Graham Crackers with Teff Flour

Graham Crackers with Teff Flour

Adapted from Blue Heron Kitchen

If you’re interested in exploring and working with flours and grains that take you beyond the all-purpose white or whole wheat arena, I recommend you get a copy of Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. It’s a fantastic resource.

Teff flour is known, primarily in Ethiopian cuisine to make injera, a flat, spongy bread that's served with just about all Ethiopian food. It offers twice as much iron as wheat and it’s loaded with calcium too. It’s another one of those miracle grains like Quinoa that people outside of “civilized culture” have been eating for centuries. We’re just getting it.

Don’t know where to find Teff flour? Bob’s Red Mill is a great resource. If you don’t live  near a market that carries this line, buy it online, directly from the company.  In this recipe, I also use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill’s whole wheat graham flour (organic or not organic, your preference.)

Gluten 101: This isn’t my first recipe for graham crackers. The original one I published calls for the addition of spelt flour. Graham, spelt and teff flours have in common that they’re all low in gluten. Gluten is the protein that binds stuff together, like bread. The more you mix or beat a batter or a dough, the more gluten you’re creating. When you roll out a pie crust and it shrinks back to the center, saying “NO!”, it’s because you’ve worked it too hard and there’s all this gluten activity. (You should put it back into the fridge and let it relax for a while before rolling it again.) Lower gluten flours produce a softer or product. Nobody likes a tough cookie. Not enough gluten, and your cookie crumbles.

You can play around with the spices (I did). I used a mild ‘golden blossom’ flavor honey, and as always, if you can get your hands on it, European style butter (83% butterfat). Brer Rabbit brand molasses is unsulphered and it isn’t blackstrap. The recipe calls for (“not blackstrap”). Blackstrap may be too dominant a flavor. If you only have blackstrap molasses, or are committed to it for its nutritional powerhouse value, use it and you could lighten up a little on some of the spice profile (or not). I’m on the fence about cloves in this recipe. In certain products, cloves are akin to wearing red lipstick. You decide. Cloves are personal.

Don’t forget to score and ‘dock’ the crackers. “Docking” means using the tines of a fork to prick tiny holes in each cookie. This keeps them from rising when they bake. You can be exact or random. Docking is tedious relaxing!

You won’t need anything but measuring devices, a whisk, a couple of bowls and a rolling pin and you. An electric mixer isn’t necessary, but using one will put this together faster than you can say, “Walmart screws women and Mexicans!”

peace and love,

jane

Grahams

With Teff Flour

Adapted from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain by Blue Heron Kitchen

Ingredients:

Dry Mix:

1 c. graham flour

½ c. teff flour

¾ c. all-purpose, unbleached flour

½ c. dark brown sugar (be certain that it’s moist and fresh – no lumps!)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves (opt.)

Wet Mix:

3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (Plugra, Cabots, Kate’s, Kerrygold are all great choices.)

¼ cup honey

1 Tbsp. unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses

1/3 c. whole milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I recommend Baldwin’s)

Topping (optional):

¼ c. sugar

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Procedure:

1.            In a medium to large sized bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder and spices. Then, whisk in the (fresh and lump-free) brown sugar. Set aside.

2.            Over low heat, melt the butter and set aside

3.            (Truc: For an easy pour, coat the inside of your measuring cup with tasteless oil or soft/melted butter.)

4.            Measure out the honey and add the molasses.

5.            Pour milk, honey and molasses into a smaller bowl. Add lukewarm butter and whisk together. Add vanilla extract.

6.            Pour wet mixture over dry and mix together, using a wooden spoon and then your hands.

7.            Flatten into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap.

8.            Refrigerate for several hours, overnight, or up to three days.

9.            Baking: Preheat oven to 350º F. and line several baking sheets with parchment paper (or butter them).

10.         Dust the work surface with flour and roll the chilled dough out to 1/8” thickness. Using a pastry wheel, fluted or non-fluted, a sharp knife, or you can use cookie cutters to make cute shapes, cut rectangles, whatever size you fancy your graham crackers. You can cut them out completely or cut out strips and leave some partially ‘scored’ and break them apart after they’re baked. It’s fun to do this.

11.         Dock them with the tines of a fork and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

12.         Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

13.         Bake for approximately about 15 minutes, until the edges are darker than the rest    of the cracker, rotating the sheets half way through the bake, top to bottom and front to back. 

14.         Remove from sheets and cool on rack.

15.         If you don’t polish them all off with some cold milk, these are the bookends for the ultimate s’mores.  Use homemade plain or flavored (Grand Marnier!) marshmallows (click here for the recipe!) Choose a black tie chocolate bar like Lindt, Godiva or Valhrona or even Hershey's dark, and you've got  S’Mosts.  

16.         Unless you live in a humid climate or are at sea (and provided you’ve baked them thoroughly), these will keep for a week in an airtight container. They may be packed well and frozen.

Corn Muffins

Corn Muffins

Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

from Carole Walter’s Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

This post is dedicated to my friends and former neighbors who live in Long Beach, NY
This blog began because of Bernadette Martin, the Manager of the Kennedy Plaza Farmer's Market

(Back in business on the 21st of November!)

These people were some of the hardest hit and most direly effected by the recent Superstorm Sandy.
 I encourage you to help in anyway you can. 
Click HERE to visit the official site of Long Beach. On the right hand side, you will find a link where you can donate directly to help rebuild the magical "City by the Sea".
Below is a link to the National Red Cross for further donations.

After Sandy hit hard, the following week, we were slammed with a Nor’easter that dumped as much as nine inches of snow on some of us here on the east coast. Compared to others, who lost power for weeks, their homes, belongings, cars and some, their lives, I was fortunate to have only lost power for several days. After replenishing all the spoilt food items, with the new threat of power outages, I pulled out my new butter, new eggs; and I got to work, baking several batches of corn things. 

Corn muffins make life better.

I've never loved corn muffins that have kernels of corn in them, so save your kernels for chowder.

Used to be the best place in town for my corn muffin was The Palace Diner on the corner of Main Street and the Long Island Expressway.

I had my Sunday run in the park/NY Times ritual and my regular booth and great waiter, "Klino".

He knew my 'usual': black coffee and a corn muffin, toasted with butter and orange marmalade on the side. (Okay, sometimes I had poached eggs.)

 Famous people ate at The Palace. Here's someone you might recognize who fell from grace, yet still knew a good corn muffin. Anthony Weiner seized a photo op with my son, while my son was secretly fuming that his feta cheese and onion omelet and onion roll were growing cold.

The Palace is gone. 

It's a Dim Sum Joint. (And it's pretty good .. but no muffins.)

This recipe is sweet and corn-crunchy. 

I like a corn muffin to taste more like corn than cake; and this one has a bold, corn flavor. It’ll shine at breakfast and also be a great addition to your savory bread-basket at dinner (you can reduce the sugar by 1/4 of a cup!)

I encourage you to use Bob’s Red Mill COARSE GRIND Corn Meal, mixed with regular or medium grind corn meal. It adds crunch, fiber and sweetness to these muffins. If you follow the above link to the site, it’s sold in four 24 oz. bags for $8.35. Pretty reasonable, and it keeps quite well. You can purchase it at Fairway Market or at any good independent market that carries Bob’s Red Mill’s line of products.

Always use whole milk when a recipe calls for ‘milk’. It’s also a good idea to use organic milk. It doesn’t come from cows treated with hormones or who have chomped on stuff that are all gmo’d.

When your refrigerated ingredients are at room temperature, they won’t ‘shock’ the daylights out of the rising agents. Bring them all down to room temperature – the milk, the eggs; and even the butter that you’re going to melt will melt faster if it’s out. (Anyone who lived without power for several days or more or who lives outside of this country knows that butter can be left out of the fridge and it will do you no harm – promise.)

These are great the day they’re made, for up to a few days. You can freeze them, so if you want corn muffins on your Thanksgiving Day table, you can start now!

Please remember to donate (click on this link to the Red Cross!). If you’re in the NY/NJ Metro area, you can donate clothes, food, time and money (whichever and whatever you can) to help those of us who have suffered and continue to suffer the damage that Sandy has incurred. Here is a link to the Huffington Post article: Hurricane Sandy: 10 Tips For Donating Smart

Stay warm, charged, gassed up and safe.

peace and love,

jane

Corn Muffins

Yield 24 Muffins (may be halved)

Ingredients:

12 Tbsp./6 oz. unsalted butter (I use Plugra, a higher fat content European style butter)

4 Tbsp. Canola Oil

2 C. Unbleached All Purpose Flour (Try King Arthur)

1 1/2 C. Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal, spooned and leveled

1/2 C. Coarse Ground Yellow Cornmeal, spooned and leveled

1 C. Granulated Sugar (For a more savory muffin, use 3/4 c.)

2 Tbsp. Baking Powder (make sure it’s fresh!) (And YES, I do mean Tablespoons)

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

4 eggs, size large, at room temperature

2 C. Whole Milk (preferably organic, at room temperature)

1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract (I use Baldwin’s from West Stockbridge!)

Procedure:

1.    Rack in oven to the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 400º F.

2.    Brown your butter in a heavy saucepan, melting it over low heat. Skim the foam as it forms (it helps to tilt the saucepan toward you!) The butter is ready when it’s a golden brown and it has a nutty fragrance. This should take about five minutes or so. Be careful to not burn the butter!

3.    Pour the browned butter into a glass measuring cup and add the Canola oil.

4.    Spoon a generous ½ tsp. of this mixture into each muffin cup. Use a pastry brush or some waxed paper to spread it around the cup.

5.    In a large bowl (always use a larger bowl than you pull out, you’ll be glad), whisk together all dry ingredients.

6.    In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.

7.     Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients (you can make a wish now) and pour in the wet ingredients, including the remaining butter/oil mixture. (If you’re doing this in two batches, be sure to reserve some butter/oil mixture for the second batch.

8.     Using a large rubber spatula, push the dry ingredients into the center from the sides of the bowl. Do Not Overmix. The batter will be loose and somewhat lumpy (like some body parts appear when you haven’t been exercising regularly.)

9.     Portion the batter into the muffin tin(s) using an ice cream scoop that has a ¼ c. capacity (or use a ¼ c. measuring cup, or wing it). The cups should be almost full.

10.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and tops are spongy to the touch. If you’re baking on two racks, be sure to rotate your tins, top to bottom, front to back, half way through the bake.

11.  Place on rack to cool.

Chocolate "Gold Coast" Globs

After a foot of snow blanketed Colorado last week, shutting down businesses and schools and with the arrival of snow and sleet, accented by a few cracks of thunder in New York City today, I suggest: Soyez prêtes! ('Be prepared!'). 


In kitchenese: mis en place (pronounced: meeze ehn plahsuh) 


So, when it comes to the baking of these fantastic globs that fall somewhere between a brownie a cookie and a "chunky", the situation is that everything you're going to need is pre-measured and ready, like you had an imaginary apprentice doing all the dirty work while you were in make-up getting ready for the shoot.* 

*You can't tell me that you never forgot something like the sugar or,say, doubled the butter and not everything else (as I just did - I'm serious).


Stay warm and dry. Eat a little chocolate. And wherever you go, "soyez prêtes"! 

Chocolate “Gold Coast” Globs

Adapted from Judy Rosenberg’s Baking book by Blue Heron Kitchen

Here’s another great recipe that I’ve added a couple of my own twists to that originates from Judy Rosenberg’s All-Butter (etc.) Baking Book. I’ve learned from her publicist that she’s about to come out with a new book soon. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

It is CRITICAL that you allow for the chocolate and butter mixture to cool sufficiently or else you will wind up cooking your eggs.

Use excellent quality chocolate. It matters. I use Scharffen berger unsweetened chocolate and Jacques Torres’ dark chocolate discs, chopped, for my ‘chocolate chips’. These links are suggestions. You can purchase Scharffen berger chocolate in better stores, such as Fairway Markets and Jacques Torres has his own stores in NYC - in DUMBO, Chelsea Market and other locations too. Look for these products and discover your own chocolate treasures in your own necks of woods. Or go online and order through Amazon.

I have used both walnuts and pecans, but you can stick to one. If you love one and hate the other, knock yourself out. Today, I burned my walnuts, so my cookies had only pecans and they were pretty great.

Always toast and cool your nuts before you bake. Toast them at 350º F. for about 6-8 minutes, until you can just smell them. Watch them carefully. If they burn, they’re toast. You can play around and try a combination of chopped chocolate, nuts and even some dried fruit.

The globs freeze very well. So, if you’re starting to panic about Thanksgiving, you can bake these now and freeze them between sheets of parchment or wax paper (I love wax paper) in plastic containers, tins or freezer bags. (For anyone with a chocolate kupf, they’re stupid good frozen.)

Ingredients:

5 oz. semisweet chocolate (Scharffen berger or another good quality chocolate)

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (same as above)

4 oz. 83%, European style butter, at room temperature (Plugra brand is a good one)

¾ c. all-purpose, unbleached flour (King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill are fine examples)

1 tsp. baking powder (I use Rumford - sans aluminum!)

½ - ¾ tsp. kosher salt (depending on how much salt you want with your chocolate)

2 eggs, size large, at room temperature

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I use Baldwin’s vanilla – always)

1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ c. semisweet chocolate ‘chips’ (or chopped excellent quality, such as Jacques Torres discs)

1/3 c. chopped pecans (first, toasted and cooled)

1/3 c. chopped walnuts (first, toasted and cooled)

Procedure:

Here is where the mis en place brings you great satisfaction.

Carefully measure out all of the ingredients for this recipe.

You’ll just dump one thing in after another and this recipe will feel like you ripped off the box top of like, a box of Ghiradelli Ultimate Fudge Brownies.

1.                     Put the semi and unsweetened chocolates and butter in a stainless bowl, large enough to accommodate them; and set it atop a barely simmering pot of hot water. Take care that NO steam or hot water gets jiggy with the chocolate/butter mixture. Stir and melt. Remove to COOL.

2          Preheat oven to 325º F. and line 3 baking sheets or ½ size sheet pans or jelly roll pans with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper (you should get some), grease the sheets with melted butter or brush them lightly with vegetable oil. Set aside.

3.         In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4.         Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and coffee powder until blended.

5.         Add granulated sugar and blend until thick. 1-2 minutes.

6.         Add the cooled , melted chocolate/butter mixture and blend another minute or two. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. (If you have a silicone beater blade, this won’t be necessary!)

7.         Add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed, until just incorporated. No more than that, please. Fold in the chocolate ‘chips’ and nuts by hand or with the mixer, on low speed.

8.         Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls (I use a small measured scoop), leaving a couple of inches between, onto the prepared sheets.

9. Bake, rotating the sheets,  between the racks, turning them too, about 10-13 minutes, until they rise slightly and form a thin crust. Immediately remove the cookies from the sheets (you can leave them on the parchment) and cool on a rack.       

Yield: 24-36 cookies, depending on how globular you go