Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Great-Grandmother McCarrell's Tea Cakes

I was so excited when my father emailed this recipe with the subtitle "150 years old."  I've heard many stories about my great-grandmother's delicious finger foods.  It's kind of funny to hear my dad talk about how delicious her strawberry jam sandwiches were (strawberry & white bread - sans crust!).

You'll see from the rather vague recipe blow, I have a lot of experimenting to do w/ this recipe.  I believe I'll make some and test them out on family members during Christmas - hopefully they'll help me tweak.

GGma doesn't specify how much flour, she just said to use enough to make a soft dough.  I started out with 1 1/2 c., but ended up adding and probably used about 2 cups.  I ended up baking for about 10 minutes.  I increased the tempurature to 325 during the last couple of minutes. 

I also baked half the dough and chilled half.  I'll bake the chilled portion later.

I can tell you that the soft doughy portion that I just baked was delicious.  They were puffy and delicate -- a delicious cross between a cookie and a cake.

Recipe follows:

Great Grandmother McCarrell's Tea Cakes
 150 year old recipe

1/12 cups butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
plain four (I used AP)

Beat eggs. Add sugar, salt, soda, baking powder and vanilla.  Then add creamed butter and enough plain four to this mixture to make a soft dough.  Roll very thin and sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Cut cookies the desired size.  Bake in moderate oven (about 300).  They bake quickly.


Saturday, December 13, 2008

Quinoa Currant Muffins





I recently checked out the cookbook Veganomicon.  Giving vegan baking a go once again.  I thought this sounded like a healthy way to start the day.

The recipe called for either apricots or currants.  I used currants because that's what I had in the house.  The muffins probably would have been better w/ apricots.  I did love the texture of the quinoa in the muffins.  

On another note, I noticed that the ingredients list in the book left out the amount of baking soda.  I just eyeballed a little bit.  I'd say I used a couple of pinches.  maybe 3.  They rose fine and the texture seems fine.  

Here's the recipe.  

1 c. vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup agave nectar or pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/4 cup almond meal or almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/4 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots or currants

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease nonstick 12-cup muffin tin.  In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the soy milk and ground flaxseed.  Allow to sit for 1 minute, then whisk in oil, agave nectar and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl, sift together flour, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just incorporated.  Gentl fold in the cooked quinoa and the apricots and mix until only the large lumps are gone.
Pour into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.  

Friday, December 5, 2008

Yeasted Sugar Cake

This is another Deborah Madison recipe from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Madison suggested cooking in a 9" cake pan or tart pan.  I used the tart pan...I thought it did fine.  The cake was delicious.  The only thing I would have done differently is spreading the butter on before sprinkling w/ sugar and baking.  I think I'll melt the butter next time and brush on.  Spreading softened butter over unbaked dough is a rather clumsy task. 

Deborah Madison had all kinds of wonderful serving options...none of which I had time for.  Just after baking, it was fine by itself.  The next day it really did need something.  

My husband poured maple syrup on it.  Not my speed.  

I made an "apricot orange sauce" - Melted a bit of apricot jam in the microwave, then poured a swig of Grand Marnier and mixed w/ a dab of butter.  I served slices of the cake drizzled w/ the sauce for dessert this evening.  My husband and I were both pleased.  

Saturday, November 8, 2008

President-Elect Obama Bread Pudding










Not one of my better ideas. I wanted to make use of the dried out remains of Election Day Cake,so I used Paula Deen's bread pudding recipe. I reduced the sugar some. I should have only used about a 1/4 of the sugar suggested. I should have known.
Even though this wasn't my favorite, I did like it for breakfast w/ fake bacon. I know I'm opening a can of worms w/ the fake meat business...no pun intended.

Better luck next time.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Election Day Cake!

David and I recently purchased a 2009 Old Farmer's Almanac (OFA). After finding a recipe in the almanac for "Election Day Cake," I had to try it. According to the OFA, the recipe dates back to the 1770s. OFA mentions that this yeasted fruitcake w/ sugared icing is closely associated w/ New England.

Being a yeasted cake, it smelled very bready and wonderful during baking. It would have been ideal if I could have served it immediately after baking...however, 21st century schedules being not so conducive...I had to make the cake the previous day.

The cake was already starting to dry out by the next day (please refer to my next post, "President-Elect Obama Bread Pudding." My neighbors and friends were all too polite and excited about the election results to let it bother them on Tuesday evening.

Election Day Cake recipe follows

2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups sifted flour, divided
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2/3 cups raisins
2/3 cup currants
1/4 cup chopped citron (we substituted dried & reconstituted pineapple...a nod to those Hawaiian roots!)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Icing:
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt

For cake: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast ont he warm water; stir to dissolve. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of flour and beat well by hand, or for 2 minutes with an alectric mixer at medium speed. Cover and let rise ina warm place until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Ina separate bowl, cream the margarine and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Set aside. Sift the remaining 3 cups of flour with the salt, cinnamon, cloves, mace and nutmeg. When the yeast mixture is bubbly, add the eggs to the creamed margarine and sugar and beat well. Combine with the yeast mixture. Add the four mixture, a little at a time, beating with a spoon after each addition. Beat until smooth.

Stir in the raisins, currants, citron and nuts. Pour into a well-greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Cover and let rise ina warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 1 hour. Remove the cake from the ovena nd cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto a rack to finish cooling. While slightly warm, spread with confectioners' sugar icing.

For icing: In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar with enough milk to make a mixture of spreading consistency. Add the vanilla and salt and stir until smooth.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

GRIT Biscuits


I had a serious craving for homemade biscuits this weekend.


The GRIT always had great whole wheat biscuits for brunch. I liked them just as much making them at home from their cookbook.


The only thing missing was the nutritional yeast gravy (if you haven't tried it, you have no idea!!).


Here's Brunch Biscuits Deluxe courtesy of The GRIT Cookbook...

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder

1 3/4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon, plus 2 pinches salt

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons butter, chilled and chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

extremely small pinch dry mustard


Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease baking sheet w/ butter or shortening (I used a non-stick pan).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut shortening and butter into flour w/ a pastry blender until particles are extremely fine and well distributed throughout mixture.

Stir together buttermilk, vinegar, and dry mustart. (it is important to note that the pinch of mustard should be extremely small) Form a well in the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk mixture all at once. Gently fold in the liquid just until fully combined.


With floured hands, consilidate dough into a ball and transfer to a floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and pat and flatten dough gently with hands into a slab 1/2 to 2/3 inches thick. Cut into 13 two-inch wide pieces with a floured knife, cookie cutter, or lip of a water glass. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet w/ sides just touching.

Bake on middle oven rack 12 minutes or until bottom of biscuits just begin to brown. Remove from oven and brown tops briefly under broiler.


------

I have to admit...I don't actally have any real milk or buttermilk in my house...I made my own buttermilk by using my rice milk and mixing w/ about a teaspoon of vinegar and letting "curdle" for about 10 minutes. Worked great!

Vegan Apple Pecan Muffins


My parents live in Travelers Rest, above Greenville. I'm so jealous of their frequent mountain trips - they always have the best food. We're lucky that they always bring something back to share. Last weekend my mom gave me the sweetest little apples that she got up near Hendersonville.
I decided to try the Apple Pecan Muffins from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking. These ended up being delicious....the 2nd time around. For the first batch, I decided to try using an all-natural substitute sweetener - Stevia (this was not recommended by Patrick-Goudreau). It was terrible. I had to try it again w/ regular sugar - it ended up being delicious. The really cool thing about these muffins is that the egg replacer is FLAXSEED!!! How healthy, right?
CPG recommends using whole flaxseed, grinding and mixing w/ water, similar to how you would use Ener-G Egg Replacer. I've read that flax goes rancid fairly quickly...I'm keeping them in my freezer...I'll let you know how that works out.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped raw apples
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease muffin tins.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a food processor or blender, whip the flaxseed and water together, until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.
In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, sugar, vanilla, and flax mixture. Beat with an electric hand mixer or wire whisk until creamy smooth. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until well blended. Do not overmix. Fold in the apples and nuts.
The batter will be thick rather than smooth and wet, but it's okay. If you feel it's too stiff, you may add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
Fill the greased muffin tins about three-quarters full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies




I just checked out The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau from the library. I was fascinated by the many egg substitutes suggested...for these cookies I used Ener G Egg Replacer...it's a powder, primarily made of potato starch. To prepare, you mix w/ water in a blender or food processor til it gets frothy. It ends up looking kind of like egg whites.


One box lasts forever...like over 100 eggs.
These cookies were great, especially freshly baked. I would recommend undercooking just a bit...I wished I had - by day 2...they started getting a little chewy...not bad though.
The recipe follows
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (sifted)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent 1 egg)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated, nondair butter
3 tablespoons nondairy milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ground peanute (optional)
1/2 cup nondair chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets w/ parchment paper or use non-stick
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Whip the egg replacer and water together in a blender or food processor, until thick and creamy.
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric hand mixer until well blended. Add the egg replacer mixture. Beat just until blended. Ad the flour mixture, ground peanuts, if using, and chocolate chips, if using, and mix just until blended.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly in a criss-cross pattern with the tines of a fork.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Do not overbake. Remove fromthe oven, and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before removing to let cool on a wire rack.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Key Lime Tart


I'm not really sure how the recipe for this one evolved....I guess it's compiling a variety of internet recipes. I started making this about a year ago...I think I adapted a pie recipe to a tart b/c I was so eager to use my new tart pan that I got as a wedding gift. It's very rich, and thus, quite yummy.
For the filling you need:
1/2 c. lime juice
zest of 1 lime
5 egg. yolks
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
Mix ingredients and pour into cooled graham cracker crust. Put into preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. I also like to add a little whipped cream (once tart has cooled) w/ a large star tip...don't forget to add the vanilla!
For the crust you will need:
1 package of graham crackers, ground in food processor
1/3 c. melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
mix ingredients, press into 11" tart pan and bake for approximately 10 min. in 350 degree oven. Remember to let cool before filling.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Peach Upside Down Cake


I always thought I would turn an upside down cake into a big old mess...I could just see all the yummy fruit sticking to the pan. Luckily, I was wrong...It turned out perfectly. My sad cell phone picture doesn't quite do the peaches justice.
My mom sent us home from Travelers Rest w/ an entire bushel of peaches. We got them at a fruit stand on HWY 25. They told us they were grown near Gaffney.
I thought I just wanted to do some kind of quick bread...a nice sweet breakfast treat....but when I saw Deborah Madison's upside down cake recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, I decided to give it a go. Madison gives the same basic upside down cake w/ variations using Peaches and Apples. The recipe calls for crushed almonds in the batter. She also suggests stuffing the spaces inbetween the peaches w/ pecans. Yum. My only regret is that I wish I had tried to squeeze in another peach or 2. Madison also suggests serving w/ either whipped cream or bourbon butter sauce. I really want to try the the bourbon sauce. I can't wait to do an apple upside down cake in the fall w/ caramel sauce.
There will be more peach recipes to follow. We're working on the peach ice cream right now!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Blueberry Corn Muffins



My husband brought home a pint of blueberries from work! One of his co-workers arranged for a local farmer to come to his work

Thursday, June 26, 2008

More Blackberries


Had to find another way to use the rest of those NC blackberries.

By the way, I realized the other day after taking this picture, that I was emailing pictures of blackberries on my Blackberry. Tee Hee. I tried this Blackberry Cornmeal Cake recipe that I found on Coconut & Lime. It really is a good tea-time snack. Also good for breakfast. I floured my blackberries as they suggested on the C&L post and, sure enough, they didn't sink! The only issue I had was getting the center to cook evenly. I love the crispy edges, but the middle turned out a little mushy. Not sure what would have corrected this...a better pan? A different pan?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Vegan Chocolate Death Cupcakes


I have a friend who just turned 30 and shares my love of The GRIT Restaurant Cookbook. I decided to make the GRIT's "Chocolate Vegan Death Cake" into cupcakes for the big bash. I was a little worried about how their ultra-moist cake batter would stand up as cupcakes, so I used a variation for the batter I found on the baking Blog Coconut & Lime. I love that Blog. After baking one batch, I realized that we needed more cupcakes. I ended up using whole wheat flour for the second batch because I ran out of all-purpose. I thought it would be weird, but I actually liked it. The folks at the party did too.
The Grit recipe follows:
Cake:
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Icing:
1 (12 oz) package fim silken tofu
3 cups vegan chocolate chips (many semisweet brands contain no dairy)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 9-inch round cake pans, dust with flour, and line bottom wiht parchment or wax paper.
Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil and vanilla extract. With electric mixer on low speed, blend until fully combined. With mixer on medium speed, gradually blend in coffee. When mixture is smooth, add vinegar and blend on low speed just until combined. Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of layerscomes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 15-20 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pans and allow layers to cool completely before icing.
Icing: Drain excess fluid from silken tofu, crush and place in a medium saucepan with chocolate chips. Stir together over medium heat until chocolate is very soft. Transfer to food processor and puree until fully blended. Cool to spreadable consistency and frost between layers, and top and sides of cake.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Blackberry Peach Crisp





I went to Taylorsville, North Carolina this weekend for my college roommate's baby shower. We stopped by a fruit stand run by a farmer named Vic from Shelby...he had some fine lookin blackberries. I couldn't resist.

The expectant mother's mom showed up w/ Gaffney peaches. Have you seen the big peach on I-85? Among SC peaches, I do believe that my favorites usually come from the Gafney area. And really, there's no sense in talking about peaches from any other state.

So, Deborah Madison had the answer in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone with her Peach, Raspberry, and Blackberry Crisp. We left out the raspberries. Delicious. I'm guessing it'd be even better w/ the raspberries, but my husband said he didn't think it could get much better. Madison's crumble top recipe suggests either rolled oates or nuts...I used pecans.