Ensconced in scones

This weekend scones and perhaps a tentative book review... I have to write one for class, so why not. Also, it's getting to be that time of year again, so I think it's time for some chili or curry. Which shall it be??? Maybe even, if I get crazy, some banana bread...

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2 large sweet potatoes
2 large russet baking potatoes

Pierce these guys all over with a fork and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. When they're finished, cool them slightly, peel them, mash them, then let them cool completely.

1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
3 1/2 cups All purpose flour (I used bread flour and it worked really well)

Combine the egg and salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the mound of mashed potatoes. (You can do this directly on a counter top, btw - it's loads of fun!) Pour the egg mixture into the center of the well and knead into the potatoes. Next knead in the cheese. Finally begin by kneading in 1 1/2 cups flour. Once this flour is incorporated add more flour until the dough comes together in a smooth but slightly sticky ball (I used all but about 1/2 cup).

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll one portion out into a rope about 1/2 inch thick and cut until 1/2 inch cubes, like so:



Roll the cubes into a ball and place on a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.

Once all of the dough has been turned into similarly-sized balls, take each ball and roll down the back of a floured fork to make indentations. According to a recipe I found on Epicurious, if you angle the fork at 45 degrees and stable it with one hand, then apply downward pressure with your thumb it will work every time. I did this, and I have to say it made indenting the gnocchi fairly easy.


Though many of you complain that while they're small, you meet an army of gnocchi

Once you get to this stage you can freeze the gnocchi, all in a single layer, then place in plastic bags and save for another time. There's no need to unfreeze before using.

To Cook the Gnocchi
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Drop the gnocchi in but don't over crowd them. It shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes for them to float to the top indicating that they are done.

Sage Brown Butter Sauce
This sauce couldn't be easier.

For one serving of gnocchi:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

In a saute pan heat the butter over medium heat until it's no longer foamy. Add the sage and cook until the sage is crisp and the milk solids in the butter have begun to brown - hence brown butter. Toss in some cooked and drained gnocchi, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Let everything heat through and allow the cheese to just start melting. Serve. Enjoy. Die happy.

The Tableaux is complete...

I shall call this, "Oh my God they killed Frank!"...

I'm pretty proud of these guys. Stay tuned for the gnocchi post...

Sugar Cookies - I'm getting better at decorating

This recipe is surprisingly simple. It's just your basic vanilla sugar cookie recipe. The frosting is something I've experimented with and found to be both tasty and aesthetically pleasing. It's basically a butter cream, but instead of butter I use white chocolate as the fat. That way, if you frost a warm cookie or slightly warm the frosting itself, it spreads easily, dries smoothly, and has a slight shine to it. Ah, dumb luck, you're my favorite sous chef.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

For the Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar*

1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

*This was the first time in recent memory I've found myself without brown sugar. However, I remembered a helpful hint - for 1 cup of light brown sugar you can substitute 1 cup white sugar plus about 2 tbsp molasses. Now, I'm much more likely to have brown sugar around than I am molasses. Luckily, my roommate happened to have some, and the recipe was saved.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl sift the bread flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add in 2 or 3 additions to the butter mixture until it forms a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Press the ball into a rectangle and cut into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 1 one day. At this point, you can also freeze the dough for about 3 - 5 months.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness. (I've seen many recipes that make thinner cookies, but this dough benefits from being on the thicker side. When in doubt, err on the thick side.) Cut the dough using cookie cutters into whatever shapes you like, and bake, on a parchment lined baking sheet, for about 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown around the edges. You don't want to over bake these cookies - they should be more soft than crisp.

For the Frosting:

2 oz white chocolate
2-3 tbsp cream

1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cocoa powder*

*I used Hershey's dark cocoa to make something close to black frosting - replace the cocoa with confectioner's sugar if you don't want chocolate flavored frosting and don't worry, the white chocolate taste, while noticeable, is not overpowering.

Melt the white chocolate with the cream in a bowl set over simmering water. Once melted, stir in the confectioner's sugar. The frosting should be thin, but it should thicken as it cools. If necessary add more confectioner's sugar and let it cool to see how thick it gets. For spreading purposes you can always re-warm the frosting in a bowl set over simmering water - in fact I'd recommend it as the frosting acquires a pleasant sheen as it cools.

Frost the hell out of the cookies. I actually used some fondant in order to make Space Invaders. This was only 1/4 of the dough since I was experimenting and wouldn't want to ruin the entire batch with terrible decorations. I think it turned out well over all - oh, and of course they were delicious ;)

This weekend...

When I finally get paid from my job - then, then I will really start baking. Yay for somewhat expendable income (at least enough to afford some nice chocolate and kitchen appliances).

In the meantime, the first day of fall occurred this week and I think it's time for pasta. I've decided that if I want something carbohydrate-y, I'm going to make it myself this year, and I've been craving pasta. Naturally, homemade pasta is difficult to make, but I have tried homemade gnocchi before - delicious potato pasta.

Here's I'm thinking sweet potato gnocchi, just to make it that much more healthy. Typically, it's gnocchi is served with a sage brown butter sauce. I love brown butter, in fact, I love anything sweet and caramelly - so why not go all out. I'm going to incorporate caramelized onions and garlic into a sage brown butter sauce. They will provide a more substantial sauce to hold it's own with the gnocchi.

For sweets this week, well I'm getting depressed. I've made one bad batch of cookies, one good batch, and the more I think about those brownies the less happy I realize I was with the finished product. I need to get a hand-held mixer (at least until I can get a hands-free model). Let's start with something basic, because I'd like to work on my frosting skills - Sugar cookies, simple delicious sugar cookies. Maybe with a hint of nutmeg.

Let's get it started, recipes and updates to come.

Practicing the Art of French Cooking: Ratatouille

I've looked in cookbooks and I've looked online. I've found many variations on this French "peasant dish" but there are quite a few standards to take note of: Eggplant is used as the primary vegetable, and it is accompanied by zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and garlic, most frequently. Most recipes have you cook the vegetables separately and then add them all back into a rich tomato-based sauce that is either baked (where most of the sauce evaporates) or cooked like a stew on the stove.

I'm cheating. I won't be using fresh tomatoes because, frankly, I don't have them right now, and canned tomatoes (especially home-canned tomatoes) are something I've come to appreciate both for the flavor and the ease of preparation (there will be no par-boiling baths and peeling messes here). Aside from that I think I'll keep this version on the stove-top and see what I can accomplish.

Also, the tempeh from two days ago - now enriched with the flavors of garlic and thyme - the two flavor notes I plan to accentuate in the dish itself... it should be delicious! Let's get started, shall we?

Ratatouille

2 large eggplants
2 green peppers
2 onions
4 medium zucchini
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
the tempeh from the previous recipe post

1 quart canned chopped or whole tomatoes (if whole, crush them with your hands - it feels WONDERFUL)

1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper

1) Prepare the eggplants by chopping them into bite-sized cubes. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp salt and set in a colander in the sink to drain for 10 minutes- this gets rid of the slightly bitter taste eggplants can sometimes have. Rinse and pat dry.

2) While the eggplant is draining, chop, but keep separated, the peppers, onions, zucchini, and garlic. In a large pan set over medium heat add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions with salt and pepper and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 12 - 15 minutes. Remove to a large bowl.

Next add the green peppers with salt and pepper and cook until softened - about 12 minutes. Remove to the same bowl as the onions.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Now add the zucchini with salt and pepper and cook until softened, followed by the eggplant in the same manner. Add more oil and salt and pepper to each vegetable to taste.



3) If your pot looked anything like mine, there will likely be some delicious brown bits on the bottom. Add the tomatoes to the pot with no more than 1/2 cup chicken stock if the tomatoes lack liquid.



Once the liquid heats up, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot, then add the garlic, salt and pepper, and thyme. Let this mixture come to a boil, then add all of the vegetables back into the pot. The liquid should not cover the vegetables.

4) Bring the ratatouille to a boil and cover, reducing the heat to low, for about 30 minutes. Stir the stew occasionally. If, after the thirty minutes the sauce is still thin and plentiful, increase the heat to medium - medium-high and allow it to reduce for about another 30 minutes. That's about how long it took me.



5) Every recipe I've seen also claims that this is even better the next day which is why it's perfect for dinner this week. Anything that reheats and tastes better the next day is delicious by me.

An interesting note - despite it's French country origins, the process and result are remarkably similar to a vegetable curry, like Rebecca B's off to the side... with the exception of the crazy indian spices that is... still, it's delicious!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Brownies

Baked goods are so easy to make gluten-free. Here I adapted a chewy peanut butter brownie recipe by alter the amount of fat and replacing the all-purpose flour with rice flour. I expect the brownies to still come out less chewy than they otherwise would, since gluten is what makes baked goods chewy, but I think it will definitely help.

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Brownies

1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Combine the butter and peanut butter until well mixed. Add the sugars and mix until creamy. Next add the eggs, 2 at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture until well combined.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x13 pan with two sheets of parchment paper (one piece each placed across the width and the length of the pan with plenty of over hang - this creates an easy-to-remove brownie). Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until top is set and springs back when touched.



What an odd picture? I have no idea how to go about changing it since it's saved and rotated a different way... weird. Either way the brownies may take longer than expected based on the pan you used. I used an 8 x 11 and it took quite a while, but they turn out delicious, rich and chewy.

Tempeh Tantrum

So I've come to really like tempeh. I've read a lot about the negative effects of isoflavones (plant estrogen-like compounds found in soy products) on men and women (particularly those who are prone to estrogen imbalances). However, fermented soy products appear to still be healthy since the fermentation process alters their chemical make-up etc etc... either way tempeh is apparently great for you, in terms of plant based proteins, and it's delicious.

I want to flavor the tempeh to use in a ratatouille recipe. I know it's not traditional by any means, but I think it will be a great way to beef up peasant food without using chicken or meat. (I'm not a vegetarian, I just like exercising my options and eating healthy).

I've come to a problem - flavoring tempeh in an asian style is easy - soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal, ginger, rice vinegar, and you're set for life. But how can I go about infusing garlic and thyme (two main flavors in ratatouille) into tempeh? Then the answer came... confit - flavoring via fat. I've roasted some garlic, about 6 cloves, in a 1/4 cup of olive oil with about 1/2 tsp dried thyme for about one hour over medium low or low heat (just let it soften, don't let it brown). I poured that mixture over the tempeh and let it cool. After that I added some chicken stock, just to keep the tempeh moist and refrigerated for 24 hours - I want flavor here people, real flavor.



Needles to say, the flavoring worked really well. I used olive oil, and tried not to use too much just to stay healthy, but it was a great way to infuse the tempeh.

I'm totally using this in my ratatouille!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love a good, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. I want to modify my chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding cinnamon, oats and replacing the chocolate with raisins. The thing is, I think the oats may make the cookies less moist. Since I haven't tried this before I can't be certain, so I'm going to reconstitute the raisins in a little hot water before I add them to the batter. They'll likely dry out again in the oven and if not the excess moisture probably won't matter. Also, comparing different recipes I'm reducing the flour by 1/2 cup and using 2 cups of old-fashioned oats. Oh the joys of experimentation :-) (yeah those cumin raisin oatmeal cookies were an epic, throw-out-the-batter failure...)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups raisins + 1 cup hot water (let sit for 5 minutes then drain)
2 cups oats

Combine the butter and sugar thoroughly. Mix in the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon separately. Add it in in 2 additions to the butter mixture. Finally, stir in the raisins and oats.



mmmm... cookie dough. Chill this mixture for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or baking parchment. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until delicious. I highly recommend testing along the way ;-)



Now it's time for a creamy homemade latte and an oatmeal raisin cookie - the best of all possible afternoon snacks.

Coming up next, since the previous entry was from last week, I'm making a healthy chicken salad - grape tomatoes, chick peas, spinach, and a reduced fat cream cheese and garlic dressing. We'll see how it all works out.

Tomato and Black Bean soup

Okay. So I haven't updated, but I've been without internet at home, so it's been a little difficult. I did however make the tomato and black bean soup and raisin oatmeal cookies last week, though. The cookies... ah the cookies. I learned never to add cumin to cookies... yeah I thought it would taste good, but it did not. I'm never going to make that mistake again, but this weekend I will make the cookies again - just sticking to the classic cinnamon.

The Tomato and Black Bean Soup was a success from start to finish

Tomato and Black Bean Soup

1 medium onion
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chilis)
salt and pepper to taste
2 120z cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup red wine
1 lemon

In a large pot heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and cook for about 15 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Next add the tomatoes, garlic, and adobo sauce. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and the two cans of black beans. Let this heat through, cooking over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the can of crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and wine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove from heat and add the juice of 1 lemon.



The lemon juice adds a pleasant tartness that pairs well with the slight heat from the adobo sauce. All in all this is a very refreshing, not-too-heavy summer soup! It also served as a great post-run meal with tortilla chips and cottage cheese.

New recipes weeeeee!

That is, new recipes to come. I'm back in the states and can't wait to start cooking again. I'm going to keep the same schedule as last year since it worked out so well. I'd love to add an occasional extra recipe or two a week in if I can, but right now my schedule is something sweet and something savory just about every weekend.

For starters how about some healthy bean and tomato soup and oatmeal raisin cookies?

Nothing crazy and nothing french to start with. I just moved into my apartment and need to get a feel for the kitchen and oven before I start doing anything super awesome.

I can't wait!!!