Blueberry Muffins

I've spent the past several weeks testing out muffin recipes.  The Everything Muffin recipe is not quite there yet but the blueberry muffin testing is done.

Blueberry Muffins
yield: 12 muffins


1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
 coarse sparkling sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line or spray 12 regular muffin tins.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add cubed butter and mix until sandy.  Add oil and continue mixing until incorporated.
4. Combine buttermilk and vanilla and add to the flour mixture.  Beat until smooth.
5. Add egg, one at a time. Beat until smooth.
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold in blueberries and lemon zest.
7. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins.  (The tins should be pretty full.)  Sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar.  Bake 17 to 20 minutes. Let muffins cool in tins for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack.

***If using fresh blueberries, reserve 2 tablespoons of flour and lightly toss the berries with the reserved flour before adding to batter.

I don't always have buttermilk on hand so I tested the recipe using regular milk instead of buttermilk and felt it was so much better with the buttermilk.  I use buttermilk in a handful of recipes but always end up buying a full quart.  I freeze leftover buttermilk in 1/4 cup cubes.  Frozen buttermilk does separate when thawed but I find it works perfectly fine in cake, pancakes, and muffins.

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Beignets

Happy Christmas Eve!!  I know I haven't posted many recipes lately.  I've been cooking and I have several recipes in draft right now but the whole process of food blogging takes a lot of time.  I can't manage to pull out the DSLR camera, find the cord to upload, and edit photos so right now iPhone photos will have to do.  I need an SLR camera that will email photos to me. 

I've made this recipe a few times over the past several months. I've tweaked the recipe a bit, decreasing the amount of flour just a bit to get a more pliable dough.  I've starting converting many stand mixer bread dough recipes to work with my favorite Zoji bread machine.  

I find that this dough tastes best when allowed to rest overnight.  It still tastes find after refrigerating a few hours but the complex yeast-y flavors take longer to develop.  The dough also poofs up nicely with the longer rest.  I've fried half the dough the first morning and the other half the second morning.  The dough can be kept in the fridge for a few days but I find that after day 3, it starts to get too flavorful.  I've also frozen the dough and it's worked beautifully.

I love eating beignets with Vietnamese coffee made with either Cafe du Monde or French Market chicory coffee rather than cafe au lait. 

Beignets

adapted from Tyler Florence "Ultimate French Quarter" episode

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 3 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• Cooking spray
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except for cooking spray, oil, and powdered sugar to bread machine.  Set dough cycle but don't let the dough complete proof cycle.

2. Place dough in oil bowl (cooking spray or butter) and cover.  Refrigerate dough overnight or at least 4 hours.  (Beignets are most flavorful if allowed to rest overnight.)

3. Once rested, gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour on top so you can work with the dough. Gently shape the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle so it can be cut into squares. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter cut into squares, (you should yield 12 large squares, depending on how thick you rolled the dough).

4. Heat about 2 inches oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the beignets in batches, turning them and gently bouncing them with tongs to encourage them to poof, until golden. Remove from oil onto a paper towel lined plate. To serve, transfer beignets to a serving plate and dust generously with powdered sugar.

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Challah French Toast Casserole with Macerated Berries

If you read my blog, you may (or may not) notice my love of French Toast. I have posted several variations of French Toast. (And most variations involve challah.)

This variation was inspired by one of the brunch dishes served at one the many baby showers I hosted. One of the other hostesses was in charge of the menu and she made a dish she called “French Toast Casserole.” We briefly discussed the dish and I asked if she used maple syrup. To my surprise, she said the dish did not contain a drop of maple syrup. The syrup was made with brown sugar and corn syrup.

I forgot about getting the recipe from her so I tried to recreate it from memory. I know she mentioned that she used challah and I recall the challah was cubed. (I’m not sure if she removed the crust. I ended up leaving the crust.) She also mentioned Grand Marnier so I stuck with the Grand Marnier. I think Cointreau, Curaçao or regular old triple sec will work.

This version of French Toast is very good. It is reminiscent of a good bread pudding. Since I was in testing phase, I decided to start with a smaller quantity. The amount was perfect for the two of us. (It was actually enough for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday.) I’m sure it can be doubled and baked in a 2.5 quart baking dish instead of the 1.25 quart dish I used.

I worked backwards when I made this. I cubed the bread and placed it in the baking dish until it was almost full. I then transferred the cubed bread into a large measuring cup. (That’s how I discovered the baking dish held just over 4 cups (1 quart). I wanted about a cup and half of liquid so I started with ¾ cup of half and half. Each egg is approximately 2 ounces or ¼ cup. The other ingredients’ volumes were negligible.

The macerated berries side was a last minute decision. I like fresh fruit with my breakfast so I picked up some strawberries and blueberries. I discovered that the strawberries were tasteless on their own. (I realize it is not strawberry season.) Out of desperation, I had to find a way to rescue them. I decided to macerate them and booze them up. The berry-boozy syrup is heavenly with the French Toast.

Challah French Toast Casserole with Macerated Berries

¼ cup (half stick) unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 cups challah bread, cubed
3 large eggs
¾ cup half and half or heavy cream
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (Cointreau, Curaçao or Triple Sec)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg (about a pinch)
pinch of salt

1. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave about 30 to 90 seconds to melt sugar. Stir to combine and allow to slightly cool and then pour in a 10.5" x 7" x 2" (1.25 quart) rectangular pan. (I measured my pan and my measurements were 9" x 7" but the manufacturer lists 10.5" x 7". Who am I to argue?)
2. Place bread cubes in baking dish.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and Grand Marnier. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Let stand until oven is preheated.
5. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Macerated Berries:

- 1 pound berries (I used 1 pound of strawberries and a half pint of blueberries)
- ¼ to ½ cup sugar (depending on the sweetness of your berries)
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Wash, hull and slice strawberries. Mix everything together and allow to sit while the French Toast is baking. The berries are ready when the sugar turns syrupy. (Some people like their berries to sit a while longer but I don’t like mushy berries.)

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Challah French Toast

My favorite bread for french toast is challah (my second favorite is brioche). Whenever I find challah french toast on the menu of a hip breakfast joint, I always have to order it. I think I make a pretty darn good french toast. (I used the same recipe but with a soft french baguette during out snow trip earlier this year. I ended up feeding 30 adults plus several children.)

2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
pinch salt
1 extra large egg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon brown sugar
6 thick slices challah bread

1. Mix all ingredients (except bread) together. Whisk together.
2. Heat a skillet or griddle. Coat with butter and oil. Dip each slice of bread in mixture and fry each side until golden brown.

I usually buy my challah at the Whole Foods in Cherry Creek. They usually carry the braided loaf most of the year and the braided crown around Rosh Hashanah.

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Pizza Lue

The reason why I am posting about this is because my dear brother commented on my blog. He said I post about too many western recipes. I should focus on more Lue recipes. I told him that it would be impossible for me to only blog about Lue recipes because I know approximately six Lue recipes and I'm not certain all six are authentic.

I made a conscious effort to make a "Lue" dish over the weekend. I had leftover sticky rice in the fridge. I took the leftover rice and made one of my favorite breakfast recipes. We call it "Pizza Lue." The name is made up but we've been calling it "Pizza Lue" for so long, I'm not sure I know the real name. I'm not even sure if it is a real dish eaten by the Lue folks in Sipsongpanna.

I don't expect anyone to read this blog entry and then feel inspired to make "Pizza Lue." I know the ingredients do not make this dish sound very appetizing and I'm not sure anyone outside of the Lue community would be able to get their hands on the fermented soybean paste. It is not sold on the shelf of your local Asian grocery store. I got my little jar from my aunt. (Note to self: I must learn how to make fermented soybeans.)

Start off by reheating your leftover sticky rice and form the rice into one large circle (about the size of your frying pan) or into smaller circles.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan. Fry both sides of rice until crunchy and slightly golden.

Spread fermented bean paste sauce on one side of the rice.

Dip rice in eggs mixture (eggs, water, fish sauce, black pepper and MSG) and fry until eggs are cooked.

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The Last Few Weekends and a Recipe for Cafe 222's Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast

I spent the last two weekends with my family and friends. (Weekends with my family and friends are not exactly relaxing. It involves a lot of drinking and very little sleeping.) The first weekend was a snowboarding/skiing trip in Breckenridge/Copper Mountain. The second weekend was a baby shower in San Diego.

We planned a day of eating and shopping for one of the days I was in San Diego. We started the day off with brunch. My friend Kellie wanted to try a restaurant featured on an episode of Bobby Flay's Throw Down. The five of us met up and walked over to Cafe 222. (We were looking for Cafe 211. Don't ask. It's a long story.)

The restaurant is really close to the convention center and the convention center hotels. I could see the Marriott from where we were sitting. As I sat there, all I could think of was the day I was standing on one of the Marriott's balconies, looking out towards downtown San Diego. And as I was typing this post, I remembered taking pictures from the balcony. I searched through my gmail account for the pictures. I have a picture of Cafe 222 in one of my pictures. The pictures were from August 2005!

We walked by Lion Cafe on the way to the restaurant. (I think it is the only Lion Cafe on the mainland.) I had to grab a cup of my toasted coconut coffee. When we arrived at the restaurant, the girl told us the wait was 20 minutes. We waited 25 and went to ask if it would be much longer. We were hungry. The girl told us it would be another 20 minutes. We ended up waiting over an hour for a table.

By the time we sat down, we had memorized and mentally reorganized the menu. We even memorized the daily specials. When our waitress came by to take our drink orders, we were ready to order our meal. Kellie wanted to try the peanut butter banana french toast because it was Bobby Flay's favorite. I don't ever think about ordering stuffed french toast. I like my french toast unstuffed and made with either challah, brioche or soft french baguettes. The peanut butter banana french toast was delicious. I'm glad Kellie ordered it.

When I returned to Denver, I decided I wanted to make it so I looked for the recipe. I was in luck. The recipe from the restaurant is posted on the food network website. I printed it out and made a shopping list.

I did, however, make a couple minor changes to the recipe. I thought heavy cream was a bit too decadent so I compromised by using half and half. (I use 2% milk for my usual french toast recipe.) I also added a tablespoon of flour to the dunking mixture because a few reviewers said their french toasts turned out too mushy. It is trick I use to ensure I get fluffy and not mushy french toast. I used both wheat and white bread to see if it made much of a difference. (Our french toast at Cafe 222 was made with wheat bread.) Both tasted great.

Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast from Cafe 222

• 6 slices day-old white or wheat bread (I used four slices of wheat and two slices of white.)
  
• 1 to 2 ripe bananas
• 8 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  
• Honey, for drizzling
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used half and half instead of cream.)
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Dash salt
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  
• Butter or oil, for frying (I used a combination)
  
• Powdered sugar, for topping
• Maple syrup, for topping

Directions

Remove crust from bread. (I didn't remove the crusts. The restaurant didn't either.) Lay bread out on counter and spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each slice. Peel banana and slice enough to cover every other piece of bread. (You will be making 3 complete sandwiches). Drizzle a small amount of honey on each piece of bread that does not have banana on it. (These are the tops). Place honey drizzled piece of bread on top of a piece with bananas on it to make a sandwich. Repeat until you have made 3 sandwiches.

In a shallow medium sized bowl, gently whip, by hand, the eggs, cream, vanilla, rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and flour.

Heat skillet to medium heat, around 350 to375 degrees F, or until butter melts and begins to sizzle. Dip 1 sandwich at a time into rum batter and place into skillet. Cook until golden brown (about 3 to 4 minutes before turning) on each side. Remove from skillet and cut in 1/2 diagonally. Top with powdered sugar, butter and maple syrup.

I took tons of pictures and then realized I forgot the powdered sugar.

I love the melted peanut butter, the runny honey and the sweet bananas. It is so good you don't even need syrup.

The three pictures below are from Cafe 222. I took them using my phone. I love eating with my girl friends. They kept rotating the plates in front of me. I ate whatever was placed directly in front of me.

The potato pancakes served with applesauce and sour cream.

The All-American is in the foreground, the spinach and swiss scramble is on the green plate on the right and I think the cornmeal waffles are behind the waters.

And this is the the famous peanut butter banana stuffed french toast.



Pictures from Cordelia Ann's Shower:

I didn't take pictures of all the food. There were three tables overflowing with food.


My friend is so creative.

My chocolate dipped pretzels.

My creative friend also made two trays of these yummy spring rolls.

And more eating: Mr. Dumpling Restaurant

My brother took me out to lunch before dropping me off at the airport. He wanted Shanghai-style dumplings at Dumpling Inn Restaurant but they are closed on Mondays so we went to Mr. Dumpling Restaurant instead. The restaurant was very nice but the service was slow and the food was just so so.

For a restaurant with "dumpling" in its name, I expected little packets of heaven. I didn't get what I was expecting. We ordered several varieties of dumplings to try. The dumplings came out in a tower of stacked metal steamers. The server did not identify the tiers of dumplings for us so it was like picking from a box of mixed chocolates. Each dumpling was a mystery. The texture of the dumpling dough was thick and gummy. The fillings were underwhelming. They were not offensive but just underwhelming.

My brother and his fiancee loves this Chinese Stir-Fried Rice Cake dish. It is very good. I think it is better than rice noodles because they are thicker and chewier.

The Chinese doughnuts (You Tiao) were not very good.

The steamed and pan-fried pork buns were huge!

We ate most of the dumplings before I remembered to take pictures. The soup dumplings were very interesting.

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The BF’s Chorizo, Potatoes and Eggs

This dish is the bf’s favorite breakfast dish. He makes it all the time. He calls it “Chorizo, Potatoes and Eggs.” I asked if there was an official name. He said nope. We bought a pound of fresh chorizo at Sunflower Market the other day so he decided to be the chef on Saturday morning. I watched and took notes.

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 yukon gold potatoes, diced
½ onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt
pepper
½ pound chorizo sausage
6 large eggs
splash milk
jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
4 flour tortillas

1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and add diced potatoes. Cook until potatoes are cooked through and crispy. Add onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are tender. Transfer cooked potatoes to a bowl.
2. In the same pan, brown chorizo sausage. When sausage is cooked, return potatoes to pan. Meanwhile crack eggs into bowl and add a splash of milk. Pour eggs in the pan and let set a few minutes before stirring. Continue to cook until eggs are done. Top with shredded cheese.
3. Reheat tortillas on open flame. Serve chorizo, potatoes and eggs with tortillas.

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