Friday, December 20, 2013

Homebaked Gingerbread House or 'Adventures with Gingerbread homes Take One'




There are a lot of variations when you make gingerbread, I really liked the taste of this one, but then I really love gingerbread.  Next year I plan (note to self) try a different Martha recipe from a magazine I have but this year I used one from her Internet site:
I Heart Martha 

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup dark-brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour
  •  
  •  
  • In a large bowl sift together (I actually do use the sifter) your Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Flour, Set this aside
  • In a mixer on a low speed combine your butter (I cut it into cubes) and sugar until creamy- then add your spices and salt   
  • Then beat in your eggs and molasses 
  • Lastly your flour mixture if you have the collar for your mixer, it makes putting in the flour easier and less mess
  •  
  • Divide your dough into smaller batches (remembering that you really only one to roll it out once, and cut your shapes that first time)
  • Cover in wrap and chill at least one hour in the refrigerator 
  • We rolled out the dough with a piece of baking paper on top, and we coated the board and the rolling pin well with flour
  • We cut our shapes and transferred them to a baking sheet- I used the excess or dough that went back into the fridge for cookies not any part of the house and I also tested my oven temperature with a batch of cookies 



********
In Australia the stores are filled with 'Christmas Puddings' which is basically a fruit cake (not American soft pudding made of flavoring and milk) and also Gingerbread Houses.

I don't remember ever thinking about Gingerbread Houses when I lived in America, yet I was very quick to buy an inexpensive 'template' from IKEA.

I followed a Martha Stewart recipe and let the KitchenAid do the heavy mixing.
I made the dough knowing that Zok would be better at the rolling out, cutting and construction.

Here are my tips from what I learned.
1. All those spices are not too much, not even the addition of pepper
2. For 'royal icing' egg whites can be substituted for 'meringue powder'
3. Don't be shy about the flour dusting for rolling out the dough or on the cut out form if you are using one
3a. We weren't happy with the cut outs and decided to use the forms as a template only, so we traced around the form with a small pizza cutter
4.  Do not keeping repeating statements such as "But, Martha did." or "But, Martha didn't." to your helper(s)
5. Pastry cutters (wheels) are a great tool for cutting out any additions, doors, extra windows
6. Light candy (read maybe not M&Ms or Smarties) are best for decorations

The construction was the tricky part for us, making the dough was easy
If you find the house is too much, just switch to gingerbread men, or other shaped cookies.

Zok ditched using the dough onto the plastic IKEA template after the second try, then he used them as shape guidelines which was much easier.
We also were partially happy to use the slots instead of sticking the house parts with icing or caramel syrup, but we both voted to try using caramel syrup next time.  It (as pictured) was a mess (Martha would not approve) but the whole event ended up sparking a desire to do better.
If we didn't have guests coming tomorrow I think we'd try again.
But I think we will end up doing this each year.

Lastly Royal Icing 
For Five Cups
2 lbs sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 plus an extra 2 tbl. meringue powder (we used about 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 egg whites)
Scant 1 cup water
Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed (we used a hand mixer)
It took about 6 minutes to get it correct
We used ours right away but Martha says you can put it in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you need to soften it up a bit used a rubber spatula
You can thin the icing as needed with a bit of water, a teaspoon at a time



 

Tom Ka Gai aka Chicken or Tofu and Coconut Soup








To be honest I don't think I have ever gotten this recipe to be as good as the takeaway I used to get in Seattle, but with no other options I will keep trying!
I think a lot depends on your coconut milk, if it is too sweet the soup isn't as complex. Also Zok only had this in a Thai place in Bellingham, WA, years ago so we don't have the same reference point.
This like most soups is easy for a fast meal.  I think you can add vegetables as you like, I have had it in Thai places with various vegetables, we used both broccoli and carrots

5 cm (2 in.) piece fresh galangal
2 cups (500ml-16 fl oz) coconut milk
1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock (we use a soup cube veg. for this one)
1 box of firm tofu
3 chicken breast fillet, cut into thin strips (Optional or additional)
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped red chillies
2 tbl. fish sauce (you can use mirin as a substitute)
1 tsp. soft brown sugar 
Any vegetables you might want to add
Coriander leaves (optional or absolutely not if you are me)

Peel the galangal and cut it into thin slices.  Combine the galangal, coconut milk and stock and carrots in a medium pan (we just use the woks).
Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

Add the tofu (if no one is vegetarian, you can add your chicken now, or cook it separately in another wok and add into the bowl of soup directly)
Toss in your broccoli (or any vegetable that is softer than a carrot by example)
Add chillies
Simmer for 8 minutes
Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar 
If using coriander add in now
Serve immediately 

Farfalle Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach





This is a really good and quick summer salad.
We use semi-sundried tomatoes a lot, and usually have some in the refrigerator and we usually have both spring onion and spinach growing in the garden during summer.

550 g or 1 lb 2 oz farfalle bowtie pasta (spirals would work, you want a pasta that can catch the dressing and spinach in its crevices)
3 spring onions (scallions) trim these and chopped them finely
50 g or 1 3/4 oz sundried (semi are a bit juicier which is nice) tomatoes, cut them into strips
1 bunch spinach, trim the stalks and then shred the leaves also into strips
50 g or 1/3 c. toasted pine nuts (Zok usually toasts them himself quickly, probably as an excuse to validate his tiny pan)
1 tbl. chopped fresh oregano

The Dressing
60  ml or 1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh chopped chilli (remember its the seeds that are super spicy so leave them out if you want)
1 garlic clove, crushed
Use a small jar to shake these up.

Cook your pasta, then rinse it in cold water, strain it and set it aside.
Take all your ingredients and add them with the pasta into a large bowl
Add in your dressing and mix well and serve immediately

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Stawberry Margarita - Cocktails with Colleen




If you have spent time around Zok and I, then you know that he is the "girly" drinker and I am more a 'bourbon neat'.
As much as I prefer a freshly shaken (in America called the bartender style) lime margarita, when only Zok and I are home, I find it too easy to just drink the blended strawberry margaritas with him.

I have some rules when it comes to blended drinks-if I have a lesser alcohol I use it, because the quality gets a bit lost in the mix.
So I will use the cheapest tequila, and triple-sec instead of a nice aged agave or silver with Cointreau which is a must for the shaken, lime style. (in my opinion).

I also think of this drink as needing to be more carefully measured than most blended drinks.
I like the taste of the lime to come through.
In a pinch, or if I want the drink to have less of a punch, I will add in orange juice.
You can add water to all drinks actually, and if I am entertaining, I will make up jars of fresh lime cooked up with sugar and water, or towards the end of berry season I slightly cook my cut strawberries, with a bit of sugar and water and freeze them ready for the blender.
Again if there are only two of you, your ingredients do not need to go that far.

Blender for two
Always have more strawberries than you might need-
Cut up your strawberries, about 3/4 c to a cup per drink
2 limes squeezed (they juice easier if you roll them back and forth under your palm before cutting)
2 shots of tequila (you can do a small tequila float on top if you have one person wanting a stronger taste)
1 shot of triple-sec (or cointreau)
Lots of crushed ice (crush the ice before blending and you will get a nice smooth blend that will not separate quickly)
Simple Syrup 

*If you are going to make cocktails a couple of times a week it is well worth cooking up simple syrup to have ready to go.  I make mine two to one, two cups of sugar to one cup of water and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator to have ready to go.

To sugar coat your glasses it is best to use caster sugar.
Put a small amount on a small plate, use a bit of your lime rind when you are juicing those to coat the rim of the glass and then immediately place the glass rim down on your plate and twist it until it is coated in sugar.
If you live in a hot area, it is worth frosting your glasses in the freezer, or if you have the room just keeping glasses in your refrigerator.

Fresh Salsa with Mango




I am pretty sure I got the idea to add mango to my salsa from a Martha Stewart magazine.
I am not a huge fan of spicy or onion(y), and I find that the mango off sets both making this a good compromise.
Of course you can always just leave out what you don't want.
Australians make a lot of salsas that they jar up and put away from winter, this is not that type of salsa, this is a more light, garden fresh quick appetizer for when friends drop in.
It is also good when you have too many strawberries and limes because of course a margarita can be nice.

I prefer firm tomatoes, or larger tomatoes than can be chopped down small over cutting up the small varieties.
I love mango, and I always scrap the skins as well and eat that bit as I am cutting up the rest.
If you feel that there is a large portion that isn't attached to the large center seed,that is a good place to make your cut, then you can twist it a bit (like an avocado) and pull it into two halves.
I usually cut both direction on the fleshy side so that I can then just scrape near the skin and get small already cut squares of mango.
 I think if your tomatoes are good, tasty tomatoes you can skip adding in fresh lemon juice, but if you prefer not to put in the guts of the tomatoes, or if the tomatoes need a flavor boost then lemon is a good way to go.
I tend to use sweet roasted chilli powder, salt and pepper sprinkled on top and then mixed in right before serving.

 This is another dish that really is about ratio and not measurement.
If I am really trying to estimate I put in about 2 tomatoes per person, if I have more than 2 people, I will use more than one mango.
I always use less onion than Zok would.

Tomatoes- chopped fine enough to work with the type of corn chip or tortilla you are eating this salsa with
Mango
White onion
Fresh lemon juice
Chilli powder (just a pinch and at the end, because the taste will get stronger as it sits)
Salt
Pepper

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Blended Summer Drinks, The Chi-Chi or its cousin the Pina Colada



Cocktails with Colleen

The blended drink is the easiest of the cocktails.  Technically it doesn't qualify as a cocktail, but as we live in the current trend of pre-mixed drinks, many might find this as elaborate as making a cocktail.

Because you are blending your ingredients, into a larger batch you have more extras than you do concentrated alcohol.
Therefore you can be loose with your measurements, as it really is just about the ratio. How much of a ratio runs to your own taste.

Zok is not a real fan of Coconut Milk in drinks, so I tend to use just enough for a creamy texture.
The trick in getting your blended drink to be like one you get when you are dining out, is to use crushed ice, which when blended will be really fine and thick and the drink can be drunk slowly without its parts separating.

Chi-Chi is when you use Vodka.
Pina-Colada is when you use Rum.
Vodka of course has a milder taste than Rum.

You would use a lot of ice, and about 2 parts fruit to one part Coconut milk.
Alcohol as desired.
I tend to put in one shot per drink.  You can always mix in a bit of alcohol straight to the bottom or top of the poured drink if someone prefers that strength.
Pineapple is juicy enough that you don't need to add in anything extra, but you could add in pineapple juice to sweeten or in a pinch if you don't have enough fruit. (Orange juice is an okay substitute but that will change the taste a bit)
Sometimes I add in mango which is a nice complementary taste.
 
 

Pineapple with Cashews and Fried Tofu or Chicken






Zok and I first had this dish on vacation in Phuket.
When Zok first made this, he always hollowed out the pineapple to use it as the dish, however we don't do that generally anymore.
It is easier to just chop up all of the excess ingredients for the compost (feed the worms!) all that once.

Oddly of course this for us is a Christmas time dish as pineapple comes in season, and we make Chi-chis to drink while trimming the tree.

As this is basically a stir-fry, the cooking time is only about 10 minutes.
Sometimes we have just Tofu, or if there are meat eaters around that feel tofu isn't enough, Zok cooks up some chicken in the small wok, to add it in.

This is technically for four people-of course if you are a couple (as in two) you can just estimate how much you want to eat.

Prepare your rice in a rice cooker (if you don't have a rice cooker, you need a rice cooker)
Fry your tofu in small squares/and set aside with your other prep.
*Remember that stir fry is ALL about the prep.  cut and tidy all your ingredients ready to all be at hand and ready to put into the wok quickly.

1/2 cup of raw cashews
2 tbl. oil (Zok uses peanut for this dish)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, cut in large chunks (or small, sneaky chunks if someone like me is eating and doesn't want to actually see any onion)
2 tsp. chopped red chillies (omit this for a less spicy dish)
1/2 red capsicum, chopped
1/2 green capsicum, chopped (Zok uses 2 full small ones, I just put the capsicum I don't want to eat back onto his plate when he isn't looking)
2 tbls oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (you can switch out these for vegetarian sauces if you have a strict veg/vegan around)
1 tsp. palm sugar (or brown)
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (it needs to be fresh the canned is already so soft it will deteriorate when it is being stir-fried)
2 spring onions chopped
2 tbls shredded coconut toasted (as a fancy garnish)


Roast the cashews on an oven tray for about 15 min. at 180 c or 350 f until golden (or cheat and just use already roasted ones)
Heat oil in your wok and first stir fry your garlic, onion and chillies over medium heat for 2 minutes 
Increase heat to high and then stir-fry your capsicum, when they are just about done, add in your sauces, sugar, pineapple and tofu and thoroughly toss for about 2-3 minutes coating everything evenly.
Add your cashews and quickly toss-
Have your assistant scoop out the already cooked rice and add your stir fry over the top
Garnish with spring onion and coconut as desired

If you are adding in chicken- add it pre-cooked after you have dished out the tofu-version to your vegetarian friends.

Tips!
Why not make a nice blended Pina Colada or Chi-Chi with your extra pineapple?

Oil-clean cans are commonly found at Asian markets, so you can clean and store you oil to use more than once.
 
 

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Mee Goreng or Zok's version of Mee Goreng







1 brown onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped (or not* says Colleen)
2 cm aka 3/4 in. of fresh ginger grated
60 ml or 1/4 c. oil (Zok would mention here you want an oil that can take the high heat and not burn away so Sunflower is better than Peanut)
350g about 12 oz. of Hokkien noodles, gently pulled apart
A package of firm Tofu first fried then cut
4 spring onions
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 tbls. kecap manis
1 tbls. soy sauce
1 tbls. tomato sauce
extra spring onions, to garnish 

Combine chopped onion, garlic, chillies, and ginger into a mortar and pestle (or use short bursts in a food processor)
pound until ingredients are paste-like (you can add a bit of oil if needed)
Set this aside.

In your wok use about 1 tbls. of oil  and stir fry your noodles until they are plump and warmed through. Place them in a covered bowl when done to keep them warm.

Add another tbls. of oil to your wok and stir-fry your paste mixture until golden.
Add your carrots, then your tofu
(Stir-frying all the while)
and then your kecap manis, soy and tomato sauces

Spoon the finished mixture over your noodles.

Notes:
You could at the tofu step substitute some sort of meat- you know- if you are in to that.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Roberto's Beans and Tortillas






One of the foods we missed the most while in Tasmania was Mexican food.
We have lived here since 2006, and just this last year have small Mexican food stalls started appearing here in Hobart.  I love Mexican because it is one of the easiest vegetarian "really don't" hate meat eaters meal to make for everyone.

Sometimes you need a friend to get you from "We really should." into "Gee that was easy."

Our friend,Roberto, was the catalyst for us making our own beans and tortillas and we do, quite often.  Zok has gotten a tortilla warmer and two tortilla presses.
An advantage to tortilla is that corn meal is a great substitute for the gluten intolerant.  
Here are Roberto's recipes that got us started.

I will put up the corn recipe in a separate post.

Flour Tortillas:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder (not soda!)
3/4 cup of 'hot'! water (we use the tea kettle)
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening *

1. Mix all the dry ingrediants: flour, powder, salt
2. Cut in the shortening*
3. Add hot water, if the mixture feels too sticky (it should at the end come cleanly from your hands and the bowl) add more flour (tip: have a flour shaker so adding in flour is easy, even, and gradual)
4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes (Zok now uses his Kitchen Aid for all and any mixing)
5. Cover dough for 10 minutes
6. separate dough into balls to either press with your tortilla press or to roll out with your rolling pin.
7. Fry in a hot pan- the dough will bubble up a bit and that is a good time to flip it.  Otherwise you can just continually flip until done 

*In Australia and Sweden the vegetable shortening is some form of coconut, and it comes cold and we have to grate it with the small part of a cheese grater.
If you are using soft American shortening you could just put in small scoops at a time.

The tortilla warmer does keep the tortillas hot.

Pinto Beans: (We actually use a variation of Bolito beans because that is what we can find here and in Stockholm-they work really well).

2-3 cups beans
6-8 cloves garlic
1 medium onion (I use white or yellow as I find they dissolve in, leaving flavor but not too concentrated a flavor)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
1 tbl. cumin seeds

1. Separate and rinse beans (compost any funky looking ones or sometimes there are non-bean bits depending on how you buy your beans)
2. Chop onion and half the garlic
3. Crush your cumin seeds, and then crush the rest of your garlic into the crushed seeds, I use a mortar and pestle, and then use water to rinse the whole lot into the pot
4. Add all to a pot with a large bottom (wide as opposed to deep)
5. Add enough water to cover to about 2 inches above the beans.
6. First bring to a rapid boil for about 8 minutes, then lower to a simmer.
Cover and remember to check often, and stir often.

I cheat a bit and crush my beans towards the end with a potato masher, but I do spend hours letting them slow cook.  They always seem to taste best when I don't speed up the process.  You can always add more water if too much evaporates off.  This will happen if you are cooking them faster.
If the flavor isn't quite right I will add more cumin or garlic.



Friday, November 8, 2013

Double Chocolate (white and dark) Marble Cake (Kitchenaid)







This is Zok's altered version of violet, double chocolate marble cake from a KitchenAid recipe book.

100 g dark chocolate (70%)*
50 g white chocolate chips*
115 g softened butter
150 g sugar
2 Eggs
200 g self-raising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 C.  Grease a 23 cm ring mould.  Melt your chocolate.*
Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl with the flat beater on speed 4 for 1 minute, until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
If the mixture looks curdled, add a tablespoon of flour.**

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, then beat into the creamed mixture on speed 4 for 1 minute until well-combined.  Spoon half the batter into another bowl and add the vanilla extract and white chocolate.
Then with your melted dark chocolate, mix this into the batter left in your mixer bowl with the flat beater on speed 1 until thoroughly combined.

Then drop alternating spoonfuls of each batter into your cake tin.  Smooth the surface with a spoon and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Warning-overcooking really dries out this cake). Leave the cake in its tin to cool, but first loosen the edges a bit with a dull knife.

Zok tops his cake with a ganache. (If you search the word ganache-it will take you to that post)
However here is the recipe from the book, we just have no access to violets.

100 g white chocolate
25 ml violet liquer
50 g crystallized violets
Melt your chocolate together with the liquer.
Roughly chop the crystallized violets.
Melt your chocolate and stir in your liquer.
After turning your cake out- drizzle the cake with icing and then sprinkle on the violets.

*This is what is stated in the book recipe, but this sort of depends on what chocolate you have access too- the cake relies on good chocolate, so you are best to buy specialty chocolate from a chocolate shop if possible.
If it is a large block you can grate it, if the chips are large just break them a bit.

Zok melts his chocolate by using hot water in a tin bowl, with a tin bowl with the chocolate on top, and the heat from the water melts the chocolate.  Then using a rubber scraper to get all the melted chocolate into the mix.

**Zok would tell you to always have a shaker of flour by your side when baking and add as needed.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tasty Tofu: An introduction to stir-frying and Tofu and of course Rice






I think the original recipe for this dish is in Sweden, where we are not.
 However, this recipe has evolved away from any true recipe, this is the dish Zok makes when we are short on time, or short on ingredients.
Because we use a rice cooker, the dish is especially quick.
I think originally, this is the recipe that made Zok start to actually want to eat tofu, hence the nickname of 'Tasty Tofu'.

For those who care there are some tips on Stir-frying at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

Firm tofu (amount depending on how many you are feeding)
Shiitake Mushrooms (Zok would say that only Shiitake mushrooms should be used due to the small amount of ingredients and the strong flavor of these mushrooms)
Garlic (again this is about your own taste)
Real Butter

Sauce:
30 ml Soy Sauce
30 ml Miran
30 ml Cooking Sake
 

Cut all ingredients into thin slices, trying for uniform sizes
First melt your butter to coat the bottom of your pan*
Quickly flash fry your garlic- until fragrant and put them aside (into a small dish)
Coat the pan with butter again and quickly do the same with your mushrooms and then put then aside
Repeat again with your tofu pieces, getting them golden-brown in color.

Then you can put all your ingredients together into the pan and add your sauce.
Essentially you are just reducing down the sauce so that it is thickened.

Dish out your rice and add your tofu, mushrooms, garlic tasty-goodness over the top.

We usually have a glass of cold sake with this meal.

*Disclaimer, Zok uses a heavy based, good heat conducting frying pan not a wok for this dish because it doesn't need much cooking as of course you could eat these ingredients raw.

Tips on Stir-frying
This dish is a bit of a introduction to stir-frying, as you can practice making your ingredients uniform, and having everything to hand to quickly add in.
These are the most important parts of mastering a good stir-fry.
Because everything is cooked quickly, a good, high, constant heat is important.
When using the wok, it is especially important to have everything you need nearby and ready to go.
Any oil (or butter) is good as long as they are not cold pressed.  
Having a little bit of water to hand is a good idea, you can sprinkle the edges of your wok so items don't stick because they are drying out.

Because your food is cooked simply and quickly there is a crisp caramelized taste.
 


 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Pizza and Pizza bread as a the bread for your appetizers- also a chat about Yeast





Liz one of Zok's family members is the person that first got us to make our own pizza.  Well, her and the fact that the one pizza shop we really liked 'perfect pizza' closed. Swedish pizza needs its own post...I'll just mention two things, they don't slice it and banana is always a topping option.

It is possible we eat too much pizza. 

We use good steel pizza pans that we got from a catering store.
They work well and just need to be seasoned (heated up with oil a couple of times before the first use).  I don't clean them with soap, I use a brush to get off anything that it stuck, wipe them down with more oil, and heat them up to get the water to dry quickly and avoid rust, and that is that.

We use corn pizza base (for the gluten intolerant) and the flour pizza base to use as our appetizer bread for dips.  Either plain or with garlic on top (diced fresh garlic in Zok's case, and garlic salt in mine).

We also jar up the tomato sauce ourselves, and Zok just adds in the spices to make the sauce.  We vary on this a bit, I like to add a pinch of sugar and vegeta seasoning (it is like a veg. soup seasoning) Zok adds bay leaves and fresh herbs.

Here is our pizza base recipe: (2 large or 3 smaller tins)
We like our pizza crust thick

Add to your mixing bowl the following:
500 g of plain flour
4 tsp. sugar (we use caster)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Whisk these dry ingredients to blend

(You can of course knead the dough by hand, however doing the pizza base is what inspired Zok to get a mixer)

250- 300 ml. warm water
8 g. of dry yeast (instant dry yeast)*
 (Zok says all the stuff you read about "activating" your yeast- well basically this is a chemical reaction and will happen naturally-but go to the notes section on yeast here)
Combine the yeast and water in a mixing cup and stir and you'll will get a smelly, cloudy mixture.

Put your mixer bowl onto low and add about half of your yeast mixture.
Okay here is where Zok gets a bit esoteric - he sometimes uses a bit more warm water, sometimes he doesn't use all his original mixture, and sometimes he needs to add flour.
It is true if you are making a lot of baked items, scones, bisquits (american), pizza base you will just be able to tell that it is correct.
I think these inconsistencies come from the times Zok doesn't bother to measure out his ingredients.

Finally,
Lightly grease a glass bowl with a wee bit of oil.
When your mixture is ready (after about 5 minutes)
Grab out your dough, ball it up a bit, coat the dough slightly within the bowl,
The dough should be soft and pliable and you can pat it down a bit at the bottom of the bowl.
Cover your bowl with a tea towel and allow to rise for about an hour.
Zok says if you leave it too long the center will collapse a bit.






Zok then rolls out the dough with a rolling pin, on his baking board that is lightly coated with more flour. This is after dividing the dough into the portions he wants.

I like to pinch my pizza edges like a pie because I don't want any of my cheese to escape.
I also 'pre-bake' my base, so I coat my with rosemary infused olive oil, and sprinkle it with fresh herbs like Italian parsley or whatever looks good-and some garlic salt.  I let it get a bit golden and then I put on my sauce and toppings and cook it until the cheese is melted.
Zok of course puts so many items on his pizza including hot sauce and this makes no sense to my tried and true 1-3 toppings rule.




*****

Let's talk about yeast.
We were hesitant about the yeast, all the fuss about activating the yeast with sugar, and the different types of yeast.  Plus the yeasts we can buy are different country to country.

Currently we are into buying fresh yeast, which we have found at one store in town.  We also had to prove to ourselves what a 'activated' yeast looked like.
So here you see live yeast- 5 days past it's use by date compared to dry yeast.
The difference is marked.  
Basically we've decided that when in doubt, get new yeast.  If you doubt your fresh yeast but have dry go for the dry.  The baking process is too time consuming to be let down by your yeast!
Fresh is preferable when you can get it, but as you see here, dry was the correct option.


 

 

 

 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Pumpkin (birthday) Muffins





Ingredients:

10 tablesppons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp.
3 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp course salt (we use sea salt)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (we fresh grind)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/3 c buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree (we roasted and pureed pumpkin because we can't find canned in Sweden or Australia)
*Cut the pumpkin into pieces, sprinkle with water, bake for 15 minutes on each side, and then puree in your mixer or with your hand mixer
 
3/4 c. light (or just soft) brown sugar
2 large eggs 

Sugar coating:
1/4 c. caster sugar
2 tbl. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. unsalted butter melted

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
Butter and flour your muffin tin.  Mix together your dry ingredients with a wisk- or with your wisk attachment in your mixer (large bowl as you will add in your liquids)
In a small bowl whisk together your buttermilk and your pumpkin puree
First in your mixer- beat teh butter and brown sugar until fluffy add in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed (don't over mix- or your muffins will get more dense and less fluffy)
Still with mixer on low add in your flour mixture slowly and alternate adding in your pumpkin mixture and beat on low to combine.

Then take your batter and pour into your prepped muffin tin
Cook about 30 minutes and/or until a toothpick comes out clean
Take your combined sugar and cinnamon aka cinnamon sugar and after your muffins have cooled for about 10 minutes on their wire rack you can brush a muffin with melted butter and toss them in your cinnamon sugar to coat.

Note: I think this recipe was Martha's fault.