GORGEOUS
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Made a full batch of the Kerala style meat puffs for my friend’s mom (well, for the family bec I could have made just 4 for her mom but then what would everyone else eat 
).
I realized that the texture of the meat in the Kerala pastries is softer and smoother, because it’s pieces of meat that are shredded or processed slightly after cooking. So I ran the ground turkey I cooked yesterday through the mini FP to break it down like I do for some kababs. Also made a fresh spice base with sautéed onions and more spices, and mixed in the turkey with some water to soften it up.
The second sheet of puff from yesterday’s package yielded 16 pastries.
Have tasted both the more Chinese / Malaysian version from yesterday and today’s Kerala style version, I preferred today’s spicing — it’s more flavorful and complex.
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Those are gorgeous and my mouth is truly watering just looking at them! Your friend and family are lucky indeed!
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CHOCOLATE MILK BREAD from the King Arthur website
Well I don’t get it – rave reviews on the website but I found it to be an odd and not-so-chocolate loaf. I used both Dutch-process and regular Hershey’s cocoa. (The recipe asks for Dutch and black cocoa. )
The measures are a little fiddly, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon–that sort of thing – but it worked well, you make a tangzhong first and then the dough. After a rise, you quarter the stuff and portion it into 4 squares which you fold into four li’l rectangles and roll up and bake. I asked “does it smell like chocolate?” near the end of baking and my man said “It smells like bread.” And so it went. It tastes like something but not chocolate. I did NOT add the scant 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the recipe but the main should still taste like chocolate? Although Alice Medrich writes (on the KA site) that black cocoa doesn’t taste like chocolate to her, though it’s what’s in Oreo cookies. I am ?confused? yes.
Anyhow, can’t recommend this one but maybe it’s just me.
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I made another loaf of our weekly honey grain oat bread, this time using Nature’s Path “Baker’s Blend” flour with sprouted grains and adding some vital wheat gluten. I baked it to 196° (KA recommends 190°) but the interior was still a little wetter than I prefer. Tasted good though.
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Black cocoa is used more for color than taste, I agree with Alice on her comments regarding taste. It’s generally much lower in fat than most cocoas but there are those that love it!
Ah! Well I’m glad I didn’t buy it special for this if it’s mainly for color!
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Thank you.
Looks so soft!
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Thanks!
I realized quite belatedly that i get much better outcomes with puff pastry keeping the temp high. And egg wash is not optional for looks
I was pleased that her mom enjoyed them — she ate two off the bat. The kids ate a couple each (and preferred the Kerala ones).
I’ll make them again with beef in a while. Have to find a recipe for something her dad was reminiscing about first!
(They are in their 90s, and I know how much I appreciate when my friends do little things for my parents — my best friend from childhood dropped in on my mom for a surprise visit yesterday, and it made my mom’s day and week 
. She also sent a special seasonal sweet that she had made for herself a couple of months back when I was there — for my mom, not me, she knows I don’t like it .)
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I was wondering if you could do a sheet pan version for a group?
You would need something to bind the meat so it doesn’t fall out when you cut into pieces.
You can also make a meat pie with the filling (like tourtiere). Or the various European pies that use filo (turkish, Greek, Serbian, and so on) — those add an egg to the mix iirc.
4 Microwave mini-Bundt “mug cakes”. 2 Vanilla to go with fresh strawberries as our bedtime snack. And chocolate intended to be dessert tomorrow but half of one got immediately paired with vanilla ice cream by my husband as mid-afternoon snack. And I couldn’t just let the lonely half linger…
Recipes - Land O Lakes Vanilla Birthday Party Mug Cake
single recipe divided into 2 mini Bundts, and H.O. Lectroid’s little chocolate mug cake single recipe overflowed 2 mini Bundts a bit while cooking; next time I’ll split it into 3 pans. Made with DeRuyter dark chocolate sprinkles since I don’t keep mini-chocolate chips on hand.
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Yes I have made various different meat pies and buns, frankly part of the pleasure is having an individual piece to hold in your hand! I think a shallow tart pan might work with a binder of some sort , cheese maybe?
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So sweet and thoughtful on all of your parts! Nourishing communally and share is what makes us human. Thank you.
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I’ve never made Danish of any kind, but after a really really good one in Chinatown last week, I’m thinking of trying my hand. If you have any recipes you love, I’d love to hear about them.
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Reminder – COTM noms close in 2 days
There are a couple of baking-heavy options (Barefoot Contessa, Kristina Cho) already.
How long does it take you to go through those?
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