Spice Cookies

Variety is the spice of life. That gives it all its flavour.

- William Cowper

Spice is to a chef as a colour palette is to an artist.

This are the tools available to us for delivering that special flavor in a particular dish.

We experimented the unique characteristics of certain spices with this simple cookie recipe: 

Cookies with Spice

125 mL Sugar

125mL Margarine

½ Egg

15mL Corn Syrup

2mL Baking Soda

5mL Salt

325mL Flour

METHOD:

1) Cream together the sugar and margarine in a large bowl, add the egg and the corn syrup.

2) In a second bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda and add it gradually to the liquid ingredients, mixing well until it forms into a ball.

3) Chill the dough for about 10 minutes in the freezer or 1 hour in the refrigerator.

4) Roll out the dough in between two pieces of wax paper and cut into shapes.

5) Bake in the oven at 180° C or 350° F for 5-10 minutes depending on size until golden brown.

Here is our journey:

Our spices assembled, tested and characterized.

We added a pinch of each spice to a select cookie for our testing.

That's how we (or mostly Simon) roll.

Plenty of fun for the sharing.

Flan Ventured

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
- Unknown

Here is our flan in the making, baking and plating:

 

Our flan in the oven, its 45-minute trip to deliciousness.

 

 

Clean toothpick, and we're good to go.

 

 

Our flan in full, golden brown on a plate.

 

 

That's just our slice of life. 

Fresh Plum Flan

Flan - A Spanish baked custard coated with caramel.
- The New Food Lover's Companion, Fourth Edition

Here is the recipe:

Fresh Plum Flan

175mL Granulated Sugar

50mL Soft Margarine or Butter

2 Eggs

250mL AP Flour

5mL Baking Powder

5mL Grated Orange Ring

50mL Low Fat Milk

500mL Halved-Pitted Plums

125mL Brown Sugar

5mL Cinnamon

METHOD:

1)  In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer, cream together sugar and margarine, beat in eggs one at a time; beating well after each addition.     

2) Combine flour, baking powder and orange rind; beat into egg mixture alternatively with milk, making three additions of flour and two of milk.

3) Turn into greased 10-inch (3l) springform pan. Arrange plums cut side down, in circles on top, lightly pushing into the batter.

4) Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over plums. Bake in 350° F (180° C) oven for 45-55 mins or until top is golden and toothpick inserted into flan comes out clean.

    Makes 10 servings.

Independent Foods 2012 Start!

The creation of thousand forests is in one acorn.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here is the beginning, the start of an adventure.
We have no destination, we only care about the journey in between.

Who are we?
We are just four students, lined with backgrounds in cookery.
We have just our kitchen unit, and unlimited possiblities.
I am but a member of this unit, holding no special skills except the will to work.

Food is an essential component of life, and we'll learn how to make it more than just essential.

 

Here we are, ready to serve.