August 17-2020 Lightening and Thunder Storms in Sacramento

 Around 1 am, rumbles and rattles on the windows woke me up.  Then, I saw various flashes of light moved from southeast and eventually to northeast.

 

  

Pray safety to all people and firefighters in the area in severe fire storms.

Polly's Home Grown Crispy Peach Pie

 Final groups of white crispy peaches have ripened enough to pick a week ago.  I noticed they bruise easily this year from the previous group of peaches picked.  Obviously the stormy windy days during late spring, early summer caused some damage.  

Prepare Peach filling.

Peel and slice all peaches.  The small pieces will be used to make Peach Roux in a pot.

Add 1 Cup Organic Cane Sugar

1/2 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon

Cook till sugar is dissolved.

Add 1/3 C KATAKURIKO - Potato Starch.  Turn the heat up and continue to cook while stirring until the roux become transparent in color and thick.  *If the roux is not thick enough add more starch roux.

The Flaky Pie Crust:

2-1/2 C Flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Organic Cane Sugar

1 Stick Butter - Cut into halves lengthwise, flip, cut into another halves lengthwise. Slice the short ends.  Cut into 8 pieces.

1/2 C Cold Vegetable Crisco Shortening

6 - 8 Tbsp Ice Water

Mix flour and salt and sugar.  Using whisk or shortening cutter hand whisk, cut butter into flour.  Mix till butter bits are dime size.  Add shortening.  Using whisk, mix till butter and shortening bits are pea size.  Add 3 Tbsp ice water; Mix with whisk.  Then add another 2 Tbsp.  Mix.  Add 1 Tbsp.  Mix.  Touch - Is it enough to form a soft dough?  or still dry?  add 1 more Tbsp water if it feels dry, etc.

Divide equally into two balls - weighed.  Form into thick flat wheel about 7 in. diam.  Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 15 min.

When peach filling is ready, take the pie dough out.  Let it come to room temperature slightly (it's summer time and my kitchen is about 80 degrees, so I need to work fast.)  Roll it out the size of the pie pan plus 1-2/1 in. over.

Sliced peaches are sprnkled and mixed with pectin to keep from browning.  But I was thinking if it will react with KATAKURIKO - potato starch to keep from forming a firm peach filling.

Added more Potato starch because the filling peach roux did not look firm enough.

Mix well.

Add peach roux.

For this pie, I just enclosed all around to make sure no fillings wooze out from the sides.

Bake 425'F for 30 min; Apply Egg Wash - egg yolk + 1 Tbsp milk or water; then, lower heat to 350'F and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is lava hot

Tastes great, but wished the peach roux is more firmer.  I think KATAKURIKO - potato starch and pectin does not work very well or add more of potato starch.  Better job next time.

 

Polly's Red Dragon Fruits Birthday Chiffon Cake

 For my mother's 93rd birthday, I thought I will try making the Red Dragon Fruits Chiffon Cake.

My anticipation of a busy weekend schedule was a bit off.  I baked the cake on Thursday.  I can tell the cake is pinky in color.  By Saturday, the beautiful pink crumb seem to have oxidized.  So, next time, I just have to wake up at 4 am, if I need to.

Ingredients are no different from Kabocha Chiffon Cake in previous post, except switch 9 oz Kabocha with 9 oz Puree'd frozen Red Dragon Fruits.

Prepare a full sheet cake  pan - line the bottom with parchment paper and both short ends.  

Double the recipe, if needed - 7 Large Eggs fills one large Angel Food Cake Mold.

 

Red Dragon Fruits Chiffon Cake Ingredients:

1.  7 Large Egg Yolks

2.  60 g Organic Cane Sugar

3.  9 oz Puree'd Frozen Dragon Fruits - Processed in NutriBullet

4.  50 ml Organic Avocado Oil

5.   1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

6.  80 ml Low Fat Lactose Free Milk

7.  160 g Shifted Flour          *NOTE:  No Baking Powder. 

 

7 Large Egg Whites and 110 g Organize Cane Sugar to make Meringue

 

Mix first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.  

Shift Flour into egg mixture.  Set Aside.

Beat 7 large egg whites - 3 min - low speed 4 - begins to foam, add some sugar tablespoon at a time while egg whites are whisked for 4 min at medium speed 6 - switch to speed 8 - 10 for 8 min. until stiff peak forms.

Add 1/3 C of the meringue into batter.  Whisk in the meringue at the top in circular motion till smooth.  Add another 1/3 C. Mix.  Transfer all batter into meringue bowl.  Fold meringue in till smooth.

Pour into cake mold.  Give several good pounds to release air bubbles from the batter.

Place in gas oven's Center Rack 3rd from the bottom notch.

Because this is baked in a flat sheet pan, it takes a shorter time to bake.  Bake for 33 min.  Check at 25 min with tester.  It's done when the tester comes out clean and beautifully browned.

Decorate anyway you wish.

 

If the batter looks lumpy, put it through strainer.

Then, Add Puree'd Dragon Fruit

I decided to beat with mixer as there are 14 Egg whites to beat. 

What I found out is that I had not been beating the egg whites at high enough speed to completely pick up the egg white that I saw at the bottom of the beater bowl a long time ago which caused me to doubt KitchenAid's beater head and bowl shape, and I have been making meringue by hands all these years to be sure.  Now I have a confidence that if I use speed 8 and 10, all egg whites are picked up and formed into meringue.  I hope it will be the same the next time.

Give several good pounds to release air bubbles in the batter.

Place parchment paper on back side of sheet pan, then, revert the cake out.  Peel the parchment paper off gently.  Cool Completely.  Cover with the sheet pan to keep from drying up.

* The top will sink down, but this is perfect for my purpose to hold cream and fruits.

Make Apricot  Napage - Double 4 oz Apricot Jam/Preserves cooked with 1 to 2 oz water = 8 oz Apricot Jam/Preserves cooked with 2 -3 oz water.  Put through Sieve.  Cool completely.  Brush onto cakes

Slice fresh banana -it should not feel soft, but all yellow. Decorate with Chantilly, fruits, etc.