tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43081834014306893342024-03-18T21:24:38.881-07:00The Kitchen is for CookingCelia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-80365605253553335352016-04-27T18:01:00.004-07:002016-04-27T18:01:51.858-07:00Chicken Schwarma and quinoa saladMatt actually requested I write down this recipe because he liked both things.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Schwarma </b><br />
I got the original recipe here http://www.thechunkychef.com/amazing-chicken-shawarma/ but tweaked it a little, of course. Which is why I am simultaneously awesome yet can never replicate anything I do...most of these measurements were eyeballing it with a half tablespoon measuring unit, some of the spices I did a little less, so I estimate those to be about a tsp.)<br />
<br />
2 chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness<br />
1 tsp coriander<br />
1 tsp cardamom<br />
1 1/2 tsp cumin<br />
1 tsp smoked paprika<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
Black pepper<br />
Lemon juice (didn't measure, but maybe 1-2 tsp)<br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
<br />
Let marinade about 30 min. Grill. I also grilled red onions, and a mix of red, yellow, and orange mini bell peppers.<br />
<br />
Cucumber quinoa salad<br />
1/2 c uncooked quinoa (then cook it per directions - I rinsed it and then cooked it about 20 min. With twice as much liquid)<br />
1 cucumber<br />
1 red, orange, and yellow mini bell peppers each<br />
Handful of black olives sliced<br />
A couple marinated artichoke pieces, cut up.<br />
Feta would be good, but I didn't have it in hand<br />
A very small amount thinly sliced raw red onion<br />
<br />
2 Tbsp sour cream<br />
2 Tbsp mayo<br />
Lemon juice<br />
Salt<br />
Cumin<br />
About 1/2 garlic clove pressed<br />
<br />
Mix all together and do seasonings by taste. Mix dressing with the salad mixture. I also made additional sauce/dressing to dip the chicken in. It was good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-38447808922511828002015-07-31T23:00:00.002-07:002015-07-31T23:00:24.378-07:00Coconut Cream PieI have attempted and failed coconut cream pie on various occasions. Scrambled egg custard, gelatinous custard from using corn starch. But today. Today I got it right folks! By combining two recipes (<a href="http://www.rockrecipes.com/coconut-cream-pie/">this</a> and <a href="http://todaysmama.com/2013/02/the-worlds-best-coconut-cream-pie-recipe-ever/">this</a>), I got just what I wanted for my husband's birthday. A pie sturdy enough to hold its shape when cut, but creamy and not gelatinous.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqrF3DcDfDA3ZQWOKbcFdy-8_fIXDUn39VhgInWKKy1j-lslteC705zWubraRjgGDIZC87-3bpkWxCLimU832V6au31Zfm6I6AIcl3FInP35AP0iDWQgNMvVIm0Xp_X-ILXlMCOKxOJM/s1600/coconut+cream+pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqrF3DcDfDA3ZQWOKbcFdy-8_fIXDUn39VhgInWKKy1j-lslteC705zWubraRjgGDIZC87-3bpkWxCLimU832V6au31Zfm6I6AIcl3FInP35AP0iDWQgNMvVIm0Xp_X-ILXlMCOKxOJM/s320/coconut+cream+pie.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Coconut Cream Pie</b><br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3e3e3e; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 egg yolks<br />1/3 c. flour<br />3 cups of liquid (I did 1 can of coconut milk + enough whole milk to equal 3 cups)<br />2/3 C sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 tsp vanilla (optional, I forgot it, and honestly, I don't think it needed it)<br />1 c shredded finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I found mine at WinCo) </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3e3e3e; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">sweetened shredded coconut to toast for the top</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3e3e3e; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whipped cream for topping</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3e3e3e; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 baked pie shell, 9 or 10″ </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #3e3e3e; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Directions</span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scald the milk in the microwave or on the stove top to almost boiling. Microwave works best as there is no chance of burning the milk.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the flour, sugar, salt and coconut.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Over medium low flame slowly add 1 cup of the scalded milk, whisking constantly.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As you notice the filling beginning to thicken, add another cup of the scalded milk continuing to stir constantly until it begins to thicken again.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the final cup of scalded milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook over medium low heat until mixture begins to slightly thicken.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this point remove from heat and pour about a half cup of this mixture onto the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly. Don't just dump it in. Do it gradually while stirring fast to keep it from scrambling the egg. This is called tempering.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the egg mixture immediately back into the pot, continuing to constantly stir.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cook for an additional three to five minutes until the filling reaches pudding consistency and remove from the flame. The mixture should just be beginning to boil at this point.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stir in vanilla if you are using it. (I didn't)</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cool for about 40-60 minutes before pouring into the baked pie shell/s.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chill the pie/s completely for several hours or overnight.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We just used the real whipping cream in a can when we cut up the pie. </span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: decimal outside; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I toasted the sweetened coconut in the oven under broil, but you really have to watch it (literally with the door cracked open) because it goes from normal to burnt quickly!</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
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<div>
<span style="color: #666666;">So, pie crust was always one of those baking things that seemed so finicky. Add JUST enough ice cold water to get it to form. But it always seemed too crumbly. Anyway, this recipe changed my pie making world. I use it for all my pies, and if for some reason I don't, I end up disappointed. The fat to flour ratio is pretty high, and this always gives me a nice flakey crust.</span></div>
<div>
<b style="color: #666666;"><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b style="color: #666666;">Melanie's Grandma's Pie Crust</b></div>
<div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="background-color: white;">makes three to four 9" crusts (depending on how thick and big you are doing)
4 cups flour
2 cups crisco
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt</span></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="background-color: white;">1tbsp vinegar
1 egg
3/4 cup water</span></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Mix 1st four ingredients with a pastry cutter, knives or fork. In a separate dish beat remaining ingredients. Pour wet into dry. You may not need the entire amount of liquid. I usually have a little left over. Stir until moistened and (gently) with hands work into balls. Chill 15 minutes. Can be left in fridge for 3 days.</span></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="background-color: white;">(cover edges of crust with tin foil when baking. Remove foil from edges 10 minutes before baking is completed.)</span></div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
When I roll it out, I always roll it between two large pieces of parchment paper or freezer paper. It makes getting it into the pan SO MUCH EASIER than trying to fold it in fourths and then unfold it like I used to. </div>
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.9400005340576px; margin-top: 10px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For the cream pie I formed the crust, chilled it, poked holes in it, and baked it with foil and beans in the bottom. 400* for 15-20 min. take the foil and beans out after about 10 min. so it can get to a light brown.</span></div>
</div>
Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-88534881212444106092014-10-09T19:00:00.000-07:002014-10-09T19:14:59.872-07:00Pumpkin breadI made some yummy pumpkin bread, but of course I seriously altered <a href="http://thefrugalgirls.com/2014/09/worlds-best-pumpkin-bread-recipe.html">the recipe</a>, so I am writing down what I did.<br />
<br />
2 C Pumpkin puree<br />
1 C white sugar<br />
2 C brown sugar<br />
1 C oil<br />
2/3 C milk<br />
4 eggs<br />
<br />
3 1/3 C flour (I did 2 C white AP and 1 cup wheat berries ground into wheat flour which would approx. make 1 1/3 C wheat flour)<br />
2 tsp baking soda<br />
1.5 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp cinammon<br />
some grated nutmeg (not to exceed 1 tsp)<br />
<br />
mix the two sections in separate bowls, add the dry ingredients to the wet. Grease two 9x5 pans and cut out parchment paper for the bottom of the pans. Separate the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350 for 45-55 min. and test with a toothpick.<br />
<br />
<br />Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-44955623123650084282014-01-22T21:04:00.001-08:002014-01-22T21:04:21.126-08:00Chana MasalaI kind of had a loose recipe, and I didn't measure out exactly, but I'm writing down as much as I remember doing to hopefully replicate it somewhat closely again since Matt said it was one of my better attempts at Indian Food. How was that for a run-on sentence. =)<br />
<br />
Chana Masala<br />
a little oil<br />
1 onion, minced<br />
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed<br />
1 tsp corriander<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric<br />
1/2 tsp smoked paprika<br />
1/2 tsp garam masala<br />
lots of salt (TO TASTE!)<br />
1 can petite diced tomatoes<br />
About 1-2 Tbsp garlic ginger paste<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
cooked chickpeas<br />
1 medium potato, peeled, diced, and boiled to soft<br />
<br />
chopped cilantro to garnish<br />
<br />
1. Cook the onion, add the garlic, add the spices when soft.<br />
2. Add the tomatoes and water and ginger paste.<br />
3. Let simmer for an hour or so.<br />
4. Add the chickpeas and the potato. Salt to taste. Add any more spices that you think it's lacking. Add cilantro just before serving.<br />
<br />
Served over basmati rice with naan.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-82459428585214500492013-08-21T10:27:00.002-07:002013-08-21T11:08:31.217-07:00Mongolian Beef (with broccoli)<b>Ingredients: (I usually half all of this for just 2 of us)</b><br />
<b>For the meat:</b><br />
1 lb. flank steak<br />
1/4 C cornstarch<br />
2 Tbsp oil<br />
------------------<br />
<b>For the sauce:</b><br />
2 tsp oil<br />
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated finely or minced<br />
1 Tbsp or about 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed<br />
1/2 C soy sauce<br />
1/2 C water<br />
1/2 C brown sugar<br />
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar<br />
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes- depending on how hot you like it. You can leave it out all together to be more like broccoli beef as well.<br />
2 green onions, sliced<br />
2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with a little water<br />
-----------------------<br />
1-2 heads of broccoli, cut to florets - you could also just slice up an onion and stirfry it if you don't want broccoli with this.<br />
<br />
<b>Directions:</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Slice the steak against the grain thinly (1/4 in. or thinner). Tilt the knife blade at a 45 degree angle if you want a wider cut. Toss the steak slices with cornstarch and let the beef sit for 10 min. This is very important. Do not skip.</li>
<li>To make the sauce: In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tsp oil, add garkic and ginger and stirfy 10 seconds, add soy sauce and the rest of the sauce ingredients except cornstarch. Bring it to a boil and then turn down very low while you do the rest of your prep. You will add the cornstarch slurry later.</li>
<li>Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the broccoli in and blanch. Meaning, right after you get it submerged in the water, dump it all out in a colander.</li>
<li>Heat 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok and heat over medium high. Stirfry the broccoli for 1 min. and remove.</li>
<li>Turn the sauce back up to a boil and add the cornstarch slurry. Stir till it thickens, take off the heat.</li>
<li>Put a 1-2 more Tbsp oil in the wok and heat again. Cook the beef. It will cook quickly. Don't over cook it.</li>
<li>Add back the broccoli and stir in the sauce. Serve over rice.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-83775104696138688792013-07-31T10:42:00.001-07:002013-10-23T17:30:34.731-07:00Scottish Meat piesI've been working on meat pies for a long time and this is the closest I've come in both pastry and filling to a meat pie from a Scottish festival. Adapted from <a href="http://forkable.net/2011/06/13/scottish-meat-pies/">this recipe</a>.<br />
<br />
Dough:<br />
2 1/2-3 C flour<br />
1 C water<br />
1/2 C lard/ shortening<br />
<br />
Bring water and lard to a boil, pour into a metal mixing bowl. Add 2 C flour and mix with a spoon and when you have a glob, dump it onto a floured surface. It will be hot, so be cautious. Knead in about 1/2 C more flour, or until it is not sticky, but not dry. I think I did 2 1/2 C total. Maybe a little more. Cover till ready to use so it doesn't dry out.<br />
<br />
Filling:<br />
1 lb ground meat -- I did beef, but you could use lamb<br />
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce<br />
1 small onion grated or chopped finely<br />
1 C oats (I used quick cooking oats) or bread crumbs (I may even like this better than the oats)<br />
1/2 C beef broth<br />
fresh grated nutmeg<br />
Salt - depends on your taste preference<br />
pepper (liberal)<br />
white pepper - dash<br />
<br />
Directions<br />
<br />
Roll out the dough half at a time (keep other half covered). Roll it thin, but not too thin. The bigger pies don't need a paper thin crust. <br />
<br />
I only have 4 ramekins, so I did four ramekins and the rest were smaller pies in a muffin tin. (I think I prefer the muffin tin pies because they cook faster and cool down faster for the boys.) I cut a circle out of dough big enough to press into the ramekin, filled it with the raw meat mixture, and the cut a smaller circle for the top. I pressed the top and bottom edges together well and cut two slits in the top for steam.<br />
<br />
Put in a cold oven and set to 350* cook for about 40-45 min. The crust should be golden. If the bottom is not golden, cook it a little longer. You don't want under done crust.<br />
<br />Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-2673076845378333652013-07-31T10:29:00.002-07:002013-07-31T10:29:47.501-07:00Mexican RiceI adapted the recipe from <a href="http://mexican.food.com/recipe/mexican-rice-117892?scaleto=4&mode=null&st=true">here</a>.<br />
<br />
1 can tomatoes (I had fire roasted with garlic)<br />
1/2 onion, chopped finely<br />
1/2 jalapeno (I used a canned rather than fresh since they seem to have more heat)<br />
1 C long grain white rice<br />
oil<br />
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed (I used 1 since the tomatoes had garlic)<br />
1 C chicken broth<br />
3/4 tsp salt<br />
lime* optional<br />
cilantro* optional<br />
<br />
Directions:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 350</li>
<li>Puree tomatoes and jalapeno in blender or food processor</li>
<li>Rinse rice under cold water in a fine mesh strainer till the water comes clean. I didn't do this and it was fine, but it does make for fluffier rice.</li>
<li>Heat a little oil over medium heat in and oven safe saute pan or dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. I didn't have this, so I just did it in a pot and dumped it into a 9x13 pan when I was done sauteing.</li>
<li>Cook the onions till translucent. Add rice and garlic. Cook till rice is light golden, just a few min.</li>
<li>Stir in pureed tomatoes and broth. </li>
<li>Put in the oven (either in the oven safe saute pan or 9X13 baking dish), cover tightly, and cook for about 30 min. or till tender. I checked mine around 20 min. and it seemed like it needed more water, so I added a few tablespoons.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro if you so desire. I didn't, but I'm sure it would be good.</div>
Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-42469705894735858542013-01-19T05:47:00.001-08:002013-01-19T05:47:13.795-08:00Moroccan Stew<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 pound Stew Meat or meat of your choice--or leave it out all together and go vegetarian!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
3 T Olive Oil</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 T Cumin</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 T Cinnamon</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 T Coriander</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 T Paprika</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 tsp Pepper</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1-3 tsp Salt </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 bunch fresh Thyme</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
4 Bay Leaves</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
6 cloves Garlic</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 T Red Pepper Flakes or 1 to 2 tsp of Cheyenne Pepper</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 large Onion</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 bunch of Celery</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
2 Zucchini</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 Butternut Squash</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
2 large Potatoes</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
3 bell peppers (use different colors)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 large can of Crushed Tomatoes</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 quart Beef Broth</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 quart Vegetable Broth</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1.5 C Lentils</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
2 cans Garbanzo Beans </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 large bunch of Parsley</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
1 small cup of Plain Greek yogurt</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
Chop all veggies in large pieces. Chop parsley roughly, reserve a bit for garnish. Chop thyme and garlic roughly. In a large stock pot, brown your stew meat with salt and pepper and olive oil. Remove to another bowl. Add dry spices to pot, stir until your house smells amazing (approximately 1 minute). Add garlic, onion and celery and cook till onions are starting to become clear. Add the rest of the veggies, thyme (you don't need to remove it from the stem, but don't forget to fish them out later), bay leaves (fish them out later, too) and crushed tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes. Add broth, stew meat and lentils. Bring to boil and allow to cook for 15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Reduce heat to simmer. Add beans and parsley. Cook for 10-15 more minutes until potatoes and squash are desired softness/firmness. :) </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
Garnish with large dollop of yogurt, sprinkling of parsley and a little paprika. Serve with warm, crusty bread.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
This makes a TON of stew... The good news is, it only gets better as it sits. </div>
Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-59526437279951226672010-11-25T12:10:00.000-08:002010-11-25T12:18:05.367-08:00Cinnamon Craisen Cranberry SauceOh boy. I combined a couple recipes from food network and it turned out delicious!<br />
<br />
<b>Cinnamon Craisen Cranberry Sauce</b><br />
1/2 bag fresh cranberries<br />
1/2-1 granny smith apple, skinned and sliced into pieces about the size of the cranberries<br />
1 C cranberry grape juice (or other cranberry juice)<br />
1/2 C sugar<br />
1 cinnamon stick broken in half <br />
1 ish C craisens<br />
<br />
Into a med. sauce pan, combine everything but craisens. Heat on med. until cranberries start to burst, add craisens. Lower temps for another 5 min. or so or until it starts to thicken. If it looks too watery, add a few more craisens. It does thicken up upon standing off heat.<br />
<br />
The cinnamon makes is so yummy! I bet it would be good with some walnuts in there also.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-46282108260093878462010-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-08T11:20:04.702-07:00Sept. Recipe Exchange Favorites: Breads<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have a church recipe exchange once a month. This month's theme was bread. I'm posting my favorites so I can have them easily accessible.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Artisan Bread Loaf </span>(I loved this one. Probably my fav. Great crumb)</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By: Ruth Judd</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recipe: </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 cups (430g) flour 1½ cups (345g or 12oz) water ¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast 1¼ teaspoon (8g) salt olive oil (for coating) extra flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal (for dusting) </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two medium mixing bowls 6 to 8 quart pot with lid (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic) Wooden Spoon or spatula (optional) Plastic wrap Two or three cotton dish towels (not terrycloth) </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Process: Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Lightly coat the inside of a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12 hours at room temperature (approx. 65-72°F). </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 minutes in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hours at room temperature, until more than doubled in size. Preheat oven to 450-500°F. Place the pot in the oven at least 30 minutes prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot seam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes Then remove the lid and bake 15-30 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is nicely browned. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">*I used the baking directions from a similar recipe and put the loaf on a baking stone that had been preheated in a 450 degree oven. Right before I placed the loaf on the stone I sprinkled some cornmeal on the stone. I baked the loaf for 20 minutes, and had a pan with a cup of hot water under the stone to steam the loaf while it baked. Try the other method as well though. Each will make a great loaf.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ecxplaincharacterwrapecxbreak"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bread</span> </b>(Not overly sweet, which I liked)<b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ecxplaincharacterwrapecxbreak"><b>By: Melissa Smith</b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>For the bread:</i><br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 tsp. baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract<br />
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)<br />
1/2 milk (or buttermilk)<br />
1 cup fresh blueberries<br />
<br />
<i>For the filling:</i><br />
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature<br />
1/2 tsp. almond extract<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 tsp. lemon juice<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
<i>For the glaze:</i><br />
1/4 cup granulated white sugar<br />
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.<br />
<br />
In a small mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon zest and mix together. Alternately add the dry ingredients with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix well. Fold in the blueberries.<br />
<br />
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling and whisk together.<br />
<br />
Prepare a loaf pan by coating with cooking spray. Spoon about half of the batter into the pan, then spread the filling over the top. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the filling; you may want to drop by spoonfulls to get an even distribution as it will be hard to spread over the filling.<br />
<br />
Bake bread for about 55-65 minutes, checking for doneness after 55 minutes. While bread is cooking, prepare lemon glaze. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil lemon juice and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. When bread is done, remove to a cooling rack and spoon on warm glaze. Let cool 10-15 minutes in the pan then remove the loaf to a cooling rack to cool completely. Resist the urge to cut into the loaf while it is hot, it needs time to set up.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Overnight Rolls</span> </b>(Crescent Rolls I'll probably use for Thanksgiving this year) <b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>By: Marci Preece</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 ½ c. warm water, divided ½ c. shortening</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 TBS. yeast, (1 package) 2 eggs</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pinch of salt 1 tsp. salt</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 cup canned evaporated milk 1 tsp. baking powder</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6 cup flour ½ tsp. baking soda</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">½ cup instant mashed potato flakes ½ TBS. sugar</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/3 cup sugar</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a small bowl add ½ cup of warm water, yeast, and ½ TBS. sugar. Set aside to dissolve. In a large bowl (or your electric mixing bowl) mix warm milk, 1 cup warm water, 2 cups flour, instant potato flakes, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add yeast mixture and remaining 4 cups of flour. Knead well. Crisco a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and place in the fridge overnight. Remove from fridge and flour the counter top very well. Flour dough, and roll out. There are many ways you can shape these. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips and tie into knots. You can also separate dough into 2 balls and roll out like a pizza. Cut into slices and roll from wide end to the tip for crescent shapes. Place on cookie sheets and let rise three hours. Preheat oven to 400. Brush with butter and bake for 10-12 minutes (or brush with melted butter after they are cooked).</span></div>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-83243323170267737282010-04-24T21:20:00.000-07:002010-04-24T21:30:28.762-07:00Rocky Road Ice creamI just made rocky road ice cream tonight and it turned out really well. Like, Matt said he would have thought he was eating premium store bought ice cream if he hadn't seen me make it. So I figured I'd write it down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rocky Road Ice Cream</span><br />1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk<br />3/4-1 C. coco powder (depending on how dark you like your chocolate)<br />1 C. heavy cream<br />1 3/4 C. whole milk<br />1 tsp. vanilla<br />1/2 C. chopped pecans<br />1/2 C. mini-marshmallows<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions</span><br />1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix sweetened condensed milk and coco powder until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 min. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and mix in cream, milk, and vanilla. Put in the fridge and let it get cold.<br />2. Pour into ice cream canister and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Stir in nuts and marshmallows in the last few minutes.<br />3. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 5-6 hours (it will be too soft to eat right out of the ice cream maker).Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-5492781691735502812010-02-24T19:28:00.001-08:002010-02-24T19:45:38.654-08:003 hour French BreadThis was the second time I made this, and I decided it was definitely a good enough recipe to keep and link.<br /><br />I got the original <a href="http://steamykitchen.com/75-baking-the-perfect-loaf-of-french-bread.html#comment-78127">here</a>. That link has lots of helpful photos, so I suggest you go there. I do add some sugar because I just can't fathom using yeast without sugar...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3 Hour French Bread</span> - makes 2 small loaves<br />2 tsp active dry yeast*<br />1 1/2 C. warm water<br />2 tsp sugar<br /><br />2 tsp kosher salt<br />4 C. bread flour<br /><ol><li>Proof the yeast in the warm water with the sugar in a large bowl (I do this in my Kitchen Aid). Wait 10 min. for it to foam up.</li><li>Put 1/4 cup of bread flour on your clean counter top and reserve. Add the flour, mixed with the salt, to the yeast mixture 1 cup at a time with a paddle. Once the dough comes together in a mass, switch to the dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Dough should clear the sides but stick to the bottom. If it is too sticky, add 1 T of flour at a time. If too dry, add 1 T of water to dough to adjust. After 2 minutes, let the dough rest for 5 minutes.</li><li>Turn the mixer on again and mix for 3 minutes. Take the dough out and place on the 1/4 cup of flour that we reserved flour We’ll use it now. As you knead the dough by hand, incorporate more flour as you need. You might not need it all. Knead by hand until the dough is very satiny, smooth, tight and formed into a nice, compact ball.</li><li>Place this dough in a large lightly oiled bowl (I use Pam spray). Turn dough over so that all sides have a thin coating of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Dough should almost double in size.</li><li>About 1 hour into the rest stage, preheat your oven to 450F (convection 425F). Place your pizza stone, inverted baking sheet or covered cast iron pot into the oven to heat up.</li><li>Cut the dough into half – you’ll shape one half at a time (keep the other piece under wraps) Pick up the dough – stretch it out until it forms a big rectangle. On your counter top dusted with flour, fold each long side in toward the middle, slightly overlapping.</li><li>Now do a little “karate chop” lengthwise down the middle of the bread and stretch out the long ends again. Fold over in half lengthwise and pinch all sides shut. This is important – you want to make sure that all ends including the short ends are pinched tightly to create a seal. This allows the bread to rise & expand up and out evenly. If the bread looks a little lopsided, you can try to fix it by letting it rest 5 minutes and gently stretching it out again. Just don’t knead the dough again – you’ll pop all the beautiful gas that took 1.5 hours to create!</li><li>Turn the bread over so that its seam side down. Cover the loaf with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with the other dough halve. Leave the loaves to rest on your well-floured pizza peel or cutting board for 30 minutes. After resting, take a sharp paring knife and make 3-4 shallow, diagonal slashes on the surface of the loaf. This allows the steam in the bread to escape so that it expands evenly during the baking process.</li><li>When you are ready to bake, remove your baking vessel. Carefully slide the gorgeous loaf into or onto your baking vessel. I like baking one loaf at a time. The most important equipment to have is an instant read thermometer to measure temperature of the bread.</li></ol><span style="text-decoration: underline;">If you are using pizza stone or inverted baking sheet:</span> You can probably fit both loaves on it at the same time if you wish. -> Get a 1/2 cup of water ready next to the stove. Open the stove, put your bread in the oven and throw the water on the oven floor. Immediately close the oven door. This creates your steam. -> Bake 20-25 minutes. Check temperature of the bread – internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before cutting into it. <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">If you are using a long cast-iron pot or covered baker:</span> -> Before closing the lid on your pot/baker, put 1/4 cup of water directly in the pot. Cover immediately. Put pot in oven. -> Bake 10 minutes. Remove lid of pot. Bake another 14 minutes. Check temperature of the bread – internal should be 190-210F. Remove and let cool before cutting into it. Repeat with other loaf. (For convection ovens- bake 8 min covered, 10-12 min uncovered. Check temperature of bread) To re-crisp the crust, put in 375F oven for 5 minutes. Eat one loaf, share the other loaf with a friend!</p><span style="font-size:78%;">*I have tons of active dry yeast, so I always use this and proof it with the water and sugar before adding the other ingredients. If you have the instant or rapid rise yeasts, you can follow the directions on the link.</span>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-35688989199120115532009-11-19T18:16:00.001-08:002011-01-25T20:30:54.505-08:00Homemade Falafel and PitasI've been in a bit of a funk lately with dinner, so when someone posted a falafel recipe on a blog I watch, I decided I wanted to make some. I just love that stuff. I modified the recipe, so in order to remember what I did, I'm going to write it down. Matt said it was the best falafel and pita I've ever made. Boom.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Falafel:</span> makes enough to stuff about 3 full pita rounds (6 halves cut open)<br />
1/2 C dried bread crumbs<br />
handful flat leaf parsley<br />
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin<br />
1/4-1/2 tsp (just shook it in?) turmeric<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
1/4 tsp ground red pepper<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
1/2 medium onion, diced<br />
1 lg. egg<br />
1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained<br />
1 Tbsp olive oil<br />
<br />
Place everything in a food processor; process mixture until smooth. Divide mixture into 16-18 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Heat additional olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties, and cook until patties are browned on both sides. I had to add oil every time I put a new batch in the pan.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Salad with a dill sauce:</span> (I know falafel is usually served with cucumbers and tzatziki sauce, but I didn't have cucumbers nor did I have tahini. This worked out really well and complimented the falafel well)<br />
Romaine Lettuce, chopped thinly<br />
2 Tbsp (ish) mayo<br />
3 Tbsp (ish) sour cream thinned with milk to a yogurt consistency*<br />
a generous amount of dried dill<br />
a splash or two of lemon juice<br />
<br />
Mix it all together.<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><br />
*Or just use plain yogurt! I just didn't have any on hand.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Pitas:</span> Makes 8 whole pita rounds. I've made these 3-4 times now and I have vowed to never buy store pitas again. They are soooooo much better! The original recipe is <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peppys-Pita-Bread/Detail.aspx?prop31=2">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 1/8 C. warm water (about 110*)<br />
3 C. AP Flour<br />
1 tsp salt (I always use kosher in baking)<br />
1 Tbsp vegetable oil<br />
1 1/2 tsp white sugar<br />
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast<br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to 500*. Place all ingredients in bread pan of bread machine, select Dough setting and start. Move on to step 2 after machine beeps and is done.<br />
<br />
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surgace. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife or dough cutter, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-7 in. circle. Set aside on a lightly floured counterop and cover with a tea towel until you put it in the oven. <br />
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3. Place 2-3 pitas on a wire cookie cooling rack. Place rack directly on the oven rack. Bake 4-5 min. until puffed and top is beginning to brown.<br />
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4. Remove from oven and immediately place on a plate and put a damp kitchen towel over them until soft. Onve pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge to fill the pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.<br />
<br />
Glorious. Stuff the halved pitas with the salad a falafel and enjoy!Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-26657771450503933412009-10-08T17:59:00.000-07:002009-10-08T18:33:00.666-07:00A better burger bun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DtxzCHMrmwzU24VEz5vaWI9dGTKGV7YISVeH49h4AyZlmX33RqaRpJdk5thLZwStY_6YvsBjl46DbYd24Ph_ubLJ8CkspUdXQivUXfRjrS-awaW4y2Ocxhq3X7Nhvvul0tsnRTp409c/s1600-h/reading+books+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DtxzCHMrmwzU24VEz5vaWI9dGTKGV7YISVeH49h4AyZlmX33RqaRpJdk5thLZwStY_6YvsBjl46DbYd24Ph_ubLJ8CkspUdXQivUXfRjrS-awaW4y2Ocxhq3X7Nhvvul0tsnRTp409c/s320/reading+books+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390401625813188498" border="0" /></a>I've made buns before, but I tried a new recipe today (see a trend?) and it was FABULOUS. It's pretty much a <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/beautiful-burger-buns-recipe">King Arthur's Beautiful Burger Bun</a> recipe, but I used bread flour instead of All Purpose. Oh, and since I didn't have instant yeast I proofed mine in warm water with the sugar. The result was super delicious.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A better burger bun</span>- 8 buns<br /><br />3/4 C. water<br />2 Tbsp butter<br />1 large egg<br />3 1/2 C. bread flour<br />1/4 C. sugar<br />1 1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />1 Tbsp yeast<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions</span><br /><ol><li>If using active dry yeast, proof it in the water with the sugar and add the rest of the ingredients after it bubbles. If using instant yeast, just add all the ingredients at the same time.</li><li>Knead by hand or mixer. (If using a mixer, know mine was a stickier dough and did not clear the sides of the bowl. I had to scrape it down a couple times.) Form it into a ball if it isn't already.</li><li>Place it in a greased (I used spray) bowl and cover it for 1 hour or until double.</li><li>Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a 1"(ish) thick and about 3 in. across.</li><li>Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise 30-60 min. or until very puffy.<br /></li><li>Lightly brush with an egg wash.</li><li>Bake at 375* for 12-15 min. or until golden.</li></ol>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-14151805142703469382009-10-05T18:50:00.000-07:002009-10-05T19:31:24.123-07:00A better flour tortillaI have used the same tortilla recipe for about 8 years now, but I've always felt they lacked in the texture department. After having fresh tortillas in the store that had great texture but horrible taste, I set out to find a better tortilla recipe. I ended up mixing my original recipe with a recipe I found online (can't find it now or I'd link it).<br /><br />I've made these a couple times with minor variations in cooking technique, but tonight's tortillas were the best so I'm set to type it up now. =)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Flour Tortillas-makes 8 large tortillas</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ingredients</span>:<br />2 C. all-purpose flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1 tsp kosher salt (I'm sure regular salt works fine, but I always cook with kosher)<br />1/4 C vegetable shortening<br /><br />3/4 C warm milk<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions:</span><br /><ol><li>Mix together first 4 ingredients, cutting in the shortening with a pastry cutter or two knives or forks.</li><li>Add the warm milk a little at a time until completely incorporated.</li><li>Flour a workspace and dump out dough. It'll probably be a little sticky, so flour your hands and have a little extra flour on the side. Hand kneed the dough for about 5 min.<br /></li><li>Put in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let it sit for about 15-20 min. If it's too tough or rubbery, let it sit a few more min.</li><li>After 20 min. cut the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll these pieces into balls.* Flatten into a disk and roll into tortillas. It's okay if they're not quite as large as you want them. Cover and let sit another 5-10 min.**<br /></li><li>Warm up a cast iron skillet (or a non-stick pan, but honestly, they cook better on cast iron) Keep it dry-don't add oil or anything. Once the pan is nice and hot, slap your tortillas on about 30 seconds on each side (more or less depending on how hot your pan really is). If your pan is hot enough, they'll start to puff up and get big bubbles. Keep the cooked ones warm under a clean kitchen towel until you're ready to eat. them</li></ol>*If you used a stand mixer to knead, you may need to let them sit for another 10 min. at this point. If your dough is ever too elastic or rubbery, just let it sit a bit longer to relax.<br />**I have stacked them in between pieces of wax paper and put them in a ziploc in the fridge for a couple hours. It worked just fine after sitting a couple hours, but the next day the final product was a little brittle and not quite chewy.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-52355750936466807322009-09-10T18:13:00.001-07:002009-09-10T18:24:09.049-07:00Artichoke and Spinach LasagnaI whipped this up last night on the fly. Nothing too fancy, but it was good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna</span>-8X8 pan so about 4-6 servings<br />1 small container ricotta cheese<br />1/2-1 can artichoke hearts<br />a couple good handfuls of fresh spinach (2 cups?), chopped thinly<br />a couple handfuls of shredded mozzarella (plus some to top)<br />some fresh parmesan (if you have it)<br />2 cloves garlic, pressed<br />fresh nutmeg to taste (I grate it on the small side of my cheese grater.)<br />fresh ground pepper to taste<br />salt to taste<br />Red sauce<br />1 egg<br /><br />8-9 lasagna noodles, depending on the type you use<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions</span><br /><ol><li>Combine all filling ingredients except the egg. I don't pre-cook the spinach. I always add the egg last so I can actually do my spices "to taste". Add the egg and mix well.</li><li>If you're using the noodles you pre-cook, you only need 8 noodles because you'll have to cut off the long end to fit the pan. I just used the pieces I cut off to make up the last noodle. So, cook or don't cook the noodles, depending on the type.</li><li>Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, place 3 noodles on the bottom. Spread a layer of filling, sauce, 3 more noodles, repeat till you've used it all up. End with noodles, sauce and top with the reserved mozzarella.</li><li>Cook for 30-40 min. on 350* covered and then uncover another 10 min. or so to brown the cheese on top.<br /></li></ol>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-25718461939637865932009-08-27T20:09:00.000-07:002009-08-27T20:31:50.792-07:00Ideas for vegetable packed main dishesA friend asked for some help coming up with veggie packed main dishes that her kids would eat.<br /><br />Here are some of my favorites:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Veggie packed chili</span>:<br />Chop an assortment of veggies into smallish cubes (carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, corn, hominy)<br /><br />Saute the veggies until tender (add zucchini a little later than the others since it cooks quickly) and add to canned chili or homemade chili. I have a recipe for homemade if you want that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Broccoli, Cheese and Rice dish</span> (serves 6-8 as side or 3-4 main)<br />1 medium onion, chopped<br />1 (10 oz.) pkg frozen, chopped broccoli (or equivalent fresh broccoli, chopped)<br />1 (7 oz) box long grain and wild rice mix<br />1 Tbsp butter<br />salt to taste<br />2 Tbsp. flour<br />1 C. evaporated milk<br />1 C. cheddar cheese<br />*You can also add cooked chicken to make it heartier...*<br /><br />Lightly coat a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray. If using frozen broccoli, microwave for 5 min. and drain. If using fresh, just chop it up. Add to baking dish. Prepare rice according to package. Add to baking dish. Suate onion and add to dish. Melt butter in the onion pan and stir in salt and flour. Add milk gradually, stirring to mix well. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 min. Take off heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add cheese sauce to dish and stir. Bake at 350 for 30 min.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-and-Broccoli-Braid/Detail.aspx"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken and Broccoli Braid</span></a><br />This is good, though I don't always add the dill. You can change the chicken to broccoli ratio so there is more broccoli and less chicken. You can also use pizza dough if you don't want to use the crescents. I have another variation that uses cream cheese and you roll them into individual bundles if anyone's interested.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bitchincamero.com/mel/2009/08/summery-baked-tomatoes/"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summery Baked Tomatoes</span></a><br />While I've never tried this, I just saw it today and it looks delicious.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Taco Salad</span> (a suggestion, but if you need a recipe, ask) or <a href="http://celiacooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/something-like-cafe-rio-salad.html">Something like Cafe Rio Salad</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cold Tortellini Salad</span>-serves 8<br />16 oz cheese tortellini, cooked to al dente, drain and rinse<br /><br />Optional additions:<br />1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts<br />1 can pitted black olives<br />Your choice of type and amount of chopped: broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red or green onion, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella, feta, or parm. cheese<br /><br />Dressing:<br />1/4 c. olive oil<br />3/4 C. balsamic vinegar<br />garlic salt to taste<br /><br />Add veggies and cheese to cooked pasta. Combine dressing ingredients and mix into salad. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before you serve to see if you need to add a bit more dressing.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Veggie-Pizza/Detail.aspx">Cold veggie pizza</a><br /><br /><a href="http://celiacooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/easy-beans-and-rice.html">Easy Bean and Rice burritos with Veggie add ins</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vegetable Quesadillas - serves 2-3</span><br />1 Zucchini, cubed<br />1/2 Onion, sliced<br />1 green bell pepper, sliced<br />1 garlic clove pressed or diced<br />fresh lime juice from 1 lime<br />Taco seasoning packet (not necessarily the whole thing...I just make my own concoction, so I don't know how much you'd need of this...to taste) or your own mixture of chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder and salt<br />Cheese (mozz. is low fat but not high flavor. I don't mind using it. You can use a mexican blend, asedero cheese, cheddar or Colby or Monterrey jack. Whatever you love.)<br />Large flour tortillas (I use burrito sized, but soft taco sized would work for kids)<br />A drizzle of oil to saute veggies<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions:</span><br />Saute the onion and bell pepper. Just before they are tender, add in the zucchini and garlic. Sprinkle seasonings and lime over the top, adding a little more oil if necessary. Season with salt to taste. Take off the burner.<br /><br />Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, top with veggies, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Fold over and cook on a cast iron pan (med. heat) until cheese melts and tortilla's toasty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shredded zucchini and egg:</span><br />Shred zucchini and saute. Pour scrambled eggs over top and cook. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover to help melt. Serve with veggie sides and rolls or bread.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-49497227036886165932009-06-27T11:49:00.000-07:002009-06-27T19:03:25.862-07:00June Daring Baker: Bakewell Tart/Pudding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4opj-RLkiAdCrXctirkM80iyogV6ZJMHSm5EXP0MgD7ZY4nJKtnQkHJp910ntAa3DGQ_OvvSKsePsNhutVO5ASDdgrz9YB9iAbShb5curauOmdNcf21w0UgXlo4zG6xH7Sgn8y1iONyE/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4opj-RLkiAdCrXctirkM80iyogV6ZJMHSm5EXP0MgD7ZY4nJKtnQkHJp910ntAa3DGQ_OvvSKsePsNhutVO5ASDdgrz9YB9iAbShb5curauOmdNcf21w0UgXlo4zG6xH7Sgn8y1iONyE/s320/Picture+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352193196111612306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.</span><br /><br />I'd never heard of this, but was excited to make it since the <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/">hosts' pictures</a> looked so tantalizing. I as I was making it, I thought it was going to turn out perfectly. By the picture you can tell that it didn't quite turn out perfectly!<br /><br />When it finished cooking I thought back to where I went wrong since the top got a little too brown and the frangipane was the wrong consistency (and the middle was not <span style="font-style: italic;">quite</span> done). As I thought about it, I realized <span style="font-weight: bold;">I did a few things wrong</span>:<br /><ol><li>The pie pan I thought was 9" was really larger...9 1/2 or 10 in. Oops. </li><li>I totally forgot to put the flour in the frangipane! My 18 mo. old was "helping" me cook, and I just got too distracted. Plus I can always use my "I'm 9 mo. pregnant!" excuse since pregnancy seems to make me very forgetful in the kitchen.</li><li>My crust seemed waaaayyy too dry after adding the amount of water in the recipe, so I added an extra Tbsp. I think that made it too wet. It didn't taste bad, I think it's just not quite what it should have been.<br /></li><li>I rolled the shortening crust a little too thin since my pan was too big.<br /></li></ol>Despite my errors, the taste of this was actually quite good. It got pretty brown (though it didn't taste burned), so next time I think I'll check and cover it the last 10 min. if needed. Also, I think doing smaller tartlets (like <a href="http://audaxartifex.blogspot.com/">Audax's</a>) would help with the middle not being done...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I made some low sugar blueberry jam.</span> I just used the Ball no-sugar pectin recipe and added 1 cup of sugar to the whole batch. It worked nicely. I think a tarter jam could have worked well too. Cranberry, apricot, etc. I wouldn't mind trying it again, especially if I were to do mini-tartlets. I think that would be quite nice.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bakewell Tart...er...Pudding</span></span><br /><p><strong>Makes one 23cm (9” tart)</strong><br /><strong>Prep time:</strong> less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)<br /><strong>Resting time:</strong> 15 minutes<br /><strong>Baking time:</strong> 30 minutes<br /><strong>Equipment needed: </strong>23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin</p> <p>One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)<br /> Bench flour<br />250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz) jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (My homemade stuff didn't need any warming)<br />One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)<br />One handful blanched, flaked almonds</p> <p><strong>Assembling the tart</strong><br />Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.</p> <p>Preheat oven to 200C/400F.</p> <p>Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.</p> <p>The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.</p> <p>When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.</p> <p><strong>Jasmine’s notes:<br /></strong>• If you cannot have nuts, you can try substituting Victoria sponge for the frangipane. It's a pretty popular popular cake, so you shouldn't have any troubles finding one in one of your cookbooks or through a Google search. That said, our dear Natalie at Gluten a Go Go has sourced some recipes and linked to them in the related alt.db thread.<br />• You can use whichever jam you wish, but if you choose something with a lot of seeds, such as raspberry or blackberry, you should sieve them out.<br />• The jam quantity can be anywhere from 60ml (1/4 cup) to 250ml (1cup), depending upon how “damp” and strongly flavoured your preserves are. I made it with the lesser quantity of home made strawberry jam, while Annemarie made it with the greater quantity of cherry jam; we both had fabulous results. If in doubt, just split the difference and spread 150ml (2/3cup) on the crust.<br /><strong>Annemarie’s notes:<br /></strong>• The excess shortcrust can be rolled out and cut into cookie-shapes (heck, it’s pretty darned close to a shortbread dough).</p> <h2>Sweet shortcrust pastry</h2> <p><strong>Prep time: </strong>15-20 minutes<br /><strong>Resting time:</strong> 30 minutes (minimum)<br /><strong>Equipment needed: </strong>bowls, box grater, cling film</p> <p>225g (8oz) all purpose flour<br />30g (1oz) sugar<br />2.5ml (½ tsp) salt<br />110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)<br />2 (2) egg yolks<br />2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)<br />15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water </p> <p>Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.</p> <p>Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. </p> <p>Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes</p> <p><strong>Jasmine’s notes:<br /></strong>• I make this using vanilla salt and vanilla sugar.<br />• If you wish, you can substitute the seeds of one vanilla bean, one teaspoon of vanilla paste or one teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract</p> <h2>Frangipane</h2> <p><strong>Prep time:</strong> 10-15 minutes<br /><strong>Equipment needed:</strong> bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula</p> <p>125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened<br />125g (4.5oz) icing sugar<br />3 (3) eggs<br />2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract<br />125g (4.5oz) ground almonds<br />30g (1oz) all purpose flour</p> <p>Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: <strong><em>Don’t panic</em></strong>. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour. </p> <p><strong>Annemarie’s notes:<br /></strong>• Add another five minutes or more if you're grinding your own almonds or if you're mixing by hand (Heaven help you).</p>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-50792557332066548472009-06-19T19:50:00.000-07:002009-06-19T20:06:56.450-07:00White Chocolate Blondies with GoodiesI got the base of the recipe from Picky Palate's <a href="http://www.picky-palate.com/search/label/blondies">White Chocolate Butterfinger Blondies</a>, but I made a number of modifications since I didn't have butterfingers on hand! I made these for a funeral today and one of the people in charge of the food hounded me until I got her the recipe! I was in such a rush to get them to the church on time, I didn't get a picture. Matt said he really liked them too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">White Chocolate Blondies with Goodies</span><br />1/2 C. butter<br />1 1/2 C. white chocolate chips<br /><br />1 C. white sugar<br />1/2 C. brown sugar<br />2 C. flour (I used 1 C. wheat and 1 C. white with good results)<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1 tsp salt<br />1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />3/4 C. coconut<br />3/4 C. chopped walnuts<br /><br />4 eggs<br />4 Tbsp sour cream<br /><br />Powdered sugar for dusting<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Directions</span><br /><ol><li>Preheat oven to 350* F</li><li>Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Stir in white chips until melted and smooth. You may have to nuke it a little after you add the chips to help them melt. </li><li>In a large bowl add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream. Pour into the dry ingredients along with the melted white chip mixture. Mix until just combined. Incorporate the semi-sweet chips, coconut, and walnuts.</li><li>Pour into a 9X13 baking dish lined with foil that's been sprayed with cooking spray (for easy clean up. You don't have to do that. Just remember to spray your dish regardless.).</li><li>Bake for 30-35 min. or until toothpick comes clean from center. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool before cutting.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><br /></li></ol>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-40604456930781517022009-06-14T18:59:00.000-07:002009-06-14T19:31:09.136-07:00June Daring Cook: Dumpling/Potstickers<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">This month's challenge was hosted by Jen from <a href="http://userealbutter.com/">Use Real Butter</a>. Thanks for a great challenge! I really enjoyed this one.</span><br /></div><br />I've <a href="http://down-the-middle-with-sillymarie.blogspot.com/2008/06/celebrating-best-way-i-know.html">made potstickers before</a>, but this challenge was still great since I've never made my own wrappers before. Final results: Matt and I <span style="font-weight: bold;">loved how the wrappers turned out</span>. We didn't <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> the pork filling recipe, but it wasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">bad</span>.<br /><br />I was a little over ambitious and also made vegetable sesame pancake sandwiches (as found at The Dumpling House in NYC). I made that all from scratch as well. While the dinner was quite successful, between the two things it took about 6 hours of cooking after I got home from church!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I steamed the dumplings in a metal basket lined with cabbage leaves.<br />That worked nicely except I put a few too many in at once and they kind of stuck together.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jkQVxtXTEqoSuIIDe5_UR5sv5T6D8JpKqKiccrWdmUrXzY-s73GmWDRgLB2nNRKAX8ljgtbtKoMykGNSzg4eRuZ_xfPgx83eFCEuOlOj9xSurdcz4IYpkgPzd7RfXyKZ-CBnxMWBuFc/s1600-h/dumpings+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jkQVxtXTEqoSuIIDe5_UR5sv5T6D8JpKqKiccrWdmUrXzY-s73GmWDRgLB2nNRKAX8ljgtbtKoMykGNSzg4eRuZ_xfPgx83eFCEuOlOj9xSurdcz4IYpkgPzd7RfXyKZ-CBnxMWBuFc/s320/dumpings+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347370602904582082" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here is our whole dinner. The <a href="http://www.ethaicooking.com/home/2008/10/30/chinese-sesame-bread.html">sesame "pancake" bread</a> worked really great after I added a whole lot of extra flour! It was liquid goo after the first rise so I added flour until I could actually handle it. Part of the problem was attempting to do it in the bread maker like the recipe says. Just didn't work the flour in well enough for some reason. I should have just used my KitchenAid.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s3VyiMBHL7KqCQdBSzRfavIb3eBcZF0ou1S9v25RcR60fxsKM-I4IgsRylAzo1_iKUp5QF300aSgoB8bWp-WyCZntTf04FgXBlPrGVB8Bxd9H2sLoQPTwKo2okAqQslblHJHYNRQHZg/s1600-h/dumpings+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s3VyiMBHL7KqCQdBSzRfavIb3eBcZF0ou1S9v25RcR60fxsKM-I4IgsRylAzo1_iKUp5QF300aSgoB8bWp-WyCZntTf04FgXBlPrGVB8Bxd9H2sLoQPTwKo2okAqQslblHJHYNRQHZg/s320/dumpings+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347371526610003826" border="0" /></a><br />Final product was really great though. We stuffed it with yellow squash, red onions, zucchini, and carrots. The sauce on it could have used a little help, but it was still good. We served the dumplings with soy sauce and a Chinese red chili sauce.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua1NarLqcqJ9VQZLlEqB-H9SXAI8K7oOgAikDrI944cW24j8KjmSD0aXHLkDMSbLaCja5rRrCBnhO3XMMpMbC409kmQabegtHtHFTP97_vvA5HWEcao65GFIT5g_6oz1OPwlL5VswoVM/s1600-h/dumpings+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgua1NarLqcqJ9VQZLlEqB-H9SXAI8K7oOgAikDrI944cW24j8KjmSD0aXHLkDMSbLaCja5rRrCBnhO3XMMpMbC409kmQabegtHtHFTP97_vvA5HWEcao65GFIT5g_6oz1OPwlL5VswoVM/s320/dumpings+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347371874599972258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLXfXaBimUcmj4bYThktqfkeFGyBVs89H7msZMyCOeDlYm28tmuox-nODXMI8n4iJwkYysBeThhFcnJhUF4CP1-YAXjSE3zrkLn3YKVA4u2peprTuPXsWjehbi57fk8DzD6Mrjf0So30/s1600-h/dumpings+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLXfXaBimUcmj4bYThktqfkeFGyBVs89H7msZMyCOeDlYm28tmuox-nODXMI8n4iJwkYysBeThhFcnJhUF4CP1-YAXjSE3zrkLn3YKVA4u2peprTuPXsWjehbi57fk8DzD6Mrjf0So30/s320/dumpings+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347371804014592754" border="0" /></a><br /><b>Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers</b><br /><br /><b>pork filling:</b><br /><div class="Section2"><p> 1 lb (450g) ground pork<br />4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced<br />3 stalks green onions, minced<br />7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)<br />1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced<br />1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced<br />3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce<br />2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil<br />2 tbsp (16g) corn starch</p> <p><b>dough:</b> (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)<br />2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour<br />1/2 cup (113g) warm water<br />flour for worksurface</p> <p><b>dipping sauce:</b><br />2 parts soy sauce<br />1 part vinegar (red wine or black)<br />a few drops of sesame oil<br />chili garlic paste (optional)<br />minced ginger (optional)<br />minced garlic (optional)<br />minced green onion (optional)<br />sugar (optional)</p> </div> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" ><br /></span> <p>Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).</p> <p><b>Make the dough, Method 1:</b> Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).</p> <p><b>Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions):</b> In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.</p> <p><b>Both dough methods:</b> Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (<a href="http://userealbutter.com/2007/10/04/chinese-dumplings-and-potstickers-recipe/">see images in post for how to fold pleats</a>). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>To boil:</b> Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>To steam:</b> Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>To pan fry (potstickers):</b> Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>To freeze:</b> Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-35002527286866071252009-05-27T11:10:00.000-07:002009-05-27T11:16:36.756-07:00May Daring Baker: Apple Strudel from Scratch<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><span style="font-size:78%;">The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.</span></em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong></div><strong><em><br /></em></strong>Success! I quite enjoyed this challenge. I made this for our Memorial Day BBQ dessert. We had friends over and everyone had good things to say about it. Nice and flaky crust. I could have probably used a little less filling (though I didn't even use the full 2 lbs. of apples in the recipe) so I could have rolled it a little tighter and had a few more layers of flaky crust.<br /><br />I served it with vanilla ice cream. I wanted to do some creative filling, but my husband wanted the apple so I used the recipe given with the challenge. It was good (maybe a little boring, but still good). Light and not too rich. The dough was really easy to work with (I let it sit the full 90 min.) and I was only a few inches shy of the 2'X3'. The biggest hole in my dough (which was not big) was from my 18 mo. old son trying to sample it! haha.<br /><br />I don't even own a table cloth, so I used an old, clean sheet. It was the best I could think of. Worked well enough. I had my husband help me roll it up and transfer it to the baking sheet.<br /><br />I wish I could capture it better with the photography. <img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/applestrudel002.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/applestrudel006.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/applestrudel007.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/applestrudel009.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/applestrudel010.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />Preparation time<br />Total: 2 hours 15 minutes – 3 hours 30 minutes<br /><br />15-20 min to make dough<br />30-90 min to let dough rest/to prepare the filling<br />20-30 min to roll out and stretch dough<br />10 min to fill and roll dough<br />30 min to bake<br />30 min to cool<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apple strudel</span><br />from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers<br /><br />2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum<br />3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins<br />1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar<br />1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided<br />1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs<br />strudel dough (recipe below)<br />1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts<br />2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)<br /><br />1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.<br /><br />2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.<br /><br />3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.<br /><br />4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.<br /><br />5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strudel dough</span><br />from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers<br /><br />1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour<br />1/8 teaspoon salt<br />7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed<br />2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough<br />1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar<br /><br />1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.<br />Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.<br /><br />2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.<br />Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).<br /><br />3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.<br />Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.<br /><br />4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tips</span><br />- Ingredients are cheap so we would recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try;<br />- The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster;<br />- Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;<br />- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;<br />- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-79436316390932021472009-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:002009-05-15T20:40:31.103-07:00The first ever Daring Cooks' Challenge: Ricotta GnocchiWhen the creators of Daring Bakers started a cooking challenge group, I decided to join. I like cooking better than baking anyway. <br /><br />This first challenge was something I've never done. I've never tried ricotta gnocchi, but I like potato gnocchi well enough. Well, I did not like this recipe. I let my cheese drain for almost 2 days but it was still too wet. Half of my gnocchi were made exactly as written. I added flour to the other half and it turned out so much better. Matt said he felt sick after eating it (he got more of the "original" gnocchi than I did. <br /><br />I made a creamy red sauce with sausage to go with it. I'll never make this again. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi</span><br /><br />Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook.<br /><br />Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)<br /><br />Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1 hour.<br /><br />Tips:<br /><br />- If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe, there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it.<br />- Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet, it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.<br />- When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay if they look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.<br />- If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. If you let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky.<br />- For the variations to the challenge recipe, please see the end of the recipe.<br /><br />Equipment required:<br /><br />- Sieve<br />- Cheesecloth or paper towels<br />- Large mixing bowl<br />- Rubber spatula<br />- Tablespoon<br />- Baking dish or baking sheet<br />- Wax or parchment paper<br />- Small pot<br />- Large skillet<br />- Large pan or pot (very wide in diameter and at least 2 inches deep)<br /><p><strong>For the gnocchi:</strong></p> <p>1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups)<br />2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten<br />1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter<br />2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional)<br />½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed)<br />about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt)<br />all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi</p><p><br /></p><p>Step 1</p><p>If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook, Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, take a teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring of dampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is too wet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels and place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully in cheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with a bowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommended that you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi.</p> <p><strong>Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi): Making the gnocchi dough.</strong></p> <p>To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a large spoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash the ricotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through a strainer to smooth it out as much as possible.</p> <p>Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta. </p> <p>Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not, just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.</p> <p>Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’re not using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.</p> <p>Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.</p> <p>Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft and fluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).</p> <p><strong>Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.</strong></p><p>Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchi that you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t too damp.</p> <p>In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flour that’s ½ an inch deep.</p> <p>With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl.</p> <p>Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.</p><p>At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flour covers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour. Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an oval as best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is an oval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.</p> <p>Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi until it’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes.</p> <p>If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy, add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.</p> <p>Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi as you coat them. </p> <p>Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour. </p> <p>You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.</p> <p><strong>Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.</strong></p> <p>Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in the skillet and set aside.</p> <p>In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quarts of water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits). You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other and damage each other.</p> <p>Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.</p> <p>Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook them for 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).</p><p>When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for them to finish cooking. </p> <p>Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few times as it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat. Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWurtf3sVR-Ra5ND3ZGW_ePVISAAXCspGD_0zivQD8Gg-3rAs1lMrKuft9EhZu3AWGEKVET_NWHbt3ndavZK-XVa2JdBwhDE44mRG3YxwMPr7FDqegSCbaF0ujou81fjQGswE6KP14SzM/s1600-h/chin+cut+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWurtf3sVR-Ra5ND3ZGW_ePVISAAXCspGD_0zivQD8Gg-3rAs1lMrKuft9EhZu3AWGEKVET_NWHbt3ndavZK-XVa2JdBwhDE44mRG3YxwMPr7FDqegSCbaF0ujou81fjQGswE6KP14SzM/s320/chin+cut+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336260205978442338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oeELwdKEc_MCwYjMy5CdZYF8_S7vuVpvPqwmJMvW6AqYmBUp2xKJuUajzI81L396Zqeqgu8YFrY2VJEISITkQyqSFoscjRJ5X4cuGGcYFMtrvIEFYWszF_uGP11ekha10kCGTozfm7o/s1600-h/chin+cut+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oeELwdKEc_MCwYjMy5CdZYF8_S7vuVpvPqwmJMvW6AqYmBUp2xKJuUajzI81L396Zqeqgu8YFrY2VJEISITkQyqSFoscjRJ5X4cuGGcYFMtrvIEFYWszF_uGP11ekha10kCGTozfm7o/s320/chin+cut+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336260118470029682" border="0" /></a>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-70219674494498519392009-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:002009-04-28T11:17:36.484-07:00April Daring Baker Challenge: Cheesecake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/dbcheesecake001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 235px;" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/dbcheesecake001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.</strong></span></div><br />I love cheesecake and I loved this challenge. After my less than impressive Valentine's Cheesecake this year, I was happy to have a chance to redeem myself. This basic cheesecake recipe was quite divine. A keeper for sure.<br /><br />I made mine in a spring form pan. To keep the water from seeping in, I first wrapped it in saran wrap about half way up (I promise, it didn't melt). I then used two layers of heavy duty foil. One piece is big enough to cover the whole pan, but I used two just in case of a leak or puncture. It worked beautifully and this was the absolute BEST attempt I've had at making cheesecake. It was silky smooth.<br /><br />Other tips I've picked up over the years:<br /><ul><li>MAKE SURE YOUR CREAM CHEESE IS AT ROOM TEMP!!!! Honestly, do not skip that step. Otherwise you'll have a lumpy cheesecake that you'll probably over beat to compensate. That will then make your cheesecake puff up and crack. Not a pretty or tasty thing. (This is what I did wrong this year on V-day, so I'm speaking from experience.)<br /></li><li>I've had better luck using an electric hand beater as opposed to my kitchenaid. I can control the mixing a little better and thus beat it less.</li><li>Don't overbeat the mixture or it will puff up and crack while baking.</li></ul><br />Instead of using the crust recipe provided, I made a peanut butter-pretzel crust and LOVED it. I got the recipe <a href="http://foodsnobberyhobbery.blogspot.com/2008/10/birthday-cheesecake.html">here</a> but reduced the oil by a 2 TBSP. So my crust recipe was as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peanut-butter pretzel crust</span><br /><div>2 cups of pretzel crumbs<br /></div><div>1 Tbsp. sugar</div><div>1/4 cup extra light olive oil</div><div>3 Tbsp. natural (salted) peanut butter</div><div><br /></div><div>Start with a clean food processor and make the pretzel crumbs by whizzing the pretzels in there for a while. Add the remaining crust ingredients right in there and pulse until it starts to clump together slightly. The little bit of PB with the pretzels tastes like a Butterfinger bar.<br /></div><div><br /></div>Press the crust into the bottom of a spring form pan.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:</strong> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">crust:</span> (didn't use this recipe, so I can't vouch for this crust)<br />2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs<br />1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted<br />2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar<br />1 tsp. vanilla extract</p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">cheesecake:</span> (awesome!!! my new basic cheesecake recipe!)<br />3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature<br />1 cup / 210 g sugar<br />3 large eggs<br />1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream<br />1 tbsp. lemon juice<br />1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)<br />1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake (I used no liqueur)</p><p>*My variation on this was a <span style="font-weight: bold;">nutella marbled cheesecake</span>. I took out 1 cup of batter and mixed it with 3/4 of a small bottle of nutella. I then put a layer of regular cheesecake batter on top of the crust, then the nutella batter mixture, then another regular layer. I used a chopstick to swirll the batter together.<br /></p> <p>DIRECTIONS:<br />1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.</p> <p>2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.</p> <p>3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.</p> <p>4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.</p> <p>5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.</p> <p>Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.</p> <p>Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!</p><p>_______________________________________________</p>I also made a german chocolate frosting for the top, but it made it way too sweet and really overpowered the cheesecake. It was WAY better without it. But here's a picture anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/dbcheesecake005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 240px;" src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/dbcheesecake005.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-11409675474497655322009-03-27T17:46:00.000-07:002009-03-27T21:19:03.344-07:00March DB Challenege: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna<i><b><span style="font-size:78%;">The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.</span><br /><br /></b></i>This was one of the more time consuming challenges, but I won't lie, it was probably my favorite result yet. Homemade pasta. Homemade Ragu. Homemade Bechamel. Put them all together and it was homemade deliciousness.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEx0zHLwC2_AQO3EAkBdBshSRp9BNB0awLWBuYynlwYfoOluTuPPttv1-Fo09PD1jpy6P7jInf4Z4x7t4AuPjxTJ7_7z6nEWUxNwN0BUKksValqwQjE3B_Yk7nGTzlWc5Kkl2EMU6kFY/s1600-h/Copy+of+st.+patricks+2009+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEx0zHLwC2_AQO3EAkBdBshSRp9BNB0awLWBuYynlwYfoOluTuPPttv1-Fo09PD1jpy6P7jInf4Z4x7t4AuPjxTJ7_7z6nEWUxNwN0BUKksValqwQjE3B_Yk7nGTzlWc5Kkl2EMU6kFY/s320/Copy+of+st.+patricks+2009+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318087614088342818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7EFTVs7mI_idbnIp_oc8dwHdKHHv2yjqwoDAPOv_wxhTPtZE2Gl4QpxaufBkC11dg1pUXq0qYJujY8xO59BFOWlS-Xcpi9-D4AxJpBw0G3S8jKq9lFUKLYjrv2J0pvfTQM3LjN2If3g/s1600-h/db+lasagna+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7EFTVs7mI_idbnIp_oc8dwHdKHHv2yjqwoDAPOv_wxhTPtZE2Gl4QpxaufBkC11dg1pUXq0qYJujY8xO59BFOWlS-Xcpi9-D4AxJpBw0G3S8jKq9lFUKLYjrv2J0pvfTQM3LjN2If3g/s320/db+lasagna+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318087766903080466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB9MJvV9Pk_EhyfEeEFNzuJ0Wfsrk5qVEdIKw49lXI9u0lPEYDvitgqSmC4iP6_Pmy0urP1A0PFPUB5OqGTKymJIA9pDGeufSpBXxsYjA2TTivWKyL_hlyDJUhOFaoa14kxBI4Chl63o/s1600-h/db+lasagna+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNB9MJvV9Pk_EhyfEeEFNzuJ0Wfsrk5qVEdIKw49lXI9u0lPEYDvitgqSmC4iP6_Pmy0urP1A0PFPUB5OqGTKymJIA9pDGeufSpBXxsYjA2TTivWKyL_hlyDJUhOFaoa14kxBI4Chl63o/s320/db+lasagna+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318087903973829538" border="0" /></a><br /><p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Before I give the recipes, know this:</span><br /></p><p>After chopping the spinach I didn't see how it could be humanly possible to get all the spinach in if it was uncooked. So I cooked it, squeezed it dry and then mixed it with the egg. The egg amount seems like it has to be wrong, though. The "more than 60 grams" threw me since 1 <span style="font-style: italic;">large</span> egg was 57 grams. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I ended up using 6 large eggs for the entire amount of flour. </span>I could have probably used less and added a little water and oil. I did use semolina flour instead of AP flour. I figured if I was going to spend the time I might as well do it properly...I am not new to kneading stuff by hand, but to get this elastic enough I knew I couldn't do it by hand after about 5 min. of trying. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I threw it in my kitchen aid</span> with the dough hook. I had to hold the bowl down because it made it go a little crazy, but it really worked out nicely. </p> <p>The pasta rolling by hand was absolutely ridiculous. I will never attempt that again. It took me 1 1/2 hours just to roll. I would say I got it to the proper thinness, so it is possible. However it will be pasta machine or bust if I do this again.</p> <p>I didn't really have anything to dry it on, so I used cookie cooling racks. Bad idea. Every point it touched a metal point it was much more likely to crack after drying. Hanging over a broom handle would have been better. Guess I'll just have to wash mine next time.</p> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The ragu given with the challenge was really quite amazing as written.</span> The browning tip helped a ton. I didn't add any salt (unheard of for me, however my broth was probably extra salty...) or pepper (also unheard of). I did have to use an immersion blender to get the stewed tomatoes as small as I like them. Not a fan of big chunks of tomato. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The bechamel sauce was great also</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> but I used almost a full recipe for a half lasagna</span>. So, if I were to make a full lasagna I would double that recipe. I even bought fresh nutmeg for it and that was a fun, new experience! I just used the small side of my cheese grater.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Overall very flavorful and "restaurant tasting" according to my husband. <span style="font-size:100%;">We didn't miss ricotta one bit in this.</span></span><br /></div><p><b>Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)</b><br />(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)</p> <p>Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time</p> <p>10 quarts (9 litres) salted water<br />1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)<b>#1</b><br />1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)<b>#2</b><br />1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)<b>#3</b><br />1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano</p> <p><b>Method</b><br />Working Ahead:<br />The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.</p> <p><b>Assembling the Ingredients:</b><br />Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.</p> <p><b>Cooking the Pasta:</b><br />Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.</p> <p><b>Assembling the Lasagne: </b><br />Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.</p> <p><b>Baking and Serving the Lasagne:</b><br />Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.</p> <p><b>#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)</b></p> <p>Preparation: 45 minutes</p> <p>Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.</p> <p>2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)<br />10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry<br />3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)</p> <p>Working by Hand:</p> <p>Equipment</p> <p>A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.</p> <p>A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.</p> <p>A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.<br />Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.</p> <p>Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.</p> <p>A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.</p> <p>Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta. </p> <p><b>Mixing the dough:</b><br />Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.</p> <p><b>Kneading:</b><br />With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.</p> <p><b>Stretching and Thinning:</b><br />If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.</p> <p>Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.</p> <p>Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!</p> <p>Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.<br /></p><a href="http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j175/silygirl269/?action=view&current=Copyofstpatricks2009010.jpg" target="_blank"></a><p><b>#2 Bechamel</b></p> <p>Preparation Time: 15 minutes</p> <p>4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter<br />4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred<br />2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk<br />Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste<br />Freshly grated nutmeg to taste</p> <p>Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.</p> <p><b>#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)</b></p> <p>Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours</p> <p>Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)</p> <p>3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)<br />2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped<br />1 medium onion, minced<br />1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced<br />1 small carrot, minced<br />4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round<br />4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)<br />8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)<br />1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma<br />2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine<br />1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)<br />2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk<br />3 canned plum tomatoes, drained<br />Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste</p> <p>Working Ahead:<br />The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.</p> <p>Browning the Ragu Base:<br />Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.</p> <p>Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.</p> <p>Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.</p> <p>Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.</p>Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4308183401430689334.post-47705754740033065222009-03-01T06:11:00.000-08:002009-03-01T18:03:22.281-08:00February Daring Baker's Challenege:<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Feb. is just too short and I totally spaced getting this up by yesterday! I actually made it way back at Valentine's Day.<br /><br /></span></span><strong>Chocolate Valentino<br />Preparation Time: 20 minutes</strong><br />16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped<br />½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter<br />5 large eggs separated<br /><br />1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.<br />2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.<br />3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.<br />4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).<br />5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.<br />6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.<br />7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}<br />8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C<br />9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.<br />Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.<br />10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.<br />--------------------------------------<br /><br />I used a mixture or semi-sweet and milk. The consistency of the cake wasn't even, but it all tasted good. I think I didn't fold in my egg whites quite right. But overall I call it a success. We ended up eating the whole thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtEL3upJal1th2X3oa2mETN0gTU_6s7-Cq1tSjwNM9G8SCpyQKD2ZjEXI8uyVGGZpjIuEND7-1puvtdjtwjVNUpQvflI2WeJ4prNETiSh9BdUjEpcaFWXnWrSrLjtT5D4JQBqLsecG6Y/s1600-h/db+feb+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtEL3upJal1th2X3oa2mETN0gTU_6s7-Cq1tSjwNM9G8SCpyQKD2ZjEXI8uyVGGZpjIuEND7-1puvtdjtwjVNUpQvflI2WeJ4prNETiSh9BdUjEpcaFWXnWrSrLjtT5D4JQBqLsecG6Y/s320/db+feb+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308405016460506658" border="0" /></a><br />Normally for V. Day I make a cheesecake, so I just incorporated that into the challenge. I made a custard ice cream base using my kitchen aid recipe, I added strawberries I'd mixed with sugar and smashed, and then I chunked up the cheesecake and put it in at the very end. It turned out to be pleasing.Celia Marie (W.) B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16484176433038759287noreply@blogger.com2