Coconut vegetable curry

Left bowl on the picture

This is the recipe I cooked as a final test at the Indian restaurant during my externship. They liked it and asked to write it down in order to put on the menu.

Coconut vegetable curry

Yield 15-20 portions

Ingredients                                                   Amount

Potatoes, Yukon gold large                           2 ea

Cauliflower, medium                                    1 head

Butternut squash                                           1 ea

Onion red, large dice                                    3 ea

Garlic chopped                                             2 tbsp

Ginger minced                                              2 tbsp

Turmeric, divided                                         5 tbsp

Coriander, divided                                        3 tbsp

Salt, divided                                                  4 tbsp or as needed

Cumin                                                           2 tbsp

Garam Masala                                                2 tbsp

Chili powder                                                  2 tbsp or as needed

Canola oil                                                       ¼ cup

Ghee                                                               1 c

Coconut milk                                                  3 qt

Lemon juice                                                   ½ c

Tempering

Black mustard seeds                                     1 tbsp

Curry leaves                                                 1 c

Dry red chili peppers                                    1 c

Ghee                                                             ½ c

Method

1. Peel potatoes, cut into bite size pieces. Steam the potatoes until 75% done. Toss with 1 tbsp turmeric, ½ tbsp. coriander, and 1 tbsp salt. Set aside, preferable overnight.
2. Break cauliflower into florets (bite size), steam until 75% done. Toss with 1 tbsp turmeric and ½ tbsp. coriander. Set aside, preferably overnight.
3. Peel butternut squash, remove seeds, and cut into bite size pieces. Season with 1 tbsp turmeric, ½ tbsp. coriander, and canola oil. Mix well and roast at 375 F for 7-8 minutes (until almost done). Set aside.
4. Heat ghee and add onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until slightly soft. Add garlic and ginger, sauté for another 2 minutes and add spices (turmeric, coriander, garam masala, chili powder). Sauté until fragrant 2-3 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk , bring to simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 15-20 minutes to allow flavor to combine and infuse coconut milk.
6. Add reserved vegetables, bring to simmer and cook until heated through and vegetables are ready and tender.
7. Add lemon juice. Check and adjust seasoning if necessary with salt and chili powder.
8. Temper mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chili peppers in ghee (tempering means frying spices in very hot oil until they become fragrant). Add to the coconut mixture.
9. Mix together and serve hot.

Snickerdoodles

Cookies ready for freezer

Another recipe made during my externship. I like these cookies, so decided to share it here.

Snickerdoodles

Flour                            578 g
Baking powder                6 g
Butter                             12 oz
Sugar                              508 g
Eggs                                  3 ea
Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer. Scrape sides.
2. Add eggs, continue to beat. Scrape sides
3. Add flour and baking powder. Mix to combine. Do not over mix. Make sure that the sides of the bowl are scraped and mixture is even consistency.
4. Using ice cream scoop, scoop the dough, making balls. Freeze them.
5. Before baking roll each cookie in cinnamon sugar. Place on a baking sheet tray covered with parchment paper and bale at 325 F for 8-10 minutes.

French macarons and buttercream filling

French macarons is one of my favorite dessert. It seems easy to make, however I tried many times and only the first one was successful. This is the recipe we used during my externship at Google to make them.

Almond meal (flour)                               204 g
Powdered sugar                                      360 g
Egg whites (room temperature)               216 g
Sugar                                                       234 g
Vanilla extract                                          1/4 tsp

Method
1. Combine almond meal and powdered sugar, sift twice.
2. Whisk egg whites to the soft peak, gradually add sugar and vanilla. Whisk till stiff and glossy. Do not over whisk.
3. Add merengue to the almond mixture in three stages (1/3 each time), fold.
4. Pipe macaroons on a baking sheet tray lined with a parchment paper or silicon mat (no grease!)
5. Let rest 30-60 minutes
6. Bake at 325 F for 9-11 minutes


Buttercream filling

Egg whites                            82 g
Sugar                                    138 g
Cold cubed butter                 203 g
Flavoring of your choice.
Method:
1. Dissolve sugar into egg whites over a double boiler whipping whites to a soft peak.
2. Add butter and flavoring. First it will deflate and you will think that you ruined it. Continue whipping and the cream will come back together

P.S. The crazy amounts of all ingredients are due to the fact that I have to scale the original recipes down ten times...

Shortbread

Shortbread - cut and ready to be served

Shortbread

Another recipe I made during my externship. This one again is the master recipe. You may flavor it with anything you like. When we made it the flavor was lemon zest and poppy seeds.

The result was great. Delicious, very soft shortbread.

For the amount of ingredient given, you get three half size baking trays. So feel free to

Vanilla Cupcakes

Baked cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes I made at one of the cafe during my externship. The recipe is quite simple and what is more important for baking is forgiving.

The recipe is forgiving, because you may play with flavour. The lead cook told me that once she substituted buttermilk for the citrus juice to get citrus flavour. And it worked.

We substitutes approximately half of buttermilk for chai and added spices - cardamom, cloves, ginger. Our cupcakes were

Tidewater Cole Slaw

Tidewater Cole Slaw (for a crowd)
Ingredients:

Green cabbage, cored, chiffonade very fine  2 gal volume
Red cabbage, cored, chiffonade very fine  1/2 gal volume
Red peppers, very fine julienne  3 ea
Yellow pepper, very fine julienne  3ea
Horse carrot, very fine julienne 3 ea
Red onions, minced 3 ea

Dressing
Sour cream 1 pt
Mayonnaise 1 pt
Cider vinegar 1/2 cup
Dry mustard 3 tbsp
Gulden's mustard (the name of the brand for prepared mustard, 
you may substitute with Dijon) 2 tbsp
Canned horseradish 4 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 cup
Salt, large grind black pepper, Tabasco t.t.
Ground celery seed 2 tbsp
Method:

1. Prep the cabbage, peppers, and onions and reserve. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and reserve separately from the slaw. Be precise on the vegetable cuts.
2. Mix the slaw anytime before service time (but not the day ahead) and allow a couple of hours to marinate. 

Pizza dough

This is recipe for a pizza dough we used to make calzone in a class. The dough was excellent.

Ingredients:
makes 500 grams dough

Flour (all purpose) 262 gr (100%)
Water warm           178 gr (68%)
Yeast                        2.6 gr (1%)
Salt                           5.2 gr (2%)
Extra virgin olive oil 52 gr (20%)

Mix yeast with water. Mix Salt and flour. Combine all ingredients and knead dough for about 10 minutes to develop gluten.
Let it proof twice until doubles in size.
Roll for the desired shape. Add feeling.
Bake at 500F until golden in colour.