JennaDish

Amish Friendship Bread

 

 

Came home from work and fixed dinner.  Looked at my sad-looking plastic bag of Amish Friendship Bread Starter that has been laying around a few days.  Read the bag and discovered that today is Wednesday.  Day 10.  Oh crap. 

 
This is the big day.  I'm supposed to add to the starter, and make 2 loaves of bread.  I have all the ingredients.  I even have the instant vanilla pudding.  I guess that means I should go ahead and do it.

Helpful Hint:  Since you have to keep the starter outside of the fridge, I kept it in an urn-type holder to keep it protected from getting thrown around on the counter.

 

 After mixing the batter and pouring in the pans, there are instructions that you can sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture on the top, or not.  So I decided to sprinkle it lightly on one and not on the other.  I can't stand overly sweet quick breads.

 You can taste the cinnamon-sugar with both versions because of the sugar-dusted pan...

but the big difference is what it does to the looks of the bread.  Crackled and rustic vs. smooth and pound-cake-like.  Again, both are awesome. 

These are the 4 additional (1 cup) starters it makes in addition to the bread.

 

Amish Friendship Bread

MAKES TWO 9” LOAVES and 4 cups of starter for friends

To be left on counter, not meant to be refrigerated.  Burp bag as needed.

Day 1 - receive the starter and do nothing
Day 2 - Mush the bag.
Day 3 - Mush the bag.
Day 4 - Mush the bag.
Day 5 - Mush the bag.
Day 6 - Add to the bag 1 cup each flour (I recommend unbleached, all-purpose flour), sugar (plain white) and milk (I used skim milk, but usually doesn’t matter). Mush the bag.
Day 7 - Mush the bag.
Day 8 - Mush the bag.
Day 9 - Mush the bag.
Day 10 - Follow these instructions:

1. Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir.
3. Measure one cup batter into four 1-gallon Ziploc bags and give to friends along with a copy of the recipe. (Keep one for yourself if you want to make bread again in 10 days.)
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (baked mine at 300 degrees on convection  setting)

5. Add to the remaining batter:

3 eggs (bringing eggs to room temperature is a generally accepted practice in baking)
1 cup oil (I used canola oil)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon (I used Vietnamese cinnamon)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1 large (5.1 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding (I used French vanilla flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt (I used fine grain sea salt)

6. Grease 2 large loaf pans (my instructions say glass, but I used metal and turned out great)
7. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with 1/2 of this mixture.
8. Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans.  Optional: sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the tops of the breads. (I lightly sprinkled one loaf, none on the other.  The big difference is that the sugared version cracks and looks beautifully rustic.  The unsugared loaf remains smooth and looks like a pound cake. Both taste great.)
9. Bake 1 hour (until golden brown and firm on top.  I added an extra 5 minutes.) Cool the bread  a few minutes.  Run a knife along the edge of bread and gently turn out of pan onto a cooling rack. 

If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days. The bread is very good and makes a great gift. Only the Amish know how to create the starter, so if you give them all away, you will have to wait until someone gives you one back. ENJOY!!

Here is a recipe for the starter that I HAVE NOT tried.  Got it from

Amish Friendship Bread Starter
This is the Amish Friendship Bread Starter Recipe that you’ll need to make the Amish Friendship Bread.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110°F)

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water for about 10 minutes. Stir well.
2. In a 2 quart glass or plastic container, combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or the flour will get lumpy when you add the milk.
3. Slowly stir in warm milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Loosely cover the mixture with a lid or plastic wrap. The mixture will get bubbly. 

Follow the 10-day instructions above for Amish Friendship Bread. The day you make the starter is Day 1.

Allen's Valentine's Day Apple Crisp

 
Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Allen loves apple pie, apple crisp, anything with cooked apples.  So....

 I dug out my heart-shaped pan and made some apple crisp a la mode.

Apple Crisp
Compliments of JennaDish

adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe

SERVES 4-6

4 tart apples (like Granny Smiths), peeled, cored sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant packets)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or slice almonds (optional-makes a crunchier topping)

Preheat oven to 375^o.  Grease bottom and sides of 8" square or heart-shaped pan with shortening.

Spread apples in pan.  In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients, cutting butter into dry ingredients with pastry mixer, butter knives.  Sprinkle mix over apples evenly.

Bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown and starting to bubble on the edges.  Serve with ice cream.

 

Texas Sheet Cake

 

Texas Sheet Cake is like a giant cakey, iced brownie.  I like this version with a little bit of cinnamon, and using lighter ingredients where you can, without sacrificing taste.

 

This is my dessert offering for our 2nd Annual Nephrology Chili Cookoff tomorrow to benefit Artswave.

Here's a sneak peak of my entry, Jenna's Cha-Cha-Cha Chili. 

 

 

Texas Sheet Cake
Compliments of JennaDish

from Cooking Light

Cooking spray
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
 
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (more below)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, divided
2 large eggs
 
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup fat-free milk
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 375°.

Coat a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 teaspoons flour. Set aside.

Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces (2 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 9 ounces flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Combine 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour into flour mixture. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 375° for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.

Combine 6 tablespoons butter, fat-free milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in powdered sugar; stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and pecans. Spread over hot cake. Cool completely on wire rack.

 

Individual Apple Cinnamon Crostatas

 

 

Here's what you can do with a little leftover pie dough.   This is about 1/3 of one single pie crust. 

With a single pie dough and 1 Granny Smith apple, some brown sugar, cinnamon and flour, you can make 1 to 3 little crostatas.

If you need a pie dough recipe, here's a rye dough and here's a pate brisee or short pastry, and here's my Mom's No Fail Pie Crust to give you some choices.  The above shows a rye dough (doesn't really taste like rye) - just makes it slightly heartier.

Individual Apple Cinnamon Crostata
Compliments of JennaDish

MAKES ONE CROSTATA

1/3 of a single pie crust, or about 1/8" thick by 5" diameter
1/3 of a Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced very thin
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon flour
1 egg, lightly beaten for brushing dough (1 egg will be enough for up to 3 crostatas)
sprinkling sugar

Preheat oven to 350^o.

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl. 

Lay out the dough - it can be round or square or somewhere in between.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of of the brown sugar mixture in the middle.  Place all the apples in the middle that will fit, sprinkling more of the sugar mixture within the pile.  Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top.  Fold the sides up, keeping some apples exposed in the middle, as in the photo.

With a pastry brush, brush top of dough with beaten egg then sprinkle with sugar. 

Place on a baking sheet, protected with parchment paper or aluminum foil (sugar mixture will ooze out).  Bake until apples and at least a little bubbly and the dough is golden, about 10+ minutes depending on how cold the dough was to start.

Baked Buffalo Wings

These are the hot wings Alyssa made this year on New Year's Day.  Delish.
 

I got fancy with the empty Frank's RedHot bottle.

Baked Buffalo Wings
Compliments of JennaDish

from Leesah on Allrecipes.com

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 chicken wings
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

 

Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn

 

I didn't know you could make your own microwave popcorn.  I read the recipe in an Ellie Krieger cookbook and was surprised.  Evidently it's not a well-known fact, because the first 4 people I told said they didn't know you could microwave popcorn this way either.

 

In a bowl, toss 1/4 cup popcorn kernels with 1/2 teaspoon canola oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Put in a paper bag, close the bag and fold the top down a few times.

 

 

 

This is the bag flipped over - gets oily, hence the need for the plate.  But the oil is better in the bag than on the popcorn.

Remember, this popcorn comes out plain - no butter, and needing more salt.  Just like air-popped.

 

 

Cuban Cure Black Bean Soup

I was attracted to this Cuban Cure Black Bean Soup recipe in Nigella Christmas because of Nigella's remarks about why you'd make this during the holidays.  Here's her narrative:

This is the perfect antidote to an evening soured by too much office-party wine.
A clanging head finds solace in fire and fat, and this bean stew of a soup provides both,
with ease and speed.

I, of course, altered it because I didn't have all the exact ingredients, but close.  So mine is what I would call the healthier version. Plus I wanted to double it to make enough for leftovers. My favorite part is the fresh squeeze of a lime right on top of the soup just before taking a bite.  It's a very different taste for me - the coupling of a fresh fruit zest with a hearty bean and meat dish. 

So I'm publishing the original recipe first, then my version. Mine turned out very, very good, but I also want to make the original version to get that "fire and fat" effect from the sausage. The directions are the original, but with my notes in italics. 

Goes great with some bakery fresh bread.

NOTE:  I used an immersion blender in the pan to cream some of the beans and tomatoes.  The outcome was ugly bean bits, no effect on the diced tomatoes, and a greyish colored broth.  Plus after serving a test bowl to Allen, he preferred more beans, so a 3rd can went in, which may or may not have been necessary had I not blended the beans. 

ANOTHER NOTE:  I was worried there wasn't going to be enough taste, with cumin as the only spice.  However, chorizo style meat will absolutely make up the rest of the flavor - whether sausage or chicken.

Cuban Cure Black Bean Soup
Compliments of JennaDish

From Nigella Lawson's recipe from Nigella Christmas

SERVES 2

1/4 lb chorizo sausage (not the salami sort)
2 scallions
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
15 oz can black beans, drained
Fresh tomato
2 cups good quality cartoned or canned chicken broth/stock
juice of 1 lime, or to taste (or packaged lime juice)
2-4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Cuban Black Bean Soup
Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe from Nigella Christmas

SERVES 4

2-3 links chicken chorizo sausages (about 6-10 ounces)
3 teaspoons bacon fat or shortening
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2-3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can crushed (or diced) tomatoes
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
1-2 limes cut in fat wedges
2-4 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or 2 teaspoons dried cilantro for sprinkling)

Cut the chorizo sausage into slices roughly 1/8 inch thick.  Then cut each coin in half or quarters as you wish. 

Cook the chorizo pieces in a dry saucepan for about 5 minutes, or until they give up their orange oil and crisp up a little.  Remove them with a slotted spatula to a bowl or plate.

Cut off the green parts of the scallions and reserve for slicing later, then finely slice the white part and add this to the pan slicked with orange oil (this is where I added the bacon fat since my chicken chorizo left no fat in the pan), along with the ground cumin, stirring everything together for a couple of minutes over a gentle heat.

Empty the drained black beans into the pan and roughly chop the tomato, adding the pieces - peel, seeds and all (I added the canned tomatoes) - along with the chicken broth.  Stir the pan and let it simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Ladle the soup into 2 bowls; add the reserved chorizo pieces, then give each bowl a good squirt of lime juice (I served with lime wedges to squirt bite by bite) and sprinkle with the finely sliced green part of the scalions and some chopped cilantro.

Bobby Flay's Meatballs

This is a recipe Alyssa preferred to make tonight.  But a few days ago she made Marcella Hazan Meatballs with milk-soaked bread and ground chuck only.  Bobby Flay's recipe is made with dry bread crumbs and 3 types of meat.  Those are the biggest differences.

Alyssa and Jill prefer these meatballs but I'm torn between the two.  Jill said they taste like LaRosa's, which is a compliment coming from Jill.  She loves LaRosa's meatballs.  Their firmness makes it easier to move around and transfer, pick up, etc.  But I don't like the denser texture to eat.  I prefer the melt in your mouth meatballs.   But I do like that these have more parsley in them.  Sounds like, for me anyway, I need to tweak a recipe that comes somewhere in between.

Bobby Flay's Meatballs
Compliments of JennaDish

MAKES A LOT OF MEATBALLS, too many for family of 4, but then leftovers are excellent next day!

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground beef
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped and Sauteed
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, except olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and fry until golden brown. 

(If using prepared spaghetti sauce, cook meatballs completely, then add to sauce.  If making homemade sauce which needs to simmer 30 minutes or so, can brown meatballs but not cook all the way through, then transfer to sauce and let meat finish cooking while sauce simmers.)

Roast Chicken with Two Lemons

Happy New Year! 

This holiday season I was off work December 23rd to January 2nd.  Alyssa and Jill and Allen were also all home, and we did a lot of cooking.  On New Year's Eve Alyssa made meatballs and spaghetti (1st time Marcella Hazan, 2nd time Bobby Flay recipe), then she and Jill left for separate parties.  On New Year's Day (today) Alyssa made Buffalo Wings and I made Cuban Black Bean Soup.  Other dishes we made over the break were this chicken, baby back ribs, pork barbecue, pot stickers, crepes with Nutella and banana, and I made and froze some Asian meatballs for a future meal.  All recipes are either posted or forthcoming.

Hardly any sweets! Unbelievable.

I'm pretty sure this Marcella Hazan recipe will be my go-to recipe for roast chicken from now on.  It's easy and straightforward.  Just like I think it's supposed to be.  No brine, no rubbing herbs under the skin, no onions tossed hither and fro, no broth or butter or oil or peppercorns for Pete's sake.  No basting, no fancy trussing, no fussing.

Just salt and pepper all over, stick a lemon or two in the cavity, truss with toothpicks, tie legs loosely in their natural position.  Plop in a dry pan breast side down, turn it breast side up 30 minutes later, and that's about it.

As Ms. Hazan's recipe foreword describes it, "After you put the chicken in the oven you turn it just once.  The bird, its two lemons, and the oven do all the rest."  That's absolutely true. 

I don't like cutting a bird at the table.  Very unattractive.  So in the future I'll cut it in the kitchen and serve it on a platter.  Also, Nigella Lawson says her mother used to roast two chickens at a time, one to serve that day and one to keep in the fridge to pick at through the week, or use in another recipe.  Good idea. 

UPDATE:  I purchased a Granite Wear roasting pan (photo below) from Walmart for $13 that works great and cleans up perfectly.  Many years ago, I refused to go into Walmart because I think they are one of the reasons small businesses can't make it and American manufacturing is being outsourced.  But with the economy I can't try to save the world by myself.  We need to change bigger things in this country than where Jenna shops.  But at least this pan is American made, so that helps.  Same pan with Martha Stewart's name on it at Macy's is $20. 

I know I know.  This is the weirdest bird I've even bought, a separate one from the top photos.  Broken wing, skin slightly strange in places, not perfectly de-feathered.  But oh well. It's an Amish chicken so it was a very nice quality otherwise.  Mainly I wanted to show the pan and how much liquid comes from the chicken, with no oil or buttered added.

Roast Chicken with Lemons
Compliments of JennaDish

from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

A 3- to 4-pound chicken
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 small lemons (or 1 large)

PREHEAT oven to 350^o.

WASH the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out.  Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose.  Let the bird sit about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it.  Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels.

SPRINKLE a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity.

WASH the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel.  Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand.  Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick or similar implement.

PLACE both lemons in the bird's cavity

CLOSE up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string.  Close it well, but don't make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst.  Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends.  Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight.  If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.

PUT the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down.  Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, and will not stick to the pan (I can attest to this).  Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven.  After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up.  When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. 

COOK for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400^o.  and cook for an additional 20 minutes.  Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes' total cooking time for each pound.  There is no need to turn the chicken again.

You can leave the lemons in while carving and spoon the juice over the sliced chicken.

Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

Meat is definitely Alyssa's specialty.  She has been making these ribs for a couple of years now.  

She gets her ribs at Findlay Market at Mackie Quality Meats

When it was decided that Alyssa would be in charge of Thanksgiving dinner last year, her Grandpa Joe requested Barbecue Ribs.  That's pretty funny because Grandma had just told everyone we were having a traditional Thanksgiving.  I guess Grandpa got smart and went straight to the chef.

That was random, I know.  But a nice a memory.

We use Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce.  It's yum.  

Oven Baked Barbecue Ribs

Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted from a recipe on Allrecipes.com 

2 slabs baby back ribs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (we use Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Peel off tough membrane covering bony side of the ribs, if necessary.   Mix sugar and spices to make the rub, apply rub to ribs on all sides.  Lay ribs on two layers of foil, meaty side down.  Lay two layers of foil on top of ribs and seal tightly all around.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone.  Remove from oven and heat broiler.  Arrange on broiler pan, bone side up.  Brush on sauce and broil for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and starting to bubble.  Turn ribs over and repeat on other side. 

 

Double Chocolate Brownies

 Birthday Brownies!!!


Alyssa requested for her birthday either an apple pie, Rice Krispie treats, or brownies.

 I chose to make her Brownies.

She and her sister thought they were too chocolatey.  I haven't found one person (other than my two daughters) who thinks anything can be too chocolatey.

Oh well.  My friends and I (and Allen) thought they were awesome.  Especially with spumoni ice cream after an Italian dinner.

Double Chocolate Brownies
Compliments of JennaDish

from Martha Stewart Cookies

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used bittersweet)
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang.  Butter lining (not overhang).  Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until melted.  Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salit in a bowl.  Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale, about 4 minutes.  Add chocolate mixture; mix until combined.  Reduce speed to low.  Add flour mixture; mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combines.

Pour batter into pan; spread evenly with a spatula.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet about 35 minutes.  Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes.  Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.  Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Marcella Hazan Meatballs

 Happy Birthday Alyssa!

Thank you for making Italian Meatballs from the famed cookbook Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan on your birthday.

Meatballs
Compliments of JennaDish

from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

SERVES 4

A slice of good-quality white bread (used Italian bread)
1/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef, preferably ground chuck
1 Tablespoon onion, chopped very fine
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 egg
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Whole nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs, spread on a plate (processed about 3-4 large Italian bread slices)
Vegetable oil

1. Trim away the bread crust, put the milk and bread in a small saucepan and turn on the heat to low.  When the bread has soaked up all the milk, mash it to a pulp with a fork.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

2. Into a bowl put the chopped meat, onion, parsley, the egg, the tablespoon of olive oil, the grated Parmesan, a tiny grating of nutmeg - about 1/8 teaspoon - the bread and milk mush, salt, and several grindings of black pepper.  Gently knead the mixture with your hands without squeezing it.  When all the ingredients are evenly combined, shape it gently and without squeezing into balls about 1 inch in diameter.  Roll the balls lightly in the bread crumbs.

3. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the meatballs in a single layer.  (or cook them in two batches) Pour in enough vegetable oil to come 1/4 inch up the sides.  Turn on the heat to medium high and when the oil is hot, slip in the meatballs.  Sliding them in with a spatula will avoid splashing hot oil out of the pan.  Brown the meatballs on all sides, turning them carefully so they won't break up.

This is a partial recipe of Marcella Hazan's Meatballs and Tomatoes recipe.  I just preferred to use Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce in place of cooking plain tomatoes.

Southern-Style Deep Fried Chicken

Happy Election Day !!!

When you have a food blog, and the food you take pictures of is other people's dinner, sometimes if you're not quick enough, those people start chewing on your subject matter. 

I was darn lucky to grab this lone chicken leg left on the serving plate in time to get a shot for this post.

Or else I'd be describing a fried chicken leg.

I can't believe I'm posting a recipe for fried chicken.  It's not like I've been successful.  I don't even fix fried chicken for dinner.  I think the last time was in the 90's sometime.  And that is obvious by the grease splatters on my novice hands and arms.  However it did give me the opportunity to discuss my war wounds at the office.  "Look at my burn I got from making fried chicken!" I bragged as they looked at me with a worried smile.  I can't help it. My personality profile explains that I "become enthralled by flora and fawna" or something to that effect.

Well, blah blah blah, let's get on with the point of my post.  This is the best fried chicken I've ever cooked.  Which isn't saying much.  So in addition I will say it may be the best I've ever eaten.

I've heard that soaking chicken in buttermilk was the answer, in the past, but that didn't work great for me.  However I had never heard of nor tried this method ...

... cooking the chicken in boiling milk.

Hmmmm.

Then when it's time to fry it, you are only crisping it up rather than worrying about it cooking all the way through. You put flour and a touch of cayenne pepper in a bag, coat the chicken, roll the pieces in egg, coat a second time and fry.

I got this recipe from Nigella Lawson on the Food Network website.  I've been reading through her most recent cookbook, Nigella Kitchen, and she does have a bit of a spin on the usual recipes.  So I was anxious to try this new method out.

(Now watch me start seeing this same method popping up everywhere suddenly.  Making me feel like I've been living in the back woods for decades. Hate it when that happens.)

Needless to say, it worked brilliantly.  Used chicken legs and thighs.  I guess the milk makes it tender.  I could get my science book out and try to explain why the milk makes it tender, like some people do on their blogs, or I could school you on the origins of cooking meat in milk.  Or the history of the chicken.  Or maybe the first person to eat one?  Or I could just be truthful and say I don't know, and I don't care and if you care that much, I'm not sure I like you anymore. 

Southern-Style Deep Fried Chicken
Compliments of JennaDish

from Nigella Lawson, Food Network

2 chicken drumsticks, skin on
2 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
3 to 4 cups milk
2 1/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, for frying
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten

In a medium pan, place chicken and cover with milk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight. This helps tenderize the meat, but is optional

In a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, using tongs, transfer chicken into pot, then pour in the milk. Bring milk to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low allowing to simmer until the chicken is cooked through entirely, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the milk, and place on a rack to cool. Allow them to sit until warm about 15 minutes, and then pat dry using a kitchen towel.

Heat vegetable shortening in a Dutch oven over high heat just until it's nearly at the smoking point around 325 degrees F.

In a large zip-lock bag, add salt, flour, cayenne pepper, shake to combine.

In a medium bowl, beat 1 egg.

Place each piece of chicken, 1 at a time, in the bag and shake to coat the chicken. Then dip chicken into the egg to coat. Place the chicken back into the flour to coat for a second time. Repeat this method on remaining 3 pieces of chicken.

Gently drop each piece of chicken into hot oil, allowing the skin to crisp and turn golden brown in color, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately.

Maple Pecan Bundt Cake

  OH the joys of the office dessert ...


...sitting on a plastic plate

...then transferred to a paper plate


...then nestled by the coffee mug your friend picked up for you at the thrift store for 50 cents.  No, it's not so much sentimental.  It's that people steal things.

...oh and the plastic fork.  This slice of cake was prepared for my office neighbor, Marsha.  See how I sprinkled powdered sugar all around the paper plate?  I think that's a "glass half full" kind of thing to do.  Am I right?

Maple Pecan Bundt Cake
Compliments of JennaDish

from Nigella Kitchen, Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson

MAKES ONE BUNDT CAKE, ABOUT 12 SLICES

for the maple pecan filling
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups pecans (or walnuts), roughly chopped
1/2 cup maple syrup

for the cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon (9 Tablespoons) soft, unsalted butter
3/4 cup super fine (caster) sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1-2 teaspoons confectioner's sugar for dusting
flavorless oil for greasing pan (or baking spray)

10-inch bundt pan

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.  Using flavorless oil (or baking spray) grease your bundt pan and leave upside down on paper towel for the excess to drain out.

Make the filling for the cake by mixing together the 1/2 cup flour and 2 Tablespoons butter with a fork (or better yet, a pastry blender), till you end up with the sort of mixture you'd expect when making crumble topping.  Then, mix in the cinnamon, nuts and maple syrup to form a sticky paste. Set aside.

For the cake, measure the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl. 

Now cream the butter and sugar, (beat well until smooth and pale) then beat in 1 Tablespoon of flour mixture, then 1 egg, then another Tablespoonful of flour mixture, followed by the second egg.

Add the rest of the flour mixture, beating as you go, and then finally the sour cream.  You should expect to end up with a fairly firm cake batter.

Spoon just more than half the cake batter into the oiled bundt pan.  Spread the mixture up the sides a little and around the funnel of the pan to create a rim.  Don't get the sticky filling on the sides of the pan.  Dollop the maple filling carefully into the dent in the cake batter, then cover the filling with the remaining batter.  Smooth the top and put the pan into the oven for 35-40 minutes, until it's light golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick inserted through the cake (no the sticky filling) comes out clean.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then turn out onto the rack.  When the cake is cold, dust with confectioner's sugar.

Blueberry Swirl Buttermilk Muffins with Streusel Topping

Best Blueberry Muffins I've Ever Made or Eaten

Make Bueberry Compote

Make the Batter and Fold Whole Blueberries In

 Swirl the Compote in the Middle

 
Make Streusel and Pile on the Top

 

Bake and ...

Enjoy

 

Blueberry Swirl Buttermilk Muffins with Streusel Topping
Compliments of JennaDish

slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated Magazine June 2009

MAKES 12 MUFFINS

2 cups (about 10 ounces) fresh blueberries
1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white;1/2 cup whole wheat)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
¼ cup vegetable oil (I used Canola)
1 cup buttermilk (see note)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Note: Substitute the buttermilk with 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk or for every 1 cup milk, add 1 Tbsp white vinegar and allow to sit 5 minutes.

MUFFINS
Place oven rack to upper-middle of oven and preheat to 425^o. Spray standard muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with potato masher or similar, stirring frequently, until berries have cooked down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and set aside. 

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick, about 1 minutes or less. Slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined; whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. Batter will be very lumpy - do not overmix.

Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter and swirl. Make streusel topping, recipe below, and pile evenly onto muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin 180^o halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before serving.

STREUSEL TOPPING
Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, pinch of salt, and ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour in small bowl. Drizzle with 5 tablespoons warm, melted unsalted butter and mix with fork until mixture forms small and large pieces throughout. Sprinkle streusel topping over muffins before baking. 

Crunchy French Toast Sticks

Well, this isn't exactly diet food, but I did my last interview for my research paper Friday at Panera Bread and this Challah bread was gleaming on the shelf, saying,

"Take me hoooome.  Make me into French Toooooast."

So I did.

Isn't this a beauty?

I tried once to make Challah bread from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day method. The above photo is not of mine.  Or else I would make bread for a living.

 

Here's mine ... don't laugh.

 

I mean it.

 

Oh well, that's why they make teenagers dogs trash cans. 

Back to the good stuff.  The above photo shows slices that are less than 1" thick.  Great for regular French Toast like this...

But we want French Toast Sticks, so slice the bread, before it's cooked, a full 1" to 1 1/8" wide.  Then cut the slice down the middle lengthwise so each slice makes 2 fat sticks like this size ...

I like the idea of fat sticks so they won't flop over.  However, you will have to go find that huge wide-mouthed mug you got as a gift.  You know, the one where you'd have to pour half the pot of coffee just to fill up the mug.  Alyssa loves elephants so she had to have this mug from the San Diego Zoo. 

I use the bottom of a sturdy plastic cup to crush the cereal.  It's greener than using a plastic bag and rolling pin.

Crunchy French Toast Sticks
Compliments of and by Jenna Dish

MAKES 2 SERVINGS OR 8 STICKS

Two 1" slices of Challah Bread (or similar sturdy bread)
2-3 large eggs
1 large stream of milk (no more than 1/4 cup)
pinch of nutmeg and/or cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
1 cup crushed breakfast cereal like Special K or Corn Flakes
2 Tbslp butter/ few drops oil for skillet

Cut bread into fat sticks.  In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs, stir in milk, spices, and vanilla (if using).  Put crushed cereal in a separate shallow bowl.  Heat 10" or 12" non-stick skillet on medium heat and melt about 1 tablespoon of butter and a few drops of canola oil (butter alone will burn - oil alone smokes - mixture works best). 

Dip bread one stick at a time in egg mixture, covering completely.  Roll bread stick in cereal covering all sides and lay in skillet, filling skillet but not crowding.  Let cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and keep warm until ready to serve with syrup or fruit.

 

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

 
Baby, it's cold outside! 

Not really.  But at least it's finally below 80 degrees.  It's time for some hot, soupy, chicken pot pie with a flaky, ooey-gooey, well-done crust. 

Cook veggies, flour, chicken,broth, milk and half n half to make filling.  Pour in individual bowls and top with puff pastry.

Trim and fold under the pastry edges.  Brush with egg white and bake 25 minutes. 

Let rest briefly.  The more you let the inside cool, the thicker the broth.  About the crust: I'm not a food photographer (newsflash!) so although the top photo left looks cheesy and the bottom photo looks greasy, I assure you the crust is neither one.  The egg white coating is playing tricks with our eyes.

 

Oh who wants to wait for it to cool or thicken.  I'm diggin' in.

Our Chicken Pot Pie:  350 calories, 15g fat (8g saturated), 650 mg sodium

Boston Market Pastry Top Chicken Pot Pie: 800 calories, 48g fat (18g saturated fat, 7g trans fat), 1,090 mg sodium

Chicken Pot Pie
Compliments of JennaDish

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

from Cook This Not That

2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups stemmed and quartered white or cremini mushrooms
2 cups frozen pearl onions
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (leftover or pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken borth, warmed
1 cup 2% or whole milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
salt and black pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Heat the butter in a large saute pan or pot over medium heat.  When it's melted, add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 mintues.  Stir in the chicken and the flour, using a wooden spoon to ensure the vegetables and meat are evenly coated with flour.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth, using a whisk to beat it in to help avoid clumping with the flour (having the broth warm or hot helps smooth out the sauce).  Once the broth is incorporated add the milk and half-and-half and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened substantially and lightly clings to the vegetables and chicken.  Stir in the peas.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Cut the pastry into quarters.  Roll out each piece on a floured surface to make a 6" square.

Divide the chicken mixture among 4 ovenproof bowls.  Place a pastry square over the top of each bowl and trim away the excess with a paring knife; pinch the dough around the edges of the bowl to secure it.  Brush the tops with the egg whites and bake until golden brown about 25 minutes.

 

Cakey Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear Alyssa

Remember when I was going to Starbucks a few years ago and you asked me to get you a Rice Krispie treat?  And when I came back with something else, you asked me why?  I told you that when I asked for your Rice Krispie treat, the clerk Barista said that they didn't have any in the summer because they're "seasonal."   Rice Krispie treats are SEASONAL?  Really?

On a related note, years ago, I bought a bag of mint chocolate chips.  On the back was a recipe for Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They were really just chocolate crackle cookies using mint chocolate chips, so it was a dark cookie with dark chips and had a dusting of powdered sugar.  Very different from the above photo.

Why?  Why is this recipe different?  Well, one day, years eons ago, I couldn't find the mint chocolate chips I'd always bought, so I asked the store manager.  Guess what he said?  "Those are seasonal items."  MINT. CHOCOLATE. CHIPS. ARE. SEASONAL?  Really?  Do you know that I have never, I said never, seen a bag of mint chocolate chips since.  Even in the winter. 

I don't know.  Maybe because I live in third world Ohio?  Well fine.  I'll use Andes mints then. 

UPDATE:  I decided to contact Hershey regarding my quest for mint chocolate chips.  Here is their response:

"We are pleased to hear from consumers who enjoy our products.  We are committed to the highest standards of excellence.  HERSHEY'S Mint Chocolate Baking Chips are produced only during the Christmas season.  Consumer demand plays an important role in the products that are produced.  Your comments are valuable and have been forwarded to the Marketing Department."

So they didn't address my particular situation.  No mint chips have been spotted in these parts for over 10 years - even at Christmas.  They have a product search feature which tells you when a particular product was purchased and where.  It came up No Search Results.  Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.  (What the freak does that mean, anyway?)  I think these people are out of touch.  People eat mint all year round.  Mints have taken over the grocery checkout lanes.  People are making mint cookies out of Altoids for Pete's sake.  I see chat rooms of bakers looking for mint chips in May, July, September.  And what's up with the white chocolate chips I see year round?  Are they any less holiday season than mint?  Am I wrong here people? 

I'm using a cookie recipe from here: Martha Stewart Cookies.  I can't recommend this book enough.  It makes a great gift.  Actually, I got mine as a birthday gift last year from Alyssa.   Beautiful photos.  I looked through it every night for weeks.

Cakey Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted (only the chips are different) from Martha Stewart Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 Tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped Andes mints

Preheat oven to 350F.  Whisk together flour and baking soda in a bowl.

Put butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  (Or use a hand mixer.)  Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Reduce speed to low.  Add salt, vanilla, and eggs; mix until combined, about 1 minute.  Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.  Stir in mint chips.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies until centers are set and edges are golden, 10 - 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Let cool on baking sheets 2minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

 

Individual Upside Down Cakes

 
Pineapple Cherry Upside Down Cake

Traditional Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Maraschino Cherries

Nectarine Cherry Upside Down Cake

The individual cakes shown were baked in fairly large 8-9 oz ramekins.  The cakes are a little bigger than they look.  You could use smaller ramekins, about 6-7 oz and you could fill about 6.  You would use less batter which would still be plenty.  Nothing wrong with more fruit and less cake.

A Few Notes: 
If serving with ice cream in the ramekins, this size might be too big.  Depends on if you have teeny tiny ladies watching their weight, or if you have teenage boys who could eat this in 2 seconds flat. 

If using canned fruit, like pineapple rings, the fruit will not cook down as much as say, fresh, juicy peaches or plums or nectarines, and you will depend more on the butter and sugar mixture for the gooey part.  You'll see this in the above photos.  The fresh nectarines cooked down creating more sugary juices to mix with the batter.  The above three cakes were baked with the same amount of sugar mixture in the bottom of the ramekins. 

 

UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Compliments of JennaDish

Adapted (very slighlty) from David Lebovitz

Makes a 10-inch cake or 4-5 large ramekins of 9 oz each or six 5-6 oz ramekins

You have some latitude with the fruits that you use. Just make sure that whatever you use covers the bottom in a substantial layer, around double-thickness, since the fruit will cook down while baking. Berries and such are good nestled in the gaps between the slices of fruits.

For the fruit layer:
3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Fruit: 8 quartered plums or apricots, 3-4 thickly-sliced pears or nectarines, or 2 cups cranberries; add a handful of huckleberries, cherries, raspberries.  You can also use canned pineapple tidbits or pineapple rings.  Canned fruit will not cook down as much so one layer is fine but you may want to increase your  butter and sugar mixture for more gooeyness.  Add 2 T each butter and sugar.

For the cake layer:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature (I used part skim and part half n half)

If using skillet to bake in, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet. Add the brown sugar and cook while stirring, until the sugar is melted and begins to bubble. Remove from heat and let cool. 

If using or cake pan or ramekins, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan until it begins to bubble, then divide evenly into ramekins or pour all into cake pan. Set aside to cool.

 Once cool, arrange the fruit in a pinwheel design, added berries if desired. Set aside.
 Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Beat the 8 tablespoons of butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time, until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Stir half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Stir just until the flour is barely incorporated into the batter.

Spread the batter over the fruit and bake for 45 minutes to one hour (depending on the size of the pan, and the thickness of the batter.) The cake is ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center feels just set.

Remove from oven, let cool about 20 minutes, then place a cake plate on top, and wearing oven mitts, flip the cake out on to the plate, taking care, as there may be some hot caramel that might escape.

Serving: Upside Down Cake is best served warm, perhaps with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It can be made in advance, left in the pan, and rewarmed in the cake pan or skillet right before serving. It’s also very good rewarmed in a microwave, and served immediately.

Buttermilk Waffles with Chunky Fruit Syrup

I get songs stuck in my head sometimes.

Today the song that's stuck in my head is actually a jingle.  I also get jingles stuck in my head.  Oftentimes they are from 1970's commercials. 

In the 70's I was a kid, the time when you soak up the most knowledge, and tend to remember what you're taught.  Unfortunately I soaked up a lot of television.  It's the Woodsy Owl public service announcement about pollution.

"Give a hoot, don't pollute.  Never be a dirty bird.  In the city or in the wood, help keep America....lookin' good."  BAM  Not familiar with the song?  Please look it up so I'm not the only one singing it.  Give A Hoot Don't Pollute.  Good times.

This waffle would be categorized as both a "make the day of" waffle and a "soft" waffle, unless you decide to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the batter right after pouring it in the waffle iron, which would make it a bit crunchier. 

It tastes very breakfasty because you can taste the fluffy and elegant egg white in it.  It will make you smile.  And the person you make it for will smile.

 

You can easily add a couple mashed bananas in the batter to make Banana Buttermilk Waffles.  See the toasted banana in the photo above?  Or how about mashed peaches?  Breakfast heaven.

 
You do know that you can make your own buttermilk if you don't have any on hand, right?  Of course you do.  I'm not quite the first person with that little tip.   

1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk.  Let sit a few minutes.

You can make fruit syrup by simply adding fruit to a saucepan along with a sweetener such as sugar, honey or maple syrup.  The normal ratio is about 2 cups fruit to 1 cup sweetener, however I use as little sweetener as possible, while still balancing the tartness of the fruit.  Scrape vanilla from a bean if you have one. 

My bean is a bit slimy because it's been sitting in vodka for a year.

You will make batter, whip egg whites separately, then fold the egg whites in the batter.


Pour batter in iron, leaving enough room for it to spread out a bit and not ooze out the sides.  This is where you can sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for the crunchy crust. 

Because this is a soft, lightweight waffle, you may have trouble lifting it out of the iron without it flopping around or tearing.  If so, I recommend rolling it out.  It will straighten out beautifully.

The chunky blueberry syrup option.


The butter option.  Is that a cute little butter bubble I see?  Isn't that precious?

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES with Chunky Fruit Syrup
Compliments of JennaDish

from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics

SERVES 4 TO 6

This recipe can be halved.  Options include adding 2 mashed bananas or mashed peaches to the batter.  Or after pouring batter into the waffle iron, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top for a crunch.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs separated, room temperature (for halved recipe, use 1 1/2 - 2 eggs)
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus more for waffle iron (or use cooking spray)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if no bean)

Preheat a waffle iron.  In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla bean scraping.  Pour into the dry mixture, and whisk just until combined.

In the clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold the whites into the batter.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees to keep waffles warm.  With a pastry brush, brush the waffle iron lightly with melted butter or use cooking spray.  Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto each section of the waffle grid; spread the batter almost to the edges.  Close the lid, and bake 3-5 minutes, depending on desired doneness.

FRUIT SYRUP

Use 2 cups fruit to 1 cup sweetener (or less depending on sweetness desired).  Add the contents of a vanilla bean if available.  Stir over medium heat until thickened.