When I need just a few eggs, I turn to the microwave.
Yes, skeptical one. I said the microwave.
You may know that if you put an egg in the microwave, it will explode. And no one wants to clean that up.
But with a little magic (or science, if you prefer) you can cook eggs in the microwave with very little fuss.
I've had this microwave egg cooker for more years than I can remember (but Amazon says I bought it in 2016), and it's seriously the only way I "hard-boil" eggs when I need from 1-4 hard boiled eggs.
Before you go there, yes, I've tried cooking eggs in my Instant Pot, and ... no. Just no. I never found the exact formula for the right timing, and about half the time I got distracted and overcooked the eggs to death.
The microwave gadget is easier. I just stick the thing in the microwave with eggs and water, set the time, and walk away. At worst, I get distracted and the eggs sit a little too long before I cool them off, but they're not continuing to cook at high temperature - they're busy cooling down. So although they might overcook a little bit, they're not on their way to becomes sauna eggs.
So, the science here is that the eggs aren't actually getting cooked via microwaves. They're shielded by the metal in the cooker, so the waves never reach them. Instead, the microwaves heat the water and turn it into the steam. The steam rises from the bottom reservoir and enters the chamber with the eggs. The eggs cook from steaming, just like the ones on the stove.
There are no adjustments or settings or buttons. It might take a few tries to get the timing perfect for eggs the way you like them, but after that, it's just a matter of setting the time on the microwave and then letting them rest a short time before cooling them in cold water - I just dump out the hot water in the reservoir and drop the eggs in there and add cold water.
Cleaning is simple. Unless an egg breaks (which rarely happens, but it can if an egg has a crack that I don't notice) there's not much to fuss with. I just rinse it off, and let it dry and I'm done.
The one I have is made by Nordicware and when I bought it, it was the only one available. Since then, other brands have produced similar microwave egg cookers.
Nordicware is a quality brand, and I've been happy with my little egg cooker for a long time, so I recommend it. But if you find another one that appeals, I suspect there aren't a lot of differences. The bargain ones might be a tad less sturdy, but let's face it, this isn't a super-complicated device.
Oh dear. I got a sample of an easy fermenter kit and decided to make the recipe they sent me. It sounded like a great idea, but ...
Oops.
I went to a couple of different stores, and fresh green beans were nowhere to be found. Bummer. But then I realized that I had frozen green beans. Would it work?
The lid made a lot of sense and I loved that I didn't have to do anything except screw the lid on. Nothing else to think about, unlike other fermenting methods I've used. I really liked the glass weights, since they had a grooved top that made them really easy to insert into the jars and take them out.
After two weeks, I was really curious about the beans. there was a slight whiff of dill even before I opened the jar that was enticing. It reminded me of pickles that I like. Mmmm.
The brine had good flavor, but the beans were a big nope. They were too soft to be pleasant to eat (although the flavor was good when I nibbled a tiny bit). Not a problem with the recipe, though. I really shouldn't have started with those frozen beans. I'm going to be looking for beans in the stores and farmers market, and I'll give this a try again.
If you're curious about the recipe, here it is. Use fresh beans, okay?
1 pound green beans, topped, tailed and trimmed to fit inside the jar
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs of dill
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
4 cups of water
2 tablespoons sea salt (I used kosher. Canning salt would also be a good idea. Table salt generally isn't used for pickles)
In a saucepan, heat water. Add salt and stir till dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Place garlic cloves, dill and chili flakes in the bottom of a pre-sterilized, quart-sized wide mouth mason glass jar. Next, add the green beans.
Carefully pour the cooled brine over the green bean mix until completely covered, leaving 1 1/2 inches of head space. (I used one of the Easy Weights to hold the beans under the liquid.)
So ... I haven't been posting a lot lately. mostly because I've been so freaking busy with other things. I've been writing a lot, but I also spent some quality time at the International Housewares Show, where I put a lot of miles on my sneakers and I saw a whole lot of amazing cooking gadgets.
I'll be writing about some of the things I saw at the show, both here and on my gadget and review blog. I'm still sorting through photos and press releases and whatnot, but I'll have posts soon, I promise.
But for now, I'll leave you with this video of a new gadget coming this fall from KitchenAid.
What can you do with thinly sliced apples? Well, at the show they made wraps using a length of the apple as wrapping material, but this thing isn't just for apples. You could create long sheets of potatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers ... lots of different vegetables.
The options are endless.
This thing will be in my shopping cart as soon as it's available.
I recently got the book Turbo Blender Desert Revolution and it says that you need a high-powered blender that can grind grains and heat foods. Shortly after I got the book, the folks at Salton asked if I wanted to test their Harley Pasternak Power Blender.
*taps fingertips together menacingly*
Why yes, yes I would ...
Bwaaa haaaa haaaa!
I already made one recipe from the book, but this time I decided that I would make a recipe that required grinding some grains. Which I happened to have. The book called for soft white wheat berries, and it just so happens that I bought those recently, too.
I messaged one of the authors of the book to ask whether he thought the Harley Pasternak blender would work for his book. He wasn't sure. The book requires blenders that spin so fast that they heat ingredients, and that are powerful enough to grind grains.
So ... did it work?
First, I put some water in the blender, started at low, and cranked the power up to top speed. And ... the water got warmer and warmer and warmer and then it was actually hot. It passed the first test.
But how about turning grains into flour? The first challenge is the ability to make flour. The second is the ability to grind evenly. You don't want to have some flour and some chunky bits. I put 2 1/4 cups of soft white wheat berries in the blender, set a timer for a minute and watched in complete fascination.
Not only did it turn wheat berries into flour, but it did it without needing me to stop and shake the blender or stop and scrape the sides. It was fun to watch, and kind of magical. Wowza.
So, yeah, obviously it can make your morning smoothie.
The controls on this are simple. The lever on the left is for on and off. The lever on the right is for pulsing. And the dial in the center is the speed control. There are no numbers or set speeds - it's just a smooth transition from the slowest to the fastest speed.
As far as the muffins, these were supposed to have a lemon glaze, which I'm sure would have been lovely. But I decided I wanted basic and somewhat savory muffins that could go with dinner. They have a bit of sugar, but they're not super-sweet. No sweeter than some cornbread muffins I've had.
Buttermilk Muffins Adapted from Turbo Blender Desserts by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
2 1/4 cups soft white wheat berries
5 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
3 large eggs at room temperature
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Note: I ended up making 18 muffins instead of the 12 this recipe should have made. I probably could have filled the muffin cups a little more, but since I live at high altitude, I'm always skittish about things rising out of control. These kept their shape nicely, so I probably could have filled them more. It's also possible that other pans have deeper cups than the pans I used.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter at least 12 cups of a muffin pan. I used baking spray instead of butter, but use what you like.
Put the wheat berries in the blender container and blend at the highest speed until you have a fine flour. This should take about a minute.
Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cover and pulse a few times until the mixture is blended, then transfer the flour to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla to the blender. Cover and blend at low speed until it is smooth.
Pour the buttermilk mixture on top of the flour mixture and stir until smooth. Divide the batter to fill the muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 12 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn the muffins out and let them cool completely.
I bake a lot. I've been wanting a grain mill for a while, to play around with. But I wasn't sure if I'd like it enough to justify buying one.
So when I got a chance to get a Mockmill to work with, I said "yes" in a heartbeat.
And, if you want one, I've got a deal for you. $80 off! Scroll to the bottom of the post for details!
The mill is named after its inventor, Wolfgang Mock, and it had pretty good reviews on bread sites that I trust, so I figured it was a good deal. Mockmill for me, bread for my readers.
Well, okay, the bread is for me, too. But the recipe is for my readers. Right?
The only thing left to do was buy some grains to mill. I picked up a couple of hard wheat varieties to start with - a hard white spring wheat and a hard white winter wheat. I'm going to try some soft wheat, too, and then I'll mess around with other grains.
The mill can grind grain very finely to make flour, or it can grind coarsely, for cracked grains or for things like cornmeal, where you want a coarse texture. Or any coarseness in between. You set the coarseness with a dial, so there's a complete range.
The photo shows the whole wheat flour on the right, topped with some store-bought bread flour.
The mill attaches to the hub of a KitchenAid mixer, so you do need a mixer to use the mill. But since it doesn't have its own motor, it's pretty small and lightweight and easier to store than a stand-alone mill.
Speaking of motors, I checked the heat on my KitchenAid's motor while I was grinding, and it didn't seem to be straining at all. I've made breads that stressed it more. So that's a really good thing.
The first time I used the mill, I had a bit of an "oops" moment. The mill jiggled quite a bit while it was grinding, and that grinding loosened the screw that keeps attachments attached to the mixer and then the mill did a nice spin around. Everything was fine except for some spilled grain, but I suggest that you don't go too far away from it while it's running.
I brought the Mockmill to a friend's house and it barely wobbled, so obviously it's a mixer issue and not a Mockmill issue, but the first time or two you use the mill, it's probably best to stay nearby and tighten the screw if it seems to be coming loose. Just to be safe.
Here it is, attached to my friend's mixer:
At my friend's house, we made pasta using half all-all purpose flour, and half freshly-ground whole wheat. It was really good with an eggplant bolognese. Here's the pasta:
Meanwhile, back to the mill ...
As far as cleaning the mill, you really don't need to do much - just brush out the parts you can get to, or if you're going to be putting it away for a while after grinding things like whole wheat that can go rancid, just run some white rice through it to clean it. You can also take the mill apart for a more thorough cleaning of the grinding stones, but that shouldn't be necessary very often - if you use it often. The mill comes with complete instructions on how to take it apart and put it back together, if you need to.
Way back when I first started researching about different flours, I found out that most flours that you buy are either aged or bleached. The natural aging process changes some chemical properties in the flour and strengthens the gluten bonds. Bleaching does the same thing, but in less time, which means the mills don't have to store the flour before they sell it.
Bakerpedia explained it well: "When flour is aged for several months, oxidation restructures the proteins within the flour while starch remains rather consistent. Here, the influence of gluten becomes more pronounced, forming stronger bonds which lead to a more elastic dough. Oxidation also naturally bleaches the flour, creating a lighter colored flour. Aging flour can be costly, which is why chemical methods of ‘aging’ are typical of large scale flour producers."
Aging time for flour also depends a bit on when the wheat was harvested. Grain that's newly harvested would need to be aged longer after grinding than grain that's older.
I also read (somewhere ... can't recall where) that you're best off baking with either aged flour or with freshly-milled flour. Flour that's somewhere in the middle of the process is least desirable. So, I figure it made sense to grind and then make bread right away because I'm not going to be storing flour for long periods of time before using it.
Here's a curious thing. After baking bazillions of loaves of bread, I know how much water I should need for how much flour. It varies a bit by season and brand of flour, but I know what results I should get. And I know that in general whole wheat flour needs more water than refined flour.
But the freshly-milled whole wheat flour didn't need any more flour than if I made this same recipe with white flour. Perhaps it's because the whole grains I bought had more moisture in them than milled flour would have had. I haven't experimented with enough types of whole wheat berries yet to know. But if you're using freshly milled grain, be prepared to make adjustments, if you need to.
Speaking of milling more grains, expect to see more recipes here using freshly milled grains. I've been really happy with the ones I've made so far, and I think it'll be a whole lot of fun working with other grains.
How much do I like this thing? Well, I just ordered some hard red wheat and some soft white wheat to try. I've used almost all of the first bag of the hard white wheat flour that I bought, so obviously I'm having some fun with it. If it was winter, I'd probably have used even more, but mid-summer it's kind of warm to be baking bread. Even so, I'm working on it!
If you happen to make this recipe with store-bought whole wheat flour, plan on using more water. I'm sure you'll need it.
Whole Wheat Sesame-Topped Loaf
9 ounces hard spring wheat berries, milled to a fine flour
4 1/2 ounce (1 cup) bread flour
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (one packet) Red Star* Active Dry Yeast
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Egg wash (optional - for a shiny crust and so the sesame seeds adhere)
Toasted sesame seeds, as needed (optional)
After milling the flour (the Mockmill sends it directly into the stand mixer bowl, which is useful) add all of the other ingredients to the bowl.
Mix on slow speed using the dough hook until all the ingredients are mixed. It's fine if the butter is still in large lumps - the stand mixer will obliterate it during kneading.
Increase the speed to medium (I used 4 on my Artisan mixer) and knead for 10 minutes.
Cover the bowl and set aside until the dough has at least doubled - about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, spray a 9x5 loaf pan with baking spray for added insurance that the bread will leave the pan. This isn't required, but it's good insurance. I've had some breads stick to the bottom of some pans, and it never makes me happy.
When you see that the bread has risen, heat the oven to 350 degrees. This will give the oven enough time to heat fully before you put the bread in the oven.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a log-like shape that will fit in the bread pan, with the seam side down in the pan.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap (you don't want to impede the rise) and set aside until the dough rises about an inch over the top of the pan - about 30 minutes, or about half of the first rising time. Remove the Brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash, if you're using it, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Slash the top of the loaf and bake at 350 degrees until the top is nicely browned and the loaf is fully baked, about 50 minutes. You can test the doneness with a thermometer poked into the bread, It should reach at least 205 degrees.
Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing or storing.
*If you use another brand of yeast, you might need to soften it in the water before mixing. Red Star is a brand that I know for sure can be mixed directly into the dough.
Trivia
I mentioned that Wolfgang Mock invented the Mockmill, but didn't say why. First, he tried whole grain bread that a friend made, and liked the flavor better than white flour. Second, he felt it was a much healthier choice. So, he started milling his own grains, but got tired of hand-cranking. He tried some electric mills, but didn't like them. So he decided to design his own, with an eye at making it easy to use and attractive.
Friends asked him to build mills for him, and it became a hobby that turned into a business in the 70's. Yup, he's been making these things for a long, long time. Mostly in Germany, but now he's working on selling them to consumers in the US.
His goal is to make home-milling as popular as, well, stand mixers, I guess.
This is a sponsored post for Mockmill; I received a mill at no cost and I get a revenue share for mills purchased using my code.
It's funny how much kitchen tools have changed since I was a kid. I can remember when my mom got her first blender, and she didn't get a microwave until I was an adult. She had a countertop broiler that I'm sure was a fire hazard.
And I don't ever recall her using a thermometer. Not for meat, not for anything. Somehow we managed not to eat undercooked turkey, but overcooked meat sometimes happened.
Now, it seems like I use a thermometer just about every day. Or at least every day that I cook. I use it to check meat temperatures, and I use it when I'm making fiddly things like candy or custard. Or when I'm making sure I'm not killing the good bacteria when I make yogurt.
When I'm making bread, I can be a little ... imprecise with my temperature-checking, but I'll have to admit that things often turn out better when I am paying attention.
When proofing yeast, or when I'm giving it a head-start in warm water, the yeast like a temperature of about 110 degrees. A little lower is fine. 110 is safe. But when temperatures rise too much hotter, yeast goes from happy and frolickly to cooked and dead.
But did you know that you can also test whether your bread is done based on internal temperature?
A lot of recipes suggest thumping on the bottom of the loaf, or going by time and crust color. That's fine if you've got a lot of bread experience or if you don't have a thermometer handy - but these days, doesn't everyone have a thermometer of some sort?
Sweet and enriched breads are done baking when they're somewhere between 190 and 195 degrees. Regular white bread is done at somewhere between 195 and 200 degrees. It's much easier to stab a loaf of bread with a thermometer to read the temperature than it is to turn a hot loaf out of a pan to thump its bottom.
I've owned way too many thermometers over the years. Way too many. I actually have a box of them tucked away for the next garage sale. But a while back, after a turkey said it was done too quickly because of a faulty cheap thermometer, I decided to invest in something better. Yup, I bought a Thermapen.
Now, the nice folks at Thermapen have sponsored this post, and one lucky reader will get a brand-new Thermapen AND an autographed copy of my cookbook, Make Ahead Bread.
Plus, there's a recipe here. Because I like recipes. And bread. This one isn't a make-ahead version. Instead, it's a slightly speeded up version, with a shorter first rise.
Mom wants you to make these for you for Mother's Day. And then leave the Thermapen for her. Because Mom needs a good thermometer!
Buttery Semolina Rolls
1 cup water, at 110 degrees
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Active Dry Yeast
2 cups (9 ounces) bread flour
3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Baking spray (optional)
Cornmeal (optional)
Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. If you start with 110-degree water, it will drop a few degrees when you put it in the mixer bowl and add the sugar and yeast. That's fine.
While proofing isn't really necessary if you know that your yeast isn't old and dead, it does give the yeast a little jump start, which means that the bread tends to rise a bit quicker. You don't always want a fast rise because a slow rise gives the buns more flavor. But in this case, the buns have extra flavor from semolina flour and from butter.
Let the water-sugar-yeast mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it's frothy.
Add the bread flour, semolina flour, salt, and butter. Knead with the dough hook attached to your stand mixer until the dough is elastic.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes. the goal is to find a place that's about 90 degrees.
Meanwhile, spray a 10-inch round cake pan - or anything similarly sized - with baking spray. It's not necessary, but it's extra insurance. Sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of the pan, if you like. And onto the sides, if you like. Again, it's not necessary, but I like the flavor and crunch.
Divide the dough into 12 roughly equal pieces and form them into balls. Place the balls in the pan so they're somewhat evenly spaced.
Cover the pan and set aside for 30 minutes. The buns should double in size and fill the pan.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the buns are risen, remove the cover and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the buns are golden brown and the internal temperature is about 195 degrees.
Remove the pan from the oven, flip the buns out of the pan, and let them cool completely on a rack.
Well, okay, you can rip one off and sample it while it's warm. Or three. I won't judge.
THE GIVEAWAY
The nice folks at Thermoworks have graciously offered to give away one of their amazing Thermapens, and I've thrown in an autographed copy of Make Ahead Bread as well.
Spiralizers are pretty trendy these days, and not there are whole cookbooks devoted to them.
I have to be honest and say that I was totally skeptical about zucchini "noodles" being as good as people said they were. I love pasta. I really do. I didn't think zucchini noodles could possibly make me happy.
But I really loved this recipe.
Okay, it's not the lightest recipe in the book since it's loaded with heavy cream and cheese, but it really does show of the potential of zucchini noodles.
I didn't really miss the pasta.
Okay, I'm not going to totally give up pasta now. But I'm going to be making more zucchini noodle pasta recipes, particularly in summer, when there are so many zucchini that need to be used.
Now, don't get me wrong. The book isn't all about zucchini noodles. It's just that I thought this recipe was pretty great, and I wanted to keep it handy for myself, right here on the blog. There are recipes with spiralized carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, apples, kohlrabi, squash, and more.
Vegetable Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas Adapted from 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes By Marilyn Haugen and Jennifer Williams
4 zucchini, ends cut flat
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup butter
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground white or black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Using a spiralizer, cut the zucchini into thin strands. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and prosciutto. Cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes until the mushrooms are softened and the prosciutto is slightly crisp.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and butter to gentle boil over medium-high heat. reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Whisk in 1/3 cup of the cheese and keep simmering and stirring until it's smooth.
Remove it from the heat and add another 2 tablespoons of cheese along with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Add the zucchini, peas, and cream sauce to the skillet with the mushrooms and prosciutto. Put the skillet on low heat and simmer, stirring, until the zucchini is cooked to your desired doneness.
Serve the vegetable pasta garnished with additional cheese.
I love making ice cream. I love eating ice cream. I love the richness of custard-based ice creams.
However, I'm not fond of separating eggs. It's not that I hate to do it, but it annoys me that it leaves me with the other half of the egg that I need to find a use for. So, I thought, why not make ice cream that uses the whole egg?
I mean, why not?
There's actually a pretty good reason why not.
The problem is that whites and yolks cook at slightly different temperatures, and it's pretty hard to regulate temperatures precisely on a normal stove. So if you leave the egg whites in, there's a greater chance you'll get curdled egg bits.
There are probably other reasons, but that's the one I'm addressing here. The magic way to use the whole darned egg.
You see, I just got a new gadget: the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl that works as an attachment to a KitchenAid mixer. It also which also functions as a stand-alone cooker. Note: not a freebie. I paid actual money for this. It cooks things to ... you guessed it - precise temperatures.
I experimented with it a bit with other recipes, boiled some water, and then decided to give whole-egg ice cream a whirl. I mean, why not? What's the worst thing that could happen?
Usually I make ice cream in warmer weather, but some recipes just NEED to be made in cold weather. Like this Mardi Gras Coffee Ice Cream. The idea was prompted by the receipt (free, this time) of some Mardi Gras King Cake flavored ice cream.
And then I was staring at that mixer thingie and wondering if it would actually work.
If you do have the mixing bowl attachment thingie, or you're thinking about getting one, this is a recipe you might want to save. Oh - and if you're thinking about buying it, keep in mind that this is an accessory that is not universal. There are different models for the tilt-head and bowl-lift mixers.
Mardi Gras King Cake Coffee Whole-Egg Ice Cream
1 cup milk (plus more as needed)
1/4 cup Mardi Gras King Cake flavor ground coffee
2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
Combine the milk with the coffee grounds and let it steep for at least a few hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. The longer it steeps, the stronger the coffee flavor will be.
Strain the grounds out of the milk with a small strainer, then strain again through a coffee filter or paper towel to get out the sediment. Discard the grounds and sediment. The coffee grounds will have absorbed some of the milk, so add more milk to the coffee-flavored milk
so you have 1 cup.
Combine all of the ingredients in the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl. Whisk well to make sure the egg is completely broken up, then continue stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved.
Set the heat on the bowl to 165 degrees and put the cover on. Let it come up to temperature, stirring occasionally.
When the bowl attains the 165 temperature, remove the cover, attach the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the whisk to the stand mixer. Turn the mixer to low.
Set the heat on the bowl to 170 degrees and the timer to 5 minutes. If you like, you can drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer and bowl to help retain the heat.
You'll see that the temperature will begin to drop. That's because it's measuring the temperature of the bowl, and the mixture in the center is likely to be cooler. You're also introducing cooler air as you mix. Don't fret, the temperature will begin to rise. When it reaches 170 degrees, the timer will start counting down.
When the time is up, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. The mixture will be thin, but it will thicken as it cools.
Refrigerate the mixture until it's fully chilled, then churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
I received samples of coffee from Community Coffee Company, but was not required to use it in a recipe. However, after my neighbor told me multiple times how much she liked it, I figured I'd do something creative with it. The flavor isn't super-strong to the point where you're wouldn't want to drink it every day. It's got a hint of cinnamon and vanilla that's very pleasant.
And to repeat ... no, I didn't get the bowl for free, and I was not paid, coerced or cajoled into publishing a recipe. I think I'll be doing even more recipes for it, since there aren't tons of them available, and so far I'm having a whole lot of fun with it.
While the book, The Holiday Kosher Baker, is all about baking foods for Jewish holidays, the recipes are just plain good. You don't need to make them for a holiday.
No one would point to the shortbread cookies that I made and say, "Kosher Holiday!" The cookies certainly could be used for a kosher holiday, but you could serve them pretty much any time.
Unlike many shortbread recipes, this one doesn't include butter - it uses margarine instead.
While I don't personally have issues with using dairy products, there are plenty of people who have to avoid dairy, so I like to have a few recipes designed for using margarine. Substituting margarine for butter doesn't always work as you'd expect, particularly in baking recipes.
I used cookie stamps to decorate these cookies, and I really like the result - both the decoration and the flavor of the cookies. I'm not going to admit how many of them I ate.
During baking, the cookies didn't spread a lot, and they held their shape and kept the designs that were embossed on top. That's really important if you're using cookie cutters or stamps - otherwise you can end up with strange blobs instead of distinct designs.
A bonus is that the recipe is really simple. There are only three ingredients, so if you happen to keep these on hand, you'd be ready to make these cookies pretty much any time.
However, they need some freezer time to firm up, so you do need to plan at least a little bit in advance.
BUT!!!
You can make the dough well in advance and freeze it, so you'll be ready to bake emergency cookies when you need them. What? You don't have cookie emergencies? Well, then, you can bake just a few at a time, if that's what you want to do.
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all purpose flour (plus more as needed)
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, cut into chunks
Note: this recipe uses a food processor to do the mixing, which makes it really easy. But I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer instead. Just make sure you start on low speed so you don't send sugar and flour flying all over your kitchen.
Put the sugar and flour in your food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for about 10 seconds to blend.
Add the margarine and process until it comes together as a dough.
Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. You can flatten it to disk and wrap in plastic wrap, or place it in a zip-top bags and flatten the pieces to a square shape to fit the bag.
Freeze overnight, or you can leave the dough there several days, until you're in the mood to bake.
When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees and line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw just until it's soft enough to roll.
Flour your work surface and the top of the dough and roll to 1/4 inch thick. The book suggests rolling the dough between sheets of parchment paper, but I had no problem rolling it without the parchment - do whatever works for you.
A while back, I received sets of cocktail, chai, and recipe dice from a company called Leafcutter Designs. The general idea is that you roll the dice and create a cocktail, chai, or recipe based on what you roll. It's a great way of brainstorming.
And it's a lot of fun, too. And tasty.
I'll admit that I don't follow the dice every single time - I mean, no one's looking, so if I roll an ingredient I don't have, I don't use it. Or I might tip one over now and then to get an ingredient I like better.
And pretty soon I'm going to cross out "arugula" on the recipe dice and maybe change it to endive or radicchio.
This time, I decided to roll the chai dice. I was in the mood for chai and didn't want to look up a recipe. I figured that the dice would lead me to some good flavors.
The funny part was when I rolled the dice and saw that I rolled black tea, I had no idea if I had any plain black tea.
I have a LOT of different teas, but most are mixed flavors, many are herbal, and some are green. I dug through my box 'o tea and through the random packets, and I found one black tea teabag. Just one.
But it was enough to make a single glass of chai and that was all I wanted.
The thing about the dice is that while you roll ingredients, you don't roll amounts, so two people could roll exactly the same thing and end up with completely different things.
Even with chai, where there are some pretty specific flavors that are expected, there can be a lot of variations. For example, I used a dried ginger product instead of fresh, and I used vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean. And I used a whole cinnamon stick, but I could have opted for ground.
The "milk" die says milk on all sides, but I could have made my chai with almond milk or soy milk or any other milk. And I made a hot chai. I could have made a cold drink with chai flavors, too.
I liked this version. I might make it again. Or, you know, just roll the dice and see what happens the next time.
Chai
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 green cardamom pods
1/8 teaspoon dry ginger bits
5 coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
Put all of the ingredients except the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and heat gently.
You could also heat the milk in the microwave in the mug you're going to use, but keep in mind that it tends to foam up, and you risk having it foam and spill out of the mug if you don't watch it carefully.
Let the spices steep in the milk for a minute or two. Go ahead and taste it and see if it's strong enough. If not, let it steep longer. If you steep so long that the drink cools off too much, just re-warm it.
Hey, we're having fun here. There's no wrong way to do this.
Put the cinnamon stick in the mug you'll use. If you want a stronger cinnamon flavor, you could also let it steep with the rest of the spices. Your drink, your choice. I liked the idea of using it as a stir stick, so that's what I did.
Strain the milk into the mug. Serve.
Note: I got the dice at no cost to me from Leafcutter Designs for the purpose of a review. I already wrote about them here, but. I continue to use them because they're fun. You'll probably see them used here again.
A while back, I picked up a salt-block-cooking cookbook at my favorite used bookstore.
No, the store isn't used. Most of the books are, though.
I didn't happen to have a salt block to cook on, but I figured that I'd get one eventually, and the book looked really interesting.
The book made it very very clear that grilling on a salt block is not for the faint of heart or the impatient. The salt block has to be heated slowly and there's still a chance it can break suddenly. Or even sort of explode.
Besides heating the salt block slowly, the other really important thing to keep in mind is that not all salt blocks are rated for cooking.
The ones with certain types of flaws are much more prone to breaking and should only be used for serving or for cold uses.
A few weeks after I got the cookbook, I got an email from the PR firm representing a company called SaltRox. And guess what they make? Yup, salt blocks. It was like karma. Salty, savory, delicious karma.
I was pretty happy to see that the salt blocks from SaltRox were rated for cooking, and it said so right on their website. Which is great, because I doubt most folks would be able to tell just by looking at the block. I sure couldn't.
Since salt blocks are a natural product, you'll always see lines of different colors - that's not a flaw. But it does make them very interesting to look at.
While searing a steak on a hunk of salt sounds really interesting, I'm betting most folks would use the block for other purposes, It's lovely for serving, and you can use it for salting or pickling foods. I also saw a recipe for drying food. Or you just display it. It looks really beautiful, and it changes depending on the light source.
The thing to remember if you're going to use the block for serving is that it's not a big pink plate - it's a giant freaking slab of salt. So if you put food on top of it, the food will get salty, and the longer it sits, the saltier it will get.
The food will also begin to lose moisture, if it's something that has moisture in it. I mean, a cracker isn't going to start weeping, but a slice of tomato will definitely lose water and get salty pretty quickly.
I browsed through the book to find something to make that would showcase the salt block, and I settled on a recipe for pickled vegetables. I decided to use zucchini.
But when I got to assembling ingredients, I realized that the recipe had a major flaw. The introduction talked about how the olive oil was essential as it kept the salt from being to aggressive. But there was no olive oil in the recipe. None. Zip. Nada.
Oops.
So I decided to have some fun on my own. The resulting zucchini slices were like brined pickles, but done in much less time, and using a much more interesting method. I'm definitely going to be messing around with pickling on the block a lot more, and maybe I'll even make one of the other recipes from the book. The seared scallops looked pretty amazing.
Salt-Block Pickled Zucchini
1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon cider or wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry dill
Several grinds black pepper
Have your salt block standing by. Since the zucchini will release moisture, it's a good idea to have the block on something that will catch the drips.
Slice the zucchini in 1/4-inch thick slices. You don't want them too thin, or they'll be too salty.
I cut mine on a slight bias, but cutting them into rounds is fine. I ended up with 12 slices which left plenty of room on the block, but it was plenty for pickles to go with dinner.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to make sure the sugar dissolves. Add the zucchini and stir to coat.
Let the excess liquid drip off of the zucchini back into the bowl, then arrange them on the salt block. Reserve the remaining oil/vinegar mixture.
Let the zucchini sit for 15 minutes, then turn them over and let them sit for an additional 10 minutes.
You can taste one now and assess the level of saltiness. If you want them saltier, leave them on the block a few minutes longer. Pat the zucchini dry on both sides with paper towels.
Arrange the zucchini on a plate and drizzle with some of the reserved vinegar and oil mixture.
More about salt blocks
Salt blocks aren't like other cooking surfaces. They get crazy hot and retain the heat. And they wear away when you use them.
And you can't clean them like normal cookware.
You can certainly scrub a salt block to get rid of baked on food or to remove food residue. But you shouldn't use soap, because the salt blocks are porous, and you don't want soap in your next batch of food.
On the other hand, salt is a bacteria-killer, which is why it's used in food preservation. You certainly want to get food residue off the salt block but you don't need to worry about the fact that you can't use soap or shove it in the dishwasher.
They're also heavy and can be slippery when they're wet.
If your salt block does break, you have a couple of choices. You can still use it with the pieces snugged up next to each other. Or, if it's a small corner that broke off, you can crush it, grind it, and use it like ... well, like salt. And when the salt block has worn away so much that it's no longer useful - or if it has broken into too many pieces - you can bust it up, crush it, and use it to fill your salt grinder.
Yup, this is cookware you can eat.
I received a salt block from SaltRox at no cost to me for my use on the blog.
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, and it just so happens that I bought those recently, too.
by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
blender from 
AND an autographed copy of my cookbook, 
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, cut the zucchini into thin strands. Set aside.
by Paula Shoyer
to press a design into each cookie.
are a natural product, you'll always see lines of different colors - that's not a flaw. But it does make them very interesting to look at.
