Cooking like a pro is not as difficult as it sometimes seems. If you have controlled the day to day of meals, but you get overwhelmed because at parties you want to make recipes that you are not used to cooking, we make it easy for you. With our easy and super useful cooking techniques, you will feel like a queen of the kitchen and look like a true masterchef at Christmas celebrations.
Cut the puff pastry well
When you cook with puff pastry it is important that you cut it correctly, since this also influences whether or not it rises in homogeneous layers. To cut the puff pastry well, it must be cold, or else it can be glued to the knife. And the movement of the cut must be clean, from top to bottom: the tip of the knife is stuck in one end of the dough and the rest of the blade is lowered in a straight line. And don't forget to use a sharp knife so that the cut is precise and clean.
Cook the seafood just right
Although the cooking times vary depending on the type of seafood, there are a series of general rules to cook it just right. For example, mollusks (mussels, clams) are cooked in a finger of water at room temperature or wine until they open (about 5 minutes). On the other hand, if they are crustaceans (lobster, prawns …), they must be added when the water starts to boil and the time is counted from when it starts again. The barnacles and shrimp are put into boiling water and removed half a minute after it boils again. And if you dare with the scallops, click here.
Prepare a beef carpaccio
One of the hassles when preparing a carpaccio is cutting the meat very thin. To make it easier for you, wrap the meat in transparent kitchen wrap, as if it were a candy; Put it in the freezer for about 40-60 minutes so that it hardens a bit, so you can easily cut it. Then, put the resulting slices of meat between two layers of film lightly greased with oil and roll them over so that they are as thin as possible. Don't miss our recipe to prepare a delicious carpaccio with Parmesan.
Get a very fluffy chocolate mousse
The secret to getting a fluffy mousse is to give it air. The first thing you have to do is mix egg yolks with sugar, and add melted chocolate and cream. And then add whites to the point of snow, which is where the secret of fluffiness lies. You have to beat the whites until they are very firm, that is, full of air. To do this, in addition to having patience and an electric mixer, make sure there are no traces of yolk in the whites. And when you mix them with the rest of the ingredients, do it slowly and with enveloping movements, without beating the whole so that it does not "deflate".
How to prepare the best "lucky grapes"
- When you go to. One trick to knowing which ones to choose is to gently shake the bunch. The beans should stay in place. If they fall, it is a sign that they are too ripe.
- When you get home. The most advisable thing is to keep them in the refrigerator until you are going to consume them. Take them out 1 hour before eating to enjoy all their aroma and flavor.
- If you need to peel them. This is very easy if you blanch them in boiling water for 30 to 45 seconds. When you take them out, put them in ice water. This way you will avoid burning yourself when you are removing the skin.
- Not just for dessert. In addition to eating them as fresh fruit or as part of a dessert, they are perfect to accompany game dishes or combine them with cheese or foie gras.
Take advantage of thistles
- Keep them well. When you get home, put them in the fridge in plastic bags with a hole in them. You can freeze them by blanching them beforehand for at least 5 minutes.
- To make them white. When cleaning, sprinkle with lemon juice; and when cooking, also add a little juice to the cooking water. Another option is to add a tablespoon of flour to the water.
- Very tender. In large thistles, the inner leaves are much more tender than the outer ones. Therefore, so that they are all equally tender, it is better to cook them in 2 batches.
- If you don't like its bitterness. One way to minimize this is to cook them only in water for about 20 minutes. Drain them and bring them back to boil in salted water for 15 minutes.
And how to succeed presenting the dishes
Any recipe wins if you serve it in a striking way, but for your dishes to enter through the eyes you do not have to complicate too much.
- Original resources can be to present the creams in shot glasses or even in mason jars.
- Seafood cocktails or other entrees can be served in martini glasses.
- Salads, in special spoons for snacks or edible molds, such as tulips or tartlets.
- And the croquettes or fried fish, in paper cones.
