"Oreos" & Gnocchi

{As per usual, an excuse for my absence. Work was a little really crazy this spring, but I think I've got a short lull, so here's hoping for a few posts. I'm off to Vancouver for a few days, so any recommendations are appreciated since I've never really been... I know! What!?}

Earlier in May I made a couple items that I considered of note. Firstly, "Oreos". With both of us on the brink of colds, Claire suggested we tackle the project. I had read about them on Smitten Kitchen some time ago, but passed since I don't really have a particular attachment to the cookie. At any rate, it was fun and they were delicious.

Next time I would lean toward a T.K.O. (Thomas Keller Oreo) with white chocolate ganache instead of icing, but none-the-less, the flavour of these was great, and I'm sure a little mint oil would add a new level.

And gnocchi. This one has been on my list for years. Years. I don't know why it took me so long, but it's incredibly simple. The only thing left to tackle is the perfect fork-tine-roll.

As an aside, I had the best burger I've ever eaten (...in Edmonton) at Sugarbowl earlier in the week. A perfectly cooked Four Whistle Farms beef, simply topped with pickles, mayo and lettuce. Delicious. Can't wait until that special roles around again...

Coconut Toast

{Are you a food or drink blogger in Edmonton? Come to The Common on March 4th and meet up with fellow food bloggers from our fair city! Details here.}

Last year, about this time, I made Coconut Bread (from Smitten Kitchen... via The Wednesday Chef via the NY Times via Bills breakfast menu) and basically said nothing about it. Except that I made it. It deserves more than that, especially since you can make it into coconut toast with maple syrup a la Lavish Habit in Balham, London.

Lavish Habit is small-ish, rustic cafe with lovely cakes set casually on the counter, Monmouth Coffee, and a vintage store in the basement. Very fun and super cozy. When I was in London a couple summers ago, I made sure to stop at the cafe whenever I could, since it was on the way to my closest underground stop.

So, they have coconut toast. A lightly sweetened loaf that is thickly sliced, toasted, dusted with a little powdered sugar (which I decided against below), then served with a dish of salted butter and, this is key, a small jug of maple syrup. I'm not sure I've ever had coconut and maple so beautifully paired together.

The recipe calls for sweetened shredded coconut, but I only had unsweetened, toasted coconut ribbon on hand. The sweetness was perfect here (because you'll want to put that maple syrup on there...), however, the texture of the loaf would certainly benefit from the more delicate shredded coconut. I also upped the cinnamon to 1.5 tsp... 'Cause it's cold out there.

As per my baking mo, this loaf comes together fast (and even in one bowl if you skip the browned butter part and aren't super particular about the wet-dry ingredient thing). It's in the oven for an hour or so, and will make your apartment/house smell amazing. And every time you make a slice of 'toast', it'll impart that nutty-cinnamony aroma all over again.

Naughty {Buckwheat} Rhubarb Scones

That's right, Naughty Rhubarb Scones. Why? Apparently the 2/3 - 3/4 cups of cream that help make up twelve of these creamy, palm sized scones originally posted on Food 52.

And the buckwheat part? A few people noted in the comments that they successfully swapped up to half the AP flour with whole wheat. But with all the cream in these scones, I could tell this recipe was calling for a little buckwheat flour (not only that, but buckwheat is in the rhubarb family, so this recipe was meant to be). The first time round I used one cup of buckwheat flour and 1 + 1/2 cups AP, and I've been doing the same since (I'm now on batch three).

One of my favourite things about this recipe is the ease with which it comes together. There's no rolling required, and while they suggest using the food processor to blend everything, I did it by hand in no time at all.

The buckwheat flour gives these scones a beautiful colour, and its fruity, wine like flavour compliments the rhubarb well. I took the first two batches to work and they disappeared instantly. The second time around we munched on them with some of this nectarine jam one of our volunteers gave me.

If you've got some rhubarb hanging around (and really, who doesn't in Edmonton?), I'd definitely suggest saving a few stalks for these scones.

The recipe is posted here on Food 52, however, I did change a few things. I didn't have vanilla sugar, so I added some vanilla bean paste to the rhubarb-sugar mixture. About a tablespoon of Kirsch went in with the rhubarb as well. As mentioned above, I swapped one cup of the AP flour with buckwheat. I added three stalks of rhubarb to my first batch of scones as directed by the recipe, and I didn't think it was enough. So this last time I doubled the amount of rhubarb and liked the extra tart punch that came with each bite (the stalks I used were on the smaller side though).

I ended up using more than the 2/3 cup of cream because it's quite dry here, but the amount varied between the two different times I made the recipe. Both times, I had more than enough cream left to brush the tops of the scones before they went into the oven (the recipe doesn't call for this). Enjoy!

Baking fit for cold weather

Continuing with the 'breaking in the kitchen' theme, my friend Claire came over Sunday afternoon, just as the chill set in, and we set out to make two recipes - this Six-seed Soda Bread posted on 101 Cookbooks, and Kim Boyce's rye flour Maple Danishes in Good to the Grain.

Six-Seed Soda Bread

This is the kind of bread that deserves a good smear of butter or slice of salty cheese, or a rich, creamy soup (it is, after all, a recipe originally published by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall). All the spelt flour and buttermilk give the loaf a wonderful flavour, but of course it's the seeds that really shine. For the most part we followed Heidi's suggested seed combo, although we ended up adding some hemp seeds as well.

Charles and I consumed much of the loaf throughout Sunday and Monday evening alongside bowls of "Silky Cauliflower Soup".

Maple Danishes

With the bread coming together quickly, we charged right ahead to the danishes, quickly encountering one of those errors that result from (my) recipe skimming - "Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill overnight." We decided straight away that this wasn't in the cards, and just focused on keeping the pastry cold. After a half-hour in the freezer, we began our turns, popping the dough in the freezer again for twenty minutes or so before our third and final turn.

We divided the dough into two sheets, covering each with butter, maple sugar and a bit of dark brown sugar, before rolling each into a spiral and cutting the logs into six danishes. After two hours on the warm stove top, the rolls puffed a bit before heading into the oven.

I think we were both amazed how well these turned out despite our 'short cut'. Our effort to keep the pastry cool earlier in the day paid off, and combined with the cup of rye flour added to the dough, we were left with tender, soft danishes. That said, I wouldn't skip the overnight chill next time in the hope that it would take off some of the yeast's edge.

The maple also seemed to be missing from these as well, but I highly suspect it was lost amongst the yeast. This was remedied by heating up a bit of maple syrup and glazing the danishes.

I wouldn't hesitate to make either of these recipes again. Before Rachel introduced me to Good to the Grain, I can't say any of the whole grain flours featured in the book would have made it into any of my baking. But as I work my way through more of the book and explore similar recipes, I'm particularly appreciating the flavour provided by the flours and grains, in addition to their 'stick-to-the-ribs' nature, especially considering the frigid temperatures that have descended on the city this week.

Stay warm, everyone.

Meal Planning Saga: Week Nine

Wow. This past week was a little hectic and not nearly as well planned as I would have liked it to be. With Charles mom moving to town Monday, we just couldn't anticipate where we would be each evening, which was completely fine... it just meant reverting to some old (incredibly tasty) 'habits'.

Sunday - Things started off rather well with this butternut squash and caramelized onion galette from Smitten Kitchen. Some leftover roasted squash from Saturday's pizzas, caramelized onions and Fontina were great for my first galette ever. As Deb says, the dough is flawless. I even substituted some Greek yogurt in the absence of sour cream and it still turned out well. I can't wait to make some other fillings, especially as summer berries begin to arrive. This was great the next day for lunch at room temperature alongside some salad, and it even held up well in my backpack throughout the morning.

The onions are starting...

Monday - With a delayed flight and a paper due Tuesday morning, we found ourselves at Dadeo for the $8 Po-boy special. One catfish, one Philly cheese steak and two chili lagers.

Tuesday - A Zed family dinner of pancakes and sausages.

Wednesday - Salmon and braised lentils from America's Test Kitchen Cooking for Two 2010. We certainly enjoyed this salmon prep, which was quick and easy, and the lentils turned out to be a filling, creamy base. Though this fish dish had nothing on the 'fish in parchment'.

Thursday - A little while ago Sharon posted on Mario Batali's Roman Egg Drop soup, so we thought we'd give it a try. Wow, she wasn't kidding - creamy and rich, the eggs did wonders here to turn chicken broth into a hearty winter soup. Charles stopped on the way to the LRT station and grabbed a loaf of bread from Queen of Tarts just as they were closing, along with a cinnamon-orange treat for dessert. We are realizing the positives of him working just a couple blocks away and a transit route back to Garneau that carries him near the spot.

A seedy bread

 The soup

Amazing cinnamon 'tulip' with pecans and orange-caramel

I also broke out this banana bread recipe again, though this time it was destined for muffins. I filled the tin to the top and as I looked in the oven about half way through I was sure everything was about to overflow. Thankfully it never did and I ended up with some excellent crispy muffin tops after about 45-50 minutes of baking... nearly Leva worthy, especially just out of the oven.

Friday - Urban Diner, Garneau. We had burgers planned, but getting home a little late in the evening after kitchen unpacking, we gave in and took a walk over to 109th. As we approached I was happy to see Friday was the first night Urban Diner would have Yukon Brewing's Porter on tap. I love this beer - it's incredibly creamy, comforting and easy drinking. As we arrived we found the place packed with porter lovers and I couldn't believe we were seated right away. We waited a little while for our food, but it was well worth it.

...worth freezin' for...

Steak sandwich

Reuben with caramelized onions and amazing cumin-curry-dijon

Saturday - This was the first snack based evening we've had in awhile, but it was leftover bread, cheese, salad, etc. from the week.

Earlier in the day though, we went to the City Market. We got there just as vendors were finishing set up and, finally, for the ringing of the bell!

The bell!

Happy Boxing Day!

Okay, I'm behind with posting. I've got a post on d'Lish in the works, as well as one for Moriarty's, so hopefully I can get them up in the next couple days. At any rate, I hope you've been consuming lots of good food over the last couple days, weeks, etc.

The past two days were a bit of a whirlwind for us. Conquering turkey this past Thanksgiving, we decided to do a ham for my family on Christmas Eve. We had ordered and paid for a ham via Serben's website at the beginning of the month and arranged to pick it up at the Downtown market last Saturday. This worked incredibly well - firstly, we didn't have to worry about rushing to the market early in the morning, and secondly, it gave us lots of time to make room in our freezer.

Deciding to forgo any glazes we just studded the exterior of the ham with cloves, which ended up giving our apartment a beautiful fragrance once the fat of the ham began to melt. Amongst the ham cooking, I also made a mint chocolate ice cream that would be my brother's Christmas gift. It turned out well, though I wish more of the emerald green would have made its way into the custard mixture. Once everything was complete, it was packed up and taken to my Nanny's for the evening.

Although we were bagged after a day of cooking, everything was enjoyed. The ham was excellent - nicely smoked and moist, the entire family was pleased, and leftovers were further enjoyed Christmas morning. Accompaniments included orange glazed beets, butternut squash mashed potatoes, cabbage and leeks that I just sautéed a bit, and devilled eggs. Dessert was Valerie's pavlova served with what I think was the best whipped cream ever (orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, a bit of sugar and cognac) and a glass of eggnog.

 The ham

 The eggs

 Beets. Sadly, these are a difficult sell in my family, so my Mum and I are slowly working our way through the leftovers.

Cabbage 

Potatoes and Squash 

Eggnog

We also changed things up this year, opening gifts Christmas Eve. I received a gift certificate to support an ongoing shoe addiction, while Charles' received an addition to his rather large stuffy collection. We also received gift certificates to da Capo as well as Credo, so lots of coffee for us in the new year.

With my Aunt taking on Christmas dinner, she said carte-blanche when I asked if there was anything I could bring. So I ended up grabbing some chocolate from work - the milk chocolate trio (Fleur de Sel toffee, chai granola and orange gingerbread bark), along with pink champagne truffles and cinnamon and mocha melt-a-ways. Otherwise, we spent most of 'the day' itself baking cookies that I planned to give as gifts.

It was a last minute cookie takeover of our apartment, and really, I should have done more than just make the dough earlier in the week to avoid the rush. There were three kinds - Valerie's Grandma Maude's gingerbread, chocolate-mint sandwiches and peanut butter with salted peanut caramel - and happily they all turned out well. The peanut butter seemed to be the big hit with the testers (my Dad and brother), although the soft gingerbread was the favourite for my Nanny and I.

Peanut butter with salted caramel 

Gingerbread with squished icing

 Chocolate-mint sandwiches

So the ham is all gone, as is the stuffing and gravy from last night, and I'm off to my Nanny's to bake off the rest of the gingerbread dough. Happy Boxing Day, everyone!

Three Banana Bread

My Nanny makes amazing banana loaves, and her apartment is just a ten minute walk away from our place, which means I can easily head over Sundays for a slice with tea. But with three bananas sitting on our counter last Tuesday, I thought I would finally attempt one of my own.

I typed 'banana bread, three bananas' into Google last Tuesday evening, and this Food Network recipe popped up. Although it didn't list any additions like walnuts or chocolate, I figured I would give this one a try and add them on my own.

It turned out really well - a nice chewy crust, a crumbly perimeter, and a moist interior with lots of cinnamon, Valrhona Manjari, and toasted walnuts . Pretty satisfactory for my first banana loaf and a good excuse to leave the bananas on the counter for a few extra days.

You can find the recipe from Food Network here. As mentioned above, I added chocolate and walnuts, but I didn't really measure them out. I'm guessing it was about 1/3 cup of each, but this loaf seems pretty forgiving, no matter how many 'extras' you wish to add.