cooking

banana filled graham pancakes

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 17:29:57 -0500

banana-filled graham cracker pancakes

Filled-pancake (also known as aebelskiver, or spherical pancake) pan
2 skewers for turning

Servings: 35 filled pancakes

Ingredients

4oz graham crackers, broken into pieces
3/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
5 Tbl sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, yolks separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
6 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
2 bananas, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
1 cup heavy cream
Maple syrup for serving

Preparation

Put graham crackers in blender; blend on high until powdery. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, 3 Tbs sugar and salt, pulse to combine. In large bowl, whisk egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk in flour mixture; batter will be lumpy.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff but not till dry peaks form, 1-2mins. Gently stir whites into batter in 2 additions.

Put 1/2 tsp butter in each well of filled-pancake pan. Heat over medium heat. Pour 2 tsp batter into each well. Place 3 banana pieces in center of each pancake; top with 1 tsp batter. Cook 3-5mins. Using 2 skewers, flip pancakes over; cook about 3 mins more. Transfer pancakes to plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

In measuring cup, combine cream and 2 Tbs sugar. Whip with cream whipper. Serve pancakes warm with whipped cream and maple syrup.

revelatory caramel cake

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 17:37:54 -0500

Revelatory Caramel Cake

ACTIVE: 45 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 4 HRS
SERVINGS: Makes one 8-inch layer cake

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup whole milk
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened
3/4 cup heavy cream

Icing

3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter three 8-inch cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and flour the pans, tapping out the excess.
MAKE THE CAKE: In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the egg whites and vanilla extract. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of milk. Beat at low speed until blended, then beat at medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Beat in the egg white mixture in 3 batches.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the batter, then fold in the rest. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Unmold the cakes and peel off the parchment. Invert the cakes and let cool completely.
MAKE THE ICING: In a saucepan, stir 2 1/2 cups of the sugar with the corn syrup and milk. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Keep warm.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a deep, heavy saucepan. Cook the sugar over moderate heat, swirling occasionally, until an amber caramel forms. Carefully pour the warm milk mixture over the caramel. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the caramel dissolves. Stop stirring and cook until the caramel registers 235° on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. Strain the caramel into the bowl of a standing mixer. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Beat the caramel at medium speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup of cream, until creamy, about 15 minutes.
Set 1 cake layer on a plate. Pour enough icing over the layer to cover the top. Top with a second cake layer and cover it with icing. Add the final cake layer and pour the rest of the icing over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Working quickly, use an offset spatula to spread the icing gently around the cake. Let the cake stand for 2 hours to set the icing before serving.

Notes

Cake Tip This cake is even better the day after it's made.

chocolate peanut butter moon pies

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 17:40:26 -0500

Chocolate–Peanut Butter Moon Pies

ACTIVE: 1 HR
TOTAL TIME: 4 HRS
SERVINGS: Makes about 30 moon pies

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup light corn syrup
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Cocoa and cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the 1 whole egg. Add the 2 1/4 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and beat until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into 2 mounds and transfer to 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pat each mound of dough into a 1/3-inch-thick square, wrap and refrigerate until firm, 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 square at a time, on a floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 13-inch square, 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds and arrange them 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets; repeat with the second square of dough. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm. Reroll and cut out more rounds, using the scraps only once. Refrigerate the cookies just until firm, about 10 minutes.
Bake the cookies in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned, shifting the pans halfway through baking. Let cool slightly, then carefully invert the cookies onto racks and let cool completely.
Spread the melted chocolate on half of the cookies and the peanut butter on the other half. Allow the chocolate to set.
In a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230° to 235° (thread ball) on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in a clean standing mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the 2 egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until firm peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the hot corn syrup and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. At medium-low speed, beat in the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and the 1 cup of confectioners' sugar.
Transfer the marshmallow to a pastry bag with a plain 1/2-inch tip or a large zippered plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe 1 1/2-tablespoon mounds of the marshmallow onto the chocolate-covered cookies. Top with the peanut butter–covered cookies and press lightly to spread the marshmallow to the edges. Let the moon pies stand in an airtight container for 2 hours (they will soften slightly) before dusting with confectioners' sugar, cocoa and cinnamon and serving.

chicken korma

Sat, 2 Mar 2013 17:46:17 -0500

Korma is a fairly mild, creamy curry.

Notes

This recipe uses the basic curry sauce recipe as a base. You can make the base sauce separately ahead of time, or in one big process. I've added notes to help choreograph this process.

An important part of the technique is that the ground spices get fried with some oil or ghee in order to allow them to "bloom" or enhance their flavor. It's important that you take care not to burn them while doing this. Also, If you're adjusting the amounts of spices, it's okay to do that toward the end of the cooking process, as long as at least some of each spice has gone through the "blooming" process.

Ingredients

In order of appearance

2 chicken breasts, skinned and cut into approx. 1 inch pieces. You can also use paneer or another meat such as pork or shrimp.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ghee
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (adjust to suit)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (adjust to suit, I like closer to 1/8)
1 batch of basic curry sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot chilli powder (cayenne, not the stuff you'd use to make chili con carne, adjusted to suit)
1/2 teaspoon concentrated tomato paste (again, I recommend Contadina brand)
salt to taste
4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yoghurt (I prefer sour cream, as it's a little more "luxurious")
Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

Method

Heat a little of the oil in a large heavy frying pan, then fry the chicken pieces over moderate heat until they are sealed and have turned white. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Heat the rest of the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat, then put in the cinnamon and cardamom and stir constantly for 15 - 20 seconds, being careful to keep it from burning. Pour it onto the chicken you've set aside.
If making the basic sauce at the same time, complete the steps there before continuing here. The idea is that you add the spice components from this recipe close to the end of the simmering process, so that they're more prominent over the background of the curry sauce.
Turn the heat to low then add the Basic Curry Sauce, chilli powder, tomato purée and salt. You can add a little more tomato purée if the colour isn't rich enough but don't add more than another 1/2 teaspoon or you'll end up with too much tomato saucy type flavor.
Add the chicken pieces and simmer on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring from time to time (the sauce will tend to settle, so you want to stir so that it doesn't stick to the pan and burn. Add hot water if the sauce gets too dry.
Finally, turn off the heat stir in the sour cream or yoghurt and heat through until warmed (adding a little low heat if necessary). By the end of the cooking the sauce should be silky and not too thick.
Serve with basmati rice or naan and top with chopped cilantro.

Clam Fritters

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:34:14 -0400

Total Time: About 16 fritters

Bonacker is the name given to natives of the East Hampton, Long Island. Craig Claiborne, longtime food editor of the New York Times, lived near Round Swamp Farm in East Hampton and was a great fan. He tirelessly sought out authentic American cooking and in 1976 called this recipe “Americana, pure and simple”.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup clam juice (reserved from clams)
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
Pinch cayenne
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 dozen cherrystone clams, shucked, drained, and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Whisk

in eggs, lemon juice, clam juice, milk, butter, and cayenne, whisking until
batter is smooth. Add parsley and clams, then season with salt and pepper.
Mix well.

Add vegetable oil to a heavy skillet, to a depth of 1/8-in. and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, spoon about 2 tablespoon of clam batter for each fritter into the hot oil. (Work in batches and avoid crowding the pan.) Fry until golden on one side, then turn fritters and continue frying about 2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

basic curry sauce

Sat, 2 Mar 2013 17:28:09 -0500

This is a good starting point for various curry recipes, including chicken korma. This recipe scales up well, so I like to make a double batch and save some in the freezer, where it will keep for a few weeks. Make sure to store it in a solid container (such as a glass dish with sealing cover) otherwise the the whole freezer will reek of curry.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
1 medium onion - chopped finely
4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the garlic). Alternately, you may use jarred ginger puree, just use slightly less in that case.
(optional) 1 mild fleshy green chillies such as jalapeño - de-seeded and veined then chopped. Add more as desired for spiciness.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 or 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste mixed with 4 tablespoons water. I like Contadina brand over Hunt's because Hunt's has a lot of italian spices added, which sort of ruins it for Indian cooking.

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high. Make sure things aren't burning.
Add the garlic, ginger (if using fresh sliced) and green chili (if using). If using ginger puree, wait until just before you turn the heat down. Stir for 30 seconds then then put the heat down to very low.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the spices or the sauce will unpleasant to eat. You may add few teaspoons of water if you're nervous about this.
Take off the heat and cool a little. Put 1/2 cup of cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and blend until very smooth. Take care that the lid is securely attached before turning the blender on, or you'll make a real mess. You could also use an immersion blender directly in the pan.
Add the tomato paste mixture and stir.

Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very low heat stirring occasionally.

You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown. The final texture should be something like tomato ketchup. If you have a mesh pan cover, this is a good time to use it, as you'll get splattering during the cooking process.

Acknowledgements

This recipe was originally based on a recipe from David Smith's Curry House website. I've adapted it to suit my taste and cooking preferences.