Category Archives: misc

Champorado

Based on lots of different recipes…

  • 1 cup sweet glutinous rice (wash first, tastes cleaner)
  • 4 cup water
  • 4 tablea tablets
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder or 1/4 tsp espresso powder (very optional, makes the chocolate flavor darker)

Cook all together on low heat until done. Serve with condensed milk.

Makes 4 servings.

Choco Banana Cake

  • 1/2c mashed very ripe bananas (approx 4)
  • 1c sour cream
  • 1 3/4c AP flour
  • 2/3c cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 7oz room temp unsalted butter
  • 1.5 c sugar
  • 3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F (or 325F on my toaster), butter and flour a 10c bund and sift with cocoa powder.

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale, then add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add half the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add banana and sour cream, then the remainder of the flour.

Pour into the pan, smooth the surface and bake for 55-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Allow to cool for ten minutes, then invert onto a wire rack.

Glaze with chocolate glaze if desired. (Google that)

Crunchy Fruit Crumble Topping

Original Link here, recipe by Melissa Clark: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021225-the-crunchiest-summer-fruit-crumble

I haven’t tried the fruit filling, but have found the topping (or half a topping recipe) great on other pies.

  • 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup/50 grams rolled oats
  •  cup/75 grams light or dark brown sugar
  •  cup/65 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ginger or allspice, or use lemon zest
  • ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
  1. Mix all the topping ingredients, squish into coarse crumbs. Largest crumbs should be about 1/2 inch in size. If you try making them bigger they’ll end up as rock-crumble. S complains.
  2. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, bake at 350F (325 in the toaster) until fragrant. They will not be golden brown.

French Apple Cake

Source: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/french-apple-cake.html

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum
  • 3 cups of chopped apples (with Gravensteins, no need to peel)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F normal oven, 350F in the toaster, and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Add the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
  3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes (time depends a lot on the oven etc, check for golden brown), or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack for about ten minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. Then flip onto a plate, then the final plate.

Baked Apple Fritters

SOURCE: http://chocolatewithgrace.com/baked-apple-fritters/

For the Fritters

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold
  • 1 1/2 cups finely diced apples
  • 3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk)

Half:

  • 1 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter, cold
  • 3/4 cups finely diced apples
  • 3/8ths cup milk (I used whole milk)

For the broiled glaze

(for the half recipe, just make this one, with 2.5tbsp of milk)

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons milk

For the finishing glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until pea sized. (Toaster: 375F convect)
  2. Gently stir in the apples. Then add the milk, stirring just until combined.
  3. Drop by 2-inch spoonfuls onto a well greased baking sheet. (makes about 12-15 fritters – half is 6) Make the dough mounts flatish (hockey pucks vs mounds)
  4. Bake for about 12 minutes or until just lightly browned. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Then remove the fritters from the oven, turn the broiler on and immediately brush with the glaze.
  5. Place the fritters under the boiler, about 3 inches away and broil for 2-4 minutes until the glaze is browned and caramelized. Rotate the pan if needed.
  6. Let cool on wire rack for several minutes. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk for the last glaze and brush onto the warm fritters. The are best enjoyed warm.

Plum Cornmeal Scones

I thought this was a good cornmeal scone base, but it needs a smidge of jam or fruit to mask the flavor of leavening. It’s not overwhelming, but it is noticable.

Original Recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016842-cornmeal-plum-scones

Quick Plum Jam: (I didn’t make this, but it sounds interesting)

  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3/4lb plums pitted and cut into 1″ cubes

Put honey and bay leaf in a medium skillet over medium heat, simmer until it bubbles and gets darker (approx 2 min). Add plums, cook without moving until the undersides are golden brown (approx 5 minutes), stir then simmer until tender. Chill for at least an hour, up to a week ahead.

Scones:

  • 3/4c heavy cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1 2/3 (or 275g) flour
  • 1/3c (60g) coarse cornmeal or polenta
  • 3tbsp (35g) sugar
  • 2tsp (7g) baking powder
  • 1/2tsp (2g) salt
  • 6tbsp (85g) cold butter (original recipe calls for room temp but cold will result in fluffier scones)

Heat oven to 400F. Mix together the heavy cream and egg. Separately, whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter then drizzle in the cream egg mixture until it makes a smooth dough (most of it, but probably 1/4th ish cups left) .

Pat into 1.25inch round, then cut into 6-8 wedges. Separate them (closer together = less browned scones) and brush with the remaining cream mixture.

Make an indent on the top of the scone for the plum jam and overfill it (so as it bakes it spreads over the whole scone). I did a dollop of jam topped with a whole sliced side of plum. S found the skin too tart. Bake for 15-17 or until golden brown.

Things to try next time:

  • Less leavening, the cold butter helps the scones end up fluffier, perhaps 1.5tsp is enough?
  • Other fruit — maybe dried cherries or fresh corn mixed in?

Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

Original recipe (w/o Cheddar or Jalapenos): thespruceeats.com/corn-bread-recipe-995149

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal (1/4th-1/2 coarse/polenta)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar (optional if you prefer unsweetened cornbread)
  • 1 cup sweet corn (thawed)
  • 1/4 cup sliced jalapenos, cut into fourths
  • 1/2cup shredded cheese
  1. Grease a glass dish 8×8, preheat oven to 400F
  2. Mix everything (probably dry first, then wet) except corn (don’t overmix!)
  3. Fold in corn
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cornbread pulls away from the edges a little

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Source: https://www.insider.com/dessert-recipes-michelin-star-chefs-everyone-is-able-to-do-2020-4#lemon-drizzle-cake-2

The description is that it’s easy… and it is, if you have lemon juice or don’t hate juicing lemons. This used the juice & zest of 5-6 home grown Meyer lemons.

The original recipe has a lemon glaze, I didn’t make it. The cake is very lemony and not overly sweet, a nice balance without the glaze.

INGREDIENTS:

For the syrup

140g water
140g lemon juice
115g caster sugar

– Boil all the syrup ingredients together and set aside until needed.
– Let the cakes cool down for a few minutes before brushing with the lemon syrup.

For the cake

400g plain flour
10g baking powder
2g fine sea salt (quarter of a teaspoon)
350g whole eggs (7)
400g caster sugar
220g yogurt
30g lemon zest
80g lemon juice
150g unsalted butter, melted

– Sieve the flour and the baking powder together.
– Mix together the whole eggs and sugar, whisking until just combined (not thick and aerated). 
– Add the yogurt into the eggs, followed by the zest and the juice. 
– Add in the flour until just combined, followed by the melted butter. 
– Place into a large loaf tin that’s lined with parchment then greased and floured, and bake at 350F for 60+ minutes (It took me 1.5 hours at 320 then 350).
– Allow the cake to cool a little before gently unmolding from the tin, and place onto a cooling rack. 
– Let it cool for five minutes, then pierce with holes all over the cake for the syrup to enter. 
– Slowly pour all over with the lemon syrup.