I can not believe it's April already. This year is just flying by. Well Happy Easter everyone!
I don't think I've ate so much candy in my life!... like i did yesterday.
I know I have taken FOREVER to update once again. My life will slow down... soon. I have been working double shifts almost everyday! Bakery then restaurant and repeat. People say " Inna stop working so much! You are in your twenties, you have to enjoy your twenties." Ok! sure! But on who account? I'll be a millionaire soon enough.
All my family is in California right now. Well my two sisters live there but my mom just went to visit and they are having so much fun. And with out me. Im starting to think I have no business here in Washington and just pack my bags and move there.
Now Seattle has been great to me. I love both of my jobs. Not to mention how amazing the weather has been here in Seattle these past 2 days. Nice and warm 68 degree weather. Haha, for us its real nice and warm!
Well anyway both jobs have been quite a challenge. Just last weekend my restaurant chef had me make 1000 cream puffs... with out the cream for an event. Chef stuffed them with an apple compote and a tiny pork belly. Which he told me turned out amazing, and they were a top seller. I have never made so many puffs in my life. My hand started hurting and cramping I was pretty sure I was going to end up with carpal tunnel after about 800. My friend Amy was kind enough to give me a little hand massage at half time:)  Its fun to work there. Michael the Sous Chef broke his leg a month ago or so doing some "crazy" parkour. And now he rides around with one of these

(To bad thats not Mike in the picture. But just imagine some guy rollin around on that in the kitchen! 

Funny stuff. He's a target of so many jokes.)

Jacky finally opened the other bakery in Mukilteo right by ferry dock. We are still very new but working there Saturday we sold out of bread and the croissants before 2pm! And people were still coming in hoping for bread. I think he is going to do just fine there. 

Its been crazy time in the morning at the bakery doing double production.... everything has to be done before 7am, and i mean everything.

So! iv been quite lazy with the dessert section of this bolg. I kinda wish I had someone to bake for because im not always in the mood for sweets and neither is my roommate. But a girl has to eat right?!

I was on the phone talking to my sister Helen and I asked her what I could do with the Eggyolk noodles I had. Helen told me this amazing and easy recipe she tweaked from Moosewood. Said this all tasted like the Ukrainian dish "Vereniki". And it did. :)

You will need;

Cabbage

Carrot

Onion

A bag of Eggyolk noddles.

Saute the onions add the carrots and season them. 

Add the cabbage and sweat it. ( Cooking it on low with a cover)

 

The longer you sweat the cabbage the sweater and yummier it will get. Cook your noodles and put it all together add some sour cream and wala! You wont get enough.

Here is what mine looked like.

A little taste of Ukrainian cooking in your kitchen! :)

I saw someone post this on Facebook and though it was funny enjoy.

February love.

And breath! With Valentine's day over I can finally take a little break. The bakery was going crazy getting ready for the busy holiday and so was the restaurant.
My French chef Jacky gave all of us a box of chocolates, and I got so excited. He looked at me and say's "don't get to excited Inna, I got one for everyone."I look at him and say" Hey! don't ruin it for me!" He started laughing and says  "well I got you one because I know no one else will give you one .... because you talk to much." Hahaha! Oh what a guy. Funny thing is, he talks more then I do! But then again I guess that makes me competition. My 3 am shifts are very chatty in the morning.
The rest of the day we worked hard and talk about who got dumped the lamest. And of course I take the gold metal for that one.  But at least when  I got "let go" he gave me words of encouragement.. "don't worry Inna, you will find someone."
Haha, no shit.
SO! Iv been learning a LOT.  I was planning to go back to school and do the savory side but...with the new chef we got at my restaurant I am just going to stick by his side and learn everything. Jacky is also giving me more responsibility at the bakery! Things are looking up for me:)
I made a very yummy sauce last friday it tastes like honey mustard BUT there is no honey in there!
It's a very easy sauce you can just go ahead and bake some potato wedges or fries and just go to town with this sauce!

 INGREDIENTS ARE:
70z Quince paste
2c Cider
2/3 c Whole grain mustard (Inglehoffer)

Now it is VERY IMPORTANT that you buy a cider that is a very thick cider, as if you took apples and squeezed them yourself. The cider has to be a cloudy cider not the TREETOP brand.
Quince paste you can get in the cheese isle. It goes very well with cheese as well, in spain it is used quite a bit.

METHOD:
Bring the quince and the cider to a simmer and melt the paste.
When fully melted, stir in mustard and cool.
This yields about 3 1/2c.
This is what I did.

I made some Jasmine rice with sauteed onion, steamed baby carrots and chicken breast. Very delicious.

I hope you enjoy it, because I surely did!

Oh! The other night at the restaurant I did a pretty darn good cannel. 

(for those who don't know what I do at the restaurant, I am the pantry chef. I do a lot of the appetizers and all the desserts! )

( A chocolate flowerless cake, with orange oil, rock salt and orange mascarpone creme, with a candied orange.)

I am happy with myself. From here it will just get even better.

Alright, im out.  

Happy black history month everyone! Don't forget to do your taxes!

I am.....alive!

I know, I know, I have been absent for quite some time....but in my defense culinary school makes you work, work, makes you work!  No time for anything but study, learn, and work! Or at least in my case. I made some really good friends and became a favorite with some of my chefs! Even chefs who were not my chefs! I just wanted to learn everything! Even though I was a pastry student I hung around those savory chefs trying to learn their tricks too.
Now that I am done with school I have a crazy amount of free time! like 30 minuets!!!! That I get almost everyday in between my two jobs!! Talk about spoiled right!?
But yesterday I had the day all to myself, and I decided to do something I am good at; baking.
To be honest I had a hard time picking one thing to bake! I just wanted to bake everything!
So here I was sitting, thinking, looking through my books, sipping on my coffee, and wishing I had something to go along with this brilliant cup of Joe. Then it hit me. Scones.
So I made Blood orange, cranberry, with candied ginger scones! Lately I have been putting ginger into everything!!  I candied the ginger so it wouldn't be so rough in the scone, and that was fun! The whole house smelled like sweet ginger! Mmmm.

Slice the ginger as thin as possible, (having a really sharp knife helps) then, I boiled the ginger for 10 min. Next I drained the ginger and repeated it once more. Then (depending on how much ginger you sliced) mix the sliced ginger with 2c of water and 2c of sugar and a pinch of salt, and cook to 225F. To those who don't own a candy thermometer, just keep an eye on the pot and when the liquid is the consistency of thin honey its done and ready to go! 

Drain the slices and they will form a sugar coating. You can always add more sugar while they are hot. Then add them to anything and everything!

I really like to do the drop method instead of shaping them, because they look more like a real scone with this fun method. Here is my recipe; it makes about 10 scones, depending on how large you shape them!

3oz Butter

2.5 Sugar

1/8ts Salt

1 Egg yolk

12oz All purpose flour

1 1/4Tbs Baking powder

7oz Milk

2oz Cranberry's

1 blood orange zest

Candied ginger.

We are going to use the creaming method. 

Combine butter, sugar, salt in a mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Blend to a smooth paste. Add the yolk and blend in thoroughly.

Add the milk and mix it in. SIFT together the baking powder and flour and add to the bowl and mix to a smooth paste. Bake at 400F for 15-20 mins and enjoy.

I was in such a cooking frenzy I started to make lunch/dinner!!!

I have been craving this Japanese/Korean stir fry with yakisoba noodles! I made a quick trip to Uwajimaya which is a cooooool Asian market. I got some baby bok choy, I found some MILD and MSG free kimchi. So good. Got my yakisoba noodles and some yakisoba sauce. 

So pretty much I just put every vegetable I liked in the stir fry. Onion, zucchini, carrot, mushroom. Salt and pepper to taste and whatever other spices you would like, and you get a whole bunch of yum!

It was so relaxing baking and cooking part of the day, listening to my favorite bands and just enjoying my day. There will be more to come. I'm on to something here:)  Ill be back, love you guys.

xoxo Gossip gir..... I mean Innka.

<3

Tonight's the night.... maybe.

Well, tonight i  may get the guts to go salsa dancing. I want to so BAD! But then i think about all the little details such as, aw man i have go around 1030-11pm ( because that's when all the good dancers show up) and its somewhere in Seattle, and i need to find the place and i need to find my dance shoes, ugh! But i know in the end it will be all worth it! 

Tomorrow im going to go visit my favorite coffee shop, and hopefully it will be my working place very soon. Its rreeeeally nice out, and it was reeeeeally nice out last Saturday, and last Saturday we went for a walk and i took some nice family photos.

School has been awesome, like always.

 The past few days we have been working with tarts and creme patisserie (aka pastry cream:))

WHICH IS SOOOO DELICIOUS!! I HAVE to share.

Pastry Cream.

16 oz  Milk (2 cups)

2 oz Sugar ( 1/4 cup)

1.5 oz Egg Yolks( about 2 yolks)

2 oz whole Eggs ( about 2 whole eggs)

1.25 oz Cornstarch (2.5 TBS)

2 oz Sugar (1/4 cup)

1 oz Butter, unsalted ( 2 TBS)

.25 oz Vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)

Bring MILK, SUGAR(first 2 oz sugar) AND VANILLA to a boil.

While that's ABOUT to boil you want to take ALL the eggs and put them into a mixing bowl, then take the cornstarch and pour 1/2 the sugar (second 2 oz sugar)  in the cornstarch and the other half into the ALMOST boiling milk. Mix the cornstarch w/the sugar well. Then whisk the eggs and gradually pour the strach/sugar mixture into the eggs, whisk until creamy.( you don't want to do this to early because the sugar will dehydrate the eggs) Then AS soon the the milk boils, pour about 1/3 of  hot milk into the eggs mixture while whisking quickly ( you don't want to cook the eggs) whisk it a bit, then pour the egg mixture back into the milk (whisking the milk while pouring in the egg mixture, again you don't want to cook the eggs) Then put it on med/low heat and don't stop whisking! Or you will burn the cream. Keep whisking the cream will start to clump but keep whisking then it will smooth en out again and become a nice cream. when it becomes a nice cream, take it off the heat and add the butter, take a spatula and mix it in nicely. Put the cream into a container and chill it, before use. Yey. Now you made REALLY delicious cream:) Enjoy!

A couple days ago we made a lemon custard tart with Swiss meringue on top! Super good, but also really sweet.  Chef Kim said mine was perfect, loved my design. Loved the whole thing:)

We made some fresh fruit tarts also, VERY good.

We made apple turn overs.

 AND we made cheese cake and flan. 

I love school, i love every minuet of it.

Ok, im going to go get ready to dance the night away. AND im going to leave you with this.

PS. I guess i should tell you what you can do with the pastry cream. You can put the pastry cream into a fruit tart!

Here is a good recipe for a the tart shell. (A mixer works best for this dough.)

Pate Sucree (tart shell)

7.5 oz  Unsalted Butter

3 oz Powdered Sugar

1/3 tsp Salt

4 drops of Vanilla Extract

3 oz Egg (beaten)

12oz Pastry Flour

Shift all the drys and put them into a bowl and add butter. Mix until the mixture looks and feels "sandy"

(Cold butter is better, it will break up better) Add egg+ vanilla, let is come together, and form a ball....kinda.

Chill the dough before use.

There you go!

ok. Bye.

I love you rain.

Its raining today. Something new that happens here in Seattle.
Well, today is my practical. UGH i freak out right before each test. EVEN if i have studied for it, i freak out. I have no idea why. Its like the feeling right before you go on stage you hypervenalate... then when your actually on stage and doing your thing... its no big deal. You know what im talking about?!
Anyway.
My practical is muffins and cream puffs with the pastry cream.

The reasoning they look like little spaceships is because i didn't fill the muffin tin all the way.
Did you know muffin, loaf bread, and pancake batters should be mixed as little as possible only until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Over mixing muffin batter produces not only toughness but irregular shapes, and large holes inside the muffins. Sowaaa... ya. Sammy loved my muffins!!!

Hahaha, that's his little tiny bite.
OH and when you portion batter into muffin tins, be careful not to stir the mix, because you will toughen it. Scoop the batter from the outside edge of the bowl, use a portion scoop that works best. :) (aka ice cream scooper :))
Oh look, who i found!  Baby Rambo.

HE is just the cutest little guy EVER.
Marinka got a bread maker! She has been baking up a bread storm! A new and different kind of loaf every day!
MMM mmmm good!

Ok! i am going to study a bit more so i don't pass out before the test.
xoxo
 Inners

Good Friday!

And a good Friday indeed!
Today i went on a date....with myself.  Since its Good Friday we don't have school and thats kinda nice because I have loads of things to do. This past week was crazy we baked a lot! Every day i come home with my head packed with new information, i love it! Chef Kim is so awesome.
So today i started off my Good Friday with an amazing cup of coffee from Zoka Cafe ( hopefully my future employer) located in Downtown Kirkland. Man, that place is like the movies.
Then i headed over to Bellevue...also rockin place. After applying at a few places i got tired and decided to treat myself to Water for Elephants.
I don't know how i feel about it yet... i mean, i know i would have LOVED it if i didn't read the book. All i could think about was the parts they left out. But i guess that's any movie- book movie. So i guess it comes down to the one and only question...would i watch it again? and the answer is yes. Yes i would! So that's that. Go watch it! :)
So here is what i have been up to. I made, Blueberry pie. Pear pie. Blueberry spaceship looking mini muffins, and cream puffs!

My brother ate it all. :)
In other news THIS little handsome prince turned 10 months!

Not only does he walk now, he says goodbye to me when i leave for school. It is the most precious thing EVER! On this 10th month birthday his beautiful mama and papa took him to the park and he discovered grass.

and wood.

Well that's all for now folks! I promise to update more frequently. I am going to leave you with this beautiful face

<3 Inna's alter ego.

Goodies.

OK! Gas is sooooo expensive! i just filled up and it cost me 50 bukaroos! Secondly i need my roots done reeeeal bad. And thirdly i have a veryyyy yumy brownie recipe.

It makes about 24. Depends how big you cut them.

You will need. ( everything is in ounces, so if you dont have a scale, you should get one it will be like the best thing that ever happened to you.) I have been preeeeeeety busy with school, lots of homework! But it love it.

I had to present 9 of my brownies and i did a different design on them. Hah, chef Kim like the whole idea, and liked 2 out of 3 designs. Said my tic tac toe looked juvenile and cheep and as if a little kid drew  it with a crayon. OUCH! 

The tic tac toe one was my favorite one! I hope you make the brownies and if so... i put the recipe below and if not, its all good:) SO im going to leave you with this. He says hi. <3

CLASSIC BROWNIES.

8oz Chocolate, dark.

12oz Butter, unsalted

24oz sugar

12oz Egg

1/8 oz salt

1/2 oz Vanilla

8oz Flour (bread)

8oz pecan/walnuts chopped (optional)

 Melt the chocolate ( take a pot fill 1/3 of it with water and put a bowl on top of it. You dont want the water to really boil hard, but you want it hot enough for it to melt the chocolate)

When the chocolate is melting nicely add the butter, keep mixing together.

Whisk eggs, sugar and the vanilla. Then add the sugar+ egg mixture to the melted chocolate slowly.( you dont want to pour it in quickly because it will cook the egg.)

Add the salt to the flour and sift it, then GRADUALLY add the flour mixture to the chocolate while mixing it, and then if you want add the nuts!

This is going to fill 2 9x13in sheet pans.

BAKE AT 325 for 20-30 mins. CHECK THE BROWNIES WITH A TOOTH PICK, if u see little crumbs on the tooth pick. They are done. If u see nothing, then u over baked them.

k. enjoy. Bye.

ha jk.

while these babies are baking, if you want you can make some ganache .

In a mixing bowl put 1c of chocolate

then on the stove u heat up 1c of heavy whipping cream. Then when the cream just started boiling you take it off and pour it into the mixing bowl with the chocolate. let it sit there for a few minuets about 5mins. THEN take a rubber spatula and stick it in the middle of the bowl and make SMALL circles mixing it together, while turning the bowl with the other hand. ( You dont want to let to much air into the mix.) then when its all mixed up. pour it into a zip lock bag (when its a bit cooler.) Then cut a SMALL piece from a corner and decorate!