A case for the cauliflower

The cauliflower is not a favourite vegetable among most of my friends. Except perhaps when it is coated in a spicy chilli-flavoured batter and deep-fried. Anything deep-fried is nice, after all. But on the rare occasion when there is a when there is a cauliflower on the table, I find myself the only one excited. What's not to love? Crunchy or soft, the cauliflower is truly  adaptable. Honest. It's wonderful in a curry/masala as it absorbs the flavours well. As mentioned above, its delicious when deep-fried (after dousing it in boiling water to soften it a little). It's nice au Gratin too. I even like it steamed (with broccoli and corn) and seasoned with just salt and pepper. But what I really like is mashed-roasted cauliflower! It's way better (and healthier) than mashed potatoes - yes, even better than the Colonel's mash.

I decided to test out my theory (that mashed cauliflower beats mashed potato) on some cauliflower hating friends. I didn't reveal the main ingredient of the dish as, all mashed up, it kinda looked like potatoes anyway.



Here's what I did. First, I steamed the cauliflower till it was nice and soft -- about 20 mins. Then, I mashed it with a fork. Easy.

Preheated my oven to 180C.

Next, in a small pan I melted some butter and  sautéed some garlic, minced fine. I added the mashed cauliflower and added about 1/4 cup milk (or cream if you prefer). I let the mixture simmer (low heat) till there was no more liquid and then I added about 1/2 cup cheddar.

I then seasoned it with salt and pepper. As the cheddar was pretty strong, I didn't need that much salt.

After about 2-3 minutes, I transferred the mash into a bake-safe dish, sprinkled some cheese on top and let it bake in the oven for about 10-15 mins or till the top began to get golden.

Remove, scoop out, garnish with coriander and serve.

OK, the results. My  unsuspecting dinner guests loved the mash but they also kinda guessed it wasn't mashed potatoes. They were not able to guess what it was though. the nuttiness of the boiled and then roasted cauliflower kinda made them think they were eating mashed beans -- they weren't too thrilled at this thought. When I revealed what it was, there was silence. No, they didn't become cauliflower converts but admitted that they wouldn't mind seconds of my mash.

I'd call it a success. After all, they ate so much I had to chance to help myself to seconds! Backfired? Perhaps!

Twisted and loopy

I love soft, flavourful breads. All breads are flavourful, you may argue. Well, most home-made breads are indeed flavourful but I find that  store-bought breads are mostly pretty bland and have no character (I am talking about the loafs that are pre-packed and have a 2-week shelf life!).  Since I successfully baked my first loaf about seven months ago, I think I've eaten store-bought bread less than five times. Why buy when you can bake, right? Sure, baking takes time (unless you have a bread machine -- but where's the fun in that?). Also, baking my own bread means I can add any herb/nut/grain/seasoning I like depending on my mood.  Now that's really  swell especially since I love herb buns and they're not that easily available in stores.

So, anyway. I was in the mood for some bread making and was mentally going through a list of breads I could possibly make. What about Pretzels? I've never made them before even though I've read quite a few recipes and articles about making a good pretzel. Why not? I was feeling relaxed (a  four-day weekend would get anyone to relax, right) and adventurous. So, why not?

Usually whenever I get a craving for pretzels (not very often, thankfully) I head over  to Auntie Anne's Pretzels for a sour-cream and onion or cinnamon flavoured knot.  I like em. So the question is, could I make mine as nice?

I used a recipe I had earlier bookmarked from thefreshloaf.com, a great resource of you like making bread. I intended to make the  Laugenbrezel or the Lye Pretzel -- a basic pretzel that is first dipped in boiling water+ a drop of Lye and then baked. The recipe on thefreshloaf however skips the lye bath, deeming it unnecessary for homemade pretzels. Ok, great. Am all for skipping a lye bath for it kind of reminds me of a tic bath I have to administer on my dog, Mojo, from time to time. Urrgh.



As it turned out, my pretzels weren't as pretty as auntie anne's but they were really tasty. Especially the ones with grated cheese topping. Not bad (pat on back, pat on back) :)

Home made pretzels

(from thefreshloaf.com)

Makes 6 large pretzels
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
2-3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (approximately 110 degrees)

1 egg (for egg wash)

1 saucepan boiling water

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer and mix until the dough forms a ball. Use 2 cups of  flour first and add more, if necessary. I used a little less than 21/2 cups. Mix it for about five mins on low speed (speed 2 on my Kenwood) and then anpther 5-7 mins on 4 until the dough is all smooth and shiny.

Remove the dough and form into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise till double the size, about an hour.

Degas the dough gently and then transfer onto a work surface.

Preheat your  oven to 220C.

Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll each one into a short log, cover with a towel and let the dough relax for 5 to 10 minutes. This makes it easier to  roll it out and stretch it.

Roll each log into long ropes about as thick as your index finger, 15cm in length. You may have to let it rest as you roll/shape them.

To shape the pretzel, form the dough into a"U". Cross the ends and cross them again. They fold the crossed ends downwards. Confused? Check out THIS site for guidance.

Once all 6 have been shaped, bring a saucepan of water to boil.

Now, using either two metal spatulas or a big wire strainer (the kind you use to deep fry stuff) dip each pretzel in the boiling water (one by one) for about 10 seconds. Drain and place on a baking sheet.

Brush each one with egg wash and sprinkle with salt and any topping of your choice: poppy seed, sesame seeds, nuts, onion powder, grated parmesan, etc.

Bake for about 15 mins or till nice and golden.

Eat it while its hot!

I'm on a roll

I am on the hunt. I want to find the perfect recipe for the perfect dinner roll. I love dinner rolls. Love them. (Gosh, can I gush or can I gush) From the rolls you get at  Kentucky Fried Chicken  to the real nice home made ones, dinner rolls rock. Soft, fluffy and puffy, dinner rolls need not be eaten with anything. In fact, they're best eaten alone without even any butter.

I made some wholemeal buns last week, topped with poppy seeds and they were tastey .. and healthy. But being wholemeal buns, they were a little dense. I think I still prefer my dinenr rolls with white flour.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that got a lot of positive reviews and so I decided to give it a go. Angie's Perfect Dinner Rolls was what they were called -- which was just ... well, perfect. I read through the recipe and was happy that the process of making the dough was pretty straighforward. The only snag was that the recipe called for four rises -- as in you mix the dough and then let it rise to double it size. Then you de-gas it and let it rise again; de-gass it again and let it rise; shape it into little balls and let it rise one last time.

Boy, I wondered if I had the patience or the time. Somehow, I always start my baking projects after 9pm -- four rises would take me at least three hours. I decided to skip one rise -- after all, some of the others who used the recipes and commented on teh site did the same and still achieved lovely results (or so they said).

I also halved the recipe since the original yielded 36 buns. What would I do with 36 buns other than put on some unsightly pounds? I ended up with 16 buns.

The buns were really tasty. They weren't puffy and only slightly fluffy (perhaps a fourth rise would have made a difference?)  but they were soft and buttery and slightly sweet.

Lovely.

Adapted from Angie's Perfect Dinner Rolls

11/4  cups warm milk

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup and 1 tbsp sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoons salt

3.5 cups high protein flour/all purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

Warm milk till it's tepid: don't bring it to a boil. It should be just warm enough for you to  be able to stick your fingers in for ten seconds without being scalded. Sprinkle the yeast into the milk and add 1 tbsp sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 mins till yeast is activated and the mixture becomes frothy.

Beat in the sugar, eggs, softened butter (1/4 cup), and salt and mix. I used my stand mixer, using the dough hook on a low speed (4). Once blended, gradually add in the flour and continue kneading until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place to rise. Should take 1 hour for the dough to double in size.

Punch down the dough and cover again to rise again (another 30 -40 mins) . Repeat this step. Dough will be slightly sticky, don't panic.

Meanwhile, preheat your over to 200C.

Now, back to your dough. Pinch enough dough to form small balls (about a golf ball or slightly bigger) -- roll them into shape. Don't know how? Click here.

Place the balls close to each other in a greased baking dish. They can be almost touching each other. Cover and let rise until doubles in size -- just another 30-40 mins.

Bake rolls until it gets golden: about 10 - 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and drizzle the 1/4 cup melted butter over them. Eat them while they're hot.

Butter me nutty

After seeing the creamy nut butters featured in the April-May issue of Flavours (a food magazine) I knew I had to make some for myself. Homemade nut butters? Oh my, I was as excited as those pre teen and tween girls at the Tokio Hotel concert just last week.  And as I peered into the blender as the butter was being processed, I too was in tears as those screaming groupies of the German band.

I was a wreck. An emotional wreck.

I was particularly pleased because I didn't have a high-powered blender and used my reliable just-barely mid range Philips blender, praying all the while that the motor wouldn't give way. I love you, my Philips blender. Thank you.

I never realised how simple it is to make nut butters -- peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter... you name it. All you need is some fresh good quality nuts and a little bit of salt and a sturdy blender.

The catch is that the nuts (except for the modest peanut) can be pretty expensive and making a jar of these creamy beauties can cost you close to RM12.  Oh, well. the satisfaction and the rich creamy spread you get is all the payoff you need.

What you  need is 400g of your choice nuts. I used almonds. First, you roast them in the oven: it's up to you if you want it slightly roasted or if you prefer a dark roast. I chose a dark roast. Although you can opt not to use unroasted nuts, the roasting process helps release some of the flavour from the nuts, hence your  nut butter will be richer.  So, if you want just a light roast, heat up your oven to about 120C, spread the nuts on a flat tray and roast for about 10 mins. for a dark roast, leave it about 5 mins longer or till they brown.

Remove and let cool a little. Transfer into a blender and add a pinch of salt and blend. And blend. And blend. First, will be the grinding and you will see your nuts turn to coarse powder. Blend some more and you will start seeing the crumbs get creamier, and creamier until they resemble a thick buttery paste. A high-powered blender will, naturally, yield results faster. My basic Philips took a while longer (about 20 mins) with some one minute rests in between (I really was afraid the motor would go bust).

Most store-bought nut butters have some kind of hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar  and colouring to enhance the taste and texture. Home made nut butters are pure nut butters although you may add some like-flavoured liquers (like amaretto for the almond butter) to enhance the taste. I didn't have almaretto at home, dang-it, so mine was totally original.

So, it's goodbye peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (for a while) and ola to almond butter/jelly! Oh, and almond butter cream cookies. And almond butter slices, perhaps!

Fantastic Focaccia

I never thought I’d say this but more than 10 years of having to wait not so patiently for a chronically late boyfriend has made me a better baker. My dinner plans got cancelled last night and so, I decided to make the most of my free evening to make some Focaccia bread. Focaccia — doesn’t it sound delicious? Well anyway, I didn't realise how much waiting was involved in baking a Focaccia!

A flat baked Italian bread, Focaccia is basically made the same way a pizza is. In fact, some people prefer to make a pizza out of their Focaccia loaf by heaping toppings (most likely cheese and tomatoes) onto it when it’s half-baked.

The dough for the Focaccia is basically the same as your pizza dough. But for Focaccia, you season it generously with olive oil and herbs and salt. You can also add caramelised onions, tomatoes and sliced, pitted olives for vareity. I like to eat my Focaccia as a bread: either on its own (it’s really tasty enough) or to sandwich some delicious vegetables. For the sandwich above, I kept the filling simple --  layer one: melted mozzarella; layer two: grilled aubergine cooked lightly in herbed tomatoes; layer three: deep fried oyster mushrooms; layer four: sliced avocado. Trust me, it was delicious.

Making the bread

All you need for the dough is 3 cups high protein bread flour, 2 tsp active yeast, 2 tsp salt, 1 cup water and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Activate the yeast by adding tepid water to it. Wait till it froths and add it to the flour + salt and mix them, adding 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the water gradually.

Knead till the dough forms a ball and comes off the mixing bowl easily. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Pour the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into a bowl; transfer the kneaded ball of dough into the bowl and coat it with the oil. Cover with a damp cloth and leave it aside for a couple of hours to rise. It should double it’s size.

Done?

Next, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle some flour on the dough and knead for a few minutes. Cover, and let it rest for about 20 mins. See what I mean about waiting and waiting?

While waiting, preheat your oven to 200C. Grease a 13x9 pan with some olive oil. When the dough has rested enough, transfer it onto the greased pan and shape it into a rectangle in the centre of the pan. Let it rest for about 5- 10 minutes.

Slowly stretch the dough to touch the sides of the pan. This might be easier said than done because the dough is elastic. Take your time. Stretch it as much as you can without tearing it and if it is stubborn, let it rest another few minutes before you try again. See, more waiting!

Once you’re done, use your knuckles and dimple the dough. Drizzle olive oil (2 tbsp) and sprinkle salt (about 2-3 tsp) and herbs. I sliced some black olives and pressed them onto the dough, lightly.

Lower your over temperature to 180C and bake your bread for 30 mins or till the top is golden. I confess, I lost track of time and I left it in the oven for 40 mins: it turned out pleasantly crispy at the sides which made it quite delicious.  A fortunate accident!

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When crumbs are all you want

I have never really been wild about pasta. I don't hate it but I almost never cook pasta and hardly ever order it when dining out.But when I watched an episode of Mark Bittman's Best Recipes in the World where he dressed his pasta with just breadcrumbs and dried chillies lightly sauteed in butter and garlic; seasoned with salt and pepper and of course tossed with lotsa extra virgin olive oil, I was drawn in.

Something about that mix piqued my curiousity and I decided to try it. That was about six months ago and I have since made it numerous times for friends, all of whom have loved the recipe. The garlic and the flavour of the lightly fried breadcrumbs and the hint of hotness ffrom the dried chillies are just sublime. There is no cheese (usually a must for me with pasta) but you really don't notice and frankly, you don't care.

I varied the recipe a little each time I made it, not out of necessity (because the recipe didn't need anything more) but more out of my curiousity. I wanted a herb in there. and so I tried fresh thyme (a little peppery and woody)  and some dried mixed herbs but just a dash. They both tasted great but like I said, the recipe doesn't really need it.

What's more important that your breadcrumbs should not be too crumbled; make sure you have some chunks and some lumps amidst the crumbs. Also, it's difficult to balance how much garlic is enough because you want a distinct garlic flavour but not too much that it burns and overpowers everything else.

Breadcrumb+ garlic meet dried chillies + pasta

Angel Hair pasta (I like this recipe best with angel hair)

Two cups breadcrumbs (have lotsa chunky bits amidst the  fine crumbs)

About six dried chillies, roughly broken up

Six cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tbsp butter

olive oil

salt n' pepper

Cook pasta till al dente. Toss with oilve oil (be generous)  and set aside. Heat butter in saucepan and add garlic. When fragrant, add breadcrumbs and chilli and cook for about 3 mins or till crumbs are golden. Season with salt and pepper. Just before removing, add spaghetti and toss, on the fire, till well coated. Remove, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve.

Cream Cheese loves Chocolate Brownie

It hasn't been a particularly good week at work. But there really isn't any point grumbling, so what do I do? Bakelah! Now, when you are  morose, it won't do to just bake any cake. A butter cake is always a reliable cake but in times of trouble (dramatic, aren't I) you just gotta  go the extra mile and bake something truly decadent.

Cheesecake Brownie. Now that sounded pretty sinful and just what I needed. Chocolate on its own is marvelous; as is cream cheese. When you  cream them, whip them and then combine them .... that's when some real magic happens.

There are several versions of this treat and rest assured I am going to try at least two of them: David Lebowitz's one being one. Today though I opted for another which I bookmarked from joyofbaking.com, courtesy of Stephanie Jaworski.

Recipes are but guidelines and so I had to make some adjustments here and there -- different ovens kinda work differently and my brownie took a little longer to cook, I used semi sweet dark chocolate instead of unsweetened choc, etc .

Did the brownie uplift my spirits. It sure did. The tangy rich cream cheese matched the richness of the dark chocolate to perfection. Rich and buttery, it was an almost fudge (the brownie was dense as it had no rising agent: no baking soda or powder), almost cake, almost heaven chilled concoction.

Cheesecake Brownie

Brownie

115 gms unsalted butter, cut into pcs

110 gms  semi sweet chocolate, broken

250 gms castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

70 gms all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

Cheese layer

225 gms cream cheese, at room temperature

65 grams white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 160C. Line 6x6 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil (across the bottom and up two opposite sides). .

Melt choc and butter In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove and stir in sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat. Don't use a mixer as you want the cake to be dense and not incorporate too much air. Use a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and salt and beat gently till batter is smooth and comes away from the sides of the pan. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the brownie batter. Pour the remainder of the batter into the lined pan.

Now take out your mixer and beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla and egg and mix till smooth. Spread the cream cheese filling over the brownie layer.

Take the 1/4 cup of brownie batter you reserved and with a spoon, swirl in the brownie mix (slowly, not too much at a time) into the cream cheese layer to get a kinda marble effect.

Bake in preheated oven for about 30 to 45 mins or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cool, stick it in the fridge until it firms up (at least a couple of hours) before you cut it up. To remove brownie just lift the foil. Cut it up in squares and enjoy it piece by piece. Best eaten chilled.

Well and truly Bitten

If you don''t already know of Mark Bittman, you should. Especially if you are and aspiring cook. Not chef. Cook. The New York Times columnist (author and occassional TV star) is truly a home cook to learn from. His cookbooks (my bible is the How To Cook Everything Vegetarian -- an extension of his How to Cook Everything tome) are fixtures in my kitchen as they're easy to follow and offer many alternate suggestions on one master recipe.

The latest recipe I decided to try was a simple one for home made crackers. I made two batches: one were plain ol' cheese the other, spring onion crackers. The recipe is more or less the same.

All you need is all purpose flour (1 cup), 2 tbsp butter or neutral oil like grapeseed or corn and 1 tsp salt. You can add cream cheese (1/2 cup) or parmesan (also 1/2 cup). I chose parmesan simply because I had some in my fridge. Oh and you will need 1/4 cup water when pulsing the mixture into a dough (don't add more water as dough should not be sticky).

For the  spring onion crackers, replace the 1/4 water with milk and add chopped spring onions (they have to be minced, almost).

One thing to remember, when rolling the dough, make sure it's no thicker than an inch. Thinner is better so your home made crackers cook faster and are crispy without being burnt. Mine could have been a bit thinner but it was still ok.

Also, with a knife, lightly draw lines diagonally and horizontally -- i.e perforate the dough so you can break it easily into squares  once baked.



Bake it at 190C for about 15 mins or till golden and cooked through.  They taste like cream crackers (the ones that are slightly buttery) with a hint of cheese.

I used to spend a ridiculous RM7 on Arnott's shapes every once in a while. Well, not anymore cos these crackers taste incredibly alike. Better actually, cause anything home made tastes better somehow. So  Goodbye Arnott, So long Jacobs, my snacks from now are Bittman Crackers manufactured in PJ.

Say thanks with pie

Thanksgiving is a very American celebration. Way over here in the hot and wet tropics, I have no real business bloggin about Thanksgiving. So I won't.

But, what do I do when most of the food blogs I have visited in the last few weeks and the food magazines I have recently bought are  filled with Thanksgiving recipes?

Heck, it would take an iron will not to want to try  at least one of the recipes.

Decided to start with the most obvious. The Pumpkin Pie. Only I made a small pie because not many people I know like pumpkin and I'd probably have to end up eating most of it myself. Ermmm, I don't think that's wise.

So I looked up quite a few recipes for Pumpkin Pie and decided to stick with dependable (except when in jail -- KIDDING; I honestly do like her)  ol' Martha.

Here's the recipe for the easiest pumpkin pie I've ever tried (and incidentally the first).

♣Hooray for Pumpkin Pie

(for the dough)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup  cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Mix together flour, salt, sugar. Add butter and mix with your hands till crumbly. Sprinkle the ice water until dough is crumbly but can hold together. Press onto a pie dish and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

(for the filling)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar (you might want to taste the pumpkin first cos some are sweet enough and don't need as much sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

13/4 cup solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup milk

Just whisk everything together till smooth and pour it onto the pie crust.

Bake (180 C) until it sets  -- about 50 mins or so. Cool and eat or chill it for later.