your food "ARCH NEMESIS"
- Thread starter BamsBBQ
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Maverick2272
Stewed Monkey
Well, alrighty then... Chinese biscuits... ah uh... sure... LOL. I think I have heard of that before, but what got me were the fried Twinkies, snickers, and assorted candies and chocolates and what-nots.
PieSusan
Tortes Are Us
No Keltin, I have expressed my opinion about a type of cuisine that I do not particularly like and you choose to take it personally. You said that you don't like desserts in one post and it didn't phase me at all. I love to bake them, share them and recipes but I don't insist that everyone agrees with me when I like something or dislike something.
leolady
New member
Keltin! I make great biscuits! They rise high, light, and tender and are NOT salty. Let me help ya!
First take your recipe. If it calls for shortening, substitute an equal amount plus a tad more of lard. If in doubt, add more lard. I alway use Rumford baking powder to avoid that nasty baking powder aftertaste and the saltiness of cheap baking powder. Also sift your salt, baking powder together before adding shortening to distribute the salt throughout. When you cut the lard into the flour mix, do it quickly and gently until you get navy bean size uniform lumps in the flour. Use buttermilk if you have it or if not whole milk.Turn your dough out on a well floured surface and just pat lightly with your hand to get the dough about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick in a square/rectangle. A rolling pin is overkill. I usually cut the dough into squares to avoid having to handle the dough again like you have to when cutting out round biscuits. Put biscuits on ungreased baking sheet lightly touching each other if you want the sides fluffy. If you want the sides brown, separate the biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes in a hot oven. I don't watch the clock, I turn on the oven light and watch the biscuits til they are browned to my satisfaction.
They should rise high and light, although you wont get as many biscuits per recipe as you would had you flattened the dough more. I make similar shortcakes only adding a little sugar to the dough's dry ingredients before sifting.
First take your recipe. If it calls for shortening, substitute an equal amount plus a tad more of lard. If in doubt, add more lard. I alway use Rumford baking powder to avoid that nasty baking powder aftertaste and the saltiness of cheap baking powder. Also sift your salt, baking powder together before adding shortening to distribute the salt throughout. When you cut the lard into the flour mix, do it quickly and gently until you get navy bean size uniform lumps in the flour. Use buttermilk if you have it or if not whole milk.Turn your dough out on a well floured surface and just pat lightly with your hand to get the dough about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick in a square/rectangle. A rolling pin is overkill. I usually cut the dough into squares to avoid having to handle the dough again like you have to when cutting out round biscuits. Put biscuits on ungreased baking sheet lightly touching each other if you want the sides fluffy. If you want the sides brown, separate the biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes in a hot oven. I don't watch the clock, I turn on the oven light and watch the biscuits til they are browned to my satisfaction.
They should rise high and light, although you wont get as many biscuits per recipe as you would had you flattened the dough more. I make similar shortcakes only adding a little sugar to the dough's dry ingredients before sifting.
Tickle Me Elmo
New member
Leolady, I'm not Keltin, but I have done almost to the letter what you have just described and have had very poor results. Maybe I'll give it another try. Number......................
Keltin
New member
Tickle Me Elmo
New member
Fantastic! Now, do you have a TNT Biscuit recipe I can try? Thanks a million!
Good point, Keltin. Yet again another recipe, but I'm willing to go down that road. Why not?!
PieSusan
Tortes Are Us
Leolady, that recipe looks like the real mccoy to me. Just may I add one more thing, dear lady? As not many folks bake with lard anymore, please be sure that your source is fresh. Often Mexican grocers or Asian markets have fresh large if you have a large Mexican or Asian community where you live. There is nothing worse than having old lard spoil a recipe, too. There are some who insist on using it in their pie dough, too. Around here, the Amish still do.
Tickle Me Elmo
New member
Not meaning to cause a firestorm, but this last exchange seems to be a bit caustic. I'm a new member and am somewhat a non-confrontational being. Even given my former occupation, there must be a calmer way to address ones opinions. Just my take on this.
leolady
New member
You are right! The better and fresher the lard, the better the biscuits and/or pie crust IMHO. Fresh leaf lard is the best.
You can freeze your lard when you come home from the store in small portions to take out of the freezer when you need it. That way it does not go rancid.
You will get a flakier, tenderer, and more flavorful biscuit or pie crust with lard than you can with shortening/Crisco. That's why us old timers still use lard.
As for the recipe itself.........I use whatever recipe that comes quickest to hand AND I triple or quadruple the recipe!
I only use the recipe for the proper proportions of salt to flour to baking powder, and give me the general idea of how much lard to use and how much milk. I eyeball the dough and add a little more or less lard or milk until I get it right.I will take a recipe like this one -- and tweak it. http://www.recipezaar.com/Baking-Powder-Biscuits-118281
I bake whatever amount of biscuits I need at the time, and put the rest on cookie sheets in the freezer til frozen. Then I bag and seal them, and leave in the freezer for when I want biscuits. I take out the number of biscuits that I want, put them on a cookie sheet and most of the time I let them thaw for 20 to 30 minutes before baking them. Sometimes I just pop them in the oven at about 425 and keep an eye on things.
They've always come out just fine!
RobsanX
Potato peeler
No, not Chinese biscuits, Chinese donuts. You'll find them at many Chinese restaurants.
Maverick2272
Stewed Monkey
Er, right, doughnuts not biscuits... my bad. Yes, I have had them a time or two at Chinese buffets.. they are ok and I have wondered before how they would be with some cream or fruit filling.
But what I would really love to do in a deep fryer is replicate a Krispy Kreme doughnut!!!
RobsanX
Potato peeler
Yeah I've been thinking about piping some vanilla pud up inside of them. That's just sounds really good!
Maverick2272
Stewed Monkey
Oh yea, that would be good. What about banana pudding as well? Chocolate would be a bit much I think, but others might like it...
Keltin
New member
Banana Pudding I'll take by itself! I don't like many sweets or deserts, but Banana Pudding is my kryptonite. I can skip dinner and go straight to it!
AllenOK
New member
Around here the doughnut shops make "Bismarks", a custard-filled doughnut. I really like a good Bavarian Creme Bismark, but lately, it seems all the doughnut shops are using the same store-bought Bavarian Creme, as I can taste a funky chemical taste. Whatever happened to homemade? (I can probably answer that as well).
Up in Michigan, they had the same basic doughnut, but called it something else, a Polish name, that I think is spelled "paczi". Ask S. Shepherd about it.
One of my co-workers actually thawed out a couple frozen, unbaked biscuits that we have in stock, flattened them out, then DEEP-FRIED them, and tried to call them Sopapillas. Other than being a little under-cooked, they weren't bad, but then, they weren't Sopapillas, either.
Tickle Me Elmo
New member
Are you talking about the banana pudding with sliced bananas and vanilla wafers layered with thick vanilla pudding? If so, you've gotten my attention. Our oldest son would crawl over broken glass for a bowl of that. Comfort food in a bowl.
Keltin
New member
That is exactly it!!! And it has to be a "real" custard made from scratch and not that boxed stuff! Nilla wafers, slightly aged bananas, fluffy meringue on top! Man, just thinking of it makes me hungry!
Maverick2272
Stewed Monkey
I like Bavarian creme as well, but not what they have around here. However, the Paczi (sp) they have at Tony's are great! There are a limited number of variations they have available. Plain inside or filled. Filled is either a blackberry or strawberry jam or a Bavarian creme. Topped is either plain, icing, or chocolate icing.
They are very good, though!!
AllenOK
New member
Cafe du Monde, right on Jackson Square! Several times!
Honestly, I don't think there's really much different between beignets and sopapillas, except for the sweetening agent. I could be wrong though.
Tickle Me Elmo
New member
Thought so. That's how we make it in our house. 'Cept we top ours with sweetened whipped cream. Oldest son is going to be 39 and still acts like a little boy when he knows it's being served for dessert.
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BamsBBQ
Ni pedo
i got this from a cook in the south... he called it a lazy mans beignet..lol
yes they are great...see post above..lol
Keltin
New member
leolady
New member
I just now saw this. Here is a few common problems.
Is your flour or your lard, or your baking powder old? Was your lard cold when you cut it in, it should be. And don't let your dough sit long before baking them either.
Tortilla's, I really can't get these things to come out good unless I thicken up the dough!
Normal egg omlet, I'm not sure why but my omlet never turns out right and it usually becomes a mess called egg & cheese slop LOL.
But I've been shown how to make a Tortilla from a real Mexican and he was nice to show me.
Normal egg omlet, I'm not sure why but my omlet never turns out right and it usually becomes a mess called egg & cheese slop LOL.
But I've been shown how to make a Tortilla from a real Mexican and he was nice to show me.
BamsBBQ
Ni pedo
different ways to make an omlet...
if you want a fluffy one.. separate your eggs..beat your egg white until i looks like a meringue.. mix up egg yolks with your spices and what not into the egg yolk, gently fold that mixture into your egg whites so that you dont lose the air you created by whipping..make sure your skillet is almost smoking hot. add your egg mixture to skillet, cook until bottom looks good... lay some cheese,smoked salmon or favorite meat, place under broiler until cheese is melted...fold over onto plate..enjoy
the biggest thing i have found when making an omlet is to make sure that your pan is well greased and hot
that reminds me..i think i will post a recipe on my omlet complete with pictures..lol
That's where I have the trouble, Every time I go ahead and try to flip the egg that's when it all falls apart literately.
Fisher's Mom
Mother Superior
Hi Derek, here's a great video about tortilla making. It's the film maker Robert Rodriguez and the video is about making breakfast tacos. It's about 10 minutes long and part of it deals with making the eggs but I think it's an excellent tutorial on real Mexican tortilla making.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBgsLmDcL78[/ame]
HTH