• Besides having balanced ratio of the cake recipes, techniques of whipping egg whites often determine quality of cakes. It’s unnecessary to beat the egg whites to stiff every time. The consistency of whipping egg whites depends on what kind of cake you are going to bake. Therefore you have to whisk the egg whites in a right way before savouring a piece of tasty cake.
• Use the most fresh eggs in the cake baking. Old egg whites tend to collapse when other ingredients are folded in, and they don't rise well in the oven. Freshness Test: Place an egg in water mixed with a little salt. If the egg is fresh it will sink. The quicker or farther it sinks, the fresher it is. If the egg floats, it has spoiled. Cold eggs are easier to separate than warm eggs. To achieve maximum volume when beating eggs, have them at room temperature, about 17C—22C.
• Make certain that all mixing equipment are absolutely clean, and that inclusive of your hands. The bowl and and beaters should be free of fat particles. Egg whites will not increase to the desired volume if contaminated with any trace of oil. This is also true if any tiny speck of yolk appears in the egg whites. If you happen to have copper bowl in hand, it is ideal for whipping egg whites. A reaction between the copper and whites generates a much more stable foam, with one-third more volume than you get in a standard bowl. If copper is not available, the next best choice is stainless steel. 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar for 2 egg whites can be added as a stabilizer, replacing the acidic properties of the copper. Lemon juice or vinegar will work as well. The ratio stays same as cream of tartar calls for the recipe. If possible, plastic and glass bowls should be avoided to use because plastic tends to hold some oil even after thorough cleaning. The naturally slick surface of glassware doesn't give much traction for the egg whites to climb the bowl. Never use aluminum which reacts with the egg whites causing them to turn slightly gray.
• Whether to use a hand-held electric mixer
  angiesrecipes or a stand mixer
  angiesrecipes really depends on the number of egg whites whisked at one time. I choose using a stand mixer when I have to beat more than 3 egg whites, otherwise, I prefer to whisk egg whites with my hand-held electric mixer. That’s not to say that egg whites cannot achieve their full volume manually beaten. A bulb whisk
  angiesrecipes works fine and for sure more wires bring on faster results. Spiral version works easier than the flat one. Start at a slow speed and gradually increase the speed until the egg whites reach their full volume. Operating the mixer at a high speed from the beginning will not allow the egg whites to reach their full volume and will not stabilize because of its grainy and large bubbles.
• Some professional pastry chefs suggest adding a pinch of salt with the raw egg whites at the beginning of beating. Because salt not only enhances flavors but also helps to make the whites beat more easily. However, some feel salt decreases the stability of whipped up egg whites and prefer adding it along with other dry ingredients. When you're ready to whip your egg whites, add an acid to them such as cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar. Set your mixer on low and start beating. In about 10 seconds you should have frothy and foamy egg whites.
• Sugar not only adds sweetness, it also stabilizes the egg whites and helps producing a more smooth meringues. When whipping egg whites for soft macaroons, use just one part sugar to one part egg white, i.e. beating 1 egg white with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Or use 2 parts sugar, 4 tablespoons, to whip up one part egg white. If less than 2 tablespoons of sugar to whisk one egg white, the foam will not set and the meringue will shrink. Besides weight ratio, timing plays another important roll in whisking egg whites. It is very important to be aware of when you add the sugar to the egg whites. If whisking in 1/4 cup or less of sugar, then add at the beginning. Otherwise, start adding it gradually just before they form soft peaks, when egg whites have been whipped to at least four times their original volume. Sugar, if added too soon, will likely inhibit egg whites from foaming. If too late, sugar not completely dissolved, and you most likely end up having dull and over-whipped egg whites. Always add sugar in a stream, slowly at the side of the bowl while the whites are being whipped. Avoid dumping it in the center, unless you want to experience how beaten egg whites deflate.

蛋白/Egg White/Albumen/Poggle/Glair/Glaire can go through 4 stages ( 5, if inclusive of the stage before beaten-up) when beaten depending upon the end result needed. Do NOT stop the mixer in between.

1. 
   #Foamy Fluffy: Large bubbles, very loose with a cloudy, yellowish liquid developing into bubbles.
   
   
2. 
   #Soft Peak: Bubbles have tightened into a white foam with a soft ribbon that folds back into itself. You can pull the whites into a "2-3 centimeters peak" but they won't hold the shape.
   
   
3. 
   #Firm Peaks: Glossy, firm and smooth like fresh heavy cream. You can pull whites into a peak that will curl but not stand.
   
   
4. 
   #Stiff Peaks: Glossy and very stiff. Best for baking chiffon cakes.
   
   
5. 
   #Over Beaten: If egg whites are beaten to dry and dull, they are over-beaten. Watch carefully, because egg whites can go from stiff to dry and over-beaten in as little as 30 seconds.

1. Soak the raisins in a bowl filled with warm water for 20 minutes until soft. Drain.
2. In a mixing bowl put flour, sugar, pinch of salt, butter, egg and lukewarm milk. Crumble the fresh yeast on top of the ingredients. Using a stand mixer blend all the ingredients at slow speed until a dough forms. Then adjust to middle speed and knead for about 5 minutes until dough comes off easily from bowl and smooth. Add the thoroughly drained raisins and lemon zest. Knead for another 30 seconds until well-combined.
   
3. Cover the dough and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch down and divide the dough in 3 equal pieces and roll into ropes. Loosely braid the ropes and put on a greased baking tray. Let rise for another 30 minutes until braid is plump and doubled in size. Brush with milk and bake for about 30 minutes at 190C/375F.

There is no standard recipe of XO sauce. It is mainly made of roughly chopped dried scallop (conpoy), dried shrimp, chilli, and dry-cured Jinhua Ham, which is named after Jinhua city, in the middle of Zhejiang Province. If you have difficulty to find it, then use other ham with the similar quality.

1. Soften the dried scallops in warm water. Drain them well and work them into rough shreds with a fork. Or pulse the dried scallops with an electric mixer if you prefer thin shreds of conpoy.
   
2. Soak the dried shrimp, let drain and mince finely. Rinse squid and microwave for 1 minute with medium heat. Turn and heat one more minute. Thinly tear them off. Dice ham into fine cubes. Chop garlic and dry chillies. Shred the shallots and deep-fry them until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
   
3. Heat the same skillet with the rest of oil on high. Stir in minced garlic until fragrant. Add in dried shrimp, chillies, ham, shallots, conpoy,squid and eel floss. Turn the heat slower and keep stirring until the sauce brings fine aromatic and tasty smell. Now season the mixture and continue to cook the mixture has turned into golden brown. After the XO sauce cooling down store it completely covered with oil in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or XO sauce would have lost its aroma and freshness soon. XO sauce not only can be served as a condiment, but also be used in various stir-fries.

Croissant...This delicious pastry originated in Budapest in 1686, when the Turks were besieging the city. To reach the centre of the town, they dug underground passages. Bakers, working during the night, heard the noise made by the Turks and gave the alarm. The assailants were repulsed and the bakers who had saved the city were granted the privilege of making a special pastry which had to take the form of a crescent in memory of the emblem on the Ottoman flag.
Alan Davidson, the author of Oxford Companion to Food, expresses his doubts. Culinary mythology--origin of the croissant According to one of a group of similar legends, which vary only in detail, a baker of the 17th century, working through the night at a time when his city (either Vienna in 1683 or Budapest in 1686) was under siege by the Turks, heard faint underground rumbling sounds which, on investigation, proved to be caused by a Turkish attempt to invade the city by tunnelling under the walls. The tunnel was blown up. The baker asked no reward other than the exclusive right to bake crescent-shaped pastries commemorating the incident, the crescent being the symbol of Islam. He was duly rewarded in this way, and the croissant was born.
The story seems to owe its origin, or at least its wide diffusion, to Alfred Gottschalk, who wrote about the croissant for the first edition of the Larousse Gastronomique [1938] and there gave the legend in the Turkish attack on Budapest in 1686 version; but on the history of food, opted for the 'siege of Vienna in 1683' version."

1. In a mixer with a dough hook, place the yeast, flour, sugar, salt and the milk and mix for 2 minutes until a soft moist dough forms on the hook. If the dough is not moist, add more milk, half tablespoon at a time until it is moist and smooth, using not more than 2 tablespoons. Increase speed and mix until the dough is very smooth and elastic, about 2-3 minutes. Cover the dough and rest for 30 minutes in fridge.
   酵母，面粉，砂糖，食盐和牛奶放入搅拌盆，揉成较湿润且柔软面团。如果面团稍干的话，可适量添加一些牛奶，每次加入半勺将面团揉成稍微湿润即可，用量不要超过2大勺为宜。提速继续搅打面团至光滑有弹性，2-3分钟。面团盖上保鲜膜冷藏松弛30分钟。
   
2. Roll the dough on a lightly floured board to a 9 by 16 inch rectangle. Soften the butter by beating with a rolling pin. Place the butter over two-thirds of the length of the rectangle. Starting from the the unbuttered third, fold the dough, like a business letter, into thirds. Turn the dough a quarter degree, so that the open sides are at 12 and 6 o'clock. Roll again the laminated dough to a rectangle and fold into thirds. Wrap the dough with plastic film tightly and chill over night to ease the gluten.
   工作台洒些面粉，放上面团擀成9x16寸的长方形。用擀面杖将牛油捶打至软身，将其铺放在三分之二的面团上。从未铺牛油的三分之一面团入手，折信般将面团三折。将面团转90度，让开口两端朝6点和12点。擀成长方形后再三折。面团包入塑料保鲜膜隔夜冷藏，松弛面筋。
   
3. Remove from the fridge and perform the 3-fold three more times. Or two more times of 3-fold and a 4-fold turn for the final, which is to fold both ends into the center and then fold to close, like a book. Chill for 30 minutes to relax the dough between each turn. After the completion of the final turn, relax the dough in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight to fit your schedule. At this point the dough can be frozen until needed. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge before shaping.
   取出面团后重复3次3折或是2次三折后，然后四折收尾。所谓四折就是将擀开的面团头尾两端折向中心，然后再对折。每次折好后要冷藏松弛面团30分钟。完成最后一折后，面团需要至少2小时或是隔夜冷藏。这时面团可以冷冻保存，使用前必须提前放到保鲜柜退冻后才能使用。
   
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle with about 4mm in thickness. Trim irregularities and divide the dough with a pizza cutter or knife (using croissant cutter if available) into triangles, about 4-inch wide, or wider if you prefer croissants more curved. Gently stretch the base of the triangle to widen it slightly, while one hand holds the base, pull the dough with the other to lengthen the dough, so that a quality croissant with multi layers. Roll up starting at the wide bottom to make a curved cresent shape and place them on a baking paper lined pan.
   将面团放到铺了少许面粉的台面上，擀成4毫米左右厚度的长方形。 用皮萨饼轮刀或刀子（要是有专用羊角包割面刀就更佳了）将其切成4寸宽三角块。如果喜欢面包两角更有弯度的话，可以宽一些。轻轻将三角面团的底部拉宽一些，一手按住底部，另一手轻轻将面团拉长，这样面包的层次会更加清晰。从宽底部将其卷起成新月状放入铺放了烤纸的烤盘上。
   
5. To proof the croissants, place them in an oven that is warm but not turned on, with a pan of hot water in the bottom to create a moist environment, which is beneficial to the proofing. Let rise until croissants puffed up and spongy to the touch, 2-3 hours. Remove from the oven. Preheat the oven to 200F/400F. Mix egg and milk together in a bowl. Brush with the egg wash and bake the croissants for 22 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Allow them to cool on a rack before serving.
   烤箱不要通电，并且在底部放入一大盘热水营造湿润温暖的环境，有利于醒面。将整形好的面包胚放入烤箱进行发酵。2-3小时后，面包明显膨胀，手触面团有弹性。取出面包后，预热烤箱至200C/400F。牛角包表面刷上鸡蛋和牛奶混合液，入预热后的烤箱烘焙至金黄色，22-25分钟。取出后放到架上晾凉。

Avocado Pear or Alligator Pear or Butter Pear...They all mean the same kind of fruit (or vegetable?), which is a tree native to Mexico and Central America. Avocado is rich in unsaturated fat, and B E K vitamins. It has highest fiber content of any kind of fruit. Although avocado is such a value to the human being, it is poisonous to the animals. So keep your pets away from avocado! Check here for more information about Avocado and Weight Loss.

1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the core. Carefully remove the flesh and cut each half into five or six slices. Keep two avocado shells intact and reserve.
2. Rinse chicken breast under cold running water. Pat them dry with paper towel and shred. Place chicken shreds into a bowl, marinate with soya, chicken bouillon and egg white for 30 minutes. Add in cornstarch and combine well.
3. Heat up a skillet with some oil. Blanch the marinated chicken shreds until cooked. Reserve one tablespoon of oil in the skillet and stir fry ginger, scallion and garlic until fragrant. Add in sweet peppers and return the chicken to the skillet. Drizzle in the rice wine, season with salt and pepper. Stir briefly. Add in avocado slices and toss to combine. Remove and place them into two reserved avocado shells.