Some of My Favorite Things…

Tongs

KitchenAid-I use this for everything, Pasta, ice cream, etc.

Silpat

Timer

Chef Knives (Duh!)-I prefer Henkels and MAC

Pairing Knife-such a simple thing but I love this little knife

Fish Spatula

Kunz Spoon-I use this spoon everyday, mainly for saucing plates or tasting. This spoon was given to me by the one and only Richard Blais when I worked for him at One Midtown Kitchen. It has become some what of a good luck charm.

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

Do you ever wonder why recipes call for baking powder and baking soda? I mean what is the point? What do they mean? What do they do to our food?

Baking Soda a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate, is a leavening agent that when mixed with an acid gives off carbon dioxide which enlarges bubbles in the batter helping them to rise. When I say acid I mean something like buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, etc. Do you remember the classic erupting volcano in science class? Well that was generally achieved by mixing baking soda with vinegar (acid) and VIOLA an eruption (rising).

Well the same thing happens with those lemon-blueberry muffins I make in the café. The buttermilk used in the recipe with the addition of baking soda helps those scrumptious morning pastries rise to perfection. I was never much of a science buff but it is pretty fascinating how science determines food's final products.

Baking Powder is the whole package. It is a leavening agent containing baking soda and acid (cream of tartar). So why not just use baking powder you may be wondering? Well sometimes you need flavor. See baking powder needs a liquid (buttermilk) to activate it's leavening powers and sometimes it may use up too much of this liquid so you need the soda to balance it out. That is why baking recipes are so exact it is all about the perfect balance. Try this Lemon-Blueberry Muffin recipe…

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

• 2 cups flour, all-purpose

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk

• 1 egg

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a mixing bowl; cut butter into small pea size pieces and mix into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and rind in another bowl. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist, do not over mix. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups lined with muffin liners. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean.

remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool.