip eggs when they aren't cold.
2. Mix egg whites and cream of tartar together. The cream of tartar makes it easier for the eggs to form stiff peakes
3. Using a copper bowl, whip eggs together. Why a copper bowl? Because the copper bowl and the egg whites make a chemical reaction that makes it easier to whip the eggs. I don't have a copper bowl (yet) so I just use a glass bowl. Never use plastic or titanium.
4. Gradually whip in sugar. This process may take a while if done by hand, but the results are amazing. Keep whipping until the egg whites, tartar and sugar turn completely white and start to get stiff. Make sure that the egg whites form stiff peaks so that they can stand on their own.

Hello!

Hello all!

When I was little, I would watch cooking shows with my dad. I would always see the chefs in their beautiful white uniforms and aprons, whisking, beating, grilling or doing something that always sparked my imagination. The first time I watched a cooking show, it was Emeril Lagasse with his great smile and happy face telling people how to make baked alaska. I was hooked.

I still watch cooking shows and wonder: Will I ever be as good as them? And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. This blog is to help the average person make delicious meals just like the pros. I'm talking about souffles, sauted mushrooms, creme brulee, coconut sticky rice, the list goes on! I live in NYC and like anyone who lives here, we never have any time to do anything. That's going to be another part of this blog.

I will post new messages, videos & links every week (or weekend).

Thanks for reading!

Daria