Buckwheat Pancakes

Very very good!
 

I first had them at Chace's Pancake Corral a few years ago and fell in love. This is my absolute favorite type of pancake ever! Since then I have tried them at various other breakfast places and found that many of them use a much higher ratio of plain flour in their mixture, which results in a lighter colored very meh kind of buckwheat pancake.

This recipe uses very little flour and delivers a rich buckwheat flavor. I even dare to believe that this pancake is much better than Chase's :-) Give it try... you might agree with me.

(serves 2 - makes six 4" pancakes)
(prep time 5 mins)
(cook for a few mins per pancake. Total cook time 15 mins)
Ingredients

Buckwheat flour 1/2 cup
All purpose flour  2 Tbs
Melted butter 2 Tbs
Large egg 1
Lemon zest 1/3 Tbs * adjustable - add more,less or none
Fat free Greek yogurt 2 Tbs  *I love Chobani
(Dilute this with enough water to make 1 cup liquid. Start by adding 1/4 cup of water to the yogurt. Mix well with a fork and then add the rest of the water... otherwise the mixture will be lumpy)
Fat free milk 1/4 cup
Pure cane sugar 1 Tbs
Salt 1/4 tsp
Baking powder 1/2 tsp
I didn't have fresh blueberries otherwise I would have liked to toss a handful (1/2 cup) into the syrup and/or the batter.

Blueberry Syrup

You can ofcourse use any brand of syrup or jam with these :-)
But just to cut back on sugar and also to make it a syrupy consistency I added one part of water to two parts of Bonne Maman wild blueberry persevses and warmed it up in a sauce pan.

Method

Combine everything in a large bowl.
Heat a non stick pan to medium high.
Add a drop of butter before pouring about 1/4 cup worth of batter on to the pan.
The batter will spread by itself to roughly a 4" diameter.
Cook for a minute or until you see little bubbles forming on the surface on the pancake, this is a good indication that you are ready to flip the pancake and cook the other side... this side will take about 30-45 seconds to cook.
Repeat until the batter runs out with a drop of butter before each pour.

YUMEE! YUMEE! YUMEE!
Awesome with butter and warm syrup.
:-)

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Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

(prep time 15 mins)
(bake time 1 hour)
Ingredients

All purpose flour 2 cups
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Butter 1/2 cup (melted)
Light brown sugar 3/4 cup
Eggs 2 large (lightly beaten)
Really really ripe bananas 4 large (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
Cinnamon 1/2 tsp *optional
Heavy cream 2 Tbs
Walnuts 1/4 cup (coarsely chopped)
Dark chocolate bits 1/4 cups ( I  used moonstruck dark chocolate 68% cacao)

Directions

Lightly grease a loaf pan with butter and dust with some flour.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Whip together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Add and mix the eggs and the heavy cream.
Now gently stir in mashed bananas, walnuts and chocolate bits.
Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. 
Tap the pan on the counter top a few times to release air bubbles.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 60 to 65 min.
Or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.

The above recipe is a modified version of this recipe.

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Tamagoyaki

 卵焼き

Behold - Tamagoyaki
A Japanese rolled omelet.
I learned how to make it from this video.
The ingredients were in the subtitles and I guesstimated the amount.
I got the pan from Daiso for about $2. It was smallish, roughly 6" by 4",  and I was skeptical on how well it would work but it was able to handle 3 eggs okay, although something bigger would have been much better.

Ingredients

Eggs 3 Large
Mirin 1 Tbs
Light soy sauce 2 Tbs
Dashi 1/4 cup
(I got dashi in powdered form and I added about a tsp of it to 1/4 boiling water and then let it cool down)
Pinch of salt
I also added 1/2 plain white sugar
Oil for brushing

Method

Just mix everything together in a large bowl.
I didn't pass the eggs through a sieve like in the video.
I took about 3 Tbs worth of the egg mixture and spread it over the hot pan.
Once the egg was slightly set I rolled it and then added more batter.
Kept doing that until I ran out of the batter.
Occasionally I would have to hold the pan away from the heat because it would get too hot.
And as the rolled eggs started to build up I had very little pan space left so it helped to lift up the cooked eggs a bit and let the uncooked eggs get beneath.
Here is a little video of me making it.
Definitely takes some getting used to.
It was tricky folding it, specially as the roll got fatter probably because the pan was too small.
I hope to get better at it and maybe for next time I will divide the batter and make 2 rolls :-)

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Scones, blackberry jam and clotted cream

I had been stuck on the idea of clotted cream for the past few days. It's a mildly sweet, spreadable thick cream, somewhat of a cross between unsalted butter and heavy cream. I had it with homemade scones and jam for breakfast but this meal is usually enjoyed in the afternoon with a cup of tea as a part of the famous cream tea which is very popular all across the UK.

It's next to impossible to get your hands on fresh clotted cream here in the US. The closest thing is a processed version (found in a tiny jar in the picnic food section of Cost Plus World Market) or Double Devon Cream (can be bought at Cost Plus World Market, Wholefoods and the The British Pantry). However I really wanted to taste the real deal and me being somewhat of a food nerd and after being told that the idea "sounds jolly good" I decided to make it in my tiny kitchen :-)  

Thanks to Google my hunt for raw unpasteurised cream was surprisingly short. I was able to locate a depot in Bellevue and all I had to do was make a call and collect it on Thursday morning. It's hard to describe the feeling I felt when I was holding a pint of raw cream from Jersey cows in my hands :-) A pint of cream took me over eight hours and I got about a third cup worth of clotted cream. The process for making this is very similar to making malai probably because clotted cream IS malai. However there is a HUGE difference in taste and texture between the two maybe because clotted cream is made from a better quality of milk or cream. 

The method is simple. Just pour the cream in a wide skillet, cover and cook on very low heat for several hours until a thick crust forms on the top. That yellowy, oily crust is clotted cream. Scrape it off and collect it in a small bowl. I found this recipe for clotted cream which makes it in an oven. However I made it on the simmer setting on my electric stovetop and scrapped off the crust every hour or so. The crust will form several times. In the end I had very little cream left in my skillet, I couldn't let it simmer further without making it stick to the skillet.

During my search for a recipe I found that people usually compare the taste of clotted cream with mascarpone, ricotta, heavy whipped cream or some mix of these ingredients. And after tasting it, it is my very humble opinion that clotted cream is also comparable to softened khoya - Milk solids made from evaporating milk, an ingredient very commonly used in Indian/Pakistani desserts and can be easily bought from an Indian grocery store.

Scones

I followed a recipe from America's Test Kitchen, a version of it can be found here.
However I never used any currants or dried fruit and cut the recipe in half.
For the sake of completion I have copied the recipe below with the quantities that I used.
Dreamy Cream Scones
America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook
1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in currants. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book’s suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.)
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Blackberry Jam

Blackberries - Frozen 1 lbs

Sugar - 2 1/2 cups

Juice of half a lime

Apple peels and cores for natural pectin (I had saved some from a pie I had made a few days earlier)

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot.

Turn on the heat and allow the berries to welt.

Cook for about 5 mins and pass the fruit through a seive to remove seeds and apple peels.

Add the seedless fruit back into the washed pot and continue to cook for another 15 mins on medium high heat or until the mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup.

Pour into a clean jar and seal.

Finish within a week.

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Vanilla Biscotti

Love Biscotti! A twice baked cookie just meant for dunking in ice cold milk, coffee, cocoa and teas. Since I've never made this before I thought it would be best to start with a basic vanilla no frills version before trying out other more exotic flavors and also because it's 1am and I have to do with what I got in my pantry.
I used this recipe as a guide. I didn't have all the ingredients and I cut the original recipe in half. It took me much longer to dry them out but they turned out great. Can't wait to mess around with more flavors!

How I did it

Flour 1 1/4 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1/2 cup
Butter 1/2 cup (soft at room temp)
Eggs 2 large (room temp)
Vanilla 1 tsp

Pre-heat oven to 350.
Lightly grease a cookie tray.
Whisk together butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the egg one at a time and continue to whisk until foamy.
Add vanilla and slowly fold in the flour (combined with the baking powder) 2 tablespoon at a time.
You will have a thick sticky dough.
Shape the dough in the form of a flat loaf.
Place the loaf on a cookie sheet and bake for 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 15 min on a wire rack and then cut into slices. I cut my slices 1" thick and the in original recipe it's 1/2" that's why it took me longer to dry them out.
Lower temperature of  oven to 300, place the slices sideways on the cookie sheet and bake for another 25 mins. Turn sides and bake for another 25 mins.

Ta da!
Allow to cool and store in air tight jars.

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Egg Ravioli

This was something fun and interesting I made for my guy this morning.
The picture is not the best quality A. It's gray outside B. My camera ran out of batteries before I could take more shots.

(serves 1-2)
(cook time 10 mins)

What and how

Eggs 3 large

Chili powder 1/4 tsp

Salt

Whisk the above together in a large bowl and set aside.

Now we'll make the cheese stuffing.

I used:

Goat cheese 3 Tbs (you can use ricotta or cream cheese if you wanted)
Yellow pepper 1 Tbs (thin slices)
Sun Dried tomatoes 1 Tbs (minced fine)
Beef sausage 3 Tbs (cooked)
Potatoes 3 Tbs (diced really small and cooked on a skillet with some salt, pepper and butter)
Pepper 1/4 tsp

Salt just a pinch (1/8 tsp)

Heat a frying pan and add a few drops of cooking oil (I used canola)

Spread about 2 Tbs of the egg mixture in a small circular disk, use the back of your spoon, about 3 inches in diameter.

Drop a spoonful of the mixture length wise in the center and while the egg is still soft, flip one side over so the edges can seal.

Continue until the egg  and the mixture runs out. I could make about 9 little raviolis, that's 3 per egg.

I think It would be great if you spread some shredded fontina cheese over the top and put these under the broiler for a few seconds just to melt the cheese! I'll do that next time.

Enjoy!

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Fancy Shmancy Breakfast

I made this for my hun a few days back.

Scrambled eggs in a basket made of Parmesan cheese.

Can be great for salads as well.

I will post a video soon about how to make the baskets and some other fun shapes out of Parmesan.
For now read below to see how I did it.

Take a wide non stick frying pan.

While the pan is cold, sprinkle some shredded Parmesan cheese all over the surface. Make sure there aren't any gaps between the shreds of cheese.

I tried to make it more lace like and delicate so I didn't need much cheese. Say for a 13" pan I used less than 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, just enough to make sure all the shreds were connected.
Turn the heat up to medium.
The cheese will begin to melt and will start to turn brown at the bottom, it took me about 3-4 minutes on my stove. Make sure all the strands of cheese have melted.
You have to be careful about this next step.
All the shreds will melt and bond together to form a single sheet resembling a doily.
You will be able to lift it all up from a single corner with tongs.
Lift it up and drape it over a large inverted glass bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes.
Remove it from the bowl and your basket is done!
This is how mine looked like.

The eggs were simple... whip together,
2 Large eggs
Coarse black pepper
Fresh thyme
Salt

Melt 1 Tbs of unsalted butter in a frying pan and pour in the eggs.
Lift the sides of the eggs as it cooks and allow the uncooked eggs to flow beneath.
Cook until done.
Place gently inside basket.
:-)

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Rava Idli

I love south Indian food! I am new to the flavors and new to cooking it. The other day I woke up craving Idlis. I made the coconut chutney and Idli Podi. The idlis and rasam were from a pre-mix that I got from Mayuri. Maybe next time I'll make those from scratch.

hmmm... the title for this post is a bit misleading, Oh well :-)

P.S.
I don't have idli molds so I steamed the batter in a large round steamer and used a cookie cutter to make the circular shapes.

P.P.S
Happy birthday bug, I love you so very much!

Coconut Chutney

This makes a lot of chutney, close to 3 cups, you can freeze the leftover easily. The ingredient list seems very daunting but all of the things on it are found very easily at any Indian grocery store.

Start with a fresh medium size mature coconut. Remove the water and keep aside. You will need only the white part of the coconut, peel off the brown skin at the back after removing the coconut from the hard shell. Cut the coconut into small chunks. You should have roughly 2 to 2 1/2 cups of coconut chunks.

Ginger 1" piece

Green chilies 2-3 medium size

Jaggery or Brown sugar 1 tsp

Tamarind pulp 2-3 Tbs

Cilantro leaves 1/4 cup

Channa Dal (split chickpeas without seed coat) 2 Tbs 

Urad/Maash Dal (washed black gram) 2 Tbs

Raw cashew nuts 1 Tbs

Raw Peanuts 1 Tbs

Mustard seeds 2 tsp

Cumin seeds 2 tsp

Curry Leaves 3-4 leaves

Water  (Use coconut water and add enough plain water to get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid )

Salt 2 Tsp

For tempering: (these quantities are for 1 cup of chutney)

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Bay leaf 1 large - broken up in large pieces

Dried red chili 1 large - broken up in large pieces

Asafoetida (Hing) 2/3 tsp

Oil 4 Tbs

Method

Most of the ingredients will need to be roasted. Channa dal takes the longest so start with that first.

Pour about 1 Tbs of oil in a frying pan and heat it up.

Add the channa dal and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Roast the dal for about 10 mins and stir it a few times.

Now add the urad dal and roast for another 5 mins. Stir occasionally.

Add the cashews, peanuts, red chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and roast for another 6-8 mins. Stir after every minute or two.

Allow the roasted ingredients to cool down.

For this step a hand held immersion blender worked better for me than a regular blender.

Combine all the roasted ingredients with the coconut chunks, tamarind pulp, jaggery, ginger, green chilies, cilantro, salt and water (basically everything).

Blend blend blend until you get a smooth and thick chutney (almost as thick as yogurt).

Cool the chutney in the fridge for about 20-30 mins.

Tempering:

The chutney it almost ready. The step should be done right before serving, so if you are going to freeze the chutney then don't do this now. 

Heat 4 tbs of oil in a frying pan.

Add all the spices listed under "For Tempering" except hing, that should be added in the last 5 seconds.

Fry these on high heat for 30 seconds and pour the hot oil over the chutney. You will hear a loud sizzle, that's good a thing.

Your chutney is ready  :-)

Idli podi

(makes about 2/3 cup of powder)

Channa Dal (split chickpeas without seed coat) 1/4 cup

Urad/Maash Dal (washed black gram) 1/4 cup

Mustard seeds 2 tsp

Coriander seeds 2 tsp

Cumin seeds 2 tsp

Pepper corns 2 tsp

Sesame seeds 1 tsp

Curry Leaves 3-4 leaves

Dried Red chilies 2-3 Large
Asafoetida powder (Hing) 2/3 tsp (this is added in the last 5 seconds)
Garlic powder 1 tsp (optional) (this is added in the last 5 seconds)
Dried tamarind or anar dana (dried pomegranate seeds) 2 tsp (optional)
Oil 2 tbs (use about a tsp at a time)
Salt 1 tsp

All these spices are roasted separately and slowly over low heat and then ground into a fine powder.
Pour 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy base frying pan.
Roast channa dal for 10 mins - keep aside.
Add another teaspoon or oil and roast urad dal for 5-6 mins - keep aside.
Add the rest of the oil and roast all of the spices (minus the hing and garlic powder) for about 3-4 minutes add the hing and garlic powder in the last 5 seconds.
Allow everything to cool.
Grind everything together in a coffee grinder.
Done!

You can eat this with some ghee and idlis!

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My world famous banana bread muffins :-)

These are super moist and terribly delish! I promise you won't regret making them. The secret ingredient here is maple syrup. Use just a tablespoon and that will make all the difference.

Makes 12 med size muffins

(Prep time 15 mins)

(Bake time 20 mins)
Ingredients

All purpose flour 1 1/2 cups
Bananas (really really brown and ripe) 3 large

Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Egg 1 large
White sugar 1/3 cup

Light brown sugar 2/3 cup

Maple Syrup 1 Tbs
Butter 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs

Streusel topping

Butter 2 Tbs

Brown sugar 1/2 cup

All purpose flour 4 Tbs

Cinnamon 1 tsp

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare your muffin pan by first rubbing a little butter inside and then lining with cupcake liners.
Squish the bananas with a fork or a potato masher. Its OK if you have small bits of fruit just don't use a blender it makes the bananas very sticky!
In a large bowl whisk together white and brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, egg and melted butter.
Gradually fold the flour (combined with the baking powder and baking soda) 2-3 tablespoons at a time to the banana mixture.
Your batter is ready.Time for the topping.
Very simple...
In a bowl melt the butter.
Add flour, sugar and cinnamon.
Combine with a fork.
This mixture should resemble coarse crumbles. Now divide the batter equally into the muffin pan.
Sprinkle the topping equally on each muffin.
Bake. I have made these several times and 20 mins is all it needs.

You can check by inserting a toothpick in the center and if it comes out with not too much crumbs on it, its done.

Cool on a wire rack....enjoy!

Ta da!

{heart}
Nabia

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For my honey...

Another year.... another Valentine's day.

This one not much different from last year's :-) accept maybe that my sweetheart is a little sick. I made him this special breakfast of homemade buttermilk biscuits and scrambled eggs.

The biscuits were very easy to make, incredibly flaky and wayyyy better than anything that comes out of a can! If you don't like eggs try the biscuits with butter and some fruit preserves.

(prep time 40 mins)

(enough for 2)

Buttermilk Biscuits

Flour 1/3 cup

Honey 1/2 Tbs

Salt 1/4 tsp

Baking powder 1/4 tsp

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Buttermilk 1/3 cup

Shortening or Butter 3 Tbs (very very cold and chopped up in tiny pieces)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the honey and the shortening/butter.

Work with a fork and mix until the flour resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour in the buttermilk and combine well with a fork.

Take this mixture out on a floured surface and knead gently. Don't overdo this step.

Use your fingers and spread out the dough into a 1" thick circle.

I used a heart shape cutter and made 2 biscuits.

Lightly brush a little butter over the biscuits.

Bake for 5 mins. Turn the heat down to 400 degrees and continue to bake for another 13-15 mins.

Scrambled Eggs

While the biscuits are baking you can make the eggs anyway you want. I made mine the following way.

Eggs 3 large

Chopped red peppers 2 Tbs

Chopped shallots 1 Tbs

Peas 3 Tbs

Jarlsberg Cheese 4 Tbs (shredded)

Coarse Pepper 1/2 tsp

Salt

A little butter for cooking

Heat the butter in a frying pan.

Whip the eggs, the veggies, salt and pepper together in a bowl.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook until eggs are set.

Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and allow to melt.

Done :-)

I spilt the biscuits in half spread a little butter and placed the eggs in between the 2 halves.

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Egg Salad croissant

(single serving)
(prep time 20 mins)
Very basic no frills egg salad

Hard boiled eggs (cooled) 2
Butter 1 Tbs
Salt
Pepper
And a very very small pinch of cayenne pepper

Put everything in a mixing bowl.
Mash it up with a back of a fork.
Speard it inside a lightly warmed croissant.
Good morning!

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Khagina

(serves 1)
(prep time 20 mins)

This is a breakfast dish...

Something like a spicy scrambled eggs.
You will need the following
Eggs 2 large
Potatoes (diced) 1/4 cup
Onions (diced) 1/8 cup
Green chili (chopped coarse) 1 tsp
Cumin 1/4 tsp
Chili flakes 1/4 tsp
Pepper pinch
Oil 2 Tbs
Salt

Whip the eggs with salt and spices in a bowl. Leave aside.
Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the potatoes and fry in oil until half cooked.
Now add the onions and cook until potatoes are done and onions are translucent.
Add green chilies and stir.
Pour in the eggs and cook over med heat.
Stir often..
Cook until eggs are set.
Eat this with buttered toast or a paratha!

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