Author Archives: sallybr

AIR-FRIED EGGPLANT RAITA

Posted in Air-Frying, Appetizers, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

The abuse of culinary terms is alive and well in the Bewitching Kitchen. Raita with no cucumber? Yes, I am afraid so. Let’s call it raita-ish. At any rate, this is delicious. I used the air-fryer to prepare the eggplant, which is fast and furious. But not overly furious. If you don’t have an air-fryer, just roast the eggplant in the oven until it softens into submission. Inspiration came from Nik Sharma’s The Flavor Equation.

AIR-FRIED EGGPLANT RAITA
(adapted from The Flavor Equation)

1 large eggplant
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 Serrano pepper, de-seeded, minced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp chopped mint
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (adjust according to your preference)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Nigella seeds
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Brush the cut surfaces with the olive oil and arrange them in the air-fryer, cut side up. Air-fry until golden brown and soft, about 25 minutes at 390F (or the highest temperature of your fryer). Remove from the heat, cover with aluminum foil, and let cool completely.

Remove the flesh, place in a bowl and season lightly with salt. Add the Serrano pepper, cilantro, mint, and black pepper. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and whisk well to combine. If you want it fully smooth, use an immersion blender, but I prefer to have some texture so I just used a spoon. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Make the toasted spices: heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard and Nigella seeds and fry for 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the Aleppo pepper and gently mix. Pour the hot oil with the spices over the raita and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I really love the book The Flavor Equation (Nik Sharma) but this particular recipe, as written, would not work well for my goals. It would make a very loose dip, with a much higher proportion of yogurt, and that’s not exactly what I had in mind. I wanted to enjoy it more as a veggie side-dish to go along a turkey meatloaf (already in the blog and in constant rotation in our kitchen), so I adapted it, as well as a few other minor changes. It ended up working also as a dip, perfect with Ak-Mak crackers.

ONE YEAR AGO: Turkey-Pumpkin Roulade with Cider Sauce

TWO YEARS AGO: Strawberry-Vanilla Mini-Cakes

THREE YEARS AGO: Bourbon-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pea Pesto

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chocolate Chip Cookies from Naturally Sweet

FIVE YEARS AGO: Little Bites of Paradise

SIX YEARS AGO: Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Bread

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2014

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Grilled Steelhead Trout

NINE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Tomato Salad

TEN YEARS AGO:  Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire

IN MY KITCHEN, OCTOBER 2021

Posted in In My Kitchen by

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from  Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, considering taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Starting with gifts…

From my friend Courtnie…

Courtnie, is my soon to be daughter-in-law (insert happy dance here). She sent us a set of sauces from the company she works on, Haven’s Kitchen. Their products are amazing and I loved each and every sauce. I hear they are becoming more and more available in other states of the country, so check their website and store locator and keep an eye for them in your favorite grocery store. My favorite way to use several of them was simply poured over zoodles. But they are great in meatloaf, turkey burgers, salmon. Thank you so much, Courtnie!

From my friend Louise…

A set of mini-tins, which I put to use recently and made very tasty little chocolate ganache tartlets. If you’ve missed the post, just jump over there with a click here. I still cannot believe I am the owner of such a great collection of baking tins…. Thanks a million, Louise!

From my amazing husband…

These were in a store in Colorado we visited during our trip last month. I fell in love with them and next think I knew, the hubby got them for me… A keeper, I tell ya!

In our kitchen…

A new ingredient, at least new to me, Job’s Tears. I heard about it in the cookbook by Heidi Swanson, Super Natural Simple. I have a weakness for all kinds of grains and this one will be on our menu soon.

In our kitchen…

Little gadgets to make Japanese-style rice cakes. Another idea I got from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, you can read all about this cookbook in Lisa’s review.

In our kitchen…

Tamarind Sauce, brand from Maggi, highly recommended in one of my cookbooks, I have not yet tried it. Apparently, mixed with yogurt and a few spices, it makes a killer little sauce…

In our kitchen…

With Halloween approaching, one needs to get ready. These are ice cube molds but also work well in cookie baking, as I learned from Marlyn (Montreal Confections). I will put that idea to test soon. This was found at a Dollar Store.

In our kitchen…

Speaking of Halloween, I could not resist getting this trio of small plates to help set the right atmosphere around the house… They were available at our grocery store, Dillons.

In our kitchen…

As you know, cookie baking is a constant thing in our kitchen. This spatula from Ateco is the best one to move cut dough and freshly baked cookies. Nice area, not too big, not too small.

In our kitchen…

Finally organized my collection of sprinkles in the basement. When they are in stackable containers with the contents easy to visualize, the life of a baker is so much easier!

In our kitchen…

Silicone mold to make special filigree decorations for cookies… I have a few projects in mind for this baby… It is part of a very cool set, found in amazon.

In our kitchen…

PME luster spray… probably one of my favorite finishing touches for some types of cookies. A very light spray is all you need. It gives it a pearly shine, smells wonderful and if you happen to have a little boo-boo on the surface of your icing, it makes it harder to notice. Below you see it on a cookie and a cupcake I made recently. Available at amazon, I bought it at ebay but it is not available right now.

In our kitchen…

Our backyard, after a ton of work from my beloved husband, turned out to be one favorite spot of our home. The corner chair is perfect to sit and enjoy the view of the woods, or to do some reading and studying. We got nice pumpkins, eggplants, tomatoes and plenty of peppers this year. Not to mention basil, lavender, oregano and dill.

Preparing lectures is a lot easier in this setting! I will miss it when the cold weather makes its appearance.

In our kitchen…

I made a nice batch of shortbread, flavored with a combination of cardamon, cloves and lavender. Placed the platter on top of a high cabinet so that a certain quadruped could not reach it. I did not realize it was not leveled, and just heard the crashing noise as I was leaving the room. Which – as Murphy’s Law would have it – I had vacuumed 37 minutes earlier. I lost two of my favorite white platters, and of course the full batch of cookies that were going to be donated next day. You win some, you lose some. Such is life.

In our kitchen…

Talking about upsetting stuff, I trusted the recommendation of Mr. Kimball of America’s Test Kitchen fame, and bought a fancy ginger grater, shown on the left, right by the one I have and love (and featured in a previous IMK). I was intrigued after he described it as the best of the best. Well, it is pathetic. I did what Mr. Kimball himself loves to do, and made a side-by-side comparison with that gadget and my oldie-but-goodie. The same effort gives around 6 times more perfectly grated ginger in the ceramic one. The one recommended by CK is a pain to use, it liquefies the ginger in puddles that pretty much stick to the underside of the metal top. I have not hated a gadget as much as this one in a long time. No idea how he could recommend something so inefficient. And before I forget, it also sucks to grate lemon or lime peel.

But what’s the best antidote for disasters and grievances?

COOKIES! These were inspired by our furry friends, who are very excited, running in circles, hoping for a few minutes of fame in my blog. Because, let’s make this clear: it is MY blog. OK?

When we invite furry friends into our life, we never know how much time we will have with them, just that never seems long enough. I admit that the posts I write now about our pups carry a certain sadness in the background.

They are all aging and show clear signs that their prime is past. Buck, our oldest, is now almost completely deaf. We call his attention and direct him through clapping, which he can still hear a little bit. The thing I miss the most is his cute turning of the head when he used to hear a word he did not understand. I wish I had taken a few more pictures, maybe a video or two. I have the images in my memory, though. Vivid and clear. I adore this pup more than words can say.

Oscar had once again his share of struggles. He went for surgery last week to remove a tumor from his back leg. We hope they managed to remove most or all of it, and he seems to be recovering ok.

He wants to share his thoughts with you…

Hello, my many adoring fans!
I am recovering from a thing called surgery on my leg. I don’t remember much. After I chewed a leash and freed myself in a room I’d never been before, someone came with a HUGE thing called NEEDLE and it all got dark very quickly. I am not sure what happened next. All I know is that Dad came and rescued me from that surgery thing. And now I am very tired and sleepy. I guess I will have to wait until tomorrow to growl at my brothers and show them who’s boss.

BogeyQuitThatTM has issues with his back and neck, so he’s been through some courses of medication, and we are taking him to more regular walks, which – putting it mildly – goes a bit against his nature…

But apart from these unavoidable issues, life is the way it’s always been around the Bewitching Kitchen… The evenings almost always involve some fruit and TV watching. So here you have…

THE WATERMELON LINE

According to height, as any proper line requires. Where is Oscar, you may ask? He does not lower himself to lines or begging. But from close distance, he scrutinizes the scene. Trust me on this: he will make sure he gets his share.

And he also tries to make sure he gets more attention than that annoying TV screen…

Buck gets his food outside, so every morning he sits in the patio patiently waiting… it is the sweetest thing…

Speaking of food, Oscar definitely has a very unique approach to bowl-manners. He will push the bowl to the corner of the room, and his body invariably ends covered by the curtains. Pretty pathetic.

Buck wholeheartedly agrees…

BogeyQT TM sometimes gets very sad if he wants to play but his favorite human player is not around…

He’s been gone for AT LEAST three dog-eternities!

And the moment he hears the garage door opening… he positions himself in the best spot in the house!

But even if I am a bit hard at hearing, I fulfill all my doggie-duties, one of them being the
Guardian of The Cookies.

I also fulfill all my duties, they don’t involve cookies, for some reason I am not allowed near them. But Cuddling Humans? I am a pro!

As to Oscar, he believes duties are for sissies. He is the Alpha. And has the best hairdo to boot (cough, cough). BogeyQT is here barking about dirty beards. Oh, well… sibling rivalry.

As a good Alpha, you might remember he’d tried to attack Bogey but got my foot instead (see IMK last April). It’s been exactly 6 months. I suppose my foot will never lose the scars of that battle.

That’s all for now, folks! We will be back in January 2022 (is this year flying by or what?), to share our adventures in and around the Bewitching Kitchen.

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2020

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen (and Beyond), October 2019

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2018

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2017

FIVE YEARS AGO: Little Bites of Paradise

SIX YEARS AGO: Coxinha de Galinha: A Brazilian Delicacy

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers

EIGHT YEARS AGO: A Simple Dinner

NINE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Tomato Salad

TEN YEARS AGO:  Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire

SUGARPRISM WATERCOLOR MACARONS

Posted in macarons by

In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been keeping a second blog dedicated exclusively to cookies (click here to visit For the Love of Cookies). Back in July, I wrote a post about Sugarprism, a new product I fell in love with. Michelle, the inventor of Sugarprism hosts a page in Facebook entitled “Painting with Sugarprism“, and I highly recommend that you visit and join if the subject interests you. She is an amazing artist, and offers FREE – you read that right: FREE – tutorials of specific painting techniques. I took her 90 min lesson on watercolor painting of macarons and could not wait to share my babies here. So there you go. I took the class on Sunday, and the post is ready 36 hours later. That’s because I am over the moon with the whole experience! Can you tell?

VEGAN COFFEE GANACHE MACARONS
(adapted from Pies and Tacos)

for shells:
110 grams almond flour
110 grams powdered sugar
75 grams aquafaba
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
66 grams granulated sugar
tiny amount of Americolor GOLD food gel dye

for vegan coffee ganache:
1/3 cup coconut cream
60g semisweet chocolate chips (vegan)
2 tsp espresso powder

Process the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor for about 20 seconds total using short pulses. Sift the mixture and reserve.

Place the aquafaba in the bowl of a mixer. Start whipping on low speed and add the cream of tartar. Whip for about 30 seconds, until the aquafaba starts getting white and thick like soup. Raise the speed to medium and continue to whip for another couple of minutes, until you are able to see streaks left by the whisk on the aquafaba. Raise the speed to high, and start to add the granulated sugar, slowly, a bit at a time. Continue to whip until the aquafaba achieves stiff peaks, which can take 10 minutes or more, depending on your mixer. Add the food color close to the end of whipping.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to the whipped aquafaba. Start folding with a spatula slowly. Fold the batter forming a letter J with the spatula. You will fold until the batter is flowing slowly but effortlessly off the spatula.  Transfer the batter to the piping bag. Pipe circles on a baking sheet lined with silicon mat. Slam the trays against the counter to release air bubbles. Let the trays rest for 30-45 minutes until the shells are dry.

Heat the oven to 285ºF. Bake one tray at a time for a total of 20 minutes, or until the macarons tops do not twist independently of the bottom if you try to rotate them.

Make the filling: Heat up the coconut cream until hot. Pour over chocolate chips. Whisk until all chocolate chips have melted, add the espresso powder and whisk until fully smooth. Chill it in the fridge for a few hours. Remove from the fridge about 40 minutes before you wish to fill the macarons. This will help the ganache have the perfect consistency. Assemble shells, fill with ganache, and decorate as desired. Leave in the fridge for 24 hours for perfect consistency.

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Never in a million years I imagined I could paint in real time as the instructor is showing the technique and be very happy with the outcome. Michelle shows exactly how to do it, it’s all in the angle of the brush, the amount of paint, and how you move the brush to get the different styles of petals. You would think that painting macarons would be super time-consuming but once you get the gist of it, it goes fast and it is oh-so-very-Zen…

The vegan coffee ganache surprised me by how much I liked it. Very easy to make, and contrary to regular cream-based ganache, it reaches piping consistency faster in the fridge. I will be trying different versions, not necessarily to couple with vegan shells.

Michelle, I cannot thank you enough for the great tutorial,
I enjoyed each minute!

ONE YEAR AGO: Dutch Macarons and a cookbook review

TWO YEARS AGO: Yogurt Tart

THREE YEAR AGO: Grilled Lamb-Stuffed Pita Bread

FOUR YEARS AGO: Elderflower Macarons

FIVE YEARS AGO: A Duet of Sorbets

SIX YEARS AGO: Sobering Peach Sorbet

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Spiralizer Fun

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Beer-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak

NINE YEARS AGO:  Secret Recipe Club: Corn Chowda

TEN YEARS AGO: Page-A-Day Calendar (Pits and Chief 5 minutes of fame…)

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Home Sweet Home (our beloved Pits in one of his last photos)

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Marbled Rye

ONE GIFT, ONE DOUGH, TWO RECIPES

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Desserts, Sweets by

Last month my dear friend Louise sent me a wonderful gift: a box with many (and by many I mean more than 50!) little tartlet tins in several different shapes and sizes. I was speechless, and so touched by her generosity! It is now time to share my first adventure with this special gift. A single dual-purpose dough was used to make little tarts and a modernized version of Linzer cookies. The recipe for the dough comes from Haniela’s blog. She is one of the cookie artists I follow and try to learn from. I suspect it will become my default dough for sweet tarts. The texture is perfect, and I loved the way it is intensely flavored with vanilla.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE MINI-TARTLETS
(dough recipe from Haniela’s)

for the dough:
430g all-purpose-flour
1/8 tsp salt
160g powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
226 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

for the filling:
6oz dark chocolate, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp orange oil
sprinkles to decorate (optional)

Sift flour and salt. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle beater, mix butter and powdered sugar until smooth. In a small dish whisk together egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat egg yolk mixture into the creamed butter. Scrape the bowl a few times as needed.

On low-speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until it starts to come together. If the dough is too crumbly, add 1tsp milk. Do not overwork the dough. Invert the dough onto a clean work surface or into a large bowl and gather dough together with your hands into a ball. Then form the dough into a disk, wrap it in the foil and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350F. Place mini tart shell molds onto a baking sheet. Spray with a non-stick spray, set aside. Take out the chilled dough, cut it in half. Let if soften for 5 minutes. Roll it to 1/8 inch rolling. Cut out as many rounds as you can. Gather scraps and re-roll. Shape the tarts and use a fork to prick the bottom of the shells. Bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes until golden around the edges.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing tarts from the molds. Turn the mold upside down and tap it firmly onto your work surface to release the shell. Let the tarts cool before adding a filling.

Make the filling: place the chocolate in a bowl, heat the heavy cream to almost boiling, and pour over the chocolate. Wait a few minutes, add the orange oil, and gently stir until fully smooth. Let the ganache cool for about 5 minutes, then place in a piping bag and fill the tartlets, smoothing the top. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Place in the fridge to set the ganache for about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Check Hani’s site for detailed step-by-step instructions. As she shows, the best way to shape the dough is using an empty tin of the same format to press it in, with a Saran wrap type plastic over the dough to protect it. Works like a charm (check top right picture in composite above). You can make many tartlets and store them in the freezer for a mini-tartlet emergency…

The same exact dough can be rolled and cut into any shape you like to make a Linzer version. I went with a teardrop and cut-out small flower shapes for the top layer.

Simply bake the cookies, let them cool, and spread a thin layer of the jam of your choice. I used seedless raspberry jam for this batch.

A little shower with powdered sugar is optional, but in my opinion, a nice finishing touch.

The dough is wonderful to work with, and as a cutout cookie, it held the shape well. The tartlets puffed up a bit, but midway through baking I pressed them down gently. Perfect texture.

A big thank you to Louise and Haniela!

ONE YEAR AGO: Rocking the Zucchini Boat

TWO YEARS AGO: Polenta Bites with Spicy Tomato Sauce

THREE YEAR AGO: Vague Mousse Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf, my very own technical challenge

FIVE YEARS AGO: Pork Ribs: Sticky, Spicy and Awesome

SIX YEARS AGO: Sobering Peach Sorbet

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Silky Cauliflower Puree with Almond Milk

NINE YEARS AGO: Beef and Broccoli Stir-fr

TEN YEARS AGO:Wheat Germ and Sage Sourdough Bread

ELEVEN YEARS AGO:Popeye-Pleasing Salad

TWELVE YEARS AGO:Summer’s Finale

TURKEY TACO SALAD

Posted in Poultry, Salads by

When we go to Mexican restaurants, my default request is taco salad, in part because most other offerings are pretty heavy and the portions huge. At least when I have a salad the risk of getting into a food coma are a bit lower. The inspiration for this version came from many sources, and I must say I’m pretty happy with it. What made it special for me was the inclusion of red cabbage and jicama. Full disclosure: julienning the jicama was not particularly pleasant. A small price to pay.

TURKEY TACO SALAD
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

for the dressing:
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro (no need for precision here)
1 tablespoon agave nectar
juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup grape seed oil

for the salad component:
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups shredded red cabbage
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 large jicama, peeled and julienned

Make the dressing: combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor and puree until as smooth as possible.

Add the red cabbage to a large bowl and add half of the dressing to it. Leave it in the fridge for an hour or so.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add the turkey and salt, and cook for a few minutes. Add the chili, cumin, mix, and drizzle about 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Cover, simmer gently for a few minutes, the remove the lid and allow most of the water to evaporate. Reserve.

Assemble the salad: Place the cabbage (already seasoned) on a serving platter, add the lettuce, jicama, toss gently. Add the cooked meat on top, and the additional reserved dressing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you want to turn this into a vegetarian meal, omit the turkey and add roasted garbanzo beans instead. Or maybe sweet potatoes. The red cabbage gives it a very nice texture, and the jicama also contributes a lot. I just wish there was an easy way to deal with jicama, I am always afraid I’ll lose one or two fingers whenever I prepare it. But it has such a nice, fresh flavor. Totally worth the trouble.

I love this dressing. Definitely not for the cilantro-haters out there. Finally, what makes this perfect for me is the contrast of hot and cold. I’ve been planning many meals now with this in mind. We had a very small amount leftover and as usual, I was the lucky one who enjoyed it the following day. My husband is a real gentleman.

ONE YEAR AGO: Cheese and Pesto Emmer Roll-ups and Elaine’s Cookbook Review

TWO YEARS AGO: Mango-Hazelnut Entremet Cake

THREE YEAR AGO: Lebanese Lentil Salad and a Cookbook Review

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cottage Loaf

FIVE YEARS AGO: Sourdough Loaf with Cranberries and Walnuts

SIX YEAR AGO: Sichuan Pork Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Our Green Trip to Colorado

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Ditalini Pasta Salad

NINE YEARS AGO: Celebrate Wednesday with a Thai Seafood Curry

TEN YEARS AGO:  Post-workout Breakfast

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Lavash Crackers