Homemade English Muffins

Today was one of my favorite types of days. It was a day of discovery - food discovery to be specific - and nothing gives me more joy and excitement as do these moments. I get to experience something new, something delicious, and I feel that much more knowledgeable about the world around me than before. The food world is infinitely full of these moments. Each one builds upon the next, and I get to continuously experience them every day. I'll never get over how lucky I am for that.


But guess what? It's actually the fact that I get to share these discoveries with you that means the most to me. Yes, you! If I can do it, you can do it. And since I need to eat, and you need to eat, there's no reason I should be more informed about this human necessity than you are. I therefore feel an obligation to pass along this knowledge to as many people as possible, and I do it both gladly and eagerly. "Food is our common ground, a universal experience" after all... right, James Beard?


I felt similarly on the day I got to tell you that you can make your own Nut Butter at home, since it is something that is commonly only thought to be accessible in a store. But alas, it's not true! And today I feel the same way. Only today I'm telling you that you can make your own English Muffins. Standing there, in your PJ's, in your own home, makin' muffins. Yes, it's true!


This recipe has been on my 'must make' list for a while, and when I came across it recently on one of my favorite blogs Smitten Kitchen, I knew I had to finally check it off the list. It uses a cooking technique similar to an English Muffin recipe by Alton Brown (using tuna cans as molding rings to shape the muffins) but the ingredients are adopted from a Ruth Reichl recipe. The only ingredient I wanted to add but unfortunately forgot to buy at the store was cornmeal. My plan was to sprinkle it on each side of the muffin before cooking them on the griddle to get that nice, crunchy, hint of toasted corn flavor with every bite. But oh well, there's always next time, and now I know they are perfectly delicious without it too.


All I can really say is: sorry Thomas', but we've got your number now. I will pass by you at the store and give you a glance and a slight grin, but nothing more, and simply continue in stride.

Homemade English Muffins
Makes about 15 muffins

1/3 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

5 cups all-purpose flour

Mix 1/3 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 package active dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 1 2/3 cups milk. When cool, add to yeast mixture along with 1 egg, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and mix, at medium speed, 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups more flour and mix well. Cover and let rise 1 hour.*

Preheat a griddle to 300 degrees F, or a heavy duty skillet to medium low heat.

Place metal rings or tuna cans (both tops and bottoms removed) onto the griddle and coat lightly with vegetable spray. Using #20 ice cream scoop**, place 2 scoops into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork and serve.

* You can also mix this by hand, adding all of the flour at once and not for five minutes.
** Unable to figure out what size scoop this was, I can only caution you to not fill the ring more than halfway. It puffs plenty while cooking.

Fluffy, steamy centers...

...turn into those nook and cranny crags you crave after a run in the toaster. More like butter capsules really.

Inspiration for a brunch to remember: Homemade english muffins smeared with butter, and topped with fresh radish slices, scallions, sea salt and lemon juice. An uncanny combination.

Swiss chard-goat cheese eggs and purple potato garlic hashbrowns to round it all out. Happy Easter! holy food coma

Simple, wholesome ingredients

Big discoveries

Beer Bread

Beer. Bread. Together. As one.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that I was finally introduced this epic culinary creation. Seeing that beer and bread are two of my favorite things, it seems as though I would have anxiously anticipated making this recipe after extensive research and taste tests. But the reality is, this recipe was actually the farthest from premeditated as you can get. It came about in an unanticipated moment; a type of moment when culinary creativity can reach its utmost potential.

It's the type of moment when you know you want to make something, but the inspiration comes so quickly that there was no prior preparation for it (and that includes shopping). Due to this spontaneity, you are therefore left to the already existing stock of the closest pantry to see what seemingly unrelated ingredients can come together to create something fantastic. It's a test to see if you can make something work, and work well, using only the things you already have.
It’s kind of like as if you were trying to survive on a desert island. Only there's no island. Or SOS calls. Hopefully.

I had decided that I wanted to make bread (...shocking, I know). But after a failed attempt to locate any yeast, I was left to dig deeper into my archives of culinary know-how. Luckily my friend chimed in during my active brainstorm throughout the kitchen. "What about beer?" he suggested.

Beer....beer....ah, yes, beer! Brilliant, I say. Yeast is a pivotal ingredient in beer production just as it is in most breads - therefore basically making beer a liquid form of bread in many ways.

In very basic terms, yeast plays an important role in the chemical processes of both beer production and bread making to enhance flavor, produce alcohol, and release carbon dioxide. In beer the alcohol is contained, but in yeast breads it is mainly cooked away, but with no loss of that yeasty fermented flavor that makes us all swoon at the smell and taste of freshly baking bread. And the carbon dioxide? In beer, if carbonated naturally, creates that bubbly efferrvesence to your pint, and in bread, the gas is released into the flour in the dough, filling your bread with delicious, chewy air bubbles in between the strands of gluten.

Bottom line: Yeast is behind everything that is awesome about both beer and bread. Be sure to thank it over your next brew or sandwich, since yeast is why both will be so tasty.

So after reaching this brilliant yeast epiphany, it was clear that Beer Bread was the decided creation on the horizon. And besides this recipe being a conglomeration of so many incredible ingredients all in one loaf (beer, bread, cheese, ground mustard, aromatics...), it is so easy to put together that it's almost silly. It has the steps and time appeal of a quick bread (the baking powder assists with the rising), but has the flavor and aroma of a yeasted bread that would normally take much more time to rise and develop.

And when you take it out of the oven, a loaf scented with a hint of beer that is encapsulated in a buttery, crunchy crust awaits you. It sits there, teasing you, and once slightly cooled, it is ready to be sliced into to reveal the scattered pieces of caramelized shallots, fragrant garlic, and melted savory cheese.
It is impossible for me to read that sentence and not have my mouth water.

You can certainly enjoy this bread on it's own, but once you bite into it your mind will instantly know it's undoubted potential for other applications. It practically begs to be dipped into a chili or soup, or put in a toaster, or to be bookends for a healthily sized barbecue pulled pork sandwich.

I've already started to imagine versions with corn flour or corn meal, perhaps some whole wheat flour, fresh herbs (cheddar/dill, sundried tomato basil), even different cheeses... and not to mention all of the different types of beer you could test out with each loaf! You could get quite a different outcome making this bread with a Guinness vs. a light lager. Maybe try an oatmeal stout with some oats scattered within the bread...or a porter with a hint of chocolate or coffee...
Here we go with the mouth watering again.


Clearly I need to get cooking. And so do you.

Beer Bread

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 small shallot, cut into a small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1 cup grated cheese (I used a cheddar/smoked gouda combo)

12 oz of your favorite beer (yes, that is one can's worth)

2-3 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a bread loaf pan with butter and flour or nonstick cooking spray.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, and slightly brown if desired (caramelized). Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant (you do not want the garlic to brown or else it will be bitter). Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and ground mustard. Mix in the cheese and shallot/garlic mixture. Add the beer and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky.

Transfer dough into greased loaf pan. Pour melted butter over the dough. Place loaf into middle of oven followed by a baking sheet below it to catch any butter that falls out of the pan as the bread rises. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until the bread has risen and formed a golden brown, cragged crust and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean or with only a few crumbs attached. Let cool - for as long as you can stand it - on a wire rack.

Slice, crack a beer, enjoy.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

Chocolate, peanut butter...I pretty much should have you sold already. The appeal of this recipe could certainly lie solely within in its flavor combinations (admit it, you just thought about how you can locate a Reese's right now), but this recipe's hidden X factor is something that you cannot detect with your taste buds. It's the fact that it requires no baking whatsoever.

No-Bake recipes should really be a part of every cook's recipe arsenal. It's important to be able to know how to make something when you are in a situation sans all of your regular cooking resources, and a lack of an oven is a big one. There's that, and then when it's just too hot out to deal with oven temperatures but you still crave a baked-like sweet, you wont have to leave yourself and your friends unsatisfied. Plus, these bars have oats in them, so they're heart healthy.

I snagged this recipe from Martha Stewart in my research for good go-to no-bake bars. I played around with the recipe a bit and was pretty satisfied. I replaced the wafers with chocolate graham crackers and upped the butter and PB just a wee bit. My experimentation left the bars a bit crumbly, but no less delicious. I have the original recipe below, and play around with yourself if you see fit. Just think, there's no way you can burn them!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Bars

• · Vegetable oil cooking spray
• · 9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 wafers), finely ground (2 cups)
• · 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• · 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• · 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• · 5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• · 1 cup chunky peanut butter
• · 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• · 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
• · 1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.

2. Combine wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Add peanut butter mixture to wafer mixture, stirring until combined. Transfer to baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula to firmly press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Pour melted semisweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using an offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.

4. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Drizzle melted milk chocolate over peanut butter. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.

Use parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Read more at Marthastewart.com: No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars - Martha Stewart Recipes

Nut Butter, Your Way

I'm about to let you in on a little secret that could possibly change your culinary life.  It's one of those secrets that you'll respond to saying "No way, how did I not know that before?", and you'll wonder how and why you have lived so uninformed.  This specifically applies to all of my fellow peanut and nut butter lovers out there; those who shamelessly go at a jar with a spoon and cannot really imagine a day without the tasty nutty delight.  For those of you who fall under that category, I'm about to empower you with a skill that will make your nut butter experiences that much more fulfilling, tasty, and economical to boot.  

It's the simple fact that you can make your own nut butter.  Yes, you, sitting there; you can do it.  With all those years you passed grocery store aisles thinking some far away factory could be the only one to provide you with your nutty fix, you now know it can come from your own home.  

What's even better about making it yourself is that you have full control over both the quality and creativity of the final product.  All of those jars that have ingredients like corn syrup, thickening agents, and extra oil?  There's just no need for them.  On the simplest level, all you really need is your desired nut.  That's it.  You put a whole bunch of them in a food processor, turn it on, and within 5 minutes you'll find yourself hovered over the bowl unable to cease licking the warm, freshly churned nut butter from your spatula (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...).  Then add what you like.  Salt, honey, coconut, a combination of nuts, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, flaxmeal, cayenne pepper...you name it!  And, of course, don't forget to add that dash of gratitude you now have after being awakened to such a gift as freshly homemade nut butter.

Homemade Nut Butter

Okay, a few more helpful facts before you get started:

- I like to use either all roasted nuts or part roasted and part raw.  The roasting process brings out the nuts' natural oils which makes churning easier, and also lends that tasty roasted flavor.  My go-to combination is a 2:1:1 ratio of peanuts to almonds and walnuts. 

- A food processor really is the key tool here.  It's powerful enough to fully demolish the nuts to create that creamy spread for your ideal PB&J.  You may be able to use a blender, but make sure it's a quality one that packs a lot of punch.  Don't be deterred if you don't have a food processor - you can certainly test it in your blender and see how it goes.  In my opinion a food processor is an absolutely worthwhile purchase with all of the other applications you can use it for (pesto! hummus! bread dough! frosting! I could go on!) Or, go bug a friend who knows all of this and therefore has one.  

- Be patient with the process.  Don't freak out after 2 minutes and your nut butter looks dry and chunky.  Have the machine running for at least five full minutes and you'll see the transformation unfold.  I usually like to watch the bowl like a small broadway show; the thrilling plot of how the big mass of chopped nuts all of a sudden starts swirling around the bowl as it surrenders to become a silky spread.  You could also do a chore in the meantime.  Personally I've come to like hula-hooping and watching it churn simultaneously.

- Store the nut butter in a tightly covered tupperware container in the fridge.  The natural oils will keep better in there than on a shelf.

Ingredients:

- Around 4 cups of your favorite nut or combination of nuts.  Use more if you want more.  Use less if you want less.

- Any additional flavors or spices you feel like eating with your nut butter

Method:

- Place nuts in food processor

- Turn food processor on

- Wait five minutes.  (if you feel the urge to scrape down the sides with a spatula, go ahead)

- Enjoy watching the churning process, or go do your 5 minute chore, or do both at the same time

- Open food processor and smell the warm nuttiness wafting into your nose.  Don't resist tasting.

- Add your other ingredients if applicable (a pinch of salt does wonders at the very least)

- Mix them all together

- Taste again

- And again

- And again

- And again...

  

  

A perfect pair.  Test out your next batch of Banana Mash with your new nut butter.  

You wont turn back!

French Toast Casserole

Ah, breakfast.  So essential, so versatile...it makes an alarm clock a little less offensive knowing that it's not too far away.  I know every person has their own breakfast staples as a part of their everyday routine, but it's nice to know a thing or two about throwing a special breakfast together when the time comes for such an occasion.

I agree that pancakes and french toast are great options, but I start to get cranky just thinking about all of the pans and bowls and utensils I have to get out and use so early in the morning, only to be left to clean them after my food coma has kicked in after eating.  I want the paper (or...lets be honest, a good food book or magazine) and a warm cuppa' Joe to be waiting for me at that moment, not a counter full of dirty dishes.

This recipe is one of my favorite things to make when I want to make something special for breakfast, but don't feel like doing all of the hard work in the morning.  It's great for holidays, vacations, when staying with friends, or on a Saturday morning to surprise someone special.  I actually made a few of these casseroles last week for a catering gig and they were a hit with the gracious conference attendees.  The casserole sits in the fridge overnight, with flavors mingling and developing, and is ready for the oven when you step into the kitchen in the morning.

And once everyone is awake and with a healthy appetite after the smells begin to waft from the oven, a glorious dish full of light custard soaked bread awaits the table...and your fork.


French Toast Casserole
I want to tell you that this recipe is a mere backdrop to infinite varieties.  Go crazy with other ingredients as additions: dried fruit! fresh fruit! nuts! exotic spices! flavored liquors!  Some stellar combinations await you.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of crusty french bread, cut up or torn into bite size pieces
12 eggs
3 cups milk (or half-and-half or cream)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (half stick) butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Maple Syrup

Method:

- Place bread pieces in a 9x13 baking dish.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

- Pour egg mixture over bread.  Press the bread pieces down to make sure they are fully submerged in the liquid.  Cover with aluminum foil and place in fridge overnight.

- In the morning, remove the casserole from the fridge and let sit on counter as the oven preheats to 350 degrees.  Mix together the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.  Once the oven is at temperature, place the casserole in, uncovered, for about an hour.  You want a puffed up, golden brown crust and a knife to come out clean from the center (that wont jiggle if you shake the pan).  If it gets too brown before its done, simply cover it with the foil and continue baking until its cooked through.

- Pour some maple syrup over the top and serve - making sure there's more maple syrup to pass around too.  And for goodness sake make sure it's the good stuff.


(I unfortunately wasn't fast enough to snap a picture of last week's casseroles, but the photo above is close to what you should be going for! courtesy of http://candcdish.wordpress.com/ )

Cranberry Ginger Oatmeal Bars

Ho ho ho!  Merry Hakwanza everybody.  The holiday season is upon us whether we're ready or not.

Apart from all of the decorations and lights and road-raged parking lots that give us such cheer every year, the holiday season also means many festive parties to attend.  Although it certainly is a time to gather with family and friends, it's also a time to brainstorm what to bring to the party when you're a guest.  This causes a problem for some.  What to contribute?  We tend to lean towards wine or some sort of booze as a go-to, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.  But I think it's time to broaden our horizons.

Sure, we all love a good drink, but food is an equally important part of a good shin-dig.  That's why I look to homemade baked goods when I can.  It shows you went the extra mile - spending the time to take on a recipe and bake it - and it adds a sweet finish to the party that you know everyone is looking for, even when they wont admit it.  We need something to accompany that mug of holiday-mix-of-liquors-from-the-punch-bowl, am I right?

These oatmeal bars are not only tasty, but they trump cookies in difficulty level too.  You mix a batter, spread it in a pan, and put it in the oven until they're done.  No dropping spoonfuls on baking sheets, waiting for 12 minute intervals near the oven, having to use all of the pans in your kitchen.  Once cooled you simply cut them into bars, and you instantly have individual portions of the tasty treat.  I will give you fair warning though; I wouldn't count on each person to eat just one, so plan accordingly.

Cranberry Ginger Oatmeal Bars

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup craisins

2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place rack in middle position.  

-  Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

-  Beat butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix in.

- Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture with the machine on low and mix until just combined.  Stir in the oats, craisins, and chopped ginger.  

- Spread batter in an ungreased 9x13" pan.  Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Let completely cool on a wire rack and cut into bars.

Pitza Time

Now posted on Local In Season as well!  Check it out.  

Although we don’t associate this time of year (tell me how it came to be the end of November again?) with bountiful harvests from the garden, there are still some edible gems left in the surviving vines that keep us going throughout the winter. They are the brave warriors who withstand the cold fall nights when other vegetables bow out until next season. I’m talking about winter squash of course, and they’re about to take center stage on your table during the holiday season.

If you think about it, even our favorite ways to cook winter squash remind us of their seasonality; roasted slowly in a hot oven that first warms our homes from the cold outside, and then warms our bodies once we devour the soft, sweet, and nutty roasted flesh of the squash. It comforts us as we hunker down for ski-jacket and window scraper season.

Recently though, I have been thinking about how we tend to be set in our ways on how we use winter squash. Butternut squash? Soup. Acorn squash? Stuffed. Pumpkins? Jack-o-lanterns and pie. I realized it was time for a little more culinary exploration of these cold weather combatants.

Enter the Curry Pumpkin Apple Pitza. I created this recipe one night when I wanted something different and delicious, but without requiring a large amount of time or energy. The solution? Mini pizzas made out of pitas instead of dough (hence Pit-zas…get it! gosh I love food word puns) and topping them with flavor combinations that you’re definitely not going to find at your local pizza joint. Pairing ingredients like pumpkin and apples with curry, coconut, and lime, I went around the world and back with my first taste. Now you can enjoy an exotic spin on classic fall flavors too with every bite of this pita-pizza hybrid.



CURRY PUMPKIN APPLE PITZAS
Pair with a fresh green salad.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup pumpkin puree 

¼ cup ricotta cheese 

¾ teaspoon curry powder 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ cup coconut milk 

1 teaspoon lime juice 

½ teaspoon lime zest

6 whole-wheat pitas (see Tip)
1 medium apple, thinly sliced (about 1/8” thick) 

1 ½ cup grated gruyere cheese 

3 tablespoons chopped scallion

METHOD

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Set oven rack to middle position.

In a bowl combine the pumpkin, ricotta, curry powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, lime juice, and lime zest. Set aside.
 

Spread pitas out on a large baking sheet and place in preheated oven. Toast pitas until slightly crisp and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.

Remove pitas from oven. Evenly spread 2 tablespoons pumpkin mixture onto each pita, following with a single layer of apple slices, and topping with cheese. Place pitas back into the oven and cook until the cheese melts and starts to bubble, 3-5 minutes.

Remove pitzas from oven and place on serving plates. Let cool at least 5 minutes. Drizzle each pitza with 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut-lime milk and evenly top with chopped scallions. Serve immediately.



Tip: Cut a small 2-inch slit on the side of each pita so steam can escape while in the oven.