Conquer Your Oven & Cross Buns re-done

Ovens can seem as if they have minds of their own. For the uninitiated they can be downright frightening with their dark interior, unforgiving metal racks, a light that goes on and off at will, a door that shuts you out... all of this leading to a fear of the oven - oven-phobia if you will. Read this week's column on how you can go about conquering your oven and showing it who's the boss!

I've included at the end of the column a recipe for these fruit rock buns for you to try as I am sure that you'll be geared up to bake after reading the column.

Each year when Easter rolls around, I am always searching and tweaking various Cross Buns recipes trying to come up with something that I like, something that suits my taste. There have been hits and misses. This year I was determind not to bother making Cross Buns... but you know, when the time comes around, you can't seem to help yourself, and so you give in.

For a Cross Bun to satisfy me, it has to be soft and tender and I want it just sweet enough that I don't need to slather it with butter or anything else. I want to be able to eat the bun as is with a cup of tea.

So here's what I set out to make - a bun that is soft and fluffy like my butterflaps, sweet like an Amish White Bread and with the gloss and stickiness of a coconut turnover or a sticky bun (minus the nuts). I deliberately set out not to dress my buns with the traditional icing cross or the flour-paste cross. I have to tell you, I am one happy woman, the recipe I created produced a bun that totally suits my taste and my tasters. Soft. Sweet. Sticky.

CROSS BUNS

Yield: 12 - 14

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (or instant)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 + ½ cup warm whole milk (110 – 115 degrees F)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
• 1/3 cup currants
  
  
  
  
  FOR GLAZE
  
  
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup icing sugar
• ¼ cup whole milk

• Equipment
• 
  
• 1 medium bowl
• 1 large bowl, oiled
• Plastic wrap or kitchen towel
• 1 (13 x 9-inch) baking dish, brushed with oil
• 2 small bowls
• 1 pastry brush
• 1 small whisk
• 1 tablespoon
• 1 large baking tray/sheet
• 1 wire rack
• 1 flat spatula

Directions

1. Add sugar to bowl along with milk and stir to dissolve sugar. Toss in yeast and give a little stir (be sure to wipe off any yeast stuck on the spoon), cover and leave to proof for 10 minutes in a warm place
2. Add flour to bowl along with ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt and stir to mix thoroughly; toss in raisins and mix
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast-milk mixture and mix to form dough. Once formed, knead the dough for 2 minutes, place in an oiled bowl, cover and put in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has more than doubled in size
4. Punch down risen dough and knead for 2 minutes and then cut dough into equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place in oiled baking dish. Cover and let rise for 1 hour
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the middle 20 minutes before the 1 hour of rising is complete
6. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water to small bowl and stir to dissolve sugar
7. Brush risen dough with sugar-water and transfer dish to the oven. Bake for 12 minutes; brush with sugar-water and bake for another 12 minutes. Brush again with sugar-water and bake for 3 minutes
8. Remove dish from oven, place on wire rack and brush a few times with sugar-water and leave to cool in the dish for 10 – 12 minutes
9. Use your spatula to pry the buns from the pan and transfer to wire rack then place the wire rack on the baking sheet/tray and let buns continue to cool
10. Meahwhile, add icing sugar and milk to a bowl and whisk to dissolve. Using a tablespoon, drizzle the glaze all over the buns - on the top and sides. Let buns continue to cool until you are ready to serve them

Read more...

A craving satisfied & An inspired Pumpkin Punch

When I saw Syrie's pasta post in January, my mind quickly turned to Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti with Anchovies, Dried Chilli and Pangritata recipe that I had bookmarked years ago (The Return of the Naked Chef). Though I love pasta, I don't make it often and when I do, I like it to be exceptional, which in my case means simple with a few quality ingredients. I prefer pasta dishes that are not heavily sauced, so this recipe suited me just fine.

See Syrie's recipe to make this dish for two. However, for the pangritata and shrimp, here's what to do.

PANGRITATA

Ingredients

3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Add the oil to a fry pan and heat gently
2. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme, and garlic. Toss to mix and let toast until crisp gently browned (or to your desire). Season with salt and pepper and spread on paper towels until ready to use
3. Sprinkle liberally over the dish and serve

Note: do not turn away while the breadcrumbs are toasting, it cooks and browns in very little time. Ensure that you are toasting with gentle heat.

PAN-SEARED SHRIMP

Ingredients

6 jumbo shrimp, clean and de-veined
2 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste
2. Heat pan on medium heat and add oil
3. Add shrimp and let cook for 1 + 1/2 minute on one side. Flip and cook for another 1 + 1/2 minute on the other side
4. Remove from pan and set aside
5. Add to pasta when ready to serve

Here are some other pasta dishes you may like to try: Kit's Chow, Tigerfish, Cinnamon Girl & Soup Belly.

Now about this Pumpkin Punch. My good friend Felix is always showcasing what I like to call real food. It's everyday food that is nutritious and it's food that lies at the heart of good homecooking. So, today I offer you two versions of pumpkin punch, you can make it Felix's way or my way. The main differences are: he cooked his pumpkin, I didn't. He added sugar, milk and condensed milk, I only added condensed milk which did dual duty for me - added the creaminess of milk and the sugar to sweeten.

For my recipe, see this week's column. And for Felix's recipe, click here.

Read more...

Giving in & Cornmeal Cou-Cou in 10 - Minutes!

Since White on Rice Couple posted about that very famous Vietnamese sandwich in February followed by Carolyn posting about Momofuku's pork bun/sandwich exactly one week later to the day, I just could not help myself, I gave in because all of a sudden I had some serious cravings for a pork sandwich.

All of a sudden and serious because:

1. Pork sandwiches are not common in my part of the world (though excellent pork is!)
2. You know how I feel about bread
3. It's no secret that eating bread for a meal such as lunch is not my kind of thing

While I was inspired by both posts, I did my own thing creating my own pork sandwich recipe. I went all out for this sandwich by first making my pickle the day before, marinating the pork overnight and baking my bread the following day.

Potted Pork

I used a pressure cooker to make quick cooking of my pork.

INGREDIENTS

1 + 1/2 lb pork belly cut into chunks
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons kecap manis
3 tablespoons chinkiang vinegar (black rice vinegar)
Minced hot pepper to taste
Salt (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the pork, soy sauce, kecap manis, black rice vinegar, hot pepper and salt to a bowl and toss to mix and coat meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight
2. Remove pork from fridge 30 mins before cooking
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, when hot, add pork and spread out in a single layer. Let cook until any liquid from the meat dries out
4. When liquid has dried out, add water and stir, scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits stuck there. Cover pressure cooker and let it come up to the first whistle. After the first whistle, lower heat to medium low and let cook for 15 minutes (depending on your pressure cooker, you will not hear the whiltle during this time, just a little hissing)
5. At the end of the 15 minutes, remove pressure cooker from heat, release the value to let out steam and then open pressure cooker. Return to stove on high heat and let cook until all liquid is gone. Drain off excess oil and reserve for other use such as roasting potatoes etc

Carrot & Cabbage Pickle

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pickling liquid (recipe follows)
1 + 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 + 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
Hot peppers, de-seeded and sliced

For pickling liquid:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepot and place on medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar and salt
2. Let mixture come to a boil and boil for 1 minute
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using to make pickle

DIRECTIONS

1. Add carrots, cabbage and peppers to a large bowl
2. Pour pickling liquid over carrots, cabbage and peppers. Toss to coat thoroughly
3. Place pickle into a mason jar or vaccum-sealed plastic container and let sit refrigerated for 24 - 48 hours before using

The sandwich totally satisfied my craving and it was worth the effort! My neighbours were thrilled with theirs as well.

For full disclosure I have to tell you that for dinner, I sought something else, you know that there is no way I would be eating bread for lunch and dinner! (lol)

And now on to this week's column.

Cornmeal Cou-Cou is half of the dish that makes up Barbados' national dish. One of the reasons many people complain about making Cornmeal Cou-Cou is the time it takes to be cooked - 90 minutes! Well, guess what, a friend of mine who is rather adept at cooking told me how to make excellent Cornmeal Cou-Cou in 10 minutes! In the microwave! Read all about it here, where you will also find the recipe.

Read more...

Pau takes me back...

As I bit into a Pau I made earlier this week, I was filled with a range of emotions - happiness because I had successfully re-created something I loved as a child. Sadness because many of the people I associated with the memory of eating Pau have gone to the great beyond, and a feeling of emptiness... continue reading the column here.

I would like to thank Mama Fa Mi of Spice N Splendour & Ian-ieza@MyR for the granting of permission to print the recipe for the dough which can be found at the bottom of my column.

The filling for my Pau was Chicken and Vegetables. For the full recipe of dough and filling, click here.

Monday is International Women's Day and I'd like to take the time to salute all the women in my life - my life is richer as a result of your love and sacrifices. To the supportive and vibrant group of women that read this blog - you are a true inspiration and I am blessed to call you friend. May all your days be filled with peace and joy.

Read more...