Who said cooking and tech don’t mix?
Here at ThinkUp we stand by the idea that the way to any person’s heart is through their stomach.
These two team members represent our love for food in the best way: Recipes for success!
Meet Camila’s secret weapons: Pain au chocolat, cheesecake and chocolate dipped alfajores de maicena
Did your specialty dish turn out right the first time you made it?
To make the pain au chocolat, when incorporating the butter with the dough, both have to be very cold or else it becomes a mess… And indeed, my butter was not cold enough to incorporate it and when I tried to knead it, it sticked to my fingers and all over the place. Anyway, I popped them in the oven doing the best I could, and flavor-wise they turned out delicious!
This or that
Cooking sweet or savory?
Sweet.
Cooking for yourself or for someone else?
For someone else, I rarely cook for myself.
Cooking for family or friends?
For friends.
Cooking while listening to music, watching TV or talking with friends/family?
Both! Listening to music and chatting. And if there is a lit candle that adds to the atmosphere, even better 🤩
What is your favorite dish for the holidays?
Salmon with different garnishes and side dishes 🥗
What is a must-have dish on your birthday?
Chicken Milanese, I’m a fan 🙌
A meal that reminds you of your childhood?
Angel hair pasta soup.
Any international cuisine dish that you like or would like to make?
I would love to make sushi one day, or a well-made stuffed pasta.
Any food from a TV show or movie that you would like to be able to recreate?
The chocolate cake Bruce eats in the movie Matilda 🍰 🤤
Any funny anecdote or accident you had in the kitchen? (Burning something, adding salt instead of sugar, breaking something, etc.)
More than I can count! I remember once I was making a tortilla de papas with all the care in the world, and it looked amazing! Everything was going great, until I tried to flip it; it was so heavy that it slipped. There wasn’t a single corner of the kitchen floor that wasn’t splashed with tortilla. Sad story. 😂
Any ingredient that you avoid or don’t like?
Cilantro! I can’t even smell it. And tripe 🤢
A meal that you learned to make during quarantine?
So many things! Alfajorcitos de maicena, chocolate eclairs, marquise cake, vanilla cookies, chicken pie, onion soup, banana and chocolate ice cream, pretzels, homemade marshmallows … I had a great time cooking.
A meal that all your colleagues at ThinkUp like?
Being far away it’s hard to tell, but when I went to visit the office, they ordered ice cream and they were all happy, so I dare say that is a shared taste 🙂
What would you bring to a picnic or potluck?
Chocolate chip cookies 🍪
Can you share a kitchen tip or hack with us?
If you want a tall and firm meringue like the Empire State Building, add a teaspoon of cream of tartar to it. Works every time!
If you could develop an app or technology that can help you cook, what would it be?
I would love to have a Duolingo-type app but for cooking. You can learn with game-like activities and it can measure your progress. It can also give you ideas about what to cook based on specific diets (Gluten free, Vegan, Paleo, etc.) Since Think Up offers the possibility and has the resources to incorporate virtual reality, I would use it to see what the final result of the dishes should be like, or to test a cake decoration, for example.
(Ingredients for 8 croissants)
• 500 g of flour
• 120 ml of water
• 120 ml of milk
• 50 g of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 sachet of instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons of ointment butter
• 285 g very cold butter, cut into thirds 1 cm thick
• 1 beaten egg
• Chocolate bars (Águila type) c/n
Preparation
In a large bowl mix the flour, water, milk, sugar, salt, yeast and butter. Once the dough starts to come together, toss it on top of a clean counter.
Form a ball with the dough, being careful not to knead it too much. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 1 hour.
Put the three pieces of cold butter on a sheet of parchment paper and place another sheet on top. Give it small taps with a rolling pin and, without removing the paper, roll the rolling pin on top until there is a square of butter approximately 1 cm thick. Take to the fridge.
Flour the allowance and place the dough that we had reserved. With the help of the rolling pin, form a rectangle and place the square of cold butter on top. Fold the ends of the dough over the butter, so that it is completely covered. Pass the kneading stick so that it is sealed, cover with plastic wrap and take to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
On a floured surface, stretch the dough with the rolling pin until it measures approximately 20 x 60 cm. Fold in thirds, first folding the top down, then the bottom up over the rest of the dough. Turn the dough 90° clockwise (this is the first turn). Cover and put in the fridge for 1 hour.
Repeat the previous step two more times until you have completed 3 turns of the dough in total. If at any time the dough or butter begins to soften, take it to the refrigerator until it cools.
After the last turn, cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
To form the croissants, cut the dough in half and reserve one of the parts in the fridge. Flour the surface and stretch with the rolling pin until you get a long strip of approximately 20 x 100 cm. Smooth the edges with a knife so they are straight and cut the dough into 4 rectangles.
Put a chocolate bar on the tip of each rectangle of dough and roll until you reach the other end of the dough. Place on a greased baking tray with the tip of the dough facing down. Repeat with the other half of reserved dough.
With the help of a kitchen brush, cover the croissants with a first layer of beaten egg and reserve the rest in the fridge. Leave the tray in a warm place to rise for 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°. Brush the croissants with another layer of beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot!
And if the craving for something sweet is too much… Accompany them with this hot chocolate bomb.
Tip: I would say that for it to come out optimally it is essential to always keep the temperature of the dough cold. It is difficult because given the body temperature, the butter softens. But therein lies the trick.
(Ingredients for 4 cups approx.)
• 360 ml of milk
• 120 ml of cream
• Sugar/sweetener to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of coffee powder
• 225 g of chocolate for a cup
Preparation:
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix milk, cream, sugar and coffee until hot. Bubbles will appear around the edges but don’t let it boil.
Reduce heat to low and add the chopped chocolate until completely melted. Serve and enjoy!
Julieta shares some of her crowd-pleasers: Pasta and Oreo Cake
Did your specialty dish turn out right the first time you made it?
Yes, that day I won over all my guests!
I like to cook both sweet and savory. Honestly, my desserts are the most acclaimed and the main dishes allow me to play with creativity. But what I enjoy the most is having a good time with the people I love, family and friends.
What is your favorite dish for the holidays?
The holidays for me are a synonym of: chocotorta 😁
What is a must-have dish on your birthday?
Pizza, for sure. And if it’s sourdough, even better.
A meal that reminds you of your childhood?
Pasta with curry sauce! My mother’s is the best, but I took the liberty of remaking it and adding a little more fun with some garlic and prosciutto.
Any ingredient that you avoid or don’t like?
I’m pretty fussy about cabbages in general. I don’t like broccoli or cauliflower, but the worst are Brussels sprouts.
A meal that you learned to make during quarantine?
Sourdough! I became a fan of fermented foods.
A meal that all your colleagues at ThinkUp like?
Oreo cake!
What would you bring to a picnic or potluck?
Oreo cake 😉
Can you share a kitchen tip or hack with us?
Add a few tablespoons of cooking water to your favorite pasta sauce and thank me later 😏 You will be unbeatable in the kitchen!
If you could develop an app or technology that can help you cook, what would it be?
I would definitely adjust the modus operandi of the Thermomix to an app, so that we can all easily make super elaborate dishes.
1 – Separate the Oreo cookies from their filling.
2 – Grind the cookies, add butter and place them as the base of a glass source suitable for freezer. Flatten the base into a tight, even layer. Take to the freezer.
3 – Mix the cookie filling and milk cream in a bowl. Beat until thick.
4 – Remove the source from the freezer and add a generous layer of dulce de leche.
5 – Above the dulce de leche add the cream. Decorate with ground cookies.
Freeze for a few hours.
Ready!
We already feel like cooking experts, what should we make next? 🧑🍳
