Barnacle Brownies (Baking Week #10)

One of my favorite things: my grandmother's cake plate. I'm told it was a wedding gift, which would make it ca. 1939. It's got a few dents, from years of use and multiple moves.  Usually it sits on top of my refrigerator, empty.  I love the embossed oak leaves and the wooden acorn handle.  It's marked, "Product of the West Bend Aluminum Company" on the bottom.

In deciding what to bake this week, I rummaged through the pantry.  I found a box of Ibarra Mexican Chocolate that I bought when it was still cold enough to want hot chocolate.  It is a combination of cocoa nibs, sugar and cinnamon pressed into round tablets that are divided into 8 wedges, wrapped and packaged in an hexagon shaped box.  It is usually melted with hot milk or water to make a convenience version of traditional Aztec and Mayan chocolate drinks.

It has good flavor, but the texture is coarse and quite gritty. Chocolate is chocolate, but in this case, the application of heat is essential. It seemed to have potential for a good batch of brownies.

Ibarra table chocolate: in the box, the tablet, with and without wrapper.

1/2 stick butter

3 tablets (about 3 oz each) Ibarra Mexican Chocolate
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C flour
1/8 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch of cayenne

Melt butter and chocolate.  Let cool for a few minutes, then stir in vanilla.  Meanwhile, combine flour, salt cinnamon and cayenne in a small bowl, whisk to combine.  Beat eggs in medium bowl.  Add a spoonful of melted chocolate to the eggs, stirring thoroughly to combine.  Add remaining chocolate mixture, and stir to combine.  Add flour to chocolate and eggs.  Pour into buttered muffin tin and bake until your house smells like chocolate and the center is set to your liking, about 10 minutes.

Barnacle Brownies unveiled.

The Verdict
The brownies were chewy and pleasant without being overly sweet.  I think the recipe would benefit from a little more salt and cayenne.  And orange zest.  Also, I will take them out of the oven sooner. 

Dish Bitch
small pot for melting butter
2 bowls
whisk
measuring cup
muffin tin
disher (small ice cream/cookie scoop) to fill pan

The Best Meal I Ever Ate

In November 2008 Bill and I went to California.  We spent a day in San Francisco and then drove 50 miles south to our target destination, Pigeon Point Lighthouse.   Pigeon Point is currently a lightstation, which means the Coast Guard installed an automated spotlight type beacon in the seventies.  The original lighthouse keeper's quarters are now part of Hostelling International, and would be our home for 3 days.The purpose of our trip was to view the annual lighting of the fragile original fresnel lens, made of 1008 pieces of hand polished glass.  The lighting was magnificent.  The picture below is from the Nasa Astronomy Picture of the Day Website.

The area around Pigeon Point is abundant with artichoke and strawberry farms, and as luck would have it we arrived on the first day of Dungeoness Crab season. Since the area is very rural, and we planned to relax and enjoy the sea and sky, bird, whale watch from the shore, and hike along the shoreline, we stopped at the Half Moon Bay farmer's market for provisions

The Best Meal I Ever Ate is a tie: breakfast and dinner, both at Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  Both meals were made with local products,shopped for, prepared and enjoyed with Barnacle Bill.

The best beakfast was coffee, artichoke bread, Harley Farms Monet Chevre (with flowers!), and persimmons.  We ate on the back deck of the hostel, overlooking the ocean. 

The best dinner is pictured above.  Succulent, sweet, Dungeoness Crab that we bought from the fisherman, right off the boat in Half Moon Bay, with butter, sauteed artichokes, artichoke bread and fresh beautiful strawberries.  We cooked it in the hostel's communal kitchen, in the company of other hostel guests.  It was a cold and rainy night, so we sat around the table eating and talking for a long time.  I can't remember their names but I remember their faces.  It was a great meal, and a great trip.

Chocolate Cherry Pudding Cake

Today's recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Pear Pudding Cake.  I heard an interview with Ms. Lawson  on NPR in January 2009, in which she described this cake.  It was a cold January day, after the mania of the holidays.  She made it sound so inviting, so comforting without any pictures, that I went to the website and printed out the recipe.  I made the other recipes from the show, but for some reason didn't get to the cake. 

I'm on a mission to use up things I have on hand, so instead of pears, I used a can of dark sweet cherries, which are my favorite.  I made 1/2 the recipe for our small household, and fit to the ingredients on hand.  

1 can (15oz) dark sweet cherries
1/2 C + 1T sugar
6 1/2 T flour
2 T cocoa powder
5 T softened butter
1/2 t baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400.  Butter a 1 qt baking dish.  Drain the liquid from the cherries, and put cherries in baking dish. 

In a food processor, combine remaining ingredients. 

Process until you have a thick batter

Spread batter over cherries.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing

What I Learned
Very good, but a bit sweet.  Add a pinch of salt to the batter, and decrease the sugar by one tablespoon.  Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for added decadence.

Dish Bitch
Food processor
baking dish
measuring cup
measuring spoons
spatula

Yogurt

The Holy Grail

NYC doesn't recycle yogurt containers anymore.  This is pretty outrageous in my opinion, and every week, when I chuck the empty quart sized container in the trash, I cringe.  I know I could reuse the containers etc etc, but that only goes so far.  I mean how many yogurt containers can you reasonably use?   Or store in a NY apartment?

Yogurt making seems pretty easy.  I've read many different recipes, using a crockpot, the oven, a yogurt maker, but I decided to try Dr. David Fankhauser's method.  He is a professor of biology and chemistry, and gives a detailed, illustrated description of the process, with a handy step by step chart. I used his recipe for ginger ale a few years ago, and was impressed by his method.   I felt confident that I would be successful with his recipe.

So I made a 1/2 gallon batch and it was a success!  I have two quarts plus one cup of gorgeous yogurt in the fridge.  I used our favorite brand of locally produced, crunchy granola, sandal wearing, hippie commune yogurt for starter.  I used our favorite brand of milk (see above).

The most daunting part of the process was sterilizing the jars. I used Dr. Fankhauser's steaming method.  It was easy.  I used my pasta pot.  It was tall enough for the jars and the insert made things easier to manage. 

PLEASE NOTE: this is my shorthand version of the process.  I recommend that you go to Dr. David Fankhauser's page for the complete process.

Place jars, lids, and funnel into the pasta pot (with insert). Add water to the bottom of the jars, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, turn off heat and let stand.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 gallon of milk in the large pot, using a flame tamer to prevent scorching. Bring milk to 195 degrees. While you are waiting for the milk to boil, fill your sink with cold water, enough to reach halfway up your milk pot. When the milk reaches temperature, cover and place the pot in the sink.  At this point, uncover the pasta pot, and remove the insert. 

Scalding the milk.  Note the candy thermometer clipped to the pot, and the flame tamer between the pot and the grate to prevent scorching and boiling over.
 
Let the milk cool to 130 degrees.  Place 1/2 c milk in the pyrex cup, and add enough yogurt to make 3/4 cup.  Stir with the whisk to make a slurry, then add it to the milk pot, stirring well.

Pour the milk into the canning jars using the funnel.  Put on the lids.  Check the water temperature from the steaming pot.  When it reaches around 130 degrees, pour it into the cooler.  Place the jars in the cooler and cover.  Let rest for 3 hours.

I forgot to take a picture right away, so what you see is what is left after two days of lassi for breakfast.  I also have 1 half pint jar of yogurt in the back of the fridge to use as a starter for my next batch.

Voila!  Trash free yogurt.  It has the same texture as the starter yogurt: a bit lumpy with a substantial amount of whey.  The picture below is very dark, but it show the texture.  It looks kind of like cottage cheese, but the texture is smooth and soft.  If you want a smoother looking texture, whisking will help.

Sweet Lassi (2 servings)
1 1/2 C yogurt
About 1 1/2 C fruit
2 T maple syrup or honey
Optional: 2 T milled flax seed

Whiz in the blender.  Use frozen fruit or add ice cubes if desired.

Salty Lassi (2 servings)
2 C yogurt
pinch of salt
pinch of cumin
ice cubes

Whiz in the blender.  Optional: toss in a cucumber.

The Dish Bitch
Pasta pot with insert
2 quart sized canning jars with lids
1 half pint canning jar with lid
whisk
Large, heavy bottomed pot
candy thermometer
glass measuring cup
cooler (one that can hold a six pack)

Royal Artichoke Risotto

For Week #8 I'm continuing with the Artichoke theme.  I created this recipe to highlight beautiful long stemmed artichokes we picked up a couple of days ago.  It was delicious.  I the future I will make this for company and/or spring holidays. The picture above shows the finished dish, in a 13x9 baking dish.  The picture below shows one choke and the stems in 10" steam canner before steaming. 

The preparation is a bit lengthy.  You can prepare everything in advance, and store in the refrigerator.  Just let them come to room temperature before baking.

2 long stemmed King artichokes
Olive oil
1 lemon

3 T olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
16 oz arborio rice
1 lemon
1 qt of vegetable broth
3/4 C grated romano cheese

Up to 5 days in advance: Trim the long stems from the artichokes, and peel off the outer layer with a vegetable peeler.  Put artichokes and stems on a rack in a large pot.  We used one pot per 'choke: stock pot with pasta insert and one deep pot with a steamer rack.  Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over each 'choke, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle with olive oil.  Add water to reach the bottom of the 'chokes and steam for 1 1/2 hours.

When cool enough to handle, scoop out the center leaves and hairy choke.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Heat a deep pot over med high heat.  Add olive oil, then onion.  Peel the tough fibrous, stringy outer layer from the artichoke stems, and chop the tender inner part of the stem.  When onions are tender add the stems and stir to coat with oil.  Add rice and stir to coat.  Let cook a few minutes then squeeze lemon juice into pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits.  Stir 1/2 of the vegetable broth into the rice.  When it starts to bubble, and the remaining broth.  Cook, stirring occasionally until rice is al dente.  Preheat the oven to 350.

Stir 1/2 C cheese into risotto.  Fill artichoke cavities with risotto, then press the leaves to close the choke around the filling.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Place in 13x9 pan, cover with foil and bake for 20 -25 minutes or until heated through. 

To serve: let stand 10 minutes.  Slice the artichoke in half from top to bottom to expose filling.  Serves 4 as a main course.  Cut each choke into quarters to serve 8 as an appetizer.

What I learned
1. Be diligent about removing the outer fiber on the stems.  I accidentally added a few of the fibers to the risotto...it was very unpleasant!
2.  If you have help, one person can hold the artichoke open in order to add the filling.  I think a wide mouthed canning funnel will make this job easier for 1 person.  Hot risotto sticks to skin!
3.  You will have leftover risotto.  Refrigerate.  The next day or so, form into patties, bread and panfry.
4. Combine crushed garlic, chopped parsley, juice and zest of one lemon and olive oil to dip the leaves. 
5.  Next time I will use the pressure cooker, and cook the chokes one at a time.  I think the pressure cooker is the best method for cooking larger artichokes with a tougher heart.

The Dish Bitch
1 pasta pot with insert and lid
1 large steam canner with lid
steamer basker
cutting board
knife
garlic press
baking dish
spoons
tongs

What you hear

One of the things I really love about my neighborhood is the rich soundscape.  Tonight, I can't sleep. As I walk the floor, I'm really aware of how quiet it is.  There's whir and wine of the occasional car, helicopter buzzing by, once in awhile a plane.  In the background, the sound of a river flowing, that is actually the BQE.

In a couple of hours, the Staten Island Ferry will resume its horn blasts to announce it's leaving the dock, and the MTA work trains will start rumbling through, blowing their horns.  The "flowing river" will turn to "rushing river" as morning breaks.

Sometimes there's the pop and explosion of FIREWORKS as yet another cruise ship makes its way out of the harbor.  Sometimes there's music, thumping of bass from cars, kids playing or the ice cream truck sing-songing.  There's the sound of people, walking talking, arguing, walking their dogs, just doing their thing.

And languages: I think I'll try counting those instead of sheep.

Cornbread

For 52 Weeks of Baking Week #7, I made Cornbread in a cast iron "wedge" pan.  The recipe is from the Lodge Cast Iron Cookware website. 

1 1/4 C cornmeal
1/2 t salt
1T baking powder
2/3 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 C milk
1/4 oil
3 T mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 425.  Spoon a dollop of shortening into a skillet and place in oven while preheating.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine wet ingredients in a large liquid measuring cup.  Pour wet ingredients into dry, mix well.  Remove skillet from oven.  Pour batter into skillet and bake 20-25 minutes.

What I Learned
1.  This recipe makes enough batter for a larger pan, most likely an 8" square or a 10" skillet.  I overfilled the cups and still had about 1/2 C of batter left.  Next time I will fill the cups less and pour the remaining batter in a cornstick pan.  I like the circus tent/ flower/ wheel of the year effect that resulted from the over filled cups. 

2. Surprisingly, it was fairly easy to remove using a pancake turner type spatula. Just cut along the score lines with the spatula, then gently wiggle it between the straight edge of the pan and lift up the cornbread.  I did follow the directions to heat the pan in the oven.  I did not have shortening, so I greased the pan with sunflower oil prior to heating.  I took care to get into the corners of the pan, and greased the top of the spokes.

3. I used stoneground white cornmeal.  This gave the bread texture, but it was a bit gritty.  Next time I will try a finer grind.

4.  I think the recipe could be improved with a bit more sugar.  I think 1 T would do the trick, either added to the batter or sprinkled on top of the batter before baking.

5.  Mayonnaise.  Weird.  You could taste a hint of it.  I think an extra tablespoon of sugar will counteract the slight flavor.