Buttermilk Pancakes

I got up this morning with an intense craving for pancakes. So I turned to my trusted kindle and browsed America's Test Kitchen's cookbooks because that's what I turn to when I want the best, foolproof recipes. Yes, they really are foolproof. I came across a recipe for buttermilk pancakes which I love because of the subtle tanginess and I have found that the buttermilk and baking soda just gives the pancakes greater rise. 

The pancakes were very easy to prepare and the flavour far surpasses any box pancake mix you can possible buy. There is additional fat by way of soured cream and that produces more flavour. The secret to perfect pancakes is to let the batter rest. This allows the batter to thicken slightly which aids pancake formation. So what you'll end up with is picture perfect pancakes. Top with a little salted butter and maple syrup and voila....heaven. If you are pinched for time then why not mix the dry ingredients and set aside and morning of mix the wet ingredients then combine? Easy peasy! Please consider from scratch cooking the next time your hand reaches for the banal frozen pancakes or pancake mix. Try this recipe, you will not regret it and enjoy!

Best Buttermilk Pancakes (recipe from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook)

2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil (I used butter)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees (farenheit). Spray the wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and melted butter. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients; gently stir until just combined (batter should remain lumpy, with just few streaks of flour). Do not overmix. Let batter sit for 10 minutes before cooking.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in 12inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels carefully wipe out oil on bottom and sides of pan. Using 1/4 cup measure, portion batter into pan in 4 places. Cook until the edges are set, first side is golden brown, and bubbles on surface are just beginning to break, 2 to 3 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve pancakes immediately, or transfer to wire rack in preheated oven. Repeat with remaining batter, using remaining oil as necessary.

Remembering My Grandmother

Hi all, it's been a while since my last blog post but I am back and hopefully will post some more soon. My son started nursery and his adjustment has been great but the downside of it is that we both got the flu twice since he started. My husband was spared, he believes in oregano oil and ginger tea and I guess it works.

So with flu season in mind my post today is on chicken soup which brings me back to my paternal grandmother, Jasmine. She is no longer here with us but she was such an inspirational woman in my life. She was a real mother in every sense - humanistic, nurturing, gentle and loving. She also always had a set menu of everything she would cook for that week and one of her specialties was her Monday soup made with beef and beef bones and vermicelli. This soup was so comforting and it was the panacea for sick mouths. I have made mine with chicken because it's what I had on hand and I wanted mine to be a little lighter.

This is a basic recipe but feel free to improvise and add any other vegetables you wish. You can also make this soup with beef instead of chicken, and if doing so then use beef stock instead of chicken. I left the skin on the chicken because I find the fat adds more flavour. Don't skimp on fresh seasoning either, especially celery as that imparts flavour. You can garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley at the end of cooking, I used scallions because that's what I had on hand but parsley would be excellent. So enjoy this heirloom recipe and share with those in your family who may be down with the flu.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts on the bone with skin
1 large carrot cut into large chunks
2 stalks of celery chopped into large chunks
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley or scallions or both
2 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water
3 medium potatoes cut into cubes
frozen corn kernels (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of vermicelli pasta (you more if you wish but bear in mind it will thicken the soup)
salt and pepper flakes
Extra virgin olive oil


1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts with the vegetables, thyme, stock and water. Season with salt and chili flakes. Bring this to a gentle boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Once the time has elapsed remove the chicken breasts and carefully cut the breast meat off the bone into chunks. Add the chicken, frozen corn, scallions and vermicelli and over the pot for another 5 to six minutes until the pasta is cooked. Garnish the soup with additional herbs if you wish. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Coconut Bundt Cake

Today I was in the mood for baking and one of the goodies that I like to bake is bundt cakes. I recently purchased this book called "One Bowl Baking: Simple, From Scratch Recipes For Delicious Desserts" and I have to admit I became hooked on the premise. It basically is from scratch baking but doing it simply with just one bowl. So not such a big mess and definitely fewer steps. That's never a bad thing.

Coconut is one of my favourite ingredients. I adore in both savoury and sweet applications. If I visit a sweet shop or Patisserie I always have a predilection for anything with coconut. Coconut cake is quite possible one of the best cakes every invented and today I made a really simple one but with huge results. This cake was ultra moist, not overly sweet and full of coconut flavour. There is a chocolate pound cake recipe that I have my eye on so look out for the post on that one.

Get this book and don't let the simple title fool you. This one is a treasure of yummy baked goods. I highly recommend it to the busy mums who try to cook from scratch. It's a keeper. Enjoy!

Glazed Coconut Bundt Cake (recipe adapted from "One Bowl Baking: Simple, From Scratch Recipes For Delicious Desserts by Yvonne Ruperti)

Cake Batter:
20 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups cake flour plus more for dusting
2 1/4 tsp baking powder

Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tbsp full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.

To make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk the butter, sugar, and salt until creamy.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until each is incorporated.
Whisk in the coconut milk, coconut and vanilla.
Add the flour and baking powder to the bowl, then stir until just combined.
Spoon the batter into the pan and bake until golden, just firm and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan to cool completely before glazing.

To make the glaze: Stir the sugar and coconut milk together in a bowl until smooth. Spoon over the top of the cooled cake, letting the glaze drip down the sides. Sprinkly the coconut over the top.

Chicken Shawarma Wraps

This is my kind of food. Bright, colourful and bursting with the gentle fragrance of spices contrasting with the coolness of the yoghurt garlic sauce. I firmly advocate preparing food from scratch and today I did just that. I decided on an Arabic supper so I prepared wraps, chicken shawarma, Arab salad and garlic cilantro yoghurt sauce. It may seem laborious but it actually didn't take that long to prepare as I prepped the chicken the day before as well as the sauce.

The important thing to note when making Arabic food is that marinating enhances the flavour of the spices. Yoghurt aids in tenderising meat as well. So plan a full day ahead of time when preparing this meal. I also find the salad should be made right before the meal as salting it makes the vegetables sweat. You can however dice all the veggies beforehand then season right before eating the meal. As always I don't really like to give a specific recipe but a guide. Feel free to add as much or as little spice as you wish.

So this is my gift to you if you adore mystery meat gyros but want a healthy option then try this recipe for chicken shawarma. It will get rave reviews. This one is a feast for your taste buds yet your health will benefit from it as well. Enjoy!

Chicken Shawarma (serves 4)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Spice mix (recipe follows)
Scant 3/4 cup yoghurt (full fat)
8 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

The night before you plan to make this marinate the chicken. Toss the chicken with the spices and season with salt and pepper or chile flakes. Add the yoghurt and olive oil and give it a good toss. Place the chicken in a non reactive bowl ( my preference is glass) and cover with kling wrap. Marinate this overnight at least in the refrigerator.

1. Preheat the oven to 350.Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
2. Once the chicken is at room temperature place it in the oven and bake for half an hour. After baking leave the chicken in the dish to cool down completely. This step is very important.
3. Slice the chicken across the grain into thin slices and toss it gently in the roasting juices. Preheat a nonstick skillet to a medium high heat.
4. Coat the skillet with about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil . Once the oil is hot enough add half the chicken to the pan. Don't overcrowd the pan as this impairs it from browning and crisping up. Once the first set is browned add the rest until you have cooked all the chicken a second time.

Assemble your wraps now. Place some chicken in the wraps then some salad then drizzle with the garlic sauce . Enjoy!

Spice mix:
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
5 whole green cardamoms
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp hot smoked paprika or to taste

Heat up the whole spices in a pan until you start to smell their fragrance. Grind in a coffee grinder then add the ground spices. Whisk to combine thoroughly.

Arab Salad
2 medium tomatoes diced
2 medium cucumbers diced
1 small onion (red preferably) diced
1 bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss everything together in a non reactive bowl.

Wraps (adapted from Paul Hollywood's "How To Bake")
I used this recipe and it yielded 10 wraps

500g strong white bread flour plus more for dusting
10g salt
30g caster sugar
30g extra virgin olive oil
320ml cool water (tap water)

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt and sugar to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the olive oil and 3/4 of the water, and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time until you've picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more - you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use this mixture to clean the inside of the bowl folding the edges into the middle. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.
2. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 5 - 10 minutes. Do not add too much flour to your surface as this will make the dough too dry.
3. When the dough feels smooth and silky, put it into an oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least double in size - at least 1 hour, but it's fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours.
4. Dust a work surface lightly with flour and tip the dough onto it. Fold it inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Divide into 10 pieces.
5. Preheat the broiler and place rack on the first shelf in the oven. Working one piece at a time roll the dough into a ball with your hands then roll it out as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Place one wrap at a time on a baking sheet and broil the dough for 1 minute per side. I broiled my first few for 2 minutes on 1 side and 1 minute on the next but I found that wrap got crispy which was lovely but not suitable for wrapping.

Rustic Springtime Vegetable Pizza - Everyday Food with Sarah Carey

Bar b que Chicken Pizza

I am already aware the Italians would cringe and scoff at me for this recipe. However, good food is good food and sometimes good food is "trashy". Bar b que chicken pizza is one of those foods. Sweet sticky bar b que sauce with roasted chicken, red onions, mozzarella and a flourish of fresh herbs in the form of parsely and cilantro.

I got the recipe for the pizza dough from Everyday Food and I think it's brilliant because it contradicts everything the pizza pundits chant. For one, this dough is ready in 1 hour which is a winner in my eyes and it uses an abundance of olive oil (always a good thing) and it essentially means you can make pizza when you get that pizza whim. Nowadays the body of knowledge of pizza making is exhausting and it leaves you feeling like an idiot if you don't line your oven with quary tiles or try your hardest to create that perfect crispy crust. I say to hell with all of that rubbish! You can make a perfectly respectable dough using this recipe and you will end up with a very crispy crust and a delicious pizza. So fear not, take courage and create your own pizza...the possibilities are endless.

So for this recipe I chose bar b que chicken as my topping but I can be here for hours suggesting toppings. Why not try a lamb merguez/mozzarella topping or go with something traditional like tomato sauce, basil and parma ham. Or you can go vegetarian if so inclined and create a spinach, garlic and mozzarella pizza. Your palate and imagination will be your guiding light but what I gift you with is a wonderful, dependable and most of all easy pizza dough. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough (adapted from Everyday Food)
1 packet instant yeast (10g)
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour

1. Whisk together the yeast, sugar, oil and warm water. Add one cup of flour then the salt and stir with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the rest of the flour until a very sticky mass of dough is formed. Don't be tempted to add more flour, this is a no knead dough so it's meant to be extremely sticky. Transfer dough to a heavily oiled bowl then cover with more oil then kling. Leave to rise for 1 hour after which you r dough will be ready to top. To shape dough simply divide the dough in half then press it out to desired thickness. I made 2 12 inch pizzas with this recipe.

Chicken Bar B Que Topping:
2 large bone in chicken breasts
2 stalks of green onions
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 cups bar b que sauce sweetened with sugar or honey to taste
1 large onion thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
8 ozs of grated mozzarella (not fresh)
Freshy chopped parsley (flat leaf Italian) and cilantro to your taste

Preheat oven to 425.
1. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and pepper. Add the scallions/gree onions which should be chopped as well as the garlic and bar b que sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. After this time the chicken breasts will not be completely cooked but that ok. Let them cool completely then cube them and place them back into the bar b que sauce. Discard the chicken bones.
2. When ready to bake the pizza, top the pizza with the chicken and bar b que sauce. Bake for 10 minutes then top with the red onion slices. Bake for another 10 minutes then top with the cheese and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. If  after all this time your pizza is not a nice brown colour simply preheat your broiler and broil pizza for no more than 2- 3 minutes. To garnish, top the pizza with the chopped herbs. Don't under utilize the fresh herbs, they give the dish a real fresh flavour.

Icebox Cookies

Here is an addition to your cookie/biscuit collection. The convenience of these alone are worth the little effort it takes to prepare them. You can prepare your dough and bake it after a couple hours in the freezer or simply freeze it and slice and bake them when guests come round.

I have made this recipe from "Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking". I highly recommend the Cook's Illustrated books or America's Test Kitchen series if you want to become a better cook. They are all about acumen and troubleshooting and their recipes are generally foolproof. I made my cookies with a cinnamon sugar variation but you can bake them plain or if you would like to do chocolate biscuits then simply reduce the flour to 2 cups and add to it 1/4 cup of sifted Dutch processed cocoa. Add 2 ounces of melted and cooled semisweet chocolate to the batter along with the yolks and vanilla. Enjoy!

Vanilla Icebox Cookies (recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
16 tbsp (8oz) unsalted butter, softened but cool
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk together flour and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla and beat until incorporated, 15 to 20 seconds. Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed until dough forms and is thoroughly mixed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Dough will be soft but not sticky. If dough is sticky, chill for 10 to 15 minutes).
3. Divide dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll dough on clean work surface into log measuring about 6 inches long and 2 inches thick. Wrap each log in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month. Wrap logs in plastic wrap then foil before freezing.)
4. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Unwrap dough logs one at a time and with sharp knife cut each dough in half, then into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 to 1 inch apart.
6. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack with wide metal spatula.

Variation : Cinnamon Sugar Icebox Cookies
Save the egg whites when separating eggs for the dough. Follow the recipe brushing the chilled logs with the beaten egg whites. Roll logs in mixture of 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.