In the Spring of 2008, Annie & Friends invited Chef Karen Bornarth, who is the instructional co-ordinator for the bread program at The French Culinary Institute in New York City, to create 10 baking recipes for us. Starting on Sunday 23rd August, we will start the first in her series of recipes. Chef Karen also writes regularly about food and other subjects for Martha Stewart magazines. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
The first recipe from Chef Karen to be published will be this Currant Scone which is an extremely popular item for breakfast in America. It is worth baking your own scones, because real ingredients like butter, buttermilk, good quality flour are used. In short you know exactly what you put into the making of the scones.
Chef Karen's scones are simply perfect (but you need to pay attention to details) - light, a delicate crumb and soft. It is best served warm, and topped with clotted cream. And it pairs very well with coffee. Brings extra quality to the coffee - in short it sparkles in your mouth!
To mark the end Chef Karen's trip to Hong Kong and our Baking Class, Annie & Friends organized a BBQ night at the poolside of Conrad Hotel with bread baked by Chef Karen.
Conrad, as usual, put on their best, and the pool side was beautifully decorated. We were also blessed with excellent al fresco weather.
With the aroma of baked bread wafting through the whole apartment, I was getting hungrier by the minute. So I grabbed an iron grill, placed it on high heat, slapped on the wonderfully marbled rib-eye wagyu steaks Polly generous gave us, seared them to a delicious golden colour………….. whilst the students were busy making 'lavash' on the stove next to me………..we worked in unison because our growling stomachs were hurrying us along……'.please, we beg you, feed us!!!!'
Earlier in the morning, I had prepared Hollandaise sauce with organic egg yolks and oodles of butter...hehe....so the sauce is rich and velvety.....and the students' health? All concerns thrown out of the window!
Day 2 of the Baking Class: students arrived on time, all looking fresh and eager to start another adventure of fun, learning and togetherness.
Chef Karen started the day with a revisit of yesterday's lesson and what would be in store for the day.
Chef Karen works with military precision. Her lesson plan read 11:55 - 12:15 Buttermilk biscuits demo, and sure enough this happened, and the students got to try their hand at making the biscuits at 12:15 - 12:45................
Basics (8)
