Chocolate Nougat

I've been busy studying reading the most comprehensive and engrossing non-fiction book I have ever owned, ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas. I kid you not, browsing through the book feels like I'm a student reading a textbook and preparing for an exam because it's meant to teach. The book is divided into 4 categories and 22 chapters, 942 pages in all with additional 87 pages for conversions, baker's percentages, temperature conversions, glossary, references, formula index, and subject index.

These are the 4 categories:
Part 1: Introduction, 43 pages, a chapter on historical perspective and current opportunities on bread and pastry and a second chapter on food safety and sanitation in the bakery, which are all must-read.
Part 2: Bread, 251 pages
Part 3: Viennoisserie, 93 pages
Part 4: Pastry, 591 pages

At the start of each chapter are objectives and brief introduction or history and at the end of every chapter a summary, key terms, and review questions.
example:
Part 4, Chapter 18 Petit Fours and Confections
Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to

• define the classical categories of petit fours and the characteristics of the items.
• describe the contemporary categories of petit fours and to be able to make a selection of them.
• define the properties of saturated and super saturated sugar solutions and to be able to make them successfully.
• make a selection of sugar confections including crystalline, noncrystalline, aerated, and jelly.

While I'm not a newcomer to candy making, I'm not an expert either and this book will probably make me one after I am finished reading it and if/when I'm done making all of the formulas which might take forever. The first I made from Part 4 Chapter 18 is Chocolate Nougat because I've never had chocolate nougat before. The chocolate in the recipe is called chocolate liquor which should not to be confused with chocolate liqueur. The glossary section defines it as "the product of the whole cocoa bean after it has gone through the initial production process and can be turned into cocoa powder and cocoa butter, can be sold as unsweetened chocolate, or can be further processed into dark or milk chocolate".

Glucose is available at candy/cake supply shops or you can get Wilton's but this brand is 3x more expensive. I used Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking bar. The candies came out perfect, not too hard nor too soft, have the right amount of sweetness and crunch from the nuts, and the chocolate flavor is rich without being overpowering. I love it!

Chocolate Nougat
adapted from ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas
1 pound ½ ounce sugar
3¼ ounces glucose
5 ounces water
10 ounces honey
2 ounces egg whites
¾ ounce sugar
3½ ounces chocolate liquor
5½ ounces blanched hazelnuts
7 ounces blanched whole almonds
2½ ounces pistachios
2 sheets 8 x 11-inch rice or potato paper

• Line the bottom of an 8 x 11-inch pan (or metal frame if you have one) with a sheet of rice paper.
• Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in a 275°F oven until golden. Turn heat down to warm (100°F), add pistachios and keep them in the oven until needed.
• In a medium heavy bottomed stainless steel pan, cook the first sugar, glucose, and water to 302°F. When the sugar mixture reaches 248°F, start cooking the honey (in a small stainless steel pan). Cook the honey to 266°F.
• Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with the ¾ ounce sugar. Slowly pour the honey onto the whipping egg white. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the hot sugar syrup.
• When full volume is reached, add the melted chocolate and mix until blended. Add the warm nuts and mix until incorporated.
• Transfer into the lined pan and smooth out if necessary with a buttered rubber scraper. Press the second paper on top of the nougat. Leave on the kitchen counter to set. When nougat has cooled, cut into desired sizes.

My next project from the book is Laminated Brioche. I can't wait to make and share them with my readers.:-)

Food Friday Sautéed Vegetables

green and purple yardlong beans, cherry tomatoes, and edamame beans

End of season vegetables from my garden: green and purple sitaw, cherry tomatoes, and edamame. I sautéed them in garlic, shallots, fermented anchovies (bagoong monamon), and a little chopped crispy pork rinds (chicharrones). Simply delicious.

Baked Empanada Kaliskis

Empanada kaliskis (fish scales) has been in my 'to make list' for as long as I can remember but even after getting a recipe with the procedure on how to make the layered dough (thanks again to Maricel) I was still hesitant because of the work involved and the dreaded deep-frying. A reader renewed my interest when he suggested making the Italian sweet pastry sfogliatelle into a savory one just like empanada. After reading both recipes and the one from Malta, pastizzi, which are all remarkably similar, I tested a small batch. Although I wasn't 100% successful in rolling the dough paper-thin and the empanadas don't have the thin layers of these ones, I still think it is worthwhile because they came out flaky, tender, and delicious.

How to Make Empanada Kaliskis Dough
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold lard or butter, diced
1 tablespoon rock sea salt
1 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste
3 egg yolks
filling of choice

The following is Maricel's complete procedure for mixing and shaping the empanadas. The thickness of the slices is not specified; 1-inch thick is okay. I didn't soak the slices in oil, I brushed the dough with melted lard, sfogliatelle style, before rolling into a log. I baked the empanads in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes, brushing them with melted lard every 10 minutes to open up the layers.

Cut in lard to flour until cornmeal in texture. Dissolve salt, sugar and egg yolks in water. Add to flour. Knead until smooth, adding up to ½ cup of flour if dough is sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin or pasta maker, roll until dough is paper thin. Roll jellyroll fashion around a piece of fresh coconut tingting until desired diameter is reached (bigger diameter for bigger empanadas). Be sure to roll tightly. Pull out tingting. Cut into crosswise slices. Soak in oil for 30 minutes. Roll out each slice on a piece of banana leaf using a center-out, center-out motion until circle widens. Invert onto another piece of banana leaf. Roll dough trimmings thinly. Put trimmings on top of inverted rolled, oiled dough. Add filling. Fold in half. Seal edges by twisting and turning. Deep fry in hot oil. Flush with oil to make scales open.

filled with flaked chicken pork adobo

Italian Sunday Gravy

I don't watch much TV these days but when I do, it's some cooking show or contest. I always catch just the last part of Cook's Country episode on Italian Sunday gravy. I got curious as to why it's called gravy and not tomato sauce. After a lot of web searching I found one recipe that has pigs feet and immediately forgot why I was searching for it. Of course, with the pigs feet how can I resist so I made a very small quantity combining the Cook's Country version and the recipe from one of Serious Eats readers. This is one delicious tomato sauce and I love the soft gelatinous skin and meat of the pigs feet. One serving with some, okay lots of meat, over a cup of whole grain penne for lunch was so filling I had to skip dinner.

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