Ratio: Variations on the Theme of Pancakes II

Feb 8th, 2010 | Posted by Cori Rozentāle
No comments

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Second in the Ratio: Pancakes series. I’m participating in the Ratio Challenges this year, hosted by Seattlejo of Fat and Crafty, and experimenting with ratios from Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Read more about my experiments here.

The Creamy Stout Rye’cakes had come out pretty well. But I thought something sweeter would be a good application. I had recently purchased a big bag of apples and used that as my starting point for inspiration. What better than a twist on a traditional dessert for a Sunday brunch? It sounded good, so off we went.

Depending on how you like your apple, you might want to grate the apple instead of mincing it. I think grating it might allow it to better blend in with the pancake. These came out very nicely and made for an excellent breakfast. Using the whole wheat pastry flour made for fluffy, soft pancakes without being too overpoweringly “wheaty”. Spelt flour would also be an excellent choice, especially if you’re gluten-free.

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes [printable recipe]

Makes about 6 pancakes

  • 3 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 ounce all-purpose flour
  • 4 ounces milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ounce butter, melted
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • salt
  • 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • dash of ground clove
  • 6 ounces apple, peeled and minced
  • powdered sugar (optional)

Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add wet to dry and stir well, then add diced apple. Add more milk to thin if desired or needed. Heat a lightly oiled pan over moderate heat and fry until golden. This is definitely one to be served with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup.

Verdict on the Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes:

This turned out really well, but the apples definitely need to be minced. I think it might even be better if they were lightly cooked to soften them up. Another really good way to incorporate the apples would be to use apple preserves or top with apple jam.

Interestingly enough, very little milk had to be added to thin out the pancake batter to a proper consistency. Given that, over the past few days, our ambient humidity has been over 85% with lots of fog, rain and snow, I believe that humidity is very much a factor in this ratio as is the weight of your egg. An egg for the purposes of the ratio needs to weigh 2 ounces. Some large eggs qualify but an extra-large egg seems to be the closest to 2 ounces according to the reports from other folks in the Ratio Wave.

Sklandu rauši

Feb 5th, 2010 | Posted by Cori Rozentāle
No comments

Sklandu rauši

Every so often, I post a recipe from Latviešu ēdieni by Ņina Masiļūne.

My husband has been jonesing for these little pastries for a while and earlier this week, he decided he’d make them for dessert on one of the nights we had a full Latvian meal. They’re not very sweet, relying primarily on the natural sweetness of carrots and the rye crust can be very difficult to cook just right, but they are interesting little pastries nonetheless.

There are a lot of variations, including potato versions and mixed-potato/carrot versions, but this time we went with 100% carrot. It may seem a bit odd, but these little guys are a nice snack to incorporate if you’re on a diet, since you get whole grains and vegetables plus a sweet dessert for about 150 calories or so per pastry.

Sklandu Rauši [printable recipe]

Makes approximately 12 Sklandu rauši

Rauši base

  • 300 g rye flour
  • 120 g water
  • 30 g lard
  • 7 g sugar
  • salt
  • 1 egg, beaten

Carrot Filling

  • 400 g carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 50 g sugar
  • salt
  • 25 g sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 15 – 25 g flour

Boil carrots until tender. Drain well and pat dry. Puree in a food processor, food mill or ricer. Combine sugar, salt, sour cream, eggs and flour with the carrot puree1 and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Preparing the Dough:
By Hand: In a large bowl or on a clean worksurface, sift together flour, sugar and salt then add lard. Mix the lard into the flour with your fingers until it’s reasonably uniformly crumbly. Make a well and pour in the water, mixing it together until a dough begins to come together. Knead into a stiff, but rollable, dough.

Using a Food Processor: Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse two or three times to sift ingredients together. Add lard in small chunks. Pulse 8 – 12 times, just until the mixture becomes crumbly. Pour in the water and pulse another 8 – 12 times until the dough forms. Remove and knead by hand for a couple of minutes until the dough is stiff and workable.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8th inch thickness. Cut out rounds with a large (4″ to 5″) biscuit cutter. Bring up about 1/2″ of the sides to form a 1/2″ rim, pleating as you go, to produce a small “dish.” Pleating will enable the border to stay up and contain the carrot mixture. Arrange on a parchment or silicone-lined half sheet pan.

Sklandu rauši dough formed
This is about what it should look like when you’re done.

Preparing the pastries
Spoon the carrot mixture into each little dough “dish” until it almost reaches the top. Brush each carefully with beaten egg.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the dough is crumbly and (hopefully2) the carrot filling is browned.

Notes:
1. If your carrot puree comes out overly wet, you may need more flour or to drain off a bit of the carrot juice so that it is somewhat dry.
2. We didn’t get the carrot to brown before the dough had gone too far, so I still need to work out some bugs here.

Stir-Fried Spicy Something Sauce

Feb 3rd, 2010 | Posted by Cori Rozentāle
No comments

Stir-fried Spicy Something Sauce

Today’s recipe is an oddly-titled one, I know; this is because you can use just about any type of protein in it. My original recipe called for shrimp, which was great, then I made it with tofu, which was better, but I usually use chicken or pork simply because that’s what I almost always have on hand. All of them are delicious. This recipe is very easily made vegan by swapping out the honey for your preferred sweetener. (Stir-fries are great, they can be adapted to suit any range of tastes and preferences.)

When we saw blood oranges available at our local grocery, we immediately grabbed a couple and decided to make this. The darker flavor of the blood orange works very well with this sauce. However, you can substitute regular oranges, or even use a few different types; I particularly enjoyed using a tangelo and a blood orange for the sauce of one meal.

One thing I learned to my dismay when we made this for dinner the other night is that when you start a new jar of chili paste, it’s much, much stronger than the old jar that’d been hanging around for a while. I put in my original recipe’s amount and we just about choked on the spiciness. So, be careful with the chili paste and add only enough to bring it to your desired level of heat.

Stir-fried Spicy Something Sauce [printable recipe]

Serves 2

  • 3/4 lb shrimp, chicken, tofu or other protein source
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 small blood oranges, juiced
  • 1/3 c green onions, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 to 1 tbsp chili paste with garlic
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce

Toss chopped protein with cornstarch in a small bowl, set aside.

Whisk together juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, chili paste in a small dish. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add minced garlic and ginger, stir-fry for 15 sec until fragrant. Add the cornstarch and protein mixture, stir-fry for 3 – 6 minutes, depending on how long the protein needs. Figure about 3 minutes for shrimp or tofu, 4 – 5 for other meats. Add the juice mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and the protein is fully cooked, stirring frequently.

Garnish with green onions and serve over stir-fried vegetables and rice.

Ratio: Variations on the Theme of Pancakes I

Feb 1st, 2010 | Posted by Cori Rozentāle
3 comments

I’m participating in the Ratio Challenges this year, hosted by Seattlejo of Fat and Crafty. Every two months, we experiment with a different ratio from Michael Ruhlman’s book: Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking.

Seattlejo wrote:

The basic ratio for pancakes is:

  • 2 parts flour
  • 2 parts liquid
  • 1 part egg
  • 1/2 part fat

For every 5 oz of flour add 1 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of sugar.

(This was taken from the story in Chow.)

Think of the flours you can use, different liquids, savory versus sweet, how big of a batch , how small of a batch can you make?

Go forth and make pancakes!

In the interview at Chow, Ruhlman notes that a large egg is approximately 2 ounces. My husband and I usually figure one egg per person (also recommended by Ruhlman in the same interview) if the batch is to be the main portion of the meal.

I sat, staring at my screen. This was a completely new way of thinking about recipes for me. What could I do with what I have in the pantry? What flours and fats should I use? How will the different protein counts of the various flours affect the final product?

Let’s find out. All of the ratios I came up with were figured off of the original pancake ratio; no fritters yet. All of them mix the wet and dry ingredients together separately before combining both, then frying over moderate heat until golden brown and delicious.

I came up with four ratios to try off the bat. I never attempted to make more than enough for two because, well, we don’t have a dog or kids to justify a larger batch. I did, however, find that a batch made from two eggs made about a dozen pancakes — enough for four! I cut the ratios down to 1-egg ratios after the first experiment because two eggs’ worth is just too much.

I also found that up to 1/2 cup of water could be necessary to thin it to a pancake batter consistency, depending on the ingredients I chose. Perhaps I was going with liquids that were too dense.

I’m only posting one today, but the next three will be featured over the course of February. (And in March, a whole new ratio will be selected.)

The first ratio incorporates my husband’s love of three things: rye, beer and honey. Stouts always seem to be described as creamy, particularly the foam, so I used cream for the other half of the liquid. I sprinkled toasted walnut pieces over the cakes to add some crunch to this grown-up griddlecake.

Creamy Stout Rye Pancakes

Creamy Stout Rye Pancakes [printable recipe]

  • 2 oz rye flour
  • 3 oz whole wheat flour
  • 3 oz cake flour
  • 4 oz stout beer, like Beamish Irish Stout
  • 4 oz whipping cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 oz melted butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water

Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add wet to dry and stir well. Add water to thin if desired. Heat a lightly oiled pan over moderate heat and fry until golden.

Verdict:

These came out beautifully with a light beer flavor. We topped them with drizzled honey and had them for lunch. This ratio made a dozen 4″ pancakes — more than enough for two, plenty for three or four. This batter came out too thick for my taste and needed 1/2 cup of water.

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

Jan 29th, 2010 | Posted by Cori Rozentāle
No comments

Three-bean Vegetarian Chili

Sometimes, it can be hard to find healthy meals that fill you up too, or at least, it can feel that way to me. This is a super tasty, filling and low-calorie vegetarian chili that I found in the latest Cooking Light magazine. Talk about getting your veggies in! I analyzed the recipe as written below using the Recipe Analyzer and it came back at less than 400 calories at 6 servings and just under 550 calories if it feeds four.

Now, I’ll warn you, it does take a while to make, especially if you’re going to cook your own beans. It’s worth it, trust me. We made this over the course of the afternoon after returning from our walk and the thick, hearty chili was just right for a cold and snowy evening.

While I do show this in its chunky, fresh from the pot state, we both found that we preferred it after pureeing for a few seconds. It was smoother and more to our taste – however, I know that many chilis are very chunky, so puree or not as you like.

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili [printable recipe]

Adapted from the January 2010 issue of Cooking Light
Serves 4 – 6

  • 3 oz / 1/2 cup dried black beans1
  • 3 oz / 1/2 cup dried great northern beans
  • 3 oz / 1/2 cup dried kidney beans
  • 2 red bell peppers2
  • 2 cups (about 1 small yellow) onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (if available)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 – 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups cubed, peeled winter squash (about 1 medium-large acorn squash)3
  • 800g / 28 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Preparing Beans4:
Soak beans in a jar full of water overnight. Drain beans and pour into a large pot, covering with lots of water, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. (In my case, it took about 2 hours or so.)

Preparing Bell Peppers:
Cut peppers in half and remove seeds, stems and membranes. Place skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until blackened – about 12 minutes. Place in a paper bag and let stand for 10 minutes. Peel away the blackened skin and chop finely.

Preparing the Chili:
Heat oil in a large pot over low to moderate heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes until nicely browned. Stir in cumin, crushed chili flakes, paprika(s), a pinch of salt and garlic, plus a splash of white wine, then cook for 2 minutes. Add peppers, broth, squash and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Add cooked beans and continue simmering for an additional 25 minutes. Puree about a third to a half of the chili using an immersion blender or blender/processor to make it thick and tasty. Serve with sour cream.

Notes:

  1. Obviously you can use whatever mixture of dried beans you like. Or, you can use canned – the ratio is 1/2 cup dried beans (makes approximately 1 1/2 cups cooked) to 1 15oz can of drained, canned beans.
  2. Or, you can use about 4 canned roasted red peppers. Sometimes red bells are just too expensive to buy here, so I always have some canned on hand.
  3. In this case, I used acorn, but you could use butternut, delicata, hubbard or even pumpkin. Or just about any other winter squash I’ve forgotten to name here, except maybe spaghetti squash. That I don’t think would work.
  4. I use the overnight soaking method, but you can also do a “quick soak.” I don’t like it because it’s more work and takes just as long as the overnight soaking method! It’s really only useful when you forget the put the beans in a jar the night before.