HOW TO:
Here are some basics that every newcomer in the kitchen should learn. Even though there aren't usually onions and roasted garlic in sweet baking, these are important skills to learn if you want to experiment with savoury baking or cooking different meals
How to: Chop an Onion
Cut it in half - root to tip
Lop off the top end...
Peel off the outer layer
Then make several small, vertical slices all the way through the onion.
Next, rotate the onion 90 degrees and slice again, creating a fine dice.
How to: Make Chocolate Curls
You'll need: A glass bowl, Semisweet Bakers Chocolate, Crisco, and a cookie sheet (not pictured)
Put the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl...
Melt in the microwave in brief increments and then stir until combined
Pour and spread onto the back of a cookie sheet - spread it thin and then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes
Here is the cooled chocolate
Drag a somewhat sharp edged spatula across the cooled chocolate, the chocolate will twist free in perfect curls!
Taa-Daa! these are perfect for decorating cakes, cookies, or can even be used to garnish fruit salad.
How to: Make Pumpkin Puree
Select two smallish pumpkins
cut in half like so
Scrape out the pumpkin guts. Yuck!
Keep the seeds for roasting later!
Place pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet (face up or face down; I’ve done both) and roast in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin is fork-tender.
This is what it looks like when it’s done—just nice and light golden brown. (FYI, I don’t drizzle the pumpkin with olive oil before baking, because I want the puree to be in its purest form.)
Here's what happens to the skin
This makes it pretty easy to remove the pumpkin skins. Be careful using a knife! Sometimes you scrape off some of the glorious pumpkin meat too!! It's too yummy to lose!!
Now, if you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work, too, if you add a little water. OR…you can simply mash it up with a potato masher…OR move it through a potato ricer…OR process it through a food mill. Whatever makes you happy.
And keep repeating this step until all the pumpkin chunks have been pureed!
Look at that!!! Beautiful AND delicious! Perfect for pumpkin pies, or any other pumpkin dessert your heart desires