Banana and Pecan Muffins

Over riped bananas???don't waste them. I usually turned them to a dessert.... I usually have  mixed fruits and veggies smoothies every morning and I noticed the other day that, the 3 bananas left on the kitchen counter were over riped and I don't feel like they are  still good  for my smoothies that week.... so  I decided to scan my recipe book and make those over riped bananas something tasty. I found this  very easy to follow recipe and I just modified it and it turns very good.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 extra large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 bananas,mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins. Sift the flour and baking powder into a small bowl. Set aside.

2. With the electric mixer, cream the vegetable oil and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy. Mix in the banana.

3. Add the pecan nuts. With the mixer on low speed, beat with the flour mixture alternately with the milk.

4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

5. Let the muffins cool in the cups on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

6. Leave it cool for another 10 minutes before serving.

Italian Custard Cream

This custard cream is very easy to make and very delicious. Still adapted from Buddys' Recipe.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons salted butter

Directions:
1. Put the milk and vanilla in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. In another bowl, whip together the flour,sugar and egg yolks with a mixer. Pour a cup of milk-vanilla mixture into a bowl and beat to temper the yolks.
3. Add the yolk mixture to the pot with the remaining milk-vanilla mixture and beat until thick and creamy. Remove the pot from the heat and add the butter and whip again to thicken the cream. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before using it.

Variations: add 1 1/2 ounces of melted, cooled semi-sweet chocolate chips along with the butter.

Cream Puff or Eclairs Dough

I have 15 months more to go to master my recipe for our future bakeshop. The other day, I baked cream puff dough and I wasn't very satisfied though it turned out good for the first time I baked them so I decided to do it again today. The first dough that I baked today turned out bad because I have to pull it out early from the oven because the wax paper I used on the baking sheet start burning and the smoke alarm in the house activated...I freaked out and turned off the oven and called my husband at work and asked him what I am gonna do.....he told me to leave it till the smoke alarm will turn off by itself. what a day! so I have to make another cream puff dough because the first one didn't work out. The photos above is the result of my third attempt making cream puff dough. I adapted this recipe from "Buddy" the Cake Boss.

 Ingredients:
1 cup water
6 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 extra- large eggs

Directions:
1.Put the water,butter and salt in a heavy sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the ingredients come together into a smooth, uniform dough, approximately 2 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand or hand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Start paddling on low speed, then add the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly absorbed, mixing for 1 minute between each egg, and stopping the motor periodically to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Finish with the final egg and mix for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Use the dough immediately. It does not refrigerate well.