Détrempe:

• 600g all purpose flour (not bread flour!)
• 60g sugar
• 12g salt
• 400ml warm milk
• 15g dyastatic malt powder
• 7g dry active yeast

Beurrage:

• 250g butter (room temp to start – was 285g last time)

Make détrempe, only need about 5min in stand mixer to have it hold together. Less gluten to make it easier to roll later… Let dough rise about 2-3 hours (double in size), punch down, refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, make butter into a square, 20cm x 20cm, refrigerate.

Take butter and dough out of the fridge at the same time, wait 30min, then roll dough out to a square 20cm x 40cm. Make sure butter and dough are the same consistency, then lay butter onto of dough. Close the seams. Roll out to a rectangle, about 20cm x 40cm, then do a 4 way fold (like a book). Let rest 30min, then fridge. The longer in the fridge, the more flavour. You can do this over days…

Then take out of fridge, wait 30min, do another triple roll, wait 30min, then back in fridge.

Again, take out of fridge, wait 30min, do another triple roll, wait 30min, then back in fridge. On the same day as the dough will be rolled out.

Take out of fridge, wait 30min, cut in two. Put one half in fridge while rolling out first set of croissants. Out of one half, roll to about 3-5mm, about 20cm by 60cm, about 12 croissants (so 24 total). Based of triangles should be about 10cm

Egg-wash, then proof croissants in warm temperature for 2-3h. Egg-wash again. Heat oven to 200C. Bake 15min at 200C, lower to 180C, and 3min more. Cool on rack for 10-15min before eating.

This whole recipe can be done in one day, making the dough first thing in the morning and cooking the croissants at night to eat the next day. Alternatively, after making croissants (the same evening as dough was started) and egg-wash. put in fridge. Take out of fridge (e.g. at 5am), egg-wash, and proof for 3 hours, then, egg-wash (a third time), and bake as above. Let cool before eating.

Fry meatballs in butter. Sprinkle ~ 1/4cup of flour while frying. Once it’s all nice and brown, pour about 2 cups of broth, reduce until the right thickness, adjust seasoning.

Enough for 2 people…

• 2 shallots (or 1 onion), cut finely
• 2 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 can of bean (red kidney, pinto, …), rinsed
• some lard (e.g. from making carnitas!), or melted butter (1/4 cup?)
• cumin
• smoked paprika
• regular paprika
• salt and pepper

Fry the shallots for ~5min in some oil on medium. Then add the garlic for 30s, and then the beans. Stir in the spices. Fry for another 5-10min on medium. Taste to make sure seasoning is good.

Can add a little bit of broth if desired (to make it a little more liquid when mashing).

Remove from heat and mash. Mix in melted lard (or butter) to get good consistency.

• 1/2 red cabbage, shredded
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 apples, diced
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp red currant jelly

Cover cabbage with sugar, salt, vinegar and let rest for ~10 min.

Heat up some butter and fry apples and onions until apples start to brown, 5-10min, on medium.

Add the cabbage, 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, then turn heat to very low and let it cook with the lid on for at least 2 hours.

After ~ 2hours, check how much liquid there is, remove lid if necessary, there should be no liquid at the end and everything should be very soft. About 3 hours total cooking.

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in two
• chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
• 12 big shrimps (tail on but easy to peel)
• 1 kg of mussels
• 4 calamari, sliced into rings

• 1 red pepper finely chopped
• 3 tomatoes, small diced (ideally, not canned, not huge tomatoes)
• 1 red onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed (separate into 2 and 3 cloves)
• 3 tomatoes
• 1.5 cups (? enough..) frozen peas
• 1 Lemon, sliced into wedges.

• 1.5L of chicken broth with 2 pinches of saffron
• 2 cups of arborio (or bomba) rice
• 2 generous tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp paprika

Step 0:

Prep all the ingredients (e.g. finely chopping, cutting meat, seafood…), if they are all ready to go, then it’s actually straightforward (although plan 1:30 – 2 hours, prep included)

Step 1:

Combine some olive oil, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 crushed
garlic cloves, and marinate the chicken for 10min in that mixture

Step 2:Make broth with saffron (1.5L of chicken broth with 2 pinches saffron), keep warm, just below boiling.

Step 3:

Once the chicken is marinated, heat small amount of olive oil in the paella pan, cook the chicken on medium high, about 15min. Once cooked (165F), reserve chicken on a dish.

Step 4:

Fry the chorizo for about 4min total on medium hight (flip after 2-3min) in the paella pan, then remove and keep with the chicken. By now, there is some grease in the pan…

Step 5:

Place the 3 diced tomatoes (small dice), 1 finely diced red onion, 1 finely diced pepper, 3 crushed garlic cloves in the paella pan and fry for about 3-4min on medium high.

Step 6:

Add rice and fry for 1-2 min

Step 7:

Add all of the broth (1.5l) into the pan, 1 pinch of saffron, 2tsp paprika. Bring to boil, and simmer just below boiling for 15min.

Step 8:

Add frozen peas and calamari first, and stir them in uniformly. Add the mussels (stick them into the rice, about 1/2 or more of the 1kg of mussels), add the shrimp (push them into the rice uniformly). Cook for an additional 15min.

Step 9:

Steam the rest of the mussels (about 5min on steam)

Step 10:

Remove the steamed mussels from shells. Sprinkle over the rice. Add the chicken and chorizo back onto the rice. Cook 5 min.

Serve with the lemon wedges laid on top.

Mix the following and coat the shrimps:

• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• ~1 tbsp oil (enough to coat the shrimps)
• juice from half a lime

Fry the shrimps and the liquid in a hot frying pan, about 3min per side. All the liquid will be gone leaving a crust. The pan needs to be hot to evaporate the liquid quickly and not overcook the shrimps.

To make a simple mayonnaise sauce:

• ~ 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 tsp hot sauce
• ~ 1tsp garlic powder
• ~1 tsp smoked paprika
• some crushed garlic (~1 clove)
• zest from a lime

Serve on taco shell with some coleslaw, fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed limes.

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
• ~1 tbsp sesame seeds
• crushed red pepper (or fresh)
• scallion
• ahi tuna (yellowfin)

Dice tuna, mix sauce ingredients, and let sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge.