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| Test Kitchen: Questions |
| Tuesday, February 26, 2008 |
Rice Cubes? Can I make rice cubes with stuff in them in a non-stick sprayed ice cube tray? I bet I can. And maybe put a fat strip of nori around them. Squish in vinegared sushi rice, push in a piece of cooked shrimp or tuna, add more rice. Set in freezer a few minutes. Hmmm...will let you know. [Inspired by this post at Lunch in a Box.net]
Pasta e Fagioli Veggie Burger? A patty made with millet, beans slightly mushed, with or without some sweet italian turkey sausage, parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella. Would have to use the food processor. Ohh, garlic. Yes. Roasted and smooth. [inspired by this post at The Teacher Learns to Cook]
Whatever happened to the malted milk muffins? Uhm, dunno. But buttermilk probably needs to be in the house.
Silken tofu cheesecake? I do have silken tofu. This recipe does the calorie math for me. This one looks really yummy. Okay...I'll try it in the next few days, although I still haven't gotten to the flatbread (grumble, grumble). |
posted by Rose @ 9:09 PM  |
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| Superbowl Cake (A Week Late) |
| Monday, February 11, 2008 |
I should have posted this last Monday, but I didn't.
Now, before you judge--yes, the Giants goalposts are crooked and the Patriots logo is missing a dot on the "i"--remember it was my first fondant decorating attempt. I think I would have had more time if I hadn't had a dinner party the night before...
 The letters in the Giants logo were hand cut with a little paring knife and a reference shot. My friend Jesse left his sunglasses at my house the night before and I was just getting started when he walked in the door. He sat at the kitchen table with me for a couple of hours, trying to see how it was all going to come out. He was impressed, but since I'm inspired by Duff at Charm City Cakes, I was not entirely happy, but since it was my first try, it turned out okay. I didn't fondant the field so that people wouldn't be cracking their teeth on hardened fondant when it came to actually cut into the cake. It's a cream cheese frosting dyed green, with a chocolate cake in the middle. I used this recipe from Serious Eats, just halving it because I was not baking two cakes. It was pretty tasty, but I think I prefer a moister crumb. But then, I might just have left it in the oven too long. The lines on the field were done with Wilton cookie icing in a bottle, which made it easier to draw straight lines. There are actually the right number or lines, which is only thanks to my little sketch.
 So this is the Patriots side, with the missing dot on the "i." I know, I know. But I really rushed this job because I was a little tired after Saturday's dinner party. I don't know why I thought a cooking marathon was a good idea, but I learned a lot. For the Pats logo I just rolled out a thin snake of white fondant and shaped it into letters, then rolled it with a rolling pin onto the red blob of fondant. I really wanted a cool looking Superbowl logo in the middle, but as that piece went on 5 minutes before we walked out the door, I just put a Roman numeral 42 up there. The goal posts were put on once we arrived at the party we were going to. They're pretzel sticks covered in fondant. I think the Patriots one had more time to dry, which is why the Giants one is crooked. I fussed with it all night, really, but whatever. I think the next time I try a cake I'll make sure it's a little bigger, because it would have been a thousand times easier to create all of it a little bigger. And I really wish I would have had time to make the mini Tom Brady and Eli Manning football players.
Maybe next year. |
| posted by Rose @ 8:42 AM |
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| Experimenting: Butternut Squash Update |
| Thursday, February 07, 2008 |
The butternut squash quinoa applesauce (abbreviated to BSQIAS and then playfully named Basqias) muffins were good. They need another 1/4 cup of flour, and the white flour should be half white flour and half whole wheat, but they're good. I do like them.
Not so much the butternut squash quinoa applesauce cream cheese mash. Yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
And making it into a custard? Yeah, no way. After further examination, that wouldn't be the best combination. Although adding quinoa to an omelette is not a bad idea.
And the malted milk muffins? They worked really, really well. But I want to up that malted taste very, very badly. And I think some chocolate would be a-okay. I think, calorie-wise, they can totally swing it. And I was so proud of myself, because I got them to puff up good. Yay, chemistry!
Oh--and I had a grilled cheese of provolone and prosciutto with a little raspberry honey drizzled over two slices of homemade millet quinoa whole wheat bread (I call this Saturday Farm bread, because I was inspired by a loaf I had when I had egg salad when I visited Kim at the Farm). You know you wish you were me.
I know, I know. Photos. I promise, soon. |
| posted by Rose @ 9:27 PM |
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| Experimenting: Butternut Squash Pancakes |
| Tuesday, February 05, 2008 |
Actually, this post should be titled:
Experimenting: Butternut Squash Applesauce Quinoa Pancakes
but that's just a little pretentious, right?
Maybe because I read a lot of food blogs and today was World Pancake Day, I had a hankering for pancakes. But, in my desire to experiment and try different things, I couldn't leave well enough alone.
There aren't any photos of this experiment, mostly because I didn't think it would necessarily be something worth blogging. And while they were not a complete success, I found a flavor combination that I really liked and already have plans to do something with tomorrow morning, so this is more of a sketchbook post.
To explain my lack of butter and eggs, as well as oil, I'm trying to see what I can do with certain vegan restrictions and an eye on calories. These were not necessarily low-calorie, but they work as a dinner-time plate. I'm also just mildly obsessed with applesauce at the moment, as well as whole grains, which explains the quinoa.
I was lame and used waffle mix as my base for this. It was there and the calories were already added up. I added a cup of cubed boiled butternut squash, some applesauce, lots of cinnamon, a hair of nutmeg, a sprinkling of ginger and some allspice and some cooked quinoa. Red quinoa, because that's what was at the organic store. A good amount of time on a griddle and they were warm and feel good in my tummy.
But thinking about it now, I think that the one thing I need to subtract is the pancake factor. I'm thinking adding butternut squash mash and applesauce, along with the spices, on the stove with some quinoa. Something has to go in to add some creaminess, so I'm thinking a dollop of cream cheese melted in with some vanilla extract, a splash of milk, perhaps.
But then add a couple eggs (or really, just the yolks), put it in a ramekin and cook it slow and low in the oven for custard. Not vegan, but that's okay. I'm not one.
And since I love muffins, I think this would make a nice whole wheat muffin. I have vital wheat gluten, so I know I can lift the whole wheat, although without yeast, I don't know if I can use it. I think I'll try anyway, for a cakey crumb. That's the idea, anyway.
So, tomorrow will be a test of all three.
And since the oven will be on, maybe I'll try that malted milk muffin I've been wanting to make up. That'll probably take a few tries. I'm imagining a milkshake muffin, really. Chocolate may become involved, perhaps as chips, melted and glazing the tops or as a gooey dollop in the middle.
And I'm starting to feel like noodles and rice balls again. Oh--there's carrots, parsnips and turkey sausage, too.
Is this what it feels like to work in food every day? Because it's work, but it's also just a little blissful. |
| posted by Rose @ 9:56 PM |
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