Daring Bakers August 2008 Challenge -- Diary

Tuesday, August 12

9.30 am - I’ll be making the pastry cream first then the cream puff dough and then the chocolate glaze. I think I’ll make some caramel, too.

10.10 am - Pastry cream is finished. I just remembered how good it tastes!

10.28 am - Getting ready to make the dough.

10.41 am - Measured out the ingredients and it’s ready to go only I have not prepared any of the tools I’ll need.

Boiling the mixture before adding the flour.

10.55 am - Incorporating the eggs by hand. A Kitchenaid would be really nice right now.

The different stages of the dough while adding the eggs.

11.03 am - Arm exercise is finished, piping the dough.

11.16 am - Finished piping. It made 18 pieces total. Hmmm, I thought it would make a lot. Good thing I didn’t halve the recipe. Only 14 pieces could fit so I’m freezing the other four.

11.19 am - In the oven they go ― 7 minutes.

11.27 am - Inserting the wooden spoon. My oven is making a strange clicking sound it’s never made before. Goodness! I hope my cream puffs won’t explode.

11.30 am - Looking at the puffs ― they’re puffing! Yipee!

11.32 am - Flipping the pans now. I noticed that the tops are broken, not smooth. Is that normal? I don’t think so. Uh-oh, I hope they don’t fall apart.

11.35 am - SHRIEEEKKKK! I was just reading the recipe again and it says to bake the puffs at 375! I only set my oven to 350!!! Grrr, I don’t know how to read anymore.

11.40 am - Puffs are still pale and they do not look like they’re done. I’m giving them a few more minutes. Corrected the temperature, maybe it’s not yet too late.

11.43 am - Looking at the puffs again. About half of them caved in.

11.45 am - Not good.

11.50 am - Took the puffs out of the oven. They’re lightly browned. A lot of them caved in and have cracked on top.

The only one theat turned out well was the one in the botterm right corner. The round cream puffs look a little odd.

12.07 pm - Now for the chocolate sauce and glaze.

12.26 pm - Chocolate glaze covers a multitude of sins!

These puffs are ready to be filled!

1.07 pm - Cream puffs are done, am eating my second one now. They don’t look too good. The puffs did not rise very well. However, it tastes good. The pastry cream is too soft and the glaze could have been thicker. Overall, it’s not soo bad. Anyway my family does not know I messed it up. And I’m not telling!

Maybe I should have dipped the tops on the chocolate instead of pouring it over the puffs.

Things I Would Do Differently Next Time:

1. Read the recipe carefully and take note of the correct oven temperature.
2. Use 4 eggs instead of 3 for the pastry cream.
3. Use parchment paper to line the pans.
4. Allow the glaze to cool a little more to thicken, that way I could spread it on top of the cream puffs.
5. Practice piping!

Dark Chocolate Cake with Caramel Meringue Buttercream

I have no explanation for everything I do.

Case in point: two days ago I just felt like baking a chocolate cake. So I did. It was a sudden urge that I had no choice but to follow. The next day, I was a little irritated with....oh, I don't know everything, so I did the unimaginable---I made Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or as popularly known in cake websites, SMBC. The dreaded SMBC. I've always been afraid to make this buttercream but yesterday, I was angry enough and I just did it. And it came out perfectly. Good thing it did because if it hadn't, I think I would have lost it. Somebody loves me. Anyway, here are the recipes just in case one day you get angry and you need something to calm you down...make this cake.

Dark Chocolate Cake

Makes: 1, 3-layer 9inch cake

2 cups boiling water
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 3-9 inch pans with butter or cooking spray OR you can line the bottom with parchment paper then grease that. Set aside.
(Note: This recipe can also be made with just two pans. Read below. OR, you can halve the recipe---it makes a lot.)

2. In a 2-cup Pyrex measuring glass or a medium bowl, combine the water and cocoa powder, mixing until the powder is dissolved. Let cool.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after every addition. Add the vanilla.

5. Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the cocoa mixture. To do this: Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter and mix for about 1 minute or until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Then add 1/2 the cocoa and mix on low, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes or until incorporated. Scrape sides of the bowl. Repeat. You should end with adding the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
(Note: My oven can only accomodate 2 pans at a time. Of course, leaving the third pan out on the counter while the other two are baking can only end in disaster and tears. So, I poured 1/3 of the batter in one pan and 2/3 on the other. I placed the pan with 2/3 batter on the lower rack and the other on the upper rack. )

7. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.
(Note: The 1/3 pan baked for about 35 minutes and the 2/3 pan for about 50-60 minutes.)

Do not over bake the cakes! (If you like dry, burnt cakes then ignore this.)
To check for doneness: Five minutes before the cakes should be done, insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake.
If it comes out with batter, bake 5 minutes more.
If it comes out with moist crumbs, it's done.
If it comes out clean, it's overbaked. You can still eat it, though.

To make 3 layers, cut the thicker cake into 2.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Makes 8 cups

2 3/4 + 3 tablespoons (20 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) egg whites
2 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract


I used a hand mixer to make this recipe. If you have a stand mixer, good for you!

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until well mixed. Set over a pot with boiling water. Whisk constantly until all the sugar crystals are dissolved. To test: Pick up a little of the mixture (careful, it's hot!) and rub it between your thumb and forefinger. If it's smooth then you're done. If it's grainy whisk some more and put your back into it! Do not overcook. Otherwise you'll have scrambled egg whites.

2. When it's done, put the bowl on your counter and start mixing on high until the mixture forms a stiff meringue. (When you slowly raise your mixer and the meringue forms peaks that does not fall over, it's stiff. Otherwise, continue mixing.) It took me about 15-20 minutes.

3. Add the butter a few cubes at a time while mixing on low speed. After all the butter has been incorporated, mix on medium speed until fluffy.

4. Add the vanilla and beat until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. It's ready to be used.

I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup caramel topping to my mixture.

After you refrigerate the buttercream, you will need to reconstitute it before using. Heat 1/3 of the mixtue in your microwave until warm, not melted. Whip the remaing 2/3 for about 1-2 minutes then slowly add the warm 1/3 mixture. Beat until creamy.

My dog, longingly looking at the cake.

He wants a piece but knows he can't because he's on a diet.

Danish Braid Recipe

This is the recipe I used for the Daring Baker's June 2008 Challenge -- Danish Braid.
Source: Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking

Note: I only made half of the recipe. The recipe that follows is full, not halved. There are 3 components to this recipe; the dough, the butter block and the filling. I suggest that you divide the work in 2 or 3 days because the work on the dough alone, will take you at least 2.5 hours. It's a lot of work, I know, but really worth it. I also know that reading the directions alone is like reading a novel, it's long. I noticed. But don't be intimidated. It's really, and I'm not kidding you, easier than it looks.

There's nothing like a warm, flaky and hard earned Danish Bread.

Component 1: DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

DOUGH
1. Combine the yeast and milk (Cold. Yes, cold.) in a bowl. Mix together then slowly add the sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs and orange juice. Mix well.
2. In a large bowl sift together the salt and flour. Make a hole in the middle and then pour in the wet ingredients. Slowly mix with your fingers using a circular motion, starting from the middle to the outside.
3. After all the flour has ben incorported, dump it on a lightly floured working area and knead for about 5 minutes or until it is smooth. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before


Component 2: Butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth, no lumps of flour visible. Don't foret to scrape the sides! Set aside. I refrigerated mine because it is hot in my kitchen.
2. After the dough has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle (if you can, but don't worry about it too much) approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. If the dough is sticking to the table or to your hands, dust it lightly with flour. Using a spatula, beat the butter mixture a little until smooth then spread it evenly on 2/3 of the dough (Center and right side. Look at the pictures I posted on my previous entry.)
3. Now, fold the dough into thirds like a letter; left edge (the side that doesn't have butter) over middle part only. Then right edge (the one that has butter) over the middle. That's the first turn. Three more to go. Remember to poke the dough with your finger so that you can keep count of the turns you make. After each turn, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Do not skip this part. The butter needs to firm up before you roll it out and fold it again.
4. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface with the open ends to your right and left. Repeat step 3. Roll, turn and refrigerate. This is the second turn. Do 2 more turns.
5. After the fourth (final) turn, refrigerate the dough (wrapped in plastic wrap) for at least 5 hours or overnight.


Component 3: APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Combine all ingredients except butter in a large bowl.
2. In a pan, melt the butter until gently over low-medium fire (you wouldn't want to burn it, remember it has sugar). Then add the apple mixture and cook until the apples are tender and browned.
3. When done cooking, spread the apples on a bking sheet to cool.


To Assemble the DANISH BRAID (finally!)
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves

1. Prepare you baking sheet. You can line it with parchment paper.
2. On a lightly floured table, roll out the dough to about 15x20 inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough on the baking sheet. (Note: you can divide the dough into to to make 2 braids.)
3. Make 5 inch cuts on the dough. This will be your braid. (See pictures on my previous entry.)
4. Dump the filling in the middle part. Then start braiding; left flap over right flap, left flap over right flap until you reach the end. Tuck the ends inside however you want. just make it neat.
5. Brush the dough lightly with milk to help it brown nicely.


Proofing and Baking
1. Put an oiled piece of plastic wrap over the braid. According to Sherry Yard, at this point you should "proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch." I just left mine on the kitchen table for 2 hours.
2. About 15 minutes before your proofing is finished, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (Don't over look this part!), and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown.
4. Let cool for 5 minutes then serve and enjoy!


Just a comment: Yesterday I bought a Danish pastry from one of the most popular bakeries here. When I first touched the pastry, I knew immediately something was wrong with it. Bought it anyway. After I got home, I took my first bite into it and it was........crunchy?! It was crucnhy! Aaaaagggghhhhhhh!!!!

Daring Bakers June 2008 Challenge: Danish Braid

Danish Braid

I first found out about The Daring Bakers in a forum, I think. I can't really remember now. It was mentioned casually and I thought the name was very interesting so I decided to check it out. The idea of this club is simple. The host for the month will post a recipe for all members to try (all members are expected to complete at least 8 out of 12 challenges in a year) and then on the chosen day, all members will post a write up about the challenge on their blogs. So, I made up my mind and officially became a member this month of June.

And now for my very first challenge...Danish Braid.

I know there's a reason why they called the monthly recipes to-try "The Challenge" but I just didn't think it would me this challenging. For me anyway. And not for my first challenge. A little background: I have an aversion for any and every recipe that calls for yeast of any kind. Why? Yeast hates me. Yes, they do. (Yeast are live organisms, you know. They have feelings just like we do and they hate me.)

Every yeast-based bread I tried to make failed. The worst one was the Dinner Rolls Disaster. I could not shape the dough at all because they were waay too soft. They were almost like batter. In fact, to bake them, I had to ladle them on to cupcake pans. The one and only yeast-based recipe that worked for me was the copycat of the Cinnabom Buns. I love Cinnabon and that was the motivating factor that pushed me to try the recipe. And in case you're wondering, no it was not a disaster. It had a happy ending. Despite that, my fear of yeast remained. And now for the challenge this June. I actually considered quitting The Daring Baker's club because I just didn't see how I was going to pull this one off. Then I remembered the saying that "the only way to get over your fear is to face it." So I decided to face my fear, my nemesis. Yeast.

I made the Danish Braid in 3 days. So how did it go? Well, they say a picture paints a bazillion-gazillion words. So, let's allow the little chatterboxes do the talking.

The yeast creatures and I have officially made up.

My favorite meal is Breakfast!

Bite me.
Yes, I will.

I lovelovelove breakfast. Best meal of the day for me. Sometimes I wake up in the morning just so I could have breakfast. now, I love the typical Pinoy breakfast---rice, fried egg, tocino or longanisa, atchara, danggit, ensalada, itlog na pula (salted egg), etc. Yummy. Every now and then I like to try Western breakfast options. Biscuits are on the top of my list. I seached for a good recipe and this is the one I picked. It it from the Allrecipes.com site. What I love about this recipe is how easy it is to make. No brainer. And you can dress it up by adding dried fruits, herbs and seasoning (like cinnamon, nutmeg or even basil, cheese, etc. if you want a savory biscuit), nuts, etc. Your imagination is the only limit. Will post pictures on another day.

Easy Biscuit Mixture

Making biscuits is easier than you think.

Ingredients:

10 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shortening

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

This will make approximately 17 cups of mix. That's a lot, I know. You can scale it down by 4. I already did the math so you won't have to. (See how nice I am?)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)

This will make 4 1/4 cups mix. The weather is always warm where I live and I was concerned that the shortening in the mix will make it rancid overtime. So I out the mix in a plasctic container and stored it in the fridge.

To make Biscuits:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Prepare an ungreased pan.
2. Use 2 1/4 cup biscuit mix then add 2/3 cup milk. Mix together until a soft dough forms. Then, on a lightly floured surface, knead 10 times by hand.
3. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter. I didn't have a cutter so I just used a sharp knife and cut it into triangles/squares. Bake 10 minutes.

The tops of my biscuits did not brown at all. So next time I will brush the tops lightly with milk. I ate them piping hot with butter and they were yummy! I think it would pair better with jam, though. You can also use this mix to make pancakes, maybe even a pie crust. I'm going to use this as the pastry crust of Chicken Pastel. For more ideas, visit http://www.bisquick.com/.

You can also serve the biscuits with Honey Butter. To make, mix using an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy:

Honey Butter
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Spread on top of very hot biscuits and serve. You can dress it up adding cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruits, etc. You can also use this to spread on bread, scones, even baked chicken, ham...experiment with it! Enjoy!

I'm off to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Kiddie Party Cupcakes Part 2: Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Aside from the Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes I made, I also made Vanilla Cupcakes. They did not turn out as well as I hoped. The recipe I used made cupcakes that were lacking in vanilla flavor. Maybe I should have used better quality vanilla, I don't know. But next time, I'm using my tried-and-true Yellow Cake recipe instead.

The Vanilla Cupcakes looked good, though. And I think the buttercream compensated for it. And besides, you know how kids are. Serve them anything sweet and they'll eat it.

They look good, don't they?

Hmmmm....come to think of it, maybe I should give this recipe another try.

I took this picture in the fridge. I didn't have time to take proper pictures as the kids were already in the house and causing havoc. My hands were full.

I am so out of practice! But the colors came out nice. The pink looked nice and sweet, the yellow looked alive and perky.

Disaster. The color came out 'lacking' and the piping.....shame, shame, shame on me.

Kiddie Party Cupcakes Part 1: Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes

We hosted a party last Saturday for kids and some friends. For weeks now, I've been itching to bake something, anything. And this party was the perfect excuse to tinker in the kitchen again. My family is not so big on sweets/dessert (gasp!). So whenever I do bake something we end up giving it away. And that's why I love parties. I get to bake anything I want and I know people will eat and love it and not rot away to oblivion in our fridge. The original recipe is posted in Cupcake Bakeshop's blog, click here.


Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes (mine only made 23)

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup salted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

(These are the original instructions. I don't have a stand mixer, only a hand mixer. And I don't think the poor ten-year old mixer could handle it. So I mixed it differently. See below.)

Original instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl. Mix on low speed just until incorporated. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Alternate Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare your pans, line with cupcake liners.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together. Stir until it's evenly mixed. Mix in the sugar.
3. In a Pyrex cup mix the milk, vanilla and eggs.
4. Now, mix the butter with the flour-cocoa mixture.

My flour, cocoa powder and baking soda are mixed and the butter is in the bowl. The milk, eggs, and vanilla are measured. Ready to start mixing.

The butter is mixed in.

5. Mix in the milk-eggs in 3 additions. Scrape sides of the bowl everytime.

I'll just scrape the sides of the bowl and I'm ready for the last addition of the milk-egg mixture.

6. Ladle the bater in the pans.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a minute or two then transfer on wire racks.

These cupcakes are asking for it.

Chocolate Buttercream
enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes

1 stick butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk

1. Beat butter on high for about 30 seconds until soft.
2. Sift the cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar together and beat in 1 cup at a time of this in the butter. Alternately add milk. You may need to add more milk. I did. I think I ended up adding 1/4 cup more milk. Oh, I forgot to write. I added about 3 ounces melted chocolate to the mixture which made the frosting sort of fudgey. Yummy. This is probably why I needed more milk than the recipe called for.

Green cupcake liners look so pretty, don't they? I got a friend to help pipe the frosting on the cupcakes.

These cupcakes are really asking for it. I wonder if there'll be any left for the poor kiddies.

Lemon Bars and Tea

One of my all time favorite snacks/dessert is Lemon Bars. I just lovelovelove the combination of tangy lemons and a sweet crumbly crust. Many of the store made lemon bars here, unfortunately, are sickeningly sweet. There's just a hint of lemon in the bars and you can mostly tell that it's a (surprise!) lemon bar because of the freakish yellow color. So I set out to find a "real" Lemon Bars recipe; one that captures the tangy-freshness of lemons, with a sweet crumbly crust that compliments it. I found just the recipe. Here it is:

Lemon Bars

PHOTO BY: deepoopsie

Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

Filling:
6 eggs
1 3/4 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Combine the ingredients for the crust: flour, confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven.
4. Mix ingredients for the filling: eggs, sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake 20-25 minutes. Start checking at 20 minutes. Do not overbake unless you want it crunchy!
5. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Lemon Bars.
These are store bought ones. Yes, I am quite aware of what I just said about store bought lemon bars -- their sickening sweetness and freakish yellow color. But when I get that craving for lemon bars and I don't have time to make my own, I give in and just buy from the store.



Lemon bars make me crave for tea, too!

The Search is Over: The Chocolate Cake Recipe That Never Fails to Satisfy

Chocolate Cake is probably the most popular cake in the world. There are so many variations and recipes of just this one cake that looking for the ultimate recipe is nearly impossible. Choosing just one recipe is hard enough. There are flourless chocolate cakes, cakes with melted chocolates, cakes with cocoa powder, cakes with ground nuts in them, cakes with alcohol etc. etc. Well, all those hours I spent searching the Internet has paid off. I found a recipe that I always come back to. It is moist, very chocolatey and satisfying. Plus it is easy to make. You will only need 2 bowls. (Don't you just hate cake recipes that require you to use at lest 5 bowls?) ....

Hershey's ® 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

CAKE:

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and cover bottom with parchment paper. This will make it easier for the cakes to come out later.

2. In a bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl mix the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed of mixer until well incorporated. Stir in the boiling water. Equally divide the batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 minutes. Then take a toothpick and insert in the middle of the cakes. It it comes out clean or has some cake crumbs clinging (not batter) it's done. If there batter bake 5 minutes more then test again. Do not overbake. Let cool 10 minutes then turn over carefully on wire racks.

After 30 minutes....

FROSTING:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan melt the butter then stir in the cocoa powder. Put mixture in a bowl and add 1 cup powdered sugar at a time and a little of the milk. Beat well. Continue adding until all the sugar and milk and incorporated. Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl! At the end, add the vanilla and beat until smooth and spreadable.

So what if it doesn't look too good? Wait till you try it.