Cornbread? Cornbread.

Cornbread from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America

1 C Yellow Cornmeal, plus extra for dusting the pan
3/4C AP flour
1/2C Sugar
1.5tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
1/2C Buttermilk
1/4C Vegetable Oil

Preheat oven to 350.
Prep a 8in square pan - grease and dust with cornmeal.
Mix together all dry ingredients.
Whisk together all wet ingredients.
Combine wet and dry - until just mixed.
Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-30 min until surface is golden brown, or springs back to touch.

How cool is this? Buttermilk meets Oil.

I sifted the baking powder... but maybe it clumped up together after I mixed it all together.

The top didn't brown... but I don't think it was overbaked. Unless, I DID overbake... since I thought it was kind of dry and dense. I didn't like the "kernels" of the corn meal. Maybe I should grind it to be a bit more fine? Hmmmm. Just an "ok" recipe.

Class Day 5: Chocolate

This day was about chocolate - eating and baking.
So we simply made a couple of chocolate cakes since it's not a confectionery class, and next week is the ACTUAL class on cakes.

YUM!

Chocolate Cupcakes with 3 Different Icings

Chocolate Decadence Cake w/ Chocolate Glaze

macaronage carnage

So the best bud and I have been busting our butts trying to perfect the French Macaron. OoLaaLaa~
Too bad in all our attempts there were few to zero of "viable" macarons to fill and rejoice at.

I'm still determined to get it though. We've made good progress since our first attempts... but still far from perfection. And like the souffle (which I have yet to re-attempt at home), I refuse to let this one go.

Class Day 4: Pies, Tarts, Cobbler, Crisp

This week was fruit... in pies, tarts, cobblers and crisps! Everything from scratch of course.

 Double Crust Apple Pie

Blackberry Cobbler

Pear Crisp

You can see (and taste) the diff between the crisp and cobbler topping. YUM!

Lemon Tart

Pudding anyone?

Still playing around with packaging and labeling...

Would you refuse this magnificent tower of homemade...

?

Class Day 3: Pate a Choux, Pastry Cream, Chocolate Souffle

This class was a toughie... I was just "off" the whole time. Must have just been one of those days. Blah.

Pate a Choux came together nicely - probably since I've done it before.
Also got to hone the piping skills!

Burned the pastry cream a bit. Got the burned milk taste going on... which was later on masked by the chocolate and pate a choux.

Sucked at the chocolate souffle. I think I over cooked the roux - which ruined everything from then on. But I got to exercise the arm muscles by whipping the egg whites by hand!

I'll definitely be working on that souffle. I refuse to let it get the better of me! Rarrrrr.

Bain-Marie

a tip? or already well known info?

ANYWAYS - New to me!

We all know the traditional water bath for baking cheesecakes and custards etc... fill a pan partway with hot water, in the pan is the baking good wrapped well with aluminum or whatevs to keep water out.

I learned this other way!

Set a kitchen towel on baking sheet... SATURATE with hot water... set baking item right on the wet towel and bake. TA-DA! A water bath without the risk of unfortunate water splashage!