Monday, October 28, 2013

Cro Knots

Yeah...I know what you must be asking right now...What in Sam Hill is a Cro Knot?  I asked the same thing myself when I first heard of them...Think of a doughnut, shaped a different way...For starters..
I am told that they will soon be coming to a bakery near you...
Want to get the drop on the next big thing in food?  Okay,how about learning how to make them yourself?
Check it out..

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
2 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound plus 5 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup water, room temperature
1 1/4 tablespoon active dry yeast
8 cups vegetable oil
8 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Hot water

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Grate butter into flour and toss gently to coat butter with flour. Mix milk, water and yeast (does not need to bloom). Pour wet ingredients into dry and combine with spatula. Dough should feel soft and pliable, just like biscuit dough.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and place bowl inside a plastic bag. Set in refrigerator and chill for at least 12 hours.

Okay, next..Roll dough out to approximately 3/4-inch thick. Fold 1/3 toward center, then on other side, fold 1/3 over the first side, just like folding a business letter. Turn dough 90 degrees and repeat rolling and folding. Do this process for three turns total. Wrap dough loosely but fully in plastic wrap, place on cookie pan and place plastic bag around pan. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 12 hours, preferably a full day.

Roll dough out to 3/4-inch thick. Cut dough into either donut shapes or into strips (approximately 1 inch by 6 inches). If making knots, roll strips out to approximately 10-inches long, twist and tie into knots. Place donuts or knots onto cookie pan and cover loosely. Let rise in warm place until double in size and puffy; approximately two hours.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees. In bowl, combine powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk in enough hot water to create thin glaze (glaze should coat the end of a spoon nicely). Set aside.

When Cro-Knots are double in size, fry for approximately 1 1/2 minutes on each side, until dark golden brown. Remove from oil and dip in glaze immediately.

Enjoy with a nice cold glass of Milk...





Enjoy!  Eat well my friends!

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Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household