vegetarian frittata

I made this dish for a wedding reception this weekend that required it to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free. It rocked.

I started with veggies I had on hand:

1 bunch fresh asparagus
4 or 5 fingerling potatoes
4 parsnips
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

I sliced the parsnips into thin rounds, tossed them with olive oil and salt and pepper, put them on a baking sheet, and put them in a 400 degree oven for about ten minutes. While they were cooking, I grilled the asparagus on my stove top, tossing it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. When they cooled a bit, I cut them into one-inch segments and layered them in the bottom of the dish. I then thinly sliced the potatoes and sautéed them in a bit of olive oil for about five or six minutes; I removed them from the pan and layered them on top of the asparagus. The parsnips were ready, so I took them out of the oven, lowered the temperature to 350, and layered them on top of the potatoes. I diced the tomatoes and put them into the same pan I used for the potatoes, adding a bit of oil, and let them cook till most of the liquid was gone and then layered them on top of the other vegetables.

(Again, I used the vegetables that looked best to me at the market. Use whatever you wish. I think it made a difference to roast or cook them before they went into the frittata.)

I made a big recipe (for 60), but for a 9x9 pan I would use

6 eggs
2 T almond milk

Whisk the eggs and almond milk together and then pour over the top of the vegetables. Move the veggies around to make sure the egg gets all the way to the bottom. Put in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s set.

NOTE: After I saw this recipe, I realized this would also work great in muffin tins for individual servings.

Peace,
Milton

gluten-, sugar-, and dairy-free dinner rolls

I have been on a bit of a culinary learning curve these days because I have been cooking for friends who require the food to be sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. This recipe met all the requirements and made pretty good rolls, if I do say so myself.

First, make a batch of the flour mix:

1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 3/4 cup white rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
2 scant teaspoons xanthan gum

Sift ingredients together. (If you make this ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator.)

Now, on to the rolls.

Prepare muffin tins by brushing them with olive oil and dusting with tapioca flour.

1/3 cup agave nectar
2 cups warm (not hot) almond milk
3 packets active dry yeast, such as Red Star

In a small bowl, whisk sugar into warm milk. Add yeast and whisk to dissolve. Set aside to allow the yeast time to proof -- you'll know this is happening when it starts to get foamy on top.

3 cups Jeanne's gluten-free all-purpose flour mix (recipe above)
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2 large eggs
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

In bowl of stand mixer, beat together eggs, apple cider vinegar and oil. Add yeast mixture, beat well, then add flour mixture, beating on high with paddle attachment for 3 minutes. (Time this part; the beating is crucial.)

Spoon dough into prepared muffin tins, filling to 3/4 of each cup. (I did this in two or three spoonfuls, so they came out as pull-apart rolls. The recipe should make about twenty-four rolls.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put muffin tins on top of stove to rise in close proximity to warmth of the preheating stove. Let rise until they have just about doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Once rolls have risen, brush the top of each with olive oil and bake until the tops are a nice golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove rolls from tins and place them in a towel-lined basket to keep warm.

This recipe is an adaptation of one I found here and who gave primary credit to this blog.

Peace,
Milton

red velvet whoopie pies

You heard me right.

I made them for a fundraiser for children's cancer research at Fullsteam Brewery tonight. They just seemed perfect for Valentine's Day.

1 1/2  ounces chocolate chips
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. I do it in thirty second increments until they are done. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Mix the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined (I used my Kitchenaid mixer). In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, mixing each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. They spread out a bit, so make them a bit smaller than you want them to be. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies spring back when you gently press. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

While they are cooking and cooling, make the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

They are awesome.

Peace,
Milton

P. S. -- This recipe was adapted from one at the Food Network.

lemon blueberry pound cake

Mix together

1/3 cup milk
6 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together

3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

until they are light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture alternately with the egg mixture, starting and finishing with the flour. Beat the batter after each addition until everything is combined. Add your last ingredient

3 cups picked over blueberries, tossed with 1 1/2 tablespoons flour

in stages. Fold 1 1/2 cups into the batter. Spoon one third of the batter into a greased 10-inch bundt pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle a half a cup of blueberries over it and then add another third of the batter and another half a cup of blueberries. Add the rest of the batter and the last of the blueberries. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven at 350 for 60-70 minutes, or till it is golden brown and the tester comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, mix together

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

and heat until the sugar is dissolved. When the cake comes out of the oven, put it in a cooling rack and poke a bunch of holes in the bottom of the cake with the tester or a toothpick and then pour half of the liquid over the cake slowly, so it soaks in. After ten minutes, invert the pan and remove the cake, leaving it on the cooking rack. Poke holes all over it and brush with the remaining sauce.

I adapted this recipe from here.

Peace,
Milton

red velvet waffles

I made these and served them as white chocolate ice cream sandwiches and blackberry-balsamic sauce. They rocked.

In a bowl, mix together

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

In another bowl, mix together

3 egg yolks (save the whites for later)
1 oz. red food coloring (the little bottle)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and combine until just mixed (may still be a bit lumpy). Now, beat the egg whites you saved until they are stiff and then fold them into the batter. Cook according to your waffle maker's instructions.

NOTE: To make the ice cream sandwiches, I divided the waffle into quarters and then sliced each quarter through the middle, as if they were buns and then put a scoop of ice cream in between the halves because I thought two full waffle pieces would be too thick.

Peace,
Milton

blackberry balsamic sauce

1/2 cup blackberry preserves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce by half. Let it cool a bit before serving.

Peace,
Milton

white chocolate ice cream

1 cup white chocolate powder
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 oz. egg yolks (9-10 large yolks)

Heat the white chocolate powder, sugar, cream, and half and half in a double boiler. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then temper them by adding a ladle of the cream mixture at a time and mixing into the eggs until at least half of the cream mixture is incorporated. This will warm up the eggs without cooking them. Then add the new egg mixture back into the remaining cream and cook over moderate heat until the mixture thickens to almost a pudding consistency. Pour into a bowl and put the bowl in an ice bath and stir until cool. Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, until mixture is very cold and then follow your ice cream maker's directions to finish the job.

Peace,
Milton

caramel cake

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful recipe I found here.

For the cake
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and line with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

For caramel glaze
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.

Put cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

The blog post that goes with this recipe can be found here.

Peace,
Milton

cranberry sauce circa 2010

I got the inspiration for this watching Iron Chef America the other night. Bobby Flay did something similar. Here is my version for this year.

1 bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 poblano pepper, pureed
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 /4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Pour everything into a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat until the berries burst and the sauce thickens. It is an interesting mix of sweet and savory. I think it's going to taste great with our turkey.

Peace,
Milton

caramel custard pie

I found this recipe in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, though I did make a little extra custard to see how it tasted – and I’m not sure I melted the caramel as well as they intended for me to do. Nevertheless, here’s the recipe:

Preheat oven to 425.

1 pie unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1 egg yolk, beaten

Partially bake the crust for 15 minutes, weighing it down to keep it from puffing. (I put parchment paper on the bottom and then fill it with loose change because I’m too cheap to buy pie weights.) Remove it from the oven, take off the weights, brush it with the egg yolk, and return it to the oven for five more minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350.

1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs

Mix the sugar and eggs together in a bowl until well combined.

1 3/4 cups milk or cream (I used half and half)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup butterscotch chips or caramel chips

Heat the cream, salt, vanilla, and caramel in the microwave until the caramel is melted. I did it in two minute increments and whisked the mixture in between. Pour a little of the mixture into the eggs and sugar, while the mixer is running, and then a little more, and so on to keep the hot mixture from cooking the eggs. Pour the filling into the pie shell and cook for 20 minutes. The center will look set, though still be wobbly and the custard’s temperature should be 165 on an instant read thermometer. The filling will thicken and set while it cools. Let it rest for an hour or two.

Peace,
Milton