Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Bun

Cross bun is a sweet, yeast – leveled bread made with currants or raisins or any other dried fruits and is marked with a cross on the top. The cross signifies the crucifixion of Jesus on the to cross and can be made making a cross with two pieces of the mixture, making two intersecting cuts on the top, using icing to make the cross and any creative idea one can come up with to have a cross on the top of the bun.

The dough is made from, flour, sugar, salt to taste, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract (essence) egg, milk, raisin, water and dry yeast.

The slide show displays some of the process.

I trust you had some hot cross buns yesterday. What did you eat them with Cheese?

Have a blessed day

Hot, fresh fries

5.

 

It is such a turn off to show up with your hard earn cash at a fast food restaurant or any restaurant for that matter and is served cold fries. Having worked in the system for as long as I did, I am aware of what it is like, both as an employee and as a customer. My policy as a manager was to serve my customers fresh, quality food. Initially the employees did not buy into my style. However, as time went by, they recognize where I was coming from and complied. We used various strategies. Trial and error, and determination to improve our service and strange enough serving our customers fresh hot fries worked. Our work ultimately became less stressful and customers were happy.

My strategy as it relates to dropping fries, was to drop them in smaller amounts frequently depending on the traffic. This way we always had fresh hot fries for our customers. The hold time on fries at most fast food stores is five to seven minutes. These fries are held in holding bins under heating lamps, which keep them relatively hot for that period of time. Strange enough, most restaurants serve fries way beyond the hold time. I call those fries, "dead fries". Yes that is how I feel about them. Who wants cold fries! Yuck !!!

Now, I made references in previous posts about how you can be sure of getting some hot fries. However, in this post I want to suggest some tricks you can use to get them nice and hot.

I suggest that even before you place your order in a nice and courteous manner inform the order taker that you would like to have fresh hot fries, the amount and the size(s). This will give them an opportunity to have your fries cooking while you are placing you order. Also, requesting that the fries be no salt or requesting light salt may guarantee you fresh fries. I also mention in a earlier post that customers go on the inside and watch the fries cook. Last but not lease, if you are served some cold fries it is your right to return them to the store and request a fresh batch or your money back. Most of the time the managers of person in-charge will reimburse you your money and give you a fresh fry. The best place to conduct such a conversation to ensure you are getting them just out of the grease.  

What have been your experiences with fries? Which fast food restaurant serves the best fries?

I had these last night. They were so good. I had to tale a pic for you to see.

              Whose fries are these, can you tell?

Nickey

Blessings

Guyanese Sunday Breakfast - Bake and saltfish

Breakfast in the Caribbean is very different compared to that in the North and the rest of the world. In Guyana, on Sunday mornings most families would have had what i prepared. Bakes or floats and saltfish.
Bakes or floats are made with flour, sugar, salt to taste, margarine, a dash of nutmeg, some essence (vanilla extract) yeast, baking powder and water. 
Saltfish is actually fish preserved in salt. Most people here in the northern hemisphere may know it as cod. It is extremely salt and needs to be boiled at least three times to reduce the amount of salt. Tasting a piece of it prior to cooking it is always advised.
Fried saltfish is very tasty when sauteed with oil and a generous amount of onions, Garlic, celery, tomatoes, some lemon juice and peppers.
Yumm... I am sure the pic below tells the story

                                                                Fried Saltfish

                                                                  Bakes or floats

 Salt fish sandwiched between the two halves of the bake...Yum mm.

I wish everyone had the opportunity to taste this. I have a smile on my face as type this line. Yes it was that good.
Have you ever had this?