tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77513589496491559542024-03-08T03:34:19.446-08:00EATS!A place for recipes and food talkLaurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-61055834668908573782024-01-24T20:11:00.000-08:002024-01-24T20:11:28.216-08:00Mexican-Inspired Meatball Soup<p>I got this recipe from The Kitchn <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/albondigas-soup-recipe-23622769" target="_blank">Albondigas Soup</a>. It’s quite a close cousin of my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2020/03/beef-farro-soup.html" target="_blank">Beef Farro Soup</a> in many ways: swap the farro for potatoes and add in some Mexican spices and the basic recipe is nearly the same. It’s fun to have a different flavor profile while still keeping cooking methods and ingredients that are familiar and easy. </p><p>My family really loves meatballs, I less so. For the first time making the recipe I did it as-written with meatballs. I may do that on occasion in the future, but I see myself more often just sautéing the ground beef with the onions and leaving it at that. You can dial the meat up or down as you choose. To convert this to a vegetarian recipe, use veggie stock and either vegetarian meatballs or you could add some hominy, beans, or red lentils or any combo of those instead of meat. </p><p>Instead of buying Roma tomatoes out of season, I used a regular-sized can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. I also added ground coriander and bay leaves and a bag of frozen, riced cauliflower, my favorite easy soup vegetable. I used double the amount of liquid, as well, so we got 3 nights’ worth of dinner from this one batch, with a side of something to bulk it out (in this case, <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2022/12/whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-with-home.html" target="_blank">homemade wheat toast</a>, which I make in bulk and slice and freeze to pull out in these cases).</p><p>So, another soup in the rotation that I think I’ll be coming back to frequently.</p><p>INGREDIENTS NO MEATBALLS</p><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 medium onion, finely diced (let’s be honest, I use the food processor)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2-3 carrots, diced or finely chopped in the food processor</div><div style="text-align: left;">2-4 stalks of celery, diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 cloves garlic, finely minced or put through a press or the food processor</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb ground been (adjust to your preference)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 to 1 tsp dried oregano ideally Mexican oregano</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 to 1 tsp dried ground coriander</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 14 or 15 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes</div><div style="text-align: left;">2-3 medium potatoes, diced. I also pre-cook mine for 3 minutes at high pressure in the instant pot but you could add them directly to the broth if you like</div><div style="text-align: left;">7 cups stock (chicken, turkey or vegetarian)</div><div style="text-align: left;">7 cups water</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">Freshly ground pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol><li>Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until the onion is soft and slightly browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. </li><li>Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is cooked through, breaking it up as you go</li><li>Add the garlic, oregano and coriander and cook until fragrant, about a minute</li><li>Add the stock, water, potatoes, tomatoes, bay, salt and pepper </li><li>Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes to one hour depending on if your potatoes are pre-cooked or not</li><li>Taste at 25 minutes and see how much longer you think you have to go. About 10 minutes before your estimated done time, add the cauliflower so it can cook</li><li>When the cooking time is up, taste for seasoning. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, more cumin or oregano or chili flakes/chili powder to taste</li><li>Serve with wedges of lime, avocado slices or chile</li></ol><p style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS WITH MEATBALLS</p><div>1 lb ground beef</div><div>1/2 c cooked long grain white rice</div><div>2 TBSP fine bread crumbs</div><div>1 large egg, beaten</div><div>1 1/2 tsp (1/2 TBSP) kosher salt</div><div>Freshly ground black pepper to taste</div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Mix all meatball ingredients in a bowl</li><li>With damp hands or a small scoop (1/2 - 1 TBSP), form the mixture into meatballs. Set completed meatballs on a tray and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. If freezing, you can pop them in a freezer bag once they’re firm and then just add them frozen and cook to temp </li><li>Follow soup directions above but do not add the ground beef in step 2. Instead, in step 5 after the soup is simmering, add the meatballs and let them cook to an internal temp of at least 160 degrees F they reach an internal temperature</li></ol><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifzz2B3_2QOw5f2vXbKkqZG2Zzkl-1shGIdgZG6QhEe8JgUsE6VHJ3b1PuA_xKTMhpGCrzBCMCgGuC3xba2QnK-jE9aRTuZVZJg7CME140o193rAZr3TsZ0dib-7Hj2Wub5njo2BPqpF3j39PVcGei7mc6IOUufAtzhpQkxK7u1VbhoOXMCLi7CGyzZBw/s1977/IMG_1696.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1977" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifzz2B3_2QOw5f2vXbKkqZG2Zzkl-1shGIdgZG6QhEe8JgUsE6VHJ3b1PuA_xKTMhpGCrzBCMCgGuC3xba2QnK-jE9aRTuZVZJg7CME140o193rAZr3TsZ0dib-7Hj2Wub5njo2BPqpF3j39PVcGei7mc6IOUufAtzhpQkxK7u1VbhoOXMCLi7CGyzZBw/s320/IMG_1696.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-1303780081267878442024-01-08T14:23:00.000-08:002024-01-08T14:23:46.040-08:00Simple Olive Spread<p>Well, my husband’s family did it again, gave me another recipe that I just can’t get enough of. The scene was Christmas Day and we were having family dinner at the extended family’s house and there was a type of tapenade on the table that looked homemade. One bite and I was hooked. I haven’t made my other <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2009/01/olive-and-sun-dried-tomato-spread.html" target="_blank">olive spread</a> in a while, partly because I don’t always have sun dried tomatoes around. This one feels even easier or maybe just hits my current preferences better. I’ve made it twice already and I’ve got little puff pastry pinwheels in the oven filled with them, using the leftover rough puff from the <i>Galette des Rois</i> we are making for Epiphany tonight, from Molly Wilkinson’s excellent <i>French Pastry Made Simple</i>. </p><p>You can find the <a href="https://cookieandkate.com/easy-tapenade-recipe/" target="_blank">original recipe at <i>Cookie and Kate</i></a>. The two reasons I’m posting the recipe here are one, recipes often disappear from the Internet and I want my own copy and two, I wanted a better weight ratio of green to Kalamata olives. Yes it’s annoying to give the weight with pits for Castelvetrano and only pitted for Kalamata but that’s how I buy them so that’s what is the most relevant for me. If using Kalamatas with pits, I’d guess add another 30% so anywhere between 125-150g should work</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">300g Castelvetrano olives with pits (~200g pitted)</div><div style="text-align: left;">100g pitted Kalamata olives </div><div style="text-align: left;">1 large handful flat-leaf parsley (leaves only— optional)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP drained capers</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP lemon juice</div><div style="text-align: left;">2-3 medium garlic cloves, crushed or minced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Pit the olives and place them in the bowl of a food processor with the S blade</li><li>All the other ingredients</li><li>Pulse 10-15 times or until you have a chunky spread of whatever consistency you like</li><li>For best results, let the flavors blend for a few hours before serving. Store in the fridge. </li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgTD7JD3npO_tBlezSpYeBJ04uaGGBnTfWfBeid3mEUaULDFV4CvCS0-w-fj6pJwO0TUlh_jvhSBS_f27BOV7kwLDvaQcC3c0IiKizbNvsDo-S_h4QBr5d5ISptd3mtS9sZ3Tjcd-jgcGj8KUgUyIemftaUYkRbMasoYun8fwp8bxrWyLwySpUsH6mneS/s4032/IMG_2107.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgTD7JD3npO_tBlezSpYeBJ04uaGGBnTfWfBeid3mEUaULDFV4CvCS0-w-fj6pJwO0TUlh_jvhSBS_f27BOV7kwLDvaQcC3c0IiKizbNvsDo-S_h4QBr5d5ISptd3mtS9sZ3Tjcd-jgcGj8KUgUyIemftaUYkRbMasoYun8fwp8bxrWyLwySpUsH6mneS/s320/IMG_2107.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-86693031993414741922023-10-21T09:59:00.001-07:002023-10-21T17:26:50.082-07:00Simple Perfect Brownies<p>There are so many feelings about brownies and so many recipes, techniques and textures. I’m not a huge brownie fan but that’s because so many brownies are just not what I’m looking for. I don’t want gooey, overrich or terribly decadent brownies. But I also was pretty meh on the boxed brownies of my childhood. I just know that I want them to feel different from chocolate cake and to have that perfect, crinkly top.</p><p>Enter these brownies from Deanna Cook’s <i>Baking Class</i>, a book aimed at kids. I was dubious when my tween wanted to use this recipe for a batch of brownies but I figured we had nothing to lose. I had toyed with suggesting she make Stella Parks’ version <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/bravetart-glossy-fudge-brownies">https://www.seriouseats.com/bravetart-glossy-fudge-brownies</a> but it seemed a bit much to ask my kid to brown the butter on top of everything else. I’m so glad we decided to keep it simple. These brownies were everything our family wanted.</p><p>The only thing I took from Parks’ explanatory text about brownie-making, was that it would be a good idea to beat the eggs really well, so I added that step. Other than that, this is all Cook.</p><p>We used the semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe’s. Next time I’m going to add some chopped walnuts because I love a nutty brownie but I know opinions are strong on this. </p><p>Makes one 8x8 inch pan of brownies but I may well double it to make a bigger pan, or, one pan with nuts and one without </p><p style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 c sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP water</div><div style="text-align: left;">12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (one bag)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">83g flour (2/3 cup)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 c chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans (optional)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8x8 pan. Parks strongly suggests a metal rather than a glass pan because a glass pan could require longer cooking time so that’s what we did. If using non-stick cooking spray, we like to spray right before adding the batter otherwise it tends to pool in the bottom of the pan</li><li>Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside</li><li>Put the sugar, butter and water in a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium, stirring, until it comes to a boil</li><li>Taking the pan off the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir until melted</li><li>Put the eggs and vanilla in a small to medium bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (we use a hand mixer for this and mix for a minute or two on medium high)</li><li>Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and since you’ve already got your hand mixer out, you can use that to mix it all together until it’s shiny and smooth</li><li>Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and fold it in with a spatula, no need to use the hand mixer. Stir until just combined (you don’t see any streaks of flour). Stir in the chopped nuts, if using</li><li>Spray your pan if needed, then pour in the batter and smooth the top with a spatula or (our favorite) offset spatula </li><li>Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is shiny and cracked (like all brownies should be!)</li><li>Remove from oven and let cool on a rack before cutting </li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1U9JYEe4IYORoKZ7CNjI1wHbyeaKwLiCpgABHmiZpqGNPxFtNBfq2TC4gFf3hzYY7vDcTqV_Gv-aECQUrgH64nqDCLWronBmGcUn9qrVdurgGZLX1SkgKqrI8op7LNSvK58xfCM0v7yEjFUIXXwEGzwlMwwQuOVCzsJoA3zObwb2_Kqvxzz7rYjrvlaF/s4032/IMG_1432.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI1U9JYEe4IYORoKZ7CNjI1wHbyeaKwLiCpgABHmiZpqGNPxFtNBfq2TC4gFf3hzYY7vDcTqV_Gv-aECQUrgH64nqDCLWronBmGcUn9qrVdurgGZLX1SkgKqrI8op7LNSvK58xfCM0v7yEjFUIXXwEGzwlMwwQuOVCzsJoA3zObwb2_Kqvxzz7rYjrvlaF/s320/IMG_1432.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-43724405668088211232023-10-10T20:32:00.004-07:002023-10-10T20:32:56.851-07:00Salty Grapefruit Drizzle Cake<p>A photo of this cake and its recipe from a newspaper insert was posted on a baking group I’m part of and I instantly decided I had to make it. Lemon drizzle is one of our family's very favorite desserts and a grapefruit version with some almond meal and a touch of Maldon salt sounded amazing. </p><p>I have adapted the recipe to my American kitchen, where I do not have self-rising flour on hand. I also adjusted the mixing method to maximize ease. I used the zest/sugar approach from my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/05/easiest-lemon-curd.html" target="_blank">Easiest Lemon Curd</a> recipe based on Ina Garten where you cut big strips of zest and grind with the sugar in the food processor. I then just went ahead and made the whole batter in the food processor, just folding in the Maldon salt to keep the larger flakes. </p><p>This makes a generous 9x13 inch cake. In future I might be tempted to do a mix of orange and grapefruit zest and possibly to reduce the butter a bit. The cake isn’t greasy but it’s more buttery than I expected. </p><p>CAKE INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">Zest of two large Ruby grapefruits (you’ll need the juice of one of them)</div><div style="text-align: left;">170 g sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">225 g butter at room temperature</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 large eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">50g ground almonds or almond flour (skin-on almonds will be more flavorful)</div><div style="text-align: left;">225g whole wheat pastry flour, all purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">Scant 1/2 tsp table salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 TBSP milk (non-dairy milk is fine)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt such as Maldon salt. You could even try smoked Maldon salt to add depth</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">GLAZE INGREDIENTS</div><div style="text-align: left;">Juice of 1 grapefruit approx 75g</div><div style="text-align: left;">150g granulated sugar (original recipe called for 175g but I think less would be better)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle and grease a 9x13 baking pan. I used glass but metal works too. If using non-stick cooking spray I usually spray right before adding the batter so it doesn’t just run all down the sides of the pan</li><li>Place the 170g sugar in the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attachment</li><li>Using a standard or Y peeler, peel the zest off of the two grapefruits and put the zest strips into the bowl with the sugar</li><li>Pulse or blend the sugar and zest together until the zest is in very small pieces and the sugar has been infused with the citrus oils</li><li>Add the butter to the sugar zest mixture and pulse until combined. You’re not creaming the butter and sugar really, just mixing them together</li><li>Add the eggs and ground almonds and pulse until mixed</li><li>Mix the flour, baking powder and table salt together just to ensure even distribution then sprinkle the mixture over the ingredients in the food processor bowl and pulse again until just combine</li><li>Sprinkle the milk over the top and pulse a final time or two</li><li>Remove the blade from the food processor and then use a spatula to fold in the Maldon salt to the batter</li><li>Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned and a tester comes out clean</li><li>While the cake is cooking, mix the grapefruit juice and sugar together. If you have a microwave, heat for up to 30 seconds at a time just to help dissolve the sugar a bit. If you like a crunchier top, just skip that part</li><li>Remove the cake from the oven and poke it all over with a fork (the original recipe didn’t require this but for me it’s not a poke/drizzle cake without it)</li><li>Pour the sugar and juice mixture over the cake. Let cool completely (2-3 hours) before slicing so that the drizzle has time to set</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Fhy95NlcoN0eUsSv5h66DJsoSYBkgGaKrd5WEMehw4SdMBW8waclPR4Os9JWwUus2hli2k_oQ1KUxPBgYWWejcMjcajSNZ7wDBEsoPP2QM6lxuyyB1Tf6Ie2u0f7AzVCuvySXPAfirXe7X-6zdqNz2Gg8RNP0zvqnvWped8i2vNqDrnbO9Z7F5wNCVR8/s4032/IMG_1785.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Fhy95NlcoN0eUsSv5h66DJsoSYBkgGaKrd5WEMehw4SdMBW8waclPR4Os9JWwUus2hli2k_oQ1KUxPBgYWWejcMjcajSNZ7wDBEsoPP2QM6lxuyyB1Tf6Ie2u0f7AzVCuvySXPAfirXe7X-6zdqNz2Gg8RNP0zvqnvWped8i2vNqDrnbO9Z7F5wNCVR8/s320/IMG_1785.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-8173062637564697742023-06-12T07:33:00.002-07:002023-06-12T07:33:26.590-07:00Simpler Garlicky Bok Choy<p> It’s so funny. I really thought I was only making a slightly modified version of <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2018/12/garlicky-bok-choy-with-shiitake.html" target="_blank">Garlicky Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms</a> these past few weeks but I didn’t consult the recipe until today, when I realized that what I’ve been doing is actually a whole new thing! </p><p>Bok Choy is one of the earliest spring vegetables we can get at our farmers’ market so I often pick it up. It can be used like any other veg in my one pot meals, where you would just clean it and chop it finely in the food processor. But it’s also really good on its own. </p><p>As I mentioned in the original recipe, I can’t do the whole or quartered thing. What I’m doing these days is taking off the bottoms and putting the individual leaves in a bowl of water to soak to get rid of the grit. I scrub the bottoms of the stalks as needed to make sure they’re very clean. Then I cut the leafy part from the stem and make a pile of each. I slice the stems into half moons as I’d do with celery and keep it separate. Then I julienne or slice or chiffonade the leafy greens. This allows me to cook the stems a bit longer.</p><p>Our whole family adores garlic so if you want a milder garlic flavor, reduce to your taste.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 bunch baby bok choy per person, prepared as above with sliced stems and leaves in ribbons kept separate</div><div style="text-align: left;">1-2 TBSP neutral oil (though I’ve also used olive oil successfully) </div><div style="text-align: left;">1-2 cloves per baby bok choy, finely minced</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pinch of sugar, optional</div><div style="text-align: left;">Soy sauce to taste</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Heat the oil on medium high til shimmering in a large sauté pan (I use our 12-inch cast iron if I’m feeding all of us)</li><li>Add the bok choy stems sprinkled with a pinch of sugar, stirring constantly, then add the garlic. You could add the garlic first, but if you do that you’ll tend to get very brown garlic and it will stick to the pan. This is great if you like browned garlic but if you want the garlic to be gentler, add it after the bok choy</li><li>After a few minutes, add the leaves. Keep stirring. For extra tender greens, put a lid on the pan for a minute or two to steam everything</li><li>Add a few shakes of soy sauce to taste</li><li>When the bok choy is your preferred level of tenderness, remove from the heat and serve</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVitbvI-tkatKFfrCinikyDyyjExRxKpG-PpgHbmT1OaiqJaRp6ZUDyyGWVn5iIpDkCRjwu6z1yZ1x_tsYuKHd4CHWW40LGpFJzUrSTUOlH1Gg4-hUDsUgcGzAJfj4kNaovd7MIcH1YYkmeqUsHC_qyKFym7WDmo7Zj4CjaNRLerAqWOlyuAvmg1ZL1Q/s4032/IMG_1110.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVitbvI-tkatKFfrCinikyDyyjExRxKpG-PpgHbmT1OaiqJaRp6ZUDyyGWVn5iIpDkCRjwu6z1yZ1x_tsYuKHd4CHWW40LGpFJzUrSTUOlH1Gg4-hUDsUgcGzAJfj4kNaovd7MIcH1YYkmeqUsHC_qyKFym7WDmo7Zj4CjaNRLerAqWOlyuAvmg1ZL1Q/s320/IMG_1110.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-81131487024183929972023-05-07T13:00:00.004-07:002023-12-05T14:51:40.569-08:00Really Good One-Bowl Chocolate Cake<p>This is a much-modified version of the Fudgy Chocolate Cake recipe from Yossy Arefi’s <i>Snacking Cakes</i>, which I have posted about more than once here. As with all of the other recipes in this book, in order to make it work for us, I needed to dramatically reduce the oil and in this case changed the amount of flour.</p><p>Arefi calls this cake “dense, fudgy and super chocolatey”. Note that in this version, the cake is not dense or fudgy. Instead, it’s light and fluffy but deeply chocolatey and not too sweet. Our family wouldn’t have it any other way.</p><p>Because I like to portion out my treats before baking, I just made it as cupcakes this time and got a baker’s dozen. Next time I’d fill my cups a bit less full as they got a bit pointy so I’d guess you could get 16 cupcakes.</p><p>The kids most often make this recipe and use regular all-purpose flour but I am confident it would be as delicious with whole wheat pastry flour/soft white wheat.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div>175 g granulated sugar<br />2 eggs, large</div><div>1 c buttermilk or whey/milk combination or runny yogurt or Greek-style yogurt thinned with whey or milk</div><div>30 g neutral oil </div><div>55 g (4 TBSP) unsalted butter, melted</div><div>1 tsp vanilla extract</div><div>3/4 kosher salt</div><div>68 g unsweetened cocoa powder (we use Cacao Barry Extra-Brut)</div><div>175 g all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour/soft white wheat</div><div>1 tsp baking powder</div><div>1/2 tsp baking soda</div><div>60 ml hot coffee (we do 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder with 1/4 c hot water for a strong flavor)</div><div>55 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. We often use mini chocolate chips</div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup and 6-cup muffin tin (or spray with cooking spray or brush with oil)</li><li>Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and foamy. You can do this by hand for sure, but an electric hand mixer does it in a snap</li><li>Add the buttermilk, oil, butter, vanilla and salt (I pre-mix them together in my measuring jug and pour them in together). Again you can use a whisk or your hand mixer</li><li>Add the cocoa powder and carefully whisk. If you use your mixer be careful to avoid a poof of cocoa powder as it is hydrophobic and will not want to mix with the liquid ingredients at first</li><li>Add flour, baking powder and baking soda. At this point I like to switch to a dough whisk but you can continue to use a regular whisk or hand mixer. I like a dough whisk because the batter doesn’t get stuck in the tines. I use a rubber or silicone spatula to scrape down the sides</li><li>Stir in the coffee, mixing well, then add the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate and stir</li><li>Fill the muffin wells 2/3 to 3/4 full (I use a large metal scoop for this)</li><li>Bake for 18-25 minutes, checking doneness with the toothpick or baking straw. There should be no gooey batter clinging to the stick</li><li>Remove from oven and let cool, then enjoy</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkCOQOPNK1vOQKv1ht7btvi7_UPpCvT_WIcmqMr972ggEBJ9xs97U90gCH-KSNhDvU4m2emdcSXqtTwSeoXehLuqKrhThkCXpAxxDHaihRdLHLQ41SjXfWTOkFg7xW-rzDcxSQy3CGobLnoHbpN6tF0hUxZpz6wPSRbpIvAWS_X91nb_LdFLVoYldOA/s3314/IMG_1234.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3314" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkCOQOPNK1vOQKv1ht7btvi7_UPpCvT_WIcmqMr972ggEBJ9xs97U90gCH-KSNhDvU4m2emdcSXqtTwSeoXehLuqKrhThkCXpAxxDHaihRdLHLQ41SjXfWTOkFg7xW-rzDcxSQy3CGobLnoHbpN6tF0hUxZpz6wPSRbpIvAWS_X91nb_LdFLVoYldOA/s320/IMG_1234.jpeg" width="292" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-57698318489990037292022-12-27T18:18:00.004-08:002022-12-27T22:10:52.227-08:00Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with Home-Milled Flour<p>For a long time I used the <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2016/04/whole-grain-sandwich-bread.html" target="_blank">Whole Grain Sandwich Bread</a> and enjoyed it but it was a bit too sweet for me. When I read Stella Parks’ brilliant <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread" target="_blank">100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread on Serious Eats</a> I gained a new favorite recipe. The only reason I am publishing a version here is that I had to quite dramatically reduce the amount of water in the recipe to make it work. The only reason I can think of for this is that perhaps home-milled whole wheat flour has more moisture. All I know is that every time I made Parks’ recipe as written, it was too gloopy and I ended up with slack loaves. So if you need ratios for home-milled flour, keep reading. But I cannot begin to match Parks’ precision and photos so if you want to see the details on technique, read her original recipe. </p><p>While we could use this bread for sandwiches, our favorite use for it is to turn it into toast and have it along side homemade soup. It is reminiscent in the best way of the frozen Rhodes whole wheat bread my mom used to bring home from the grocery store and which I loved. I can make a loaf or two (one after the other as my 16-cup Breville food processor isn’t quite powerful enough to make two loaves at once), slice them and freeze them ready to pull out and toast.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">425g hard red wheat berries, freshly milled</div><div style="text-align: left;">260g room temperature water (well if your room is as cool as ours—65 degrees F or so)</div><div style="text-align: left;">50g light brown or regular sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 3/4 tsp Diamond kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 rounded tsp instant yeast (not rapid-rise. We use SAF brand)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Additional 55g cool water mixed with </div><div style="text-align: left;">28g neutral or flavored oil (I put it in a small silicone measuring cup)</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Mix the whole wheat flour with the water in a large bowl. I like to use my dough whisk for this part. You want to make sure there is no loose flour left in the bowl. Then cover loosely with a tea towel, cling wrap or a silicone lid and set aside for 2 1/2 hours</li><li>Once the resting time is over, break the dough into pieces and put in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade (not dough) attachment </li><li>Add the sugar, yeast and salt</li><li>Process for 75 seconds or so until you can make a windowpane with the dough</li><li>With the food processor running, drizzle in the oil and water mixture and mix until incorporated. The dough will be really sticky but elastic even with the reduced amount of water</li><li>Transfer the dough as best you can back into the big bowl (no need to wash it out) then cover again and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 2 hours</li><li>Tip out the dough onto a lightly-floured board, counter or silicone mat. Because I’m milling my own flour, I don’t bother to mill extra just for this purpose and just use all-purpose white flour</li><li>Pat into a 7-inch square and then fold each side inward to make a loaf shape. I squish the loaf together pretty well so the seam doesn’t fall open</li><li>Put shaped loaf into a lightly-greased 1lb loaf tin and let rise until the dough is about 2 1/2 inches above the pan in the middle. It will take an impression and spring back once it’s ready. Cover gently again with the tea towel and let rise about 75 minutes or until it meets the criteria</li><li>At the hour mark, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, making sure the rack is in the middle</li><li>Bake the loaf for about 45 minutes or to an internal temperature of about 200 degrees F. </li><li>Remove from the oven and turn out onto a rack to cool. Let cool completely before slicing (though we often do not manage this—it does make the slices more gummy if you slice too soon)</li></ol><div>I love this photo of the loaf not because it has a beautiful shape but because of the circumstances that made it look this way. We knew that a bad windstorm was predicted for tonight. I decided to get a dinner of soup and bread ready quite early so we could still have a hot meal even if we lost power. I succeeded with the soup, making a navy bean and Italian sausage soup in the Instant Pot. But three minutes after I slide the loaf into the oven we lost power for an hour. So it spent that hour in an oven slowly losing heat. Then when we got power back (for an hour before it went out again) I brought the oven back up to temp for the last 20 minutes. That’s why it looks all lumpy on the top. But it’s completely edible and tastes just fine and we were grateful to have it. We had our dinner in the light but the remains of our Christmas Yule Log by candlelight after the power went out again. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEwFmCae9cVeri_1CmYKODxTdbhFPtaBOO3SxPKg9nT9K_y1EpcHrkaezagMpNiIhZydxxmUuRDO6902zgEbMxhuKuqCmweRao8vzb8o_zR-CB1vOGLVOPt6K8B3s6fTdRwlp7hdMr49GYd7dM3JjJnLaGps79ywyi7_bRi2JjS6Sp7WkIYELZRaULQ/s3024/A82E0B49-68A9-4EEF-82F6-76F879734B3C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2678" data-original-width="3024" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEwFmCae9cVeri_1CmYKODxTdbhFPtaBOO3SxPKg9nT9K_y1EpcHrkaezagMpNiIhZydxxmUuRDO6902zgEbMxhuKuqCmweRao8vzb8o_zR-CB1vOGLVOPt6K8B3s6fTdRwlp7hdMr49GYd7dM3JjJnLaGps79ywyi7_bRi2JjS6Sp7WkIYELZRaULQ/s320/A82E0B49-68A9-4EEF-82F6-76F879734B3C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-35643851879485320982022-11-25T11:41:00.006-08:002022-11-25T12:26:36.065-08:00Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy<p>This is not <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2016/07/simplest-everyday-pan-sauce.html" target="_blank">Simplest Everyday Pan Sauce</a>. This is full-on, takes some effort gravy and it is completely worth it. It is mostly a retelling of <i>Cook’s Illustrated</i> issue 71 November & December 2004 but converted to be gluten free. That issue of the magazine is stained and worn and the kids have a habit of walking off with my old CIs, so I wanted to get it written down here as a backup.</p><p><i>Cook’s Illustrated</i> bases their recipe on the premise of starting with storebought low sodium chicken broth. I don’t do that, however. I blithely defy guidelines on how long to keep things like stock in the freezer, and this year’s turkey stock is always the basis for next year’s gravy. I have been doing this since 2004 with no ill effects and I will keep doing it. You do you. By starting with homemade turkey stock, I am essentially making doubly turkey-flavored gravy. But if all you’ve got is low sodium chicken broth you can start with that.</p><p>Evan cooks the turkey on a rack over onions, celery and carrots, which adds even more flavor to the drippings.</p><p>I use super fine rice flour as a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour and it yields great results with no funny aftertaste. If all you’ve got is another blended 1:1 GF flour you can certainly use it and it’ll probably taste just fine. </p><p>You can do the broth and roux steps up to a couple of days ahead. Then just heat the gravy before moving on to adding the drippings.</p><p>This recipe makes a lot of gravy and we never use more than 1/4 of it on Thanksgiving. This is all according to my plan because I use it in my stuffing bake leftover extravaganza referenced <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-family-stuffing.html" target="_blank">here</a>, which is really the proper way to enjoy gravy.</p><p style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP oil (something that can withstand heat)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Giblets from your turkey but don’t include the liver</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 onion, peel on, chopped coarsely</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 c. homemade turkey broth or storebought low-sodium chicken broth</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 c. water</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 sprigs fresh thyme</div><div style="text-align: left;">8 parsley stems (stalk and leaves)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3-4 TBSP butter (I use more butter if I have extra stock to throw in)</div><div style="text-align: left;">4-5 TBSP superfine rice flour (use the higher amount if putting in extra stock)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c. dry white wine mixed with 1 c. of the broth you make in the first part or with water—for deglazing</div><div style="text-align: left;">Drippings from your turkey</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salt and pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: left;">Splash of champagne or white wine vinegar if you need a bit of brightness</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Heat the oil on medium-high in 4 qt saucepan (or one that’s at least 2 qt and has a nice wide bottom)</li><li>Add the giblets and cook for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. It will splatter, so you might want to use a guard</li><li>Add the onion and cook an additional 3 minutes, stirring a few times</li><li>Cover and cook over low for 20 minutes</li><li>Return heat to medium high and add the broth and water, scraping the bottom to get the goodness off the bottom of the pan</li><li>Add the thyme and parsley, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If there is scum, you can skim it off at this point—I don’t find this to be an issue and rarely bother; you’re going to strain it anyway</li><li>Once the time is up, put the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, cool and then refrigerate. If you want giblets in your gravy, chop them up and refrigerate until needed. I choose not to do this but throw them in my stock pot for the next year’s stock. If you’re not doing this as a make-ahead, just keep the broth warm until needed but I transfer it to a smaller pot so I can re-use the wide-bottomed one for my roux. Set aside 1 cup of this broth for deglazing the pan. The CI recipe only tells you to do this when you’re at the “add to roux” stage so I almost always forget and have to mix my wine e with water. That still totally works</li><li>When you’re ready to make the roux, make sure that you’ve got your broth nearby and hot (or so that it will be hot in 10 or 15 minutes when you’ll need it. Then melt the butter in that wide-bottomed sauce pan over medium low</li><li>When it’s melted, whisk in the rice flour. I use a flat-bottomed whisk. Keep whisking (CI says constantly but I’m not so fastidious) and cooking until your roux is light to medium brown and smells delicious</li><li>I like to turn my heat down at this point just to make it all a bit less dramatic. Take a ladle-ful of hot broth and add it to the roux, whisking constantly. It will sputter and seize up but just keep whisking. Once you’ve got the broth and roux incorporated, add another ladle-ful of broth. It’ll get easier to incorporate every time. In the early stages, you’re looking for a silky-smooth paste that slowly thins out as you add more liquid. Once your gravy is very liquidy you can add more broth at a time with no ill effects</li><li>Simmer gravy for 30 minutes. Again <i>Cook’s Illustrated</i> tells you to skim the scum but my gravy is just not that scummy. If this is make-ahead, cool and refrigerate until you take the turkey out of the oven, then bring it up to a low simmer</li><li>When your turkey is out of the oven and resting, take the pan on which it was cooked and put it over two burners. We have an induction stove and treated ourselves to the <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/misen-roasting-pan-review-6751865" target="_blank">Misen roasting pan</a> this year. It works on induction, saving me the effort and irritation of trying to get drippings from a non-induction-ready half-sheet pan into something that I can work with. It is a really great pan. At any rate, when your pan is on the burners, turn them both on high and add the wine/broth or wine/water. Scrape constantly to get the baked-on bits off the bottom and cook until the liquid is reduced by half</li><li>Pour the drippings through a sieve into a gravy separator (at least this is how I do it) so that the fat mostly stays on the top. Because the sieve of my Oxo gravy separator has large holes, I pour the drippings through a small fine-mesh strainer into my waiting gravy. Add a bit of them and then taste. Add as many drippings as you like then adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper and vinegar. I also like to dump in the juices that accumulate on the cutting board when Evan is carving the turkey</li><li>If there are any unused drippings or juices, I add them to my stock pot as well to flavor next year’s gravy </li></ol><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqcWWHlJVNt0-KaxEBYX0kWpQzB_2ONwfVDE4uZP4_nRoLbZxgVCIdWQQGgNcgNtb-Es3LkRxAuDw7yVG33TNiqh0ZT9ynB-BfrHGvVpqBiAPb8sqppYBqYqbhq0YGKh3zmi95KVUH1-Jpn7hLnRMWvEnRS8xsxwLDUOgR2owKB7JuboGObxB_ynJIg/s2966/920D9D6A-CC1C-43B6-B4E4-A87168A41511.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2966" data-original-width="2352" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCqcWWHlJVNt0-KaxEBYX0kWpQzB_2ONwfVDE4uZP4_nRoLbZxgVCIdWQQGgNcgNtb-Es3LkRxAuDw7yVG33TNiqh0ZT9ynB-BfrHGvVpqBiAPb8sqppYBqYqbhq0YGKh3zmi95KVUH1-Jpn7hLnRMWvEnRS8xsxwLDUOgR2owKB7JuboGObxB_ynJIg/s320/920D9D6A-CC1C-43B6-B4E4-A87168A41511.jpeg" width="254" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-8682196312161346112022-11-21T20:52:00.001-08:002022-11-21T20:52:14.939-08:00Indian-Spiced Cottage Pie<p>The inspiration for this recipe came from The Kitchn <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/keema-cottage-pie-recipe-23432412">https://www.thekitchn.com/keema-cottage-pie-recipe-23432412</a>. I immediately gravitated toward this idea of Indian spices in a cottage pie and thought it would make a perfect dinner for the week before Thanksgiving. But of course I immediately changed up the recipe considerably because I wanted less meat and more vegetables. I also made steamed the potatoes in the Instant Pot. In addition I took out the spice, as much because I didn’t have the exact ingredients in the pantry as that my kids are only into mildly spicy things.</p><p>Because I added so much veg, this made enough for two nights of dinner for 4 plus filling another night of dinner for the freezer (I’ll just make potatoes fresh when I pull it out of the freezer). Note that the veg listed below is what I used tonight but you could use whatever you wanted that sounded good like riced cauliflower or broccoli, more carrots, peppers, etc.</p><p>INGREDIENTS - FILLING</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 c. French/green/Puy lentils rinsed and picked over</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 TBSP oil (I used avocado oil)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 small to medium onions, chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">2-inch piece of ginger, grated </div><div style="text-align: left;">1 small can tomato paste (6 oz)</div><div style="text-align: left;">5-8 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP garam masala</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp New Mexico chili powder or 1-2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 lb ground beef </div><div style="text-align: left;">1 small head cabbage finely chopped (I used the food processor)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1-3 carrots, finely chopped (ditto food processor)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c. frozen peas</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c. water</div><p style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS - MASHED POTATOES</p><div style="text-align: left;">2 lb potatoes, a good masher like Yukon Gold, scrubbed and cut into large 2 inch chunks</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 c. milk</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp turmeric</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP unsalted butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">Grated nutmeg to taste</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Make the lentils in the Instant Pot. Put the rinsed and picked over lentils in the Instant Pot and add enough water to cover as well as the 1/2 tsp salt. Make sure to put the valve to sealing and set for 10 minutes at high pressure. When they’re done, you can let it release pressure naturally or release it right away. Then drain and rinse the lentils and set aside. Rinse out the pot—you’ll use it again</li><li>Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high and then add the onion and ginger. Cook until they’re soft and starting to turn golden</li><li>Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste darkens a bit</li><li>Add the garam masala, chili powder and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds or so</li><li>Add the ground beef and cook until it’s no longer pink</li><li>Add half of the water and deglaze the pan</li><li>Add the cabbage, peas and carrots and the remaining water. If it seems too dry, just add some more water</li><li>Put a lid on the pan and simmer on medium for 20 minutes or so</li><li>Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F</li><li>While the mixture simmers, you can cook the potatoes in the Instant pot. I use the steamer insert and put a couple of cups of water below the steamer. Put the potato chunks in the steamer basket above the water and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes and then release the pressure</li><li>Taste mixture and adjust as needed. Add ground coriander, or smoked paprika, more salt etc</li><li>After releasing the pressure on the potatoes, heat the milk until steaming then stir in the spices and butter (I used a silicone measuring cup in the microwave)</li><li>Put the drained potatoes into a large bowl and add the spiced milk. Heretical as it is, I used the hand mixer on my potatoes to make a smooth mash that, yes, includes the peels. Taste and adjust the seasoning</li><li>Portion out the filling either in one 9x13 pan plus an 8x8 or among individual pie dishes as shown in the photo or freeze what you don’t intend to eat now. Top generously with the turmeric mashed potatoes and, if you like, make some fork patterns on the top. I put my pie dishes on one half-sheet pan to make it easier to get them in and out of the oven</li><li>Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnSweYoZppbqIK3ABjTaa7kkDMonhSqP-I_1hEjTxEChw-3BqBpMz3oP12gxdRW3RWJcmlXYtCj0Z52qGDlL5reAeuBpJh-zuY9cjcJD22IiLU8T1ZkDg3oPnkLZ0g-VF9aji-vZbzByL8AspYo4Kj4cQdy3fs7txw8P7K8tAMQZaBDuUIJOECrEl3A/s2987/4162F059-0992-4F3D-B086-93735595DB7C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2987" data-original-width="2311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnSweYoZppbqIK3ABjTaa7kkDMonhSqP-I_1hEjTxEChw-3BqBpMz3oP12gxdRW3RWJcmlXYtCj0Z52qGDlL5reAeuBpJh-zuY9cjcJD22IiLU8T1ZkDg3oPnkLZ0g-VF9aji-vZbzByL8AspYo4Kj4cQdy3fs7txw8P7K8tAMQZaBDuUIJOECrEl3A/s320/4162F059-0992-4F3D-B086-93735595DB7C.jpeg" width="248" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-16413094520679859162022-10-10T15:06:00.004-07:002022-10-10T15:12:40.865-07:00Whole-Grain Pumpkin Crumble Muffins<p>How many pumpkin muffin recipes does a person need? Apparently there is always room for one more. First there was the pumpkin variation of these <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/10/flax-bran-muffins.html" target="_blank">flax bran muffins</a>. Then there was these <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/02/pumpkin-mini-muffins.html" target="_blank">pumpkin mini muffins with a gluten-free variation</a> and now here’s new one. The Kitchn just did a <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/pumpkin-muffin-recipe-showdown-23430959?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Category%2FChannel%3A+main" target="_blank">pumpkin muffin taste test</a> and the recipe from <a href="https://lovelylittlekitchen.com/best-ever-pumpkin-muffins/" target="_blank">Lovely Little Kitchen</a> was the winner. It didn’t look that much different from all the others I’d tried but I did love that it used a full 15 ounce can of pumpkin. We are at the time of year where the family really enjoys a muffin and a cup of tea after school so I gave these a whirl.</p><p>I’m bothering to post the recipe because I did make some changes right out of the gate. The Kitchn commented on how sweet the muffins were so I immediately lowered the sugar. I also changed up the spices because I love ginger in my pumpkin pie spice but don’t really like nutmeg in sweet applications (savory ones involving potatoes, leeks or onions is a whole other story). I threw in some chopped walnuts because I like a bit of crunch. I omitted the vanilla by accident but the muffins really didn’t need it. Finally, I gilded the lily by topping each muffin with a tablespoon of the <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-fruit-crumble.html" target="_blank">crumble/crisp mixture</a> I always have in my freezer. Oh, and I used 100% whole wheat pastry flour. That is so automatic for me I almost didn’t mention it!</p><p>I am so glad I tried this recipe. The sweetness level was perfect for our family and the texture is wonderful. They’re soft without being mushy or doughy. I think the melted coconut oil is what does it. </p><p>I got 14 muffins out of this recipe and I know we’ll have no trouble gobbling these up this week. Afternoons are going to be sweeter and more festive!</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 3/4 c (8.75 oz) whole wheat pastry flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 c granulated sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 c dark brown sugar (I used dark muscovado)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp ground ginger</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp ground cloves</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 15 oz can pumpkin purée (or any puréed squash, canned or homemade)</div><div style="text-align: left;">108 g (1/2 c) coconut oil, melted</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)</div><div style="text-align: left;">14 TBSP <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-fruit-crumble.html" target="_blank">crumble/crisp mixture</a> (optional)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 14 muffin cups (I used a 12-cup and 2 cups of a 6-cup pan)</li><li>Melt the coconut oil and set aside</li><li>Whisk together the dry ingredients (through ground cloves) in a small to medium bowl</li><li>In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin and coconut oil until smooth</li><li>Add the dry ingredients to the wet along with the walnuts, if using. Stir until moistened and no big lumps of flour appear. Because we’re using whole grain flour there is less risk of over-mixing as the gluten in whole wheat flour develops much more slowly</li><li>I like to use a large ice cream scoop to portion out the batter evenly among the cups. I filled the wells up to the top and got a nice dome</li><li>Top with approximately 1 TBSP crumble mix, if using</li><li>Bake for 20-25 minutes. I started at 20 and needed to add five more. Muffins are done when they are browned and a skewer comes out clean. They will still feel soft in the middle but not squishy</li><li>Cool on a rack and then enjoy (ideally with some tea and using a cute little plate-n-cup combo)</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UkeZEieijs2f1YzqPMtJhXLxb1tAiidlad1wJJA7w5yHwEPHia5USiiVGwSow8GLR0dXhG7k33J8BFDXH9i1WVODJoNQW5f_J-8N2nuOKXejNc7Qjr4uSKTNbYy2p5hJK45DwlWwo0n1VlWwoU5UTXZodWqyh_WSGeD9KHWfZ98HaFkDI3omSBEXvw/s3024/F3BAEB98-6254-46A4-A943-8A1EA59AFB8F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2973" data-original-width="3024" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UkeZEieijs2f1YzqPMtJhXLxb1tAiidlad1wJJA7w5yHwEPHia5USiiVGwSow8GLR0dXhG7k33J8BFDXH9i1WVODJoNQW5f_J-8N2nuOKXejNc7Qjr4uSKTNbYy2p5hJK45DwlWwo0n1VlWwoU5UTXZodWqyh_WSGeD9KHWfZ98HaFkDI3omSBEXvw/s320/F3BAEB98-6254-46A4-A943-8A1EA59AFB8F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-9121317228477695792022-04-24T10:36:00.003-07:002022-04-24T13:43:13.434-07:00GF Lemon Roulade with Strawberry Whipped Cream<p style="text-align: left;">This recipe has become a family dinner favorite. I love this, because it looks so much more complicated than it really is, now that I have found the right base recipes. This recipe is very heavily based on <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/old-fashioned-jelly-roll" target="_blank">Stella Parks’ Old-Fashioned Jelly Roll</a> recipe on Serious Eats and I want to give her full credit. The only reason I am posting my own version is to remind myself of the tweaks I made because her flavor profile is very different from ours. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Basically, I use her sponge cake recipe, substituting gluten-free 1:1 flour for the whole wheat flour, reducing the vanilla and adding 3/4 tsp of lemon oil. We also don’t bother toasting the sugar in our version as the lemon flavor is enough. (We do find toasted sugar life-changing for meringues, which I never liked until I tried Parks’ <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/meringue-mushrooms-recipe" target="_blank">meringue mushrooms</a>—these things are absolutely incredible and may be my favorite part of the Yule log, which is saying a lot.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Once the cake is done and cooled, we spread with a layer of <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/05/easiest-lemon-curd.html" target="_blank">lemon curd</a>, which is my take on an Ina Garten recipe and then top that with a layer of strawberry whipped cream using freeze-dried strawberries, another <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/super-thick-fruity-whipped-cream-recipe" target="_blank">Parks recipe</a>. We roll it up, top with more of the whipped cream, garnish with freeze-dried strawberries, and voilà.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I am not going to repeat all of Parks’ meticulous tips for how to get the right consistency on the sponge and her reasoning behind them—I strongly recommend going to the <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/old-fashioned-jelly-roll" target="_blank">source</a> for that. We have made it enough that the instructions I give here will be sufficient. The magic in my version is only the lovely, lovely combination of strawberry and lemon and the assurance that gluten-free 1:1 flour works wonderfully well. </p><p style="text-align: left;">A note on the freeze-dried fruit for the whipped cream—I really hated taking freeze-dried strawberry slices and whizzing them up in the food processor with the sugar. It caused so much dust which stuck to the sides of the food processor and there was definitely waste. Also, freeze-dried fruit in big chunks is more expensive than powder. I was so delighted to find that you can buy pre-ground powder. My favorite brand is <a href="https://ahimsa.ua/en/" target="_blank">Ahimsa</a>, which turns out to be a Ukrainian brand. I hope that their farmland is ok as well as their staff and families! Their fruit powders are so vibrant in flavor, noticeably better than other brands. We really love their strawberry, raspberry and wild blueberry products and find them absolutely worth the investment. We use them in yogurt and smoothies, the whipped cream and our teen actually makes drinks with the powder and sparkling water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4 large eggs, cold from the fridge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">200g sugar, you can use toasted, we always use evaporated cane juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3/4 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or about 1/4 tsp regular table salt—it will make a difference if you use the wrong amount for the type of salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 tsp baking soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">85g (~6 TBSP) butter, melted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3/4 tsp lemon oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">127g gluten-free 1:1 flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">FILLING INGREDIENTS </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">~1 c <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/05/easiest-lemon-curd.html" target="_blank">lemon curd</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 recipe strawberry whipped cream (recipe below)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">CAKE DIRECTIONS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Make sure your oven rack is in the lower-middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with baking spray (not the kind with flour in it, just regular spray)</li><li>Use the whisk attachment in a stand mixer and add the cold eggs, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix on medium-low until it’s all incorporated and there are starting to be small bubbles. With our mixer this only took a couple of minutes</li><li>Bump up the speed to medium and whisk until you get to the ribbon stage, up to another 5 minutes</li><li>Increase the speed to high and whisk until the mixture has roughly doubled in volume, is pale yellow and leaves a vortex pattern. Check the texture by raising the mixer head (or lowering the bowl depending on the style of mixer you have). The mixture should fall off the whisk slowly and mound up for a second before flattening out</li><li>Reduce speed to medium-high and add the melted butter and extracts in a steady steam all at once then lower the speed again to medium-low and add the flour all at once. Mix until the flour is mostly incorporated. Turn off the mixer and use the whisk attachment to stir in the last bits of flour. Give the batter a couple of good stirs with a flexible spatula from bottom to top to make sure everything is even. The great thing about making this recipe gluten-free is that there is a bit more leeway with the mixing because you don’t have to worry about over-developing any gluten! You still need to be careful so you don’t knock all the air out of the eggs, of course.</li><li>Spread the batter evenly over the lightly-coated parchment on the half-sheet pan. My teen and I love using an off-set spatula for this and it’s one of our favorite parts of the whole process. Do your best to get the batter to an even depth and smooth out the top</li><li>Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the top is lightly browned and is firm but still a bit puffy. It should bounce back when you poke it lightly. We have learned to err on the side of slightly more done so that the cake doesn’t get too squishy</li><li>Remove from the oven and put on a cooling rack then immediately cover the baking sheet tightly with foil. You will need two pieces of foil unless you’re using the giant kind. Covering with foil and letting cool to room temp is what allows you to avoid the whole “roll it up in a towel then unroll it and then leave it rolled and use powdered sugar” production which is fiddly and inconsistent. We’ve had great results with Parks’ foil technique. Let the cake cool until it gets to room temp or about 70 degrees F. We keep a cool house and leaving the cake for about 90 minutes is perfect. You can make your whipped cream while it’s cooling</li></ol><p style="text-align: left;">STRAWBERRY WHIPPED CREAM INGREDIENTS</p><div>15-18g freeze-dried strawberry powder (or any fruit, really). Original recipe calls for 15g but we think you could safely go up to 18g if you want extra color and fruit flavor</div><div>50g sugar</div><div>16 oz/2 c/1 container cold whipping cream</div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Put the fruit powder and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. If you’re using bigger pieces of fruit, you’ll need to pulverize it into a fine powder</li><li>Pour in the whipping cream and stir with a flexible spatula to break up any pockets of powder/sugar</li><li>Pulse until the mixture is very thick and dense and the consistency of Greek-style yogurt. I actually run it for 10-15 seconds, stir and then pulse thereafter to get it to my perfect consistency</li></ol><div>ASSEMBLY</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Remove the foil from the cake and, ideally, grab a partner to help you roll</li><li>Spread the lemon curd evenly across the cake, leaving a small gap at the long edge furthest away from you if you like since the filling will migrate a bit as you roll</li><li>Spread 2/3 of the strawberry whipped cream over the lemon curd, accepting the fact that it’ll mix a bit. You get to have more off-set spatula fun here</li><li>Making sure that the baking sheet is oriented so that the long edge is facing you and you’ll be making a thinner, longer roll (I’ve made this mistake before, rolling from the short side, and it was hilarious—all the filling splodged out and it was ridiculously thick) and use the parchment to help you. The first roll sets the tone, so take a bit of extra time to make sure the first roll is nice and tight. Continue rolling up the cake, leaving the parchment out of it, until you get to the end</li><li>This cake generously serves 12 and we only need to serve 8 at family dinner, so we take large-ish bits off of each end before moving to our serving plate, which means we have a nice, even roll. If you need to serve more people, just take off a small about from each end. You want your swirl to look its best. We keep the extra cake and have it later in the week as a special treat.</li><li>Once you’ve trimmed your jelly roll, move it to your serving plate and decorate with the remaining 1/3 of the strawberry whipped cream. We don’t cover the ends because we like to show off our swirl. If your swirl isn’t quite a beautiful as you’d like, go ahead and cover the ends. </li><li>Garnish with crumbled freeze-dried strawberries or whole slices of freeze-dried strawberries or edible flowers or whatever you like to make it pretty. You can also put some texture in the whipped cream with the offset spatula or a fork</li><li>Refrigerate until about an hour before serving and get ready for oohs, ahhhhs and yums</li></ol></div><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZaI_U9tJ4Hxg3rQTaKt8ycgWbxq_dcaeB04fEX-zMJPm_84Co4_sVX8JR-DDKcay0WavHKqUSN9jZxQenlLQi06o_Y3xFdnSp8fhgLlcAzShGMa6_QVvMOb4bKdmkSOzxaHbu_D-yfTbxiAy7drvKY8lhaHSH5q8S90ecjGtkznGRnMRSQwanvFE-w/s2971/BD985CAD-FB1B-48A5-90D8-2AAC6D49927B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2380" data-original-width="2971" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZaI_U9tJ4Hxg3rQTaKt8ycgWbxq_dcaeB04fEX-zMJPm_84Co4_sVX8JR-DDKcay0WavHKqUSN9jZxQenlLQi06o_Y3xFdnSp8fhgLlcAzShGMa6_QVvMOb4bKdmkSOzxaHbu_D-yfTbxiAy7drvKY8lhaHSH5q8S90ecjGtkznGRnMRSQwanvFE-w/s320/BD985CAD-FB1B-48A5-90D8-2AAC6D49927B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /></div><div>Very proud of this swirl!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfZ-isQRAtYfWt2-szJqwr1erp3uV8iX88jEtM1_XDyVZ8ga9oweu378JiE-2YLIH5OxxQ81HWcksC-xgVtJf3EfGNUa91j-BL9f7w6Vg2Z1Z-T9Su2anvuue5jIM_XVN8cZxvkeo7Dcveqn-PugzbJ-2PFUHNcf0rFWulxQYLztCZlcGdxzrXy6VWA/s4032/5B685732-4C2F-4A57-91F4-EDFF61F06340.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfZ-isQRAtYfWt2-szJqwr1erp3uV8iX88jEtM1_XDyVZ8ga9oweu378JiE-2YLIH5OxxQ81HWcksC-xgVtJf3EfGNUa91j-BL9f7w6Vg2Z1Z-T9Su2anvuue5jIM_XVN8cZxvkeo7Dcveqn-PugzbJ-2PFUHNcf0rFWulxQYLztCZlcGdxzrXy6VWA/s320/5B685732-4C2F-4A57-91F4-EDFF61F06340.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br /><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-18804019846072168672022-04-24T09:27:00.004-07:002022-04-24T09:27:32.217-07:00Copycat Tempting Trail Mix<p>Our family favorite storebought trailmix has always been Trader Joe’s Tempting Trail Mix, the perfect blend of only our favorite nuts and fruits. I’m anti-raisin in trail mix, and the kids only like raisins on their own. I hate hazelnuts and we all think that walnuts, pecans or Brazil nuts don’t belong in trail mix. The addition of peanut butter chips in the Tempting Trail Mix is unusual and we love it.</p><p>I’ve been getting the “small handful” bags from Trader Joe’s because they make the perfect hiking snack. Of late the dreaded “supply chain issues” have meant that it’s been unavailable. We had our annual trip to Orcas island coming up and I was determined that we’d have our trail mix for the actual trails.</p><p>Turns out, as long as you can source peanut butter chips, this is the easiest thing ever and by making it yourself you get to control ratios and choose not to use salted nuts. We avoid plastic altogether* by using <a href="https://www.stasherbag.com/products/reusable-silicone-pocket-bag" target="_blank">Stasher silicone pocket bags</a> for our individual portions. Our 9 year old made the most enormous batch of this mix in about 5 minutes and I can tell you I’m never going back to storebought. </p><p>*The ingredients for the trail mix may come in plastic packaging—we got almost all of our ingredients from Trader Joe’s where plastic is unavoidable. If you source all of your nuts and dried fruit in bulk you could minimize the plastic further but you are likely stuck when it comes to the chocolate and peanut butter chips.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><p>The basic ratio of the trail mix is:</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 part dry roasted unsalted almonds<br />1 part dry roasted unsalted cashews</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 part dry roasted unsalted peanuts</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 part dried tart cherries (sweetened or not, as you prefer)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 part chocolate chips (we use 72% cocoa chocolate chips ourselves)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 part peanut butter chips (we got Reese’s brand ones from the regular grocery store)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For a GIANT bowl of trail mix, this translated to</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div>16 oz dry roasted unsalted almonds<br />16 oz dry roasted unsalted cashews </div><div>16 oz dry roasted unsalted peanuts</div><div>16 oz dried tart cherries (sweetened or not, as you prefer), this was 2 packages</div><div>12 oz chocolate chips (we use 72% cocoa chocolate chips ourselves)</div><div>12 oz peanut butter chips (we got Reese’s brand ones from the regular grocery store)</div><div><br /></div><div>DIRECTIONS</div><div>Mix all ingredients in a big bowl then parcel out among smaller bags to freeze or take on the trail or keep in the snack drawer. Nuts do best when frozen if it’s going to be a while before you eat them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToWJnvP84fAqgiJaNkFcmVT-hjb5LE278sp-x7yMTalHkOQd-OuAJ6J8J07a7wxB8nzWc6txLiYgyWuYZnr6v2nh7geAG_1EhLQxXMv4M4R3PQhZgirmlO84oZD8Ljzz99NSM5SMjCumIA01j-s_6UmzKFlymhp6uVoGgwYYlPUFEjYdbaW6YGagOyg/s2177/7420DB9E-C4F1-4099-8F89-1A04AF011443.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2066" data-original-width="2177" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToWJnvP84fAqgiJaNkFcmVT-hjb5LE278sp-x7yMTalHkOQd-OuAJ6J8J07a7wxB8nzWc6txLiYgyWuYZnr6v2nh7geAG_1EhLQxXMv4M4R3PQhZgirmlO84oZD8Ljzz99NSM5SMjCumIA01j-s_6UmzKFlymhp6uVoGgwYYlPUFEjYdbaW6YGagOyg/s320/7420DB9E-C4F1-4099-8F89-1A04AF011443.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAVTZLbsD25GWQxgVCDnsTKgKVEjZ7IysIgdR2if4_AkJavlMTAw_tYHbEgBcul3BaqcsC7hAcbhwVSZUfSkgsStjvjGndgMVuZI8jQUt_-XrRv6buDYjTHEmYycZxrGZMqnKJ7H_4i37ikRuMjPrVnWsQM_2sYHa7bF39gQrq0wV7A80ruwSKSAa9Q/s2122/D7732EFF-F56D-44AF-90ED-AD530EF90A08.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2045" data-original-width="2122" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAVTZLbsD25GWQxgVCDnsTKgKVEjZ7IysIgdR2if4_AkJavlMTAw_tYHbEgBcul3BaqcsC7hAcbhwVSZUfSkgsStjvjGndgMVuZI8jQUt_-XrRv6buDYjTHEmYycZxrGZMqnKJ7H_4i37ikRuMjPrVnWsQM_2sYHa7bF39gQrq0wV7A80ruwSKSAa9Q/s320/D7732EFF-F56D-44AF-90ED-AD530EF90A08.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-80949252638439071202022-04-04T11:56:00.003-07:002022-04-04T11:56:55.757-07:00Marnie’s Magic Marinade for Steak<p>Evan’s aunt Margaret makes the most delicious marinated flank steak. Her recipe comes from an old Sunset magazine, I believe, and is just the right balance of savory and a little bit sweet without being at all like teriyaki sauce. The original name is “Flank Steak Barbecue”. I have adapted slightly to our tastes but it’s essentially the same as Marnie makes. Last year I brought the marinade and a steak to a vacation rental on Orcas, where we always go for spring break, and it made such a special meal with baked potatoes and broccoli.</p><div style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS for about 1 1/2 lb of meat</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 c soy sauce</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 TBSP honey</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP vinegar (I use red wine, sherry or balsamic vinegar in that order of preference)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 TBPS (1 1/2 tsp) garlic powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 TBSP (1 1/2 tsp) ground ginger OR 1 TBSP minced fresh ginger</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 c oil (I usually use sunflower oil or avocado oil but not olive oil because of its low smoke point)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 lb skirt, flank or sirloin steak</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>In a small bowl or jar, mix soy sauce, honey and vinegar together until the honey dissolves then whisk in the garlic and ginger powders</li><li>Whisk in the oil</li><li>Put meat in a lidded container such as an 8x8 square lidded glass dish (if you don’t have a lid you can cover with plastic wrap or other material)</li><li>Pour over the marinade and let rest, refrigerated, 4 or more hours, turning the meat from time to time</li><li>For a flank steak, the original recipe recommends about 3 minutes per side for medium rare if grilling. If you don’t have a grill, you could also broil it or even pan sear it. Or you could do the reverse sear if your steak is at least 1.5 inches thick, where you cook the meat in the oven at 200 to 275 degrees until it’s 10 or 15 degrees cooler than your desired final temperature, then sear it with the hottest skillet or grill you can get. See more at <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe">https://www.seriouseats.com/reverse-seared-steak-recipe</a></li><li>Let the meat rest 10 minutes or so, covered loosely with foil, then slice against the grain and serve with your preferred sides. Any leftovers would make amazing steak tacos</li></ol></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-11392123700789031832022-03-13T14:48:00.003-07:002022-05-24T17:53:22.401-07:00Leek and Bacon Tarts<p>I refer to Patricia Wells’ Flamiche aux Poireaux and my variation on it in the <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/10/leek-bacon-clafoutis.html" target="_blank">Leek & Bacon Clafoutis</a> recipe but I’ve never actually posted the leek tart recipe itself.</p><p>I use “Pi Day” as an excuse to bring on all the pies. I decided to make homemade pizza (pie) for dinner tomorrow followed by raspberry tarts and then I figured as I had pie crust in the freezer I might as well whip up some leek and bacon tarts for everyone for their lunches. That made as good an opportunity as any to post my variation on Wells. The main differences are that I take the cheese out of it because I don’t like it and I use bacon instead of Parma ham because I prefer it. I also feel that leek and bacon are a magical combination. </p><p>To make vegetarian, simply omit the bacon.</p><p>Upon making this recipe again, I have realized that it is more helpful to me to think about it in ratio terms for how much filling I need per tart. I also discovered that 50g per tart shell is enough dough for an individual tart, which means that I can actually get a whopping 14 tarts out of one batch of Never-Fail Pie Crust. I have adjusted the ingredients according to my new calculations. This works out to roughly 1/2 to 1 slice bacon, 1 egg, 1 TBSP yogurt, crème fraîche or heavy cream and maybe 2 TBSP onion or leek per tart. If you know you have shells enough for 10, multiply all this by 10, if you only have 4, multiply by 4 etc. This last time I used a mix of onion and leek but you can use either one alone or whatever you prefer. If you like garlic scapes, you could use those. It’s all about your taste.</p><p>INGREDIENTS for 14 tarts at 50g dough each</p><p>1 pie crust of your choice such as <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2021/03/never-fail-pie-crust-with-whole-grain.html" target="_blank">Never-Fail Pie Crust</a> or if you want to be authentic pâte brisée</p><div style="text-align: left;">3 TBSP olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">7-14 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into thin lardons, pepper bacon if you like it</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 TBSP unsalted butter</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>2 large leeks, washed and cut into fine half moons</div><div>1 large onion, washed and finely diced</div><div>Lots of freshly-ground nutmeg</div><div>14 eggs </div><div>~1 scant cup crème fraîche, heavy cream or I use plain Greek-style or regular yogurt</div><div>Salt and pepper to taste</div><div><br /></div><div>DIRECTIONS</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Prepare your pie dough. Divide dough into 4 equal parts if you intend to make one big tart. You will use one for this recipe and you can freeze the rest. For individual tarts, divide the dough into as many 50g pieces as you can. Roll them into balls and then slightly flatten and chill before rolling as in the Never-Fail Pie Crust instructions. Once you’ve chilled and then rolled out the dough and distributed it among your tart pan(s), put it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up while you make the filling. I like to put my individual tart pans on a baking tray</li><li>Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F</li><li>Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the bacon. Cook until the fat is rendered and it’s your preferred level of crispness</li><li>Add the butter and the leeks/onions and sauté over medium heat until the leeks are very soft. You could probably omit the butter altogether and just use olive oil but there is something really luxurious about leeks/onions sautéed in butter</li><li>Grate in a lot of nutmeg to your taste</li><li>Once the mixture is soft and smells gorgeous, set aside to cool slightly</li><li>Beat the eggs and yogurt together in a medium bowl and stir in the cooled leek and bacon mixture. Add salt and pepper or more nutmeg to taste. It’s also ok to keep the solids and the liquids apart and instead portion out the leek/onion/bacon mixture among your tart shells and then pour on the egg mixture, trying to make everything roughly even. That’s how I’ve been doing it lately</li><li>Remove the frozen tart shell(s) from the freezer and distribute the mixture evenly among the crusts. If you end up with too much mixture, just spray a little nonstick spray in a glass bowl (like those Pyrex prep bowls) or some other heatproof vessel and bake alongside your tarts—it may cook quicker</li><li>Bake for 20 minutes and then check for doneness. The top will be golden brown and slightly puffed and the crust will be browned</li><li>Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes or so and remove the tarts from the pan and continue to cool</li></ol><div>These freeze really well and make a mighty fine breakfast or packed lunch. They’re great to take on trips away to vacation rentals, as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2W-dbjZ2w4mW_bXMIANUrkndgXMPLgxMVX8ehJQSdb3jPlkov2AviY0cshwv_asKkncIEKuL_SckSYtN7UsAcx-IkoQFZJqMKxK8dlU2ov7E0W55GhfdxLcs7RHB8IJ__JawDfTrGkbmZCY_aM9jy7qGrwCEIjbRGW7fYT-I3Hk10g65nqfWNzAjRHA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2W-dbjZ2w4mW_bXMIANUrkndgXMPLgxMVX8ehJQSdb3jPlkov2AviY0cshwv_asKkncIEKuL_SckSYtN7UsAcx-IkoQFZJqMKxK8dlU2ov7E0W55GhfdxLcs7RHB8IJ__JawDfTrGkbmZCY_aM9jy7qGrwCEIjbRGW7fYT-I3Hk10g65nqfWNzAjRHA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-60785365834877853792021-11-02T21:50:00.003-07:002021-11-06T17:29:53.212-07:00Homemade Chocolate-Covered Coconut Almond Candy<p>The kiddos did not get a single Almond Joy in their Halloween haul this year and we were all lamenting it. I figured it must be super easy to make them at home and indeed there were tons of recipes online. I was drawn to the one at <a href="https://theconscientiouseater.com/homemade-almond-joys/">https://theconscientiouseater.com/homemade-almond-joys/</a> because of its simplicity and use of unprocessed ingredients that I always have on hand. It has many similarities to my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/11/vegan-mint-meltaways.html" target="_blank">Vegan Mint Meltaway</a> recipe, which is a definite point in its favor. I’m under no illusion that maple syrup is anything but a form of sugar, but I do like knowing exactly what is in my food and homemade things do tend to be a bit less sweet, in my experience.</p><div>The texture of these is not quite as luscious and sticky as a traditional Almond Joy, but it’s a satisfying candy to eat and doesn’t leave me feeling a bit sick like a regular Almond Joy will. And the family’s craving for the candy will be satisfied by these.</div><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">186g shredded, unsweetened coconut</div><div style="text-align: left;">157g coconut oil (solid)</div><div style="text-align: left;">5 TBSP maple syrup</div><div style="text-align: left;">20-50 almonds</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Coating:</div><div style="text-align: left;">8 oz dark chocolate (I use 72% chocolate) broken into pieces </div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp coconut oil</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Put coconut, coconut oil and maple syrup in a food process and process until well-blended and the coconut is quite fine. Scrape a few times. Total processing time is 3-5 minutes depending on how fine your coconut started out</li><li>Form the mixture into about 20 small rectangles and put them on a lined baking tray (they would probably fit on a quarter sheet pan). Make a depression lengthwise in each one and put a raw almond in the trough. Feel free to size your candies how you’d like. Next time I’ll make them half the size to get proportionally more almond in each one and to make bite-sized morsels</li><li>Freeze the rectangles for at least 15 minutes or until quite solid (you don’t want them to fall apart in the warm chocolate) </li><li>While the rectangles are cooling, melt the chocolate in the microwave. I like 50% power for 2 minutes then stir and 30 second to 1 minute further bursts at 50% power. You could also use a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the coconut oil, which helps add snap and shine</li><li>I like to prepare an additional baking tray with ice cubes on it. Remove the first tray from the freezer and place on the tray of ice</li><li>Take a rectangle and coat with melted chocolate either by dipping or poking with a fork and submerging. You just don’t want your almond to fall out</li><li>Place the enrobed candy back on the cold baking tray</li><li>When you’re all done, freeze for an additional 15 minutes or so then store in the fridge or freezer</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgvO-DqxKGTpwgW2KgqD2s_vOQ6y8uEPl88hx8T6AKUtCM6KtbWFZUqm1bp5AA4CJURyVdcc_ADfg8LNSVzveAEvh7MkZ15LMyPlJ2fhu2U9yFnvVAzOgqPQAy0AWrJcMyb-0pJtq-xe8/s2048/6E7864E4-0B3D-4A82-BE0E-82768FBA2D18.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="2048" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgvO-DqxKGTpwgW2KgqD2s_vOQ6y8uEPl88hx8T6AKUtCM6KtbWFZUqm1bp5AA4CJURyVdcc_ADfg8LNSVzveAEvh7MkZ15LMyPlJ2fhu2U9yFnvVAzOgqPQAy0AWrJcMyb-0pJtq-xe8/s320/6E7864E4-0B3D-4A82-BE0E-82768FBA2D18.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-22822515512358981112021-10-03T20:14:00.001-07:002021-10-03T20:14:10.227-07:00Fluffiest Vegan Ice Cream<p>The ice cream recipe I return to over and over is <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2011/09/ice-cream-four-ways.html" target="_blank">Ice Cream 4 Ways</a> because the texture is incredible. It’s soft and luscious and some of the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten. I believe the secret is that you give yourself a head start incorporating air into it by whipping cream to soft peaks and folding it into chilled custard (that only has one egg yolk in it, as it happens) and churning from there. As I made it the last time, I wondered if you could achieve the same thing by whipping coconut cream and I was determined to try. Thankfully it was family dinner again tonight and I had my excuse. I was going to start with my own Ice Cream 4 Ways as the basis, but I wanted a fully vegan recipe so I started with <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/vegan-vanilla-ice-cream" target="_blank">Serious Eats</a> instead. I have made this recipe before and liked it but I did think the texture could be improved upon, partly because I don’t add the alcohol as we’ve got family who doesn’t partake.</p><p>I had a can of coconut cream but for the coconut milk I had only cartons which are 8 oz instead of 13.5. I decided just to use 16 oz of coconut milk and I adjusted the other ingredients from there. I only had half the corn syrup I needed but I didn’t bother with a replacement and it was fine. Because I wanted something to offset the natural sweetness of the coconut, I used coconut sugar instead of turbinado. I’ve done that in my dairy ice cream with great results and it worked very well here too. </p><p>This ice cream took a lot longer to churn than the dairy version and when I scooped it I felt resistance that made me fear the texture would be icy or grainy. Not so! While perhaps a bit less pillowy than the dairy version it definitely had the best texture of any vegan ice cream I’ve had. I want to experiment next time with maybe using a dairy alternative other than coconut milk while still using whipped coconut cream. Perhaps a combination of almond milk and coconut cream would be good.</p><p>Note that for best results you need to make the coconut milk base the day before and stick the coconut cream in the fridge that day as well and then churn it all up the following day. </p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 13.5 or 14 ounce can of coconut cream, refrigerated overnight</div><div style="text-align: left;">16 oz coconut milk</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c coconut sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 TBSP corn syrup</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp vanilla extract</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Place the coconut milk, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and heat over medium until simmering, stirring frequently</li><li>Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract</li><li>Use an immersion blender to blend well for 30 seconds or whiz in a blender</li><li>Pour into a container with a lid (I used a quart Mason jar) and refrigerate</li><li>On the day you’re going to make the ice cream, remove the can of coconut cream from the fridge and place in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks using a hand mixer, a whisk or you can use a stand mixer. Whip until you get soft peaks</li><li>Pour the coconut milk mixture into a large bowl and fold in the whipped coconut cream</li><li>Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions, then harden for at least 4 hours in the freezer before serving</li></ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSZA5nt4mwfbVi8twBO_evxgwu0ws6KX-MpPwIZH5zU_TlMkgfSLHcGStGfF6OJrnRSTWEOjiQOKTDWzDAUDvcQc9ETOK-HwRfWW2Dc6Q9AaVim8WX-b5xixxLl_TiMstGpdp-jt1rUjw/s2048/765AE537-E39D-4CB6-99F8-5F9E9DD40A4E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSZA5nt4mwfbVi8twBO_evxgwu0ws6KX-MpPwIZH5zU_TlMkgfSLHcGStGfF6OJrnRSTWEOjiQOKTDWzDAUDvcQc9ETOK-HwRfWW2Dc6Q9AaVim8WX-b5xixxLl_TiMstGpdp-jt1rUjw/s320/765AE537-E39D-4CB6-99F8-5F9E9DD40A4E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-84544459562413537812021-06-06T17:56:00.001-07:002021-06-06T17:56:34.153-07:00Cherry Coconut Almond Cake<p>Here is another modified recipe from Yossy Arefi’s <i><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/snacking-cakes-simple-treats-for-anytime-cravings-a-baking-book/9780593139660" target="_blank">Snacking Cakes</a>.</i> I made it once as-written and we all loved it but it wasn’t quite right for our tastes plus I wanted to make the bigger version the next time as we like to have a snacking cake with our afternoon tea more than one or two days of the week. </p><p>For this recipe, besides doubling it, I used whole grain flour, runny yogurt instead of buttermilk, almond extract instead of coconut extract along with the vanilla for flavoring, decreased the sugar by 75g, and decreased the oil by one third. So really my recipe is closely inspired by Arefi’s but definitely takes its own turn. If you don’t like it, blame me not her!</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">225g plus 2 tsp sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 large eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 c runny yogurt, yogurt + whey or yogurt + milk</div><div style="text-align: left;">140g coconut oil, melted (though you could also use canola or another neutral oil)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp vanilla extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp almond extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">256g whole wheat pastry flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">110g almond flour (I’m sure you could use almond meal but I had superfine almond flour so used that)</div><div style="text-align: left;">80g plus 2 TBSP unsweetened finely shredded coconut</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">280g cherries (fresh or frozen, tart or sweet), halved</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 c slivered or sliced almonds</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Make sure your oven rack is in the middle position and preheat over to 350 degrees F. I used convention bake. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter or oil or cooking spray. Arefi wants you to do a parchment sling but that is way too fiddle for a snacking cake in my opinion so I do not bother</li><li>Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and foamy. I use my hand mixer but you could do it by hand</li><li>Add the yogurt, oil, extracts and salt and mix until very smooth. Why she has you put the salt in with the wet ingredients I do not know. It seems more logical to put with the dry ingredients so do what you prefer</li><li>Whisk in the wheat flour, almond flour and baking powder and mix until there are no lumps or streaks of flour</li><li>Pour into the prepared pan and tap on the counter to release any big air bubbles</li><li>Evenly distributed the cherries over the top of the cake, then spread on the 2 TBSP coconut, 1/4 c almonds and 2 tsp sugar</li><li>Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (besides cherry juice)</li><li>Let cool before serving</li></ol><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXjvCaWunEroLn9QJC9hH-KZlNnCUljxv9d3fjJ2Ebi5u_bK1LBhpKmnBb50_r9PxPfp9fKyItwvFeWHEhm7_XBRLEnS6vjBEPdg2rovR6a8ZEGpp12GuVhqr4duFwq1ylebWEQ1bSkra/s2048/0DD6CFB4-4BB4-4920-BB97-58598CB42CB7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXjvCaWunEroLn9QJC9hH-KZlNnCUljxv9d3fjJ2Ebi5u_bK1LBhpKmnBb50_r9PxPfp9fKyItwvFeWHEhm7_XBRLEnS6vjBEPdg2rovR6a8ZEGpp12GuVhqr4duFwq1ylebWEQ1bSkra/s320/0DD6CFB4-4BB4-4920-BB97-58598CB42CB7.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOazKb9Szcmu57-CVEGGZT7Id1HMywa0Quc1UPaz55L7N1cAlztIBKa5dYkqV2kBTHO5agX1z_6KH2Qh6FYgXKAJnj-8a5F6uCYpk3JZDFolRXojZhGrSDZ3m0vYvJ-Fw3Qugsi-MVoZs/s2048/9E21E006-7AC0-4593-9326-C6BE54D35D32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOazKb9Szcmu57-CVEGGZT7Id1HMywa0Quc1UPaz55L7N1cAlztIBKa5dYkqV2kBTHO5agX1z_6KH2Qh6FYgXKAJnj-8a5F6uCYpk3JZDFolRXojZhGrSDZ3m0vYvJ-Fw3Qugsi-MVoZs/s320/9E21E006-7AC0-4593-9326-C6BE54D35D32.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-3208362641554857972021-05-11T19:36:00.003-07:002021-05-11T19:38:34.652-07:00Greek-Inspired Chicken, Orzo and Lemon Soup with Instant Pot Elements<p>I had my second vaccination today (hooray!) and I wanted to make a big pot of soup so that if I had side effects we could still all eat well. A year or more ago we had some extra egg yolks and I made a version of avgolemono that we all loved. We are huge fans of orzo and I’ve been enjoying the <a href="https://www.delallo.com/delallo-organic-whole-wheat-orzo-pasta-1-lb/" target="_blank">whole wheat orzo</a> we’ve been getting from DeLallo since our co-op stopped carrying it. I had bought a chicken from <a href="http://www.greenbowfarm.com/" target="_blank">Green Bow Farm</a> on sale and it was waiting in the freezer for just this kind of occasion so I went for it. </p><p>I did a bit of Internet searching to find the accepted level of egg and lemon only to find ratios all over the map. I saw 2 eggs to 1/2 c lemon juice or 3 eggs and 3 TBSP lemon juice. I gathered that it’s about personal taste both in terms of tartness and thickness. I also realized that there is no need to separate eggs just for this dish unless I already have yolks needing to be used.</p><p>As per usual, I added extra vegetables to the soup, thereby taking it firmly out of traditional territory. I’m okay with this because I want the family to have a higher veg to meat ratio in our meals. I added carrots and my go-to favorite, a bag of frozen riced cauliflower. Neither interfere with the light, pleasing flavor of the soup.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div>1 3-4lb chicken, thawed with the giblets removed, cut into pieces if desired (my chicken was giant at nearly 5lb but it worked fine—more soup for us)</div><div>1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 roughly equal pieces</div><div>2 large or 3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into about 4 chunks each</div><div>2 ribs celery (optional) cut into about 4 pieces each</div><div>Small handful of peppercorns</div><div>A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried</div><div>A handful of fresh parsley (stems are fine), optional</div><div>3 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried</div><div>4 qt cold water or to max fill line</div><div><br /></div><div>Stock from recipe above</div><div>2 qt water</div><div>2-3 large carrots, scrubbed and diced or cut into half-moons (optional)</div><div>8 oz whole wheat or regular orzo pasta</div><div><div>1 bag frozen riced cauliflower (optional)</div><div>3 eggs or 3-4 egg yolks</div><div>1/3 c lemon juice or to taste</div><div>2 c reserved broth, warm</div><div>Salt and pepper to taste</div><div><br /></div></div><div><p>DIRECTIONS</p><div><ol><li>Put the chicken through the bay leaves into the insert of the Instant Pot and then fill to the Max Fill line (assuming you have a 5 or 6 qt machine)</li><li>Put the lid on to Sealing and select the poultry setting for one hour. Because my chicken was still quite frozen I added an additional 45 minutes just to be safe and it worked fine</li><li>Once the time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally if you can. Mine sputtered a ton even after I waited ten minutes but I was running out it time</li><li>Remove the chicken from the pot and put on a cutting board. Carefully strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and set aside. Put 2 cups of the stock in a separate small saucepan for mixing with your egg & lemon mixture</li><li>Take the chicken off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside (put in fridge if you think you’re going to take a while to get to the next phase)</li><li>Put the stock in a very large pot (I use my 6 qt Dutch oven) and add an additional 2 qt water. I do this because my Instant Pot is smaller and my chicken was bigger so the resulting stock was super concentrated and could handle being extended with water without losing flavor. Use your own judgment for what works for you</li><li>Add the diced carrots and bring stock to a boil. If you’re not ready to serve the soup, you can keep the pot warm as long as you need to</li><li>When you are ready to serve, bring the carrots and stock to a boil and add the orzo. Boil until al dente according to package instructions (7 minutes was what our package said)</li><li>Once the pasta time is up, add the bag of frozen riced cauliflower and turn off the heat. There is plenty of residual heat in the pot to cook the cauliflower</li><li>Crack the eggs into a small bowl or jar and whisk or use an immersion blender to mix the eggs so there are no streaks of white</li><li>Add the lemon juice and blend well; I really like the immersion blender for this task</li><li>Slowly add the reserved warm stock to the egg and lemon mixture to temper the eggs, pulsing the immersion blender while you do so</li><li>Add the mixture to the big pot and briefly reheat until steaming (if it doesn’t seem hot enough) if desired. Just don’t bring the soup to a boil or the eggs could separate or curdle</li><li>Taste and adjust seasoning</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M90gplmH-bY0RFW9hXMzZSzTS1nyD4B3FpJTrEjsrwQOsybqcnDhEccVHN-gASAj8vrBbcp_G7_s2x9Qb5543-Qd-xoqlc-tabHb2qXcdD2ITF3XZYVGUD34GHfWIl9K5HWuEbop3Kdt/s2048/9F991B4C-B57E-4D85-B6AE-312360370F2D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M90gplmH-bY0RFW9hXMzZSzTS1nyD4B3FpJTrEjsrwQOsybqcnDhEccVHN-gASAj8vrBbcp_G7_s2x9Qb5543-Qd-xoqlc-tabHb2qXcdD2ITF3XZYVGUD34GHfWIl9K5HWuEbop3Kdt/s320/9F991B4C-B57E-4D85-B6AE-312360370F2D.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-45628278906466932352021-05-02T17:11:00.004-07:002021-05-02T17:11:46.344-07:00Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake<p>This is an adaptation of the Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Maple Olive Oil Glaze from Yossy Arefi’s <i>Snacking Cakes</i>, a book that exactly fits the sort of cakes I want to be making often. While I love the book and there have been some standout hits like this one, the Fudgy Chocolate Cake and the Cherry Coconut Almond Cake, I have also learned by experience that her recipes have too much oil and sugar for my taste. In addition, I also always use 100% whole grain home-milled flour.</p><p>Because this recipe called for only a partial can of pumpkin, I doubled it from a 8x8 square pan to a 9x13. This suits our family of four better anyway because it means more days that we can have a little something with our afternoon tea. The cake is light and fluffy and packed with flavor. I didn’t think it needed the sugar of the glaze but I did throw on some crumble (from <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-fruit-crumble.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a>) since there are few things not improved but a crumble topping and I always keep a bag in the freezer. I experimented by not putting the topping on at the outset, but waiting until 15 minutes into the baking time. This ensured the the crumble didn’t sink into the cake and is a technique I will repeat.</p><div style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS for a 9x13 inch cake</div><div style="text-align: left;">175g evaporated cane juice or white sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">175g light brown sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 can (425g) puréed unsweetened pumpkin or squash</div><div style="text-align: left;">160ml olive oil (or a neutral oil if you don’t have olive around)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp ground cardamom</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp ground allspice</div><div style="text-align: left;">Approx 1/8 to 1/4 tsp black pepper (a few grinds, to taste)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">190g soft white wheat flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">190g hard red wheat flour (or any combo or gluten-free 1:1 flour)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 c (approx) <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/11/easy-fruit-crumble.html" target="_blank">crumble topping</a> or 4 TBSP toasted chopped pepitas</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 glass or metal cake pan (or Bundt pan or 2 9 inch round cake pans or a cupcake tin—am guessing it would make more than 12 but fewer than 24)</li><li>Whisk the eggs and sugars in a large bowl until foamy and pale, a minute or two. I used a hand mixer</li><li>Add the pumpkin, oil, spices and salt and mix to combine</li><li>Add the flour and leavening agents and mix until smooth</li><li>Pour into the prepared pan; tap the pan on the counter if needed to release any big air bubbles</li><li>Bake 15 minutes then remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the crumble topping or pepitas over the top, if using. Return the pan to the oven</li><li>Bake an additional 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean, then let cool on a rack before slicing into 12-16 slices</li><li>Cover the remaining slices or put into an airtight container</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDiWsfPtCQGXieKBneHM7V4tyiIdh-m8n-Kmobzcevq1xM7KtraRdX2V4hFePwMsc16XQxoVagIIP8H6URdZYN0SMzq7AJ6MBFugEb8Yz_1MPV6HEx9YNYIZh9d9rWLzFI54yjHfaqcoO/s2048/EA57467E-34BA-445E-8CF3-8C7D3EE9C74D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDiWsfPtCQGXieKBneHM7V4tyiIdh-m8n-Kmobzcevq1xM7KtraRdX2V4hFePwMsc16XQxoVagIIP8H6URdZYN0SMzq7AJ6MBFugEb8Yz_1MPV6HEx9YNYIZh9d9rWLzFI54yjHfaqcoO/s320/EA57467E-34BA-445E-8CF3-8C7D3EE9C74D.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-43639786519539152162021-03-27T18:41:00.004-07:002021-03-28T17:04:04.212-07:00Mostly Vegan Peppermint Patties<p>My kids love what they call “Yorks”. When I was a kid, these candies had a full name: York Peppermint Patties” but at some point the name got shorter and when they get them in their Halloween basket the name just says York. I was really surprised when I tasted Kendal Mint Cake for the first time when I visited the Lake District several decades ago how much it tasted like the inside of a York. </p><p>At any rate, my youngest wanted to put on a comedy show, so she made her own advertising (for our house and my inlaws’ next door) and wanted to make refreshments to serve her audience. We didn’t have enough eggs for her to use and she immediately remembered a recipe she’d seen in a book called <i>Classic Candy</i> by Abigail Gehring that she’d found through Libby (the electronic reading app that libraries use). Happily, the book was available for checkout and she was able to make her “Yorks”. </p><p>The fact that they were advertised as egg- and dairy-free was a surprise to me. Much like my Vegan Mint Meltaways, I had no idea that the original *wouldn’t* be vegan. I assume that other recipes may use egg white or something. I call the recipe mostly vegan because you do use honey, which some vegans do not eat. </p><p>I was shocked both by how easy this recipe was and how delicious the results were. It’s basically a perfect combination of fat, sugar and salt (plus chocolate!) so I recommend you make the patties nice and small because a little goes a long way. Next time we make them, we’re going to try putting the filling into the small silicone heart molds that my eldest bought a few years back. I did help her get the coconut oil out of the jar and did a little bit of extra blending for her, but an 8 year old can nearly make them by herself. She and her teen sister happily enrobed them after the freezing stage.</p><p>We’ll definitely add these to our ever-growing repertoire of vegan, gluten-free candy. The only change I made to Gehring’s recipe was to use weights for the honey and coconut oil as I really hate measuring them into cups and then having to transfer them to a bowl. Direct weigh into the bowl works better for me. We also used dark chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">216g coconut oil, solid, or 1 cup. We used triple refined so there was no coconut flavor</div><div style="text-align: left;">170g honey, any kind you like</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp peppermint extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp vanilla extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp table salt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6 oz (approx) chocolate, either chocolate chips or chocolate bars. We strongly prefer dark chocolate, at least 72% cocoa but use what you like best</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp coconut oil (optional to give the chocolate more snap)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Put all the ingredients through the salt in a medium bowl and use a hand mixer, stand mixer or immersion blender to mix together until very smooth and creamy. We started with the hand mixer and got the remaining lumps out with the immersion blender</li><li>Once the filling is smooth, taste and adjust the levels of peppermint, vanilla and salt</li><li>Portion out the patties onto a lined baking tray in quarter-sized circles or mini muffin cups half full or small silicone molds and then freeze at least 10 minutes but I prefer more like 30 minutes. You don’t want your filling to melt when you’re enrobing it!</li><li>Near the end of the freezing time, melt the chocolate in double boiler or the microwave then add the coconut oil. If you want to temper the chocolate, go for it, but we do not bother</li><li>When the chocolate is melted, remove the filling from the freezer and coat each piece entirely in melted chocolate then place on a lined tray—you can reuse the same one if you used it for freezing the filling</li><li>After you’ve enrobed all of the patties, place the tray in the freezer for another 10-30 minutes to set then transfer to an air-tight container and keep refrigerated for best (least melty) results</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMhDQcKJJiGbSwgB4Cekort6j7SBMgpDAduevGXRsezgMAjXUKRGFzE-3MUhyrBmFTZbEhzyTp-abbaK1SiTcec4_MWC4VM8zSFctBgiM651jdVlDQuhFC3OLinBHRab_Q0czXhdXduV8/s2048/80B57C36-8C84-470E-996A-C03E53ED8994.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peppermint patties on a plate" border="0" data-original-height="1870" data-original-width="2048" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMhDQcKJJiGbSwgB4Cekort6j7SBMgpDAduevGXRsezgMAjXUKRGFzE-3MUhyrBmFTZbEhzyTp-abbaK1SiTcec4_MWC4VM8zSFctBgiM651jdVlDQuhFC3OLinBHRab_Q0czXhdXduV8/w320-h292/80B57C36-8C84-470E-996A-C03E53ED8994.jpeg" title="Peppermint Patties" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-4786045368866271532021-03-15T23:53:00.001-07:002021-03-16T18:42:07.944-07:00Instant Pot Beef and Ale Pie Filling <p>It’s pie week here. Not only were there chicken pies for Pi Day, but I decided to make beef and Guinness pies for St Patrick’s Day. I do not claim that it’s authentic, just as I do not pretend that my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2017/03/mid-atlantic-soda-bread.html" target="_blank">soda bread</a> is strictly traditional. We don’t really celebrate St Patrick’s Day anyway, it is more of an excuse to eat good food that has some connection to a different place. </p><p>This recipe is a mash-up of two I found, one from <a href="https://www.daringgourmet.com/irish-beef-guinness-stew/" target="_blank">Daring Gourmet</a> which was meant for the stove top, and one from <a href="https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pressure_cooker_guinness_beef_stew/" target="_blank">Simply Recipes</a> that took the guesswork out of converting the recipe to the Instant Pot. It’s full of ingredients full in glumates that boost the beefy flavor and despite the long list of instructions it’s fairly simple. The Instant Pot shines in this sort of recipe. </p><p>It makes a huge quantity so I’ll have more than enough for dinner for four for two nights as well as some for the freezer. I will either make, bake and freeze individual pies or I’ll freeze the filling by itself and then top with mashed potatoes or garlicky breadcrumbs.</p><p>I used Guinness this time but I do think I would actually prefer a brown or red ale instead. Use what tastes best to you from the can or bottle.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">2 lb beef stew meat (I got this ready-cut from Green Bow Farm but can always cut your own)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 c all-purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salt and pepper to taste</div><div>6 oz bacon cut into small pieces—we always have lardons of pepper bacon in the freezer so I used that</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 onion, chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">3-5 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP tomato paste (a good squirt from a squeezy tube is what I did)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP (approx) pulverized porcini mushrooms (I ground to a powder in a coffee grinder)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c stout or ale</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 c beef stock</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 large carrots cut into half-moons</div><div style="text-align: left;">4-5 medium potatoes (I used Yukon gold) cut into a small-medium dice</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 10-ounce bag frozen riced cauliflower (or maybe half a head of cauliflower you rice yourself)</div><div style="text-align: left;">Smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar or other flavor enhancers as needed to finish</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Prepare the beef by cutting into 1 inch chunks (or so) if needed. Put in a dish and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper and the flour. If I had patted my beef dry the flour would have been less of a paste on it but I don’t think it really mattered that much. Set the beef aside</li><li>Turn a 5 or 6 qt Instant Pot onto Sauté mode. I just use the medium setting and add the bacon. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, then remove the bacon and set aside</li><li>Add about 1/3 of the beef chunks and fry on several sides until it is seared then remove and add the next third, continuing until all the beef is seared and removed from the pot. You should have a pretty thick, crusty layer on the bottom of the Instant Pot and this is a good thing</li><li>Leaving the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, add the oil and then the onion and sauté until it has softened, then add the garlic and cook a minute or two until it is fragrant</li><li>Add the tomato paste and cook another minute, then sprinkle in the porcini powder</li><li>Pour in the ale and deglaze the Instant Pot. You might want to turn the heat up to high for this part. You want some of the ale to evaporate but not all of it</li><li>Add the beef and bacon back into the pot, then pour in the beef stock</li><li>Turn off sauté mode, put the lid on the Instant Pot and use the Meat/Stew setting for 30 minutes at high pressure. I haven’t forgotten the veg! We’ll add it later so it doesn’t get mushy</li><li>Once the beef has cooked for 30 minutes, release the pressure and add the carrots and potatoes. Put the lid back on and either use Meat/Stew or Manual for an additional 3-4 minutes at high pressure</li><li>When the cooking time is up, let the pressure drop naturally (about 10 minutes) and then open the lid and stir in the cauliflower. The residual heat is more than enough to cook it</li><li>Taste and adjust to your preference. Good flavor balancers include smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar and regular or mushroom soy sauce</li><li>Cool the stew to room temperature and then refrigerate</li><li>Once it’s cold, you are ready to put it into pie shells or put in a dish and top with potatoes or breadcrumbs or whatever you fancy</li></ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjia9G4WaPkf7CWK0MNT9slSdbVu8mxn40QcChKUVUk3hmGVXk9vd0ThRbmsookl6J0x2nkXlpSyyPQcQQCgqo9dhoeFmjrliFDDi712WN6KCwq4QuF2ClwTutlnc3a8eVAl-0c7bhvRy/s4032/2D40F398-2759-4972-ACF8-C11983B49FCE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjia9G4WaPkf7CWK0MNT9slSdbVu8mxn40QcChKUVUk3hmGVXk9vd0ThRbmsookl6J0x2nkXlpSyyPQcQQCgqo9dhoeFmjrliFDDi712WN6KCwq4QuF2ClwTutlnc3a8eVAl-0c7bhvRy/s320/2D40F398-2759-4972-ACF8-C11983B49FCE.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-30096459975963488342021-03-14T22:06:00.003-07:002021-03-14T22:11:29.697-07:00Chicken Pot Pie Filling with Instant Pot Elements<p>It’s Pi Day and I’ve been so excited about getting a good working version of my Never-Fail Pie Crust that I went a little crazy. After my success with the Indian pot pies (<a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2021/03/never-fail-pie-crust-with-whole-grain.html" target="_blank">pictured in the Never-Fail Pie Crust post</a>) I knew I wanted to do individual chicken pot pies too. There is something about an individual pie. Not only is it super cute, but you don’t have to worry about an uneven distribution of filling when you cut a large pie—your allocation is automatically delivered to you in your own individual serving! Also we are going to Orcas Island soon and we won’t be eating out a couple of times like we normally do because we’re not comfortable eating in restaurants yet and the house we are renting is too far from town to make take-out feasible. I thought it would perk us up if I made and froze pies to bring and eat there. </p><p>There is nothing particularly special about this chicken pot pie except that it is very, very good. I wanted to roast a chicken then take the meat off the bones and make stock from the carcass, which would certainly be tasty. However I didn’t have a chicken already in the freezer and I wanted to get the super high quality chicken we get from Green Bow Farm which I can only pick up on Sundays so I knew I’d be trying to have enough time to pick up, thaw and roast a chicken not to mention make stock and then bake pies all before my in-laws came at 6pm for our first in-person indoor gathering in a year. After soaking the chicken in a cold water bath for over an hour I could barely get half of the backbone out; I knew that doing an all-in-one stint in the Instant Pot was going to be the way to go. I got the chicken thawed enough to get the giblets out and left it at that.</p><p>I didn’t miss the roasted flavor. The broth from the pressure-cooked chicken was so rich and flavorful in the well-browned roux that it was perfectly acceptable. I had some extra chicken breasts in the freezer. Since we were having company I roasted those and added them to the filling for extra luxury. You could certainly do without it. I made 6 10-ounce pies and have filling enough for at least 10 more with an additional three cups of extra stock to freeze. As I see it, the advantage of making such a huge batch of filling is that I can either make up a bunch of individual pies and freeze them (probably baked) or I could freeze containers with enough filling for one night for the 4 of us and then either put in a crust, top with biscuits or (my favorite) top with stuffing for an incredibly comforting meal. </p><p>I packed my filling full of vegetables but I made it easy on myself after all the work with the chicken and crust: I used a bag of organic frozen peas and carrots and another bag of my ever-handy frozen riced cauliflower. Such a convenient way to amp up the veg. I also served our pies over steamed broccoli to add more color to the bowl. </p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">1 3-4lb chicken, thawed with the giblets removed, cut into pieces if desired</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 roughly equal pieces</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 large or 3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into about 4 chunks each</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 ribs celery (optional) cut into about 4 pieces each</div><div style="text-align: left;">Small handful of peppercorns</div><div style="text-align: left;">A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried</div><div style="text-align: left;">A handful of fresh parsley (stems are fine), optional</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 qt cold water or to max fill line</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">8 TBSP unsalted butter (though I supposed you could actually use salted)</div><div style="text-align: left;">10 TBSP all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free equivalent </div><div style="text-align: left;">2qt stock from the chicken recipe above</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 10-ounce package frozen peas and corn, cooked according to package instructions and drained</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 10-ounce package frozen riced cauliflower, cooked according to package instructions and drained</div><div style="text-align: left;">OR use the vegetable mix of your choice just be sure to pre-cook it</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 chicken cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces, optional</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 beaten egg, optional for egg wash on the crusts </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2021/03/never-fail-pie-crust-with-whole-grain.html" target="_blank">Never-Fail Pie Crust</a> or the crust, biscuit or stuffing of your choice (optional) or you could top with garlicky breadcrumbs or even mashed potatoes. The options are numerous.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</p><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Put the chicken through the bay leaves into the insert of the Instant Pot and then fill to the Max Fill line (assuming you have a 5 or 6 qt machine)</li><li>Put the lid on to Sealing and select the poultry setting for one hour. Because my chicken was still quite frozen I added an additional 45 minutes just to be safe and it worked fine</li><li>Once the time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally if you can. Mine sputtered a ton even after I waited ten minutes but I was running out it time</li><li>Remove the chicken from the pot and put on a cutting board. Carefully strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and set aside. I put my stock in a saucepan and kept warm on the stove</li><li>Take the chicken off the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside (put in fridge if you think you’re going to take a while to make the gravy)</li><li>To make the gravy, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add the flour. Stir regularly with a whisk (I like my flat-bottomed whisk for this task) until the roux starts to turn golden and has a delicious nutty aroma</li><li>Turn the heat to low, then add the warm stock one ladleful at a time, making sure to whisk vigorously between additions of stock. At first it will sputter and clump up but if you keep whisking you’ll get a smooth paste that gradually thins as you add more liquid</li><li>Once all the liquid is added, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let simmer 15 minutes or so. Taste for seasoning and add some salt—I didn’t need to add anything else as the broth I’d made was so flavorful</li><li>Cool the gravy (I actually used a cold water bath to speed things up) and transfer to a very large pot or bowl</li><li>Add the chicken and vegetables to the gravy and stir well. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed. You could also add a splash of white wine vinegar if you think the filling needs a bit of sharpness. Ideally you would refrigerate the mixture and assemble the pies when everything is cold but I used my mixture at room temperature and it was fine</li><li>If making individual pies, I use 70g of pie dough per 10-ounce pie dish which gives me lots of leftover scraps to make lids. You can always roll out your pie dough ahead of time and keep your cute little crusts in the fridge until you are ready to fill them</li><li>I put two ladlesful of filling in each base then topped with a lid of pastry, crimped the edges together and brushed the top with beaten egg</li><li>Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the pies are bubbling and the crusts are golden</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiJqgE_rAIULPnK_YHbIxEgJe3UHbuL1PZ6oTkb215SFsidOPfBjuc1VVHFJNo_160Z62AliDXX5PB3WT13v77F_2Ivsr9vqP7QL-B8_B-zHZQuzlSmr9FBP2pbjDIgAzjb5NEl0JHNPd/s2048/121D6DE0-AA80-4274-B559-2443524CED9E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbiJqgE_rAIULPnK_YHbIxEgJe3UHbuL1PZ6oTkb215SFsidOPfBjuc1VVHFJNo_160Z62AliDXX5PB3WT13v77F_2Ivsr9vqP7QL-B8_B-zHZQuzlSmr9FBP2pbjDIgAzjb5NEl0JHNPd/s320/121D6DE0-AA80-4274-B559-2443524CED9E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-84822006293506332362021-03-10T08:49:00.005-08:002021-03-10T08:52:55.595-08:00Vegan Fruity Meringue Kisses<p>We were tired of making macarons one of the times we had extra egg whites lying around and I love freeze-dried fruit, so I tried this <a href="http://gracetable.org/strawberry-meringue-kisses/" target="_blank">Strawberry Meringue Kisses recipe</a> and we were pleased with it. I’ve been hankering to try aquafaba meringue kisses and it just so happened I had two cans’ worth of liquid in the fridge from my chana masala-ish pies. In addition, I’ve been enjoying experimenting with the pre-ground organic freeze-dried berry powder I got. I’ve long loved freeze-dried fruit and the <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/08/super-thick-fruity-whipped-cream-recipe.html" target="_blank">Serious Eats fruity whipped cream recipe</a> is a family favorite. However, grinding a package of the nice freeze-dried fruit pieces is both expensive and wasteful—no matter how carefully you scrape, you lose a lot of the fruit in the corners of your food processor or coffee grinder. I knew there must be a way to buy already-powdered freeze-dried fruit and indeed there is. It lacks some of the brightness of freshly-ground powder but the trade-off is well worth it to us. The final piece that inspired this recipe is the wild success we had this year with our first-ever Yule log, again using the <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2019/12/chocolate-yule-log-recipe.html" target="_blank">Serious Eats recipe</a>. The meringue mushrooms were absolutely incredible, and this from someone who really has never enjoyed meringue very much. One of the secrets is using <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/11/how-to-quickly-toast-sugar.html" target="_blank">toasted sugar</a> and I figured this would translate beautifully to meringue kisses. Could this trifecta of recipe changes: chickpea liquid, pre-ground fruit powder and toasted sugar make for an easy and delicious vegan cookie? </p><p>Well, yes and no! If I had had better success with my aquafaba meringues I think there would be lots of potential. I made both tart cherry and strawberry meringues and the tart cherry ones are pretty good. The strawberry ones are flatter and overcooked, but may be tasty dipped in chocolate. The toasted sugar made less difference than I thought but if you’ve got some it’s still worthwhile. </p><p>I don’t adore meringues in the best of circumstances so I won’t be making these every week or anything but I’ll definitely try again when I’ve got some aquafaba and we need a little something sweet.</p><p>To de-veganize these, use 6 egg whites and 1/4 tsp salt instead of aquafaba. A full batch (6 egg whites or 180g aquafaba) works best in my stand mixer. The whisk attachment struggles to get into a half batch but that may be because I need to adjust the mixer head height.</p><div style="text-align: left;">INGREDIENTS</div><div style="text-align: left;">180g room temperature chickpea liquid (from two cans)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp cream of tartar</div><div style="text-align: left;">150g toasted sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">30g freeze-dried berry powder (strawberry, raspberry, tart cherry are options)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp vanilla extract or a few shakes of vanilla powder (if you don’t want to add more liquid)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and prepare a few baking trays with Silpat or parchment</li><li>Place the aquafaba, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on low until the liquid is frothy. Increase the speed to high and whisk until you have soft peaks</li><li>Leaving the mixer on, gradually add the toasted sugar and fruit powder. You may combine them prior to adding to the liquid if you like. My aquafaba meringues did not get as stiff and glossy as egg whites do and it’s likely because I wasn’t patient enough with the sugar stage, so beware!</li><li>Add the vanilla extract and continue whisking until you have thick, glossy peaks just like regular egg white meringue</li><li>We like to pipe our meringues but you can get them on your baking tray any way you like. They won’t spread so they can be close (but not touching)</li><li>Bake for an hour and then check them. If they’re still super damp, add another 30 minutes and check again. Once they’re crisp to the touch, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there with the door closed for at least another 90 minutes or up to overnight</li><li>Store anything you don’t gobble right away in an airtight container. They may still get a bit sticky but it’s a worthwhile price to pay</li></ol><div>Here is a photo of the more-successful tart cherry ones. They’re too flat and didn’t keep their kiss shape but they taste pretty good. I’ll replace with a better photo when I have more success, as I believe I certainly am capable of doing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBmfXGSl4nx6wYRC9hqjqtHY2IdHBG-3Ab4BX0UJW-0tRiJjC-P0tWBOHOYYEbzz1GzGf3AX-eSiC-cOd5qRMJqofRhYzNiwTQ7yBGzwKXhrBAE-TF_ZUM250zv02wijJEaCD342s2BFZ/s2048/C4184489-9EF6-4E52-B0F9-513DC5DFF7A4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1957" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBmfXGSl4nx6wYRC9hqjqtHY2IdHBG-3Ab4BX0UJW-0tRiJjC-P0tWBOHOYYEbzz1GzGf3AX-eSiC-cOd5qRMJqofRhYzNiwTQ7yBGzwKXhrBAE-TF_ZUM250zv02wijJEaCD342s2BFZ/s320/C4184489-9EF6-4E52-B0F9-513DC5DFF7A4.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><p><br /></p>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-57804705754214435122021-03-08T14:30:00.005-08:002023-01-08T12:08:12.538-08:00Never-Fail Pie Crust with Whole Grain<p>I’ve been wanting to publish this recipe for years but I never quite got it to where it was ready because of all the changes I made to it. It came from the same book as my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies-christmas-cookies-2.html" target="_blank">sugar cookies</a> and <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2008/10/chocolate-chip-cookies.html" target="_blank">Cowboy Cookies</a> and is always my go-to for regular pie crust. I like this one because it has a lot more flavor than most—it’s not just buttery and flaky, which I don’t really love. </p><p>However, the original recipe was used white flour only and also shortening, neither of which I really use myself even though I know there are versions of shortening out there without any trans fats. I have tried to make it 100% home-milled whole grain flour but, while it works for our family, most people wouldn’t have patience with how much it cracks. And since pie is a special-occasion food for us anyway, there seems no harm in using half all-purpose white flour and half whole-wheat pastry flour.</p><p>Because it has no sugar in it, you can use this crust equally for sweet or savory recipes, another thing I love about it. It’s also sturdy enough for hand pies or pasties.</p><p>You can certainly making this recipe by hand but I always use my food processor so that’s the instructions I give here. I’ve incorporated the <a href="https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/07/the-food-lab-the-science-of-pie-how-to-make-pie-crust-easy-recipe.html" target="_blank">butter/flour mixing technique from Serious Eats</a> into the recipe</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">180g all-purpose white flour, divided 120g and 60g and mixed with wheat flour </div><div style="text-align: left;">180g whole-wheat pastry flour, divided 120g and 60g and mixed with white flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">225g (1 cup, 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp white vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 egg</div><div style="text-align: left;">4-6 TBSP cold water</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Place the 120g each of white and wheat flours and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine</li><li>Add the cubes of butter and pulse approximately 25 times until the mixture is starting to come together into a paste</li><li>Sprinkle over the remaining 60g each of white and wheat flour (that you’ve premixed) and pulse a few times (about 5 short pulses)</li><li>Turn the dough into a large bowl</li><li>Mix the vinegar, egg and 4 TBSP of cold water and stir to break up the egg and combine</li><li>Using a spatula, fold in the egg/water/vinegar mixture pressing the dough together until it all comes together</li><li>Divide the dough into as many pieces as you need, flatten into disks and refrigerate for at least two hours. I used 75g for each of my mini pies and had enough left over to make the lids</li><li>Remove the dough from the fridge 15-30 minutes before you want to roll it out. If you think this is scandalous and you must roll it out straight from the fridge, be my guest</li></ol><div>The original recipe said this makes two 2-crust pies but we are not really great with pastry in my family so my mom always split it into 3 instead so we’d have plenty to work with. It freezes very well, wrapped up tightly. </div><div><br /></div><div>These little pies are filled with the filling from my <a href="http://eatseats.blogspot.com/2010/02/indian-vegetable-bake-with-naan-crust.html" target="_blank">Indian Vegetable Bake</a> made vegan by using homemade cashew cream in place of the yogurt and with chickpeas rather than Quorn. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzk_fZe-ujSzxaoXV52cYB5UvfFIvrBNLOjeX2O1MwDFbwdK6JJ53SQfkgi71oqfXG3SgsmHr5uXaB4oEUxFLixZWhQwSWFTmQ6kqeV3vc_vfC2YB9Ox_VlUXkk_o_Xj-xLSzRmAALBwN/s2048/35CE393D-6488-435F-A284-7540B0672C5E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzk_fZe-ujSzxaoXV52cYB5UvfFIvrBNLOjeX2O1MwDFbwdK6JJ53SQfkgi71oqfXG3SgsmHr5uXaB4oEUxFLixZWhQwSWFTmQ6kqeV3vc_vfC2YB9Ox_VlUXkk_o_Xj-xLSzRmAALBwN/s320/35CE393D-6488-435F-A284-7540B0672C5E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7751358949649155954.post-29646619655560162922021-02-07T14:41:00.001-08:002021-02-07T17:00:12.039-08:00Cinnamon-Sugar Cream Scones<p>We don’t use heavy cream all that often, but when we do we often have some left over. My go-to is to use the <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/cream-tea-scones-recipe" target="_blank">King Arthur Flour Cream Tea Scones recipe</a> with a cinnamon-sugar flair. I simply scale the recipe up or down based on how much cream I have. (So always measure out your cream first to figure out your proportions). I use 100% whole grain flour, as I do in nearly all my baking.</p><p>If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll use light or dark muscovado sugar for the filling. It’s not necessary and I don’t know that it even makes that huge a difference but as we have it on hand it’s fun to use it.</p><p>INGREDIENTS</p><div style="text-align: left;">361g whole wheat pastry flour or a roughly equal combination of hard red wheat and whole spelt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp fine salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 c (50g) granulated sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/3 to 1 1/2 c heavy cream</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp vanilla extract</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 c light or dark brown sugar (or light or dark muscovado)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 TBSP ground cinnamon</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">DIRECTIONS</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by greasing or lining it with parchment or Silpat</li><li>Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl</li><li>Add the vanilla to the cream in your measuring jug</li><li>Stir the cream/vanilla in to the flour. I like to use a dough whisk so it doesn’t clump up too much as it would with a regular whisk</li><li>The dough should come together, but if it seems dry, just add a bit more cream. If you’ve run out of cream, add milk</li><li>Bring the dough together into a ball</li><li>Lightly flour a work surface (I never bother using home-milled flour for this and just use AP white flour) and turn the dough out onto it</li><li>I like to use a rolling pin and my hand to pat it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. I’m terrible with measurements so I can’t tell you how big the rectangle should be. Just do what makes sense, keeping in mind the scones will get thicker as you’ll be rolling them. You’ll be folding along the long edge</li><li>Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on your rectangle</li><li>Using a bench scraper, spatula or other tool, gently roll the rectangle into a log. It may crack and that’s fine; just stick it back together as best you can</li><li>Cut the log into 8 or 12 equal pieces. I like to lay them so that the swirl is flat on the baking tray</li><li>Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden with no gloopy bits in the middle </li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0jX1UKtIajotMlVcEu1KB_oup8-GqmAKFeCFO4bqjVkPZeVox_HcikJiRepKhtFww-LEpraXcUoJUJqeFBaa8JkXxqXeUUcsNs-VRQB4CZdcxygN0TiyiOeebCPMlN2TvGxqs4gYWg8G/s2023/562585F7-5A85-42FA-94FF-537B4C89B99F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1736" data-original-width="2023" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0jX1UKtIajotMlVcEu1KB_oup8-GqmAKFeCFO4bqjVkPZeVox_HcikJiRepKhtFww-LEpraXcUoJUJqeFBaa8JkXxqXeUUcsNs-VRQB4CZdcxygN0TiyiOeebCPMlN2TvGxqs4gYWg8G/s320/562585F7-5A85-42FA-94FF-537B4C89B99F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Laurelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04852049444211252270noreply@blogger.com0