a kind of culture shock

I know I recently talked about this, but it cannot be helped. This past Friday I made meringues. Except this time, I was in a foreign country. I thought it would be simple- the recipe calls for not much more than eggs, sugar, and chocolate. But here's the catch... When you're in a new country, the ingredients are new, too. I must say I was quite surprised. First of all, the sugar was far too sweet, as were the chocolate chips. The eggs were significantly smaller, and the salt absolutely DOES NOT salt! And the oven!! Converting temperatures from farenheit to celcius is of no use- you have to play around with the settings of the oven until you find a temperature that suits you.
I'm embarrassed, but I'll admit- it was tough. The first batch was burnt on the outside and still raw inside, when I only left them in the oven for half the usual time. The second batch was unbearabley sweet, and the rest was ok... not amazing. Sure does something to the ego, let me tell you! But I hope to get used to the new food, new tools, new place...

Happy eatings to all of you folks out there!

(shout-out Jennie and Pinchas :) )

And enjoy your Thanksgiving!

appetite abroad

I was sure that when I left the house to spend a year abroad, I would spend time cooking up a storm. But here I am, six months after graduating high-school, spending the year in Israel, and I find myself in the kitchen less often than at home! But I have been making more time for my hobby, so the past couple of weeks have been better. I think this blog will slowly transform into the student's guide to eating well even under time pressure and work-load. And it will encourage me to brave the exhaustion/laziness and cook.

Tonight, for example, I had a half hour break for supper. You can imagine that those moments, while rushing in between two classes, was not the ideal moment for making a nutritious supper. I was tempted to slouch in the living room with crackers, peanut-butter, jelly, and a book. But my inner chef refused. So...

One of the most useful inventions, a must have for all students: rice noodles- those that cook in under a minute. LITERALLY! Super thin, pretty plain, interesting consistency... I boiled water in a small pot. While that was happening, I took out a piece of salmon and prepared the plate. As soon as the water was boiling, I threw in some rice noodles, and within a minute, I had my meal! On the noodles I sprinkled some balsamic-olive oil salad dressing, and on top of that I put the salmon. Quick and easy. And so delicious. Felt like a home-made meal!

More to come. I will not let another six months pass without posting :)

mmmmmmeringues

It's been so long since last time I've posted. This school-year was hectic; completely draining physically and emotionally. But now that I'm back to myself, I'm back to my blog, too. Now without further adieu, I return to my food.

Meringues. It's basically only egg whites and sugar. But when done right, it'm magic. Today I made a batch of chocolate meringues with chocolate chips. I beat the egg whites (only three!) with vanilla until stiff and added the sugar gradually. Then I folded in the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips. I continued by spooning out the meringues and placing it gently on a greased pan. It stayed in the oven for about 25 minuted and came out splendid; a hint of gold around the edges, a peak at the tip, and a somewhat caramelized bottom.

Now, there are a few very important things to keep in mind when making this recipe.

First of all, stiff means stiff. And stiff means that you can turn that bowl with egg whites upside down and none of it will move, let alone slide or drop.

Second, when you beat the whites, quickly reach the highest speed on the mixer, and put a little bit of salt and a DROP of vinegar to keep the white and the stiffness. It works like magic.

And when you fold anything into the egg whites, be gentle, but assertive. Someone once told me to be the boss of my food. This is true: don't break the egg whites, but make sure the chocolate gets everywhere you want it to go. Its your dessert, it's your kitchen, it's your call.

Happy eating!