Dice butter by getting your exact amount out of your fridge. The butter should be cold before dicing.
Put the butter on a cutting board. Slice the butter using a knife every 1 cm.
Slice the butter the opposite way creating squares that are 1 cm in thickness.
Turn the butter onto it’s side, and slice the butter horizontally every 1 cm. Now you have diced your butter to create cubes of butter that are 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm.
What is cold butter
Cold butter is butter that is in the fridge which has a temperature of 2-6 degrees Celsius. Typically cold butter is used to cut into recipes used for baking scones and pastry.
How to cut butter into flour using a food processor
Cutting butter into flour with a food processor is very simple.
Set up your food processor using your S blade.
Place all of your dry ingredients into the food processor.
Place cold butter that has been cubed into the food processor.
Pulse the food processor in short intervals until the butter/flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
How to slice butter
Butter that needs to be sliced must be at fridge temperature. Get a sharp knife and put the butter on a cutting board. Place your knife as close to the edge of the butter as possible and push down your knife into the butter. Your butter should cut nicely into sections.
What is the tool that cuts fat into flour
The tool that is used to cut fat into flour is called a pastry blender. A pastry blender has sharp metal running the length of the tool that cuts butter into sections. The pastry blender is pressed into the butter and then turn a 1/4 turn when in the dry ingredients. This creates the coarse crumbs.
How to grate butter without a grater
Have your butter in the freezer before you try to grate your butter. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a potato peeler to grate butter for your recipe. A potato peeler is an easy to use tool to grate butter without a grater. It will create longer strands of butter than a grater, but it will work in a pinch.
What can you bake with unsalted butter
Unsalted butter is used in baking for recipes that need a controlled amount of salt. Salt can add a lot of flavor in recipes which can ruin the flavor if you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter. Unsalted butter is much fresher than salted butter. Unsalted butter is only has a shelf life for 1 month, versus 3-4 months for salted butter.
You can bake several foods with unsalted butter:
Croissant dough
Pastry cream
Scones
Caramel sauce
Pastry
Pie crust
Tart shells
Why do you cut butter into flour?
Butter is cut into flour to create small pieces of butter that resemble coarse crumbs. The small pieces of butter melt into the dough as it bakes. This creates flakes of buttery pastry that melt in your mouth. Pastries that are made with butter that is cut into flour need to be carefully mixed when adding liquid ingredients. The pastry dough should not be overmixed. Make sure you use gentle mixing for your making your pastry dough.
Serving ice cream at a dinner party can be a fun and exciting dessert to serve your guests. Dinner parties are typically fancy, formal, and people expect something more than the norm.
To impress your guests, there are a few ways to serve ice cream for your dinner party.
How to Serve Ice Cream Buffet Style for a Dinner Party
Serving ice cream buffet style is all in the preparation. You need to have a few small bowls for toppings for your ice cream. Select 4-5 toppings for your dinner party. Prepare your toppings in your small bowls before your guests arrive. Pick 1-3 flavors of ice cream for a bit of variety. Let your guests make their own buffet style ice cream.
25 Toppings for ice cream:
Oreo crumbs
sprinkles
caramel sauce
chocolate sauce
strawberry sauce
bananas
mango
kiwis
strawberries
blueberries
blackberries
apples
pecans
Rolos
chocolate chips
peanut butter cups
whipped cream
pretzels
marshmallows
salted caramel sauce
toffee bits
hot fudge
slivered almonds
mint chocolate chips
brownie pieces
How to Serve Layered Ice Cream for a Dinner Party
Making a layered ice cream for a dinner party should be prepared 1 day in advance to have the ice cream freeze well before serving.
You’ll need:
as many small half sphere silicone molds as guests coming to your party
3 types of ice cream that go well together, or 2 types of ice cream + chocolate ganache that has been frozen
1-3 toppings for the ice cream
Decide if you want to do 3 layers of ice cream, or 2 layers of ice cream and 1 inner layer of chocolate ganache. You could make dark chocolate ganache, milk chocolate ganache or white chocolate ganache as your center filling. This should be made the day before you’re preparing your molds, and then frozen so you’re ready to fill your silicone molds the following day.
Begin by selecting the ice cream for your outer layer. Your outer layer will be the one that will have your toppings on it.
Place your ice cream in the silicone mold. Use a metal spoon to press the ice cream around so that all of the sides are covered in ice cream. Try to make it a 1/2 cm in thickness. Place each silicone mold in the freezer in an airtight container as you complete them. They will start to melt very quickly and it will be messy.
Freeze for 30 min – 1 hour. Then you’re ready for your next layer. Select your inner layer of ice cream. Use a fresh metal spoon to put the ice cream in the molds. Press the ice cream into the first layer so it’s completely covered. The thickness isn’t as important for this one, just make sure you leave a bit of space for the center flavor.
Freeze for 30 min – 1 hour. Now you’re ready for your final layer. Use a melon baller or a fresh spoon to scoop your center layer of ice cream or ganache. Chocolate ganache is typically very hard when it comes right out of the freezer, so it’s best if you thaw it out for 5-8 min before trying to scoop it. Press your final layer into your silicone mold. It doesn’t have to be flat by any means, just make sure it’s filled and pressed into your second layer.
Freeze your silicone mold dessert overnight.
When you’re ready to serve your ice cream for your dinner party, first remove the silicone mold from your ice cream. Use your fingers on either side of the silicone mold to peel the outer silicone mold off of the ice cream, with your thumb on the top of the mold pushing the ice cream out. Try to take them out and place them directly onto your serving plate.
Once you have all of your desserts on their serving plates, you can top your ice cream. Use 1-2 toppings for your layered ice cream dessert.
Tartufo made with silicone mold
Creating this layered ice cream dessert is called a “Tartufo”.
What is a Tartufo?
A tartufo is an Italian dessert made of 2 or more ice cream flavors. The center is usually fruit filled – raspberry, strawberry or cherry. It’s topped with chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon or nuts traditionally.
This is one of the most impressive desserts to serve at a dinner party. It’s fairly simple, but it is time consuming layering the ice cream. Your guests will love pressing their spoon into their dessert and seeing the layers.
You can make mouthwatering, chef worthy sandwich platters for your next party.
Preparing sandwiches for a party should be done in the morning on the day of the party, so that they can stay as fresh as possible. The bread will become soggy if sandwiches are prepared the day before.
You can pick 3-4 different types of sandwiches so you’ll have a variety for guests to choose from.
It’s best to prepare 1 sandwich per person attending your party.
Each sandwich you prepare can be cut into 4 triangles, 3 rectangles, or 2 circles so they are individually portioned and small in size.
Using a variety of types of bread will give your guests an eye-catching sandwich platter. Try using mini buns, crostini’s, open faced sandwiches, or different types of bread together.
Sandwiches can be prepared on sour dough, French bread, croissants, pumpernickel, multigrain, whole wheat, rye, or white bread.
Softened cream cheese is beat together using a hand mixer with mayo, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, dill, chives, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Each side of bread is coated in herbed cream cheese, and then slices of cucumber are placed on top.
herbed cream cheese
cucumber slices
Pesto Mozzarella
Pesto mozzarella sandwiches are caprese sandwiches with a few added veggies.
You can use fresh mozzarella for this creamy sandwich, and fresh pesto spread on each side of bread to make this delicious sandwich.
Arugula is added to pesto mozzarella sandwiches for an earthy toned sandwich.
Pesto mozzarella sandwiches are best served on focaccia bread.
Chicken salad sandwiches are made by mixing together mayo, sour cream, parsley, green onions, tarragon, fresh dill weed, fresh lemon juice, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Chicken salad is spread onto the bread in a thick layer, along with a few cucumber slices.
Cubed chicken, raisins, and toasted sliced almonds are mixed into sour cream mixture to full coat the chicken to made the chicken salad base.
Another slice of bread is placed on top, and a toothpick is placed into the center of the sandwich to hold it together.
Assemble the sandwich by spreading a thin layer of herbed cream cheese on one slice of bread, and top with smoked salmon, red onions, alfalfa sprouts, fresh dill weed, capers, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
chicken
cucumber
raisins
toasted sliced almonds
mayo
sour cream
parsley
green onions
tarragon
fresh dill weed
fresh lemon juice
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Avocado and Cucumber
Avocado sandwiches can be served with garlic mayo, hummus, or balsamic reduction.
You can add a few greens such as red leaf lettuce or sprouts to your avocado sandwich.
garlic mayo or hummus
lettuce
sprouts
feta
cilantro
balsamic reduction
Tuna Salad
Tuna salad sandwiches are a favorite sandwich for many with its creamy and crunchy texture.
Tuna salad sandwiches are made by mixing together mayo, Dijon mustard, green relish, fresh lemon juice and pepper.
Add drained tuna and chopped celery to the mayo base and mix well.
Spread tuna salad on top of one slice and bread, and add the other piece of bread on top.
drained tuna
mayo
Dijon mustard
green relish
lemon juice
pepper
chopped celery
Jalapeno Havarti and Sundried Tomato
Jalapeno Havarti cheese sandwiches are spicy sandwiches made with chipotle mayo to give it a bit of a kick.
You can even add a few slices of pickled jalapenos in your sandwich if desired.
Jalapeno Havarti and sundried tomato sandwiches are best served on sourdough bread.
jalapeno Havarti
sundried tomatoes (julienned)
dill pickles (sliced thin)
sprouts
avocado slices
red onions
garlic mayo or chipotle mayo
Strawberry, Basil and Cream Cheese
Strawberry sandwiches have a light fruity flavor to them with a bit of earthy tones from the basil leaves.
Strawberry sandwiches are typically made on white bread.
Strawberry jam is spread over one slice of bread, and softened cream cheese is spread on the other side.
Strawberry slices are layered on top of the cream cheese slice of bread, along with a few fresh basil leaves.
The other slice of bread is placed on top, and is ready to serve.
You can use a cookie cutter to cut a heart out of one slice of bread, and have a strawberry poking through the window for an extra special treat for guests.
strawberry slices
basil leaves
cream cheese
strawberry jam
Mediterranean
Mediterranean sandwiches are filled with savory tzatziki sauce and feta cheese.
Mediterranean sandwiches are filled with juicy tomato and cucumber.
Feta and tzatziki sandwiches are best prepared on focaccia bread.
Making ice cream at home without needing an ice cream maker is possible by using ice and salt together.
Is salt really necessary to make ice cream?
Yes. Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water. So your ice with salt together end up being colder than frozen ice cubes. This makes the ice cream freeze much faster than if you were just using ice cubes without the salt.
To make instant ice cream you’ll need to gather a few items:
4 trays of crushed ice cubes – approximately 1 Litre of ice cubes
90 mL coarse salt
1-3 L Ziplock bag
1-975 mL Ziplock bag
Instant Ice Cream
125 mL heavy cream
30 mL sugar
2 mL vanilla extract
50 mL fruit (chopped frozen fruit)
In a 3 L Ziplock bag, place both the salt and ice together.
In a 975 mL bag, place heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and frozen fruit and seal completely.
Place the small bag inside the big bag.
Massage the bags together for 5-10 min. Wear oven mitts to prevent your hands from getting too cold.
Serve immediately. Recipe has enough ice cream for up to 2 people.
Olive oil is one of the most commonly used oils for eating. It is the foundation of my different recipes. Extra virgin olive oil is best used for salads and pesto. If you want to be tasting olive oil, use extra virgin olive oil. If you don’t care about the flavor, you can use regular olive oil for cooking vegetables/meat, etc.
Use a small plate and pour 3-4 tbsp of olive oil on it. Add a bit of balsamic reduction on top of the oil. It should be about 1/3 balsamic reduction to olive oil ratio. Dip focaccia bread into the olive oil and balsamic reduction. Toast the bread just a bit before serving.
What type of breads are best for dipping in olive oil?
Focaccia bread
French bread
Baguette
Ciabatta
How to use olive oil for salad dressings?
Making salad dressing is simple to do when using extra virgin olive oil as your base.
Always air on the side of caution when adding vinegar to your salad dressing. Add it sparingly, otherwise it will be too powerful and will not taste sweet. It will be a more bitter, harsh flavor
Olive oil to Vinegar ratio is 3:1
Use red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar as your vinegar for your dressing
Add a few drops of lemon juice if desired
Pinch salt and pepper to taste
Other possible additions and combinations to try out: Dijon mustard, minced garlic, honey
What else can you make with olive oil?
Focaccia bread is made with infusing herbs into olive oil over heat. The smell of the infused oil will fill your kitchen. A small portion of the olive oil is then used within the bread dough. After the dough is done rising, the oil is used to oil the pan. The dough is then placed into the pan, dimpled with your fingers. After, the rest of the herb infused olive oil is placed on top of the dough. The oil will cover the dough completely, then it will bake and infuse into the dough. The dough will come out dry, with no remaining oil on top. The oil gives focaccia bread a moist, fresh, light bread texture that is perfect for dipping into more olive oil and balsamic reduction.
How to make focaccia bread with olive oil infused with herbs at home in only 2 hours.
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Active Time20 minutesmins
Rising Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs5 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Keyword: bread, focaccia bread
Yield: 10slices
Equipment
Oven
Saucepan
13" x 9" Pan
Materials
1/2cupolive oilextra virgin
2garlic clovesminced
1tspthymedried
1tsprosemarydried
1/4tspblack pepper
1cupwarm water(100-110 degrees F)
2 1/4tspinstant yeast
1/4tsphoney
2 1/2cupsflour
1/2tspsalt
pinchfinishing saltoptional
Instructions
In a small saucepan on low heat combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Cook for 5-10 min until fragrant stirring occasionally.
In a large glass bowl combine warm water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 min until frothy.
Add the flour, salt and ¼ cup of the herb olive oil to the yeast mixture. Mix only until just combined and knead only 10-15 times. Don’t overwork the dough.
Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit for 1 hour to rise.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Pour 2 tbsp of the herbed oil into a 9×13’’ pan. Use a paper towel to spread the oil to the entire bottom of the pan, and into the corners. Transfer the risen dough to the baking pan and use your fingers to dimple the dough all over. Pour the remaining oil over the dough. Spread the oil all over using the back of a spoon.
Let rise for 20 min.
Add a sprinkle of finishing salt if desired.
Bake focaccia bread for 15-20 min. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge to make it last longer. Best served the day of or use within 2 days.