Altered Plates

This lovely bit of dessert is a gluten-free vegan cupcake straight from the pages of the brand, spankin' new cookbook from Babycakes Bakery by Erin McKenna, Babycakes.

I've never had such light and rich gluten-free cake in my life. Fresh out of the oven (OK, about 20 minutes out of the oven) the above cupcake was fantastic. It had a nutty flavor, most likely from the coconut oil, and a perfectly cakey texture.

The gluten-free flour used in the cupcakes was garbanzo-fava bean flour. I had never used it in baking, but was very satisfied with the results. The one thing that is a mystery to me is why they should be stored in the refrigerator. Doesn't putting baked goods in the refrigerator dry them out?

Notes on the frosting: It was a little sour for my liking. I probably would only use 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice next time. Also, I don't use vanilla extract, which is why you see the vanilla seeds in my foods. In the photo above, I used the frosting prior to it's full setting, so it would be more of a glaze than a thick frosting because I wanted to really taste the cupcake. However, I plan to use it thickly on cupcakes later in the week. I'd really like to make it a filling and frosting because I enjoy surprises. ;)

The publisher was kind enough to allow me to republish the recipes for the cupcakes and frosting, so please go try these. They're worth the effort.

Vanilla Cupcakes from Babycakes

Makes 24 cupcakes (my yield was 12 large cupcakes and 34 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients:
2 cups garbanzo-fava bean flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup arrowroot
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/3 cups agave nectar
3/4 cup homemade applesauce (in the book on page 78) or store-bought unsweetened applesauce
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup hot water
Vanilla frosting (recipe follows)

Directions: (in my style, not theirs, although the language is theirs completely)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt.
3. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients and combine.
4. Stir in the hot water and mix until the batter is smooth.
5. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 22 minutes rotating the tins 180 degrees after 15 minutes (It took mine 27 minutes, and my oven temperature is accurate.) The finished cupcakes will be golden brown and will bounce back when pressure is applied gently to the center.
6. Let the cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
7. Using a frosting knife, gently spread 1 tablespoon vanilla frosting over each cupcake. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Vanilla Frosting/Vanilla Sauce

Frosts 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
3/4 cup dry soy milk powder (I used Better Than Milk.)
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups coconut oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a blender or a food processor, combine the soy milk, soy powder, coconut flour, agave nectar and vanilla.
2. Blend the ingredients for 2 minutes.
3. With the machine running, slowly add the oil and lemon juice, alternating between the two until both are fully incorporated.
4. Pour the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 1 month. (If you plan to use it as a sauce, store the miture at room temperature for up to 1 week.)

The preceding recipes are courtesy of Babycakes, by Erin McKenna and published by the wonderful Clarkson Potter/Publishers in New York.

Please let me know how yours turn out!

16 May 2009

You Know You've Made It When...

You end up in Forbes magazine.

I'll be reviewing the new Babycakes cookbook as well very soon. Have been a big fan of the bakery for years, so I was especially happy to see the new book.(The links all lead to pages on my Here and There blog that show Babycakes baked goods.) Stay tuned!

11 May 2009

Product Review: Agave-nectar Sweetened Krazy Ketchup

It seems I have become the unofficial taste tester for agave nectar sweetened ketchups. It's not a bad gig. It just means I have to keep ketchup-worthy items in the fridge or freezer. Or, I could surreptitiously carry a sample-sized container of the stuff with me to the diner down the street and order a plate of fries to try with it. Oh yeah, and try not to attract attention as I pull my camera out of my purse to shoot photos of the fries and said ketchup. Hmmmm.

The star of this post isn't your typical tomato-paste, sweetener, and spices ketchup. Check out the ingredients:

Organic tomato puree (organic tomato paste, water, salt), organic agave nectar, organic butternut squash puree, organic carrot puree, organic sweet potato puree, organic spices, and citric acid.

I love that Laila and Erin, the founders of Krazy Ketchup used all organic squash, sweet potato, and carrot puree in their ketchup. It's really tasty stuff. I hope the stores start carrying it around here because it presents a fun way to get your kids to eat vegetables they might otherwise scoff at on their plates.

Speaking of plates, as in all my ketchup taste tests, I'm using a tater-tot-like potato product to keep all the comparisons apple to apple. However, this time, I added a little horseradish to the ketchup in a separate, tiny ramekin to see if it would make a good spicy dip. In fact, the Krazy Ketchup does make a very good spicy dip/cocktail sauce. I can't wait to try this on other foods. I'd bet it would make an awesome barbeque sauce with some help from a few other choice ingredients.

The texture is thick, but not pasty. It's a little on the sweet side, with notes of the squash and sweet potato. But you really have to be looking for it to determine exactly what the flavor is. Overall, I'd say this is very close to my favorite (Wholemato), but since it's targeted to kids, I can understand why it's a bit on the sweet side.

On the other hand, I'm sure that I've become sensitized to sweet foods because I've minimized my intake of sugars so much since I started using agave nectar a few years ago. But, you should decide for yourself. Try Krazy Ketchup and let me know what you think.

06 May 2009

The Agave Nectar Police

I'm taking a very brief break from writing a final paper due on Monday to update Altered Plates with a rant yet again about all the misinformation on agave nectar out there on the Web. This stuff whips me up into a frenzy for a variety of reasons, but I'll get to that later.

There's another article out on the Web that talks about agave nectar being the same as high-fructose corn syrup. It also says that high fructose equals triglycerides, which it doesn't. (I've been using agave nectar for years and have very healthy triglycerides, thank you very much.) People have been picking up this article and republishing it on their sites or linking to it from their sites.

It just burns me up that some people who have Web sites or blogs continue to take a single (misinformed) source and make it gospel. It saddens me further that some people have lost the ability to research information thoroughly. For instance, where are the studies that say agave nectar is in any way like high fructose corn syrup, which is processed in all kinds of ways to make it chemically more fructose-heavy. For that matter, where are the studies and research that say agave nectar is harmful?

And, when I say studies, I mean studies not sponsored by agave nectar producers or corn producers, or any food producer for that matter. I want to see large-scale, well-researched studies that show significant results. Yes, I understand that statistics can be manipulated to say all kinds of things, but reputable studies also include the raw data in their results, and those numbers tell the real story.

If people would just take responsibility for themselves and what they put into their bodies and stop blaming the ingredients they use (or don't use because they've only read one source of information that doesn't provide any substantive research to back up their assertions), this all would become a non-issue and I could stop being the agave nectar police.

Geez.

OK, so why does this get under my skin so much? Well, John and I were talking about it this morning and it's clear that there are people who are just plain lazy. Not too long ago, when I was a working journalist, I would spend weeks researching material for articles. Part of that process included collecting all the opinions and facts on a topic that could be had, not just the ones that supported the hypothesis of the story. I welcome opposing opinions that are based on fact, especially those with supporting arguments that are sound. Bring 'em on.

However, this business of taking one source -- one misinformed source -- and recycling it on a page/site is worse than doing nothing at all with the information. It means that the information is seen as having value, and increasingly more people in those circles will do the same thing. Then, we have a trend based on false information that just causes more problems.

I really don't like being the agave nectar police, but sometimes you just have to stand for something or else you will fall for everything. I say that in the voice of my friend Jerome who died on Sunday. He probably would have enjoyed this because he was diabetic and tried agave nectar for the first time at my house during a lively breakfast of waffles and fake sausage and bacon.

I also don't enjoy using Altered Plates as a soap box, but this blog focuses on the use of agave nectar instead of other sweeteners, so it's on topic. But, I'd rather focus on the food. So, in memory of Jerome, who was a very good person, please do your part and stand for something. If you see someone's site spreading misinformation of any kind, leave a comment. They may not approve it, but at least you will have tried.

03 May 2009

Snappy Vegan, Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies

The original recipe for these snappy vegan, gluten-free ginger cookies comes from Elena's Pantry. I did a little noodling to the original recipe, but in the future, I'll probably do a little more because they were a bit oily for my taste.

The original didn't list the yield, but I was able to get 36 2.5-inch round cookies. They are definitely best on the day they're made, after they have cooled. I brought them to John's cousin's on Friday evening, after I had made them that afternoon. At that point they were still snappy. The following morning, they weren't.

My guess is that the oil content is too high. I also didn't use yacon syrup, but just agave instead. Either way, I'll noodle a bit more with these to get them right because I like ginger snaps.

Here are my alterations:

1. Used regular almond flour instead of blanched almond flour (not sure what difference that would make).
2. Added 1 teaspoon Pensey's Cake Spice to the dry ingredients.
3. Substituted the yacon syrup for more agave nectar.
4. Spaced my cookies pretty far apart because they looked like they would spread (I was right, they did).
5. Between the final mixing and the scooping onto baking sheets, I refrigerated my batter for 30 minutes to try to help with the wetness.

I'm sure with a little coconut flour, these will turn out just fine.

25 April 2009

Everything Old Is New Again.

I've finished editing the two old Altered Plates movies so that they could fit within the time restrictions of YouTube. It was weird seeing my old kitchen and evil oven in the films. They're not terribly old, just back to 2007, but what a difference a renovation makes!

OK, enough teasing. Here are the links to the newly added, split into smaller pieces movies:

1. The Hamantaschen That Became Stars.
2. Graham Crackers Redux.

If you haven't seen them before, please feel free to laugh at my silliness. I'm only an amateur. :D

Sooner or later I will get back to making movies again, especially since I actually have a good place to put my camera now. I just need some time.

Just in case you were interested, we've been doing some home improvements, especially in the garage. Also, the garden's a riot of color.

18 April 2009

Fruity Muffins

Lucky for me, many more bakers and cooks are using agave nectar instead of other sweeteners in their recipes these days. Back in March, Andrea posted this lovely recipe for Healthy Fruited Muffins that she had adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooking. I'm not sure what her changes to the original recipe were, but I wonder if agave nectar was one of them.

Because I was puzzled by the yield of just 7 muffins, I doubled her recipe and added lemon juice and more agave nectar because the batter was just so tart. It wound up filling several mini muffin tins as well as a few cups in my standard muffin tin.

This recipe looks like it would be a snap to veganize -- just add oil instead of butter, use almond or soy milk for the dairy, and use the flax trick for the egg. Also, I'd add a little baking soda for some lift.

My muffins turned out to be very light, moist (but not too moist), and just tarty enough to be very satisfying. The texture of my muffins looked markedly different than Andrea's, but my guess is that the additional lemon juice broke down more of the whole wheat's bran. It's just one of those baking things. Whenever I bake with whole wheat flour that isn't whole wheat pastry flour, I add a citrus juice. It does magical things to the texture and makes the resulting baked good into a baked great!

Have you tried this in your baking?

12 April 2009

Updates to the Site

Hi Folks,

I'm finally in the process of uploading all the old videos that were missing from this site into YouTube. Previously, they had been viewable via Brightcove, but they've deleted all videos from non-paying members (a very bad policy -- especially because they did not alert any of us in advance, or at all).

There are still a few that need editing in order to fit within YouTube's time constraints. In the meantime, please bear with me until I replace all the old ones (there are only two left on this blog and three left on Here and There to replace, but it shouldn't be long now). If the semester's end wasn't looming ever closer, this would already be done. However, I'm knee deep in research and final papers/projects to accomplish. Fun!

If, by some remarkable coincidence, you're in the library field, please feel free to check out the two blogs I've been writing for two of my courses this semester:

My term project blog for Principles of Searching -- still in process, but will probably be wrapped up in the coming two weeks.

My blog on the Learning 2.0/23 Things project -- I completed this project early because I had a feeling I'd be overburdened with reading and projects/papers/etc. left to do. The 23 Things project is a great way to learn new things over a reasonable period of time.

Last, but not least, I hope to be baking again very soon. My pile of "to-try" recipes is mocking me. I also have one last cranberry muffin recipe in the hopper to share with you, so you'll probably see that one first.

Wish me luck with my papers, projects, and research!

Hope you're having a wonderful spring.

09 April 2009

A Diversion: Spiced

This book by famed pastry chef Dalia Jurgensen sat on my night table for several weeks before I had time to pick it up. Once I did, I had to read it until the finish. Because my life has been steeped in incredibly dry journal articles on Library Science and its various subtopics, I was refreshed by Ms. Jurgensen's autobiography of a particular period of her life.

She tells of her fortuitous leap into the restaurant field, starting as a pastry chef at Nobu, and working her way through New York's top restaurants as well as Martha Stewart's test kitchens. What an exciting time for her!

However, there is a dark, alcoholic and sexist side to New York's kitchens. Ms. Jurgensen spills the beans on much of the seamy underbelly of this scene. When she describes in painful detail about life in these kitchens (because she doesn't mention anything about life outside the kitchens, except that in bars), it makes me very glad that I chose Library Science as a second career instead of pastry.

Don't get me wrong, I love cooking and I love cooking for others. Most importantly, baking makes me feel like all is right with the world, especially when it isn't at all. But, I couldn't do what Dalia Jurgensen does or did. It is interesting to read about though.

Check out Spiced.

02 April 2009

Superfood Muffins with a Twist

I'm a big fan of Hannah's recipes and her blog, BitterSweet. In fact, this muffin is an Altered Plates take on her Superfood Muffins.

I'm glad Hannah wrote a pretty strong caveat for these muffins so I'd know what to expect. I really didn't think they were that bad at all. I'd probably mix some almond meal into the flours next time for a little richness and substitute out some more of the whole wheat pastry flour for barley flour (my new favorite) for even more wonderful texture, but otherwise, I enjoyed them. I especially liked the quinoa, the cranberries, and the 5-spice powder I added. Heck, anything with 5-spice powder is right up my alley.

I didn't stray too terribly far from her original recipe but I did make some changes that affected the outcome and flavor a bit. Here are the alterations I made to the recipe to keep it superfoody, yet tweak it a bit:

1. Added 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice powder to the dry ingredients.
2. Used flaxmeal instead of freshly grinding flax seeds (I don't have a coffee or spice grinder).
3. Substituted frozen cranberries for the blueberries.
4. Omitted the brown sugar and increased the agave nectar to 2/3 cup.
5. Used almond milk instead of soy milk.
6. Added 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
7. Substituted 1/4 cup pineapple juice for the 1/2 cup orange juice.
8. Used red quinoa instead of the white variety (went well with the cranberries).

My version yielded 12 typical muffins and 9 mini muffins.

I undercooked the quinoa a bit because I wanted the crunch, and it delivered. I'm sure Hannah's version is delightful, because all her recipes (and crafts projects) usually are. But, for an interesting twist, try the Superfood Muffins with cranberries. You'll enjoy the tartness.

26 March 2009

Product Review: Organicville Agave-Sweetened Ketchup

The short (and a little too sweet for my taste) of it is that if you miss Heinz ketchup because you eschew high fructose corn syrup as well as regular corn syrup, Organicville's organic ketchup is the one for you. It has the same smooth consistency as Heinz as well. The color is bright red, from healthy, organic tomatoes. Essentially, it's an organic, "healthier" version of Heinz ketchup.

To be fair in my review, I did a similar comparison to the one I did with the Wholemato Ketchup review. Except this time, I made homemade home fries from some very tasty, leftover herbed roasted potatoes.

In all honesty, I prefer Wholemato organic agave-sweetened ketchup. It's fresher tasting, has far less sweetener, and has a lovely, pureed tomato texture and thick consistency that lets you know you're eating real tomatoes. It also makes a superior cocktail sauce. I just wish the stores here carried it.

Whole Foods in Princeton said they had it, but they didn't. That's how I ended up buying Organicville's ketchup. I thought, "I really enjoy Organicville's dressings, so their ketchup can't be bad." And, it isn't. It's just not my taste. Now, my husband John would probably like it because he enjoys Heinz.

Me? I'm a Wholemato girl all the way. It tastes like what I'd make if I made ketchup myself.

19 March 2009

Best Vegan Thumbprint Cookies Ever!

My go-to vegan cookbook for cookies is now Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton. I've made agave nectar versions of her cookies before with great success, but these are over the top.

Even though they're vegan they taste genuinely buttery. She uses maple syrup and brown rice syrup along with a little bit of sugar in her original recipe, so making the agave leap wasn't a big deal. However, I used a completely different technique to create the cookie.

I made two different versions of these -- one close to the original, with walnuts and a strawberry all-fruit spread for the middle; and in the other, I used almonds and a lovely plum all-fruit spread. Fantastic! The almond version is what I'm bringing to a St. Joseph's Feast celebration tonight, because traditionally, almond cookies are served (albeit, not ones like these) for dessert along with zeppoles.

The texture of the almond version is not as smooth as the walnut cookie, but slightly crunchy. I love that she uses barley and oat flour for these cookies. You can taste the oats much more in the walnut version than in the almond cookies. I'm definitely going to try these with other flours and nuts. I kept thinking that cashews would make an amazing cookie. With those, I'd probably make some kind of carob-y ganache to use as a filling.

Because I altered the recipe significantly, I'm publishing my version here. However, I strongly urge you to buy a copy of Dreena's wonderful Eat, Drink & Be Vegan for yourself.

The Best Vegan Thumbprint Cookies Ever (inspired by Dreena Burton's Jam-Print Cookies, from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan)

Yield: approx. 32 cookies

Ingredients

2/3 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
3/4 cup barley flour
1/2 cup walnuts (or almonds, or your choice of nut or seed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
Just under 1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Your choice of unsweetened fruit spread/jam

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, grind up the oats until they are almost powder.
3. Add the nuts/seeds to the oats and grind until the mixture resembles crumbs.
3. Add the barley flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then pulse for a minute until everything is well combined.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, agave nectar, and vanilla until well combined.
5. Add the liquid mixture to the food processor and process until the dough collects itself. This should take a maximum of 40 seconds (and that's long).
6. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the cookies, four to a row, evenly spaced, on the sheets. Place one of the sheets in the refrigerator.
7. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to a small bowl. You will use this to dip a small spoon into while you're making the depressions in the cookies for the jam. Dip the spoon into the water, shake off any excess water and use the spoon to gently make a nickle-sized depression (about 1/4 in. deep) into the center of your cookies. Wet the spoon each time. You'll need to do this and it makes it much easier, trust me.
8. Fill each of the depressions with your jam/spread of choice. Put that sheet of cookies into the fridge. Take the other sheet out and repeat step seven on those cookies while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
9. Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, then switch the sheets' positions in the oven and bake for another 7 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edges.
10. Let the cookies cool on their sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. This is a very important step because the cookies could break if you don't.
11. Enjoy!

10 March 2009

Recycling: Moosey Hamantaschen

This is the first time I've ever recycled a post, but seeing how it's Purim time, I thought those of you who celebrate, might appreciate the blog post below. FYI, I didn't publish the recipe as I made it, but I will be remaking these soon and publishing a full recipe since I anticipate major changes.

I've written and tested hamantaschen recipes before, but had yet to achieve the buttery crispness found in the bakery cookies I ate in my youth. That is, until I tried altering the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant hamantaschen recipe for agave nectar.

The cookies shown above are the result of my efforts. I made these while cooking another recipe, so I didn't make one of my short films about the experience. However, I can tell you that I only used half the recipe and made about 24 tasty cookies.

My alterations to the recipe included 1/2 cup coconut flour for part of the all-purpose flour called, 1 cup of agave for the sugar, 2 teaspoons pineapple juice for the orange juice, and a completely different set of fillings.

For the fillings, I used a base of chopped dried tart cherries and dried apricots. I hydrated these and drained them, then pureed them. I divided the puree in half, then mixed each with a different fruit-sweetened mixed fruit spread, respectively. One was a peach spread, while the other was this amazing concoction from Trader Joe's with pomegranate in it.

Both were wonderful foils for the buttery cookie. However, I plan to try this recipe again, substituting more coconut flour for the ap flour and using a poppyseed filling. I've had a bag of Pensey's poppyseeds in my cabinet for a few months mocking me. So, it's time to use them.

Just a tip for creaming butter with agave, make sure that the butter's softened to almost mush. It incorporates much better that way, and even gets to a nice, fluffy consistency quite easily with the stand mixer.

05 March 2009

Off Topic, But Worth the Trip

My pal Richard is known for many things, but one of his defining characteristics is his love of all things chocolate. This can be witnessed in his kitchen in various ways -- from the giant jars of chocolate candies to his freezer full of Godiva ice creams.

He usually tolerates my forays into desserts because I don't cook/bake with chocolate any more, but he has enjoyed my pie.

If you are a chocolate lover, treehugger, or science teacher (or just simply curious about what this truly interesting man has to say), go visit Richard's Chocolate Lab. It's on his blog today, but he's told me there will be more on other chocolate candies tomorrow (or soon enough). His blog is definitely worth the trip.

04 March 2009

Eat Me, Agave Nectar -- Coconut Oatmeal Carob Pecan Squares

I love the blog eat me, delicious. The recipes are fantastic, the photos are gorgeous, and the writing is clear and humorous. So, go visit! Especially, go visit this recipe to see the original of what I made above/below.

These are very tasty bar cookies. I've rearranged the title of the cookie a bit because they are much more coconutty than oatmeally, but ever-so-yummy nonetheless. I think when I make these again, I'll add a bit more agave nectar and use a little less coconut. It might make the pecans a little more pronounced. Another thing I considered was slivers of dried apricots. How fantastic would that be?

For my vegan friends, these are very easily veganized. Just use flaxmeal and non-dairy milk for the egg and 4 tablespoons of your favorite oil instead of the butter. In fact, next time I make these, it will be veganized as well.

OK, here's the recipe as I made it most recently.

Coconut Oatmeal Carob Peanut Squares

Ingredients:

3 oz agave nectar
4 teaspoons melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened carob chips
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Oil an 8 by 8 in. baking pan. (I used a glass one.) Heat your oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Beat together the agave nectar, butter, egg, and vanilla until completely combined.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients until well combined.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and mix well.
5. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes until just golden brown.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

24 February 2009

Off-topic -- A Wonderful Diversion

A book review of something other than a recipe book (without an Altered recipe from me) is pretty far afield for this blog, but I had to share this book with you. It is truly one of the best books I've ever read. Of course it helps that the novel is primarily focused on food and the relationships the students of a very interesting cooking class have with food.

It's honest without being overly sentimental, especially when tackling some pretty tough topics like marital infidelity and fatal disease. And, it's hopeful in a realistic way. The author, Erica Bauermeister, writes about food very lovingly -- she makes me want to set up shop in my kitchen and bake for days. She also makes me wish that I could take the cooking class with that wonderful chef.

More than anything else, reading well-crafted novels, like Ms. Bauermeister's makes me think much more about improving my writing -- really thinking about how I turn a phrase. She handles imagery in ways that remind me of how painters hold things and look at them from every angle, seeing the way the light moves around and on them. I felt like reading this book was a luxury -- especially now that I'm back in school and time is truly at a premium. But it wasn't just the time factor.

The word luscious has many different meanings, but one in particular deals with the "richly luxurious" elements of life. All that to say, reading The School of Essential Ingredients was a luscious experience for me.

Next week, it's back to altering recipes for agave nectar, per usual. Hope you're having an exceptional February.

15 February 2009

A Plate Full of Happiness

One of my favorite blogs (food or otherwise) is Culinary in the Desert, by Joe. He and his partner, Jeff (and their GORGEOUS dogs) bake and cook the most amazing things. Recently, he made some homemade graham crackers adapted from an Alton Brown recipe. Because John only eats two of the cookies I make -- peanut butter cookies and graham crackers, I decided to give Joe's recipe a try. After all, every recipe I've tried from his site has turned out to be terrific.

Because you should really go visit Joe's site, I'll just tell you about the alterations I made to the recipe and about the cookies themselves. First, the alterations:

1. Substituted 3 oz of agave nectar for the dark brown sugar, golden syrup, and molasses.
2. I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of 1/8 teaspoon because I like my graham crackers cinnamony.
3. I didn't actually use graham flour, but genuine whole wheat flour. Someday I will try it, but times being tight, I'm just going to use up what I have first.

From John's reaction, I probably could have used more agave. In my humble opinion, they were plenty buttery and sweet enough. He said the consistency of these was much closer to the store-bought kind than in the past. I explained that they're never going to be the same because 1. I don't use funny ingredients or shortening and 2. I don't use cane sugar.

Agave nectar just doesn't behave the same way that sugar does. It doesn't crystallize, and it doesn't give cookies the same kind of crunch that sugar does. There's no getting around it. However, it will do marvelous things for the flavor and moistness of baked goods. I'll just keep hacking away at it. At least he tried them.

In my estimation, they're very nice buttery, crisp cookies. I'd be happy, in fact, I'd be smiling as I served them. And now, the house smells delicious. Thanks, Joe!

10 February 2009

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Scones Remix

Always my go-to book (or second after Vegan with a Vengeance) for ingredients I'm not sure what to do with, Veganomicon provided the majority of this recipe (90% of the ingredients, most of the directions, although I had to change things around a bit to deal with the agave nectar challenge).

Before I launch into the recipe as I made it, I have to tell you a bit about the scones themselves. These are best right after they've cooled just enough to handle. Also, if you freeze them the day you bake them, you'll be in good shape to warm them each time you want one or share them with others. The tartness of the cranberries is an excellent foil for the lushness of the pumpkin. They're not your typical scones. In fact, they're more muffin-y than scone-y. You know how scones are usually dry affairs that remind you of biscuits? Well, these are not like those. In fact, you could easily scoop this batter into muffin wrappers and pass them off as muffins. I might just do that myself next time I bake them -- and believe me, there WILL be a next time.

Here's the recipe as I made it.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Scones (as inspired by the recipe of the same name in the Veganomicon)

Yields 12 scones or muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
4 teaspoons baking powder (yes, you read that correctly)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks (1 individually wrapped short stick) VERY COLD
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
4 teaspoons flax meal
1 cup agave nectar
Zest of one lemon (alternately, you could use a lime, it would look great!)
1 cup frozen cranberries (or wait until you can get fresh ones), chopped
3 tablespoons shelled pepitas or pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients (everything up until the agave nectar in the ingredients list) in a large bowl.
2. Cut the Earth Balance up into small pieces and using a whisk as a pastry cutter, cut the margarine into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. This is done by using the whisk like a potato masher and shaking out the clumps until you have a uniform mix. It takes less time than a pastry cutter or a fork. Try it!
3. In another bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and the flax meal until completely incorporated. Mix in the agave nectar and the lemon zest until well combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, making sure that it's not too lumpy.
5. Fold in the cranberries.
6. Heat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper or line your muffin pan with papers.
7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners or onto the parchment paper. You'll need to leave 3 inches between each scone scoop.
8. Sprinkle the pepitas on top of the muffins or scones.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, then switch the positions of the pans (if using multiple pans) in the oven. Then, bake for another 15 minutes before checking with a bamboo skewer for no crumbs.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy or freeze immediately (double-bag these).