Naan (Pakistan & Indian Fluffy Flatbread)

 Ingredients

• Warm Water 90 degrees F (1/2 cup)
• Active Dry Yeast (1 tsp or 3g)
• White Sugar (1 tbsp)
• All Purpose Flour (200g)
• Kosher salt (1.5 tsp)
• Honey (1 tbsp, or white sugar if you don't have honey)
• Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
• Plain Yogurt (1/4 cup)

Instructions

• Microwave water in 10 second increments until it reaches 90F. If you don't have a food thermometer, if you can keep your finger submerged in the water without it feeling "hot" and just being a pleasant "warm" then its good. Any hotter and you'll kill the yeast bacteria
• Stir in the yeast and sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes. This is called blooming the yeast which gives a head start on the fermentation. If it doesn't bloom (has a foamy layer on top), check the expiration date of your yeast.
• While its blooming, in a separate mixing bowl whisk together your flour and salt. The mixing bowl should be large enough for your to mix with your hands.
• Once yeast is bloomed, add it with all remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl.
• This will be an uncomfortable part if you're a tactile person who hates the feeling of sticky person, but it gets better. You'll first squeeze the mixture together to incorporate them all well into a ball
• Dump this mixture onto a floured surface and knead (watch a YouTube video on kneading) for 10 minutes or until its no longer sticky and has a smooth surface. You may need to add small amounts of flour depending on how humid your home is
• Cover the mixing with plastic wrap and let it proof for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. If its cold in your home, you can turn your over on for about 1 minute until it feels warm (but not hot) and let it proof in there. The yeast activity is directly correlated to the temperature and amount of sugar it has to eat.
• Once proofed, then divide the dough into 7 dough balls. Watch this YouTube video (1 min) to learn how to properly make the balls
• Cover it with a dry kitchen towel and let proof another 30 minutes
• Bring a pan to medium heat (no oil needed)
• Using a rolling pin (a wine bottle works too), roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface starting from the center into naan shapes. If it feels like the dough is not staying in shape, this means the gluten needs to relax. So just cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 min (turn off your pan while this is happening!)
• You're going to do an assembly line style here. Roll one piece of naan out, then cook it. If you try to roll out all the naans first, they will dry out. Cook the naan for 1 minute on the first side (or until you see large bubbles forming. Using a spatula, lift up the naan and check to see if its not burning. Try get it to a point of looking brown with some dark spots
• Flip to the other side and cook another minute
• Store the cooked naans in a dry kitchen towel and wrap it. The wrap will steam the naans to keep them fluffy and soft + keep them warm. 

Meyer Lemon Cardamom Curd

Ingredients:

2 tbsp meyer lemon zest (~3 small meyer lemons worth)

1/2cup white sugar

1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional for added flavor complexity)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 egg yolks (optional: add an extra egg yolk if you want a thicker consistency. Yolks have a natural thickener called lecithin which is why they are great for sauces)

1 whole egg

2 tbsp raw honey (the honey and maple syrup are optional for added flavor complexity. If you don't have, then just add 2 more tbsp of sugar)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 cup fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice

3 tbsp cold butter

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional, but if you don't have it, then add 1 more tsp of vanilla extract)

Steps:

1) Whisk sugar, salt, and cardamon in a bowl, then add in zest. Rub sugar mixture and zest together with your fingers to release the oils in the zest until a wet sand consistency emerges.

2) Whisk in eggs, honey, maple syrup, until well combined

3) Add mixture with lemon juice in a non-metallic bowl over a double boiler and whisk continuously until it thickens (170F). A double boiler is just a sauce pan with some water simmer on low with a bowl that fits snuggly on top. This is a way of cooking delicate things like eggs in sauces gently to avoid scrambling

4) Take it off heat. Whisk in 1 tbsp of butter a time until well incorporated before adding the next one. 

5) Whisk in vanilla extract and paste

6) Let cool for about 5 minutes then add plastic wrap on surface to prevent skin from forming and cool completely in the fridge (~4 hours)

7) Once cooled, use a fine mesh sieve to strain out zest and create a very smooth consistency

Notes:

• Tasted best after 12+ hours of refrigeration. Like just about any sauce, it benefit from some time to let the flavors settle and natural chemical reactions occur. 
• I would like a thicker curd next time, so I'll add in an extra egg yolk. This would make it a better consistency for tarts, fillings in brioche doughnuts, etc. 
• Flavor was the right balance of tart and sweet for me, as I really wanted the meyer lemon flavor to be the start with the other flavors being more of the supportive cast to make it more interesting for my taste bud

Karin Loves to Make Chai Concentrate

  Ingredients:

• 5.5 cups of filtered water
• 15 cardamom pods
• 3 medium size cinnamon sticks (break it up into pieces with your fingers) 
• 20 peppercorns 
• 10 cloves 
• 5 all spice balls  
• 3 whole star anise 
• 4 tbsp Darjeeling black tea (or a loose leaf black tea of your choice) 
• 25g (2inch) ginger knob (smashed/crushed)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed down)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

1. Add the cardamom, broken up cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, cloves, all spices balls, and star anise into a mortar and pestle. Crush up everything into pieces without grinding them fine. The point is to just open up the spices to allow for more extraction. If you don't have a mortar, you can add to a plastic bag and use a rolling pin, a wine bottle, etc to crush up the spices.
2. Add the crushed up spices to a sautee pan on medium heat and warm up the spices, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes (or until you start to smell it). The purpose here is to awaken the essential oils in the spices, which will make for a more flavorful tea
3. Add water, warmed up spices, and ginger to a pot, and turn on to high heat
4. Once the water is at a simmer/gentle boil, continue letting it all simmer for 10 minutes
5. Add the tea and then turn off the heat. Let the tea steep for 4 minutes
6. Strain the tea with a sieve or fine cheese cloth
7. Clean out your pot, then add the tea back to the pot and turn the heat back on to high
8. Add the sugar, nutmeg, and honey and let simmer for 5 minutes to reduce down the liquid. If you want a more concentrated flavor (ie if you are planning to mix with milk), you can cook it down longer.
9. Take off the heat and add the vanilla.
10. Let the tea cool down naturally. You can speed this up by sticking it in the freezer for 30 minutes, then letting it cool the rest of the way out on your counter. 

Creamy Cashew Milk

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup (145g) raw, unsalted cashews
• 5 cups filtered water
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste [What I used]
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 7 pitted dates

Instructions:

1. Add the cashews to a bowl, cover with water, and let them soak for 2 hours
2. After soaking is complete, discard any cashews that are floating. It's an indicator that they have gone bad (rancid). 
3. Drain the cashews and them to a high powdered blender along with the rest of the ingredients
4. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes
5. Pour the cashew milk through a fine mesh sieve (this is more of a safety net. The cashews are low in fiber, so you shouldn't really find any little bits)
6. Store the cashew milk in a container for up to 1 week. Before each use, give it a quick shake. Since you don't have any emulsifiers or gums, its natural for it to separate. If you did want to prevent separation, you could add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum when blending