Yeast Water and Making Bread

I like to create cookbooks. For myself. To give to a friend or two. Nothing commercial. I was in the process of finishing up a fairly large book of bread. Bread in all senses of that word, including muffins, quick breads, pancakes, yeast breads, flavored yeast breads, sourdough. And as I was finishing up my very long task, of course something new popped up on my horizon. Yeast Water. 

Yeast Water

My First Yeast Water Bread

Okay, I have been making yeast bread, mainly one recipe, since I was about 23. I am now 75. Somewhere around 2014, I was introduced to sourdough in a new way. I had tried it before, became disenchanted, let it lapse. Now I had a book by Peter Reinhart called The Baker's Apprentice, and he explained things in a way I hadn't ever understood before. I made sourdough from scratch. Perfect. Made bread. Sometimes it was great and others, well, definitely not. Ultimately, this also lapsed, as I grew tired of constantly tossing out starter to make new batches. And I know, nowadays there are recipes that abound for using sourdough discards. Some years ago, these were nowhere apparent. 

So, while looking for something else online, the words "yeast water" called my attention. This had nothing to do with what I was looking for, so I count this as pure serendipity. As I looked up yeast water, I found that there are possibly as many ways to make it as there are people and ideas. and what brings me here to write about it is simply because I read an article from King Arthur Flour about testing yeast water, and the comment that it takes longer to make than a starter with sourdough starter. 

I will disagree with this, simply because I have been following a method shown online in a video from a German woman and I have followed that as a pattern for all yeast water breads since. In all the places, at that time about 3 years ago, that I read of how to make yeast water, they all stated to use water as per your need, with extra to begin a new batch, add a teaspoon of sugar and some dried fruit. I have used dates, raisins, dried cherries and dried figs at different times, to date. I usually use three dates to approximately 3 to 4 cups of water. All these suggestions said that as soon as the fruit all floated, the yeast water was ready to use. 

The only other thing the German woman stated was that yeast water should be used in place of ALL water or liquid called for in the recipe. This means that if I use some of the yeast water to make a "starter," I need then to refresh the yeast water again to make enough for any other liquid called for in the recipe. The already live yeast water ferments again (with another teaspoon of sugar and another couple of dates) overnight very easily. Of course this all works best it it is made in a warm place. In summer my house is set at 79 or 80 degrees F. In winter, the oven with light on is a good substitute.

Creating a Starter

Flax Sunflower Yeast Water Bread

In general, I like breads that take many days to make. I realize this is not feasible for everyone. But between Peter Reinhart's information and other places I have read over these intervening 10+ years, long rises are what give flour time to absorb liquids better and coax out flavors that would never be there if making a bread all in one day. Plus, slow rising at room temperature brings out different flavors from those unlocked in a long, slow, cold-rise. I am no expert on the chemical processes taking place and why. But I can with great authority state that the flavors of some of these breads have been phenomenal.

So if a bread recipe calls for using a starter, prep your yeast water (1 to 2 days in a warm place, if it is with a batch you've kept in the fridge. Longer if it is starting from scratch. Shorter if it is mid summer and you're sweating standing still!) Just keep in mind about 4 cups water all total to begin, whether fresh with fresh water of part yeast water, part water. Add a teaspoon of sugar and 2 - 3 dates, cut up in chunks, or a small handful of raisins or other dried fruit. Stir this well. It is best to keep in a jar without a tight fitting lid. I have some bail wire jars, and remove the rubber gasket. Then, stir the mixture several times a day, or whenever you think about it. Once all the fruit rise to the surface, it is ready to use. 

Save the fruit! In any bread you're making, the fermented fruit can be added back into the bread dough and during kneading, it all but disappears. It adds a gentle fruitiness, but does not jump out with its flavor.

To make the starter, use about half yeast water and half flour, whether bread flour, whole wheat, rye or whatever you are working with. Stir well, cover and set aside in a warm place. It should be well risen by the following day. Meanwhile, use the remaining yeast water, add in more water, enough to cover any more liquids called for in the recipe with some left over, another teaspoon sugar and more fruit. Stir well. Shake or stir various times during the day, and by the following day it too should be ready to use. 

Sometimes recipes call for a soaker as well, so this can be made at the same time and both set to do their thing overnight. 

Making the Bread

When making your bread recipe, follow the instructions, simply substituting the refreshed yeast water for the liquid called for. To date, all the yeast water breads I have made have been ones calling for various rises, and taking three or four days to make in total. Warm rises, cold rises, great flavor and beautifully risen loaves. Most have been baked in my Dutch Oven. To date I have had zero failures. Best of all, no throwing sourdough starter discards down the drain.

Yeast Water Rye with Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds

Here is a recipe that is a mashup of a couple of recipes I found online (not yeast water recipes) that I altered and mixed together to something that sounded really good to me. As it turned out, it is a fabulous bread, nicely dense and chewy as I love, wonderful alone, slathered with butter and/or jam, made into a sandwich, or a nice open-faced sandwich as it is hefty enough. It is easy to slice thinly if preferred (I do). Oh! And grilled cheese! It makes fabulous grilled cheese.

Yeast Water Rye with Dried Cherries and Pumpkin Seeds

Makes one loaf

DAY 1: Refresh Yeast Water
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
your existing yeast water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 - 3 chopped dates (or substitute 3 tablespoons dried tart cherries)

Stir this mixture often, over 12 to 24 hours and keeping in a warm place. Mixture should end with small bubbles and all the fruits floating.

DAY 2: Pre-Dough

150 grams bread flour

250 mL refreshed yeast water (about 1 cup)

Stir together until no dry ingredients remain. Cover and set in a warm place to ferment overnight. Meanwhile feed the yeast water again, to build up what will be needed for the main recipe.

DAY 3: Early morning: Main Dough - Autolyze

- all the pre-dough (above)

200 grams bread flour

200 grams sifted whole wheat flour

110 grams sifted rye flour

125 mL yeast water (scant 3/4 cup)

Place all these ingredients in a heavy-duty mixer or a bowl to mix by hand. Stir well until no dry ingredients remain. Cover and set aside 1 hour.

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon gluten

1 teaspoon diastatic malt powder

2 tablespoons powdered milk

- the cherries from fermenting the yeast water, if they were used

3 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

100 grams yeast water (about 1/2 cup)

During the autolyze period, measure out the 5 dry ingredients and set aside. Place the dried cherries and pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the yeast water to soak and soften.

Once ready to make the dough, add first the dry ingredients and begin mixing on low, then add in the leftover fermented cherries, yeast water-cherry-seed mixture and molasses. Mix slowly until the liquids are absorbed, then mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.. Rest the cough, covered, for about 20 minutes. Turn out to a greased surface and perform a stretch-and-fold: take the dough from one edge and stretch upwards, lengthening the dough and then folding it back onto itself. Turn the dough 1/4 way around and stretch and fold again. Turn 1/4 more, stretch and fold, then one more 1/4 turn and stretch and fold. This begins to form the gluten without over mixing. Grease the dough, cover and rest 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this same stretch and fold. Then rest and repeat stretching and folding twice more, a total of 4 times altogether.

Now turn dough over, seam side down, and beginning with cupped hands behind the dough, begin dragging the dough towards you, tightening the dough from its base. Turn the dough a little, and repeat the cupped hands, dragging the dough towards you from each side. This makes the dough very taut, and helps it to create a nice high rise.

Prepare a banneton with a mix of half flour and half rice flour, or heavily dust a smooth tea towel lined bowl. Set the loaf into the prepared banneton or bowl with the seam side upwards. Set the bowl into a food safe large plastic bag and close it off with plenty of air inside keeping the top from touching the dough. Place in the refrigerator overnight

 

DAY 4: Bake

When ready to bake, place an enameled cast iron Dutch oven with its lid on into the oven and set to 450F. Time this for 30 minutes to get the pot screaming hot.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator just before the pot is ready. Place a large sheet of parchment over the banneton/bowl. Set a pizza pan over top and invert the dough with the parchment onto the pan. Score the top of the loaf with a baker's lame or razor blade or a very sharp knife. A simple pound sign will do.

With heavy oven mitts, remove the Dutch oven to the stove top. Remove lid and set aside on another burner. Lift the dough into the pot by holding the parchment at its corners and place into the pot, parchment and all. Cover with the lid and back into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how dark you like your loaves. Once done, Remove the pot carefully with oven mitts. Use a long metal spatula to help lift the loaf out; set it onto a rack to cool at least 2 hours before slicing.

No Bake Cookies for Any Time

 . . . but especially for Christmas! I know it is already into May. And I just haven't been blogging, so this never got posted. 

Near Christmas last year I had bought two boxes of Vanilla Wafers. I always make Bourbon Balls for Christmas, partly because they are invariably requested, and partly that I love them. But most importantly, they are no bake. Mix, form and store. What a great invention, no-bake cookies!

Apricot Coconut Rum Balls (Bourbon Balls top right)

Why I bought two boxes of Vanilla Wafers is beyond me. The recipe for Bourbon Balls calls for one box. That recipe makes plenty. Since Bourbon Balls use cocoa and bourbon, I wanted to find another no-bake recipe that would use the extra box of cookies without using cocoa. Do you know how difficult it was to find one, single recipe that did not use cocoa? Heavens!

I searched. I specifically wrote no cocoa, or no chocolate in my search. All that came up were recipes using cocoa. I searched for no bake cookies with no mention of cocoa or chocolate. Still, all the recipes had cocoa or chocolate in them. 

And then finally, a little Christmas miracle happened. I found this post from Chips and Pepper. Their recipe is, I am sure, perfect. I told my sister about it, noting that the original had no alcohol. She said she would make it that way for her grandkids. It didn't fit all of my criteria, but it was a usable recipe to start. My criteria were:

• No cocoa or chocolate
• Use Vanilla Wafers as the base
• Use dark rum (as opposed to bourbon in the Bourbon Balls) as I have no more small grandchildren ;)

I sat and compared amounts in this recipe to the recipe for Bourbon Balls, to try and formulate a recipe that would accommodate my criteria. I didn't have any orange marmalade or orange juice. Instead I used apricot jam and dark rum. I added cardamom, simply because we all love cardamom in my house. I am sure ginger would be great as a substitute or possibly cinnamon, if one of those spices suit. Or they can be left out entirely. I used dark rum. Other rum can be used interchangeably. Coconut flavor rum would go well with the coconut in the recipe. Spiced rum would enhance the spice aspect. These can be rolled in granulated sugar. I used powdered sugar to distinguish from the Bourbon Balls that I roll in granulated sugar.

I must report that I loved them, as did everyone else who tried them. My husband and I both have loved the Bourbon Balls all through our 35 years together, but we conceded that these might just be a new favorite! So I give all my thanks to Chips and Pepper for the great idea I used!

Apricot Coconut Rum Balls

1  (12-ounce) box Vanilla Wafers, crushed to fine crumbs

3/4  cup powdered sugar

1/2  cup finely ground pecans or walnuts

3/4  cup fine shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2  teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2  cup apricot jam

6  tablespoons dark rum

Powdered sugar, for rolling

Place the first five ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine all ingredients.

Separately in a small bowl or a large measuring cup, combine the apricot jam and dark rum. If any pieces of apricot are large, cut them very small, else it makes for difficult rolling later.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and thoroughly mix until all ingredients are well moistened. Form small balls, rolling them tightly, then roll in the powdered sugar. Store in a container. At room temperature, they will be very soft. They are best kept either refrigerated or frozen. This makes having them done way ahead of time a snap. They that in no time once set out at room temperature. 

NOTES:

• Nuts used are interchangeable
• Cardamom can be switched out for another spice, or left out
• Apricot jam may be substituted with orange marmalade or peach jam
• Dark rum may be substituted with other flavors of rum or another dry liquor of choice. It may be left out and substituted with orange juice, if preferred.

Black Eyed Peas Indian Style

I cannot believe I'm heading on a year of no posts. Still, hoping this will be of interest. 

In all of my life, despite trying all sorts of foods from all over, I have never once tried to make black-eyed peas. I believe i tasted them once, as part of "Texas Caviar" served at a function I was attending. In that mixture, the whole thing was stellar, but I could not pick out one flavor on its own. 

Alsande Tonak or Black-Eyed Pea Curry

Then, rooting around the internet for Indian recipes, I cam upon one called Alsande Tonak, a recipe from Goa. I cannot now place where I found this recipe, yet there are many of them out there to peruse, should you be a "comparison cook," like me. 

I promptly went out and bought some black-eyed peas to try out this recipe, and it was a hit with both my husband and I.

Caveat: 

So many Indian recipes call for using (as in the recipe I used to create my own) 12 or 13 dry red chilies in making the masala, then another teaspoon of hot red chili powder later on. If this is your thing, more power to you! 

While I do like some heat, I would never tolerate that over abundance of a good thing. My poor husband would likely perish at the first taste. He's not one for chili heat at all. So, under this restriction, I scaled back the whole red chilies to 1 and eliminated the chili powder later. 

About the Masala**

Most masalas require toasting each spice separately first, and setting them to cool, then grinding. This masala is going to be toasted later, so the first part can be avoided. Secondly, the masala is more than is needed for the recipe, so you will have some left for another time. Or, double the remainder of the recipe and use all this amount of masala.

About the Coconut***

The very best is having fresh coconut in this recipe. Many supermarkets these days do carry it in the freezer section. Those in my area do not, so I get frozen bags of it when I go to the Indian grocery.

But if you have no access to fresh coconut, use unsweetened dry coconut, about 1/4 cup, and add it to the spices to grind for the masala, then use it as directed for the masala.

Alsande Tonak

(or Black-Eyed Pea Curry) 

Alsande Tonak
Black-Eyed Pea Curry

1/2 pound black eyed peas, soaked overnight

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion or shallot, chopped

2 cups water

TONAK MASALA:
3 whole cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 dried red chili, de-seeded, broken, for less heat
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 - 3 petals of a star anise

2 teaspoons white poppy seeds, optional
----------
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 small onion or shallot, chopped

3 - 5 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup frozen grated fresh coconut*** (see above)

3 - 4 teaspoons of the Tonak Masala** (see above)

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

Drain the soaking water from the black-eyed peas. Put them in a pot with  the tomatoes, onion / shallot and water and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. They should be quite soft. If not, cook a little longer. 

Meanwhile, make the masala: Take all of the whole spices and grind them to a powder, then add to the powder the turmeric and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the cooking oil and cook the onion until just golden. Add in the garlic for a minute or so and stir. Add in the grated fresh or frozen coconut and continue to cook, stirring until the coconut is golden. Add in the 3 or 4 teaspoons of the reserved masala and cook, stirring until the masala is well heated through. Add the contents of the pan to the cooked black-eyed peas along with the salt and mix well. If they need more liquid, add more water, then cook until heated through, and serve with roti or rice.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Chickpea Curry with Mango and Coconut

There are many, even in my own family, who do not care for chickpeas / garbanzo beans. For some it's texture related. For others, just plain dislike. I am not among those. I love chickpeas, whether in a salad, as hummus, as a dessert (Garbanzos en Dulce), in Indian mixtures like Channa Masala, or most ways I have encountered them. When a new recipe comes along, I sit up and take notice. 

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

Again this time it was from VeganRicha.com that I came across a recipe that comprised some of my favorite flavors, ticking so many boxes that I saved the recipe. Again, as with my previous post on some of her muffins, I change a few things to reflect my way of doing things. I completely understand where VeganRicha was coming from with her ingredients, because it makes the recipe more accessible to someone without a complete stock of Indian spices and other flavoring agents (unlike me). For her recipe of Mango Curry Chickpeas, please click on the link, which should take you right to that recipe page. 

One of the Brands I've Used

Richa uses ground cinnamon, cayenne and whole cloves. I used a small, 1-inch piece of stick cassia (the thick kind of stick), Kashmiri chili powder, and skipped the cloves, instead using crushed coriander seeds. I added in freshly ground pepper as well, and instead of a bay laurel leaf, which is what is known here in the US as bay leaf, I used a tej patta / tamal patra leaf, which is the Indian "bay leaf." These two have not much of anything in common, the tej patta tasting more of cinnamon than of bay laurel leaf. Toward the end of her recipe, she uses a couple of teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to balance out the sweeter flavors. Instead I used tamarind concentrate from the Indian grocery nearby. It is an already prepared version, in runny form, just as if you'd taken the time to soak the tamarind pods, soften all the flesh, then strain it of all the seeds and fivers to make the preparation from scratch. A real time saver!

None of these changes are huge, just my own preferences. Please check out Richa's original recipe before proceeding with mine.

Another thing about the recipe is using mango puree. I never buy

 Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

mangos in a can or mango puree or even mango juice. I prefer to eat fresh mangoes any day. Yet as Richa states, truly ripe mangoes are hard to come by, so making ones own puree may not yield the hoped-for flavor / sweetness results. However, my son and his wife were visiting over the weekend past and we all went to Patel Brothers Indian Grocery in Chandler, to stock up on some things. Not being Indian, I did not realize we were coming up to Diwali. The place was aswarm with people! But, what fun! I love saris, and had the opportunity to see so very many beautiful ones that day as many sari-clad ladies roamed the store. I complemented each one as I saw them! 

Back to the mango, my son loves mango, and he does buy mango juice, so he purchased a large-ish carton of "Alphonso Mango Juice." When he drank a glass of it, it looked awfully thick, but hey, I wasn't drinking it. It was also the most deep orange in color.  And, they accidentally left it in my fridge when they left to go home, too far away to come back for it.

It was far sweeter than was necessary for this recipe, but with everything else in the recipe, it was toned down a good bit, and I added a little more of the (very tart) tamarind extract at the end than is called for. It was the most heavenly tasting curry, ever!

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

Serves 3 to 4

Makes about 3 to 4 servings

Mango Coconut Chickpea Curry

1 medium onion, chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
3 - 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
-----

2 teaspoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1- inch cinnamon stick
1 small tej patta leaf

-----

½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

½ teaspoon Garam Masala
¼ - ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder

-----
1¼ cup coconut milk
¾ cup mango puree

¼ - ½ teaspoon salt, or as needed
1½ cup cooked chickpeas, or canned, drained
2 - 3 teaspoons tamarind concentrate, or use lime juice
- cilantro, for garnish

Prepare the onion, ginger and garlic and set aside. Heat a skillet until quite hot and add in the cumin and coriander seeds with the cinnamon and tej patta leaf and stir quickly, until fragrant; a few seconds. Do not burn. Add in the onion, mix well and sauté until golden, then add in the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 to 3 minutes to take away the raw smell. Stir in the Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne, to taste), ground black pepper and garam masala, until fragrant.

Stir in the coconut milk, mango puree and tamarind, then add in the chickpeas and mix well. Taste for salt before adding; chickpeas from a can may be salty enough already. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors. Serve garnished with cilantro.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Muffins so Very Delicious and Low Fat

Muffins are really good. Still, I generally prefer biscuits or scones. Once in a while, I see a recipe and think I might try it, then somehow, it just doesn't happen. 

A few nights back, I was looking through Facebook, and came on a recipe for Turmeric Carrot Muffins with Chia & Coconut, from VeganRicha. Just the title alone had me riveted, right there, because each ingredient in the title is one I use regularly, and love. If you are vegan, or must be gluten free, please check out her recipe by clicking on the link to her recipe, above.

Turmeric Carrot Gingerbread Muffins

Okay, I looked up the recipe and saved it, and apparently my subconscious mind percolated and filtered through the recipe all night and into next day and finally I sat to think it through with my conscious mind. First off, I am not vegan, or vegetarian. Secondly, I don't have to be gluten free. So, I could make the recipe without those strictures, making it more a regular muffin recipe. I opted to use eggs. If milk was needed I would use it instead of a nut milk or coconut milk (I absolutely love coconut milk, but didn't want to open a can to use only a half cup!).

As it all turned out, I changed a lot of things. I truly didn't deviate much from the spirit of the recipe. I used almost everything in the recipe as stated, but changed amounts. 

• I used a tiny bit more oil, but added a little snack cup of applesauce. 

  

  Turmeric Carrot Gingerbread Muffins
  
  

  
  
• I opted to not use maple syrup, as it is expensive and I can never tell by taste that it is even in a recipe like this. I waffled between using honey or agave syrup, then switched to molasses. 
• Mixed spices were in the original recipe, and cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg mentioned as possibilities. I changed this to cardamom and ground ginger. 
• I used a fair bit more fresh ginger than called for as well, as I truly love ginger. 
• As the recipe called for coconut milk and lemon juice, I changed that to buttermilk, thereby eliminating the lemon. Lemon would bring acidity up to work with the baking soda, but buttermilk will as well.
• I used more flour, as I was adding both eggs and applesauce, so it was 2 cups of flour total. I used 1 cup of a mixture of barley and buckwheat flour, and the other cup plain all-purpose flour. If preferred, use all purpose flour for the whole 2-cup amount, or substitute whole wheat or other whole grain flour for part of the whole amount. In another attempt, I may use a bit of wheat bran as a part of the two cups of "flour."

I will caution that this recipe needs initial prep work, in that there are so very many little amounts of things to be measured out. I got out all my little cups I use for measuring out sets of spices and things (I save the little 1/2-cup applesauce snack containers for this type of use) and set out all the individual dry ingredients (mixed spices, raisins, coconut, chia, sugar, and the freshly grated ginger). I set the finely grated carrots in a bowl (Richa's recipe calls for blending carrots and other wet ingredients together, but I see no need for extra dirty utensils).

Ultimately, having used extra fresh ginger as well as adding dry ground ginger, along with the molasses, made these smell like the most heavenly gingerbread as they baked. All the extra textures and flavors, while not eclipsed completely, do give great texture. Carrots always make cakes moist, and that works here as well. These are exceptional muffins, and exceptionally good. Thank you Richa, for such an amazing combination!

Turmeric Carrot Gingerbread Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Turmeric Carrot Gingerbread Muffins

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour (130 grams / 4.6 ounces)

1 cup whole grain or other flour, or simply use all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons chia seed (32 grams / 1.15 ounce)

1/4 cup sugar or palm sugar (41 grams / 1.4 ounce)

1/4 cup raisins or chopped dates (34 grams / 1.2 ounce)

1/4 cup dry, unsweetened coconut shreds (18 grams / 0.65 ounce)

SPICES:

1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon dry, ground ginger

WET INGREDIENTS:

2 carrots (155 grams / 5.25 ounces), finely grated

1/3 cup molasses

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup plain applesauce

2 tablespoons sunflower oil or coconut oil

1-inch fresh ginger, finely grated (15 grams / 0.55 ounce)

2 large eggs

--------

1 1/2 teaspoons each chia seed and shredded coconut for topping, optional

Turmeric Carrot Gingerbread Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease, or spray with cooking spray, the wells of a 12-well muffin tin. Set aside.

This is easiest to first measure out all the little ingredients and have at hand, "mise en place." A personal choice, but recommended.

In a medium mixing bowl, place all the dry ingredients together, plus the spices and stir together.

In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and stir well to combine, then pour all the wet into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or silicone spatula until no dry ingredients remain. Fill the muffin tin wells equally - the mixture is very generous. Separately, sprinkle some of the coconut for topping over each portion of batter, then repeat with chia seed.

Bake the muffins for 12 to 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick, as for cakes, at about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove from the tins. (Muffin papers may be used, if preferred.) After 10 minutes, the muffins will release from the tins with very little coaxing. Set them aslant in the wells to continue cooling. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze some in zip-top freezer bags for another time.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Lentils Shine in a Dish Called Mujadara

I like lentils. Liking lentils in the first place, may - or may not - preclude some from liking this dish. 

I had heard of Mujadara. I just never researched it to find out what, exactly, it was. I am not at all sure how or why I missed out on this meal, but I surely do wish I'd found out sooner, because it is one amazingly flavored dish. 

Mujadara

Mujadara is a Lebanese / Middle Eastern concoction of lentils and rice. Rice can be substituted with bulghur. Lentils and rice are pretty bland fare, on their own. They need a lot of help in the flavor department. I believe what interested me the most when reading the recipes online - particularly the ones written by Lebanese or other Middle Eastern bloggers - is the near lack of any flavorings beyond a little cumin - and a whole boatload of onions. These onions are sauteed until very, very dark; far darker than the norm. These deeply caramelized, nigh on to burnt (but not quite) onions are what provide the absolutely heavenly flavor to the otherwise not too exciting lentils and rice. 

Every cook has their own way of making a thing. Every cook has their own reasoning as to why it should be that way. I have absolutely no argument on method, and depending on the outcome, I may change a method to suit my own lifestyle. And at my age, I look for the simplest way, the fewest steps, the least cleanup possible. I have ranted on that subject here before, so I won't go into it again. But, when it requires three or four different pots or skillets to make one meal, I look immediately  to how that can be simplified. 

Maureen's Cookbook

Maureen Abood, a Lebanese-American lady I have been following for years on her blog, Facebook and with her cookbook called "Rose Water and Orange Blossoms," has recipes amazingly easy to understand. When dealing with an unknown culture, it helps to have someone both knowledgeable in the foods themselves, but also articulate enough to translate that into descriptions that clarify to a person not of that culture. I have some go-to Indian blogs that have fantastic recipes. Some though, assume that one knows what one is doing and so the recipes require some trial and error. And errors happen way too easily, when one "assumes!"

Ultimately, Maureen's recipe is the one that gave me the clearest idea of the whys and the wherefores of making Mujadara, though I had read about 8 recipes online and had already scribbled down two versions of what I thought I would do. 

What is Mujadara?

As mentioned above, Mujadara is a dish of lentils and rice (or bulghur), made with a surfeit of deep, dark, caramelized onions. The onions completely make this dish. Do not stint on the onions. In fact, in one blog, this admonition was followed by the fact that her relatives used twice the amount used in her recipe!

Whenever I research a recipe from a culture that is not mine, I try and stick to recipes from people of that culture. They would certainly know better what it is that makes a dish. Reading recipes from other sources not of the culture, where a slew of additional flavors are added in, either as enhancement or compensation, well, this is, IMHO, trying to change the culture, and there I try instead to remain a purist. 

In all the recipes written by a Middle Eastern (by background and culture, no matter where they live), there were - besides salt and water - just 5 main ingredients: lentils, rice (or bulghur), lots of onions, oil for sauteeing the onions (usually olive oil) and cumin. Period. Amounts may vary. Methods may vary. Ingredients did not vary. 

👀I did opt to parboil the lentils in a separate pan, for the one simple reason that it is best not to salt the lentils while they cook, as this toughens their skins and makes a longer cooking time. 

Ultimately, my Mujadara, though it takes a little while to make, was so very worthwhile. The flavors were sublime. My husband will tolerate lentils, if in the right application. He loved this dish nearly as much as I. I heartily recommend it to anyone. Vegetarians will love it for its complete protein. It is great accompanied by a simple salad, or tomatoes, or a tomato and cucumber salad. Of course, meat to accompany is fine. A dollop of Greek yogurt, or as I used, tzatziki, is also a great flavor combo. 

Mujadara

Mujadara

Serves 8 as a side dish

1 cup brown lentils

1 cup long grain or basmati rice

4 cups water, divided

4 medium onions, divided (more, if desired)

2 - 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Begin with the onions, as these take time. Chop three of the onions. Heat a goodly sized skillet over medium to medium low heat. Add in half the olive oil to heat and then the chopped onions. Stirring often, saute the onions until they are well past simple caramelization, and on into the realm of almost burnt. Sprinkle the salt over the onions while cooking as this helps draw moisture. The darker the onions, the better the flavors in the dish. Towards the end of cooking, add in the  cumin.

Dark Sauteed Onions for Garnish

Once the onions are almost ready, place 2 cups of the water and the lentils into a medium saucepan. Cover and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes. The lentils are just parboiled at this time. Add the contents of the pot, with any liquids remaining, to the onions in the large skillet. Add in the remaining 2 cups of water and the rice. Stir, bring to boil and lower to a simmer. Time for approximately 20 minutes. Leave the lid on and remove the skillet from the heat. Let steam for an additional 10 or 15 minutes if there is time. 

While the lentils and rice cook, heat another, smaller skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Cut the last onion into long slivers or rings and again, saute these until very deep dark in color. Once they are dark enough, pour them out onto paper toweling to absorb excess oil, and to crisp up a bit. Once the Mujadara is ready to serve, use these onions to garnish the dish.

Serve with a salad, a Shirazi salad (cucumber, tomato and onion), sliced tomatoes, a dollop of labneh, plain Greek yogurt, or tzatziki, some mint sprigs or cilantro, and this meal is fit for a king.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Individual Cheesecakes Cute as Can Be

These perfect little individual cheesecakes were made to serve at a special dinner for some friends. Every, single thing about them was perfect: flavors, appearance, texture, and the bonus was that they came out of the little ramekins just perfectly. Better results could not be hoped for. 

Black Sesame Matcha Individual Cheesecakes

While they were perfect, and have stayed in my mind ever since, I haven't returned to them. Why? Well, there is really no huge valid excuse at all really. The biggest thing was that I ran out of Matcha Green Tea powder and haven't replaced it. 

Even longer ago, I had made Matcha and Black Sesame Muffins, and they were delightful. It was this combination, the green and the black flecks together are quite striking, that made me want to do something else with it. 

Using Matcha Green Tea

Matcha Green Tea Powder

Using Matcha green tea powder can be tricky, only in the sense that depending on the quality, the color may be the brightest of lime green (higher quality, more flavor, higher price), or a very dull green, or even a very pale green (lower quality, less flavor, lower price). The dull green was what was used in both the muffins and the cheesecakes.

With less flavor and color, more is needed to achieve even the least bit of color in a baked good. This alters the dry ingredient contents upwards, with the possibility of a dry outcome, whether dry muffins or a very stiff and dry cheesecake. 

Using higher quality Matcha will give a lot of color, but when it comes down to the facts, Matcha is very bitter. Too many people will not automatically love this bitterness, so a fine line is walked when making something like these recipes. Too much of a good thing and they may not be at all well-received. 

Some of this bitterness in a baked item can be mitigated by using more sugar, yet breakfast muffins are not meant to be sweet as a cupcake (though far too many are), and too much sugar will alter a cheesecake's consistency as well. 

An idea on that score is to dissolve the green tea powder in just enough hot water to make a smooth paste. In this way, the texture of either recipe would not be significantly altered. It also would afford the ability of actually seeing how much color is being added. The final baked goods will never be that same color, but it at least gives a clue. 

Aside from the issue of Matcha, having some in the first place, and then all these other considerations, these little cheesecakes are no difficulty to make. The mixture is a straightforward style, black sesame is available in many stores nowadays. While black sesame is not much different in flavor than the white, they do give visual interest. So, on with the recipe:

Black Sesame Matcha Individual Cheesecakes

Makes about 6 (6-ounce) 

or 8 (4-ounce) servings

Black Sesame Matcha Individual Cheesecakes

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon lime zest, finely grated
½ cup white sugar
2-3 tablespoons Matcha Green Tea powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

- Extra sugar, for dusting
- Butter for greasing

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease six (6-ounce) or eight (4-ounce) ramekins with butter. Dust them with sugar, tapping out excess. Set the ramekins into a roaster pan that can hold water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Heat a large kettle of water and keep hot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and green tea powder. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add in the sugar mixture and lime zest and beat gently, just to combine. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating gently until incorporated, then add in the sour cream and fold in the black sesame seeds.

Fill the ramekins of choice with the mixture. Set the roaster pan into the oven and carefully pour in the hot water around the ramekins to about halfway up their sides. Bake the cheesecakes 20 minutes for the smaller ones or 25 minutes for the larger ones. The centers should be a bit jiggly. Remove the pan from the oven and set the ramekins aside to cool. Chill the cheesecakes completely, refrigerated, before unmolding.

To unmold the cheesecakes, run a knife around the edges. They should start to spin a bit in their molds. Set a plate over top of the mold and invert the ramekin over the plate until the cheesecake comes loose onto the plate. Serve with a twist of lime and/or a dollop of whipped cream.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.