Sesame And Miso Cookies

Sesame & Miso Cookies

Miso paste is so good in bakes, especially when white chocolate and tahini are in the mix.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
7/8 cup light muscovado sugar
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons Tahini
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 medium egg
1 medium egg whites
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/8 cup white chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds
Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

Directions:

In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together the butter and both sugars for 2-3 minutes until light (or use a stand mixer). Add the tahini, miso, whole egg and egg white and mix again until smooth. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon; mix again until just combined. Stir in the chocolate until combined. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375*F, and line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment.  Scoop and roll the chilled cookie dough into even-sized balls, each weighing 2 ounces (Golf ball size.  Place the sesame seeds onto a tray or into a large shallow bowl and roll each in the seeds to coat.

Place 5-6 dough balls on each lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space for them to spread during cooking. Slightly flatten each with your fingers, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt flakes and bake for 16-18 minutes until golden.

Sharply tap the underside of the baking sheets on the work surface to slightly deflate the cookies. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cook’s tip:
To give the cookies neat edges, one at a time, upturn a glass or ramekin over the top of them. With a circular motion, swirl the hot/warm cookies against the inside edge of the glass or ramekin.

Rose Whisky Sour

Rose Whisky Sour

Toast spring with this elevated classic, which has a touch of perfume—in the best possible way—thanks to the addition of rosewater and a garnish of fresh rose. Look for rosewater at your local grocery store or in Middle Eastern specialty food shops. Makes 1 whisky sour
Ingredients:
2 oz whisky
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Rose Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
1/2 oz egg white (optional)
Rose petal for garnish
Directions:
Add whisky, lemon juice, syrup and egg white to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously until foamy. Remove lid and fill with ice. Shake again until chilled. Strain into a chilled rocks glass. Taste and add a drop or two more of pure rosewater, if you like.  Garnish with a rose petal.  Makes 1 cocktail 

ROSE SIMPLE SYRUP
Bring 1 cup (250 mL) water to a boil. Stir 1 cup (250 mL) sugar into the boiling water to dissolve, stirring constantly. When sugar has dissolved completely, cool syrup. Stir in 1 tsp (5 mL) rosewater. Taste and add more rosewater, if you like. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.   Makes 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) syrup

Rosemar-ita

Rosemar-ita

If you love the bracingly fresh, almost minty sensation of fresh rosemary, this winter Margarita riff is for you. It has a fragrant foam that’s shaken separately from the drink, which receives its own evergreen burst through a muddling technique. Clean the shaker very well before foaming, and ensure it’s as cold as possible. Adjust the bright citrus note to your taste, as limes vary in tartness. 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:
Pinch Rosemary Salt (recipe follows), plus more for rimming glass
6 finger-length sprigs of rosemary, divided
1 oz blanco tequila
3/4 oz melon liqueur
3/4 to 1 oz lime juice, or to taste
1 1/2 oz cold aquafaba or 1 cold egg white
Fresh sumac or cranberries for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Prepare a Margarita glass by dipping the rim into 2mm water and then the Rosemary Salt.  Recipe follows.

In a cocktail shaker, add 3 sprigs rosemary and a pinch of Rosemary Salt, and muddle until aromatic. 

Fill shaker with ice, add tequila, melon liqueur and lime, then shake until drink is thoroughly chilled, up to 30 seconds. 

Taste and, if desired, add additional lime and shake again to incorporate. Pour drink through a fine-mesh cocktail strainer into prepared glass and refrigerate while preparing foam.

To a clean, cold cocktail shaker, add 3 sprigs rosemary and chilled aquafaba or egg white. Dry shake (without any ice) vigorously, using an up-and-down motion, until liquid turns to a thick, white foam.

Pour foam on top of drink and garnish, if desired, with sumac or cranberries.  Makes 1 cocktail

Rosemary Salt
Very finely chop fresh rosemary and, in a small bowl, mix in a 1:4 ratio with sea salt until thoroughly combined, but maintaining distinct green flecks. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days

Ham And Cheese Gougeres

Ham and Cheese Gougères

This flavourful Spanish spin on classic French gougères is especially light and airy due to an extra egg white. They’re best served straight from the oven, but you can bake them a few hours ahead and rewarm if needed. You could also freeze the piped batter right on the cookie sheet and bake straight from frozen—just give them a few extra minutes of baking time.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) ground mustard
1/2 tsp (2 mL) smoked paprika
1/4 tsp (1 mL) freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/4 tsp (1 mL) fine sea 

   salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 large egg white, beaten
1 cup (250 mL) grated Manchego cheese
1/3 cup (80 mL) finely diced serrano ham
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, mustard, paprika and pepper in a small bowl with a fork until uniform. Set aside.

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and reduce burner to medium-low. Add flour mixture and stir until smooth. Return pan to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until dough has dried out slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer dough to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle. Mix on low until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium and add eggs and egg white, a little at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until you have a smooth, shiny batter with a thick ribbon-like consistency. Add cheese and ham, and mix until just incorporated. Transfer batter to a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (1-cm) round tip.

Pipe 1-inch- (2.5-cm-) round, tall mounds on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Use a wet finger to smooth out any points—you should get 26 to 28 in total.

Bake, one sheet at a time, until outsides of gougères are golden, dry and crisp, 20 to 22 minutes. Serve immediately, or transfer to a baking rack to cool.  Serves 6 to 8

Coconut-Lemon Macaroons

Coconut-Lemon Macaroons

A citrus twist gives these sweet macaroons a pie-like vibe, while the finishing touch of salt makes them as addictive as cookies. Swap out the lemon for lime if you wish. There’s a bit of delicious oozing at the bottom of the macaroons, but those caramelized bits were my guests’ favourite part! If you want picture perfect macaroons, simply snip around the bottoms to trim.

Ingredients:
1 egg white
2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon zest
½ cup (125 mL) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (500 mL) sweetened shredded coconut
Pinch coarse sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

Whisk together egg white, zest and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in coconut until thoroughly combined.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spoon 12 heaping tablespoons of coconut mixture, each placed 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt. 

Bake the macaroons until golden, about 20 minutes, and let cool completely before serving. Lovely served with vanilla ice cream or lemon gelato.    Makes 12 macaroons

Almond Paste ~ Marzipan

Almond Paste for Baking 

Or

Homemade Marzipan for Candies, Etc.

Making your own marzipan or almond paste couldn't possibly be any easier - or tastier!

Ingredients Almond Paste

1 1/2 cups very finely ground blanched almond flour/meal or blanch, 

   grind and dry you own almonds - I recommend the bought almond  

   meal to ensure it's finely ground and sufficiently dry

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Sugar-free and diabetic alternative: use 1 1/2 cups Swerve        

   Confectioner Sweetner
2 teaspoons quality pure almond extract
1 teaspoon quality food grade rose water
1 egg white (vegan: use egg substitute 3+ tablespoons corn syrup, 

   golden syrup, or other sticky liquid sweetener)

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract and rose water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar and ground almonds. Keep in mind that it will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.

Turn the almond marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe.
Makes 13-14 ounces of marzipan or almond paste

NOTES

* Egg white is what is traditionally used. If you're concerned about raw egg you can use pasteurized egg whites in the carton instead. If you absolutely must (though I don't recommend it), you can use a few tablespoons of corn syrup, golden syrup, other sticky liquid sweetener instead.  
* Marzipan vs. Almond Paste - the difference: Almond paste is softer and is used in baked goods. Marzipan is firmer and is used in making candies/chocolates or as fondant for cakes. Marzipan also uses rose water. To adjust this recipe according to what you're using it for, follow this recipe as instructed for almond paste (I still include the rose water because it tastes amazing), or add an extra 1/4 cup or more of almond flour/meal until you reach a firmer consistency (one that you can roll out with a rolling pin without it sticking) for marzipan.

Beautiful Burger Buns

Ingredients:
Buns
3/4 to 1 cup (170g to 227g) water, lukewarm*
2 tablespoons (28g) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups (418g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant (9g) instant yeast

*For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.

Butter glaze
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, melted; divided

Seed topping (optional)
1 large egg white* whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water
sesame seeds, or the seeds of your choice

*For added richness and color, add the yolk left over from separating the egg to the dough above.

Directions:

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

To make the dough: Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough.

Cover the dough and let it rise until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.

To shape the buns: Gently deflate the dough and divide it into eight pieces (about 100g each); to make smaller or larger buns see "tips," below. Shape each piece into a ball.

Flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand until it's about 3" across.

Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy, about an hour. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. To make seeded buns, brush the egg white/water mixture right over the melted butter; it'll make the seeds adhere. Sprinkle buns with the seeds of your choice.

To bake the buns: Bake the buns for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven and brush with the remaining melted butter; this will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust. If you've made seeded buns apply the melted butter carefully, to avoid brushing the seeds off the buns.

Cool the buns on a rack. Use as a base for burgers (beef or plant-based) or any favorite sandwich filling.

Storage information: Store leftover buns, well-wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Tips from our Bakers

For slightly smaller buns, divide the dough into 12 pieces instead of 8. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, instead of 15 to 18 minutes. And how about "slider buns" — about 3" in diameter? Divide the dough into 24 pieces, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

To make these buns using our hamburger bun pan: Divide the dough into six pieces (about 128g each) and shape them into balls. Place the balls into the lightly greased wells of a hamburger bun pan, and gently press them with your hand to fill the bottom of the wells, or until they're about 3 1/2" to 4" wide. Proceed with the recipe as written. Yield 8 Buns

                                        
BLOG
Homemade hamburger buns by Kay Ameden

New Lettuce, Beet And Granola Salad

New Lettuce, Beet & Granola Salad

Growers are always finding new ways to entice us to eat our greens. Two relatively recent additions to the produce aisle, soil-planted living lettuce and packages of whole heads of assorted mini lettuces, stay fresher longer than tubs of mixed greens. And like tubs of mixed greens, the lettuces are complementary to each other, often containing both sweet and slightly bitter leaves. In both cases, the lettuces aren’t the same-old, same-old. Look for tubs containing four small heads of lettuce from California or, better yet, living lettuces in biodegradable pots from Ontario.

3 medium-size beets, about  12 oz (340 g) total weight
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

SAVOURY GRANOLA
1/2 cup (125 mL) roughly chopped shelled raw pistachios
1/4 cup (60 mL) roughly chopped skinned hazelnuts
2 tbsp (30 mL) sesame seeds
2 tsp (10 mL) za’atar
1 cup (250 mL) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey
1 1/4 tsp (6 mL) salt
1 egg white
1 large red grapefruit, including 2 tbsp (30 mL) of its juice
1 tsp (5 mL) agave syrup or honey
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) red wine vinegar
1/3 cup (80 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 cups (2 L) torn soil-planted living lettuces (about 2) or mixed mini lettuces
2 oz (55 g) crumbled, unripened goat cheese

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

2 Place beets on a piece of foil large enough to enclose; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap snugly and roast in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until tender. When cool enough to handle, peel beets and cut each into 8 wedges; set aside.

3 Reduce oven to 350°F (180°C).

4 Combine all granola ingredients in a large bowl; stir to thoroughly coat dry ingredients with the wet. Turn out onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet and cook in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until darkly toasted. Let cool.

5 Using a sharp knife, peel grapefruit and cut into segments, leaving the membranes behind. Cut each segment into 3 pieces and set aside in a small bowl. Squeeze remains of grapefruit over a small bowl and measure out 2 tbsp (30 mL) juice; discard membranes and any excess juice.

6 Whisk in agave, salt, red wine vinegar, then extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with pepper.

7 Add greens to a large bowl; dress with half the dressing. Toss beets with remaining dressing and top greens with beets, grapefruit segments, then cheese. Sprinkle with about half the granola (save the rest for another use) and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6 

Smoked Salmon Crisps

Ingredients:

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 chilled egg white

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.

1 tablespoons black sesame seeds

4 ounces smokes salmon

1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot

    plus a few for garnish

1/2 cup Creme fraiche

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

Freshly ground white pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the egg white and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter until smooth and creamy.  

Spoon teaspoons of the batter 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and spread to 2 1/2-inch rounds. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and bake in the upper and middle third of the oven for about 8 minutes, shifting the pans from top to bottom and front to back, until the tuiles are golden. Let cool.   

In a medium bowl, combine the salmon with the 
shallot, chopped chives, lemon zest and a pinch 
of white pepper. Spoon the salmon onto the tuiles 
and top with a dollop of crème fraîche and a 
couple of snipped chives. 
Serve right away.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 chilled egg white
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
4 ounces sliced smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped chives, plus a 
     few snipped for garnish

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 chilled egg white
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
4 ounces sliced smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped chives, plus a 
     few snipped for garnish

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 chilled egg white
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
4 ounces sliced smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped chives, plus a 
     few snipped for gar

Spiced Pecans ..... This is a quick gift, or a snack!

Spiced Pecans

A few years ago before we moved from a small town in North Central Ohio, I walked into the paint store. The lady working that day had a dish of spiced pecans for the customers. I thought the pecans were pretty tasty and requested the recipe.  Mary Lou obliged. What I like most is the fact that most spiced nut recipes begin with "melt butter" (and usually a large amount) but this recipe does not. I think you will like these spiced pecans.

I also have to share a coincidence. I was in the store shortly after my father passed away. Mary Lou had read the obituary in the newspaper and realized that her grandparents and my grandparents lived on adjoining farms. When she shared that with me, I shared that I remembered they also occasionally spent evenings together visiting and playing cards. What a great coincidence.

Ingredients:

1 egg white

1 teaspoon water

1 pound pecan halves

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Beat egg white slightly, add water and beat until frothy but not stiff. Fold in pecans. Combine sugar, salt and cinnamon, add to pecans and mix well. Spread in a lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 20 minutes.