Falafel

Recipe blogging is a tricky thing. I'm always wondering if I'm infringing on any copyright laws when I type up a recipe. I've heard of some major publications who have come after bloggers for posting recipes on blogs.

Crediting sources is another tricky area. For example, this falafel recipe. Originally, it is a Cook's Illustrated recipe. I found it on Bella's blog, who found it on Bridget's blog. Who do I credit? The original publisher? The site I found the recipe on? Is it enough that I give a shout-out to the other blogs in the post? This is the nature of blogging. One can get lost trying to follow all the links, a little like Hansel and Gretel and their crumb trail.


Regardless, the recipe is fantastic. I love falafel, and had never thought to make it at home. I forgot to flatten them into disks before frying, but was very pleased with the round little nuggets I ended up with. They were just the right size for popping into my mouth, and they fit perfectly into a pita.



Falafel
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
The Best International Recipe, as seen on bellasbistro.wordpress.com

8 oz. dried chick peas, rinsed, picked over, and soaked overnight in water to cover by an inch
6 scallions, chopped coarse
½ c packed fresh parsley leaves
½ c packed fresh cilantro leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil for frying

Drain chick peas, discarding the soaking liquid. Process all the ingredients except for the oil in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Form the mixture into small disks and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Falafel can be refrigerated at this point for up to 2 hours.)

Heat the oil in a 5-quart dutch oven over medium high heat to 375 degrees. Fry the falafel, a few pieces at a time, stirring occasionally, until deep brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet using a slotted spoon and keep warm in the oven. Return oil to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining falafel.

Canadian Nanaimo Bars - January Daring Bakers

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

I love the Olympics. Especially the Winter Games. Figure Skating in particular. I even like watching the Ice Dancing, which is the least popular of the events. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were just last week (and the week before), which is a good prep course for the Olympics. I'll be rooting for all the U.S. athletes in Vancouver, but especially for the skaters.

Speaking of Canada, this month's Daring Bakers Challenge had a Canadian theme. The selected baked goods were nanaimo bars - a specialty from British Colombia. The bars themselves are very easy to make. The challenge came from making the graham crackers from scratch, and gluten-free to boot.


I found all the gluten-free products at my local Whole Foods. I'm now left with nearly-full bags of tapioca flour and sorghum flour, and wondering what to do with them. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. I rolled the dough a bit thick, and ended up with board-like graham crackers. Luckily, they get crushed, so the crackers didn't have to look too pretty.


I went for a mint version by adding some Creme de Menthe and a little bit of green food coloring. I didn't measure out the alcohol, and may have gone a little too overboard. They were very minty. Oops. Otherwise, these bars were very attractive and tasty.


Gluten-Free Graham Wafers

Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.

2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.

7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.

8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.

9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.


Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter


Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Grilled Scallops

One of the benefits to living in Florida is that we get to grill year-round with relative ease. I know that people in more northern climates will still venture out and use the grill, but winter grilling for us does not entail dusting snow off the grill cover, or checking the meat in below-freezing temperatures.


For all the intricate and multi-step dishes that I make, the simple ones are sometimes the most satisfying. Take these scallops, for example. It's not even worth writing a recipe out. Hubs doused them in some melted and cooled butter, sprinkled them with salt, and then plopped them on the grill. He cooked them for about 3-4 minutes on both sides - long enough to cook them and give them the attractive grill marks. We also grilled some hearts of palm, which was a new food for us. I was skeptical about grilling something that came from a can, but they turned out nicely.

Apple Pie with Peanut Butter Crumb Topping

I'm a bit reluctant to share this recipe. The crumb topping is a recpie we've had in our family forever. It comes from this little paperback book - I don't even know the name of it. I have a photocopy of the recipe that I've lost and found more times than I can count. I should laminate it and hang it on the wall.

Peanut butter with apple is such a classic pairing; it is one of my favorite afternoon snacks. For this pie, I used Granny Smith apples, because I love their tartness. I used the vodka pie crust from Cook's Illustrated, which turned out way wetter than I thought it would. I ended up patting the crust into the pie plate, because it was a sticky mess when I tried to roll it. Thankfully, it still tasted great.

Apple Pie with a Peanut Butter Crumb Topping
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan


Pastry for a single-crust pie

Filling;
6 very large apples
¾ c sugar
Grated zest from 1 lemon
2 Tbs quick-cook tapioca
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbs graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Crumb topping:
(source unknown)

1 c flour
½ c peanut butter, creamy or chunky
¼ c butter, softened
½ c packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp salt

Roll out pastry and fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Flute the edges. Chill the pie plate in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Position the oven rack in the center. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼ inch slices. Put the apples in a large bowl and add the sugar, lemon zest, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss well.

In a medium bowl combine all the crumb topping ingredients with a pastry blender until crumbly. Set aside.

Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the bottom of the crust – this will help keep it from getting too soggy. Turn the apple mixture and the juices into the crust. Pat it into an even mound (apples will heap over the top of the crust). Dot the apples with the bits of cold butter. Sprinkle all the crumb topping over the top of the apples, forming an even layer.

Bake the pie for about an hour, until juices bubble up through the surface. Check the pie after 30 minutes. If the crust is turning brown, loosely cover the outer edge with strips of foil. Let the pie cool on a rack until just barely warm or room temperature

Meat and Cheese Lasagna with Spinach

I love lasagna.

I make it differently every time - with meatballs, a very veggie version, white lasagna with chicken...As mentioned before, I made lasagna for a few sets of friends who have recently become parents. I kept this version more straight-forward, since I wasn't extremely knowledgeable of my friends' food tastes. I made sure to pack lots of protein from the meat and cheese, and added the spinach for an extra hit of iron. New moms need lots of energy and nutrients!


Meat and Cheese Lasagna with Spinach
Original recipe

Note: I used a 9x13-inch lasagna pan - the extra deep, one-use kind found at the supermarket.

Meat Layer:
1 small onion, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
olive oil
1 slice of hearty white bread
1 Tbs milk
1 lb ground beef

Cheese Layer:
1 small carton of part-skim ricotta cheese
12 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
12oz mozarella cheese

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 jar marinara sauce
2 tsp dried oregano

Box of lasagna noodles
2/3 c grated parmesan cheese


For the meat layer:
Heat a few Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, and sauté until the onions are soft. Meanwhile, place bread and milk in a food processor with a metal blade. Pulse until bread has been finely ground. Add ground beef, and pulse until meat and bread are combined. Add beef mixture to the skillet, and cook until browned.

For the cheese layer:
Mix the ricotta cheese and spinach until well combined.

For the sauce:
Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add marinara sauce and oregano, reduce heat to low, and simmer until heated through.

For the noodles:
Cook lasagna noodles in batches in boiling water. Cook until al dente – about 7 minutes. I found that 5 noodles were required for each layer in a 9x13 inch pan.

To assemble the lasagna:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread a teeny amount of sauce on the bottom of the baking pan – just enough to coat the pan with a thin layer. Arrange lasagna noodles in an even layer in the pan, trimming noodles as necessary.

Spread meat mixture evenly over the noodles. Pour about 1 ½ c sauce over the meat mixture. Cover with a layer of noodles.

Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta. Cover with a layer of noodles.

Spread the remaining sauce over the top layer of noodles. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Cover pan with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and return lasagna to the oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, and let lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Sour Cream-Maple Muffins

There has been an influx of new babies among our friends. Two sets of friends just had boys - one on Christmas Eve, and the other on December 30th. Having very recent first-hand knowledge of the hectic life of brand new parents, Hubs suggested we bring dinner over for them. "Let's make lasagna." I was game.


The next day, Hubs tells me that we're going over to visit one of the couples THAT EVENING. Whu? I hadn't even started to think about making lasagna. I sent him out to buy lasagna ingredients, and banged out three lasangas in an afternoon. The third one was for us. I had just enough time to make some muffins to bring over as well.

Of course we saved a few for ourselves to try. I loved their moistness. And with the sour cream and syrup, they tasted a lot like pancakes.



Sour Cream-Maple Muffins
from Williams-Sonoma, Baking
edited by Chuck Williams

1 3/4 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c maple syrup
1 c sour cream
1 egg
1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard muffin pan.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, then gradually add the maple syrup, beating constantly. Beat in the sour cream and egg. Stir in the nuts. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick comes clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Chocolate Savannahs

These are the most chocolatey cookies I've ever made. Seriously. Four kinds of chocolate. Minimal amount of flour. I could only eat half a cookie at a time. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks - one dedicated to chocolate. I think the author outdid herself with this one. I'm not sure why she named them "savannahs." She doesn't really explain that in the book.

It is necessary to frequently check the cookies during baking to make sure the chocolate doesn't start to scorch.


Chocolate Savannahs
From Chocolate, Chocolate
By Lisa Yockelson

1/3 c flour
1/3 c cake flour
3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/3 c plus 2 Tbs superfine sugar
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 stick plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid
2 Tbs vanilla extract
3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and egg yolk on moderate speed for 1 minute with an electric mixer. Add the melted butter, bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Sift the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and blend in completely. Mix in the chocolate chips, and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Place rounded 2 Tbs mounds of dough onto the prepared pans, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, or until just set. Begin checking the cookies at 10 minutes. The baked cookies will no longer look wet on top and will be somewhat soft. Remove the pans from the oven, and let the cookies cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes. Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to racks and cool completely. Remove the cooled cookies from the parchment with a wide spatula. Store in an airtight container.

Braised Brisket with Beer and Onion Sauce

The Hubs and I tried making brisket once before. We tried to rig our charcoal grill into a makeshift smoker, and slow cooked the cut for a long time. We ended up with a well-smoked but tough slab of meat.

Braising a brisket turned out much better. I couldn't find a point cut, and the recipe worked well with a flat cut brisket. The original recipe called for slow cooking the dish in the oven, but I adapted it for the crockpot. The beer-laced sauce tasted fantastic. We ate this dish with the twice-baked potatoes from the previous post.


Braised Brisket with Beer and Onion Sauce
adapted from Jamie Kennedy's Seasons
by Jamie Kennedy
as seen on the Williams-Sonoma website

Sauce:
28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 lb point-cut beef brisket
Kosher salt and pepper
1 Tbs vegetable oil
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 c lager beer (I used Yeungling)
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs finely chopped flat leaf parsley


To make the sauce, pass tomatoes through a food mill or process in a food processor.
Place the tomato puree in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Boil until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Season the brisket generously with salt and pepper. Warm the oil over medium-high heat
in a large Dutch oven. Add the brisket and brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes total.
Transfer to a platter. If the bottom of the pan is too dark, deglaze with water and discard the burned bits.

Set the pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions and cook, stirring
occasionally, until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, beer, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.

Place the brisket in a crockpot. Pour the sauce over it. Cook on medium for 8 hours, or
until fork-tender.

Transfer the brisket to a carving board. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim the fat off the sauce and remove and discard the bay leaf. Cut the brisket into thin slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Pour the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Twice Baked Potatoes

It's funny how often I end up reflecting on my childhood when blogging. I'm always recalling how food was prepared, presented, and eaten in our household. It's amazing how much of my culinary viewpoint has been shaped by my upbringing.

For instance, the humble potato. Potatoes are not one of my favorite foods. We had them at least once a week in baked form. Hence, I think of potatoes as boring, dry, and bland. Mashed potatoes were only for special dinners, and tater tots or fries were never part of our weeknight dinners.

My husband requested twice baked potatoes recently, and I had to hunt around for a recipe. I chose this one because the spinach gave it the appearance of a healthy dish. I must say, that potatoes loaded with butter, cheese, and sour cream are much tastier than the potatoes I remember from the past.


Twice-Baked Potatoes
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook
edited by Chuck Williams
as found on the Williams-Sonoma website

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
6 Tbs unsalted butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, minced
2 bunches fresh spinach leaves, tough stems removed, and rinsed well
2 Tbs sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 c firmly packed sharp shredded cheddar cheese


Position rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Prick the potatoes with a fork and place them directly on the oven rack. Bake until tender when pierced with a small knife, about an hour. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs of butter. Add the garlic and shallot and saute until the shallot is translucent, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the spinach and toss until wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Transfer spinach mixture to a seive set over a bowl and press all the liquid out of the spinach.

Using a serrated knife, cut a slice 1/2 inch thick off one long side of each potato and discard. Scoop out the flesh of the potatoes into a bowl, leaving a shell 1/4 inch thick. Add the sour cream, salt, pepper, and remaining 4 Tbs of butter to the potato flesh and mash to blend. Stir in 2/3 c of the cheese and then the spinach. Spoon the potato mixture into the potato shells, mounding it high. Press the remaining cheese on top of the filling.

Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a small knife into a potato and leave it there for about 15 seconds. Remove the knife and feel the blade. If it is hot, the potatoes are ready. Serve immediately.