Posts filed under 'breakfast'
I love trying new things. There has been much talk of crumpets over on the PPK forums, so this morning I did some research, threw a batter together, bought some cooking rings while it was rising and made crumpets like there was no tomorrow.
Crumpets are like a cross between a muffin and injera (a spongy, Ethiopian pancake that’s covered in tiny holes). They spend the majority of the time cooking slowly on one side, and the batter is contained within rings until it’s set. The yeast produces bubbles in the dough that make little holes when they escape, giving crumpets their characteristic look and texture.
I sprinkled these with cinnamon and sugar and put them under the broiler for a couple minutes; it was such a lovely breakfast! You can also eat them toasted with earth balance and jam. A special thanks to Amanda for the amazing jams she gave me!
You’ll have to wait until the cookbook comes out for the recipe. Rest assured that my testers have pledged to try it out and make sure that it’ll be worth waiting for! If you want to try something similar, head over to Cherie’s to take a look at her fantastic English Muffins. While the end result is different, the process is similar!
May 11th, 2007
Why oh why do I buy granola? Why?! It’s so easy to make it’s laughable.
We ran out of granola and I really wanted some. I decided to make a small batch with the last cup of oats I had as an experiment. And it was a success!
Here’s there recipe, but it’s only for one cup of oats, so I imagine you might want to increase the amounts. When I make a bigger batch I’ll update the quantities. However, this is a great amount to make if you want to experiment with different flavors, or if you’re not sure you can eat a larger batch within two weeks. It will keep longer if frozen.
Apple Flax Currant Granola
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
1 Cup Rolled Oats
2 Tbs Veg Oil
2 Tbs Agave Nectar
2 Tbs Dried Apple Chunks
2 Tbs Currants (sub raisins)
2 Tbs Flax Seeds*
1 Dash Cinnamon
1 - 2 Pinches Salt
Preheat oven to 325º F.
Mix oil, agave, and salt in a large bowl. Dump in remaining ingredients except for any dried fruit and stir until well coated. Spread out granola onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet or baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
Stir well and bake for another 10 minutes, until oats are slightly golden.
Add any dried fruit and allow to cool. Oats will get crispy as they cool, do don’t worry if they seem soft when they’re hot.
*If you want to preserve all the nutrients of the flax seeds, add them to the granola after baking when it has cooled slightly. Baking them will destroy some of the good stuff.
I don’t need to tell you that you can add kind of nuts, dried fruits, or seeds to this you want, do I? So what are you doing, buying granola? Make it!
April 6th, 2007
I made these a few years ago for the first time, hoping to find the perfect blueberry muffin recipe to add to my collection. When I took them out of the oven, I was sad. They hardly rose at all, I thought. Where are my muffin tops?
I thought I would have to continue my muffin search. Then Stewart ate one. Then another. I tried one. The batch was gone within hours. Don’t be fooled by their diminutive stature. These little lovelies are moist and fluffy. They’ve got everything I love in a muffin - a crunchy sugar top, a balance of blueberries to cake, and above all, consistent results. I realize it’s a risk to say that when I post a recipe, but they’ve always come out well for me, even in four different kitchens over three years.
I should say that they do lack a proper muffin top, but that’s not an issue for us. I suppose my search for a perfect muffin isn’t over, but I hardly think about that when I get to have these. They’re not muffins, they’re not cupcakes, they’re blueberry breakfast cakes. Or afternoon cakes. Or midnight snack cakes. Or gimme now cakes!
Blueberry Breakfast Cakes
Makes 12 cakes
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
Heavy pinch salt
1 Cup Sugar, and more for sanding
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil (like canola)
1 Ener-g Egg Replacer
1 Cup Vanilla Silk Yogurt (a little less than 2 small containers)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup + 1/2 Cup Blueberries (frozen okay, see directions*)
Muffin liners
Preheat oven to 380º F, (will be increased to 400).
Line metal muffin trays with paper liners and set aside.
*If using frozen berries, keep frozen until the last second! I’ll tell you when to take them out of the freezer in the directions.
Mix all the dry ingredients (through sugar) in a large bowl. Use a whisk or a fork to incorporate everything very well. Remove 1 Tbs of this dry mix and place in a small bowl and set aside (this is for coating your blueberries).
In another bowl (or 2 cup liquid measure, I find that easier), mix your yogurt, oil, vanilla and prepared “egg”. Whisk well to incorporate.
Get your blueberries from the freezer, measure out 1 Cup and place in the small bowl with 1 Tbs of dry ingredients. Toss to coat. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, getting every bit (a rubber spatula helps). Using your rubber spatula or a wide wooden spoon, gently fold the wet ingredient into the dry. Once it is JUST incorporated, scatter blueberries on top.
You have 3 stirs to mix them in, so make them count. I’m not kidding.
See, here’s the deal. Frozen blueberries tend to turn everything, well, blue. You want your cake part to be yellow, not some weird purple-gray color. Any more than 3-4 stirs, and that protective coating of dry ingredients we tossed the berries in will start to come off and dye your batter. (Fresh blueberries aren’t this fussy.) The good news is that you really can stir them in in just 3 turns, even though you’ll really really want to stir more.
Once the berries are mixed in, distribute all the batter into your tins. You’ll feel like you’re over filling a bit, but that’s a-okay. These don’t really rise all that much so it’ll be fine. Add up to 1/2 cup more blueberries over the tops, pressing them into the batter gently but not submerging them.
Sand cakes with a (un)healthy amount of sugar, using a coarser sugar if you’ve got it, such as Sugar in the Raw. I’m weird and keep like three different kinds of sugar in my kitchen at all times. The sugar you used for the batter will work just fine.
Place them in the oven and increase the temperature to 400º. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle or top-middle rack of your oven, turning half-way to ensure even cooking. They’re done when a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are a rich golden brown.
Let cool on a wire rack. They’re delicate when they’re hot so be careful when transferring them. These taste amazing at room temperature, so wait as long as you can to try one.
I know there are a lot of specific directions for these, but hey, it’s what I do and they come out great!
March 24th, 2007
I was thinking about you today. I was thinking about how badly you want to make mini pies, but how you don’t have mini pie tins, and therefore you’ve been walking around depressed due to your lack of mini pies. So I came up with a soultion for you! Hand pies! No tins required.
You can use whatever filling you want. Really. Blueberries, strawberries, apples, pears, whatever floats your boat. If it’s juicy (like berries) add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch so the filling thickens as it bakes. You could even do a more savory filling like sweet potatoes if you want. Or if you don’t have time for cutting fruit or mixing berries and sugar, use your favorite jam or preserves. I won’t tell.
Blueberry Hand Pies
Makes 8-10 pies
1 Recipe Pate Brisee
1 10 oz Bag Frozen Blueberries
2 Tbs Sugar
2 Tbs Cornstarch
Preheat oven to 425º.
Make and chill dough (click on the link in the ingredients for directions). Roll out 1 disc of dough to about 1/4″ thick. It’s much easier to do this on a large cutting board that has been covered in parchment paper and lightly floured. If the dough rips, press it back together with your fingers.
Cut two rectangles out of the dough. It doesn’t really matter what size they are, since you’re going to roll them out again and make them larger, but mine were about the size of index cards.
Roll out a rectangle again to its final thickness, about 1/8″ thick. That’s thin enough that the dough begins to become slightly translucent, but thick enough that you can still pick up the dough without ripping it. Use more flour as you’re rolling the dough out if you need to.
Trim the dough again into a neat rectangle. Again, size isn’t important, so go for whatever size appeals to you. I wanted my finished pies to be the same size as pop tarts, so I guestimated the height (5 inches?) and the width (7inches?) and rolled out the dough accordingly. This will make a 3.5×7″ pie once it’s filled and folded in half to close.
Prick one half of the dough with a fork, and place two tablespoons of filling on the other half. Pricking the dough helps it bake more evenly, preventing dough bubbles. You could cut out little shapes as vents instead if you want, but the filing will bubble up and out of any large holes.
Fold the dough over the filling and press closed with your fingers to seal. Then use a fork to crimp the edges. It’s okay if some juice escapes, but try to keep it at neat as possible. Use a spatula to pick up your hand pie and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment or lined with a silpat.
Repeat these steps, rolling, cutting and filling, until you run out of dough. Lightly brush each pie with soymilk and sand with sugar.* Bake the pies for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.
*If you want to freeze these and then reheat them in a pop-up toaster like poptarts, skip the sugar so it doesn’t burn up when you toast it. If you’re going to use a toaster oven, you can sugar them or frost them with a simple powdered sugar and soymilk glaze.
Keep an eye on them while baking - escaped berry juice and tender, flaky edges burn quickly when you’re not looking! Ours didn’t last long enough to save for later, but they will keep at room temperature for a few days if stored in an airtight container.
March 10th, 2007
It turns out I’m a snob when it comes to hash browns. If you have strong feelings about them, I might just offend your potato sensibilities today. I’m sorry if it comes to that, but I need to fight for all those people out there who ask for a crispy hash brown, like myself. I know they’re out there!
The worst offense against hash browns, in my mind, is confusing them with home fries. Home fries have never excited me the way glorious, crispy, hash browns do. Home fries are made from chunks of potatoes. They are usually mushy, kinda slimy, and covered in a mishmash of spices, unlike their delectably lacy and crunchy cousin which are not made from chunks at all; dare I point out that they are, well, hashed?
See. I told you I was a snob about this. Relax, I’m sure you’re home fries are wonderful. I just haven’t had the pleasure of trying them.
The two lesser offenses against hash browns (but offenses nonetheless!) are 1) an inappropriate ratio between crunchy outside and soft inside and 2) general under-cooking. I have ordered hash browns from restaurants many times and had them arrive at the table sort of browned on the outside with unbelievable amounts of a soggy white mass on the inside. I end up eating all the crunchy parts and sadly digging through the rest of it hoping to find another golden bite.
After doing some research online, it seems that preparing hash browns is like curing the hiccups; everyone has their own method that they absolutely swear by. Most everyone, including myself, agrees that you need to remove excess water from the potatoes. Suggested methods include drip drying, squeezing, pressing in a ricer, and spinning dry in a salad spinner.
This is my preferred way to dry them. Place a clean terry cloth towel on your counter. Place two sheets of paper towels on top of that, then spread out your shredded potatoes evenly on top of that. Place another two paper towels over the potatoes, and roll the entire thing up as tightly as possible. Squeeze with all your might. Unroll and sprinkle with salt.
I should mention that potatoes oxidize quickly. If you don’t work fast, you’ll have purple brown potatoes before you know it. Make sure you have everything ready to go before you shred your potatoes, including a heated pan on your range. That way, you should be able to get them in the hot pan before they start to discolor.
Once dry, toss them in hot pan with some canola oil. Don’t overload the pan! You actually want to see through to the bottom of the pan in some spots. Spread the potatoes out evenly and press down with the back of a spatula. Heat is key here. I find a medium or even medium-low heat works best. This will brown the potatoes fairly slowly, which is a good thing. If you brown them too fast, they’ll be raw in the middle.
Besides pressing on them occasionally, don’t touch them until you can actually see that they’re turning brown on the other side. If you try to move them or flip them too early, they won’t fuse together. If you think they’re ready to go, lift up the corner and peek to make sure.
You’ll need to cook them on the other side for another few minutes. This is where I add “cheese.” Vegan cheese is notorious for many things, not the least of which is its melting capabilities (or lack thereof). I use one slice of Tofutti “American Style” cheese. If you decide to use cheese, chop it small and sprinkle it evenly over the hash browns. To help it melt, turn down the heat and cover the pan.
Once the other side is sufficiently browned, remove it from the pan and drain for a moment on a paper towel. Slice into wedges and serve with ketchup and/or hot sauce if desired. You’ll never want them any other way.
January 25th, 2007
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