Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious Tex-Mex and barbecue fusion: Brisket Queso! We have made Queso  in the past but as noted in the past recipe, it takes a little bit of experimenting to get the right texture. So this time, we used a new technique by incorporating a little bit of chemistry and simplifying the queso part of the recipe. Specifically, the key is to use sodium citrate, which is a compound that can be created by combining an acid like lemon or lime juice with baking soda and helps to keep the cheese evenly smooth. Another important factor is the ingredients used: American cheese actually has sodium citrate already; the Colby that we used is a similarly good melting cheese. Brisket Queso Ingredients: 40 milliliters lemon or lime juice 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 pound cheese, cut into cubes or grated (we used half cheddar and half Colby) 1/2 cup heavy cream Some Pico de Gallo, Habanero Salsa, or just fresh diced tomatoes and onions Brisket Directions: Create ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a classic breakfast-dessert dish: Cinnamon Rolls! Cinnamon rolls evoke the feeling of a nice American brunch spread, or a breakfast at a Southern cafe - who market their cinnamon rolls as the gooiest, fluffiest, most cinnamon-y delights you've seen. Well, cinnamon rolls actually find their strongest roots in Scandinavia, with Sweden in particular. In fact, Sweden and Finland originated a National Cinnamon Roll Day, on October 4th, to celebrate their cultural delicacy. The American version really isn't too different save for the use of a cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon Rolls Makes 9 cinnamon rolls Ingredients: 375 grams bread flour 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast 1/2 teaspoon salt 40 grams sugar 180 grams milk, slightly warm 40 grams softened butter 4 tablespoons softened butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 4 ounce softened cream cheese 2 tablespoons softened butter 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 9...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a famous Brazilian dish: Pão de Queijo! This dish is essentially what the Portuguese name translates to: "cheese bread". But this baked good is actually a lot more nuanced because of the ingredients that go into it. Specifically, the use of tapioca flour mixed with a cheese like mozzarella gives this bread a very chewy texture on the inside that perfectly complements the crisp exterior. Pão de Queijo Makes 18-24 pães Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup (170 grams) tapioca flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (60 grams) Mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/8 cup (15 grams) Parmesan cheese, grated 1 egg 160 grams milk 80 grams oil Directions: In a food processor, add in all the ingredients and pulse until evenly incorporated. Brush oil in a mini muffin tin and pour in the batter. Try not to fill the pan up too much because they will expand significantly while baking. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. If you just looked at the final product, you'd be surprised at how eas...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious and aesthetic dessert: the Cake Roll! As the name suggests, it is the wonderful innovation of cake in log form. But it's not as simple as just rolling the sheet of cake up - we have to worry about the cake cracking when it rolls and the outside surface looking smooth and clean. So for this recipe, we switched up our usual Chiffon Cake recipe for something a little different, as you'll see in the first few steps. Cake Roll Ingredients: 50 grams neutral oil 70 grams cake flour 60 grams milk 5 egg yolks 5 egg whites, chilled 50 grams sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup whipping cream 1 tablespoon sugar Fresh fruit, like mango or strawberry A 11" x 10" or 11" x 11" baking pan Directions: Heat the oil in a small pot to 158-167°F. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the flour thoroughly. Mix in the milk until evenly incorporated. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until homogenous. Whisk the egg whites with lemon juic...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a fiery Habanero Salsa! Salsa is deceptively easy to make - just chop up a few ingredients and put it through a food processor - and if you do it yourself, you're able to get it to exactly the right consistency and flavor that you want. In this case, we were able to concoct a devilishly spicy salsa with a fresh habanero. Plus, this is so much fresher than the store-bought variety of salsa! Habanero Salsa Ingredients: 3 medium tomatoes (or Roma tomatoes), deseeded 1/4 small red onion 1 jalapeno 1 habanero Cilantro 1 tablespoon lime juice Pinch of salt Directions: Chop the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and habanero into rough chunks - not diced. Cut the cilantro so that there aren't any long stems. Add the chopped ingredients into a food processor along with the lime juice and salt. Pulse until the desired consistency is reached. This salsa is great by itself but it also is an amazing way to add an extra kick to guacamole or some Brisket Queso, and of ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a variation on the beloved breakfast dish: Lemon Ricotta Pancake! This recipe adds a little bit of extra flavor to your typical pancake with the lemon, and the ricotta helps to fluff up the texture of the final product. The combination of these two special ingredients is also a well-known pairing - we even made an Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake  that used them in a similar fashion to elevate a standard dish. However, this is not a drastic transformation of a normal pancake - you can still enjoy it with the classic syrup or serve it with some fresh berries - and it's just as delicious! Lemon Ricotta Pancake Makes 10-12 medium pancakes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup flour (210 grams) flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 50 grams sugar 1 cup milk 2 eggs 3/4 cup ricotta cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Juice from one lemon (about 2-4 tablespoons) Zest from one lemon Directions: In a bowl, pour in the milk and crack the eggs in...