OUR DAY HAS COME

ASSALAMUALAIKUM AND VERY GOOD MORNING TO ALL OUR BLOG READERS!!

today, 17/3/2010

as we expected today is our presentation day for da blog that we created.huh actually it is somehow dissapointed us due to some technical problem of the PC lab.however because of one talented person speaker Khadeeja has saved our day. she used to attract the class by making some jokes well everybody knows that she is the PR student so she deserve to know wat r da way to maintain her audience attention. btw both of us Noly n Marinie remain humble today hahaha. dat one is not a fact but its juz a claim to hiding our main reason from people's knowing (we hv some trouble when it comes to presenation)hehe. besides it is da best decision to choose Khadeja as our speker bcoz if we were at her place, so sure we will somehow degrade our self esteem at dat moment rightly.hahaha.overall today presentation is good apart from da feedback dat we get from da class.thnx.

Cheddar-Crusted Apple Pie



Ingredients

Serves 10 people

* 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
* 1 recipe Cheddar Double Pie Crust Variation
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 4 pounds Granny Smith apples
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with rack in lowest position. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll each disk of dough to a 14-inch round with a floured rolling pin. Transfer one round to a baking sheet for top crust; refrigerate. Wrap second round of dough around rolling pin; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate for bottom crust. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate (don't stretch dough).
2. Place lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core apples; thinly slice crosswise, tossing with lemon juice as you work. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt to bowl; toss to combine.
3. Fill bottom crust with apple mixture; lightly brush edge of crust with water. Place top crust over filling; press all around edge to seal with bottom crust. Using kitchen shears, trim to a 1-inch overhang; fold under itself to form a rim, and press to seal. Using thumb and forefinger, crimp rim.
4. With a paring knife, cut five small slits in the center of pie; place pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 45 to 60 minutes more. If rim browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.

baking tips

Top Tips for the Home Baker
These tips from John Barricelli will help you with all the baking basics.

Proper measuring equipment
Measure liquids in a clear measuring cup, which allows you to read measurements at eye level. Measure dry and semi-solid ingredients in graduated dry measuring cups -- they allow you to level ingredients with a straightedge.

Measuring flour
Sift flour and other dry ingredients only when called for specifically in the recipe. Use the dip and sweep method to ensure you've measured the proper amount.

Unsalted butter
Always use unsalted butter; this will allow you to control the amount of salt in the recipe.

Eggs
To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes.

Rolling out pastry and dough
Use only a small amount of bench flour when rolling out dough; too much flour will cause the pastry or dough to become dry and stiff.

Testing for doneness
To test for doneness, use a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake -- it should come out clean. The cake should spring back when lightly touched, and should be just pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Proper cooling
Cakes should be cooled for 15 minutes in the pan before unmolding and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Preparing a cake pan or muffin tin
When prepping a cake pan or muffin tin, a pastry brush can help with the hard-to-reach spots. Brushing the surface between cups will prevent muffin tops from sticking to the pan. Use softened butter rather than melted butter.

Creaming butter and sugar
Creaming butter and sugar is necessary to achieve full volume; be sure to take the time indicated in the recipe.

Soft cookies
If you prefer soft cookies, slightly underbake them. In most instances, simply substituting brown sugar for some or all of the granulated sugar in the recipe will produce softer cookies because it contains more moisture.

Crisp cookies
If you prefer crisp cookies, try using egg whites in place of some of the whole eggs called for in the recipe. You can restore the crisp texture of a cookie that may have softened by heating at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Strawberries with Cream Cheese Filling

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These pretty strawberries are cut to resemble flower petals then stuffed with sweetened cream cheese.

Ingredients:

•32 fresh whole strawberries, large
•11 to 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
•1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
•1/4 teaspoon almond extract
•2 tablespoons semisweet or milk chocolate, grated
Preparation:
Cut a thin slice from the stem end of each strawberry,
allowing the berries to stand upright on flattened end.
Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter.
Cut each berry carefully into 4 wedges, cutting almost to,
but not through, bottoms. Fan wedges just slightly,
taking care not to break; set berries aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar,
and almond extract until light and fluffy. Gently fold in grated chocolate.
Using a teaspoon or decorating bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries.
If desired, sprinkle with a little more grated chocolate.
Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Makes about 32 filled strawberries.

Cake Baking Tips



Temperature & Cookware



•If your oven temperature is questionable, invest in an oven thermometer. Some ovens can be off by as much as 75°.

•Before mixing the batter, prepare the pans, turn the oven on, and make sure the rack is in the center.

•Shiny pans reflect the heat, and are your best choice for cake baking.

•Reduce the oven temperature by 25° when using glass pans.

•Substitute 8-inch square pans for round if you want, or use 2 to 3 8 X 4-inch loaf pans. The baking time will be less, so begin checking about 15 minutes before the time suggested.

•Have all ingredients at room temperature for best results.

•Grease pans with about 1 tablespoon of fat per layer pan.

•Use cocoa (or carob powder) instead of flour for dusting a greased pan when making a chocolate cake.

Ingredients & Techniques

•When measuring flour, fluff it in the bag then spoon into the measuring cup; level off with a knife.

•To "lighten" a hard wheat flour, spoon 2 to 4 tablespoons of cornstarch into a 1-cup dry measure, then sprinkle the flour in until full and scrape off the excess with the back side of a knife.

•For better texture, try substituting buttermilk for regular milk in your cake recipe. For each cup of buttermilk used, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients.

•Beat butter and sugar for as long as the recipe directs.

•To make a lighter cake, separate the eggs first. Add the yolks to the butter mixture, beat the egg whites then fold into the batter.

•In general, use 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder for every cup of flour in cake batters.

•To speed up the softening of cold butter, grate or thinly slice it and let stand for about 10 minutes over a bowl of warm water.

•Toss nuts, raisins and chopped fruits in flour first. This will help keep them suspended in batters.

•To split layer cakes loop a long strand of unflavored dental floss around the center of the cake horizontally. Cross the ends and slowly and firmly pull on each end to cut cleanly through the cake.

•Cool the cake thoroughly before frosting.

•To moisten confectioners' sugar frostings, use other liquids in place of milk. Melted jelly, fruit juices, coffee, peanut butter (with a little milk), honey, or maple syrup are just a few alternatives.

•Make chocolate whipped cream by combining 2 tablespoons each unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in 1 cup whipping cream, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before beating.