Whomever first applied the term “rustic” to food, and meant it as a good thing, is my hero. He or she has opened up the door for those of us who do not achieve picture-perfection to still present a handmade Danish braid without shame.
I myself feel a little superheroic for having made Danish pastry from scratch, on a weekend when the temperature went over 30 degrees (and stayed close to 30 up until midnight). Why on earth would I attempt buttery, flaky Danish pastry from scratch on the last weekend of June?
Because I went ahead and joined a group called The Daring Bakers, the activities of whom I have caught glimpses of here and there as I trip through food blogs. The group has a collective challenge every month - something baked that everyone must do on the same day and post on their blog. It looked like fun. I thought; I have to cook every day anyway, why not have someone choose something for me once a month? How hard could it be?
The very first month of my membership the challenge is making and working with yeasted laminated dough. (Danish dough is in the butter-laminated or layered dough family with puff pastry being the ultimate; Danish dough is sweet and is yeast-leavened, whereas puff pastry is not.) I fancy myself a relatively good baker; I couldn’t really imagine any challenge being too far out of my league. But puff pastry is something I’ve never made from scratch before. Why would I when you can buy a frozen block of it for $3?
Now, with the pressure on and an audience of hundreds of bakers watching, I didn’t want to mess up on my first go. We cannot stray from the recipe save for lemon zest instead of orange, and there is the option to make our own filling (which I took - an apple filling would be delicious but seemed blasphemous at almost the height of summer). As you know I am notorious for taking off in another direction while following a recipe, so a couple things tripped me up:
- it says the dough makes two Danish, but it doesn’t specify anywhere to divide the dough into two pieces; I did anyway
- when instructing the baker to cut 5″ slits an inch apart down the sides of the dough it doesn’t mention doing so on an angle; I thought I should, but didn’t want to blow it. Turns out I should have - the first braid didn’t have “flaps” of dough on the ends to fold up and down and trap the filling, but I cut them on an angle the second time and it turned out much neater
- the egg wash calls for an egg and an egg yolk; just the beaten egg was far more than enough to brush over two Danish, so I didn’t bother adding a yolk too
My berry filling was simple - about 2 cups of fresh or frozen berries and 3/4 cup sugar, and a squeeze (about a tablespoon) of lemon juice - simmer on the stove, mashing with a spoon, until it simmers and thickens a bit, and the mixture is jamlike. Cool completely. Mine was a bit juicy. I knew this, but pushing better judgement aside, I attempted to spoon out the solids and lay them along the middle of my quickly melting pastry. The pool of crimson juice didn’t waste any time spreading as I attempted to eloquently alternate the flaps, and it sat there and bled out for 2 hours as it proofed. Despite this, it turned out wonderfully, and the burnt juice just wiped right off the Silpat mat.
For the other, I thought I’d make use of a small jar of spiced fig caramel I bought awhile ago from The Girl and the Fig, but obviously didn’t want to stuff a cup of caramel into the braid for moral reasons. So I figured goat cheese crumbled in might make a good experiment. After all, so many Danish are stuffed with sweetened cream cheese, and figs go brilliantly with goat cheese, and there’s no need to sweeten the goat cheese in the company of all that caramel. (I do have a recipe for fig caramel, so if you love the idea of it, like I did, here you go. Don’t make it now though; save it for the fall, or to make a stash of when you need all those little holiday gifts for so many people.)
Spiced Fig and Orange Caramel
4-5 dried figs, stems removed and finely chopped
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
zest and juice of an orange
1/2 c. whipping cream
pinch cinnamon (optional)
pinch allspice (optional)
In a small saucepan, cover the figs with water or orange juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the figs are very soft and mushy. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside while you make the caramel.
In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and water and set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, without stirring, for about 8 minutes or until the mixture is a deep amber colour. Occasionally swirl the pan and brush the sides down with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
Carefully add the orange zest, juice, whipping cream and spices; step back, as the mixture will bubble and spit. Turn down the heat to low and whisk until smooth. Stir in the figs and cool completely.
Makes about 1 ½ cups. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; rewarm on the stove or in the microwave.
Fortunately we were going to watch the European soccer final today, then to a friend’s house for dinner tonight (steak, orzo salad, caramelized onion focaccia, cookies and a giant bowl of cherries for dessert) so I had the opportunity to pawn them both off. Unfortunately, I started to shape my braids at 9 and was not finished until 10 - the rectangles of dough just didn’t want to be any bigger than a piece of 8 1/2″ x 11″ looseleaf. Every time I rolled over the dough it would shyly pull back. If it does this, just let the dough relax for awhile, and try again in about 10 minutes. Eventually you’ll be able to coax it out to a large enough rectangle.
So by noon, the braids were just finishing up their 2 hour proofing and didn’t have time to bake before going to watch the game, so they had to go with us and bake there. Not a big deal, except that delicate, buttery puff pastry does not like to travel in a hot car at 30 degrees, and it particularly does not like it when I make Mike pull over and hold the tray while I go buy vintage polka-dot glasses and an old sunburst juice pitcher at a garage sale.
But, the braid. Check out this recipe - when I printed it out to take down to the kitchen with me, it took three full pages. But it was worth the effort, and I will likely make it again. Maybe when the temperature drops below 20.
I mean, how cool is this - I made Danish pastry from scratch! I’m so glad they made me.
Danish Braid from Sherry Yard’s The Secrets of Baking
Danish Dough
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough
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 - I used a lemon, but will likely omit both next time
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
For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Combine the yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.
Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Apple Filling
Makes enough for two braids
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
Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.
Danish Braid
Makes 2 large braids
1 recipe Danish Dough
2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves
For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends. Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.
Proofing and Baking
1. Spray nonstick spray onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. 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.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat 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, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.
Yes, it tastes exactly like it looks.
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June 29 2008 | breakfast and sweet stuff | 11 Comments »
Again, today I am playing the brunch card, because it was far more interesting (from a recipe perspective, anyway) than dinner.
Let me take that back. Dinner was great, but my sister made it and I can’t take credit. Besides, I think everyone who eats should be able to make a puffed apple pancake; one of the simplest things you can make and also the most impressive if that’s your goal. People rave about these. Restaurants become famous for them. They take about 3 minutes to stir together and 15 to bake. Besides apples, you could fill the hollow with sautéed pears or bananas, or roasted plums, or fresh berries and whipped cream; absolutely anything you can dream up.
I made this, of course, because Father’s Day had to be recognized in some way beyond my getting up early to go wait in the extra-long Father’s Day Line at Tim Horton’s. Puffed apple pancake was Mike’s favorite eons ago, back when I figured out I could wow him with food, but I haven’t made it in years. I think we had puffed apple pancake overkill, but we’re over it now.
A puffed pancake is really just a popover or giant Yorkshire pudding (I just realized the irony in posting a recipe for essentially a large Yorkshire pudding alongside a roast beef, when the two have absolutely nothing to do with each other), which is made from a mixture of egg, flour and milk. It’s leavened by eggs without having to beat the whites, and bakes up all light and crunchy in a hot oven. Seriously easy peasy, as a certain UK chef might say.
Puffed Apple Pancake
Sturdier fruits can be sautéed first and baked right into the pancake or set aside to be served on top. Fragile fruits like berries or bananas are better served in the hollow of the finished pancake, which rises even more dramatically when the batter is baked alone.
2 apples or pears (my current favorites are Jonagold and Cripps Pink)
1-2 Tbsp. canola oil
1-2 Tbsp. butter
1-2 Tbsp. sugar or honey
Pinch cinnamon
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
Maple syrup or vanilla yogurt for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Peel (if you want), core and slice the apples. In a large skillet (if you have an ovenproof one, use it), sauté the apples in the oil and butter over medium heat for a minute or two. Sprinkle them with the sugar and cinnamon and cook until they start to turn golden. Remove them from the heat.
Whisk together the eggs, flour, and milk. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps out. Now you can proceed one of two ways:
1) Pour the batter over the apples in the skillet and put it in the oven. (If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, pour the sautéed apples into a pie plate and pour the batter over them.) The apples will bake straight into the pancake, but it won’t rise quite as high with the fruit inside; or
2) Remove the apples and set them aside to serve on top, then pour the batter into the hot pan. This way the pancake will rise even higher and look more dramatic.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Cut it into wedges and serve warm with the fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup or dollop of vanilla yogurt. Serves 4.
Puffed Berry Pancake: Omit the apples altogether. Drizzle the ovenproof skillet with a little oil or spray it with nonstick spray, and pop it in the oven for a few minutes to heat up. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake as directed. Fill the puffed pancake with fresh berries or other sliced fruit, and serve with syrup or vanilla yogurt for breakfast or for dessert with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
OK, I’ll post a roast beef recipe too, since technically that was dinner. I very rarely make roast beef, and it may not happen again this year. The problem with most roast recipes is that the roasting time is based on weight, when shape usually has more to do with it. A very thick roast will take longer to cook than a thin one, since the distance from the outside to the interior is further. So a basic rule of thumb is: the greater the surface area, the faster the cooking time. It makes sense that a round roast will take longer to cook than a long thin one, even if they weigh the same. Oven thermometers have made our lives easier when it comes to roasting meat, but if you don’t have one you can still get by just fine.
There are two methods of roasting: fast or slow, and the method you choose depends on the type and cut of beef you have and how you want it to turn out. When roasting is done quickly at a higher heat – 450°F or so – it caramelizes the exterior of foods while slowly cooking the interior. The outside, having been exposed to high heat for a much longer time, will be considerably more well-done than the inside. On the other hand, slow roasting won’t produce a crusty exterior, but the roast will be more evenly cooked throughout. Slow roasts are also very tender, since the longer cooking time enables any tough connective tissues break down. The good news is, you can have the best of both worlds: start the roast at a high heat to produce a flavorful crust, and then drop the temperature down and cook it until it’s done to your liking, or do it the other way around. (Contrary to popular belief, searing the exterior of the meat at high heat does not “seal” the juices in, but rather creates flavor by caramelizing the exterior.) If you have an oven thermometer, stick it in at a 45° angle so that the end is right in the middle of the roast.
To do a slow roast beef, start with an 8-14 lb. boneless rolled roast. When it’s time to turn the oven down, turn it to the lowest possible setting and leave it for 8 hours. Make sure you don’t open the oven door during those 8 hours. (Tape it closed to so you don’t forget.) After 8 hours have passed, turn the oven up to 350°F for 20 minutes to heat the roast through. Pull it apart with two forks, and if you like, douse it in barbecue sauce and serve on soft buns.
Roast Beef
3-4 lb. (1.5-2 kg) boneless sirloin or eye of round roast (top and bottom round are good choices too)
Salt and pepper
Let the meat stand at room temperature for half an hour before you cook it. Preheat the oven to 450°F, making sure the rack is in the lower-middle position.
Put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan – leave the string on and put the fat side up, if there is a fattier side. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper. Add about 1/4-inch of water to the bottom of the pan, put it in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 350°F.
Cook the roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 120°F for rare, 125°F for medium-rare or 130°F for medium. The cooking time will vary from 10 to 20 minutes per pound, depending on the size and shape of your roast.
Remove the roast from the oven and transfer it to a chopping board or serving platter. Tent it with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. The resting period is important – it allows the meat to relax (it tenses up as it cooks) and the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. (If you were to cut into the roast right away, a lot of the juices would still be moving around and would pour out onto the plate, leaving your roast dry.) Serves 6-8.
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June 15 2008 | beef and breakfast | 4 Comments »
Tonight we ate dinner standing up around the stove, picking at the leftover roast chicken, some sliced apples, and some fish sticks K & N brought over for the kids. We weren’t all that hungry; late in the afternoon we had tea and I baked a bread pudding to send home with K, who came over to help me navigate the control panels of my websites. Why bread pudding? Awhile ago, N picked up one of those giant Italian loaves, the kind that come in a fabric bag tied with Christmassy looking fake twigs, and since then had the best intentions to do something with it. (Last time it was a panettone, which they sliced and turned into Italian toast for brunch. French toast, really, but you can’t call egg-dipped Italian bread French.) It sat in her living room for weeks, and finally over the weekend I came home to discover it hanging from our doorknob.
This one was coffee-scented with chocolate chips and this oddly sweet coffee goo in the middle. I cringed at the thought that it had a) come all the way from Italy, and b) sat in her living room for an extended period of time, and yet c) was still soft as a baby’s bum. Regardless, it needed to be used up, lest it turn into a doorstop or sit on the counter to be picked at for days on end. The obvious solution, since Sunday brunch is too far away, was bread pudding. When it came out of the oven it was too warm and heavenly smelling to resist dipping a spoon into.
I cringe again at the thought of posting a recipe that is essentially bread, sugar and cream, but if you’re a fan of bread pudding (I don’t understand how it’s possible to not be? Everyone loves French toast, and bread pudding is one better) this is a great basic recipe that you can do plenty of things with. I made giant pansful for an event with 200+ people in attendance and cut it cold into squares that everyone ate with their fingers, and it was a huge hit. Since it was a Spanish wine festival, I added raisins that had been soaked in Spanish brandy.
I’m sure not many of you will encounter the problem of having to dispose of a giant Italian bread, so I’ll offer up a good basic bread pudding recipe that is fantastic as is or can take on any number of aliases.
The Best Bread Pudding
1 – 1 ½ large loaves good-quality bread, or an assortment of bread ends
7 large eggs
3/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla
Cut or tear the bread into 1” chunks in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, milk, cream and vanilla. Pour over the bread and let sit for a couple hours, stirring gently once in awhile.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour the bread mixture into a 9”x13” pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, or any baking dish that will accommodate the quantity you made.
Bake for an hour or so, until puffed, golden and set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Other things you can do to it:
Apple Raisin Bread Pudding: Use raisin bread, and add a grated apple and shake of cinnamon to the egg-milk mixture.
Coffee-Chocolate Bread Pudding: If you don’t have a giant coffee-chocolate loaf, try spiking the milk with a tablespoon of instant coffee, and scatter some chocolate chips into the bread mixture (spread half into the pan, sprinkle with chips and top with the rest of the bread mixture, so that they don’t sink to the bottom),
Chocolate-Orange Bread Pudding: Same as above, but add the grated zest of an orange instead of the coffee.
Caramel Bread Pudding (with or without bourbon): Add a cup of caramel sauce to the egg-milk mixture instead of the sugar. If you like, add a couple tablespoons of bourbon or rum, too.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding: Add a 14 oz. can of pumpkin to the egg-milk mixture, along with a good shake of cinnamon. Use brown sugar or maple syrup.
Banana Bread Pudding: Use leftover banana bread - you’ll probably need 2 loaves. Add a handful of raisins and/or chopped walnuts or pecans and/or chocolate chips.
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May 26 2008 | breakfast and dessert and sweet stuff | 2 Comments »
We played hard today. Awake at 6:30, we organized the basement (or disorganized it in an attempt to begin organizing), cleaned out a couple church sales (which contributed to the already dire basement situation), made peanut butter puffed wheat squares for my niece’s yard sale and lemonade stand, played in big buckets of water, jumped on the trampoline, had pizza and drank lemonade squeezed fresh to order using an antique juicer my sister picked up somewhere. It was the best lemonade stand in Calgary, with its pyramid of fresh lemons, sugar and pitcher of ice water, handmade signs, chocolate cupcakes and puffed wheat squares. I wish I had my camera.
Afterward, W slept right through dinnertime, woke up at 7 and still refused to get out of bed. I doctored up the leftover fusilli from last night, baking it with cheese to bring him up to share in bed. He had a meltdown that it wasn’t eggs and toast, so after briefly trying to explain that I wasn’t running a restaurant (it seems he doesn’t quite grasp the concept of eating out yet) I finally relented and made bageleggs.
We grew up with bageleggs. My mom started making them in Toronto, where there were bagel shops on every block. When we moved to Calgary in the late 70s, there was not a bagel to be had. My Toronto dentist had told me if I ate a bagel a day I would never need braces, and for awhile I thought this stupid new city where everyone wore cowboy hats and didn’t have swimming pools at school or know what a bagel was would force me into a headgear for a big chunk of my precious elementary school life. Then we found Bagels & Buns on 17th Avenue.
You make a bagelegg by slicing a bagel in half and putting it cut side down into some butter and oil in a hot skillet (a bit of both to keep the butter from burning, and because butter is delicious and oil is good for you) and breaking an egg into the middle. (Sometimes, when you get one of those bagels with hardly any hole, you need to tear it open a little.) Baste the top as it cooks, or flip it over easy; my method of choice. I haven’t had a bagelegg in years, and forgot how much I love them. The bottom gets all crunchy, and the sides of the bagel hole protect the yolk from breaking until you want it to.
(Of course I ate my way through half a pan of puffed wheat squares before we even got to the bageleggs.)
Puffed Wheat Squares (Plain or Peanut Butter)
1/4 cup butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, or 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
8 cups puffed wheat, or 7 cups puffed wheat and 1 cup salted peanuts
Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put the puffed wheat (and peanuts, if you’re using them) into the bowl and set it aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and cocoa over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over the puffed wheat and stir to coat evenly. Press into an ungreased 9” x 13” pan and refrigerate or leave at room temperature until set. These are easiest to cut at room temperature.
Makes 20 squares.
Per Square (without peanuts): 106 calories, 2.4 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat, 0.7 g monounsaturated fat, 0.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 21.2 g carbohydrates, 6.2 mg cholesterol, 0.9 g protein, 0.6 g fiber. 20% calories from fat
Buttery Chocolate Corn Pop Squares: Replace puffed wheat with an equal amount of Corn Pops cereal. Fat content remains the same. (These are SO GOOD.)
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May 03 2008 | breakfast and cookies & squares and eggs and snacks | 2 Comments »
It is purely by coincidence that the day I cleaned out my freezer and discovered no fewer than 5 bags of frozen chopped rhubarb I had squirreled away last summer was the very same day I noticed the first few shoots of rhubarb poking out of the ground.
I didn’t have the gumption to bake a pie, and there was at least 5 pies’ worth of rhubarb there anyway. So I stirred some into muffins; a recipe from Nigella’s Feast that she credits to Bev Laing of Edmonton, and the rest I dumped into a pot with the better part of a bag of frozen cranberries, some sugar and a spoonful of orange juice concentrate, and cooked it into cranberry-rhubarb sauce. (Or compote, if you want to be fancy about it.) I mean, why not? Both are red and tart; it’s like they were meant for each other.
I had a thawed pork tenderloin that needed cooking, so I rubbed it down with a bit of cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper, then a little oil, and grilled it. I didn’t really care what I did to it; the pork was a mere vehicle for the sauce. While it grilled (or vice versa) I boiled some brown and wild rice the way I’d cook pasta - in lots of water - for about 45 minutes, and threw in some thawed frozen peas for the last 5 minutes. (W will eat rice, and rice with stuff in it, but the peas cannot stand alone.) A great fiber combo - brown and wild rice are of course good sources of fiber, but peas are even better, containing about 4 times as much as the rice.
The leftover sauce went into a bowl with some plain yogurt, oats, raisins and the grated remains of W’s half-eaten apple, and was stirred together to make muesli for breakfast and to dip into for the rest of the week. (The oats will absorb the moisture overnight, making it nice and thick.)
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April 29 2008 | breakfast and on the grill and pork | No Comments »
Tnik and I are in Red Deer teaching a series of three tea party classes at The Cooking Room and the Women’s Conference at Red Deer College tonight and tomorrow (after which we head to Banff to the Girlfriend’s Getaway at the Banff Park Lodge. We’ve just arrived in our hotel room and are watching Cyndi Lauper on TV and munching from a ziplock baggie of the crusts we trimmed off of all those cucumber sandwiches (we are extremely high class).
Our first tea party ran from 4:30-7pm, so technically I suppose dinner was tea - bites here and there of currant scones with strawberry preserves and real clotted cream, balsamic mushroom crostini, curried coconut mango chicken in wonton cups, lemon curd tartlets and Earl Grey shortbread. Oh, and some of the chocolate that exploded all over me as I tried to dip a too-taught balloon in too-hot melted chocolate to make fancy chocolate tulip bowls. (Nicole neglected to let me know it was still all over my forehead and neck when we stopped at the wine store - where I asked the clerk where I could find the Moscato - and when I checked into the hotel.)
The shortbread was a successful experiment - I whizzed a spoonful of Nicole’s cream Earl Grey loose tea in the food processor with the flour, sugar and butter, dumped it out and gathered it into a ball, pressed it into the bottom of a 9″ round pan, pressed around the edges and poked the surface with the tines of a fork the way you do with shortbread, and baked it until it was pale golden around the egdes, then cut it into wedges. You could do this with any sort of tea in any shortbread recipe, really. Grinding it a bit first releases more flavour and makes it look peppery.
Currant Scones
3 cups all-purpose flour, or 1 ½ cups all-purpose and 1 ½ cups whole wheat
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda (if using buttermilk)
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup currants
1 cup buttermilk, milk or half & half
extra buttermilk or milk for brushing on top (optional)
coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and pulse to combine or blend with a fork or pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly, with bits of butter no bigger than a pea. Stir in the currants.
Stir in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. Gather dough into a ball, then pat it into a circle that is about 1” thick. Brush with a little milk or buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut into 8 wedges and pull them apart so that they will bake on the sides as well.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden. Makes 8 (or more if you cut them into rounds or smaller triangles.)
Curried Coconut Mango Chicken in Wonton Cups
24 wonton wrappers
a drizzle of canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I like using leftover roast chicken - a great way to use roasted deli chickens)
1 tsp. - 1 Tbsp. curry paste
1/2 cup light or regular coconut milk
1/3 cup mango or peach chutney
Juice of 1/2 a lime (about a tablespoon)
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
To make the wonton cups, press fresh wonton wrappers into mini muffin tins, pressing any folds firmly to the sides, and bake at 350 F for 5-10 minutes, until pale golden. Set aside to cool.
To make the filling, heat oil in a medium nonstick saucepan and cook the onion, garlic and ginger for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken, curry paste, coconut milk, chutney, lime juice and salt. Cook, stirring often, until bubbly and thickened. Cool slightly or chill before spooning into wonton cups. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Makes 2 dozen cups.
Per cup: 69 calories, 1 g total fat (0.3 g saturated fat, 0.3 g monounsaturated fat, 0.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 7.1 g protein, 7.3 g carbohydrate, 16.8 mg cholesterol, 0.1 g fiber. 13% calories from fat.
Earl Grey Shortbread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. - 1 Tbsp. loose Earl Grey tea
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, stir together butter, sugar, tea and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and salt and stir until you have a soft dough.
Press the dough into an ungreased 9” round pan or place it on an ungreased cookie sheet and pat it into a rectangle. If you like, press down around the edges with the tines of a fork, and poke all over the top.
Bake about 15 minutes, until golden. Cool for 10 minutes, then slice while still warm.
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April 25 2008 | appetizers and bread and breakfast and cookies & squares and sweet stuff | 3 Comments »
OK, that’s not all we ate. It was staggered between a bowl of oatmeal, strawberries and blackberries, leftover bean salad and some greens, but after a mid-afternoon birthday brunch, none of us were much in the mood for dinner. I’ve decided that on these occasions the most recent meal should count as the default.
Besides, I want to tell you about a chocolate cake that’s low in fat, made with canola oil and tastes like a giant Jos Louis.
But first, brunch: the usual suspects - poached eggs, back bacon, and yes hollandaise since I have recently become reacquainted with it and had people over to safely dispose of (read: take home) the leftovers. And cinnamon bun French toast. A few weeks ago my parents dropped by on their way home from IKEA with a 6-pack of cinnamon buns, and since it a) was 9 o’clock at night, and b) there are only 2 1/2 of us, there wasn’t much to do with them but stash them in the freezer until they could be called into service for an occasion such as this. It was either cinnamon bun bread pudding or cinnamon bun French toast; since bread pudding still seems to still have very few fans, I decided not to risk it.
In case you’re wondering, you make cinnamon bun French toast the same way you’d make it with bread; slice them in half or in thirds, crosswise (they’re thick), dip in egg-milk-vanilla, and cook in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet with a bit of canola oil.
Now, the cake. Chocolate, of course, with my favorite frosting: known in my grandma’s battered cookbooks as 7 Minute Frosting, Boiled Icing or Seafoam, it’s a light, creamy, meringue-like, marshmallowy whip that is beaten in a stainless steel bowl set over simmering water in order to cook the egg whites. The light and creamy texture makes it easy to spread, it’s fat-free (yes I realize it’s loaded with sugar, but no more than regular buttercream frosting, which also contains butter and/or shortening), and takes on flavorings and food coloring very well. (The chocolate cake is delish with peppermint-spiked frosting.) Add a few drops of color to the water if you want to tint the frosting, or drop it in at the end to create a swirled effect. My only complaint is that the ultra-whiteness of it tends to show off every chocolate crumb.
Chocolate Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, or half all-purpose, half whole wheat
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk (regular or soy)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee or boiling water
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two 9″ round baking pans or one Bundt pan with nonstick spray, or line muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar and cocoa.
Add the milk, oil, eggs and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the coffee and beat on low speed just until blended. The batter will be thin.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake them for 30-35 minutes for layer cakes, 20-25 minutes for cupcakes or 50-55 minutes for a Bundt cake, until the top of the cakes are springy to the touch. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the pans and inverting them onto a wire rack. Cool completely before you frost them.
Makes two 9″ layers, 2 dozen cupcakes or one Bundt cake.
Seven Minute Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. light or golden corn syrup
1/3 cup water
2 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla, coconut, maple, mint, or other flavored extract
In the top of a double boiler or in a clean stainless steel bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and egg whites. Make sure the simmering water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl or double boiler – you only need an inch or two of water in the pot. Beat the sugar mixture with an electric mixer on high speed for about 7 minutes, until it stands in billowy peaks. Remove it from the heat and beat in the vanilla.
To make Seafoam (Brown Sugar) Frosting: Substitute packed dark or golden brown sugar for the white sugar.
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April 20 2008 | breakfast and cake | 5 Comments »
Because I went ahead and joined a group called The Daring Bakers, the activities of whom I have caught glimpses of here and there as I trip through food blogs. The group has a collective challenge every month - something baked that everyone must do on the same day and post on their blog. It looked like fun. I thought; I have to cook every day anyway, why not have someone choose something for me once a month? How hard could it be?
