CORNBREAD ÆBLESKIVER

Posted in Appetizers, Small Dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

As I mentioned recently, I do love gadgets, and this pan has been sitting and waiting for too long. However, the moment I saw Karen’s post on this cool recipe, I grabbed it to play!

CORNBREAD ÆBLESKIVER
(slightly adapted from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

140 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
70 grams (1/2 cup) medium grind cornmeal
70 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tbs) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
100 grams canned corn kernels
olive oil spray for the pan

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, plus corn kernels with a fork. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.

Heat your aebleskiver pan on medium low and spray each cavity with olive oil.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cavity almost to the top with the batter. Cook until the bottom begins to brown. Using a thin skewer turn the aebleskiver part way and continue to cook. Be sure to push any overflow back into the wells.

After that, add a little more batter to top them off before “closing” them, moving the opening to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until evenly golden brown and the center is cooked through. Serve right away or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: First things first, I highly recommend this cookbook if you want to expand your Æbleskiver horizons… My main modification of the recipe was cutting the sugar by a bit more than half, and using canned corn because I had some in the pantry and got lazy to scrape fresh corn off the cob. Using the pan takes a bit of practice, I filled the cavities too much in my first batch, but the second half was perfect. I still need to perfect moving the little fritters to cook the second side, but they turned out very tasty.

Karen, thanks so much for inspiring me to finally make something with my pan…

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12Mar2024

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!

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1Sep2023

GRUYERE CHEESE BISCUITS

Posted in Appetizers by sallybr

This is a totally different take on biscuits, first because they are savory, and second because they are made with one of those gadgets that press the dough out through a little disc with all sorts of cute patterns (mine is this one). I picked a simple one that results in a flower shape. The recipe comes from a blog I love, The View From Great Island, and you can check out her detailed post about it (with a video included) clicking here.

GRUYERE CHEESE BISCUITS
(from The View From Great Island)

8 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely shredded
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (12 tablespoons)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
215g all purpose flour

Heat oven to 350F.

Put the shredded cheese, soft butter, egg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse and then process until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.

Add the flour in two batches, and process just until a soft dough comes together. Fill your cookie press according to your model’s instructions and insert the shape disk of your choice. Stamp the crackers onto a clean dry baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 15-19 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the surface. Let them rest on the pan for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve had that cookie press for a while, but had not yet used it. There is a learning curve in there, and I must confess I made a royal mess in the kitchen, even though no royal icing was involved. But I intend to use the press again in the very near future so that I get better at it. These biscuits have a melt in your mouth feeling, that’s why I decided to call them biscuits rather than crackers. I really liked them a lot, we offered them for guests at a get together in our place, they are perfect for appetizers with a glass of wine. Or for those so inclined La Croix, tangerine flavor (I am partial to that flavor, in case you want to know).

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13Jan2023

ZUCCHINI-PROSCIUTTO PARCELS

Posted in Appetizers, Side dishes, Small Dishes, Veggies by sallybr

Two ways to make these delicious little morsels, perfect as a little appetizer or even as a side-dish, which is how we served them. You can use a creamy cheese, such as ricotta, perhaps mixing a bit of egg yolk for added structure, but I opted for halloumi cheese, that retains its texture quite well during baking. The first method requires a mandolin to slice the zucchini, as you need really thin slices so that they bend. You could slice it thicker and blanch them before forming the parcels, but I prefer to skip that additional step.

ZUCCHINI-PROSCIUTTO PARCELS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

1 or 2 large zucchini
prosciutto slices, one per appetizer
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
halloumi cheese cut in pieces, one per roll

Whisk the olive oil with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

If using ribbons, cut the zucchini in very thin slices, as thin as your mandolin will go. If using zucchini pieces, cut them in squares of a size similar to the cheese. Brush the zucchini with the emulsified oil-lemon. Assemble each little package, either rolling or stacking.

Place over aluminum foil on a baking sheet and bake at 400F util the prosciutto is golden brown (about 25 minutes, depending on size). The zucchini will release a lot of juice during baking but it will dry out as it continues roasting. Do not panic, it will look a little hopeless before it looks great…

Serve while warm.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I don’t know which version I prefer. The one with very thin zucchini slices looks a little more elegant but the zucchini pretty much disappears as far as taste and texture are concerned. The second way to do it makes the zucchini more prominent, but it does not look as good, so it’s really a matter of deciding which path you want to take. I do like the use of halloumi. If you go with a melting cheese, definitely do the zucchini ribbons to wrap the whole thing better.

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1Sep2019

CHICKEN AND HEART OF PALM SQUARES

Posted in Appetizers, Brazilian cooking, Poultry by sallybr

Puff pastry turns any delicacy into something special. It is hard to beat the taste and texture of a nicely laminated dough. You can go sweet or savory, you can skip any additions, just form them as sticks, twist them around and enjoy plain or with a humble sprinkle of spices. Today I share a recipe for puff pastry squares using a classic Brazilian filling: chicken and hearts of palm.

CHICKEN AND HEART OF PALM SQUARES
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

for rough puff pastry:
(makes a little more than you’ll need)
345 g unsalted butter, frozen
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
300g all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp (to toss with grated butter)
80 g whole milk, cold
80 g water, cold (may not use it all)
1 egg for egg wash

for the filling:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 lemon (to poach chicken)
salt and ground black pepper to poach chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic
salt and ground black pepper
2 large tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
100 g hearts of palm, cut in ¼ inch rounds
100 g frozen peas (no need to defrost)
80 g cream cheese (full-fat)
Sriracha sauce
fresh cilantro to taste
1 lemon
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup whole milk

Mix in a large bowl the 300g flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Grate the butter using a food processor with a grating disk attachment. Toss it with 2 Tbsp flour and reserve.

Take 155 g of the grated butter and mix with the flour in the large bowl, tossing with your hands to form reasonably small crumbles. Keep the rest of the butter in the freezer. Add to the flour/butter mixture all the cold milk and half of the water. Make a smooth dough, trying to handle it as little as possible. Adjust with water and or more flour.

Roll it out as a rectangle, about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Add roughly 50 g of frozen grated butter to the center of the dough. Fold bottom half up, add 50 g more butter to the folded portion. Fold the top portion down, covering the butter. Turn the dough so that one open side is facing you. Roll it out as before, add the leftover grated butter exactly the same way. Fold and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough as before, fold two more times without adding any more butter. Roll out as a rectangle and keep in fridge until filling is ready and cold.

Roll out about 1/3 of the dough (roughly 300 g) as a square a little bigger than 12 inches. Do the same for another third of the dough. Cut 12 squares from each piece of dough, punching a star using a cookie cutter in the center of half the squares (they will be the top of the pastry).

Place the squares that will be the bottom over parchment paper. Add enough cool chicken filling, brush the sides with egg wash, place the top pastry and push the edges to close it down. Brush the top with egg wash and bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

FOR THE FILLING (can be made a couple of days in advance)
Poach the chicken breasts very gently in water seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce and lemon juice. I like to bring the water to almost a boil, turn the heat off, and leave the chicken in the pan for 15 minutes. Keep in mind it will cook longer in the pie. When chicken is poached and cool enough to handle, shred the meat with your fingers or a couple of forks. Reserve.

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil with a touch of salt and pepper in a large skillet until fragrant. Add the shredded chicken breast, tomatoes, tomato paste, hearts of palm pieces and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Dissolve the flour in the milk, whisking well to avoid lumps. Pour into the meat mixture and heat until it starts to thicken. Add the cream cheese, then the frozen peas and mix everything gently. Add the Sriracha sauce, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Add the minced cilantro, lemon juice and allow the mixture to cool completely before assembling the pastries.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The filling for these puff pastry squares is very similar to this one of my recent blogging past. It is a classic component of Brazilian recipes like pasteis, empadinhas and pies. The recipe will provide you with leftovers that you can enjoy over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or if you are truly daring, try it as a topping for pizza or flatbreads. Add a bit more cheese on top for good measure.