A few things have become clear to me while I bake my way through bar study. First and foremost is that "spreading batter in buttered pan" is a lot harder than it sounds. The batter likes to stick to the spatula. A lot. The butter likes to release the batter from the pan. Frequently. I end up having to use ninja wrist flicks in order to get the batter into the corners of the pan.
Second is that bars with layers sound infinitely cooler. But are a devil harder to make. This week I have blondies with a caramel layer (no oats, got distracted). And they are beautiful. But they were difficult to make. I had to bake the first layer for 8 minutes first. That way the caramel wouldn't sink to the bottom and turn into a black, burned mess.
Combine these two truthiness doctrines and you have twice the difficulty of getting the batter to do something predictable. Spreading batter on top of the caramel layer was so frustrating. I made it on the hottest day this week (genius, I know) so I was really warm from babysitting the melting caramel and the oven, and then I had to hold everything just so in order to pour the bubbly hot caramel into the pan. On top of that, I had to spread batter evenly over melted caramel. Not an easy task. But they turned out lovely. A very very even layer, perfectly perfect between layers of blondie.
And then there is bar study. The baking has been doing wonders to relieve stress, cut down on impulsively purchased pastries, and time management. It even helps me pay attention to lectures as I weigh and measure out all the ingredients. Not an auditory learner. Maybe part kinestetic learner and mostly visual/written learner? Ha HA. This baking thing is working like MAGIC. As I gain confidence in baking, my movements have become fluid, practiced, reliable. Like a fattening Tai Chi. In the evenings, I wrap up my creations in some wax paper. The routine of cutting the paper, taking each piece and wrapping it up, taping down the flaps is soothing and slightly mindless. An alternative is shelling fava beans which I also do.
I've been infatuated with the idea of white chocolate brownies with dark chocolate chunks. It just looks so cool. Perhaps I'll try it tomorrow. Perhaps I'll wait until next week. I will do something with nuts. Probably not an independent recipe, more likely a nut topping/garnish/mix-in. I have bags of pecans that want to be used.
And cereal bars? I love them. Especially with the dark chocolate marshmallow that I made. It gives it an extra special something. Anthony says "Nay" and to abandon that endeavor entirely. But I rather like them. I don't think I'll do the crushed chocolate cream cookies on top because it's so messy. I nearly had a meltdown while trying to slather and dip the cereal bars in melted chocolate and then the crushed cookies. Can't get the sensation of melted chocolate and crumbs out of my mind. Shudder. I know, I have a hard life.
A burger sounds really good right now. Something rare, with a sharp cheese, on a toasted bun. No onions. A slice of tomato. Dijon mustard. Maybe horseradish too. I read on a burger-devoted blog that a properly cooked burger must rest for a few minutes to release the juices. Sounds good to me. But right now, I'm so hungry. I won't mind drippy, oily elbows as I eat my eager burger.
Oh, Anthony? I'll totally go to that Super Duper burger place on Market with you. Sorry I made a snarky comment when we walked past it several weeks ago. Upon further inspection, it looks like a place that has good burgers. At least that's what the Mayor claims. Or something. I'm getting my sources mixed up. It's time for another practice test.
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