Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Asparagus Flatbread

Finally, asparagus season is almost here . . . for those of you who have a supply of locally grown asparagus you should try this flatbread from the folks at Cooking Light. This recipe is quick, easy and awesome. I was amazed a how easy the crust was to make - especially when I forgot to start it one afternoon and realized with a shock that dinner had to be underway . . . unlike some yeast based crusts it didn't need hours of rising.

Sea salt adds a nice crunch to the topping, but kosher salt works, too. Use very thin asparagus spears, or cut thicker ones in half lengthwise. For a little extra bite, add a sprinkling of black pepper before serving.

I've made this crust a few times with a variety of toppings - all with great success!

Asparagus Flatbread

Dough:
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking spray

Topping:1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

To prepare dough, combine warm water and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (the dough will feel sticky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If an indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

While dough rises, prepare topping. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add thyme, pancetta, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until pancetta is crisp. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 475°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 10-inch circle on a floured surface. Place dough on a baking sheet. Spread topping evenly over dough. Arrange the asparagus over topping; sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

It's Shrove Tuesday AKA Fat Tuesday AKA National Pancake Day. No, it has nothing to do with the makers of Aunt Jemima nor Bisquick. You'd never know it from the shots you see of Mardi Gras but Shrove Tuesday is actually a religious holy day.

In most traditions the day is known for the eating of pancakes before the start of Lent. Pancakes are eaten as they are made out of the main foods available, sugar, fat, flour and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent.

Generally the day arrives before we know it and the menu is readjusted on the fly so we can enjoy a stack of pancakes for dinner. This year we had a bit of foresight so we were actually able to plan a bit. I decided that I wanted banana pancakes but I wanted those ripe bananas mashed up so the flavour would be throughout the pancake. Then we decided to add some walnuts. This recipe is the result.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Then whisk in the milk, vanilla, and melted butter.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift or mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of these dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Mix just until everything is moistened. Fold in the mashed bananas and walnuts (there should be lumps).

Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium heat (not medium high to ensure pancake is cooked enough before flipping). Pour or scoop 1/4 cup of the banana pancake batter onto the griddle. Brown on both sides and serve with a pat of butter and some REAL maple syrup.

Banana Walnut Muffins

I've taken the next two days off or some Black Friday shopping. The plan is that we will be across the border later this evening and hitting the stores at midnight. If all goes well we should be home before noon tomorrow.

There isn't anything that compares with a Black Friday shopping experience - heck people have been killed (seriously, folks have died) in the mad rush to a deal. I have seen women punching one another because one thought the other had cut in the line (turns out her BF had been there all along with their cart) . . . people screaming hysterically when the store was out of a particular item . . . shoving . . . the worst fashion EVER. All of this aside, it is greta fun if you don't mind standing in line waiting to pay.

It does take a certain amount of stamina to face. in order to help my friends and I cope I was up early this morning and baked up some muffins. I had bananas that needed to be tossed into some sort of baking so banana muffins were on order. I found this recipe on the Simply Recipes site.

Muffins are a funny thing - I love to eat them and every time I bake some I wonder why I don't make them more often since its so easy. There are few baked goods that are mixed and in the oven as quickly.

These ones came together quickly and baked up beautifully.

Banana Walnut Muffins

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (toasted or raw)

No need for a mixer with this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in the sugar, egg, espresso and vanilla.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Hello Strawberries!

Strawberry season is finally here in Ontario. For me strawberries mean so many different things - they are the first of the fresh fruit we can get in the area, and they are the harbinger of so many other fresh treats to come in the following months. They signal the start of the jam making season. They indicate that summer is here - woo hoo! They also cause me to stop and remember my grandmother who died of a heart attack after picking strawberries from her garden.

One of my first summer tasks once the school year finished (generally around June 30th) was to go to a local pick-your-own farm with some friends. Pick berries for a few hours and then go home and drink strawberry daiquiris until I passed out. It was the perfect way to start the summer.

Now I am far too lazy to pick my own. I justify it by saying that it isn't worth the savings to crawl around the straw covered earth picking my own berries. It is so much easier to pull up at the farm, pass my money to the attendant, and drive off with a flat of berries.

I've yet to do this but I have brought 9 quarts home from the farmer's market over the past few weeks.  It won't be long before we're on strawberry overload!

I've posted many strawberry recipes over the years. if you have a glut of strawberries and are looking for interesting things to try may I suggest:

• Strawberry Balsamic Martini
• Strawberry Banana Muffins
• Stawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
• Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
• Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
• Strawberry Raspberry Rosé Sorbet
• Strawberry Margaritas
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Cardamom Jam
• Strawberry Basil Martini
• Strawberry and Cream Cheesecake
• Srawberry and Cucumber Soup
• Strawberry Panna Cotta with Red Wine Syrup
• Srawberry Buttermilk Pancakes
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

Triple-Fruit Scones

Ah . . . a long weekend! Is there anything better?

No, we do not recognize President's Day here in Canada (although we are known to cross the border to partake in some of the wonderful President's Day sales!) Here in Ontario the holiday is a relatively new one 'Family Day'. Most of the Canadian provinces have some sort of stat holiday on this day, although the name might be different.

That aside, I think it is a wonderful thing (dear lord, has Martha been at my keyboard?) We have loooong winters here in Canada where many of us head off to work in the dark and return home from work in the dark. BAH We are sun deprived. After a few months of this we are cranky.

OK. I am cranky. I won't speak for the rest of the populace but I hazard to guess that many of them are cranky as well!

This long weekend in February is a great excuse to spend some quality time with your family.

It's also a good time to whip up some scones. I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to get to the scones mentioned in the title. Weren't you?

I decided to make these for breakfast yesterday. Mom was coming for dinner and it promised to be a heavy affair of slowly braised lamb shanks in red wine - a light breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, and low-fat scones was in order.

This recipe is from cooking light. They advise that you can mix up the fruit a bit - Paul's sister had sent along a delicious sounding combination of dried cranberries, blueberries, and cherries so I used it instead of the 2/3 cup fruit called for in the recipe. Other than that I followed it as the good folk at CL intended.

The results were brilliant - delicious flaky scones that were studded with dried fruit. The addition of the orange zest gave a subtle flavour that cut a bit of the natural sweetness of the fruit. I had been searching for a good low-fat scone recipe. . . my search of over.

Enjoy!

Triple-Fruit Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in apricots and cranberries. Combine buttermilk, orange rind, egg, and egg white; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Roll dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 8 (3-inch) squares using a dull knife or a dough scraper. Cut each square into 2 triangles; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar; bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Scones

Ahhhh . . . a relaxing Sunday morning breakfast. Coffee, juice, toast, Greek yoghurt with pomegranate seeds, honey, and granola, pumpkin scones, and the NEW features from the New York Times in our Sunday Star. Food for the stomach and the mind.

Fall contines to linger here, holding off the inevitable arrival of snow and ice for awhile longer. For my sake let's hope that fall lingers for a LONG while.

Does any food scream 'FALL' more than a delicious pumpkin baked good? The combination of the orange pumpkin with warm, aromatic spices, is enough to put me over the edge. It doesn't matter if it is a pumpkin muffin, loaf, cookie, pie, or the scones that I whipped up this morning - this is comfort.

These scones are supposed to be similar to the recipe used by Starbucks for their pumpkin scones. I'm not able to compare because I haven't tried the big chain version but I can attest to the fact that the ones whipped up in the decidedly non-big chain kitchen of yours truly were freaking amazing.

These scones are light and fluffy, unlike many scones. Without the glaze they are not sweet at all. With the glaze they are perfect. I decided to gild the lily even further by adding some bits of candied ginger sprinkled on top of the spice glaze.

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze 
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

1 piece of candied ginger cut into small bits

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Make powdered sugar glaze... Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.

When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

Make spiced glaze.... Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Sprinkle candied ginger over the spice glaze.

Meyer Lemon, Blueberry, Ricotta Pancakes

I can't believe that it is more than two weeks since I made these - times fies. During the week we are racing out the door to get the train into the city . . . breakfast is a bowl of cereal and a splash of milk. It serves the purpose but isn't what I would call a happy start to the day by any stretch of the imagination.

I think that it is because of this that when the weekend comes around we tend to crave a nice relaxing breakfast. There is something about sitting around with those you love, reading the paper, discussing the folly of the world, sipping coffee, and eating a delicious breakfast - there is no better start to the day! I had ricotta and meyer lemons to use up so with the assistance of my friend google I found this recipe that was originally from Bobby Flay.

I really like baking with ricotta - the richness that it brings to the dish is a nice contrast to the subtle tang. I've made ricotta pancakes before but these ones were far superior - Bobby sure knew what he was up to here!

If you are looking for a fine way to start Saturday or Sunday . . . look no further my friend, look no further!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
(from Bobby Flay)

3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t salt
2 T sugar
1 c ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 lemon, zested & juiced
2/3 cup blueberries
powdered sugar
butter for the griddle

Whisk together the cheese, eggs, milk, lemon zest & juice. Stir in the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt & sugar just until combined. Stir in blueberries.

Melt a little butter on a hot griddle. Pour 1/4 c of batter on the griddle for each pancake. Cook until brown on both sides, flipping once.

Top pancakes with a little powdered sugar.

Makes 10 pancakes.

Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins

The other day a colleague and I were making a long drive for a meeting. Since we had such an early start we decided to bring some treats for the car. I wanted to make ricotta muffins because I had some ricotta that needed to be used. I also had some Meyer lemons in the fridge. Throw in some raspberries that ALSO needed to be out of the fridge and I had a plan.

With my good friend google I consulted the great cookbook known as the internet where I found a great sounding recipe for Lemon Ricotta muffins. The recipe was by  Giada de Laurentiis so normally I would run for the hills, however it hit all of the right buttons so I persevered. Raspberries were not included in the recipe but 'how hard would it be to toss some in?' I thought.

I love what ricotta cheese does to baked goods. It lightens, and fluffs, and imparts such a lovely consistency to the batter. I had had a lot of success adding it to our favorite pancake recipe, so I was almost positive this recipe would prevail. And whatever you do, don't substitute for the almond extract. The intense flavor it provides works so beautifully with the fresh lemon.

This was an easy recipe to follow and the resulting muffins were incredible - definitely a new favourite for me! In fact, when we got back my colleague grabbed the leftovers and ran. Good thing I had 6 left at home to share with Paolo.

Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar for sprinkling
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon finely grated Meyer lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).

Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 22-24 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Daring Cooks - February Challenge - Mezze

The 2010 February Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Our challenge was to create a Mezze table. Our requirements were that we had to make Pita and Hummus using the given recipes, and we could make anything else we wanted to accompany that. Of course I went all out!

Our mezze menu consisted of:

Pita bread

Humus

Cured Olives

Greek Feta marinated in olive oil we brought back from Rhodes with oregano from Greece

Tzatziki

Lamb and Feta Patties with Apple Pepper Relish (thanks Cindy for that awesome recipe!)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmades)

Greek Sausages (Loukanika)

Assorted Fresh Vegetables

Pita Bread – Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).

Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.

Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus – Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden

1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)
additional flavorings (optional) I would use about 1/3 cup or a few ounces to start, and add more to taste

Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.

Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Panettone Bread Pudding

One of the hallmarks of Christmas for me is Panettone . . . I have come to associate the smell and taste of this incredible bread from Milan with the festive season. There's something abundantly festive about the puffed dome of panettone bread. In this traditional Italian holiday favorite, a sweet yeast dough is studded with golden raisins and jewel-toned glacéed citron.

Unfortunately like so many festive treats I love my fickle taste buds only want to experience so much and them they move on to the next delicacy in the house. This generally leaves the remains of a huge panettone laying about. We tried used panettone in French Toast before with wonderful results so I thought I'd try it in a bread pudding.

This simple recipe is by Christine Cushing of the Food Network Canada site. We made this for company over the holidays and served it with a simple rum sauce. All agreed that it was a great finish to a meal. We liked it so much that we served leftovers for New Year's Eve - leftovers? Yes folks, it was THAT good.

In fact we liked it so much that I went to the local Italian grocery store AFTER the holidays and snapped up 3 half-price panettones so I can make this wonderful bread pudding throughout the year!

That's good.

If you have some leftover panettone laying about you should give this recipe a try.

Panettone Bread Pudding

4 large egg
1 cup 35% cream
2 cups milk
1 vanilla, bean
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups 1-inch cubed Panettone, very stale or lightly toasted
confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Combine the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla bean, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Put the bread cubes in the buttered baking dish and pour the egg mixture over.

Let bread soak for about ½ hour. Press down on the bread with your hands, so it soaks up the liquid. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden on top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

Alternately, make bread pudding in six 1 cup ramekins. Reduce baking time to 20 to 25 minutes.