We didn't get around to making anything with cranberries for Thanksgiving, but my friend bestowed a bag (12 ounces) of fresh cranberries upon me.
I roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until they started to shrivel up. Then into the food processor with the juice and zest of one orange and probably about 1/4 cup of brown sugar. The resulting paste was stirred into a sweetened, butter-enhanced biscuit dough to make cranberry-orange scones. They were delicious, but they looked like raw hamburger. Next time I would reduce the fruit:dough ratio. Then they would likely rise better and not look so meat-y.
I think that this idea would work with leftover cranberry sauce, too. Just be careful that the resulting dough isn't too wet.
Could also use the sauce in a coffee cake!
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wacky Cake
I didn't make up the name, I promise. This Depression-era cake takes advantage of ingredients that were readily available at the time. I suspect it is enjoying a new era of fame because it is also vegan. That means it is ok for people with dairy and egg sensitivities, too. That's why I bring it to potluck affairs.
After one recent affair, I was asked for the recipe. Nothing special about it, except that it is easy to make, always a hit, friendly to all but the gluten-intolerant, and tasty to boot.
Here's one version for Wacky Cake from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup white sugar
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wacky-Cake-VIII/Detail.aspx
The differences in my execution are as follows: I only use 2/3 cup of sugar; I use white vinegar instead of cider vinegar; I used 5T of oil instead of 6. Also, I don't bother to sift anything. I mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. Then put your 1c of water (I used 1 cup of cold brewed coffee with an additional scoop of instant coffee powder last time - I couldn't taste the coffee, so if I did that again I would use more instant coffee powder or use espresso powder which has a stronger taste) into a measuring cup and add the other liquid ingredients to the water (vinegar, vanilla, oil). Dump the liquid into the dry and mix it up. If you do it the way the recipe says it is hard to get the corners properly mixed. I appreciate that mixing in the baking pan results in fewer pans to wash, but washing a mixing bowl is not such a big deal that I am willing to accept unmixed dry ingredients in the corners! I do not think that this needs frosting. I have dusted with powdered sugar for a special effect.
My other tip for maximum efficiency and reduced chance of cross-contamination -- measure the soda, then salt, and last the cocoa of the dry ingredients (so that you don't contaminate your salt or soda with cocoa powder). Then measure wet ingredients with the measuring spoons - oil then vanilla then vinegar.
After one recent affair, I was asked for the recipe. Nothing special about it, except that it is easy to make, always a hit, friendly to all but the gluten-intolerant, and tasty to boot.
Here's one version for Wacky Cake from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup white sugar
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wacky-Cake-VIII/Detail.aspx
The differences in my execution are as follows: I only use 2/3 cup of sugar; I use white vinegar instead of cider vinegar; I used 5T of oil instead of 6. Also, I don't bother to sift anything. I mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk. Then put your 1c of water (I used 1 cup of cold brewed coffee with an additional scoop of instant coffee powder last time - I couldn't taste the coffee, so if I did that again I would use more instant coffee powder or use espresso powder which has a stronger taste) into a measuring cup and add the other liquid ingredients to the water (vinegar, vanilla, oil). Dump the liquid into the dry and mix it up. If you do it the way the recipe says it is hard to get the corners properly mixed. I appreciate that mixing in the baking pan results in fewer pans to wash, but washing a mixing bowl is not such a big deal that I am willing to accept unmixed dry ingredients in the corners! I do not think that this needs frosting. I have dusted with powdered sugar for a special effect.
My other tip for maximum efficiency and reduced chance of cross-contamination -- measure the soda, then salt, and last the cocoa of the dry ingredients (so that you don't contaminate your salt or soda with cocoa powder). Then measure wet ingredients with the measuring spoons - oil then vanilla then vinegar.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Easy and Impressive Dessert Times 2
Like many of you of similar age, I received an automatic ice cream maker for a wedding gift. It's great, and I use it several times a year. Enough to justify a place on the shelf.
It came with a recipe book, and one of the recipes is the easiest ever - it is for "Fudgesicle Ice Cream".
The recipe is this, combine 3 cups milk (I use 2% -- I suppose you could even use soy milk, but I haven't tried this) with either 2 small (~3 ounce) or 1 large (~5-6 ounce) package of instant chocolate pudding mix. (Oh yeah, you can use any flavor of instant pudding - it doesn't have to be chocolate.) Whisk up the mixture and add to the already spinning freezer part of the machine with the dasher already installed. Let it mix and freeze for about 20-25 minutes. Then remove ice cream to a plastic container and park it in the actual freezer for about 2 hours to ripen.
Here's the fun part -- instead of putting all the un-ripened ice cream into the actual freezer in a plastic tub, put some into popsicle molds to make "Fudgesicle" pops. I took some to a dinner party, and they were very well received.
Here's the second fun idea -- spread the soft, or partially hardened ice cream on graham cracker halves and top with the other half to make s'more like ice cream sandwiches. Either serve immediately or freeze for later. I had this last night, and I promise that even those of you who aren't in the last month of pregnancy will want more. I suppose that one could add a marshmallow, but I didn't miss it, and isn't the appeal of the marshmallow in the s'more the gooey-ness anyway? Hard to simulate with a frozen confection.
You could easily dress either of these up -- layer your ice cream in the molds with nuts or thin layers of fudge (I am concerned that thick layers might stick), or cut a long, thin slice of banana and impale it lengthwise on the popsicle stick before inserting it into the ice cream mixture. If you wanted to coat in nuts or sprinkles, do it at an un-molding stage. Unmold the pops, roll or sprinkle with your topper and then either serve or wrap in plastic and re-freeze for a really great presentation later. Similarly, you can apply nuts, sprinkles, or even more crumbled graham cracker bits to the exposed ice cream on the sides of the sandwich. Vanilla ice cream or even better, vanilla with dried apple bits and cinnamon, inside a cinnamon graham sounds awfully good, too.
It came with a recipe book, and one of the recipes is the easiest ever - it is for "Fudgesicle Ice Cream".
The recipe is this, combine 3 cups milk (I use 2% -- I suppose you could even use soy milk, but I haven't tried this) with either 2 small (~3 ounce) or 1 large (~5-6 ounce) package of instant chocolate pudding mix. (Oh yeah, you can use any flavor of instant pudding - it doesn't have to be chocolate.) Whisk up the mixture and add to the already spinning freezer part of the machine with the dasher already installed. Let it mix and freeze for about 20-25 minutes. Then remove ice cream to a plastic container and park it in the actual freezer for about 2 hours to ripen.
Here's the fun part -- instead of putting all the un-ripened ice cream into the actual freezer in a plastic tub, put some into popsicle molds to make "Fudgesicle" pops. I took some to a dinner party, and they were very well received.
Here's the second fun idea -- spread the soft, or partially hardened ice cream on graham cracker halves and top with the other half to make s'more like ice cream sandwiches. Either serve immediately or freeze for later. I had this last night, and I promise that even those of you who aren't in the last month of pregnancy will want more. I suppose that one could add a marshmallow, but I didn't miss it, and isn't the appeal of the marshmallow in the s'more the gooey-ness anyway? Hard to simulate with a frozen confection.
You could easily dress either of these up -- layer your ice cream in the molds with nuts or thin layers of fudge (I am concerned that thick layers might stick), or cut a long, thin slice of banana and impale it lengthwise on the popsicle stick before inserting it into the ice cream mixture. If you wanted to coat in nuts or sprinkles, do it at an un-molding stage. Unmold the pops, roll or sprinkle with your topper and then either serve or wrap in plastic and re-freeze for a really great presentation later. Similarly, you can apply nuts, sprinkles, or even more crumbled graham cracker bits to the exposed ice cream on the sides of the sandwich. Vanilla ice cream or even better, vanilla with dried apple bits and cinnamon, inside a cinnamon graham sounds awfully good, too.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Rhubarb Bread
Well, I made the rhubarb bread (with a few modifications) and bravely served it, untasted, to a party of about 25 people at my house last night. It was a resounding success, and I now proudly share the recipe with my modifications in [brackets].
Rhubarb Bread (K. Kramer, Bettendorf, IA, circa 1982)
2.5 c all purpose flour [I can report that I used 1.5 c whole-wheat flour and 1 c AP to no ill effect]
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c brown sugar [as usual, I cut back on the sugar by about 1/3 and used only 1/2 c of each]
2/3 c oil
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1.5 c finely diced rhubarb
separately, for the topping:
1T melted butter [I doubled this :-) for the yum factor]
1/2 cup sugar [I used brown sugar instead of white, again for the yum factor]
1/2 t cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 325F and grease 2 9x5 loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, soda, and salt. [Original recipe says to sift together, yeah right, I put them all in to a bowl and then combined with a wire whisk, again no ill effect]
3. Combine sugars, oil, buttermilk, and egg in another bowl or large measuring cup and whisk together. [The sugars will start to dissolve but won't likely dissolve all the way unless you really whisk, and you don't need to.]
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix sparingly. [Note, this is the muffin method (take note Alton Brown fans) and you don't want to overmix at this stage. The batter can become tough.]
5. Stir in the vanilla and rhubarb just to combine.
6. Pour into prepared pans.
7. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.
8. Bake 40-45 min. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Note: This is a moist bread, and the centers of the loaves will likely fall upon cooling. This is not a failure. Those of us living at altitude, probably want to increase the flour by up to 1/4 cup so that it isn't too moist. Second note: I haven't made any experiments with flour soaking etc with this recipe but am interested to learn if anyone else tries...bearing?
Rhubarb Bread (K. Kramer, Bettendorf, IA, circa 1982)
2.5 c all purpose flour [I can report that I used 1.5 c whole-wheat flour and 1 c AP to no ill effect]
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
3/4 c brown sugar [as usual, I cut back on the sugar by about 1/3 and used only 1/2 c of each]
2/3 c oil
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1.5 c finely diced rhubarb
separately, for the topping:
1T melted butter [I doubled this :-) for the yum factor]
1/2 cup sugar [I used brown sugar instead of white, again for the yum factor]
1/2 t cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 325F and grease 2 9x5 loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, soda, and salt. [Original recipe says to sift together, yeah right, I put them all in to a bowl and then combined with a wire whisk, again no ill effect]
3. Combine sugars, oil, buttermilk, and egg in another bowl or large measuring cup and whisk together. [The sugars will start to dissolve but won't likely dissolve all the way unless you really whisk, and you don't need to.]
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix sparingly. [Note, this is the muffin method (take note Alton Brown fans) and you don't want to overmix at this stage. The batter can become tough.]
5. Stir in the vanilla and rhubarb just to combine.
6. Pour into prepared pans.
7. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.
8. Bake 40-45 min. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Note: This is a moist bread, and the centers of the loaves will likely fall upon cooling. This is not a failure. Those of us living at altitude, probably want to increase the flour by up to 1/4 cup so that it isn't too moist. Second note: I haven't made any experiments with flour soaking etc with this recipe but am interested to learn if anyone else tries...bearing?
Monday, April 27, 2009
A Good Trade
My friend Jen called the other day to ask me to take some tomato starts off her hands. She is an enthusiastic seed-saver and starter whose green thumb has exceeded the capacity of both her dining room and her garden plot (which includes part of her neighbor's yard!). I, of course, agreed, and will happily serve as the adoptive family to any other extra veggie plants.
Jen is even more into sustainability/organic/heirloom than I am. To illustrate this point, I submit a short list of the varieties she gifted me: Sheboygan, Matt's Wild Cherry, Golden Nugget, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Amish Paste, Black Plum, Camp Joy Cherry, Speckled Roman, and some special tomatillo. Links are not necessarily her source but are included for illustration.
Never heard of them? Me either except for Speckled Roman which she gave us last year and produced massive quantities of beautiful, huge, red and orange fruits that I made into great salsa. I guess I had read about Amish Paste, but I have no experience with them.
Now, we won't plant these guys until probably Memorial Day as our last frost tends to be in early June in our garden, and we are too lazy to run up and cover every night and uncover every morning. Before then we also plan to acquire some: Cherokee Purple, Pineapple, and some red slicing tomato -- maybe Abe Lincoln or Brandywine (although it is more pink). I may also do a Sweet 100 in a pot at the house because Z likes them so much. Jen gave us several cherry-sized tomatoes, we we really like the pear ones, too, so we'll just see about space. :-)
Want to learn more about heirloom varieties and saving seeds? Try Seed Saver's Exchange.
What about the trade? I brought over some sweet potato biscuits (Flying Biscuit cookbook - they will be blogged later) and about 1/4 of a blueberry pie that Z and I made on Saturday. Frozen blueberries make excellent pie, and they are a good value at Costco all year round.
Jen is even more into sustainability/organic/heirloom than I am. To illustrate this point, I submit a short list of the varieties she gifted me: Sheboygan, Matt's Wild Cherry, Golden Nugget, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Amish Paste, Black Plum, Camp Joy Cherry, Speckled Roman, and some special tomatillo. Links are not necessarily her source but are included for illustration.
Never heard of them? Me either except for Speckled Roman which she gave us last year and produced massive quantities of beautiful, huge, red and orange fruits that I made into great salsa. I guess I had read about Amish Paste, but I have no experience with them.
Now, we won't plant these guys until probably Memorial Day as our last frost tends to be in early June in our garden, and we are too lazy to run up and cover every night and uncover every morning. Before then we also plan to acquire some: Cherokee Purple, Pineapple, and some red slicing tomato -- maybe Abe Lincoln or Brandywine (although it is more pink). I may also do a Sweet 100 in a pot at the house because Z likes them so much. Jen gave us several cherry-sized tomatoes, we we really like the pear ones, too, so we'll just see about space. :-)
Want to learn more about heirloom varieties and saving seeds? Try Seed Saver's Exchange.
What about the trade? I brought over some sweet potato biscuits (Flying Biscuit cookbook - they will be blogged later) and about 1/4 of a blueberry pie that Z and I made on Saturday. Frozen blueberries make excellent pie, and they are a good value at Costco all year round.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Caramel Popcorn
My friend Lisa recently posted about caramel corn, and it got me thinking about the kind we make at our house. It's both ridiculously good and ridiculously easy.
The recipe came from some kid-oriented cookbook that we had when I was little, but I don't know much more about it than that. I just have a photocopy of the page.
Caramel Popcorn
Preheat your oven to 200F.
Prepare 2 buttered baking sheets - it helps if they have sides so that you can keep the popcorn in place when you get to the stirring phase.
15 cups popped popcorn - I suggest air-popped b/c the lack of oil is good for the texture
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Spread the popcorn out on the baking sheets.
In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat gently and stir to melt the butter and until the mixture is smooth and bubbly around the edges, but don't let it burn!
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. This will create a bunch of tiny bubbles that give the mixture a white-ish tinge. These air bubbles help prevent rock hard caramel later.
Pour the hot sugar mixture over the popcorn and stir to distribute.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool on waxed paper or silicone baking sheets.
Pack in a tin or zip-top bags. This stuff keeps for a long time if it lasts. We once found some leftover from Christmas in March, and it was still great, but once it was re-discovered it didn't last much longer.
The recipe came from some kid-oriented cookbook that we had when I was little, but I don't know much more about it than that. I just have a photocopy of the page.
Caramel Popcorn
Preheat your oven to 200F.
Prepare 2 buttered baking sheets - it helps if they have sides so that you can keep the popcorn in place when you get to the stirring phase.
15 cups popped popcorn - I suggest air-popped b/c the lack of oil is good for the texture
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Spread the popcorn out on the baking sheets.
In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat gently and stir to melt the butter and until the mixture is smooth and bubbly around the edges, but don't let it burn!
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. This will create a bunch of tiny bubbles that give the mixture a white-ish tinge. These air bubbles help prevent rock hard caramel later.
Pour the hot sugar mixture over the popcorn and stir to distribute.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool on waxed paper or silicone baking sheets.
Pack in a tin or zip-top bags. This stuff keeps for a long time if it lasts. We once found some leftover from Christmas in March, and it was still great, but once it was re-discovered it didn't last much longer.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
We call it "special bread"
I have mentioned The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook before. I have the original edition which is now out of print and used copies are selling for shocking amounts of $$ on Amazon.com. Recently I found the new edition at the library, and now this version is saved in my Amazon cart for the next time I decide to spend money. In the meantime, I shamelessly admit to scanning some of the recipes.
Here's the first one I made. They call it a cross between a scone and a cookie.
Organic Oatmeal Biscuits (Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook by Delia Champion, p. 22)
2 cups organic rolled oats (no reason to use organic if you don't want to)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces (I'll admit to using salted butter)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used light)
1 3/4 t double-acting baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2% with no apparent harm, and actually I used more than 1/2 cup - it was probably 2/3 to almost 3/4 of a cup instead. Start with the 1/2 and add more as needed until the dough comes together. Out here in the desert I often use more liquid than baking recipes suggest. This recipe was created for Atlanta - I'm pretty sure that my flour and oats are drier than theirs!)
1. In a food processor, coarsely chop oats and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Pulse flour, butter, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor (no need to rinse the bowl) until mixture becomes a coarse meal.
3. Add milk and blend until mixture just forms a sticky dough. Add oat mixture and knead 3-4 times until just barely mixed. Do not over mix (this makes for a tough final product).
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (my note - haven't you already done that so that you could knead in step 3? I think yes...) Halve dough and pat each into a 6x3 inch rectangle. ** Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (2-12 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut loaves into 24 1/2 inch thick slices. Bake on a large, un-greased sheet pan in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.
** May I suggest that before allowing the dough to firm up, you press some chopped pecans into one surface or sprinkle the surface with cinnamon sugar? I tried both with yummy results.
Would also be nice with blueberry sauce or possibly even whipped cream, but then it is looking more like dessert.
These are surprisingly filling, and you will likely find yourself with leftovers. I froze the leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic and then placed in an air-tight container, and they survived the freezing very well.
Here's the first one I made. They call it a cross between a scone and a cookie.
Organic Oatmeal Biscuits (Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook by Delia Champion, p. 22)
2 cups organic rolled oats (no reason to use organic if you don't want to)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces (I'll admit to using salted butter)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used light)
1 3/4 t double-acting baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2% with no apparent harm, and actually I used more than 1/2 cup - it was probably 2/3 to almost 3/4 of a cup instead. Start with the 1/2 and add more as needed until the dough comes together. Out here in the desert I often use more liquid than baking recipes suggest. This recipe was created for Atlanta - I'm pretty sure that my flour and oats are drier than theirs!)
1. In a food processor, coarsely chop oats and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Pulse flour, butter, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor (no need to rinse the bowl) until mixture becomes a coarse meal.
3. Add milk and blend until mixture just forms a sticky dough. Add oat mixture and knead 3-4 times until just barely mixed. Do not over mix (this makes for a tough final product).
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface (my note - haven't you already done that so that you could knead in step 3? I think yes...) Halve dough and pat each into a 6x3 inch rectangle. ** Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (2-12 hours).
5. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut loaves into 24 1/2 inch thick slices. Bake on a large, un-greased sheet pan in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.
** May I suggest that before allowing the dough to firm up, you press some chopped pecans into one surface or sprinkle the surface with cinnamon sugar? I tried both with yummy results.
Would also be nice with blueberry sauce or possibly even whipped cream, but then it is looking more like dessert.
These are surprisingly filling, and you will likely find yourself with leftovers. I froze the leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic and then placed in an air-tight container, and they survived the freezing very well.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Just in time for a holiday breakfast
There is a story in my family about Everlasting Rolls. My grandma learned to make them in home ec class, possibly in high school, and as her kids grew up she told them about how great the Everlasting Rolls were, but she never made them. It grew into a joke - the rolls that were too good to be made. I don't know how the name came to be, they certainly don't last very long after you make them!
Well I got the recipe a couple of years ago and have made them several times, usually in the cinnamon roll variation. Last weekend, I modified the technique a bit, following inspiration from the article Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread that was in the latest issue of Mother Earth News. This is the same magazine that brought me the No Knead Crusty Bread that you make in a dutch oven last winter. I really enjoy it, and a yearly subscription is only $10, or you can always search the online archive of every magazine for free.
Anyway, I present a slightly more healthful and easy version of Everlasting Rolls
* Do this the night before you want to eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast/brunch. If you are doing it for dinner rolls, do it in the morning so that the un-kneaded dough can rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but 10 is probably better. Or do it the night before and let it have a lot of resting time, it will be ok.
1 package dry yeast (that's 2 1/4 teaspoons for those of us who use yeast in jars)
1/3 cup lukewarm water (just make sure it isn't too hot to kill the yeast)
1/2 t sugar
Mix the above three ingredients and let stand while mixing rest.
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar (faithful readers will know that I generally reduce the sugar in baking, this time I probably used 2/3rds of a 1/3 cup scoop, approximately 2/9ths or so)
1/4 cup melted fat or oil (I used butter - make sure it is melted and then cooled enough that it won't cook the egg)
4 cups flour (I used 2 cups of AP and 2 cups of whole wheat this time. Next time I will probably go with 1 cup AP and 3 of whole wheat -- keep in mind that you generally need to add more liquid when you use WW flour. Those of us in the high desert may need more than the recipe suggests even if you use all AP flour b/c it just doesn't hold the moisture here that it would have in Mt. Healthy, Ohio).
1 t salt
1 cup lukewarm water
Beat egg slightly, add sugar, and mix. Add melted (and cooled) fat and mix thoroughly. Add yeast mixture. Add flour, salt, and water alternately. Mix thoroughly. In my version you want the dough to be relatively wet and sticky-looking.
At this point the original recipe instructs that you should knead and then let rise until double. In my version - you put the dough in the fridge and let it rest overnight. Cover it with a plate or plastic wrap over the bowl so that it doesn't dry out.
At least an hour before you want to bake the rolls, remove the dough from the fridge and shape into your desired shape. Here's where you would roll it out to 1/4 inch, sprinkle with 2t cinnamon + 3/4 cup brown sugar + 3T butter (cut into the sugar-cinnamon mix with a pastry blender or melt and pour or brush) + pecans (in my house), then roll it and slice into approximately 1 inch slices and place in a greased pie pan or muffin tin. Don't crowd them too much in the pie pan or the tops will be crunchy while the guts are still doughy.
Let them rest at least an hour and then bake at 400F. The original recipe says 8-10 minutes for rolls (this is accurate if you do it in a muffin tin, but if you do it in a pie pan it will be longer). You can also do this in a loaf pan, and the original recipe suggests 25 minutes for the loaf. If you wanted to make cinnamon bread, you could do this in a loaf. I haven't tried this and can't comment on the timing.
You can of course eliminate the cinnamon-sugar parts and just make this as dinner rolls, too!
Next time I will probably make some without the pecans. J and I like them and the added bit of fat and protein that they bring, but Z picked them out and said "Mom! There's something wrong with these peanuts. I don't like them!"
Well I got the recipe a couple of years ago and have made them several times, usually in the cinnamon roll variation. Last weekend, I modified the technique a bit, following inspiration from the article Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread that was in the latest issue of Mother Earth News. This is the same magazine that brought me the No Knead Crusty Bread that you make in a dutch oven last winter. I really enjoy it, and a yearly subscription is only $10, or you can always search the online archive of every magazine for free.
Anyway, I present a slightly more healthful and easy version of Everlasting Rolls
* Do this the night before you want to eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast/brunch. If you are doing it for dinner rolls, do it in the morning so that the un-kneaded dough can rest in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but 10 is probably better. Or do it the night before and let it have a lot of resting time, it will be ok.
1 package dry yeast (that's 2 1/4 teaspoons for those of us who use yeast in jars)
1/3 cup lukewarm water (just make sure it isn't too hot to kill the yeast)
1/2 t sugar
Mix the above three ingredients and let stand while mixing rest.
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar (faithful readers will know that I generally reduce the sugar in baking, this time I probably used 2/3rds of a 1/3 cup scoop, approximately 2/9ths or so)
1/4 cup melted fat or oil (I used butter - make sure it is melted and then cooled enough that it won't cook the egg)
4 cups flour (I used 2 cups of AP and 2 cups of whole wheat this time. Next time I will probably go with 1 cup AP and 3 of whole wheat -- keep in mind that you generally need to add more liquid when you use WW flour. Those of us in the high desert may need more than the recipe suggests even if you use all AP flour b/c it just doesn't hold the moisture here that it would have in Mt. Healthy, Ohio).
1 t salt
1 cup lukewarm water
Beat egg slightly, add sugar, and mix. Add melted (and cooled) fat and mix thoroughly. Add yeast mixture. Add flour, salt, and water alternately. Mix thoroughly. In my version you want the dough to be relatively wet and sticky-looking.
At this point the original recipe instructs that you should knead and then let rise until double. In my version - you put the dough in the fridge and let it rest overnight. Cover it with a plate or plastic wrap over the bowl so that it doesn't dry out.
At least an hour before you want to bake the rolls, remove the dough from the fridge and shape into your desired shape. Here's where you would roll it out to 1/4 inch, sprinkle with 2t cinnamon + 3/4 cup brown sugar + 3T butter (cut into the sugar-cinnamon mix with a pastry blender or melt and pour or brush) + pecans (in my house), then roll it and slice into approximately 1 inch slices and place in a greased pie pan or muffin tin. Don't crowd them too much in the pie pan or the tops will be crunchy while the guts are still doughy.
Let them rest at least an hour and then bake at 400F. The original recipe says 8-10 minutes for rolls (this is accurate if you do it in a muffin tin, but if you do it in a pie pan it will be longer). You can also do this in a loaf pan, and the original recipe suggests 25 minutes for the loaf. If you wanted to make cinnamon bread, you could do this in a loaf. I haven't tried this and can't comment on the timing.
You can of course eliminate the cinnamon-sugar parts and just make this as dinner rolls, too!
Next time I will probably make some without the pecans. J and I like them and the added bit of fat and protein that they bring, but Z picked them out and said "Mom! There's something wrong with these peanuts. I don't like them!"
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Never Fail Gingerbread
It's a vegan dessert!
Never Fail Gingerbread
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses (Brer Rabbit green label if you can find it. Otherwise, make sure it is unsulphured and not blackstrap molasses)
1 cup HOT water
2 cups flour, sifted (I skip the sifting, and sometimes use up to 1 cup of whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Combine oil, sugar, molasses in a large bowl. Sift (yeah right - just mix them together in a separate bowl with a whisk) together dry ingredients (flour, salt, soda, spices). Add dry ingredients to oil/sugar mixture alternately with hot water, beating until mixture is smooth. Batter will be thin.
Bake in a greased and floured (can skip this if using a non-stick pan) 8x8 or 6x10 pan at 350F for 40-45 minutes. Watch it -- it may be less!
Excellent served warm or cold. As a kid, this was a great vehicle for whipped non-dairy topping. As you might imagine such a product will not darken my door now, but whipped cream would be good, too. Dusting of powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream is another nice touch, but really it needs nothing. This tastes antique. Not in the dusty sort of stuff that needs to get thrown away, but in the last of the hour Antiques Roadshow way -- a showstopper.
This recipe is attributed to my mom's Aunt Maragaret. I don't know if other gingerbread cake recipes tend to fail, but this is the title I received. I have made this for many dessert emergencies since I tend to have the ingredients on hand. It has gone over well at potlucks, and since it is dairy, egg, and nut-free, it is a friendly thing to take.
* Do you recall using paper doilies to make patterns with powdered sugar? We used to do it with gingerbread or chocolate cake. Lay the doily on top and then sprinkle the sugar all over then carefully carefully remove the doily to reveal the delicate sugar pattern.
Never Fail Gingerbread
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses (Brer Rabbit green label if you can find it. Otherwise, make sure it is unsulphured and not blackstrap molasses)
1 cup HOT water
2 cups flour, sifted (I skip the sifting, and sometimes use up to 1 cup of whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Combine oil, sugar, molasses in a large bowl. Sift (yeah right - just mix them together in a separate bowl with a whisk) together dry ingredients (flour, salt, soda, spices). Add dry ingredients to oil/sugar mixture alternately with hot water, beating until mixture is smooth. Batter will be thin.
Bake in a greased and floured (can skip this if using a non-stick pan) 8x8 or 6x10 pan at 350F for 40-45 minutes. Watch it -- it may be less!
Excellent served warm or cold. As a kid, this was a great vehicle for whipped non-dairy topping. As you might imagine such a product will not darken my door now, but whipped cream would be good, too. Dusting of powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream is another nice touch, but really it needs nothing. This tastes antique. Not in the dusty sort of stuff that needs to get thrown away, but in the last of the hour Antiques Roadshow way -- a showstopper.
This recipe is attributed to my mom's Aunt Maragaret. I don't know if other gingerbread cake recipes tend to fail, but this is the title I received. I have made this for many dessert emergencies since I tend to have the ingredients on hand. It has gone over well at potlucks, and since it is dairy, egg, and nut-free, it is a friendly thing to take.
* Do you recall using paper doilies to make patterns with powdered sugar? We used to do it with gingerbread or chocolate cake. Lay the doily on top and then sprinkle the sugar all over then carefully carefully remove the doily to reveal the delicate sugar pattern.
Monday, June 30, 2008
We used it for a birthday cake
In lieu of a chocolate cake for my recent 2 year old, I made a favorite spice cake from my childhood. I adapted this a couple of years ago and present both the original and the Fancy version.
File this under recipes that require buttermilk.
Grimel Cake (Mt Healthy Ohio Methodist Church)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Use a pastry blender to combine 3 cups of flour (I used 2 of all purpose and 1 whole wheat), 2 cups of sugar (I use about 1-1.25 depending on if I am including fruit. My mom says it isn't right, but I say to let your family's taste buds decide), and 1 cup of shortening (yep, this means Crisco) in a regular-sized mixing bowl until the crumbs resemble small peas. Use this opportunity while the shortening is out to grease the pan.
Scoop out 1 cup of crumbles for the topping. (This is the hardest step. Must remember to scoop out and reserve for later!)
Add to the remaining 2 cups of crumbles: 2 eggs, 1 t nutmeg (I always leave this out because we don't like nutmeg), 1 t baking powder, 1 t cinnamon, pinch salt and mix thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, or for efficiency, a 2 cup liquid measuring device, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1 t white vinegar, and 1 t baking soda. When it is foamy, pour the liquid into the other bowl and beat for 1 minute. You can use a mixer or not, doesn't matter. I usually use a wire whisk.
Here's the point where you add the optional fruit. In the classic version, my mom didn't use any fruit. In the Fancy version from my childhood, she used raisins. If your raisins are dry, be sure to plump them up in water first. In my present Fancy version I use about 1-1.5 cups of frozen blueberries (thanks, Costco!). {If you dust the frozen blueberries with a little flour then they don't all fall to the bottom during baking. I don't know why that works, but it works for muffins, too.}
Spread the batter into a greased (don't skip this) 9x13 pan or two 9 inch round pans.
Sprinkle the reserved crumbles over the top. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Can be served warm or cold or room temperature. Whipped cream or ice cream would qualify as Extra Fancy.
I think that this post should be followed with some more about how to use buttermilk. We have it around most of the time for waffles, but sometimes you just have to finish a quart, and it is nice to have a stable of recipes.
File this under recipes that require buttermilk.
Grimel Cake (Mt Healthy Ohio Methodist Church)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Use a pastry blender to combine 3 cups of flour (I used 2 of all purpose and 1 whole wheat), 2 cups of sugar (I use about 1-1.25 depending on if I am including fruit. My mom says it isn't right, but I say to let your family's taste buds decide), and 1 cup of shortening (yep, this means Crisco) in a regular-sized mixing bowl until the crumbs resemble small peas. Use this opportunity while the shortening is out to grease the pan.
Scoop out 1 cup of crumbles for the topping. (This is the hardest step. Must remember to scoop out and reserve for later!)
Add to the remaining 2 cups of crumbles: 2 eggs, 1 t nutmeg (I always leave this out because we don't like nutmeg), 1 t baking powder, 1 t cinnamon, pinch salt and mix thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, or for efficiency, a 2 cup liquid measuring device, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1 t white vinegar, and 1 t baking soda. When it is foamy, pour the liquid into the other bowl and beat for 1 minute. You can use a mixer or not, doesn't matter. I usually use a wire whisk.
Here's the point where you add the optional fruit. In the classic version, my mom didn't use any fruit. In the Fancy version from my childhood, she used raisins. If your raisins are dry, be sure to plump them up in water first. In my present Fancy version I use about 1-1.5 cups of frozen blueberries (thanks, Costco!). {If you dust the frozen blueberries with a little flour then they don't all fall to the bottom during baking. I don't know why that works, but it works for muffins, too.}
Spread the batter into a greased (don't skip this) 9x13 pan or two 9 inch round pans.
Sprinkle the reserved crumbles over the top. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Can be served warm or cold or room temperature. Whipped cream or ice cream would qualify as Extra Fancy.
I think that this post should be followed with some more about how to use buttermilk. We have it around most of the time for waffles, but sometimes you just have to finish a quart, and it is nice to have a stable of recipes.
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