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Pączki and meringues
Mar. 2nd, 2022 02:19 amBelovedest has been expressing some regret about not having pączki when it is seasonally correct to, for several years now. You can probably see where this is going.
So I scared up a recipe. Sadly we had to wait until later in the evening than ideal to start, because our cooking oil had gone off while we weren't looking.
It was physically demanding, and I will probably start with the chair in the kitchen earlier in the process. Also I want an egg separator. Belovedest located the candy thermometer. Next time I also would like either a stand to hold the thermometer, or to use a pot with high enough walls that we can clip it in.
I learned important things about the thickness of the dough circles. There's a FUCKTON of yeast, and it rises more than I thought it reasonably should. Also important things about putting the yeast in the hot milk (it likes to clump up).
For the next time I do this, the correct setting to hold the oil on is apparently exactly Medium, at least in the ombre pot.
All the shit happening in the world right now has lowered the crankiness barrier. I was running about one stop above nonverbal most of the way. That didn't help much with communication, and one of the fun things about ADHD plus a kitchen process with hot grease is that there's really no logical break in things to think to request assistance. (After I got the heat and timing dialed in, it would have been a straightforward process that I could have demonstrated to Belovedest.)
#the-cooking-channel in Yuletide praised the light stripe around the middle (well, sort of around the middle) which is apparently characteristic, and a function of the puck of dough being thick enough to float in the fat with a distinct "water line". I did not get them all thick enough, and some were extra thick. Mmm, chaotic pastries.
The meringues are a little sugar-gritty, and 4 egg whites didn't quite meet the whisk on the kitchenaid. So I had to use the milkvibrator frother to whip them up to a level where the proper whisk could kick in. They're still in the oven, trying to get the centers a little more dry. (It's also Damp in the PNW, so they may not get there.)
So I scared up a recipe. Sadly we had to wait until later in the evening than ideal to start, because our cooking oil had gone off while we weren't looking.
It was physically demanding, and I will probably start with the chair in the kitchen earlier in the process. Also I want an egg separator. Belovedest located the candy thermometer. Next time I also would like either a stand to hold the thermometer, or to use a pot with high enough walls that we can clip it in.
I learned important things about the thickness of the dough circles. There's a FUCKTON of yeast, and it rises more than I thought it reasonably should. Also important things about putting the yeast in the hot milk (it likes to clump up).
For the next time I do this, the correct setting to hold the oil on is apparently exactly Medium, at least in the ombre pot.
All the shit happening in the world right now has lowered the crankiness barrier. I was running about one stop above nonverbal most of the way. That didn't help much with communication, and one of the fun things about ADHD plus a kitchen process with hot grease is that there's really no logical break in things to think to request assistance. (After I got the heat and timing dialed in, it would have been a straightforward process that I could have demonstrated to Belovedest.)
#the-cooking-channel in Yuletide praised the light stripe around the middle (well, sort of around the middle) which is apparently characteristic, and a function of the puck of dough being thick enough to float in the fat with a distinct "water line". I did not get them all thick enough, and some were extra thick. Mmm, chaotic pastries.
The meringues are a little sugar-gritty, and 4 egg whites didn't quite meet the whisk on the kitchenaid. So I had to use the milk
