Sunday, August 30, 2009

Chillin'

I have to admit, these past few days I've been hard pressed to force my brain to focus on the task of writing any sort of logical blog post. Heck, I've been unable to keep up with my (relatively) small Twitter feed these days! I don't know why, exactly. It's not exactly as if the weather around here has been screaming "come outside, pale bodies, soak up the sunshine!". In fact, this month (usually the hottest of the year) has only had an average temperature of 21°C (70°F). I mean, WTF?

I can't even share the glorious bounty that should have been our garden's harvest with you. Oh, our garden is growing just fine, and even fruiting a fair bit! I just can't show you. You can thank my oh-so-wonderful stepfather, who somehow decided over the springtime that even though I was going to be the only person home during the majority of the harvesting season, and had fulfilled the job of human columbine admirably the past two years, I did not know when vegetables were ripe and therefore had to be banned from picking a single thing - from a perfectly tender baby Sicilian eggplant, to a zucchini so freaking big it engulfed the vine, to a handful of the most perfectly crimson cherry tomatoes. All off-limits. Now, granted, I wasn't told about this new rule at the beginning of harvest season, and I did pick a fair bit of beans and some of the hot peppers since they were literally falling off the plants. Hoo, boy... did that cause a nasty "discussion" between the SF and my poor mother that night. So now, I watch sadly from the other side of the garden fence as the 42 tomato plants we have continue to fruit mercilessly, the pepper plants begin dropping their rotting children on the ground as new spears appear, and zucchinis expand like the grow-your-own toys we used to get from the dollar store as kids.

So to quell the boredom, I've turned to the things I've come to know and love. The first is baking, and the second - frozen yummies. I haven't made as many variations of dairy ice desserts as I'd like to this year, and I bow to the brilliance of the Very Small Anna when it comes to ice cream at all. But I do have two shades of the same creature to share today - an attempt of mine to re-capture the memories of the fragrant vanilla and honey ice cream that used to come with slabs of chocolate fudge cake at Caffe Demetre every time we stopped in. I have nothing but good memories associated with that funky little place, and every time I visit I can almost re-live the visits my friends and I would have there after catching a movie at the theatre next door. The friends have (by and large) moved away, onto their own adventures, but the cafe remains. As does the ice cream.

So, do these recipes come close?? Personally, I don't know. You'll have to ask my loyal taste testers for that answer. What I can tell you is that making the custard style version forever cemented my belief in the fact that tempering egg yolks, no matter how many times you may do it, is always the culinary version of Russian roulette. It took me 3 times to get the damn custard working - that is a lot of eggs, especially when you never use eggs in anything because your family eats at least 5 of them every day of the week (up to 8 on the weekends) and they're expensive! The second recipe, though less decadent (lacking in eggs) is by far the easier course, not to mention held a way better texture in terms of scooping it into bowls - even after days in the deep freezer! It isn't suitable for vegetarians as written, containing gelatin, but if you decide to give it a shot with agar agar and it works out, please let me know!

Custard-Style Honey-Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Serves 6
1 ¼ cups skim milk or fat-free soy milk (I used So Good Trim but skim milk is used for NI)
2 tbsp dried buttermilk powder (optional, for tangier taste)
2 tbsp honey
4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tbsp vodka
  1. Heat milk, buttermilk powder and honey in a small saucepan until just beginning to steam (don’t let boil), stirring often.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale yellow.
  3. Slowly add a ladle of the milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking continuously to prevent curdling.
  4. Pour egg/milk mixture slowly back into the hot milk on the stove, whisking continuously.
  5. Cook the custard over low heat, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon.
  6. Remove from heat and pour into a non-reactive bowl, cool to room temperature.
  7. Stir in the yogurt, vanilla and vodka, then cover and chill overnight.
  8. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’ s directions, store in freezer.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 179.6
Total Fat: 3.8 g
Cholesterol: 142.5 mg
Sodium: 92.1 mg
Total Carbs: 28.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 7.3 g

Eggless Honey - Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Makes eight 3/4 cup servings
1 3/4 cups (12 oz can) evaporated skim milk (not sweetened condensed)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tbsp buttermilk powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp unflavoured gelatin
2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt, strained*
1/4 cup flavourful liquid honey (I used manuka)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
*pour 2 cups low fat vanilla yogurt into a cheesecloth lined strainer, refrigerate overnight.
  1. In a saucepan, combine evaporated skim milk, whole milk, buttermilk powder, sugar, salt and gelatin.
  2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring.
  3. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and our into a non-metal bowl and cool to room temperature.
  4. Stir in yogurt, honey and vanilla extract until well blended, then chill overnight.
  5. Churn in your ice cream maker according to directions, and store in the freezer.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 164.3
Total Fat: 1.2 g
Cholesterol: 6.9 mg
Sodium: 112.0 mg
Total Carbs: 31.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 7.7 g

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Just Like Ali Baba

You know how sometimes, without warning, you find yourself awash in a slew of good fortune and treasures? Things that you never imagined happening at all, even one, yet all of a sudden every single event happens all at once... and you're not prepared to react? Yesterday was one of those days for me.

The day started off with some early excitement, times two, in my inbox. The first note I recieved was something that originally seemed innocuous... a newsletter from BakeSpace. Paging through, I saw a familiar photo on the sidebar, for none other than my Red Velvet Puffs With Espresso Frosting! Flattered to say the least, I forwarded the email to my ever-proud (and doting) dad, who I sometimes refer to as my biggest fan, and continued through the list of messages.

I then came upon one of the most incredible, joyous shocks of my life. One of the members of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Erin Charter, had sent me a message to say that little ol' me had won the grand prize in their recipe contest with one of last year's "garden use-up solutions" - the Green Tomato Micemeat! The prize package is stunning, to say the least - a night in a Niagara Bed & Breakfast, Dinner at Tony DeLuca’s restaurant at the Oban Inn, and tickets to the Shaw festival. Suddenly, I've gone from moping about having no vacation this year at all, to having one heck of a great opportunity literally at my door! Now, I can't wait for Fall... isn't that sad?? My recipe, as well as the runner-up (a super-colourful meal called "Fresh Creamy Tomato Bowls" by Laura Paskevicius) and a ton of other seasonal yummies are up on the GreenBelt.ca website.

So, after all that excitement, I still got to go to the "fair"! Keeping with the semi-tradition Andrew and I had begun back in the infancy of our relationship, we took our yearly trip to the Canadian National Exhibition yesterday. Braving the threats of rain, and the insanely cold buildings (why the public needs to be at a constant temperature of 10°C is beyond me) we did our annual tour, sadly discovering that either due to the economy or simple lack of public interest, at least a third of the exhibits, vendors and shows we had expected and looked forward to seeing had disappeared! (I did manage to capture a few photos of the famous foods that stayed at The Ex, and will cobble together a roundup, but later).

However, one of the places we make a point of visiting each time we make the trip, and undoubtedly one of the most precious areas of the permanent fairgrounds, is the City of Toronto Animal Services branch in the Horse Palace building. Each time we go in is both a joy and a bit of a letdown for me, since while I love looking at and watching all the cats, dogs and other assorted animals play and just "be cute" with each other, I know in my heart that none of them will ever be coming home with me on the train! Thank God for Andrew's presence while we're there - if he didn't talk sense for (and into) me during those hours, I'm sure I would have many more creatures in my home than we already do! Both our cats (the older black and white James Bond wannabe that is Preston, and the redhead clown we dubbed Bitt) are "rescue" cats, and our old mutt Shaggy was also an adoptee. My sister volunteered for a while in our local Humane Society chapter too, so the welfare of any animal in need is very close to my heart!

I had had a recurring dream over the past week or so that always focussed on me finding this one, small cat while putting away plates and bowls in the new home Andrew and I were moving into. In this dreamland, I would open up one of the cupboards, dishes in hand, to find a small black feline just sitting there, unafraid and more curious than anything. I would always pick her up and pet her a couple times before Andrew would re-enter the situation and ask me about finding the new animal, to which I would always somehow explain finding her and deciding to keep this new furball, naming her Dish. Even though I always just let the dream slide as nothing more than passing fancy, I could always remember the cat in every detail upon waking. She never changed, no matter how many times I dreamed of her, and as those of you on Twitter know I would talk incessantly of one day when Andrew and I would have our own place and could adopt our own cat-baby (we had always wanted to adopt a pet of our own, and a cat for us always seemed like the best option).

So colour me flabberghasted when, lo and behold, the spitting image of Dish was there waiting for me in the shelter! Of course that made leaving the building even harder, but just knowing that she was out there at all was enough to make me smile. When my mom (who knew about my dream from before) called me from her vacation on Niagara on the Lake, I told her about my find as passing conversation. We had, of course, talked about my dream before, and how I would love a cat of my own, but since we already had the other two we agreed it was best not to pursue a third one. But like everything else yesterday, I got another home run out of nowhere when my mom suddenly said to me: "actually, Sarah, we think that you should in fact get Dish. She would be good for you". Umm, what?? Who is this woman and what did she do to my mom?? Of course, I don't want to look a gift horse (or cat!) in the mouth, but I can't help it sometimes... is there a hidden agenda going on somewhere? Should I feel guilty now for being let down by other oversights on my mom's part, or when she puts spending time with my stepdad ahead of doing things with my sister and I? Perhaps. Time will tell!

I may still be sort of debating the notion of bringing Dish home, but there is one thing I know for sure... at the end of a stressful day, you can always rely on flour, water, a little yeast and the sheer strength of your emotions to create beauty. I named this bread after Ali Baba originally due to the high concentration of sesame products in the dough, but looking at it now it has another, deeper connotation too. The outward appearance is of nothing more than a homely, overly browned loaf (to be kind). However, upon slicing through the hard exterior crust, a soft, tender crumb opens up with the most wonderful nutty aroma. The pale tan background - made up of a mostly whole wheat dough enriched with almond milk and tahini - is speckled throughout with jewels of black and white sesame seeds that crunch ever so slightly should you encounter one in a bite of toast. It is unlike anything you would expect in a bread, and yet something so wonderful you can't help but want to share it. So without further ado, I will share it with you, and all those peeking in from YeastSpotting this week as well!

Ali Baba Sesame Bread
Serves 16
1 cup warm unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 egg, beaten lightly
2/3 cup tahini
1/2 cup flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
  1. Combine warm almond milk, brown sugar and yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer basin. Let stand 10 minutes.
  2. When yeast is foaming and bubbly, mix in egg and tahini until well incorporated.
  3. Whisk together flours, salt and sesame seeds, then mix into the wet ingredients thoroughly to form a workable dough.
  4. Knead with the mixer or turn out on a floured surface and knead by hand for 12-15 minutes, until satiny and pliable.
  5. Place into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours.
  6. Deflate the dough and shape into a loaf, place into a lightly greased loaf pan.
  7. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.
  8. Preheat oven to 375F.
  9. Brush the top of the loaf with water and bake for 35 minutes.
  10. Turn out of pan immediately and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 154.3
Total Fat: 7.3 g
Cholesterol: 13.3 mg
Sodium: 28.8 mg
Total Carbs: 19.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g
Protein: 5.0 g

Monday, August 24, 2009

Trying to Please

My therapist (well, one of them!) has noted over the past couple weeks that I'm the type of person who aims to please everyone. Apparently, I fill the insecurities that I feel, knowingly or not, by making and giving gifts of the only thing I feel secure in sharing - my food. I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised at this, I know I've always been the Type-A personality that frets over the tiniest oversight on my part, and who works myself into a tizzy at every turn. Cooking is what I know, what I can turn to at the end of a stressful, emotionally uncertain day or week and just let it all go. I don't worry when I'm in the kitchen, just me, my wooden spoon, my mixing bowl and ingredients.

I feel at home with the soft whir of the oven fan, the slowly building aromas rising from the pots sitting on the stove and the emergence of perfectly golden puffs of decadence from within the scorching confines of the appliance. Eggs, milk, fruits and grains seamlessly become cohesive units, forgetting their own identities in the quest to create something greater than any of their individual qualities. And for a few hours, I can forget who I am to the rest of the world. In my kingdom, alone, I am not the unemployed, fragile, scrawny figure that is seen by those outside my walls. I am instead nothing more or less than what my mind can create and elaborate on.

I won't say that the kitchen is a place of constant perfection for me. But in that one room, not even the most charred, hockey puck - like cookies can bring me to the tears and heartbreak that spring from lesser slights during my days. Missing a phone call I was waiting for, or forgetting to take out something from the freezer to thaw for dinner, can de-rail my trail of thoughts. But a batter a bit too thin, cookies browning too quickly, even an all-out failure of quickbread refusing to solidify... they are challenges, not obstacles, for me to face. And like my parents (or Andrew) will tell you should you ever ask them, I face challenges head on... and I don't stop until I've conquered them.

Muffins are perhaps one of the safest things for me to turn to in the kitchen... even if I'm too frazzled to think straight, I can rest assured that a mixture of somewhat milled grains, sweetener, leavening, a binder or two and some liquid can form something akin to a blank canvas, primed to welcome whatever I care to throw at it. The speed that they come together is a gift when time is of the essence, and their portability and sheer enjoyable qualities make them the kind of gift that is always welcome even to the most overburdened recipients of my creations.

Ranier And Oatmeal Muffins
Makes 14 standard or 7 jumbo muffins
1 1/2 cups dry old-fashioned oatmeal
1 packet instant Peaches & Cream flavoured oatmeal
1 cup warm buttermilk
4 egg whites
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
10oz Ranier cherries (or other sweet cherries), pitted and halved (chopped if using regular muffin cups)

  1. Preheat oven to 400F, grease 7 jumbo or 14 regular sized muffin cups.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oatmeals, buttermilk, egg whites, brown sugar and melted butter. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
  4. Add the dry mixture to the soaked oatmeal and fold in until just combined.
  5. Fold in the cherries.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes for regular sized muffins, or 30-35 minutes for jumbo sized.
  7. Turn out of cups immediately and cool on a wire rack.
Amount Per Serving (Based on 14)
Calories: 162.5
Total Fat: 5.4 g
Cholesterol: 12.4 mg
Sodium: 136.7 mg
Total Carbs: 25.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g
Protein: 4.7 g

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Good Things GroOow...

...in Ontario!

Yes, it's the trademark jingle of a (slightly cheesy) PR campaign by Foodland Ontario. It's heard on both the TV and radio solidly from the time the first green tips of asparagus and pink stalks of rhubarb crawl out from their hiding places in the Spring until the last dregs of the zucchini and apples die off in late October. But it is a truthful sentiment, and can be altered to fit no matter where you live: locally produced, or better - homegrown - food can blow anything from your run of the mill chain grocery out of the water when it comes to flavour, texture, and nutrition. Perhaps most of all, though, when you bite into a still warm, perfectly ripe tomato that you've just picked from the vine, or crunch down on that first, sweet carrot of the season, the sense of sheer pride in yourself, your garden and the fertile land you have at your disposal is beyond comparison. I don't know when the last time was that I ate storebought snap peas like candy, or developed a sudden urge to make fresh pesto walking through Loblaws. But I can tell you - walking into my backyard on a day like today: sunny, perfectly warm without being cloyingly sticky and not a cloud in the sky, inspiration is everywhere.

Now, it doesn't take very much to inspire me, really. I mean, my brain is one of those ones that's firing all cylinders, all the time. I'm not kidding, either - I physically can't fall asleep at night without my black "ideas journal" right next to my bed, which is currently filled with lists upon lists of things I want to create and concoct someday that I don't want to forget, as well as some of the dreams I've had that really struck a chord. So when I spotted a ton of huge flowers on our acorn squash and pumpkin plants this weekend, I asked my mom if she and the rest of the family would be amenable to trying some stuffed blossoms with dinner. She agreed, especially once I told her about the recipe I had been given by one of my friends (who's traveling in Italy) that roasts the flowers... no deep frying!
Along with the garden's flowers (I only cut the "male" ones, so we'd get the full crop of fruits) I kept things even more homegrown by using fresh basil from (literally) right outside our door and tomatoes from last year that I dried! I also got to use a delicious, high quality chevre from Monforte Dairy (another local gem!), and it made all the difference, I think! This is no place for supermarket goat cheese - search out a decent brand if you can't find a local producer.

These beauties made for a delicious, light side to the otherwise dense and oil-slicked Friday menu that the family religiously orders in - pizza and ribs. I also got to break out one of the two delicious-looking bottles of wine Beringer Vineyards was kind enough to sent to me - a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from their new California Collection. Both my mom and stepdad raved about this red wine - it appealed to them because it was full of berry flavour and aroma (I can speak for the aroma - it's like being in the field!) and it is a very dry wine with a smooth finish. It was a surprisingly good pairing to the blossoms too, probably because of the heavier chevre flavour notes that wouldn't be overwhelmed by a powerful wine. I can't wait to see what they have to say about the other Beringer wine I received -a 2008 White Zinfandel. I would definitely look for these next time you need a fairly low-priced, quality sipper this summer, I don't recall seeing them in our neighbourhood LCBO last time I was in but since I rarely have cause to be there (I can't drink alcohol, so it's usually for liqueurs for baking) they very well may be on the shelf!

So, onto the recipe. Stuffing these is a bit of a production, but it is so worth it - and the purchase of a disposable piping bag! You really don't want to go the Ziploc baggie route with these. I tried, believe me - and the seam split almost immediately.

Roasted Squash Blossoms with Tri-Colour Filling
Makes 9
Boiling water
12 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves
200g soft goat cheese (chevre), room temperature
12 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade
1/2 tbsp richly flavoured olive oil
9 large squash or pumpkin blossoms, cleaned and dried

  1. Pour boiling water over sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Let stand 20 minutes, then drain and set aside.
  2. In a shallow, wide bowl, mix together goat cheese, basil, olive oil and soaked tomatoes with a fork until well blended.
  3. Scoop into a piping bag (disposable ones are cheap at craft stores, Ziploc baggies tend to burst at the seams) and place into the fridge for 20 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 425F, lightly spray a casserole or rectangular paking dish with PAM.
  5. Pipe the cheese filling into the blossoms, as tightly as possible, to the point where the petals flare and separate.
  6. Arrange the filled blossoms in the sprayed pan, coat with a spray of PAM and cover with foil.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes covered, then serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 90.4
Total Fat: 7.4 g
Cholesterol: 17.6 mg
Sodium: 115.6 mg
Total Carbs: 1.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
Protein: 4.9 g

I finally have something to contribute to Grow Your Own this month! I figure that I can't get any more home-grown, since we're not allowed to raise livestock in the backyard! It's the second anniversary of the event (by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes) and the 34th roundup! Congrats Andrea!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

An Innocent Question

I apologize in advance, as this post is not in any real way food related, and might be inflammatory. I don't mean to offend anyone, really - I'm just trying to sort out what happened.

Is it wrong that, as a white (Caucasian), Canadian-born, English-speaking citizen, that I feel like the victim of racial discrimination today? Not racism, per se... there was no violence or outright "anti-white" behaviours directed at me. But while I was at T & T Supermarket (which some of you may recognize as a chain of Asian grocery stores in Canada, recently taken over by the behemoth Loblaws Corp) today, trying to pick up an order for a case of product I had placed last week, I was treated like a total idiot by the staff there. Now, granted, I don't speak either Mandarin or Cantonese, and I don't even know what dialect they tend to converse in - but that doesn't mean I think they're any less capable of doing their jobs than anyone else. I have lots of friends from all over the world - I even go to school with people from everywhere from Columbia to Beijing to Afghanistan - and not a single one is better or worse a person than I or any Canadian I know.

So why, at the store today, was I lied to repeatedly by the clerk? Firstly, I arrived at the store only to be told that my order wasn't in yet - after I was phoned yesterday afternoon by the same clerk and told that it had arrived on Sunday! When I mentioned the phone call, the man became defensive and snipped that he "would check again"... 15 minutes later he arrives, box under one arm, cell phone in the other hand. The entire remainder of the time I was trying to finish what should have been an otherwise simple transaction, he spent 80% text messaging friends and 20% giving me the vacant stares of an employee that has not a flipping care in the world about you.

I know that stare well. I've used it before - during my night shifts at Tim Hortons, shortly before closing. I admit to it.

What pissed me off the most is that after being assured both when I placed my order the first time (in case you were wondering, it was for a particular Malaysian brand of fish balls - I know it's weird, but it's one of the few proteins I can tolerate readily these days) and when I was on the phone with the store that I could in fact repeat this process, the ever so helpful clerk tried to renege on his words, giving me a "maybe this was only time". Uh huh, buddy - I don't think so. So, a call tomorrow to speak with the manager is on my to-do list. I just hope that my accent doesn't give me away.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

...Now, What Was I Doing?

I admit, and I'm sure nobody would tell me otherwise, that my mind is a bit of a flake when it comes to staying focused on a certain task. It would explain why it routinely takes me five or six hours to write a single post for this blog, how if you take a look in my fridge you'll find half-finished projects and way too much food (including 6 heads of lettuce - a result from making grocery lists solely from memory), and why any plants that enter our household fear for their vegetal lives. I have good intentions, really, I do, but I tend to get rather sidetracked (think "ooh, shiny!") regardless of what's on the go. Even today, when I had a concrete list of things I absolutely had to do before this evening fell and businesses were closed, I still managed to leave one of the items about 10 minutes too late! But that's what tomorrow is for, right?

The only time being distracted or interrupted during my days that would ever really be a problem is when I'm making something in the kitchen. If it's something that isn't particularly volatile, like a salad or sandwich type of thing, then it's fine, but baking... well, it's a different animal. I haven't burned anything to a complete crisp just yet - the honour of flaming oven mitts still goes to my mom a few years ago as do the charcoal cookies - but I have let bread over-proof and occasionally things like saved, refrigerated cookie dough and fruit have begun learning how to speak (if you catch my drift). That is partially the reason this ice cream came about. Like I mentioned yesterday, home made ice cream can be a lengthy process, but it's generally something that can sit an extra day in the fridge, covered, without much cause for concern.

In fact, this recipe is actually a breeze to put together (the base is not even cooked!) but the add-ins are what take a bit of time. However, the cookie dough freezes well after shaping into the bites - good thing too, because they have to go into the running ice cream maker rock solid. The mixture is a very soft one at any rate, even after churning, due to the high fat content of the coconut milk and cream as well as the addition of alcohol. A stint in the deep freezer, though, solidifies this dessert enough to hold its shape without becoming a brick - and the punch of coconut flavour from 5 different sources is out of this world.

Interrupted Baker Coconut Ice Cream
Serves 8
15 oz unsweetened coconut milk
15 oz sweetened coconut cream (ie. Coco Lopez)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp coconut extract
1/2 tbsp coconut rum (ie. Malibu)
1/2 cup sugar
2 oz baked Double Chip Coconut Drops dough (about 2 cookies, baked in tiny droplet form)
2.5 oz raw Double Chip Coconut Drops dough, frozen (about 1 cookie's worth)
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut cream, vanilla, coconut extract, rum and sugar until blended.
  2. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours.
  3. Freeze according to the ice cream maker's instructions.
  4. When the mixture is almost frozen, pour the baked and raw cookie pieces into the ice cream maker and just blend into the mixture.
  5. Transfer to a lidded container and freeze completely.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 413.2
Total Fat: 35.1 g
Cholesterol: 3.8 mg
Sodium: 23.9 mg
Total Carbs: 26.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 4.0 g

Monday, August 17, 2009

Waiting Games

Whoever said that good things come to those who wait had have churned an ice cream or two in their time. I mean, really - is there another dessert that requires so much time to elapse between conception and it's (proverbial) birth? Even meringue cookies, dried overnight, are at least ready and waiting the following morning. But ice cream - at least most recipes... well, they make you wait. From freezing the churning bowl, cooking the custard, chilling everything until nice and thick, churning the mixture and finally freezing it to what we think of as "ice cream" and not "ice cold pudding" - it's a waiting game of decadence. And if you are the impatient type, like say most children (or you know, me), it can be a taunting experience!

The bright side of all of the waiting, of course, is a luscious dessert that you just cannot get on the same level anywhere else. Even if your recipe is just standard vanilla, licking the bowl of a scoop you made yourself blows away even the most dolled up vanilla bean pint. Of course, your own basic ice cream recipe also means you have the freedom to make your own signature flavours: rich chocolate, fruit-filled, full of nuts or my sister's favourite combination - chocolate chip cookie dough.

But when I set about crafting the recipe components for Andrew's ice cream flavour, I wanted something more complex. More... more. I know, I can't do anything the easy way, can I? So, I ripped off the idea of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, but instead of baked brownies and raw cookie dough pieces, I made up a batch of vegan cookie batter, shaped it into droplets and baked off half of it. The rest I froze as mini dough balls to add raw to the ice cream base, which I planned to make coconut-flavoured, based loosely on this recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini. As a taste-test for Andrew to see if the cookies would fly at all, I made him a few "regular-size" cookies too, and packaged them up with a batch of my standard chocolate chippers he had asked for already. It got the nod (vehemently, I might add) and so onward I forged!

So yes, the final ice cream was a long time coming... and I'm still waiting for his word on the final taste of the concoction, though my dad gave his test sample the thumbs up. And for you all - the few that read these ramblings of mine that is - well, you will have to wait too. But not for long - just like me, you'll get the cookies today, while the frozen goodness chases it tomorrow!

So here's what I came up with - a rich and buttery chocolate dough base playing host to two types of chocolate chips and a handful of shredded coconut. The honey (or corn syrup, for vegans) will keep the raw dough from turning rock hard in the freezer, and the extra coconut extract will allow the flavours to shine through when cold. The baked cookies (whether drops or full size) stay chewy for days afterwards too, a pleasant bonus!

Hey - for Tofu Tuesday at Happy Herbivore (a follow-up to Meatless Monday, and a component of Veggie Week Awareness), why not have a cookie?? Your tofu soul will be proud, and your tastebuds will be delighted!

Double Chip Coconut Drops
Makes 50 standard cookies
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (or buttery stick margarine)
1 cup shortening
400g silken tofu
2 tbsp honey (or corn syrup)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
3 cups flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup miniature white chocolate chips
  1. In a large bowl, cream the sugars, shortening and butter until fluffy.
  2. In a food processor, puree tofu, honey, vanilla and coconut extract until smooth.
  3. Add pureed tofu to the creamed mixture and beat well.
  4. In separate bowl, whisk flours, cocoa powder, coconut, baking soda and salt.
  5. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix by hand until flour just disappears.
  6. Fold in both types of chips.
  7. Wrap dough in plastic and chill a minimum of 24 hours.
  8. Preheat oven to 350.
  9. Make cookie dough balls and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
  10. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool 3 minutes on sheets then remove to a rack and cool completely.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 175.0
Total Fat: 9.2 g
Cholesterol: 10.0 mg
Sodium: 37.2 mg
Total Carbs: 22.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 2.3 g

Thursday, August 13, 2009

No Cheese, Please

I have to admit I have been rather enamoured with Lindsay's blog lately. I always enjoyed reading it, but now that I'm beginning to cook from it I'm really appreciating the amazing variety of things she puts out in her kitchen and on her blog for all of us die hard foodies to savour! Be a vegan like her, vegetarian or even omniverous I defy you to admit that her recipes don't tempt!

That's one of the reasons I was drawn to this here pasta. It's a butt-ugly photo for sure - to me it looks like brains - but I mean what macaroni and cheese type meal looks particularly beautiful when it's hot, dished up and actually meant to be eaten? I'm not talking the stylized shots from magazines where what's on the plate is so gussied up it's pretty much inedible (not to mention stone-cold), I mean good, honest home cooking. And since I have next to no knowledge of Photoshop (even though I did buy it!) and a temperamental point-and-shoot at my disposal, well - I'll point you to the original post for the beauty.

I only wish I had enjoyed this pasta more - it's no fault of the recipe at all either so please don't fault Lindsay for it. I forgot, in my fervor to make the delicious looking food, that nutritional yeast is not the best of friends with my stomach. In fact, they're closer to arch enemies. I had steered clear of nooch since discovering that a couple years ago, but as I was stirring it in I was optimistic that maybe those previous episodes were flukes well behind me and that I could get on with a more adaptable menu! But, no, I'm sad to say.

The one great thing that came out of this experiment, other than renewing my sense of bravery in the kitchen, was the fact that I had something to bring to Presto Pasta Nights this week, where it's being hosted at Equal Opportunity Kitchen. Check back to the EOK blog tomorrow for the round up, I know I will!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Nice Cake...

To me, at least, this loaf of Casatiello, stuffed with locally cured salami and cheese, was bread, through and through. However when we served this at a recent BBQ, my stepdad told our guests this was panettone! His brother in law kept calling it cake after that, which confused the poor kids that grabbed a slice expecting something sweet and fruity only to be surprised by savoury to the max.
I suppose I don't really blame them. I mean, looking at the super-tall bread, baked in a springform pan, the shape does resemble a loaf of panettone (which is still bread!). The fact that I took the recipe as written by Peter Reinhart and then made it even richer with half and half cream and extra meat probably didn't help solidify the "bread image" much either.

But no matter. This entire behemoth was gone well before the burgers hit the grill, but the compliments kept flowing like the beer into the glasses!

There is a reason that this bread is called "Lard Bread" by the Neopolitans - if you have seen any of the other participants in Pinch My Salt's BBA Challenge, you'll know how close everyone compares this to brioche! Lots of butter, cream and eggs (compared to the bread I usually make!) pack into this baby, and it does not suffer in the least! I am only going to post the ingredients I used to make this bread, though the whole recipe is available at the link above if you care to take part too!

Casatiello
Serves 30
Sponge
1/2 cup (2.3 oz) bread flour
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
---
Dough
3 1/2 cups (16 oz) bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 eggs
3/4 cup (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened and divided in 4 pieces
6 oz coarse-grated provolone cheese
6 oz dry-cured spicy salami

Amount Per Serving (Based on 30 wedges)
Calories: 165.9
Total Fat: 9.6 g
Cholesterol: 37.8 mg
Sodium: 195.8 mg
Total Carbs: 14.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
Protein: 5.6 g
I'm also sending this to the YeastSpotting roundup over at Susan's blog, Wild Yeast.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Safe Snacks 101 - Use a Condiment

Okay, so I'm a little goofy tonight. Or a lot goofy, depending on who you talk to. I've been like this for most of the day, actually, since Andrew and I escaped the sticky, disgustingly humid weather by enveloping ourselves in a screening of Julie & Julia this afternoon. Now, Andrew is a wonderful cook in his own right - when we first met he was en route to becoming a chef - but he is (self-admittedly) not a foodie. I'm often torn when I go on baking or cooking sprees when I'm caught sitting idle, since the burden of eating all the creations ultimately falls on the shoulders of my dad, my mom, her co-workers and Andrew. He's a good sport about it, and has only once in my recollection complained about too much food, but considering he's supposed to be conditioning himself for a Policing fitness test (in between working bastard shifts at Timmy's and taking care of everyone under the sun - including moi) the extra calories and fat can't be helping matters. I was surprised that he liked the movie as much as he did, to be honest - though I think the fact that we met in a high school cooking class, started dating well after I had begun honing my creative side in the kitchen and eschewing recipes and became engaged shortly before this blog was born tied us both into the storyline a bit more than we'd otherwise be.

Luckily for Andrew (and me), he did not ask me to make him Pâté de Canard en Croûte, because frankly I can't even joint a chicken properly, or at all in under an hour and a half, and while I adore the process of making pastry it just doesn't seem right to wrap something already as succulent as duck in buttery dough. He did hint towards the possibility of the artichokes and citrus butter sauce (though for the longest time I've only heard him say he hates the veggies), so we shall see! He didn't even get to taste these beauties, because by the time I got to see him they had already been wrapped up tightly in heavy-duty foil and masking tape, labeled with a thick scrawl of Sharpie and found their way into the sweet-tooth-driven clutches of my mom's old office workers. I can't really blame them for the speed at which they inhaled them though - when you have this perfect marriage of ingredients it's impossible to resist. I tell you, it was painful to shut the door of the oven and not lick the spoon, though I did polish off the remaining cherries that escaped the pan!

So as my humble contribution to the Nutella challenge at Bell’alimento, I give to you these condiment-heavy bar cookies: a thick, salty oatmeal and peanut butter batter base, tart but sweet Ranier cherries with a sugar-laden Nutella brownie crown... they're like the best childhood sandwich you've never had. Or maybe you were one of the lucky ones... feel free to re-live it!

Cherry - Filled Peanut Butter Nutella Bars
Makes 16
1 1/2 cups pitted and halved cherries
1 tbsp flour
---
2.5 oz flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 tbsp warm water
---
3 oz flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp custard powder (optional, or substitute dry instant pudding mix)
pinch salt
1/3 cup Nutella
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp hot coffee or espresso
  1. Preheat oven to 325F, grease a 9" square pan.
  2. Toss cherries in the flour and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the first amounts of flour, baking powder, salt and oats.
  4. Beat together peanut butter, brown sugar, oil, flaxseeds and water in a medium bowl.
  5. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Spread in the prepared pan.
  6. Scatter cherries in an even layer overtop.
  7. In a small bowl (you can use the same ones from the previous steps, no need to wash) combine the second amount of flour, sugar, baking powder, custard powder and salt.
  8. In the medium bowl mix Nutella, vanilla and coffee.
  9. Add the dry ingredients and stir just to blend.
  10. Pour over the cherries and peanut butter layer.
  11. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until tester comes out with slightly moist crumbs.
  12. Chill before cutting and serving.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 171.8
Total Fat: 6.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 57.0 mg
Total Carbs: 28.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Protein: 3.0 g

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Yes, Sarah, There IS an Icy Claus!

And she lives inside me!!

In all honesty, when I first got sick, it took me a long time to resign myself to a lifestyle drastically skewed from what I had come to accept as "normal" while growing up. All of a sudden my "favourite foods" of steak, coffee, chocolate cheesecake, fettuccini alfredo and Nutella were erased from the spectrum of things that were "safe", only to be replaced by tofu, beans, rice and herbal tea. Looking back on it now, it doesn't feel like that much of a sacrifice, but being a first year university student that (at the very least) tolerated the notion of vegetarianism as a diet it was an unwelcome shock to not only become vegan but a nut-wheat-fat-caffeine-alcohol free vegan within a matter of a few months.

As I slowly acclimatized to the unfamiliar diet and lifestyle that I found myself in, I began to appreciate the benefits it was bringing to me. Aside from the obvious reduction (though sadly not elimination) of trips to the ER or doctor with exteme pain, I was eating more (and more varied) vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. Not only was I eating them, but I was enjoying them, and the way my body was responding to the extra nutrients and less fat and salt.

Only when I began tiptoeing into the world of food blogging, starting with my discovery of Slashfood and CHOW and progressing to the tales of Nicole (who was then at Bakingsheet), Ivonne and Susan, did I begin to embrace the sheer creativity that the world of cooking had to offer. Rather that being frustrated and resenting every obstacle that I faced in the kitchen, I finally felt like I had a network of people out rooting for me even if they didn't know I was out there looking. Nicole's recipes quickly began filling my laptop's "favourites" folder, and as I printed recipe upon recipe out they began fleshing out my first recipe binder. Susan's blog gave me my first birthday cake in 2 years, that has since become my own signature dessert and has come with me to Christmases and even my mom's wedding reception. Ivonne and Eric spurred my foray into George Brown's culinary program, and today I'm still able to while away hours on end perusing blogs new and old - often while neglecting my own!

I have to say thank you to every single blogger out there, for finding the courage to put your words out there, free of charge, for the world to see. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live or what you write about... the fact that we as a group keep writing says something about the hope that's out there for humanity as a whole. The pen has been mightier than the sword since the down of communication, after all, and thanks to the evolution of technology it's even easier to connect with people like us all around the world. I've had the honour of "meeting" more people that share my passion than I ever knew existed, and even discovering potential career opportunities and local businesses along the way (Holla, Joel and Bonita!).

I won't lie and say that the life I've got now is perfect, or one that's really worthy of mention. It's still difficult, not being able to eat out at the drop of a hat anywhere I want, scouring the city for specialty foods that don't irritate me and burning through 4-5 heads of lettuce on my own each week. But at least now, I have ice cream that came to be from a very Happy Herbivore who now lives in New York. And it, like being alive, is darn good.

Dreamy Gianduja Ice
Makes 4 generous servings
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup Splenda (or regular granulated sugar)
1 tbsp Fiberriffic*
12.3 oz lite firm silken tofu (1 Mori-Nu block)
1 cup unsweetened, fat-free soy milk (I used So Good Trim)
1 tbsp vanilla
½ tbsp hazelnut extract
½ tbsp Frangelico (or vodka)
*Fiberrific is a 100% natural edible fiber from chicory, also known as inulin
  1. Combine brown sugar, cocoa and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, stir in Splenda and Fiberriffic.
  4. Combine sugar mixture, tofu, milk, vanilla, hazelnut extract and Frangelico in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  5. Chill 4 hours, or overnight.
  6. Pour into ice cream machine and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions (I let my Cuininart churn for 30 minutes).
  7. Transfer to a lidded plastic container and store in freezer, remove about 15 minutes before scooping (it freezes very hard).
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 127.5
Total Fat: 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 114.1 mg
Total Carbs: 26.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 7.2 g
Protein: 9.3 g

Friday, August 7, 2009

Avoiding the Stove

Well, the weather around here seems to be flirting with Summer rather than actually diving headlong into it's passionate embrace, and I doubt that we're going to get anything similar to the scorching days that we were experiencing a couple years ago! Back then (don't I sound like it was 30 years ago instead of 3?) we were worried about our crops and grass all dying due to drought, and farms all over Canada were worried about the threats of fires sweeping through the desert-like brush and sapped forests. Now, we're still concerned about (and experiencing) our crops dying, but now it's because the cold, rainy weather is making mould grow on our tomato, bean and pea vines and rotting away the potato roots that usually are producing madly by now. Even the peppers and Romano beans we have out back (which you usually can't kill even with an axe) have been under-performing: we're heading into the second week of August and have only one harvest load to speak of, which was mostly rhubarb! We are being promised some warm, sunny days in the coming week or so, so fingers are crossed by all us gardeners!

The rare days where it does seem to become the Summer of my childhood, the last thing I know I want to be doing is hovering over the stove and oven while the sun is slowly settling into a comfortable, twilight evening. If I can make a good meal in a short time frame with a minimum of cooking, preferably something I can take out to our patio and enjoy al fresco, I will do it! I spend about 10 months and 2 weeks out of the year nursing stew-like concoctions hot off the stove, it's time to shake things up while I can!

As a bonus, now that I have my new toy, I can even cap things off with a nice, big bowl of me-friendly (for lack of a better term, because really calling things I can safely eat "dairy-egg-fat-nut-alcohol-caffeine-wheat-free low-sugar" is a bit of a mouthful!) ice "dream" that I adapted from a recipe I picked up from Lindsay at Happy Herbivore - and I will share it soon, I promise!

This meal is just one of those perfect ones - minimal or no stovetop required, only a microwave, and the whole thing is a great way to embrace the gifts of the Summer season provided that you have a productive season. A squeeze of lime along with just a dash of taco-inspired spice brings out all the flavour in the red onion and cherry tomatoes too.

Tasty Taco Filling
Serves 1
6 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup Yves' Veggie Soy Crumbles
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp sugar (or substitute)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder (use chipotle powder if you want it really hot)
1 pinch each salt, black pepper, paprika, oregano, garlic powder

  1. Combine all ingredients in a medium, microwave-safe bowl, tossing well.
  2. Microwave for 2 minutes on HI, stirring halfway through.
  3. Serve on warmed tortillas.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 162.8
Total Fat: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 511.6 mg
Total Carbs: 21.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.6 g
Protein: 20.4 g

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Keep Your Costco Confections!

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about when I mention the behemoth creation known as the Costco Muffin. Muffin... well, that's a misnomer to say the least! I mean come on... take a look at one of these suckers - each one tips the scales at 6oz minimum! Which is to say nothing for the calories each one manages to stuff inside. In one of their chocolate chip "mini cakes" (because really, this is not a real muffin) there is almost 700 calories and 38 grams of fat! Yeah, you knew that decadence didn't come cheap, right?

Don't get me wrong... I'm all for the occasional indulgence. God knows, when I was in my early teens (the 200+ years, I call them), I had way more than my fair share of "treats" (tubs of frosting and tubes of raw cookie dough, anyone?). Unfortunately, my sister has an insatiable love for these muffins, and when you factor in my *cough* irresponsible (not to mention diabetic) stepdad with a Costco card and what seems like nothing but time... well, lets just say that they're around a little bit more than a "sometimes food" should be. The "treat" mentality has been replaced by a sort of "entitlement" complex, fueled by the fact that she hardly eats a lunch at school and not at all while at home on breaks. Midday meals in the past few years turned from a sandwich or bowl of pasta (which I realize is not ideal, but it was the best we got into her!) into a NesQuik syrup slathered basin of double chocolate fudge with extra chocolate chips and sprinkles after a freezer-raiding frenzy around 3PM, or a "muffin" zapped in the microwave until the chocolate chips melted and became pools of chocolate oblivion.

There was no way in heck that I, as the lowly big sister, was going to be able to convince her to give up the habit of imbibing nothing but empty calories throughout the day, but I figured at the very least I could try to steer her away from the gluttony of Costco's treats. On the best days, Teaghan is leery of anything I bake (exception being my chocolate chip cookies) because I tend to "sneak" things in to try and boost some sort of nutritional content. Normally, with children, you can get away with things like what Jessica Seinfeld suggests in her book, but my sister has a palate that wine connoisseurs can only dream of. I'm talking specific ingredients here, not things as blatant as whole wheat flour instead of white in a batch of pancakes. For instance, she can tell if said pancakes were made with whole milk (which she abhors) instead of 1%, or if her cup of tea was steeped one minute longer than 3 minutes. She can even tell the difference in a heartbeat between Eggos and No Name frozen waffles (FYI, she only eats the No Name)! So to put things mildly, I was up against the Goliath of all challenges. I had to figure out a way to make something that she would choose to eat, but wasn't quite as lacking in the nutritional department.

Well, it just so happened that I had a partial container of vanilla yogurt in the fridge left over from making both the cherry sorbet and another (unreleased!!) frozen confection, and a vague rememberance of a buttermilk-based recipe for cranberry-lemon muffins stashed in the deep recesses of my baking recipe box. A few simple alterations to the recipe - yogurt for the buttermilk, melted butter for the oil, Nutri-Blend flour for the all-purpose and chocolate chips instead of the lemon zest and cranberries - and I had six supersized, slightly healthier snacks ready to face the judge.
Well, she ate them! Not only did she eat them, but she actually told me that she liked them and "could I make them again for her?". I don't think I have ever earned that kind of praise from her. Ever. This is a keeper - I know, I've made it three times already.

Rich Yogurt Muffins
Makes 6
1 1/2 cups flour (I used Nutri-Blend from Robin Hood)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup full-fat plain yogurt (I've been using nonfat vanilla with great success)
1/4 cup melted, salted butter
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, grease 6 jumbo muffin tins.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  3. In another large bowl, beat together sugar, egg, yogurt, butter and vanilla until light.
  4. Add the dry ingedients and mix quickly but gently to just moisten the ingredients.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until they spring back when touched.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 384.0
Total Fat: 16.4 g
Cholesterol: 61.1 mg
Sodium: 86.7 mg
Total Carbs: 55.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 6.6 g

Monday, August 3, 2009

Gobbledegook?

Well, that's what the name of this cake sounded like to me at least!! You see, I had been stockpiling egg whites in my freezer from when we were baking up an eggy storm at Christmastime, and I found myself with even more after the French vanilla cake I had made for the BBQ! All told, I had eight at my disposal, and even though they were frozen I didn't really want to keep them hanging around that much longer - they were eggs you know!

The dilemma was, however, that there was eight whites - far too many for macarons (unless I felt like baking a gazillion of them, that would then never be eaten *sigh*), but not quite enough for an angel food cake (mmm, angel food cake...). But I did want to make something with them... letting all that foresight and potential for a brilliant creation go to waste was not an option!

Thank God for the world of food blogging, and the Food Blog Search tool! It's saved my kitchen dilemmas a dozen times, I tell you! This time I came across Pille (from Nami-Nami)'s post for a most intriguing cake called Munavalgekook. Yeah... I tried to pronounce it too... the closest I came was "gobbledegook". Basically, this Estonian cake is the "fallen angel" of the sponge cake world - it starts off just like any angel food cake recipe, whipping the egg whites and sugar, folding in the flour, and then BAM! Lucifer kicks in with a hefty, deliciously rich dose of melted butter. Because you know, everything's better with butter, right?

Pille's recipe originally called for 6 egg whites, but seeing as I had 8 on hand I did a bit of math finangling. I also opted to stick with her weighed measurements - when baking (and especially when dealing with tricky things like egg whites), I prefer to dust off the scale and try for precision.

Munavalgekook (AKA: Fallen Angel Cake)
Serves 16
8 large egg whites
330 g sugar, divided
210 g flour
4 tsp glutinous rice flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
130 g melted butter
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F, grease a tube pan.
  2. Beat the egg whites with 40 g sugar until stiff peaks form.
  3. Sift remaining sugar with flour, glutinous rice flour and baking powder.
  4. Fold into the beaten egg whites gently but quickly.
  5. Fold in the vanilla, lemon extract and melted butter, ensuring no streaks of flour remain.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until tests done.
  7. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 195.3
Total Fat: 6.8 g
Cholesterol: 17.5 mg
Sodium: 100.8 mg
Total Carbs: 30.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 3.5 g