Homemade Tortilla for Taco Night

Taco is one of my favorite lunch at the office.    But it has not been one of the item to cook at home.  You would agree - just go eat at the Taco Bell or at your favorite local taco joint.   Well, the time has come to roll up the sleeve and enjoy them at home.  At first, I bought crispy taco shell, etc. out of box, then, I ran out.  I could easily just make the crispy taco shell, too, but... taco is something I enjoy eating out.  Until the price per Meal value jumped to a price that is just about the same as a sit down Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese restaurants for PHO noodle or UDON or fried noodle... then 'me' start thinking.... Oh my goodness!  there goes my favorite treat that I really enjoy.  The taco joint at the corner of Olson drive has lost a bunch of customers, I bet, after Panda Express opened up a block down the road; then the Koreana Plaza opened up the "International Food Court".   I love Nashny and all the goodies that I can taste.   But I still want to eat TACO, taco, taco!!
Ingredients:  
1 lb Organic Ground Beef
1 C chopped Onion
Freshly cut iceberg lettuce
A bowl of Tillamook shredded Cheddar Cheese - cool room temperature
Gluteless and preservative free jar of Salsa - yes, you should make it fresh, but Tomatoes are not growing yet in my garden.
Salt to taste
Packet of Taco seasoning or make your own:
a Couple of shakes of Cayenne Pepper
a good pinch of ground cumin
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp chili powder
Option:  cut tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Saute chopped onion over medium low heat till they are translucent; Add ground beef.   Stir and press and separate ground beef to make chunks into individual ground state.   Add all the spices and add salt to taste.  Add anything else you like.

Ingredients for Soft Taco Shell:
1 C flour
1 Tbsp vege oil
pinch of salt
about 6 Tbsp of water

Mix flour and vege oil together first - thoroughly.   Then sprinkle salt over it.   Add water and mix with hand and knead until a smooth ball forms.  About 10 min.   Cover and set aside and rest for 15 min.
Divide the dough into a good size ball that you can roll into a 6 inch soft Tortilla.  Thickness is up to you.
Heat a flat pan.  Rub some vege oil, if you wish, on the pan ... place the tortilla dough to cook. 
It would puff up.  Turn it over to cook the opposite side when the bottom side turns slightly brown.
Remove from heat and place it in a Taco stand while warm, if you have one.
Spoon ground beef, ... and all the goodies.
Enjoy!

Polly's very first French Macarons

I contemplated on making this French Macrons that looks so cute.  I have see many bloggers making them with such a ease, but I held back for a longest time.  This time I have to find a recipe that use the egg whites that got orphaned when I made cinnamon rolls, and this Macarons was a perfect choice.
To prepare for this, it's best that you have all the 'fillings' pre-made.   As with any other French recipes, the ingredients are so basic and simple, but the prep and or the baking techniques are the key to a successful product.  Sounds like an advice from an expert, but after making Canneles de Bordeaux many times, it is a things to remember.

Makes about 20 to 25 Macarons
INGREDIENTS -
Overnight - 2 Large Egg Whites in a covered bowl left in refrigerator overnight.


FILLINGS
From anything you like to put in between or these:

Chocolate Mink Ganache:

Chocolate Mint:
5 oz of  Andes Creme de Menthe >>Mint Chocolate chips - finely chopped and placed in a heat proof bowl
2 tsp light corn syrup - add to the heavy cream when heating to boiling point
1/4 C to 1/3 C heavy cream or Milk - heated to boiling point

Add corn syrup to chocolate.  Bring cream/milk to a boiling point.   Removed right away and add 1/4 to finely chopped mint chocolate chips.  Stir to melt.  If it look dry, add the rest of liquid.
Let it cool a bit and pour into pastry bag.  Need a small tube tip, if you have one.  Set it aside.

To make Espresso / Coffee flavored filling, you need Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream - Reduce the following recipe by half or calculate into 1/4 batch.

5 Large Egg Whites - room temperature
1 C sugar for Egg Whites and 1/4 C sugar for Butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 C (4 sticks) butter, room temperature

Butter Preparation: 
Whip the Butter in a separate bowl until pale yellow.  If all buttercream will be used for  a dedicated flavor - Add it now.  e.g.  Add Espresso/Coffee mixture.  Set aside.

Meringue Preparation:
METHOD - Bain Marie
Tip:  The water should be boiled and brought down to simmer.   Add egg white and 1 C of sugar into a heat proof  bowl/pot.  The bottom of the bowl/pot with egg whites and 1 C sugar should not touch the water.
Whisk egg whites and sugar and place over bain marie and whisk continuously until sugar is melted.  The mixture should feel hot, but the egg white should not be cooked.   *Close to 180'F.
Remove and transfer to a mixer bowl -  with Whisk attachment.
Whip at low speed for 2 min.   Then, at medium speed for 2 min.   Bring to High speed and whip until stiff and shiny peak form.

Add 1/2 C of Meringue into Butter, fold with spatula.  Add 1/3  of Meringue with butter; Fold.  Add another 1/3 of Meringue, fold.  Repeat.


Espresso / Coffee:
Dissolve 1/4 tsp of instant espresso/coffee with 1/4 tsp hot water.   Set Aside
or
1/3 C powder sugar with 1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder.
Add dissolved espresso/coffee into buttercream

Pressed Maraschino Cherry:
1/4 C maraschino cherries 
Squeeze the as much liquid out as possible.

 French Macarons Ingredients:
71 g Almond Flour   or sliced blanched almonds processed into fine flour
117 Powder Sugar
2 LARGE Egg Whites (overnighted)
53 g Sugar
2 large baking sheet covered with Silipat

Grind sliced blanched almonds in a food processor until fine.  Shift it through sieve.
Return solids back into food processor to process further until fine flour forms.   Sift it through the sieve again.   Sift Powder sugar through.

 Mix almond and powder sugar well.   Set aside.

Beat egg whites and sugar by hand until combined.

Beat 2 min on medium speed -speed #4 Kitchen Aid mixer.
Then, 2 min at medium high speed-speed #6 Kitchen Aid mixer

Preheat oven to 350'F

Then, beat at high speed, #8, until the shiny stiff peak forms.

Add almond mixture and Fold to combine all well until shiny mixture forms.

Divide the paste into two bowls.

Add Flavor or color to it at this point.

Transfer into pastry bag with straight piping tip #804 Ateco, if you have one;  Otherwise, cut the tip of the plastic pastry bag to 7 mm opening.

Pipe a 2 cm round  (about 2mm less than a Quarter coin) on the baking sheet - 1 inch apart.   *It will expand.

Bake 1 sheet at a time.  Rotate the pan half way baking - moving quickly and gently.   Bake 13 min - depending on the power of your oven - *Until risen and just set.

Let cool.

Pipe the filling on one side and top with the other half.

Add pressed maraschino cherry, if desired.

Sprinkle some instant coffee or fine chocolate powder on top to decorate.

Make a great present.

Ahh! Cinnamon Rolls -- the Old Fashion Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

 I have tested quite a few "Yeast" Cinnamon Roll recipes before, but none came quite so good -- they taste dry.  Replicating Cinnabon's cinnamon roll is not quite my goal as I am sure ... the dough conditioners and other stuff to keep them fluffy throughout the day is not quite achievable.  This recipe came from Alton Brown's "Good Eats 2, The Middle Years" cookbook.   If any foodies interested in the science behind how each ingredient reacts and works together, this book is like a "mad scientist" must have guidebook.

And of course, I couldn't just follow the recipe exactly, as I have no buttermilk.  But considering the fact that I have test making the wonderfully soft HOKKAIDO Bread, Challah bread, and Ponchik, I know the secret of the Sour Cream and TAN ZONG.

 For the dough:
4 large egg yolks - room temperature
1 large egg - room temperature
2 oz sugar
6 TB unsalted butter - softened
3/4 C Sour Cream + 2 TB water
20 oz Flour - Divided into two 10 oz
1 /4 oz Instant Dry Yeast
1-1/4 tsp Kosher salt
Mix to combine egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter in the mixing bowl with a paddle attachment.  
Add sour cream.  Mix for 1 minute.
Mix 10 oz of flour, yeast and salt together with a whisk in a bowl first.  Then, add to the egg mixture.
* At this point, luckily for me, I transferred my dough to my commercial Hobart mixer.  
*Change to Dough Hook.    Add 4 oz more of flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
Add more flour if necessary.  Knead until smooth dough forms. 5 minutes more.
Mix until smooth.  Transfer to an oil'd bowl.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

 

 

Turn the dough over to a work surface.
Knead gently for 30 seconds.
FILLING:
8 oz light brown sugar
1 Tb ground Cinnamon - Ceylon
pinch of Kosher salt
3 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
Mix Cinnamon and brown sugar together and salt
Line a 13x9x2 baking pan with parchment paper

 Form the dough into rectangle shape.  Roll out the dough 18 x 12 inch.

 Spread the softened butter on the dough.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture over it and spread with the palm of your hand as close to the edges of dough.

 Start rolling in the ends tightly.

 Pinch close the edge at the end.  Roll gently to even out the roll all across.   Cut the roll into halves.  Roll gently to even out the roll, again, if needed.  Slice the roll with very sharp serrated knife.
Note:  In this picture the pan size is not 13x9x12.  I don't know why, but I end up using my brownie pan, instead.   Not trusting that it will expand to fill all the gap when double in volume.

 Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Take out and let rise and bake in the morning, or like me, I left it covered in the kitchen overnight.    I came down at 5:30 am in the morning, and there they are all bubbled and doubled in the pan.   Preheat the oven to 350'F.
Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent top from over browning, if needed.  As for mine, as you can see is "over crowded".  Before the center temperature reaches 190'F, the external crust would have burned, so I covered the pan with aluminum foil for the first 20 min.
Bake at 350'F in the middle rack

 Insert digital thermostat to the center - its done when the temperature starts to reach 190'F.   **Take out before it reaches 190'F.
Simple Icing:
Mix 5-1/2 oz of Powder Sugar  with 2 Tbsp of milk. 1 tsp of Pure Vanilla.
If you have some cream cheese, soften it and add to it.  If not, skip it.
The mixture should be runny but not like water.  The mixture should coat the spoon thick.
Add more powder sugar, if needed.

 Drizzle the icing over the wonderfully baked Cinnamon Rolls. 

 And guess what, they were shared at the office that morning.   Lucky them!