HANIELA’S CHEESE CRACKERS

Posted in Appetizers by sallybr

I am a bit late to share this recipe, as I’ve made these delicious crackers back in December. They are super easy and the baker’s ammonia gives them a very unique and pleasant texture. If you have a bottle of this special leavening agent hanging around (maybe because you love baking Springerle), give this recipe a try… If you don’t have bakers’ ammonia, just use regular baking powder.

CHEESE CRACKERS
(from Haniela’s blog)

1 cup all-purpose flour (143grams)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
1/2 tsp baking ammonia (or baking powder)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dry rosemary
4 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
3-4 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp kosher salt for topping or sea salt

Heat oven to 400F.

Combine flour, salt, ground black pepper, rosemary, grated parmesan cheese and baking ammonia in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined, Add cubes of cold butter and pulse until coarse mixture forms.

Gradually, while pulsing, pour cold water until the dough starts to form a bowl as you process it. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface, gather it with your hands, and flatten it into a disk. Roll out the dough 1/8 thick between 2 parchment sheets or silicone baking mats. Lightly dust the surface with flour.

Slice the rolled-out dough into about 1-inch wide strips and then cut 1-inch strips perpendicular to the first set of stripes. Slide the baking sheet or silicone mat onto the baking sheet or rimless cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. If desired, use chopsticks to make two small holes in the center, or make the wholes with a small icing tip.

Bake crackers in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These crackers are similar in the overall method to the ones from Caro, that I blogged about last year (for my post click here, for Caro’s post click here). The main difference is indeed the baker’s ammonia, so make them both and see what you think. Personally, I think one cannot have too many cheese cracker recipes! Salty, flavorful, delicious!

ONE YEAR AGO: Shrimp Tacos with Jicama-Mango Salsa

TWO YEARS AGO: Mini-Egg Brownies

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EIGHT YEARS AGO: A Smashing Pair

NINE YEARS AGO: Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

TEN YEARS AGO: Crispy Chickpea and Caper Spaghetti

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung!

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Chickpea and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Double Asparagus Delight

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cheese Torte

7Mar2024

SHOKUPAN MARBLED BLACK SESAME BREAD

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Not too long ago I got notification of a new blog post by my friend Karen. You can check her post here. She mentioned the yudane method, a kind of tahgzhong on steroids. I am familiar with tangzhong and love it, but yudane was new to me. I could not wait to give it a try. I ended up following this recipe that was linked at the end of Karen’s post.

In the tangzhong method, part of the flour is gently cooked until a paste forms. To make yudane, you boil water and mix with the flour, then place in the fridge for 4 to 24 hours. That gets incorporated into the bread dough. Fascinating, Mr. Spock, fascinating…

I loved making this bread. For the full recipe, please visit Bread Experience (click here). My modifications were just a few: I did not have white whole-wheat, and did not have kamut in the pantry, so I used the full amount of regular whole-wheat, King Arthur’s brand. For the liquid component I used oat milk. Finally, I used store-bought black tahini, just eye-balled about 2 tablespoons and got a nice dark color. The dough is a pleasure to work with, and the marbling worked perfectly!

The crumb is soft, tender, and the bread is absolutely delicious with a hint of sesame taste. I highly, highly recommend you give yudane a try. This is what it looks like…

Just don’t forget it in the fridge, make sure to grab it when you are ready to make the dough! (Yes, I almost forgot about it).

And look at that crumb!

I hope you give yudane a try, the bread stays soft and moist for at least a couple of days. After that I sliced and froze for later.

THANK YOU, KAREN AND CATH FOR THE BREAD INSPIRATION!

ONE YEAR AGO: Chicken with Pasilla-Pecan Sauce

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EIGHT YEARS AGO: Indian-Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach

NINE YEARS AGO: Curry Cardamon Cookies

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FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Onion and Asiago Cheese Miche

2Mar2024

FOR THE LOVE OF BROCCOLI

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Three old recipes, and a new one for you today. We have broccoli at least once weekly, and these are the recipes in rotation because we never get tired of them. Contrary to many people, we are not too wild about simply roasting broccoli because for my taste it gets a little too harsh and bitter. I much rather enjoy it in different ways, although if you invite me over for dinner and serve me roasted broccoli, I will lick my plate clean, no worries. Let’s start with the new recipe, a super simple Broccoli Soup. No cream, no special ingredients, it is simple, light and delicious…

LIGHT BROCCOLI SOUP

LOW-FAT BROCCOLI SOUP
(slightly adapted from The Spruce Eats)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup almond or oat milk

Heat oil on medium heat in a large stockpot. Sauté the shallot and celery for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cubed potato, broccoli, broth, and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.

Allow the soup to cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth in two batches. Return the blended soup to the pot and heat gently until ready to serve.

Top with croutons or sautéed almonds, whatever your heart desires.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: So far I’ve made this soup three times, and it’s been perfect each time. It has a very creamy texture, maybe it is that small amount of potato speaking. Truly magical. Try it, if you want a light but luscious soup for your dinner. Now moving on to the three oldies but goodies…

SMASHED BROCCOLI WITH CHEESE

This was originally posted last year (check the post here). It was already in the Incredibly Simple files, but I simplified it further by steaming the broccoli in the microwave, using a plastic cover recommended by my friend Marie Louise (click here to see it). I place the florets in a microwave-safe plate, with just enough water clinging to the surface from washing the florets. Place the over on top and steam for 1 minute. If already getting tender, I proceed with the smashing and roasting with cheese as described in the post. If still too tough, hear a few more seconds in the microwave.

PAN-STEAMED BROCCOLI, ANY WAY YOU LIKE

Basic method described in this post. I usually keep it super simple. In the final 3 minutes of cooking I whisk a little olive oil with lemon juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle some salt. When the broccoli comes out of the pan, into a serving bowl it goes, and my little dressing is poured on top while the broccoli florets are super hot still. How often can you have a flavorful side dish that is ready in…. 8 minutes total? You can season it in the end in countless ways – miso, as in my post, vinaigrettes, sesame oil, anything goes.

BROCCOLI PUREE A LA JACQUES PEPIN

Not the best picture I’ve ever taken, but this is truly delicious and I make it often. The original post is from 2014, so yes, I’ve been making it for 10 years (click here for full recipe). I now omit the brown butter and after cooking the broccoli florets until tender in salted water, I process them with full-fat yogurt, salt, pepper, and if needed a bit of the cooking water. I rarely need the water, usually I just adjust the consistency with yogurt. The spinach goes into the processor raw. I eye-ball everything, taste as I go. Once the consistency is right and the seasoning to my liking, it goes into a serving dish. If I want a little more richness, I sprinkle cheese on top and bake it until the cheese melts a bit.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Chicken Noodle Soup

THREE YEARS AGO: Floral Chocolate Stick Cookies

FOUR YEARS AGO: Sally’s Spicy Mango and Coconut Macarons

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ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Oatmeal Fudge Bars

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27Feb2024

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH FRESH TURMERIC MARINADE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This was my first time using fresh turmeric root, but will definitely not be the last!

ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH FRESH TURMERIC MARINADE
(adapted from No Crumbs Left)

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoons ground sumac
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons grated fresh turmeric
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
⅓ cup olive oil
juice of one large lemon

In a small bowl, stir together the hot paprika, coriander, smoked paprika, Aleppo pepper and sumac.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a shallow container and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut milk, olive oil, lime juice, ginger, turmeric, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Stir in the dry spice blend. Set aside about ½ cup of the marinade and refrigerate, then pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Cover the chicken and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.

Put the chicken, with its marinade, on the prepared baking sheet and bake covered for 45 minutes, or until starting to turn golden. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Without disturbing the chicken, carefully pour the juices from the pan into a small bowl. Baste the chicken by spooning the juices over, then return the chicken to the oven, increase the temperature to 400F and bake for 20 minutes more or until golden brown.

Pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until it has reduced by half. Serve the chicken drizzled with the reduced sauce.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks, No Crumbs Left, by Terri Turner. Fresh turmeric has such amazing color, but be careful, it will stain your hands and fabric pretty badly. The chicken was moist and super flavorful, the mixture of spices did not overwhelm it at all. I have to admit that I reduced them quite a bit from the original recipe because we tend to like moderation when adding spices to our food. Teri recommends juicing both the ginger and the turmeric, but I decided it was way too much trouble to go through that. And quite messy too. If you have her cookbook, consider giving her method a try. If you don’t have her cookbook, you need to get it, totally worth it. Available here.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Kamut and Broccoli Salad

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FIVE YEARS AGO: Berry Rebellion Tarts

SIX YEARS AGO: Bergamot-Cherry Macarons

SEVEN YEAR AGO: Roasted Veggies with Queso Cotija Dressing

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Casserole

NINE YEARS AGO: Maple Walnut Biscotti

TEN YEARS AGO: Barley Risotto with Peas

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Oatmeal Fudge Bars

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Cauliflower Steaks

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Soft Spot for Chevre

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Quick sun-dried Tomato Crostini

21Feb2024

CHOCOLATE-COVERED OREOS

Posted in Chocolate Bonbons, Cookies by sallybr

I make them weekly because they are very popular with the homeless dinner, and as you might imagine, I don’t like to repeat designs. I love variety. These can be decorated in countless ways, some easier than others. In fact, I have tried a few things that quickly went into the “Never Again Folder”… For previous collections, click here and here. Without further ado, here are some of the designs I made in the past couple of months, starting with perhaps my very favorite!

.
THE JAPANESE-MODERN

To make this design, all you need is some different colors of luster powder and a bit of vodka. Make a suspension and add small blotches on the surface of the mold. Let it dry for a few minutes and pour the melted compound chocolate. They will look good just with the colors, or you gild the lily with a small disc of chocolate decorated with a transfer sheet, in this case I used a cherry blossom pattern.

The same exact method works with white chocolate… In this case I added some fondant sunflowers I had from last year’s cookie projects. I have quite a few ideas for color combinations in the near future, so stay tuned!

Luster powder can also be used to paint the surface of the chocolate after it sets, as I did for the set below… It does not go into the “Never Again Folder”, but it is a bit time-consuming.

Another great way to decorate is Royal icing… For the ones below I made straight lines in black and before they set I glued a little sprinkle heart in the crossed section. I love their minimalist look.

You can also pipe thicker lines of Royal icing coupled with a little sanding sugar… For added contrast, I dyed the white chocolate poured into the mold with fat-soluble sky blue dye. These were a good match for some macarons I made in that same week (see post here).

Even easier is just making a random drizzle with icing, fast and straightforward..

Sharing perhaps my second favorite of this set: Royal icing in circular piping plus a disc of chocolate decorated with transfer sheet, also saved from a project last year. The Royal icing was dyed with Americolor Gold. And once all was set, I sprayed some gold dust all over because.. why not?

Finally, the method that I don’t recommend and it truly drove me crazy: spread the Royal icing with a stencil. It was very very tricky to hold the stencil over the small surface, I had to scrape it all and start all over many times, as it would smear and end up quite messy. I managed to get three reasonably good ones, but as I said before…. never again!