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Pancakes!

28 Jan

Pancakes 2 ways. So if you have been to Clinton Street Baking company on the LES, you know how absurdly good their pancakes are. Like so good- and you can even order them at dinner. This recipe is a little more involved than your average pancake recipe (mainly b/c it involves whipping egg whites– which, while not especially difficult, i never quite feel like doing hungover or before coffee). But on New Years day– they finally happened–and man they are fucking good.  Just what pancakes should be. Super fluffy. And it has been agreed– tasting best when eaten w. your hands.  But I didn’t want to just post this recipe— as I wanted to give you, dear reader… the option for a pancake when you got some time- and it is well worth it-  but also a no fuss alternative. So my darling college roommate Alice V. Ely– was kind enough to write in with her pancake recipe from Joy of Baking.

Clinton St. Baking Company Pancake Recipe— I halved this recipe– and it was still a shit ton of pancakes
* = see notes

4 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder (2 teaspoons)
3/4 cup sugar (my 3/4 cup thing has a half-way mark so I just eye-balled it)
1 teaspoon salt (1/2)
6 large eggs, separated (3)
3 cups whole milk (1 1/2 cups whole milk)*
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted (6 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, unmelted for the griddle and lots more for serving
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (more vanilla the better so i kept this at 1 tsp)
Maple syrup for serving

1. Measure the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the yolks, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Slowly whisk the wet mixture into the dry mixture just until combined. The resulting should be slightly lumpy yet still combined.
3. Whip the egg whites by hand with a whisk or in the bowl of an electric mixer until they reach medium peaks. You can whip them by hand with a whisk or place them in the bowl of an electric mixer. (Peaks are “soft” when you put your finger in the whites and they fall over. Peaks are “medium” when you put your finger in and they drip over a bit and stand up. “Stiff” peaks develop when you whip the whites longer and they stay up.) You don’t want to over-whip the egg whites.**
4. Gently fold half of the whipped whites into the batter with a large rubber spatula. Then gently fold the remaining whites into the batter. Remember, this batter should be slightly lumpy and have large parts of egg whites not fully incorporated and should look like whitecaps in the ocean with foam on top. (The batter will last a few hours in the fridge without deflating too much.)***
5. Heat a griddle — either an electric griddle, a stovetop griddle, or a big flat skillet — over medium to medium-low heat. Grease the hot surface with a teaspoon or so of the remaining butter. Drop 1/4 cup of pancake batter on the griddle. Now let it set. When you see bubbles start to form on top, lift the pancake halfway up to see if it’s golden brown and crisp at the edges. If it is, flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate with a spatula.
6. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling, adding more butter to the griddle as needed and cooking several pancakes at a time. Serve immediately with ample butter and maple syrup.

Variations: If desired, you can sprinkle 1 tablespoon fresh or frozen blueberries or a couple slices banana and 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts onto the pancakes before turning them. Never add the fruit to the batter; always add the fruit to the pancakes once they’re on the griddle. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar for the blueberry pancakes, cinnamon sugar for the banana-walnut.

*yes, i used whole milk. I would not go w. skim. but you can make all sorts of substitutions if you really don’t want to run out for it. Such as combining low-fat milk w. half and half or heavy cream. or even some melted butter
**I overwhipped. man i was pissed. but i added a few drops of milk and it sort of fixed it- and overall still worked.
***I left mine out of the fridge– for maybe 20 mins? and it entirely deflated- the extra batter yielding an entirely different pancake.So you can try in the fridge- but best bet is to make them directly after making the batter.

Pancakes! Post by Alice

For a straight-forward, no-fuss pancake, I head straight to Joy. You can easily mix the dry ingredients and keep them in a ziploc in the fridge, making these just as easy as Bisquick to throw together (and way better). Contrary to Joy, and due to my electric stovetop, I usually mix the dry ingredients first and mix in the wet ingredients while the griddle is heating up. Also, note that the butter must be melted, so pop that on the stove or in the microwave while you’re mixing the dry ingredients.
Whisk together: 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
.5 teaspoons salt (though, if you are out of unsalted butter as I frequently am, you can skip the salt here and use salted butter later)
Heat the griddle – not smoking hot, but enough so a spritz of water from your fingers skitters across the top.
In another bowl, whisk together: 1.5 cups milk (whole is best, but whatever you have in the fridge will work in a pinch)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
half teaspoon vanilla (Joy says this is optional, I say it’s mandatory)
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing until just combined. Fold in any toppings you like.
Ladle batter onto griddle for each pancake – the best results will be either silver dollars (~3 in diameter) or mid-sized (~5 in across), otherwise flipping becomes arduous, messy, and disappointing. Cook pancakes until they are speckled with bubbles, some of which have burst, and the edges have just started to cook (slightly longer than you expect). Flip to cook the other side – DO NOT PRESS DOWN (this makes your lovely fluffy pancakes flat and chewy and awful. Don’t do it), and cook approximately 3-5 minutes more. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup (which is best if you warm it – 10 seconds in the microwave does the job).

Popovers

8 Jan

Popover Post by the best sister I’ve ever had, Samantha. “I have some friends who claim that they had no major cravings during pregnancy.   That was not me.  From the moment I found out my news, i had one major thing on the brain – steak, steak and more steak!!!  Its too bad that BLT establishments don’t offer frequent flyer cards bc in my first trimester, my husband and i would have racked up major points;)  After a few meals at various BLTS around town and on vacation, we realized that the restaurant leaves the recipe for their delicious popovers (that they serve instead of bread), on the table.  Along with my steak fad, “nesting” at home was my new favorite hobby so I quickly ran out to bed and bath for a popover pan – what could be better – BLT food.. in the comfort of my own home!  the popovers were fantastic.  and, the hardest thing about the recipe is getting the pan and making sure you time the 50 min baking time with whatever else you are serving.  Guests love these and are always impressed.  One thing – definitely use way more than 2 tablespoons of Gruyere on each popover – you will not be disappointed.  I hadn’t made these in a while but recently I had tessa (of tessas tiny kitchen) and our father over for a dinner- we were celebrating a very special person and – popovers seemed like the right food for the occasion.  Hope you enjoy.”

BLT Popover recipe

4 Cups Milk, Warmed
8 Eggs
4 cups flour
1 1/2 heaping tbsp salt
2 1/4 cups grated gruyere cheese
Popover Pan.

Makes 12. Place the popover pan in the oven. Heat oven and pan to 350 deg. Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside. Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs). Set the mixture aside. Sift the flour with the salt. Slowly add the dry mixture to the eggs and combine until mostly smooth. Once combined remove the popover pan from the oven and spray with non stick vegetable spray. Fill each popover cup 3/4 full and top each with 2 1/2 tablespoons of gruyere cheese. bake at 350 deg for 50 minutes, rotating pan half a turn after 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee & Matzoh Brei

26 Apr

Can I tell you what I sucker I am for this artisan coffee shit? Man oh man.  So I bought some Stumptown beans from union market. What I love is that it has the date roasted- just 4 days ago- and each roast comes w. its own little bio. It is ridiculous- but i buy into it wholeheartedly.  I prefer to buy whole beans and grind myself- I feel like it makes a difference. Coffee grinder- $20- is very useful. Great for spices etc. too.  Cold-brewed is super easy to make– you just mix coffee grinds and water, and then let it sit for 12 hours-no coffee maker required.  And yes, it is so much better than putting your coffee in the fridge- it does have its own particular flavor though.  And of course, as Emeril says, I had to kick it up a notch- or like Ina says, turn up the volume.  I did that by adding a little bit of vanilla powder (like a powdered vanilla extract) to the coffee and then making vanilla simple syrup- so good.  I do want to figure a way to add some chicory to this too- but I’ll let you know when I’ve got that one figured out. Special thanks to Chrissy for reminding me about this, and to Kara- for first making this for Beez and I last summer in Salt Lake City.

Cold-brewed coffee- a nytimes recipe. I quadruple it to have in my fridge for the week.
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup ground coffee, medium/coarse grind
Add water and coffee grounds into a jar. Stir, cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.  Strain twice- pouring through coffee filters or a fine mesh sieve lined w. cheese cloth.  To drink, they say add one part this concentrated coffee w. one part water. I say false.  I like my coffee strong, so maybe 2/3 coffee to 1/3 water.  Add milk and serve w. ice, duh. Addendum- this shit is strong, just drank and am literally shaking, so maybe 1 to 1 is not a bad idea. Second addendum- I went to this coffee shop in the ‘hood- and they recommended cold brewing for 24 hours, because it reduces some of the bitterness. So I tried it- and it worked famously- if you have the time- i’d definitely definitely recommend it.

Vanilla simple syrup
Simple syrup is just 1 part water to 1 part sugar (can use more sugar for sweeter).  Simmer, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Will keep for a week.  For vanilla flavoring, can add vanilla extract, or I took half a vanilla bean, split that in half lengthwise.  Put in jar, pour warm simple syrup over. Cover and let that sit for the 12 hours while your coffee is sitting. [Addendum: As I have become too lazy to make simple syrup- just using agave syrup works well]

Maple Whirlpool
Maple syrup flavored milk. Ok, this doesn’t exactly fit in this post- though I am sure it would be delicious in your ice coffee.   I don’t remember how I thought of this- but it is delicious. Take a cup of milk, mix around w. a spoon creating a whirlpool. Slowly pour in some maple syrup- maybe a tablespoon per cup? Mix up and drink.  You won’t believe how good.  Works hot or cold- though I actually prefer cold.  Drink was named by anonymous.  By the by, i tried a vanilla whirlpool- adding the vanilla simple syrup to milk too- so good!

Matzoh Brei. Ok, I know this is a lot of posts in one- but I wanted to get this in before the end of passover and while the matzah is still on the shelf (unless it is too late already?)  Takes about 5 mins to make. This passover dish– need not just be for holidays nor just for breakfast.  In fact, I enjoyed it for dinner a couple times last week. Top with whatever you like. Personally, I like cinnamon sugar, strawberry jam and maple syrup.  Yup, all three together.

3 eggs
3 sheets matzah- i like egg matzah

Break up the matzah into a colander.  Run it under hot water for 10-15 seconds. Press to get out excess water. Crack eggs in a medium bowl, whisk up. Add salt & pepper.  Add matzah into egg bowl. Mix up.  Heat skillet. Add tablespoon of butter.  Add egg/matzoh. Flip after a minute or so. Flip again. Might fall apart but just scramble around until eggs look done- just takes a few minutes.

Vanilla Agave Granola

28 Mar

When you can’t find a recipe on the internet, it’s time to experiment.  This is sort of a melding of a Bobby Flay and an Epicurious recipe.  I am into the idea of making your own granola, but I hate that it can be so packed with sugar.  This uses agave nectar instead of some of that sugar- but still has the right amount of sweetness.  This recipe is very adaptable, so go crazy.  I enjoyed some w. milk- and some in a giant bowl w. greek yogurt, maple syrup, pomegranate seeds, bananas and raspberries- delicious. If you are having people over for brunch you could, as mrs. weiner suggests, make into pretty parfaits- layering the yogurt, berries and granola.
Let’s also talk for a minute about vanilla beans- which can add a great boost of vanilla flavor.  Unless you shop at the co-op, these can be pretty expensive [just to tell you how awesome the co-op is (again) i’ve seen them cost $7 for one bean, and at the co-op you get 3 beans for $1.44.]  Sometimes they come in glass viles, be sure to store beans in these or other air tight container, otherwise they dry out.  To use, run your knife down the bean, splitting it in half lengthwise.  Then run your knife down each side, scraping up all the little black specs onto your knife.  Add specs to whatever you are flavoring. You can put the scraped out bean in a little jar, fill with white sugar, close, wait a week- and boom- vanilla sugar.  Great to have on hand for things like this, french toast, baked goods etc.

4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil (maybe coconut oil would work too?)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
if you have it: 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar and vanilla bean

Optional add-ins.  If adding a cup or more of something else, I’d only use 3 cups of oats
1 cup chopped dried fruit such as raisins, figs, dates, dried cherries, cranberries or mango
almond slivers or other nuts
2 teaspoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons flax seeds
1/2 cup of any other seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower
shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Whisk together honey, oil, agave, vanilla, cinnamon and sugars.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, salt and any seeds/wheat germ/nuts.  Add wet mixture to dry and coat thoroughly.  Spread on baking sheet.  Cook 25-35 mins- stirring once- until crisp and golden brown.  Put baking sheet on cooling rack, allow to cool slightly, then break into chunks.  Mix in dried fruit. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.  I think it could keep for at least a week, though mine disappeared much more quickly.

Green Salsa

17 Mar

I love green salsa.  And what I loved about New Mexico– when I was there, maybe 5 years ago? with my friend Justin– was that they have green salsa everywhere- to put on anything.  So feel free to use this on anything- with chips, fish tacos etc.  But what I especially love it with is eggs, breakfast burritos etc.  Man oh man.  So, when I saw this recipe in Alice Water’s cookbook  in Chrissy’s apartment- I expressed to her what good use the book would get in my kitchen– and she let me borrow it on extended loan 🙂  In this book- Green Kitchen- Alice has all her friends give very simple recipes.  This recipe– is in a whole section about how awesome a mortar and pestle is– and i’m sure it is- but i don’t have one. So instead, I basically took my clean plastic cutting board and a slotted spoon and continually mashed everything together on that- incorporating the tomatillos one at a time.  This recipe can also be done w. tomatoes- as red roasted salsa- which i’m sure would also be delicious.   I am generally reticent about adding cilantro or parsley- because I am not so into it- and I always end up buying a big bunch, using a little and the rest going to waste.  But, as I had some cilantro already- I added it in- and I would say yes, it really does make a difference- so you should spend the extra 87 cents (price at the co-op) and get it. Also, my salsa definitely had a little too much onion.  I had never heard this  before- but it suggests you rinse the raw onion under cold water to get out some of the bitterness.  Next time, I think I would start out w. maybe a 1/4 cup of chopped onion– and then add more from there– to taste.  I suppose maybe I used more of a medium than a small onion?  And since I had so much onion and heat from the jalapeno- I think I used an extra lime– again, start w. 1 lime and add more to taste.

2 Serrano chiles (get these if you can– small green hot peppers.  I didn’t have so subbed 1 jalapeno)
4 tomatillos (or tomatoes)
2 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
1 small onion (chop and rinse under cold water to remove some of the bite. see note above)
1 lime (may use more to taste)
handful fresh cilantro
salt

Heat a cast iron pan over med-high heat (I dont have a cast iron so used a stainless steel skillet).  Put whole chile and unpeeled garlic in pan.  Remove tusks from tomatillos and cut in half. Cook 10 minutes until they are softened and browned.  Turn over to brown other side- about another 10 mins.  Squeeze garlic out of skin. Remove stem from chile  and cut. Grind chile and and garlic w. a motar and pestle– or as i did, grind it into cutting board w. back of a spoon.  Add tomatillos and mash. I did this- incorporating them one at a time  (they are so cooked they break down pretty easily). Peel and dice onion.  Stir in.  Squeeze lime and add cilantro.  May need a little water to thin out (mine didn’t need). Salt liberally to taste. Good served w. avocado.

If you are left, as I was, with a lots of burnt stuff on your pan- check out Just the Tips #7- for a quick clean up trick.

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