It Was Colonel ‘Custard’ In The Kitchen With The Knife!

I would like to dedicate this blog entry in memory of a friend who recently passed:

Bradley Henderson

January 1, 1977-March 8, 2010

Welcome to another edition of "New Day, New Way!" I am on spring break this week and am enjoying every minute of rest that I can. That is the reason for the delay of this blog, just btw. I have been busy in the kitchen, though! Lots of new things to share! Pretty much everything is a dessert, lol. Custards, icings, and sugar - oh my! There will be a recipe at the end of this blog! Lots to cover, so let's get going...

First up, I have found a use for my pineapple rings! My mother gave me the idea for a pineapple smoothie. I went into this blindly, and it took a few tries to get it right. I essentially started by placing a whole pineapple ring in my food processor, I don't own a blender. I then added some ice cubes, fat-free yogurt, and skim milk. I blended until smooth and then added some orange juice. Once pulsed a few times, I poured it into a glass and garnished! Voila! A fat-free pineapple smoothie! Recipe to be provided at the end of blog! It was absolutely delicious! Fruity, sweet, and guilt-free!

'Twas heaven!

So, this is where the fat-free foods stop... lol. I substitute low-fat things in the place of high fat ingredients, like margarine for butter and apple sauce for oil, but the fat grams can really add up. This is why moderation is key! Ramekins and mini-casserole dishes are a godsend! For a dessert or snack, they are the perfect size. I highly recommend you buy some, they can be found at pretty much any big box/home store. So, what did I use my dishes for? CUSTARDS! What is a custard? Cream/milk, sugar, and egg yolks. Crème Brûlée and Bread Pudding were my custard adventures. Let us start with Crème Brûlée...

For this recipe, you start my heating cream and vanilla bean seeds in a pot until boiling. You then remove from heat and mix egg yolks with sugar. You add the cream mixture a little at a time, then place in ramekins and bake in a water bath. Once done, you cool in the fridge, then you caramelize sugar on top. This was the scariest part for me. I don't have a chef torch, yet, so I was forced to use my oven's broiler. You have to check it every couple of seconds... It burns VERY quickly. Here is the finished product...

The caramelized sugar adds some crunch to the creamy custard. Very good!

My favorite part in eating it was taking my spoon and cracking the sugar on top, very entertaining, lol.

Our next custard dessert is Bread Pudding. This is such a homey and soul-warming dessert. My favorite of the two, too. If you recall my last blog, I made a loaf of brioche bread. In a conversation with fellow foodie, Sarah, she mentioned that the bread would be great in a bread pudding. Boy, was she right! The brioche is very dense and holds its shape even after baked in the custard. One of the best things I have made, for sure. You make a custard mixture, pour it over cubed stale brioche, top with brown sugar mixture, and bake. That is it. Very easy, very good. Some recipes want you to make a sauce with brandy to top it, but don't. It is awful and tastes like you are doing shots... lol. Anyway, here is my bread pudding in mini-casserole dishes!

YUM!

Next weekend, my family is coming to visit Murfreesboro! This is the first time for my mother, younger sister, and grandmother(if she gets to come). I am very excited! My older sister and her husband are driving, my mother had a phobia of the interstate, bless her. Any-who, Scotty's birthday is right around that weekend and he has made a request for his gift: a 3D JOHN DEERE TRACTOR CAKE... lol. I have been planning for sometime now, and I have officially begun actually prepping the materials for it. Since I still have a little over a week until the cake will be eaten, I won't be putting it together for a few more days. I have, however, started making a few things...

First off, I made the buttercream icing. I made my usual vanilla icing, but also made a batch of chocolate! All you do is add cocoa powder to the confectioner sugar, very easy, but makes a WONDERFUL chocolate icing. 

:D Delicious!

Before I stored my icing, I decided to have a bit off fun... For quite a bit of time now, I have been wanting to make a icing rose. Well, I finally did it. It took quite a few errors to get a rose that looked great. I am very happy about it! The first few roses, it took about a minute or two each, now I can do it in about 30 seconds! Hardcore! Here is my rose, mind you it is chocolate. Colored roses soon!

A rose for you! Love my messy counter? I was also in the process of prepping my cakes...

At my fondant class that I took a few weeks ago, I learned the niftiest trick! Ever bake a cake and it is a little dry or needed it to stay moist for a few more days? This will be your lifesaver! Simple syrup will take care of these problems! You simply drizzle some over the cake part, not the hard or crunchy top/bottom/sides. before layering. It is tasteless and will keep it extra moist for a few more days of shelf life or bring back that dead-dry cake! What is a simple syrup? It is equal parts sugar and water(1:1 or 1 cup of water=1 cup of sugar). You boil your water, dissolve sugar, cool, and bottle. 

This simple trick will save you some gray hair!

I bought these nifty bottles to store and dispense my syrup :D

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my break! I will be trying gluten-free bread in the next coming days and working on my cake! The next blog should be interesting, too! I also bought a sheet cake pan for an upcoming order! Very exciting! Until next time, have a good night and tomorrow!

Recipe Of The Day:

Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 Pineapple Rings

2/3 Cup Yogurt

1/4 Cup Milk

5 Ice Cubes

1/4 Cup Orange Juice

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. That is it, lol. Very easy, very good!