tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40299253171014060132024-03-13T20:19:43.134-07:00Zegedines & Bellytimber"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are."
-Anthelme Brillat-SavarinPaukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-6058510288701582392015-09-30T10:49:00.000-07:002015-09-30T10:49:53.528-07:00Pumpkin Spice Almond Roca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"Well, isn't it splendid & rather toffee?.."</i><br />
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It's that time of the year when everything pumpkin spice jumps out from behind every corner, seeps out of every shadow, and insinuates itself into coffees, cakes, candy, etc.</div>
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It's important to do our part. And that means homemade. Because homemade is always better.</div>
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This is actually a very easy recipe. Because it's toffee. And toffee is just candy made by caramelizing sugar and butter. And caramelizing just means you boil it. So have no fear.<br /><br /><b>Pumpkin Spice Almond Roca</b><br />
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1½ cups coarsely-chopped almonds</div>
8 ounces light brown sugar<div>
8 ounces white granulated sugar<br />1<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">¾</span> cups unsalted butter<br />1/4 cup pumpkin spice syrup<br />1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice<br />24 ounces milk chocolate, chopped<br />1 tablespoon vegetable oil<br /><br />Spread 3/4 cup of the chopped almonds onto a large (17x11-inch) baking sheet with sides. (I line mine with baking parchment to prevent sticking.) Set aside.<div>
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<br />Combine the sugars, butter, pumpkin spice syrup, and pumpkin pie spice to a medium saucepan.</div>
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Over medium high heat, stirring frequently for several minutes, combine mixture unit bubbly and thick. Use a candy thermometer and cook until 290° F. (Watch carefully after 280° F to prevent the caramel from burning.) Once it has reached 290° F remove from the heat.<div>
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Pour and spread in an even layer over the chopped almonds on the cookie sheet.</div>
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Combine the chocolate and oil in a double boiler. Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread evenly over the caramel layer and then sprinkle with the remaining almonds.</div>
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Allow the candy to set for a few hours before breaking into yummy pieces.<br /><div>
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Enjoy!</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-13218716773641167222014-11-24T12:04:00.001-08:002014-11-24T12:06:56.273-08:00Mocha Coffee Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Icing<i>"A cake for all is not a celebration of one. Cupcakes are the ultimate birthday cake."</i>~Jarod Kintz<br />
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<i>"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."</i></div>
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~T. S. Eliot</div>
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My daughter, the middle child, was very adamant about one detail for her third birthday party: pink cupcakes. For six months she would point out things that were pink and declare that that was the proper pink for her cupcakes or she would exclaim that a particular cupcake - in a store or bakery - would be perfect if it were only pink. And she worried over it. She thought that somehow I would forget this important detail, that I would make her fruit cake or bran muffins or something <i>not pink</i>. </div>
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Of course I made her pink cupcakes. Strawberry cupcakes. Very pink strawberry cupcakes. With ice-white frosting and pink sugar sprinkles. And they were good. Damn good.</div>
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But this post is not about those pink cupcakes.</div>
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This post is about cupcakes inspired by the pink cupcakes.</div>
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I have flirted with the idea of coffee frosting for quite sometime. It was something that had an abstract appeal, but an idea I never pursued. For some reason the baking of 48 pink cupcakes took that abstract thought and made me want to make it a reality. Not only would I make coffee icing but I would make coffee cupcakes. (I have no idea why baking a bunch of cupcakes made me want to make more cupcakes, but there you go...)</div>
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It was not an easy task.</div>
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I didn't want just a coffee-flavoured spread on top of a regular yellow cupcake. No. The whole experience needed to be coffeesque. From creamy top to fluffy, delicate bottom I wanted these to be all about the coffee. But in a balanced way.</div>
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My first try was a disaster. I ended up with misshapen brownie-textured muffins that fused to the pan. Tasty though.</div>
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My second try was a bit better. The cakes rose beautifully, turned a gorgeous brown, and proceeded to collapse in on themselves like some dying star. I could fill the black hole cakes with something and call them dessert cups. But they were worthless as cupcakes.</div>
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Third times a charm they say.</div>
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I abandoned my usual cupcake stock recipe and I went chiffon.</div>
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If you are unfamiliar with a chiffon cake they differ from a traditional cake by replacing butter with vegetable oil. Of course it is impossible to beat enough air into oil to achieve the lightness of butter so, like a foam cake, beaten egg whites are folded into the batter to give the cake a soft, fluffy texture. The high oil and egg content makes for a very moist cake that does not harden or dry out as much as traditional butter cakes.<br />
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The results were amazing.</div>
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<b>Mocha Coffee Cupcakes</b></div>
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4 oz cake flour*</div>
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1 1/2 tsp baking powder</div>
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1 tsp kosher salt</div>
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1/4 cup hot water</div>
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1 1/4 -ounce cocoa powder</div>
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1 1/2 Tbs instant coffee powder</div>
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5 large eggs</div>
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6 oz sugar</div>
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1/4 cup vegetable oil</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar</div>
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Preheat your oven to 325º F and line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.</div>
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In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.</div>
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In a small bowl combine the hot water, cocoa powder, and instant coffee. Whisk to thoroughly combine.</div>
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Separate your eggs and put the egg yolks and <i>five ounces</i> of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.</div>
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Whisk on high until the mixture becomes pale yellow, about two minutes. </div>
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Add the cocoa mixture, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and whisk just to combine.</div>
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Set this coffee-chocolaty goodness aside.</div>
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Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and slowly add the <i>remaining ounce of sugar</i>. Once it's all combined, increase the speed back to high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, approximately two minutes.</div>
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Take about a third of the egg whites and add it to the chocolate batter, whisking it until well combined. </div>
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Add another third of the egg whites and mix gently but completely. </div>
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Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold them into the batter. (It's OK if there are white streaks in your batter. This is preferable to over-mixing the egg whites.)</div>
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You should have a super cream, fluffy batter.</div>
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Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.</div>
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This task is made infinitely easier if you have a variety of sizes of dishers. They make almost any batter task easier and less messy.</div>
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Place the filled muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Cake flour is important in when making a chiffon. But you probably don't have any on hand. No worries, it is easy enough to make a substitute. All you need is all-purpose flour and cornstarch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Take one cup of all-purpose flour and remove two tablespoons. Take two tablespoons of cornstarch and add it to the all-purpose flour. Now sift it. And sift it again. And again. And again. And one more time. You have to make certain that the flour and corn starch are mixed together thoroughly and sifting it five times will help do just that.</span></div>
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<b>Coffee Buttercream Icing</b></div>
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6 oz unsalted butter, room temperature</div>
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2 oz shortening</div>
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1 whole egg, room temperature</div>
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1 lb confectioners' sugar</div>
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1 Tbs milk, room temperature</div>
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1 Tbs instant coffee powder</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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In a small bowl combine the vanilla, milk and coffee powder. Set aside. Put the butter and shortening into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, cream on high until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined, approximately 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix on low - unless you like powdered sugar all over your kitchen - until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, adding powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, until all of it has been combined. Add the vanilla-coffee mixture and continue to beat until the icing is light and smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.</div>
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If the icing is too thick you can add milk, a teaspoon at a time, to relax it a bit. If it is too liquid you can add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to thicken it.</div>
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Now you get to ice your cupcakes.</div>
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I used a icing bag, but icing the cupcakes with an icing spatula will work just as well.</div>
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I added some sprinkles by putting some coffee beans and cocoa nibs in a hand mill and grinding them over the iced cupcakes.</div>
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These cupcakes are very light and delicate and full of flavour. The coffee-falvour is very evident, but not over-powering and these pair well with coffee (Go figure!) or tea.</div>
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Enjoy! And if you give these a try let me know how they turned out.</div>
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-46544228002513281392013-11-26T12:29:00.002-08:002013-11-26T12:29:50.863-08:00Oatmeal Brûlée<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"...now and then a giggling trail of mermaids appeared in our wake. We fed them oatmeal."</i>― Tove Jansson, <i>Moominpappa's Memoirs</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oatmeal is simple. Sometimes too simple to give it much notice. <br /><br />However simple, there is a lot to like about oatmeal. There's the beta-glucan. And the complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fibre. Loads of B vitamins. Our very own FDA has said it is A-Okay for companies selling oatmeal to claim that it may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet. Loaded with more calories than most other types of porridge, oatmeal also encourages slow digestion and stabilizes blood-glucose levels.<div>
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And it tastes pretty darn good. </div>
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Oh, oatmeal and oats have detractors, certainly.<br /><br />Samuel Johnson was no fan. In his dictionary definition for oats he wrote: <i>"A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."</i><div>
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In response, Lord Elibank retorted, <i>"Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?"</i></div>
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<i>Touché</i>, Mr. Murray. <i>Touché</i>.<div>
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The simple, underrated, and oft-unappreciated oatmeal can be a bit more gourmet with just a scant bit of effort. It's easy, with just a little nudge, to give it a bit more <i>je ne sais quoi</i>.</div>
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And why not?</div>
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If you are going to make oatmeal you might as well go fancy. And so here, for your enjoyment and epicurean enlightenment, is the deceptively easy Oatmeal Brûlée. No blowtorch required.</div>
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(If you feel so inclined and want to impress, you can certainly call this <i>Flocons D'avoine Brûlée</i>. But keep in mind that's just fancy-speak for Burnt Oat Flakes. Sometimes less is more.)<br /><br /><div>
<b>Oatmeal Brûlée</b><br />1½ Cups water</div>
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1 Cup milk<br />1½ Cup oatmeal (either Old Fashioned or quick cooking)</div>
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1 large egg<br />3 Tbs brown sugar<br />1/2 Cup heavy cream<br />Fruit for topping (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)<br />Powdered sugar for dusting<div>
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Preheat oven to 350º F. Generously butter four small ramekins.<br /><br />In a medium sauce pan, bring the water and milk and one tablespoon of the brown sugar to boil. Add the oatmeal and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook oatmeal for approximately five minutes until desired texture is reached.<br /><br />While the oatmeal is cooking, mix the egg with the remaining two tablespoons of brown sugar and the cream. Beat well with a whisk.<br /><br />When the oatmeal is cooked, spoon equal amounts into each of the prepared dishes, leaving enough room to add the egg mixture on top of each.</div>
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Top off each ramekin with the prepared egg mixture.<br />
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<br />Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the top of each dish with powdered sugar. Continue to bake for 15 minutes more or until liquid is set and the top is slightly browned. </div>
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Garnish with fruit of your choice and dust with more powdered sugar.</div>
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Serve warm.</div>
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<i>Bon Appétit.</i></div>
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-57619775958625370782013-08-11T16:37:00.001-07:002013-08-11T16:37:08.497-07:00Simple Raspberry Tart<i>"Ethyl formate, which gives raspberries their flavour and smells of rum, has now been found in deep space. Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries.</i><br />
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~Ian Sample</div>
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Sometimes the best dessert is the simplest dessert. And this raspberry tart is just that: simple. Easy to prepare, it is a perfect "fancy" dessert that looks a lot harder than it is.<br /><br />And....go!<br /><br />Crust:<div>
1 Cup flour<br />2 Tbs sugar<br />1/8 tsp salt<br />1/2 Cup cold butter<br />1 Tbs white vinegar<br /></div>
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Raspberry filling:<br />2 pints fresh raspberries, divided<br />2/3 cup sugar<br />2 Tbs all-purpose flour<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400° F.</div>
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<br />Combine flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add the vinegar and mix until moistened. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.</div>
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Arrange one pint of the raspberries over the crust. Combine the sugar and flour. Sprinkle even over the raspberries. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet.</div>
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Bake at 400° F for one hour or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven. Arrange and press the remaining berries in a single layer over top. </div>
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Cool before serving. Enjoy!</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-52546906163793408202013-06-17T10:18:00.001-07:002013-06-17T10:18:07.373-07:00Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosted Chocolate Brownies<i>"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."</i><div>
~Ernestine Ulmer<div>
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The chocolate brownie is a uniquely American dessert. As with many things American, the history of this cake-cookie synthesis is steeped in myth and legend. In some stories it was a cook who forgot to add flour to a cake recipe, in another a cook who accidentally added melted chocolate to biscuit dough, in another, the most popular, it was a harried housewife forced to improvise a dessert when she realised she was out of baking powder.</div>
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According to Chicago's Palmer House Hotel, a hotel chef created the now quotidian but still beloved dessert for Bertha Palmer who wanted a dessert easily eaten from boxed lunches. These first brownies, still being made at the hotel according to the original recipe, featured an apricot glaze and walnuts.</div>
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Mistake or willful creation for a ladies' fair, chocolate brownies are part of Americana.</div>
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This manifestation is a rich, decadent, sumptuous dessert. Not your mother's picnic brownies, these opulent chocolate squares are topped with a delicious peanut butter buttercream.</div>
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<b>Chocolate Brownies</b><br /><div>
6 oz. unsweetened dark chocolate<br />3/4 cup unsalted butter <br />1½ cups granulated sugar<br />1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed<br />2 Tbsp brewed coffee<br />1½ tsp vanilla extract<br />3 large eggs<br />1 cup all-purpose flour<br />Pinch of salt to taste<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter a 9-by-9-inch pan and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the butter and chocolate and heat over low heat until melted and smooth. Add the sugars and whisk to combine. The batter will be a bit grainy. Whisk in the coffee and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs. Add the flour and gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan. </div>
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<br />Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and the center is just set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out mostly clean. You want these to be a bit gooey, so don't over bake.</div>
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Allow them to cool for at least one hour before frosting them.</div>
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<br /><b>Peanut Butter Buttercream</b><br />1 cup smooth peanut butter<br />1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />1½ to 2 cups confectioner's sugar<br />Pinch of salt to taste<br />Sprinkles (I use mini chocolate and peanut butter chips and chocolate sprinkles)</div>
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Combine the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high for about two minutes. Add the vanilla, 1½ cups confectioner's sugar, and salt. Beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. Add more confectioner's sugar if you want a thicker frosting. You don't want the frosting to be runny, but try to avoid making it stiff as that makes it harder to spread.</div>
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Spread the frosting generously and evenly over the brownies and add the sprinkles. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.</div>
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-68535282549799038932013-06-05T11:45:00.000-07:002013-06-05T11:45:46.752-07:00Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops<br />
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<i>"A porkchop in the kitchen is a porkchop; a porkchop in Proust is Proust."</i><br />~William Gaso<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cooking is both a science and an art, heavy on the art. But the beauty of that science and art is that it can be simple. It does not have to be complicated.</div>
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Take the humble pork chop. Suitable for roasting, grilling, frying, or baking. Pork has a light flavour which lends itself readily to taking on the savouriness of marinades and vegetables. Cooked the right way, pork is incredibly juicy. You can make a production of preparing pork chops, or you can keep things simple. And with summer upon us, grilling gives the perfect medium to prepare simple, yet flavourful chops.</div>
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The beauty of this recipe is that it provides a marinade, a glaze, and a sauce all in one swoop! </div>
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<b>Brown Sugar Marinade/Glaze/Sauce</b></div>
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1/2 cup brown sugar<br />1/2 cup apple juice<br />4 Tbs vegetable oil<br />1 Tbs soy sauce<br />1/2 tsp ground ginger<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />2 tsp cornstarch<br />1/2 cup water<br /><br />In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring this mixture to a gentle boil. In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Whisk the corn starch water into the brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Remove from heat.<br /><br />Pour about 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture into a shallow glass dish with enough for six pork chops - thick chops, not thin (thin chops are great for frying, but dry out far too fast for grilling) - to have some room between them. Gently place the chops into the dish and then turn them, lightly coating both sides. Let sit, covered in the refrigerator for half an hour to an hour.</div>
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<br />When you are ready to grill, prepare your charcoal or gas grill for medium heat (the temperature inside the grill should be 350°F to 375°F). Brush and oil the grill grate.</div>
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Place the pork chops on the grill and sear, turning once, until grill-marked on both sides. Move the chops to an indirect-heat area - not directly over the hottest coals or over a burner - and cover the grill. Cook until somewhat firm to the touch or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a chop reads 145°F. This takes about 15 minutes.<div>
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Right before you remove the chops from the grill, brush them again with the brown sugar mixture and let the glaze set.</div>
<br />Transfer the chops to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve, drizzled with the remaining brown sugar mixture, with boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables. Enjoy!<div>
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-57346963104254846632013-03-19T09:44:00.000-07:002013-03-19T09:44:09.315-07:00Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread<i>"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight."</i><br />
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I love making bread. </div>
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Have I said that before?</div>
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I'm certain I have. But this is something that needs regular reiteration. </div>
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I bake a lot of bread. I have ever since I was just a wee little baker and would watch Jukies (that's Julia Carolyn Child to you!) make bread on the black and white television in the living room and try to replicate it in mom's kitchen. (I had an incredibly patient family that would eat - or pretend to eat - pretty much anything I created in the kitchen.) I have a love affair with the tactile and olfactory qualities of making bread. But honestly, I won't belabour that here because I have already done so <a href="http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2011/11/holiday-harvest-loaf.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2011/07/halloumi-mint-bread.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2011/06/hapanleipa-finnish-sour-rye-bread.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2011/10/whole-wheat-molasses-oatmeal-bread.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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One of the joys of baking for a long time is being able to bake not from a book or some established recipe, but rather from a synthesis of experience, from the knowledge of what will give you a particular flavour, texture, quality of crust, or colour and creating something that is delightful.<br /><br />This recipe is certainly no one-of-a-kind wonder. You can most surely find similar recipes in a thousand online posts. But it is mine, combining my favourite qualities of texture and flavour. The whole wheat flour gives it a special texture and colour. The white flour lets the bread rise higher than a 100% whole wheat bread and produces a lighter loaf. The honey give it a kiss of sweetness while the yogurt gives it a touch of tart almost reminiscent of a light sourdough.</div>
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And at home it is a favourite.<br />
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I hope you enjoy it, both in the making and the eating!<br />
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<b>Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread</b><br />
<i>3/4 cup warm water</i><br />
<i>2¼ tsp active dry yeast</i><br />
<i>2 cups whole wheat flour, finely milled</i><br />
<i>4 cups white flour</i><br />
<i>2 tsp salt</i><br />
<i>2/3 cup plain yogurt</i><br />
<i>1 1/3 cup hot water</i><br />
<i>4 Tbs oil</i><br />
<i>3 Tbs honey</i><br />
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Dissolve the yeast in the 3/4 cup of warm (105º to 115º F) water in a warmed glass or ceramic container. Make certain the yeast is completely dissolved and there are no clumps. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.<br />
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix, fluffing them with air.<br />
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In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and hot (about 130º F) water. Add the oil and honey. Mix well.<br />
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Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the dissolved yeast and the wet ingredients. Stir from the center of the well gradually outward until you have a thick batter-like consistency. Start folding in flour from the sides and mix until all the flour is combined. The dough will be a little sticky.<br />
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Turn out the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead for about 20 minutes. That may sound like a lot, but remember that kneading is the difference between good bread and spectacular bread.<br />
<br />How do you know when bread is sufficiently kneaded? The dough will lose its tackiness and become smooth and springy. You want the dough to be silky smooth. As it is almost impossible to over-knead bread, it is better to knead too much than not enough.</div>
<br />Form the dough into a smooth round and place it seam down in a bowl. Lightly cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel (making certain the bowl is large enough to allow for a doubling or tripling of the dough as it rises without it hitting the cover) and let it rise in a warm place (ideally 80º F) for about an hour and half.<div>
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When the first rising is complete, gently place your fist into the center of the dough and press down, deflating it. Gentle peel away the dough from the sides of the bowl and fold it under itself all around the edge until you have a round ball again. Cover the bowl and let it rise again, this time about 45 minutes.</div>
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Once again you want to deflate and re-round the dough. Let it rest for a few minutes.</div>
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Divide the dough in two and shape each piece into a loaf. Place the loaves in buttered loaf pans and let them proof (the third rising) for about half an hour. You'll want to keep a close eye on this third rising because it can easily get away from you and over rise. About half-way through the proof you want to adjust your oven racks so the loaves will be as nearly in the middle of the oven as possible and start preheating the oven to 350º F so it will be hot when the loaves are ready.</div>
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When the loaves have risen and the oven is hot, place the loaves as close to the center of the oven as possible. Bake at 350º F for one hour. The crust should be a rich, deep golden brown when it is done.</div>
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And finally, ENJOY!</div>
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-85392040856564701392012-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:002012-11-29T11:43:37.104-08:00Red Wine Pot Roast<i>"Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth."</i><div>
~Diane Ackerman, <i>A Natural History of the Senses</i></div>
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We are shut away as the weather turns cold, our doors and windows fast against the chill, closing out the world around us we so enjoy when the weather is more pleasant. Yet it is not without advantage. Closing homes against Jack Frost means also that they fill with the sights, sounds, and smells of domesticity to greet us when we escape from the bitter weather. There is nothing quite as comforting as coming home to warmth and the smells of cooking.</div>
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One of my favorite cold-weather dishes is pot roast. It is simple and straightforward. Hearty. And you cook this one with wine.</div>
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The smell of this cooking is certain to raise spirits and increase appetites. </div>
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<b>Red Wine Pot Roast</b></div>
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3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast</div>
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2 Tbs olive oil</div>
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½ cup water</div>
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½ cup red wine</div>
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1 tsp whole pepper corns</div>
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2 tsp salt</div>
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1 bulb of garlic, each clove peeled and sliced lengthwise</div>
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1 onion, sliced</div>
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6 medium potatoes, washed and cut into 2-inch pieces</div>
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3 large carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into 2-inch lengths</div>
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6 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths</div>
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Preheat an oven to 350º F.</div>
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Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Brown the roast on all sides and remove from the heat.</div>
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With a sharp, thin knife - I use a fillet knife - make small cuts on the surface of the roast and insert the garlic cloves.</div>
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Pour in the water and wine. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper corns. Arrange the onion slices on and around the roast.</div>
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Cover the Dutch oven and bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours.</div>
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While the roast is cooking prepare the potatoes, carrots, and celery.</div>
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After 2 hours, add the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Check the moisture of the roast and add some additional water if it looks dry. Continue baking covered for another hour.</div>
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The roast is best served <i>au jus</i>, which just means you use the remaining liquid from the Dutch oven as a kind of light gravy over the meat. If the liquid is sparse after removing the meat, just add a little more red wine and heat it in the Dutch oven over a medium heat.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-27605841899675137022012-11-12T13:17:00.002-08:002012-11-12T13:17:52.497-08:00Baked Pumpkin Buttermilk Doughnuts<i>"Don't miss the doughnut by looking through the hole."</i><br />
~ Anonymous<br />
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Let's get this out of the way right now. This is a post about toroidal ring doughnuts (Bet you didn't know that's the technical term for the common hole-in-the-middle doughnut, did you? Neither did I.) and not filled doughnuts. And these toroidal ring doughnuts are baked, not fried. So you'll need a doughnut pan to make them.<br />
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According to sources (read: the Internet) the pedigree of doughnuts is hotly disputed. Doughnuts were either invented by Dutch settlers in the 19th century - who also gave us cookies and apple pie and, one assumes, the infamous red velvet fudge cake served at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the $250 cookies from Mrs. Fields circa 1980, and perhaps the the similarly priced Neiman Marcus chocolate cookies that your mother's sister's best friend was duped into buying by a pleasantly smiling waitress in 1994 - or by an American sailor by the name of Hanson Gregory in 1847 who, being a know-it-all 16-year old, felt that his mother's cooking was too greasy and never quite done enough in the middle and so took it upon himself to better her <i>olykoeks</i>.<br />
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Gregory was of Dutch stock so the Dutch still get a certain fame regardless of which version you choose to believe. </div>
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Interestingly enough, doughnuts first get a mention in culinary literature in 1803 in an English Volume which included doughnuts in an appendix of American recipes. As this was a good 44 years before Hanson claimed to have bettered his mother's under-cooked <i>olykoeks </i>and 28 years before he was even born, one has to wonder if the American sailor was just full of it.</div>
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However they came to be, doughnuts were and are a popular treat. And as fall freezes into winter anything I can add pumpkin to is welcome. These doughnuts are wonderfully light and rich and the buttermilk and pumpkin give them a real feel of fall.</div>
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<b>Baked Pumpkin Buttermilk Donuts</b></div>
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1 3/4 cup flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice<br />
1/3 cup olive oil<br />
1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
1/2 cup packed brown sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
3/4 cup pumpkin puree<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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<b>Sugar Coating</b><br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/2 Tbs cinnamon<br />
8 Tbs butter, melted<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350° F.<br />
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Combine all the dry ingredients except the brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well.<br />
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In another bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients plus the brown sugar. Whisk together until smooth.<br />
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Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet using a spoon. You do not want to over-mix.<br />
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Spoon the batter into a greased doughnut pan, filling just shy of the top as the doughnuts will rise quite a bit.<br />
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the thick portion of the doughnut comes out clean.<br />
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Remove the doughnuts from the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack while you prepare the sugar coating.<br />
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Melt the butter completely. Pour the butter into a small, flat-bottomed bowl or dish. In another flat-bottomed bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.<br />
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Take a doughnut and dip it face-down into the melted butter. You want to coat the top and sides with butter. Immediately put it in the sugar coating mixture, making certain you get all the butter covered with the sugar.<br />
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Put the doughnut back on the cooling rack, face-up, and repeat with the remaining doughnuts.<br />
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Best enjoyed warm!<br />
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Makes about 10 standard sized doughnuts.</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-49398292134171579962012-09-05T12:20:00.000-07:002012-09-05T12:47:38.382-07:00Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie<i>"The natural term of an apple-pie is but twelve hours. It reaches its highest state about one hour after it comes from the oven, and just before its natural heat has quite departed. But every hour afterward is a declension. And after it is one day old, it is thence-forward but the ghastly corpse of apple-pie."</i><br />
~Henry Ward Beecher<br />
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We had guests coming over for dinner. The dinner part was easy, pork ribs. Lots of them. Smothered in a spicy sauce. But I also wanted to make a dessert. I have this nostalgic feeling about summer fare and apple pie, even though I don't particularly like apple pie. But I figured the pie would go well with the ribs. So I bought apples. Gorgeous, golden-green apples.</div>
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And then the doubt set in.</div>
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Should I really make something I don't like?</div>
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Maybe not.</div>
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I like cinnamon rolls. A lot. One of my favourite desserts. </div>
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I decided I would make cinnamon rolls.</div>
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And again, the doubt set in.</div>
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Is it lame to make a dessert like cinnamon rolls - a very breakfast-esque pastry - to follow up a hearty meal like ribs?</div>
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Maybe.</div>
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So what to do..?</div>
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The thing I do not like about apple pie, and pies in general, is the crust. I am just not a fan of pie crust. I feel that the best pie crust, as flaky and tender as can be imagined, is still too...<i>something</i>. It is not a <i>something </i>I can readily put my finger on. But I don't enjoy it. I usually end up eating the filling and leaving behind a hollow shell. Like the corpse of a Tauntaun. Yes, I think it is that gross.</div>
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I do love cinnamon rolls though. So...why not do the You-Got-Your-Apple-Pie-In-My-Cinnamon-Rolls thing? No reason not to try.</div>
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I was uncertain what the outcome would be with this. I'm certain someone somewhere has done this before, but I like my kitchen experiments to be mine and so did not go searching for already-done recipes. I just combined my cinnamon roll recipe and my apple pie recipe and crossed my fingers. I think it turned out fabulous.</div>
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<b>Cinnamon Rolls</b></div>
2 to 2 1/4 cups flour<br />
1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1/8 cup sugar<br />
1/8 cup butter<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 egg<br />
3 Tbsp butter, softened<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
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In a large bowl combine 3/4 cup of the flour and the yeast. Heat the milk, granulated sugar, the 1/8 cup butter and salt just until mixture is warm (about 120º to 130º degrees) and the butter is almost melted, stirring constantly.<br />
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Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Add the egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of bowl. Beat on high for another 3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can to make a very soft dough.<br />
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape the dough into a ball.</div>
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Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).<br />
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Punch the dough down and shape into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.</div>
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Roll the dough into a rectangle 12-inches by 8-inches. </div>
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Spread with 3 Tbsp softened butter. Combine the brown sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle it over the rectangle.</div>
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Roll the rectangle up from a short side. Seal the long edge.</div>
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Start slicing the dough roll into 1/2-inch pieces. As you cut each slice, place it in the greased pie pan, squashing the roll flat, arranging them first along the edges and then to fill in at the bottom of the pan.</div>
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You want to make certain you leave enough of the roll to make a top for the pie as well.</div>
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Preheat oven to 425°F.<br />
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<b>Apple Filling</b><br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
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1/4 cup flour</div>
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1/2 tsp ground cinnamon</div>
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1/2 tsp ground nutmeg</div>
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1/8 tsp salt</div>
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8 cups sliced, cored and peeled tart apples (8 medium)</div>
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2 Tbsp butter</div>
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In large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in apples until well mixed.<br />
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Spoon into the cinnamon roll-lined pie pan. Cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle over filling. </div>
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Take the remaining cinnamon roll roll and continue slicing it into 1/2-inch thick slices. Squash the slices flat and start forming the crust on top of the apple filling, placing them close together to form a solid shell.</div>
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(The pie bird is not necessary, but if you've got one, by all means use it; they are beautiful and will vent steam from the filling lowering the chance of filling boil-over.)</div>
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Cover the pie with foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. </div>
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Serve warm.</div>
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And enjoy!<br />
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And in case you were curious, the pie was a hit at dinner. The guests loved it.</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-57952685909978732462012-06-10T10:21:00.000-07:002012-06-10T10:21:11.496-07:00Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes<i>"There's nothing a cupcake and coffee can't solve."</i><br />
~Marie Williams Johnstone <br />
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<i>"I absolutely love making chocolate chip cookies. I mean, it's fun. It's exciting. Beyond the fact that I love making them, I love eating them."</i><br />
~ Debbi Fields<br />
<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>I would like to take a moment to thank two very important women in the history of civilization:
Eliza Leslie and Ruth Graves Wakefield.<br />
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Not familiar with these two enlightened souls? For shame!<br />
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The earliest documentation of the term "cupcake" can be found in Eliza Leslie's seminal work, <i>Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats</i>, published in 1828. Yes, cupcakes were around before that, possibly as early as the late 1700s, but Ms. Leslie chronicled the sobriquet we know and love.</div>
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Ruth Graves Wakefield owned the Toll House Inn, in Whitman, Massachusetts. Toll House. Yes, that's ringing a bell in your head, isn't it? Ms. Wakefield's very popular restaurant featured home cooking and her cookbook, <i>Toll House Tried and True Recipes</i>, published in 1936, included the recipe for "Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie". The first chocolate chip cookie recipe.</div>
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Without these two women the world would be bereft of cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies.</div>
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Take a moment to think about that. And to thank them.</div>
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Of course, anyone who has made chocolate chip cookies has eaten the cookie dough. And this is a bit of heaven, dropped by large spoonfuls, in itself. Perhaps all the more so because we are so often admonished today with warnings of avoiding eating anything containing raw eggs. But eat the raw dough we do. And we love it. </div>
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Cupcakes.</div>
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Chocolate chip cookie dough.</div>
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Who it was that first decided to combine these two pieces of bliss I do not know. But that person, inspired by divine insight or blessed with the clumsy luck that also gave us Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, also holds a special place in my heart.</div>
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Enough rambling. On to the recipe.</div>
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The cupcake is a basic chocolate cupcake that is so ridiculously simple to make (you mix in a blender) that it is almost unbelievable how good it is. The eggless cookie dough is completely safe to eat. The frosting, the <i>pièce de résistance</i>, is simply amazing. It tastes just like cookie dough.</div>
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<b>Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes</b><br />
<i>Cookie Dough Filling:</i></div>
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(This is an egg-free recipe and therefore safe to consume raw!)<br />
3/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1/8 tsp baking soda<br />
1/8 tsp salt<br />
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter<br />
1/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />
2 Tbs white sugar<br />
2 Tbs milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 cup chocolate chips<br />
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In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.</div>
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, sugars, milk and vanilla. </div>
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Stir in the dry ingredients.</div>
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Add the chocolate chips. </div>
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Refrigerate this dough for about 20 minutes, or until firm. Scoop out dough in heaping tablespoon scoops and place it on a cookie sheet. You will want 12 balls of cookie dough.</div>
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Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes. This helps keep the cookie from baking, and remain soft dough, when you bake the cupcakes.</div>
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<i>Cupcakes:</i></div>
<div>
1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1 cup granulated white sugar<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
3/4 cup hot water<br />
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a cupcake tin with 12 liners. </div>
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Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt in a blender. Blend to combine. </div>
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Add the water, oil, egg and vanilla. Blend well, scraping down the sides as needed. </div>
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Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners. </div>
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Drop a ball of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough into the center of each cupcake.</div>
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Bake the cupcakes 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake portion of the cupcake, and not through the center where the cookie dough is, comes out clean.</div>
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The balls of cookie dough have been hidden away by the rising of the cupcake batter!</div>
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Cool the cupcakes completely before adding the frosting.<br />
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<i>Frosting:</i><br />
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter<br />
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar<br />
1/3 cup packed brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 Tbs milk<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
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In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars, mixing until smooth and creamy.</div>
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Mix in the flour, milk and vanilla and continue to mix until all is well combined.</div>
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When the cupcakes are cooled completely, it is time for assembly.</div>
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Frost the cupcakes with a knife or spatula. You want the frosting to resemble a dropped cookie, so avoid covering the cupcake completely or making it too smooth.</div>
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Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and press them slightly into the frosting to complete the look of an uncooked chocolate chip cookie.</div>
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What you get are a dozen delicious chocolate cupcakes filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with what looks and tastes like an uncooked chocolate chip cookie! Delicious!</div>
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<br /></div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-1872752278606464952012-05-08T06:28:00.001-07:002013-08-27T09:16:39.104-07:00Pear and Ginger Muffins<i>"It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption."</i><br />
~Edward Bunyard <br />
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I tend to cook and bake for and from emotion. I like the feelings that the aroma of cooking or baking evoke in my mind, the sentiments that the mixture of colours can induce, and the passion that the tactile sensations of working with my hands stirs up. I can alter my mood, turn sadness into a mellow joy, or fortify a feeling, making the comfort of home feel more like Home, by making something in the kitchen. Some of these emotions are inherent within things like kneading bread or the smell of freshly milled grain or the feel of butter on my hands. Others are produced through the discovery of something new, the fusion of familiar things into an unfamiliar but very pleasing creation. A first-time elation. This recipe was one of those moments for me.<br />
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I love both the delicate, syrupy sweetness of pears and the hot, fragrant spice of ginger. And with these muffins the balance is just perfect; neither overpowers the other. The pears' juiciness make these muffins incredibly moist and infuse the crumbs with flavour and the ginger adds a wonderful edge that works to enhance, rather than hide, the pears' sweetness.<br />
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<b>Pear and Ginger Muffins</b><br />
1 3/4 cups flour<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1/2 cup packed brown sugar<br />
2
tsp baking powder<br />
1
tsp ground ginger<br />
2/3 cup sour cream<br />
1/2 cup olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon honey<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped pears, about 1/4-inch dice<br />
6 tsp raw/turbinado sugar<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400º F.<br />
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Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups.<br />
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Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and ground ginger in a large mixing bowl.<br />
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In another bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk the sour cream, oil, honey, and eggs together.<br />
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Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.<br />
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Add the diced pears.<br />
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Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.<br />
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Sprinkle each one with 1/2 tsp of the raw/turbinado sugar. (If you do not have raw/turbinado sugar you can use more brown sugar here instead.)<br />
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Bake at 400º F for 20 minutes. <br />
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Makes 12 muffins.Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-40870719290034369082012-04-30T13:05:00.001-07:002012-04-30T13:05:29.552-07:00Apple FrittersAs Carl Sagan (almost) said, <i>"If you want to make an apple fritter from scratch, you must first create the universe."</i><div>
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What the heck's a fritter anyway? Basically a fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and deep-fried. Kind of like a doughnut. Except a fritter is not a doughnut, because there is a main ingredient that the dough is holding together.</div>
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And fritters can be different things to different folks.</div>
<br />Here in the United States, fritters refer primarily to small "cakes" made with a main ingredient
(such as apples) coated in a batter and either pan-fried or deep fried. Apple fritters are pretty common. As are corn fritters. Some fritters are hiding in plain sight; crab cakes are fritters, they are just a little more pretentious.<br /><br />Across the Pond, fish and chips can be accompanied by fritters. Like a pineapple fritter, which is a pineapple ring dipped in batter and deep-fried. They go nicely with the deep-fried fish and deep-fried potatoes.<div>
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Throughout Asia you can find fritters using exotic sobriquets such as <i>cucur </i>(Malaysia), <i>a-kyaw</i> (Burma), <i>gorengan</i> (Indonesia), and <i>tempura </i>(Japan), just to name a few.</div>
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I have even heard rumours that they eat some kind of corn fritters in Australia, but I've been too afraid to ask the few Aussies I know for details.</div>
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The making of an American apple fritter is fairly easy and quick.</div>
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<b>Apple Fritters</b></div>
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1-1/4 cups flour, sifted</div>
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1 Tbs sugar<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt</div>
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2 eggs, beaten<br />2/3 cup milk<br />1 Tbs oil (I use the olive variety)<br />1/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese<br />3 to 4 firm apples</div>
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Powdered sugar, for dusting<br /><br />Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. </div>
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In another, large bowl, blend the eggs, milk and oil.</div>
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once. </div>
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Mix in the cheese. </div>
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Mix it all together until just moistened.</div>
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Pare (fancy-pants speak for peel), core and cut the apples into matchsticks (about 3 cups).</div>
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Stir the apples into the batter.</div>
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<br /><br />Drop the apple mixture from a tablespoon into a pan of deep fat heated to 375º F. Fry each batch 3 to 4 minutes, or until puffy and golden, turning once.</div>
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Drain well. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm. </div>
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This makes about 8 to 10 fritters.</div>
</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-19650885020995301782012-04-03T15:52:00.001-07:002012-04-03T15:52:34.739-07:00Baked Eggs with Goat Cheese and Spinach in Bell Pepper Rings<i>"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."</i><div>
~John Gunther</div>
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I really wanted to call these <i>Goat Cheese and Spinach Quiche in Bell Pepper Rings</i>. But let's be honest, this is not a quiche. Sigh. Neither is it an omelet, nor a frittata, nor a strata. I could have gone with <i>œufs dans les poivrons verts.</i> But that is getting carried away.<br />
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The girls were hungry and it was time for breakfast. Looking through the refrigerator I found eggs, a bag of fresh spinach, several bell peppers and some goat cheese.<br />
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I had no desire to make an omelet, but wanted something fun.<br />
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Ah, inspiration!<br />
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The concept was simple enough: slice the bell peppers into one-inch slices, beat the eggs, mix in the spinach and cheese, and bake until perfect.<br />
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The execution was a little more complex, but not very much so.<br />
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6 large eggs<br />
1 large bell pepper<br />
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves<br />
4 ounces of goat cheese<br />
Salt & pepper<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350° F.<br />
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Slice the bell peppers into one-inch rings - go for four rings. Coarsely chop the spinach. Crumble the cheese. Beat the eggs with a small amount of water (less than a table spoon per egg used).<br />
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Place the bell pepper rings on a griddle on low heat (about 250° F) or a frying pan on low. Drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil into each ring. Pour the mixed eggs into each ring with just enough to completely cover the bottom of each ring with about 1/8-inch of egg. Let it cook until the egg is well set.<br />
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Transfer the bell pepper rings to a baking tray covered in baking parchment. Fill the bell pepper rings about halfway with eggs, then add generous amounts of spinach and crumbled cheese. Fill the bell pepper rings up to almost the top with eggs and add more spinach and cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper.<br />
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Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set.</div>
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Let the little <i>œufs dans les poivrons verts,</i> I mean baked eggs in green bell peppers, cool for a few minutes.</div>
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And then enjoy!</div>
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This recipe is easy to scale up or down and the easy prep of chopping, crumbling and mixing can be done well beforehand to make this a quick breakfast treat.</div>
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<br /><br /><br /></div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-71615055378361189752012-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:002012-02-06T12:08:55.404-08:00Roasted Pork Loin with Root Vegetables<i>"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."</i><br />
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~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, <i>Pavarotti, My Own Story</i><br />
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This is a meal worthy of a holiday setting, yet also sits well at an informal table. It is hearty and filling and fills the house with a rich aroma usually only found at Thanksgiving or Christmastime.<br />
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<i>For the sauce:</i><br />
6 bacon slices, cut in half<br />
6 cups chicken broth
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1 1/2 cups dry white wine
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1/2 cup lingon berries jelly or preserves<br />
1 1/4
tsp minced fresh rosemary<br />
3 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh rosemary is like a tiny piece of heaven and it is so easy to grow.</td></tr>
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Cook the bacon in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon onto paper towels to drain. Discard the drippings from the pan. Put the chicken broth, wine, lingon berries jelly or preserves, and rosemary in the pan. Boil until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups. Return the cooked bacon slices to the sauce and boil until the liquid is reduced to 1 1/3 cups. Strain the sauce into small saucepan. Add the butter. Whisk over low heat until sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
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The sauce can be prepared a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.<br />
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<i>For the rub:</i><br />
2 tsp cumin seeds<br />
2
tsp coarse salt
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1
tsp black peppercorns
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1
tsp black cardamon seeds (from about 30 whole green or white cardamon pods)
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cumin seeds, salt, peppercorns and cardamon all need to be finely ground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">I use a mortar and pestle to grind the spices.</td></tr>
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Finely grind the cumin seeds, salt, peppercorns and cardamon - I use a mortar and pestle, but a coffee grinder works very well.
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<i>For the roast and vegetables:</i><br />
1 4-pound to 4 1/4-pound center-cut boneless pork loin<br />
1 tablespoon olive oil
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2 1/2 pounds large russet potatoes (about 5), peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 2-inch pieces<br />
1 1/2 pounds large parsnips (about 4), peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces, thick portions halved lengthwise
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1 1/2 pounds large carrots (about 4), peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces, thick portions halved lengthwise
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8 large garlic cloves, peeled
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3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
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6 Tbs olive oil
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Place the pork in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Rub the olive oil over the entire surface of the pork. Now rub on the spice mixture, massaging the spices into the pork. Cover and refrigerate for four hours - or up to one day.<br />
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Position your oven rack in center of the oven. Preheat to 400°F.<br />
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Place potatoes, parsnips, carrots, garlic and rosemary in a large roasting pan - this pan will be accommodating the the pork loin as well so it needs to be very large. Drizzle the vegetables with five tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on center rack 45 minutes, turning vegetables occasionally.<br />
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Remove the roasting pan from oven. Pushing the vegetables to sides of the pan, clear a space in the center for the pork. Place the pork in center of pan.<br />
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Return the pan to the center rack and cook until the vegetables are brown and cooked through and pork has a center temperature of 150°F, about 1 hour. Turn the vegetables occasionally.<br />
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Remove the pan from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Rewarm the sauce over low heat, whisking constantly.<br />
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Place pork roast in center of large platter and surround with all the vegetables.<br />
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Serve and enjoy.<br />
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This will feed a hungry family of six.</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-8963259392661222802012-01-09T15:32:00.000-08:002012-01-09T15:32:16.633-08:00Purple SmoothieBlueberries! Pomegranates! Bananas! Oh my!<br />
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I do like smoothies. </div>
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Showing up in the 1930s as pureed fruit drinks based on recipes that originated in Brazil, the smoothie (or smoothee, or smoothy) has steadily gained popularity throughout the world. In the 1940s, Waring Blendor began including recipes for smoothies in their cookbooks, including such exotic flavours as banana and pineapple. They enjoyed a significant surge in popularity with the hippies during the 60s, appealing to the healthful, macrobiotic crowd. By the 1970s they were a staple of health food restaurants and even smoothie shops.</div>
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They are sweet, fruity and can be very healthy. What's not to like about that?</div>
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This is a simple recipe that includes three of my favorite flavours: bananas, blueberries and pomegranates. </div>
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<b>Purple Smoothie</b></div>
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1 cup yogurt</div>
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1 banana</div>
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1/2 cup blueberries, frozen</div>
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1/2 cup pomegranates</div>
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1 raw egg<br />1 Tbs flax seed</div>
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If you don't care to use a raw egg, you can choose the protein of your choice, such as whey or soy protein powder.<div>
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For a little extra sweetness, you can add 2 tsp of honey or sweetener of your choice.</div>
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Put all the ingredients in a blender (I use a Vitamix).</div>
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Blend well.</div>
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With loads of pterostilbene, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, flavonols, and tannins, this is a healthy and tasty snack or addition to a good meal. And it is easy enough to double it up if you want to share this incredible smoothie with someone.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q_Ee9SQ8tE/Twtws4pya6I/AAAAAAAA3Lg/JmixFqzA7XA/s1600/1325957241558-1.jpg"></a></div>
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</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-22265105237978761832011-12-05T11:49:00.001-08:002011-12-12T12:54:06.353-08:00Gingerbread Waffles<div>
<i>Come sit at my table and share with me</i><br />
<i>Warm gingerbread cookies and cinnamon tea</i><br />
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There is something spectacularly Christmas-y about gingerbread. From the treacly spice cake of English gingerbread to the crunchy yet delicate Piparkakut of Finnish gingerbread to the Lebkuchen houses of German gingerbread, the smell of ginger and cinnamon and nutmeg and molasses baking together summons up memories of Christmases from childhood. </div>
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Brought to Europe in 992 by an Armenian monk by the name of Gregory of Nicopolis, gingerbread has enjoyed lasting popularity in its many forms throughout Europe and in America and is especially treasured at Christmastime when the weather turns colder.</div>
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This is a breakfast version of the beloved treat and has the same heavenly aroma as you bake it. The rich, spicy flavour goes very well with the delicate vanilla of homemade whipped cream.</div>
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<b>Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream</b></div>
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2 cups heavy cream<br />
1 vanilla bean<br />
1/4 cup powdered sugar<br />
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Place the cream in a medium bowl. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla seeds to the cream and whisk gently to combine. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for one hour.</div>
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Beat the cream at medium speed with an electric mixer or use a wire whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and continue to beat just until stiff peaks form. Do not over whip.</div>
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Cover and refrigerate until your waffles are ready to be served.<br />
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<b>Gingerbread Waffles</b><br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
4 tsp baking powder<br />
2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
2 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
4 large eggs<br />
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
1 16-ounce canned pumpkin puree<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1/2 cup molasses<br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter<br />
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Preheat the waffle iron.</div>
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In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.</div>
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In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter.</div>
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Stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moist. Do not over-stir.</div>
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Brush the waffle iron with a little melted butter. Add batter according to the waffle iron manufacturer's directions.</div>
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My waffle iron takes just under a cup of batter.<br />
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Bake until a rich, golden brown and slightly crisp.<br />
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Serve immediately, topped with the fresh vanilla whipped cream.<br />
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This makes about 8 to 10 large waffles.<br />
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If you don't have a waffle iron, no need to miss out on the yumminess. It is easy to convert a waffle batter into a pancake batter. With waffles, you are going for crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside; but with pancakes you want a moist, cake-like texture throughout.<br />
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Eliminate the melted butter. Reduce the baking powder to 3 tsp. Once the batter is mixed up, if it seems too thick, add a little bit of extra milk. You don't want the pancakes to be too thick as they will remain uncooked in the middle. Pour 1/3 cup of batter at a time on a medium heat pan or griddle. Flip the pancake when you begin to see plenty of bubbles at the top of the batter.<br />
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</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-49576774065362129492011-11-23T07:40:00.001-08:002011-11-29T16:23:53.479-08:00Lasagna<i>"Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna." </i><br />
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~Garfield<br />
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As the weather gets colder my cooking shifts to heavier, heartier fare. Stews and baked dishes make regular appearances. Not only are they warming and filling, they also make for wonderful leftovers that get better and better each time they are reheated. A favourite in our house is lasagna. This recipe, although more time consuming than using a canned red-sauce, is well worth the effort. And the amount of sauce you end up with is more than you need for the lasagna itself so the leftover can be used as a sauce for spaghetti or other pasta dish.<br />
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<b>Lasagna</b><br />
1 pound ground beef<br />
3/4 pound ground pork<br />
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1 Tbs butter</div>
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1 Tbs olive oil</div>
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1/2 medium onion, minced<br />
6 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes<br />
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste<br />
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce<br />
1 Tbs sugar<br />
1½ tsp dried basil leaves<br />
1 Tbs salt<br />
1/4 tsp ground black pepper<br />
4 Tbs chopped fresh parsley<br />
12 lasagna noodles<br />
16 ounces ricotta cheese<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced<br />
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aPeowJwnRM0/Ts0fpjbcqHI/AAAAAAAA3FI/rZWeppJnkNg/s1600/onion_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aPeowJwnRM0/Ts0fpjbcqHI/AAAAAAAA3FI/rZWeppJnkNg/s400/onion_sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tip: chopping or mincing an onion is much easier if you make parallel slices down through the onion , but not all the way through, and then make another set of parallel slices perpendicular to those, again almost all the way through. You can then turn the onion on its side and cut through for perfect pieces.</td></tr>
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In a large pan, cook the ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until lightly browned. Drain off excess grease.<br />
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In a Dutch oven, melt butter and olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until transparent. Add browned meat and stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce. </div>
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Season with the sugar, basil, 1 Tbs salt, pepper, and 2 Tbs parsley.<br />
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Simmer, covered, for about 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.<br />
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Prepare the noodles as per package directions. <br />
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In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix well.<br />
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Preheat oven to 375° F.<br />
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Cut the mozzarella cheese into thick slices.<br />
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Spread 1½ cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Arrange six noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Spread one half of the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the meat sauce. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1½ cups of the meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining six noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.<br />
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Cover with foil.<br />
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Bake at 375° F for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. <br />
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</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-9574463880053498132011-11-18T07:39:00.001-08:002011-11-19T18:56:35.509-08:00Holiday Harvest Loaf<i>"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."</i><br />
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~Melody Beattie</div>
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Like many Americans, each year our family gathers for Thanksgiving. This is a big affair including what most would call extended family. The host - usually my aunt - provides the turkey and in the great American tradition of the potluck, everyone else brings all the fixings, side dishes and desserts.<br />
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For many years now - more than a decade! - I have volunteered to bring the bread. This is not surprising. I love making bread. In fact, I have been told I should have a <i>bread </i>blog, rather than a cooking blog. Perhaps so.<br />
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I don't make rolls or traditional loaves for the feast; but rather I take the opportunity to make an elegant and "fancy" bread that adds to the splendor of the meal. Here's the secret: it is not complicated and is certainly not hard to pull off. Yet the results are worth some accolades and a request for a repeat performance for next year.</div>
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<b>Holiday Harvest Loaf</b></div>
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5½ cups all-purpose flour</div>
2 packages active dry yeast<br />
1 Tbs salt<br />
¼ cup olive oil<br />
1¾ cups water<br />
1 beaten egg white<br />
1 Tbs water<br />
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Making the dough is a pretty straightforward affair; it is a simple white flour dough. The artistry comes in the presentation.<br />
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Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and yeast and mix well. Add the olive oil and then slowly add the water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon and picking up all the flour mixture.<br />
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Add enough of the water to make a soft, pliable dough. You may need to add a little extra water if the dough is too dry.<br />
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic - about five to eight minutes. (If you have a Kitchen-Aid, put on the dough hook and let it knead the dough for about five minutes.)<br />
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Shape the dough into a ball. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat all sides of the dough. Cover and let it rest about an hour.<br />
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When the dough has about doubled in bulk, punch it down with your fist and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest about 10 minutes.<br />
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Here's where the real fun begins!<br />
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Take about a quarter of the dough and on a lightly floured surface roll out a rectangle about 16 inches long, 10 inches wide and about ½-inch thick. Use a little bit of flour on the rolling pin to keep it from sticking.</div>
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Using a knife, cut out a keyhole shape. You can use a small plate as a guide for the top, round end. Line a baking sheet with parchment and carefully transfer the keyhole to it.<br />
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Take three small pieces of dough and roll them into long, thin pieces, about 8 inches long. Spread the strands in front of you and join then at the top end. Braid them together, crossing the left strand over the middle strand to the right and then the right strand over the middle strand to the left.<br />
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Carefully raise the round end of the keyhole and place the braid under it, centering it at the bottom of the circle. Press down the keyhole where the braid goes under it to flatten it out.<br />
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Hand roll out 20 to 30 pieces about 8 inches long and as thin as you can get them. Brush the bottom of the keyhole with a little water to get the dough tacky and lay out the thin dough strands from the place where the braid goes under the keyhole to the bottom.<br />
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When you have completely covered the base of the keyhole with the thin strands, fold in the two ends of the braid over the tops of the strands, crossing one over the other and pressing lightly to seal.<br />
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Using the remaining dough, make small, slightly elongated balls. Brush the round portion of the keyhole with a little water to make it tacky and place a row of balls around the outer edge. Continue to add balls to fill in the center.<br />
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If you have any leftover dough you can make a mouse with a long tail to add near the bottom of the strands.<br />
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Let the dough rest for about an hour.<br />
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Preheat oven to 375°F.</div>
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Brush the Harvest Loaf with a mixture of egg whites and 1 Tbs of water.</div>
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Bake for 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the loaf becomes a rich, golden colour.</div>
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Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This isn't bread that you slice, but rather is best when torn off in pieces and enjoyed in small roll-sized pieces. Perfect for dipping in gravy or just smothered in butter.<br />
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Enjoy it. Share it. As W.J. Cameron said, <i>"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action."</i></div>
</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-44068957055703951642011-10-24T14:36:00.000-07:002011-10-24T14:36:02.536-07:00Whole Wheat Molasses Oatmeal Bread<i>"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou." </i><br />
~Omar Khayyam <br />
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It was a bread baking kind of Sunday. The weekend had a crazy start. And with a climbing comp and a birthday party all taken care of, it was time to bake. </div>
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But what kind of bread to make?<br />
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I asked the Chickabiddy.<br />
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"Whole wheat," she answered. There had been food at the comp - very good food - but the bread had been the spongy white stuff and she was craving whole wheat.<br />
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I had been thinking of making my soon-to-be famous molasses oat bread. In fact, I had gotten a request for the recipe just recently. But why not make some soon-to-be-famous <i>whole wheat </i>molasses oat bread? I'm not afraid to experiment in the kitchen and half the time I make up recipes anyway - I'm just not very good at remembering to write them down afterwards! The results were fabulous. The whole wheat adds an extra level of wholesomeness and the molasses adds a kiss of sweet that makes this bread perfect with just a pat of butter.</div>
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As is my way, I mill my own whole wheat flour, but store-bought whole wheat will work just fine for this delicious recipe.<br />
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<b>Whole Wheat Molasses Oatmeal Bread</b></div>
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2 cups whole wheat flour</div>
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3¾<span class="Apple-style-span"> to 4</span>¼<span class="Apple-style-span"> cups all purpose flour</span></div>
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2 packages active dry yeast</div>
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1¾ cups water</div>
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1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats</div>
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1/2 cup light molasses</div>
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1/3 cup butter</div>
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1 Tbs salt</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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Quick-cooking rolled oats</div>
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1 beaten egg white</div>
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1 Tbs water</div>
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In a large mixing bowl combine the whole wheat flour and the yeast. Set aside.<br />
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In a saucepan heat the 1¾ cups water, the 1 cup rolled oats, light molasses, butter and salt until just warm (115°F to 120°F) and the butter is just melted.<br />
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Add this to the whole wheat flour and yeast mixture.<br />
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Add the two eggs. Beat at a low speed for two minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly.<br />
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Beat at high speed for three minutes.</div>
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Stir in as much of the all-purpose white flour as you can mix in with a spoon. If you have a Kitchen-Aid, put on the dough hook and let it knead the dough for about five minutes, adding enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic.</div>
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(If you do not have a Kitchen-Aid, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic - about five minutes.)<br />
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Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball into a lightly greased bowl, turn once to coat all sides of the dough.<br />
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Cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk - about 1½ hours.<br />
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Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half. Cover and let rest about 10 minutes. Grease two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Shape the dough into loaves and place them into the prepared pans.<br />
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Cover and let rise until nearly doubled - about 45 to 60 minutes. Brush loaves with a mixture of egg whites and 1 Tbs of water. Sprinkle the tops lightly with additional rolled oats.<br />
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Bake in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the loaves are a rich golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles. Remove from the pans and let cool on a wire rack.<br />
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Enjoy!</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-41593228068926142582011-09-19T11:39:00.000-07:002011-09-19T11:39:57.409-07:00Eggs en Cocotte (with Mushrooms and Spinach)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"></span><i>"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."</i><br />
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~John Gunther<br />
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egg en cocotte <i>n</i> /<img src="http://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ebreve.gif" />g -ɛn -kəʊˈkɒt kə/ egg cooked individually in a small ramekin<br />
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(Ramekin? It is just a small dish used for baking and serving. You'll need four of them for this recipe.)</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">I like making breakfast. There's a certain edge to morning hunger that seems to make people more appreciative and creates an atmosphere conducive to </span><span class="Apple-style-span">vocalized praise. And to me, the "mmmmmms" and "ahhhhhs" are the real reward of being a cook.</span></div>
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<i>Eggs en Cocotte</i> are perfect because they sound like fancy French cuisine but are actually very simple to make.</div>
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In its simplest form, an 'egg en cocotte' is just an egg baked with either butter or cream in a diminutive casserole dish, with the whites set and the yolk soft.</div>
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But the variations of what you can do with that base are endless. This iteration was inspired by a post on Google+'s amazing <i><a href="http://www.thesocialskillet.com/">Social Skillet</a></i> and for it I raided the garden and supplemented that with some mushrooms. The results were spectacular.</div>
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<b>Eggs en Cocotte (with Mushrooms and Spinach)</b><br />
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped<br />
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped<br />
1 red bell pepper, chopped<br />
4 leaves (straws) chives, chopped<br />
10 mushrooms, chopped<br />
6 cups raw baby spinach<br />
1 Tbs olive oil<br />
1 Tbs unsalted butter<br />
5-8 basil leaves, shredded<br />
4 large eggs<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the ramekins with oil or butter and set aside.<br />
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In a large pan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic, onion, pepper, and mushrooms until tender.<br />
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Add the baby spinach and chives and cook until soft. Season sparingly with salt and pepper.<br />
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Now fill the four ramekins with equal portions of this delicious veggie mix. Make a well in the middle, with the bottom covered, for the eggs.<br />
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Carefully break an egg into each of the prepared ramekins. Season with salt and pepper and top with the basil.<br />
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Place the ramekins in a baking pan (an 8-inch by 11-inch "brownie pan" works very well) and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.<br />
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Bake the eggs for about 15 minutes for soft, runny eggs, or about 18 minutes for more set eggs. The eggs do continue to cook in the ramekins even after you remove them from the oven.<br />
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Makes 4 servings.</div>
Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-14177460936316402512011-08-22T12:58:00.000-07:002011-08-22T12:58:39.160-07:00Honey Whole Wheat Bread<i>"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said, "is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides are very good indeed."</i><br />
~Lewis Carroll, <i>The Walrus and the Carpenter</i><br />
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The Chickabiddy has started school again. And school means packing lunches. And one thing the Chickabiddy loves is sandwiches. Especially peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is not uncommon. According to the <i>Great Food Almanac</i>, the average American student will have consumed approximately 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches upon graduation from high school. That's a lot of PB&J!<br />
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As I have <a href="http://zegedinesandbellytimber.blogspot.com/2011/06/hapanleipa-finnish-sour-rye-bread.html">stated before</a> and will state again and again, <i>I love baking bread!</i> There is something magical and therapeutic in the process. So each weekend I bake bread so that we have it for the following week for packed lunches or with dinner or just as a snack.<br />
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The varieties of breads one can make are pretty endless. From white breads and brown breads, whole grain breads, unleavened and leavened breads, sourdough breads and flatbreads. One of my favorite breads to make is Honey Whole Wheat. It has the whole wheat nutrition, but as it also uses white flour it is lighter and easier to make than 100% whole wheat bread.<br />
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I mill my own whole wheat because whole wheat and graham flours contain the oil-rich germ of the wheat kernel and this means that, while it is great nutrition, overflowing with vitamins B and E as well as unsaturated fat and protein, it is easily spoiled and therefor has a short shelf life.<br />
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For this reason it is hard to stock-up on whole wheat flours. They just do not last that long. But the un-milled grain will last 30 years or more. I have several five gallon, airtight stainless steel containers filled with grain. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7S03h_Tosy8/TlKh1txLYwI/AAAAAAAA2TM/R7NqsNZqM4k/s1600/1312059917074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7S03h_Tosy8/TlKh1txLYwI/AAAAAAAA2TM/R7NqsNZqM4k/s320/1312059917074.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Wheat Berries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-rLUlJuE6w/TlKh9IpyCpI/AAAAAAAA2Tc/gnPNTRilNho/s1600/1312060912365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-rLUlJuE6w/TlKh9IpyCpI/AAAAAAAA2Tc/gnPNTRilNho/s320/1312060912365.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly milled wheat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of course, you do not have to mill your own wheat. Buying whole wheat flour in small quantities - either enough for your baking project or keeping it refrigerated or in the freezer - is an excellent option if you do not want or cannot mill your own.<br />
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Either way, once you have eaten freshly baked bread prepared from whole grains, you won't want any other kind.<br />
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<b>Honey Whole Wheat Bread </b><br />
3 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour1/3 cup honey <br />
1/4 cup lard<br />
1 Tbs salt <br />
2 packages active dry yeast <br />
2 1/4 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F) <br />
3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour <br />
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Mix the whole wheat flour, honey, lard, salt and yeast in large bowl. Add the warm water. Beat this mixture with an electric mixer on low speed for about one minute, scraping the bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed for one minute, scraping the bowl frequently.<br />
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Stir in enough all-purpose flour, one cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle. You want it to to be just slightly tacky so that it clings to your hand if you press against it but does not stick to it and leave you dough-covered. <br />
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Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic.<br />
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How do you know when bread is sufficiently kneaded? The dough will lose its tackiness and become smooth and springy. As it is almost impossible to over-knead bread, it is better to knead too much than not enough.<br />
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Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn the dough around to cover all sides. Lightly cover and let it rise in a warm place for 40 to 60 minutes or until the dough is about double in bulk.<br />
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The dough is ready if you poke it with you finger and the indentation remains.<br />
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Grease the bottoms and sides of two loaf pans. Nine-inch by 5-inch or 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch pans work perfectly.<br />
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Punch down the dough and divide it in half.<br />
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Form a loaf with each half of the dough and place them in the pans.<br />
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Sprinkle the loaves lightly with whole wheat flour.<br />
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Cover and let them rise in a warm place for 35 to 50 minutes or until about double in size.<br />
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Before you preheat your oven, move the oven rack to a low position so that the tops of pans will be in center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.<br />
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Bake the loaves for 40 to 45 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.<br />
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Remove the loaves from the pans to a wire rack and let them cool about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing (this is the hardest part as the smell will be driving you wild).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>And remember, it is as Robert Browning said,<i> "If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens."</i>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-17564815760160624972011-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:002011-08-10T09:38:48.873-07:00Bacon Wrapped Eggs<br />
<i>“Yes, I’ll have a non-fat, decaf latte, please. Oh, what the hell? Look, make it a full-fat mocha with extra whipped cream. What the hell, put a slice of bacon on it!”</i><br />
~Dr. Frasier Crane, <i>Frasier</i> <br />
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There is something about the smell of bacon and eggs in the morning, whether you are at home, on vacation at a hotel or even camping, that rings the hunger-bell in most people like no other breakfast fare. <br />
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Adding a little <i>flair </i>to your bacon and eggs is easy and makes for a wondrous presentation of an old favourite.<br />
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This isn't so much a recipe as a <i>general guide</i>. Aside from the bacon and the eggs, the other ingredients are up to you. I used cheddar cheese, green onions, chives and basil from the garden for this iteration, but you can use goat cheese or Feta or provolone, garlic or marjoram or thyme. Use whatever herbs you have growing in your garden or sitting in your cupboard. Use your favourite cheese.<br />
<br />
<b>Bacon Wrapped Eggs</b><br />
Eggs<br />
Bacon<br />
Cheddar cheese<br />
Green Onion<br />
Basil <br />
Chives<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Preheat your oven to 400°.<br />
<br />
Cook the bacon on medium heat.<br />
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You'll want it to be browned but <i>not crispy</i>. Set it aside on paper towels to drain.<br />
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If you are using fresh herbs, chop them finely.<br />
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Grease a muffin pan - I used half of a 12-muffin pan for the six Bacon Wrapped Eggs I made.<br />
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Break some of the bacon into pieces to line the bottom of each muffin cup. Take a whole strip of bacon and curl it, making a circle, to line the inside edge of the muffin cup.<br />
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When the cups are all lined with bacon, break an egg into each.<br />
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</a></div>Season with the salt and pepper.<br />
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Spinkle with the cheese.<br />
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And top with the chopped green onion, chives and basil (or herbs of your choice).<br />
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Bake in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until the eggs are set.<br />
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Serve with pan-fried potatoes and ENJOY!<br />
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Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-7631007200037154762011-07-25T08:07:00.000-07:002011-07-25T08:07:12.670-07:00Halloumi & Mint Bread<i>“All sorrows are less with bread.”</i><br />
— Miguel de Cervantes<br />
<br />
As I have stated before, I love bread. Not just the consumption of bread, but the making of bread. There is something therapeutic and calming and nurturing about making bread. The creation of bread, the kneading of the dough, seems to exorcize angst and temper my cloudiest moods. And the smell of bread baking in the oven is one of my very favourite aromas. <br />
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Making loaves of whole wheat or white bread is simple and satisfying, but every so often I enjoy making a less common type of bread. Halloumi and mint bread add a perfect exotic twist.<br />
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Halloumi (sometimes spelled haloumi) is a traditional Cypriot cheese. It is made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk and dates back to the Medieval Byzantine period. It is white with a texture similar to mozzarella and has a salty flavour. It is traditionally paired with mint, mint leaves being used as a preservative, and you often find packages of Halloumi with bits of mint leaf on the surface of the cheese.<br />
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Halloumi is not exactly a common cheese and although some regular grocers may carry it, you are more likely to find it at a <span class="st">Mediterranean grocery store or deli or at a </span>store with a large cheese department, like Sunflower Market.<br />
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This bread is straightforward and simple to make.<br />
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<b>Halloumi & Mint Bread</b><br />
4 cups white flour<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
4 Tbsp olive oil<br />
4 1/2 tsp (2 packages) dry yeast<br />
1 to 1 1/4 cups warm water<br />
8 oz halloumi cheese, ripped into small pieces<br />
1 Tbsp of dried mint<br />
<br />
Mix the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast in a large bowl, adding the water gradually <span class="instructions">to form a smooth dough</span>. On a lightly floured surface, knead until the dough is elastic and springs back if you poke it with your finger (about 10 minutes). Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for one hour in a warm, draft-free place.<br />
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Line a tray with baking paper.<br />
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Remove the dough from the bowl and add the cheese and dried mint, kneading it enough to evenly distribute the cheese and mint. Shape the dough into a loaf and place it on the baking tray. Let it rise for another hour.<br />
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Lightly dust the top of the loaf with some flour and score it diagonally with a very sharp knife. Bake the loaf at 425˚F for 25-30 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and crisp on the top.<br />
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Transfer to a wire rack to cool.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And most of all, enjoy!</div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029925317101406013.post-57747100584357935102011-07-11T11:06:00.000-07:002011-07-11T11:06:44.768-07:00Crêpes Sucrées (sweet crepes)The humble crêpe.<br />
<br />
Like a pancake.<br />
<br />
But better.<br />
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I seem to be on a breakfast kick lately. Not that crêpes are strictly a breakfast food. In France, where crêpes are especially popular, they are an ubiquitous food and can serve as main course, snack or as dessert. In fact, the French have a dessert called Mille crêpe which is a cake made of many crêpe layers. <br />
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Usually made from common ingredients like flour, eggs, milk, butter, and salt, crêpes can be either sweet (crêpes sucrées) or savoury (crêpes salées). <br />
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The crêpes I make are the sweet kind and are very simple and make a wonderful alternative to pancakes.<br />
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<b>Crêpes Sucrées</b><br />
4 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
1 1/3 cups milk<br />
2 Tbs butter, melted<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
2 Tbs sugar<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until well mixed and slightly frothy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duKFuQP9l5Y/ThszQPbLPLI/AAAAAAAA1zM/LLU6TC8jKeg/s1600/DSCN9506_levels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duKFuQP9l5Y/ThszQPbLPLI/AAAAAAAA1zM/LLU6TC8jKeg/s320/DSCN9506_levels.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Add the milk, melted butter, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"></span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Using a sifter, slowly add the flour and whisk until smooth.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TSJ2uObvU8Q/Thsz7D8foyI/AAAAAAAA1zc/9ylCT5mi-XM/s1600/DSCN9508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TSJ2uObvU8Q/Thsz7D8foyI/AAAAAAAA1zc/9ylCT5mi-XM/s320/DSCN9508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">You should have a very thin batter. </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> Heat a medium-sized skillet or cr</span>ê<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">pe pan over medium heat. Grease the pan with a small amount of butter or oil. I use a pastry brush to apply the butter, but it can also be applied with a paper towel.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Here comes the tricky part. </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the cr</span>ê<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">pe batter onto the hot pan. While you are adding the batter, you need to tilt the pan, rotating it so that the bottom becomes evenly coated with the batter.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b1VNGi_igUA/Ths1o6iDvpI/AAAAAAAA1zk/V0dYgyOe7Uk/s1600/DSCN9531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b1VNGi_igUA/Ths1o6iDvpI/AAAAAAAA1zk/V0dYgyOe7Uk/s320/DSCN9531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Again, this is tricky and if you have never done it before it'll take a bit of practice to get the batter to evenly coat the pan. Also, if the pan is too hot, it will cook the batter too fast and not allow you to get a good coating.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">The </span><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">cr</span>ê<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">pe should almost immediately begin to bubble as it cooks, giving it very lacy-looking edges.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hEcmI4ObU/Ths1trJwmlI/AAAAAAAA1zs/4vs-65_ByuM/s1600/DSCN9536_levels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hEcmI4ObU/Ths1trJwmlI/AAAAAAAA1zs/4vs-65_ByuM/s320/DSCN9536_levels.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyDWU_k9sJg/Ths1rZR7_PI/AAAAAAAA1zo/r_PTy1D3LC0/s1600/DSCN9532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyDWU_k9sJg/Ths1rZR7_PI/AAAAAAAA1zo/r_PTy1D3LC0/s320/DSCN9532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"></span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Cook just one to two minutes on a side, or until golden brown.</span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4kkDQOeUl8/Ths4AozesJI/AAAAAAAA10U/c4PBfEtP6f4/s1600/DSCN9553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4kkDQOeUl8/Ths4AozesJI/AAAAAAAA10U/c4PBfEtP6f4/s320/DSCN9553.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You can serve them with any toppings you wish. They are good with maple syrup, jams and jellies, custard, whipped cream, fresh fruits, etc.<br />
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I like serving them with fresh-made whipped cream and fresh fruits dusted with powdered sugar.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">This recipe serves 4. </span> </div>Paukkuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16284586238925788542noreply@blogger.com0