JAMMIN’ BLUEBERRY SOUR MILK PANCAKES

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

Once again, a guest post by Phil, my husband, best-friend, and labmate! 😉

This delicious recipe goes back to another era, back to Sunday Mass at St. Casimir’s in Lansing MI, when I was 8 or 9 and each week mom and dad dragged us in our Sunday best to the 8 or 9 am mass, about which I most remember kneeling for extended periods with my head buried in my clasped hands on the pew, thinking about playing baseball or slot cars. The only “redemption” from that experience was the batch of sour-milk pancakes my mom often whipped up afterwards. I liked them so much that after a while I began to help her, and eventually took over the Sunday morning cooking duties. Since then I made these pancakes for my housemates, girlfriends, wife, siblings, sons and visitors to our home. They are so simple that I never forgot them. The key component is a now seldom-used or seen ingredient, sour milk. In those days it was easy to come by, probably from less efficient pasteurization or fewer preservatives. But, you can still let a quart of milk go sour, or you can buy a quart of buttermilk, an adequate substitute.

Of course, I try to make them in a way that duplicates my mom’s, and also my grandma’s and aunt Mildred’s pancakes. The recipe became so popular in our family that everyone from Detroit to Chicago knew it, and they both made them for us when they visited. However, because they all departed this world before I thought to question them about their excellent techniques, my recipe has a few of my own modifications. I’m still wondering why my grandma’s rose less during the cooking. I’m working on that.

SOUR MILK PANCAKES
(a family recipe)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
7/8 cup flour (see recipe for details)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour milk (or buttermilk)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method:
1. In a large bowl cream 1 T butter, 2 T sugar, ½ t salt.

2. Beat in 1 large (or extra-large / jumbo) egg.

3. To the flour (cake, unbleached, whole-wheat, buckwheat or my favorite: half unbleached/half whole-wheat flour) mix in ½ t baking powder; add it to the egg mixture.

4. To 1 cup sour milk (or buttermilk) in a 2-cup measuring container add ½ t baking soda; whip by hand with a fork until the sound deepens when the milk thickens; add to the batch and fold until fully mixed.

5. Rub a gas or electric griddle (at 375 F) with a small tab of butter on a paper towel. Use an ice-cream scoop to deposit the pancakes; sprinkle in blueberries if you like; cook until the bubbles pop and then flip them for a couple of minutes.

6. Splurge and serve with real maple syrup. No need to butter them. Skip the blueberries on half the batch and top a couple of pancakes with eggs fried over-easy…that’s breakfast, baby.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Sally’s comments: I find it hard to believe that this blog is approaching its 4th year of life, and I had not yet shared Phil’s recipe for blueberry pancakes. It is outrageous! One important thing to consider: these pancakes must be made by a man still wearing his pajamas. It is part of the deal. They taste much better this way… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Scallops with Black Pasta in Orange Cream Sauce

TWO YEARS AGO: Stir-fried Chicken with Creamed Corn

THREE YEARS AGO: Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedo

21Dec2012

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO LOAF

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Baker Street strikes again! For the most part, I want to make everything she blogs about, but my frantic life gets in the way. One of the things that happens as you accumulate more experience in the kitchen, is a certain “feeling” for a recipe. I usually spot a winner just by reading the ingredients, and this pumpkin espresso loaf, covered with crushed hazelnuts made me dream. I knew we would love it. It is quite simple to prepare, and it smells AMAZING (all caps required) as it bakes. It is moist, not too sweet, the coffee flavor quite subtle, and the crumb topping gives that contrast of texture which is always a nice touch on this type of loaf.

PUMPKIN ESPRESSO BREAD
(from Baker Street)

for the loaf:
¾ cup (150 grams) brown sugar, packed
1 cup (245 grams) canned pumpkin puree
½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
¼ cup (59 ml) milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt

for the topping:
½ cup hazelnut, chopped roughly
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350F and generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Prepare the topping by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, espresso powder, spices, and salt. Reserve. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the flour mixture and spread the batter evenly into prepared pan.

Sprinkle the espresso topping evenly over the pumpkin batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This was SUCH a delicious bread, loaf, whatever you want to call it. With a cup of cappuccino in the morning, it starts your day on a perfectly warm note. After the loaf was in the oven, I said to myself that some cardamon could be a good addition. Phil, on the other hand, thinks that mini-chocolate chips would take this loaf to unprecedented levels of decadence. Interestingly enough, that is exactly the variation recommended over at Baker Street. Keep that in mind if you make this loaf. And I hope you do! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Caramelized Carrot Soup

TWO YEARS AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

THREE YEARS AGO: A Special Holiday Fruitcake

25Jun2012

THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: GRANOLA BARS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

I knew the last Monday of this month would arrive at a particularly busy time, when we would be barely moved into our new home, trying to adjust to the new environment. I didn’t want to miss the party, so I had my contribution to “The Secret Recipe Club” taken care as soon as I got my assignment. This month I was matched with the blog “Life and Kitchen”, hosted by Lindsay, a super-busy young mom with a full-time job and a master’s thesis under way. In other words, she struggles with a gazillion commitments, but still finds time to keep a great blog going! Her writing is quite refreshing, I caught myself smiling all the way through reading many of her posts. I finally settled on a recipe I’ve always wanted to make: granola bars. They were a major hit in the Bewitching household, as I married a former-hippie. Hope you try and like them too! 😉

GRANOLA BARS
(from Life and Kitchen, originally adapted from Ina Garten)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 x 12 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Toss the oatmeal and almonds together and then toast them on a sheet pan by baking them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When you take the toasted mixture out, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the toasted wheat germ. Then add in the honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt while it is still warm and mix it all together. Add the raisins and dried cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours at room temperature before cutting into squares.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: No matter how frantic your life might be, it’s good practice to read a recipe carefully before attacking the preparation. It’s called common sense. Otherwise, you may set yourself up for trouble, like some people.

Indeed, I started by toasting 2 cups of rolled oats instead of oatmeal. Once everything was nicely toasted, I realized my mistake, and did the only sensible thing to do: frantically ran around the house screaming at myself “I am SUCH an idiot”; “I am THE QUEEN of the idiots”! Where’s George Costanza, my long lost brother?

Crucial decisions had to be made. I had no time to start all over, and found only about one cup of oatmeal in our pantry. I grabbed the baking sheet and scooped the mixture with one of those handy Chinese type tools, that kept the almonds and allowed the oats to fall back in the baking sheet. By the way, oats that fly and fall on the kitchen floor will cool enough during their journey so they won’t pose a risk to your pets. Quite the opposite, they will be happy to do the cleaning for you.

Once I got toasted rolled oats separated from toasted almonds, I saved 1 cup for the recipe, and mixed with 1 cup of oatmeal. Proceeded without toasting the oatmeal, as the clock was ticking, and we had tickets to go see Prometheus at the IMAX. No way we could miss that.

As a result, the bars were a bit more crumbly than they should, as oats don’t bind as well as oatmeal, for obvious reasons. But, you know what? The crumbled pieces made FANTASTIC granola!

I ended up with enough squares to last us for a while, nicely wrapped (just make sure to let them dry well for a full day before wrapping).

Lindsay, it was great to “meet” you through this month’s Secret Recipe adventure!

And a reminder for my readers: if you click on the crazy looking frog at the bottom of this post, you’ll see the contributions of all other members of Group D for this reveal day. Make sure to check them out!

ONE YEAR AGO: Awesome Broccolini

TWO YEARS AGO: A Twist on Pesto

THREE YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes

12Sep2011

POST-WORKOUT BREAKFAST

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Exercising on weekdays is a bit tricky. I find myself cutting some routines a little short, rushing to eat something quickly, take a shower and go to work. But Saturdays and Sundays are another story: I can indulge, start with a nice run, top it with some weight training, do the full 90-minute P90X yoga. Once it’s all over, I relax and enjoy a nice breakfast. Lately, I’ve been hooked on this yogurt concoction because it is refreshing, not too heavy, a well-deserved reward after working out.

GREEN APPLE & YOGURT BOWL
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 cup non-fat yogurt
1/2 large Granny Smith apple, grated
sliced almonds
agave nectar

Toast the sliced almonds lightly, either in an oven or a non-stick skillet. Watch them very carefully, as they go from toasted to burned in seconds. Let them cool slightly.

In a bowl, mix the grated apple (no need to peel) with the yogurt, add some agave nectar to your taste. Sprinkle the almonds on top, a little extra drizzle of agave, and…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I wish I could give credit to the source for this “recipe” – so simple that it hardly qualifies as such. I saw a version in the net several months ago, never saved it, just kept it in my memory as something to try. Maybe the original had honey and a different kind of nuts, but at any rate, start with the green apple and yogurt, add whatever you feel like, including your favorite cereal, and you can’t go wrong.

I use non-fat yogurt to keep the fat content to a minimum, but you can definitely go for the full fat type, it will be just a tad more decadent, but still good for you.

ONE YEAR AGO: Spices… Did someone say spices?

TWO YEARS AGO: The lighter side of meatloaf

6Jul2011

INA GARTEN’S BANANA BRAN MUFFINS

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

I don’t cook Ina Garten‘s recipes that often because they tend to be way too rich (says she who recently baked a cake with a few hundred calories per bite.. ;-)). But these muffins have just the right amount of indulgence, well balanced by all their healthy components: unprocessed bran, fruits, and nuts. I am always happy when I find a good recipe for bran muffins, Phil’s favorite ways to start the day: one of these babies, warmed up slightly in the oven, next to a steaming cup of cappuccino.

CHUNKY BANANA BRAN MUFFINS
(adapted from Ina Garten, FoodTV Network)

1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk (shaken)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 + 1/2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mixed dried raisins, blueberries, cranberries
1 cup large-diced bananas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners into a muffin tin.

Combine the bran and buttermilk and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl and then add the molasses, agave nectar, orange zest, and vanilla. (The mixture will look curdled.) Add the bran/buttermilk mixture and combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the batter just until combined. Fold in the dried fruits, bananas and walnuts with a rubber spatula.

Fill the muffin cups to the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Most recipes of this type call for over-ripe bananas, all brown and mushy. In this recipe, Ina used bananas that were good enough to eat as a fruit, ripe, but not falling apart at all. I was a bit intrigued, but followed her lead. Verdict: not only it works, but it’s probably what makes these muffins quite special, the little morsels of concentrated banana flavor.

Phil gave his seal of approval to the recipe, so all you bran muffin lovers can go ahead and give it a shot. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Beer Bread with Roasted Barley

TWO YEARS AGO: Tomato Confit with Arugula and Zucchini