therapy baking

for the first month and a half of the semester I almost exclusively our school’s notoriously terrible food. Once my meal plan ran out I ate…. well not much besides ramen and cheese crackers. And then I ran out of ramen and really wasn’t eating at all.

but that’s about to change because yesterday

I WENT TO THE STORE

i know, it’s surprising

And then tonight, I actually decided to get out of bed (another surprise!) and head down to the communal kitchen. (Since moving, I no longer have a stove.)

The expedition to the kitchen started with an impulse to make candied ginger. Then I decided to make some very belated birthday lemon bars, bread, and since I probably should eat something, curry. (somehow i don’t think those are all getting made tonight)*

Because I only have one pot currently, I had to prioritize what to cook first. Obviously I chose the ginger candy.

Candied ginger is basically the best thing. Plus you can use the syrup in all kinds of delicious ways, such as adding it to ginger bread or pouring it over frozen strawberries. or even…. lemon bars!  

Anyway

Candied Ginger

from David Lebovitz

• 1/2 lb Ginger
• 2 cups Sugar

First, get yourself a hunk of ginger. (I used a half pound here). You need to peel it – the easiest way to do this is with a spoon. Then, cut it into slices as thinly as you can manage, but it isn’t that big of a deal.

Next, you need to blanch the ginger. Boil enough water to cover the ginger in a (non-reactive) pot. Add the ginger once it’s boiling and let simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy the smell of ginger. Drain the water.

Now do this again!

==> Meanwhile

Finally! You are done blanching. Now add 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water to the ginger. I know, it is a lot of sugar. But you are making candy after all.

Boil until the water reaches 225 degrees. Of course, if you don’t have a candy thermometer (I don’t) just boil it until it begins to get syrupy. I am never completely sure if I have cooked it long enough, but that’s okay because I’m really in it for the syrup. The ginger is just a bonus.

Let everything cool slightly, pour the syrup into a container and lay the ginger on a sheet to cool. I guess you could put granulated sugar on it at this point if you really want to.

Sadly, now you must wait an hour before eating your delcious spicy candy.

the perfect amount of time to make….

Lemon Bars! Part 2

from Smitten Kitchen

but you should just go to her recipe though because it’s pretty much what I did  and I’m getting tired of typing.

man I’m tired. You’re probably tired of reading this too. Forget the chickpeas and bread, I’ll just eat strawberries in ginger for dinner. (just kidding, I bought tons more ramen!)

And then I will feed lemon bars and ginger to my lovely friends. Thank you guys for being there

*called it

Pie Update & Blog update

Last week I made a peach pie. It turned out well, but not as well as it would have if I’d been more than 60% awake when I made it.

(It got a little burnt, and the crust was flatter than I like them to be.)

I reccomend going to smittenkitchen’s site for the ingrediants and instructions, but here they are anyway:

Crust
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces
1 tablespoons (15 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 sticks (225 grams, 8 ounces, or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
1/2 cup water, very cold

Filling
About 3 1/2 pounds peaches (approximately 6 large, 7 medium or 8 small)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, from about half a regular lemon
1/4 cup granulated sugar (see note up top; use 1/3 cup for a sweeter pie)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (ditto)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons minute tapioca, ground to a powder (see note up top), or 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

To finish
1 tablespoon milk, cream or water
1 tablespoon coarse or granulated sugar

Make your pie dough: Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl. Using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of small peas. (You’ll want to chop your butter into small bits first, unless you’re using a very strong pastry blender in which case you can throw the sticks in whole, as I do.) Gently stir in the ice water with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Get your hands in the bowl and knead it just two or three times to form a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc. Chill in fridge for at least an hour or up to two days. Slip plastic-wrapped dough into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 to 2 months (longer if you trust your freezer more than I do). To defrost, leave in fridge for 1 day.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling: Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Prepare an ice bath. Make a small x at the bottom of each peach. Once water is boiling, lower peaches, as many as you can fit at once, into saucepan and poach for two minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice bath for one minute to cool. Transfer peaches to cutting board and peel the skins. In most cases, the boiling-then-cold water will loosen the skins and they’ll slip right off. In the case of some stubborn peaches, they will stay intact and you can peel them with a paring knife or vegetable peeler and curse the person who made you waste your time with poaching fruit.

Halve and pit the peaches, then into about 1/3-inch thick slices. You’ll want 6 cups; it’s okay if you go a little over. Add to a large bowl and toss with lemon juice. In a small dish, stir together sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch until evenly mixed. Add to peaches and toss to evenly coat.

Preheat: Oven to 425 degrees.

WHICH is basically what I did! My peaches mostly worked out. The slightly less ripe ones had to be peeled though.

Okay that’s really all i have bout that.

more later, since I’m making lemon bars.

BLOG UPDATE:

I’m going back to school soon, at which point it will (hopefully) be easier to keep up a regular post schedule. I’ve been moving around a lot lately which makes it hard to a) cook and b) write about it.