Posts filed under 'breakfast'
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
While in D.C., I forced my lovely host to take me to Sticky Fingers Bakery, a completely vegan bakery that I have been dreaming about for the last three years. It’s such a weird feeling to walk into a bakery and realize that I can have anything I want. My friends and I ordered four different things so I could try as many things as possible without being totally ridiculous.
The dark chocolate square of loveliness you see up there is a Little Devil: chocolate cake bisected by a sweet vanilla frosting, and topped off with a thin layer of chocolate ganache. It was good, but the cake part was a little dry.
The scone in the foreground was simply labeled as “scones” in the case, but after tasting it we realized that it was very much a cranberry orange scone. The orange flavor was wonderful, but unfortunately the texture was not up to par. My friend Katie tried to break the scone in pieces for us all to try, but ended up with a large pile of scone sand in front of her when it completely disintegrated.
We also took a gamble and ordered their breakfast sandwich. It’s an english muffin, a thin layer or a mustard-y nutritional yeast sauce, a couple veggie sausage patties and some material that vaguely looked like egg. It would have been better warmed, but it wasn’t bad. I think I liked it more than my counterparts, but then again, I haven’t had an egg or cheese or three years, and I haven’t had sausage for fourteen years. I’m used to the impostors.
The best thing we ordered, however, was a cinnamon bun.
A fresh tray of these lovely things came out as we were deciding what to order. They were so light, so soft, so perfectly spiced. The only improvement I can think of would be a cream cheese frosting instead of a regular glaze, but that’s my own personal preference.
If you’re ever in Washington DC, stop by Sticky Fingers. It’s pretty tasty.
January 22nd, 2007
This is the perfect dessert, or a sweet breakfast to start off your day. I used brown rice since we didn’t have any white, but I imagine it’d be fantastic with white jasmine or basmati rice instead. The lemon flavor in this pudding is solely from the lemon peel. It dissolves as it cooks and gives the lightest lemon taste and scent to the pudding. Delicious. I made it in four individual ramekins - they are each four inches in diameter, two inches high, and hold one cup of liquid.
Coconut Lemon Rice Pudding
Four petite dessert or light breakfast portions
3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1 1/4 Cup Soy Milk
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
1 Lemon (organic if possible)
1/2 Cup Brown Basmati Rice
Preheat oven to 250º. With a vegetable peeler, peel four strips of zest from a lemon, each about 1×3″. Chop the zest finely, and divide equally among the ramekins. Place 2 Tbs of dry rice in each ramekin.
Mix coconut milk, soy milk, and sugar together, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Pour about 1/2 cup into each ramekin. Bake for 90 minutes uncovered, stirring halfway through. A thin skin will develop while cooking, but this is normal, simply stir it back into the rice. The rice pudding is done when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft.
Allow to cool, or eat warm - either way, it’s divine.
January 16th, 2007
Pancakes
I know a lot of people who refuse to make pancakes. “They’re too fussy,” they say. Or, “They always burn/undercook/stick!” I’ve had my share of bad pancakes, and really, it’s part of the territory. There are some things you can do to increase the chances of obtaining a perfect pancake.
1. The first ones will suck. They will. You can not, under any circumstances, let your Pancake Ego be damaged by this. The first pancakes belong to you for snacking, to the dog at your feet, or to the trash. They will be crappy. They will help you find the perfect heat level so you can attain perfection, so don’t sweat it; it’s all part of the process.
2. Learn when to flip. You want to flip when they’re bubbly, yes, but if you turn it as soon as you see bubbles, you have a really undercooked pancake that splashes batter all over when you flip. If you see the pancake is already brown as soon as it starts to bubble, your heat is way too high. You want to see bubbles and dry, almost translucent edges. Peek under the edge. If you have bubbles and dry edges, but it’s not brown enough, your heat is too low. When you get the right heat, remember where your dial is for the next time you make pancakes. Mine is between the I and the U in the word “medium” that’s written on my knob.
3. Use a non-stick pan! I don’t really like non-sticks, and as such, I only own one. I use it for pancakes and crepes, and it’s so worth it. I find that using oil can actually work against you when you’re vying for that perfectly even brown pancake. You end up getting something that looks like that light “throw away” one above in #1 - uneven brown splotchies. Use a non-stick pan, and you don’t need oil. This is not only healthier, but you’re rewarded with pretty pancakes!
4. Poke them. A moment after you flip the pancake, poke it. It’s not so hot you can’t touch it as long as you’re careful. Does it feel squishy, like a water bed? If it does, leave it on a few more moments. Don’t take it off the heat until it’s firm and spongy.
5. Keep your pancakes warm in a 200º oven as you make them. This really works. And while you’re at it, put all the plates you’ll use for breakfast in there too (as long as they are oven safe). You and your guests will enjoy warm pancakes and get to eat at the same time, instead of you standing in the kitchen, desperately trying to keep up with the conversation in the dining room, as one person eats one pancake and everyone else watches. No good.
Once you get your groove on, making pancakes is fun. Everyone will envy you and you’ll be the talk of the town. You’ll get all green lights all day, and find a $20 bill in your jeans.
Well, maybe not, but you’ll have a kick butt breakfast, and that’s not too bad, is it?
January 2nd, 2007
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