Archive for August, 2006
A griddle cake is another word for a pancake, but it seems to be used more often to indicate something more rustic and less breakfast-y than the word “pancake.” This makes it the perfect descriptor for these cornbread cakes.
Essentially, these griddle cakes are cornbread that is cooked in rounds on the stovetop, like pancakes, rather than being baked in the oven. The result is something that takes less time than baking, heats up the kitchen less and already comes in neat, individual servings. The cakes have a nice wholesome taste and a good texture, which is a bit “rustic” from the cornmeal, with a lovely little bit of crunch. They are not dense or heavy, but they are very satisfying.
I personally like them best with jam, but one of the best things about them is that they are incredibly versatile. The cakes can be topped with everything from butter to salsa, used to mop up barbecue sauce or gravy or even served with maple syrup.
I used some fresh corn in the griddle cakes, but you can also add other things to them, such as cayenne pepper and lime zest for a spicier variation, or some chopped up pre-cooked bacon, for something really savory.
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Everyone should try making truffles at least once in their lives. They are delicious and dead easy to make.
Essentially, all you have to do is combine chocolate and heavy cream in a heat-proof dish (I tend to use glass bowls) and melt them together. Once the mixture – called ganache – is smooth, it is chilled slightly until it is firm and easy to handle.
One thing that I do to make the process easier is that I melt the chocolate and the cream in the microwave, rather than on top of a double boiler. You have to take your time – working in intervals of a few seconds – but the whole process only takes a minute or so.
When everything is mixed together, I refrigerate the ganache. It can be made a few days in advance and kept cold in the refrigerator, then warmed slightly to room temperature to make shaping the balls easier. Speaking of the balls, I find it very difficult to shape them by hand, so I scoop the ganache into a ball with a teaspoon and use a small knife to turn it out into a ball. The shape can be adjusted slightly once it is covered in cocoa and is less sticky.
Adding peppermint makes these taste a lot like the York peppermint patty candies, but any flavor of extract (or none at all, if you like things very chocolaty) can be substituted. Vanilla is a nice option, as is cinnamon, but feel free to get creative with any flavors you like.
The truffles can be stored in the refrigerator, but should be eaten at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
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I’m always looking for healthy baked goods, especially muffins and other breakfast pastries. I love breakfast and muffins, but I really prefer to get my days off to a relatively healthy start. This is especially true on weekdays, when I – and most people – are likely to be sitting around a bit more than a weekend. Flipping though the new issue of the Vegetarian Times that arrived this week, a recipe for Morning Muffins caught my eye.
The muffins had no added fat (meaning that there is no butter or oil added to them) and plenty of fruit. They also used low fat yogurt as the part of the wet ingredients in the recipe. Sounds like a nice way to get going in the morning, right?
I wanted to try them right away, so I made a few quick substitutions and ended up with a recipe that was similar in principle to the original. I’ll say that my recipe was “inspired by” the original VT recipe.
The original recipe for the muffins called for using 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour, so I lost some of the whole grain-ness by using all all purpose flour. I made up for this, in my opinion, by using diced apples instead of all dried fruit. As much as I enjoy dried fruit, fresh fruit is much lower in calories and makes the low-fat muffin a bit moister.
They’re quite good when they have just cooled, and the apples are a nice touch. They are best the first day they are made, but since they’re so low in calories and fat, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating a couple of them.
If they’re too healthy for you, cut your muffin in half and spread with butter before eating. Or, simply skip this recipe and go straight to the delicious (but decidedly less healthy) Apple Streusel Muffins.
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I watched a special on the Food Network a few weeks ago that was about a pie competition. At the competition, there were a number of categories for amateur bakers: apple pie, fruit pie, cream pie, etc. Just about every pie looked delicious, but the one that ended up winning the best in show award was a fluffy pie that used Cool Whip as one of its main filling ingredients. My first thought, which I am sure was shared by others, was one of wonder – how could that have been picked over the perfectly made from-scratch pies? The answer is simple: it tasted better.
My point here is that food snobbery, however you choose to define it, is prevalent in the food-loving community and everyone has it to some small degree. When it leads to using only organic ingredients and from-scratch pies and cakes fresh from the oven, it can be a good thing. But it does not mean that the dishes that don’t live up to those standards are sub-par, or unworthy of notice. I’m not going to say that they will always be as good as something that is entirely homemade – I do bake my own bread, after all – but it certainly can be delicious.
Case in point is this award winning recipe for Peaches and Cream Pie, which has apparently won the recipe writer 5 blue ribbons and a “Best in Show” award, not to mention a five star rating from more than 450 reviewers on AllRecipes. With that kind of pedigree, I knew that I had to try the pie as soon as I had seen it. It is not a traditional pie, though. It has a cake base, rather than a pastry one, and uses pudding mix in the batter. It also called for canned peaches.
I’m glad that I put aside any snobbery I might have felt and made it. I used cherries instead of peaches, but the pie was declared to be one of the best things my tasters have ever tasted.
And they have tasted a lot.
The reason that the recipe calls for canned peaches is twofold: they take less time to soften in the oven and are very consistent. Everyone has jarred or canned peaches, so the pie can be made at a moment’s notice. I used jarred Morello cherries (not cherry pie filling, but cherries in juice) from Trader Joe’s. Other berries, fresh or frozen and defrosted, would work here, too. The vanilla pudding added a ton of vanilla flavor to the base of the “pie” and made a wonderful match for the cream cheese topping. In fact, it was almost like a very unusual cheesecake, or a cake with a cheesecake frosting. It was moist, surprisingly light and very good.
I’m not saying that all recipes that aren’t entirely homemade, etc. will be fantastic, but sometimes it is worth trying them just to find out. You might be surprised.
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When Alanna and Kalyn told me that they were going to make gazpacho today, I couldn’t resist joining in with my blogging buddies. As far as I’m concerned, gazpacho is one of the best soups that you can have during the summer. Not only is it easy to make, since it requires no cooking, but it uses up lots of fresh vegetables at the peak of their season. I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty good about a satisfying dish that is comprised entirely of tasty, healthy vegetables.
I have made many gazpacho recipes and tend to vary the ingredients according to the vegetable quantities that I either already have, using more peppers or more cucumber, or according to what I want to use up. The dish is very much a “toss everything in” sort of thing. But if I am going to stick to a recipe, I think that Elise’s version is one of the best. It’s a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet and very satisfying on a warm day.
I admit that, even though the recipe is lovely as-is, I do make a few very minor changes because I can’t fight my anti-recipe gazpacho instincts. For example, I am too lazy to peel the tomatoes. I use them whole. I also use cilantro insted of the chives called for in the original. And sometimes, I use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.
Now that confession time is over – and I think that Elise will forgive my occasional alterations – what are you waiting for? Make some gazpacho!
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