Monday, September 30, 2013

Cold Minty Bussiness

Lately i been lacking on inspiration for my blog, well, I'm lacking of ingredients, lacking of time and lacking of oven. That leaves me with a sort of different problems at the time to writte and prepare my tasty treats. So this week my creative process was something hard. At first i start to thinking on sweets that doesnt need an oven. Then i have to work with the limited ingredients that i used to have on my pantry. And third something really quick who leaves me with some extra time for reading "The Vampire Lestat". This amazing book who i bought it about 3 days ago and i'm on the page 632. Yes i'm a bit adicted to it.

Mint and Chocolate chips Ice cream

So with this creative process i came up with an Ice cream, A Mint with chocolate chip Ice cream. The interesting thing about this Ice cream is that the ingredients and the process aren't conventional. I didn't use an Ice cream maker machine and i didn't use eggs or milk. Sounds weird Right? But i ended with a creamy, soft and minty ice cream who can be used for acompany of any chocolate dessert or just by itself.


I took this ice cream recipe from a lady who i saw a couple of days ago on internet called Diane Kometa and her "Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream", i trully like the fact that you dont need an ice cream machine for making an creamy ice cream. The only thing that i saw on her recipe is the whipped cream. I think that is too much whipped cream and makes that the texture become more like shaving cream or worst dental cream (who with a minty flavour would totally taste like that) So i modified some components of her Original recipe to have an ice cream with a nice texture and an amazing flavour.

"Minty-Choc Ice cream"

Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cups sweetened condensed milk – one 14 ounce can
  • 2 – 2 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract – some extract brands seem to be stronger than others
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Dark Chocolate with mint bar or just Plain Dark Chocolate Bar (You are going to need about a Cup of chocolate chunks)
  • 4 drops green food coloring – optional

Directions

Place whisk attachment and mixing bowl in freezer for about 15 minutes, this will help to whip the cream easilly.
In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract and green food coloring. Mix well to thoroughly combine. Taste and add up to a 1/4 teaspoon more peppermint if desired. Crack the chocolate bar into little chunks, doesn't matter if some are big and other are little, that helps to give that rustic touch to our ice cream. You will need 1 cup of chocolate chunks. And add them to the mix.
Remove heavy cream from fridge and bowl and whisk from freezer. Pour cream into the mixing bowl and beat until firm peaks form.
Fold about ¼ of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture until combined. Add the rest of the whipped cream and fold in until thoroughly combined. 
Pour mixture in to a container or loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid.
Freeze overnight for an excellent Ice Cream.



You can serve it with Whipped Cream, chocolate Syrup and nuts. I decide to make a couple of Chocolate Pancakes and serve my ice cream like an Ice cream Sandwich using the pancakes.
BTW, i'm making a lot of invetigation about new  tasty treats for share with us guys.. and  you might see a thing or two on my blog. See you next time and let know how great were your ice cream bowls

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Strawberries Madness

It's Sunday Afternoon and i'm quite mad because: First, My twitter Account was suspended and i dont know why, i'm not an Spammer or those accounts who makes a tweet for a minute. Second, My Oven is still broken. I cant fix it just yet because i have to wait till my next payday and cross my fingers to the tecnician makes his job done to start to bake again. Third, Tomorrow is Monday and that's a valuable excuse to be mad too ok?. But this very morning i wasn't that mad because i planned to have a Special Breakfast (It's a way to cook without an oven too) With Strawberries. Here on Venezuela there's only 3 places where you can find propper fresh Strawberries. On the Andes Area, where is a cold temperature and the strawberries crops doesn't get ruin by the tropical hot. On the metropolitan area there's a place called "Colonia Tovar" It's a little town who has some beautiful German Architecture and you can find large berries crops over there and last but not least  a little bit on the south but also on a mountain Area called "Caripe" where you can find some of the largest berries that i ever seen.


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Late Cookies and a Tea Party with the zombies

A Broken Oven made that my sunday night depressing, and a sad sad week, but i said a couple of weeks ago that my commitment with this blog is going to be complete, So i went to my father house for bake my adorable "Black Tea with Milk chocolate cookies" and guess what, They came Perfectly. Normally they are golden with little black dots, but i decide to add few green food coloring to the mix to have a fun and vibrant green colour. Between my family and friends were some mixed opinions about this cookies. My dad Said that the tea flavour was intense but not outshine the milk chocolate, My cousin said that the cookies had a buttery flavor that goes well with the tea and rux, my co-worker said that the cookies taste so well by itself, there's no need to dip them on chocolate. My oppinion was that i felt that were a little salty for my taste... i think my tonge is quite broken too.


I eat a some while i was re-reading the ending of my "Pride and Prejudice" Zombie version book, and of course that i made a couple of extra cookies inspired by the protagonists on my book. I could actually imagine Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet eating this cookies at the afternoon with a snokey cup of Earl grey tea while they talking about the better way to kill a zombie. *Sigh* I think i got  a little bit nolstalgic about it.


Also i must say that my adventure with the "cameo cookies" were a totally FLOP, i try to make the silhouettes with black colored milk chocolate but the only thing that i did was a mess. Certainly i need to practice more with the chocolate if i wanna do fantastic creations dont you think?



If you wanna do a batch of this cookies i have linked the recipe right upthere, and i'm eager to see the reactions about it. I'm also highly recomend the "Jane Austen feat Seth Grahame-Smith" Book, it's refreshing but also very clasical, just like me.

PS: I think that a great way to enjoy your cookies and your book is listening music that goes with them, That's why i leave here a Recomendation that i been hearing for a couple of months. It's a Greek Swing band that i must say it's amazing. This song will makes you feel like you're at a 1940's tea party with the Darcys and the Zombies.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Great Cookies, Bad Luck.

Hey, Sunday again.. and it suppose to be a day for sharing a Recipe with all of you guys but i'm experimenting some bad Luck over here. You see, I think that my oven has past away or something, it's not working and i feel quite sad  in this very moment. In honor to finished "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" book, I was going to make some "Black Tea and Milk Chocolate Cameo Cookies" I mean, If that book have a flavour it will be an earthy flavor like Black tea with milk, Sweetened with a hint of honey. And that is what i'm trying to portrait on this recipe. A cookie that when you get the first bite and find the soft hints of the black tea and the floral touch of the honey you can say "Wow, It's like having the tea time"

I find this recipe on a blog that i must say have the most beautiful photos that i've seen on my freaking life... I feel amateur in front of that blog. (Well, I feel amateur on front of a Thousand blogs over here) But i saw that recipe and i felt in love of that idea. Tea in a cookie? You can bet. Besides i get also inspired by the book, and when i try the cookies for the first time i was finishing to read the book. So i feel that it was faith, having a tea cookie when i was reading an alternative book about a british writter who used to love tea.

No picture this time, but i'm going to leave the Recipe for you guys to try it. Then you can tell me what do you think about it.

"Black Tea and Mik Chocolate Cameo Cookies"
Inspired by Cannelle e Vanille Blog Diamants

Ingredients.

200 gms unsalted butter
100 gms confectioners sugar
1 lg. egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. honey
220 gms all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon of Black Tea. (About 4 or 5 tea bags)
Pinch of salt
Egg white for brushing outside of cookie dough.
  • Cream the butter and sugar until pale in color and light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk, mix to combine. Add in vanilla and honey, mix until smooth.
  • Add all the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated but do not overmix as to prevent a tough dough. Turn the dough out onto a wax paper and roll into a 2 inch log. Wrap the log and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge, Brush the outside of the cookie log with egg white, and cut slices that are about 1/2 Inch Thick. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until the centers are set, rotating the trays halfway through the cooking time. Let them sit on the trays for at least 10 minutes to cool, and then transfer them to cooling racks.
To decorate just melt 100 gms of Milk Chocolate and dip a cookie. 
It supposed to be "Cameo Cookies" I did the Cameo Detail with white chocolate and a little brush but without the photos i can't explain very well how i made the Cameo details. So i feel so bad about it.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Between Accountants and Vampires

Well it's Wednesday again and i'm very very tired. You perhaps thinks things like "An Accountant is just being all day long seating on the computer filling spaces with numbers and adding more more numbers" Well yeah it's kind of it but it's more than that too. At least on the Accountant Office where i work is just a whole new level. I'm an acountant but my co-worker Rux and i were also maids, recepcionists, secretaries, janitors and the list goes longer and longer every day. Our boss is a little bit ennoying. So i'm WAY tired also because i have to work across the city 4 hours at day. Great Fun isn't? And the pay, it is good? WRONG! so bad... i'm barely a little up from the minimun wage who i must say is nothing. I barely made it at the end of the month, sometimes i cant afford my books or even some of the ingredients so yes i'm also tired for that too.

Talking about books, i'm not sure if i said this before but a month ago "Geeky Javi" read a famous book called "Interview with the Vampire" and Loved it. The characters, the plot, everything was so beautiful. Lestat trully was my favorite character, a long haired blond, Cruel, mean Vampire who i have to pleasure to understand and even when he's not the main character on this book i must said that LEstat for me is the lead Character on that lovely book. Another Character who i fell in love was Claudia, or as i called "Claudine" (On french sounds better isn't?) a sweet child with a beautiful face and a rotten soul. The thing is that i was eager for more and decide to read the second book "The vampire Lestat" The thing is that i couldn't find it ANYWHERE, I look on every single bookstore and i couldnt find it.  Untill Yesterday when i was looking on a page called "Mercadolibre" (It's like Ebay for us Venezuelans) and i found it, it's an used book, but doesn't matter i'm going to have it. Well when i get paid because i'm a little bit broke right now.


I'm making some Research about cookies, and cupcakes... so maybe you'll see some of those thing next sunday night. And that's it.. i'm not into the mood to talk about anything else.. also im going to take a shower and just die in my bed.
Goodnight people.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Charleston, Opposites and Pies!

It's Sunday night again, At least it is here in Venezuela where ALWAYS is hot. I really cant stand the hot over here, it's like Summer all year round and i'm sweating all the time it's quite unconfortable when you use a suit and a tie every single day of the week and you are addicted to wear jackets and sweaters. Well, in my past entry i was talking about the book that i'm reading called "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame - Smith and the kind of music that i'm listening like Avant Garde Rock and Electroswing so i started to think, If this week have a theme, it will called "Opposite Week". Mixing clasic things with modern twists and that's the kind of thing i did this Sunday. Pies! Opposites Pies. Doesn't sound like fun? I did 2 pies. The first is a "Fudge Chocolate Baked Pie" and the Second is a "Cold Chocolate Crust Lemon Pie"


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Nuts, Zombies and Hard Rock Swing?

I have some good and some Bad news. The good news is that my boss returned from her vacations and found her cats alive (i'm not sure if this is a good news because i wanna to kill those cats myself) and left the office Cat-Free. The bad news is that the office still have that soft odor of cat poop, bleach and pine air freshener which is a bit better but i feel like still Smell Hideous. At least i dont spend too much time on the office these days. "Accountant Javi" leaves every single morning across the city about 30 mins away from my home to work as an External Auditor in a place called "Alimentos Oriente" (Orient Food) who is a food distributor, He feels so sick to go there and check every single little paper from their sales and buys. But from something band i found something good, just at my right i found a place where i can buy ANY nut or dry fruit. Almonds, Nuts, Macadamia nuts, barbacue corn and more... so after my payday i spend a bit and got Cashew, almonds, Pistachios and hazelnuts quite a feast. and i only spend about 230 Bs (Like 37 American Dollars) i think i made an excellent purchase.


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Cats, Brownies and Runaways!

Hello, first of all i just want to say that this is my first food post and i'm so excited because i believe i did an excellent work. Well at least i did on the flavours and the quality of my lovely brownies because i think that the pictures aren't good enough but "Artist Javi" did his best and that matters. I think he should take some research about food Photography because this is not going to be another of my failed projects. This is going to be one to last.