Tag Archives: baking

Crunchy, Soft Bolillos

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Like miniature baguettes (each loaf is about five inches long), a bag of freshly baked bolillos from our Arctic bakery is ready to be made into tasty sandwiches or sliced and toasted with olive oil and garlic.

When we return to the road system each summer, we keep a keen eye out for new food ideas to take back to our kitchen in the Arctic bush. This summer, we rediscovered torta sandwiches, prompting me to make a mental note to bake bolillos when we returned to Point Hope.

Bolillos have their roots in Mexico where they are the main ingredient in molettes and tortas – lightly toasted bread topped with cheese (or olive oil and garlic) and sandwiches, respectively. Armed with many tasty sandwich ingredients in our bush pantry – garbanzos for hummus, home-canned smoked salmon, caribou and even duck eggs (for a twist on tortas de huevo) – I looked forward to trying my hand at bolillos for our lunch-time sandwiches. Based on several recipes I found on the Internet, I adapted the recipe below for my Zojirushi bread machine. This bread machine provides yeast with the perfect environment so that dough rises evenly and consistently in our Arctic home.

Bolillos

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Directions

  1. Place first 6 ingredients into bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
  2. Set on dough cycle. Start machine.
  3. Dough should be smooth, soft and elastic. Adjust amount of flour or water if needed.
  4. Punch down dough and knead briefly on a lightly floured surface.
  5. Divide dough into 10 pieces and roll into balls.
  6. Work dough balls with palms of your hands to form ovals, about 5″ long and 2″ wide in the center. Ends should be tapered.
  7. Place rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover and let rise for about 25 minutes. Rolls should double in size.
  8. Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.
  9. Mix cold water and cornstarch in a small pot.
  10. Heat mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Mixture should be thick and clear, about 2 minutes.
  11. Brush each roll with cornstarch mixture.
  12. Slash each roll down the middle, cutting about 1/2″ deep.
  13. Bake rolls for about 30 minutes. Rolls are done when they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.
  14. Cool on wire racks.

Bourbon and Vodka Vanilla Extract from Scratch: Do Not Open till Christmas!

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vanilla w bourbon_n

Quality Madagascar vanilla beans, bourbon in one bottle and vodka in the other, and the experiment begins. If all goes well, in six months we’ll have two excellent bottles of double-strength vanilla extract for our Christmas pies and confections.

Even when perfectly good store-bought products are available, we are fascinated by how various foods are actually made. For excellent vanilla extract, we know of no better than Penzeys Spices double strength. But we wanted to give making our own a go.

vanilla beans bourbon and vodka_n

We purchased our Madagascar vanilla beans from Penzeys. For the bourbon and vodka, we went with two well-known makers – a bourbon we enjoy sipping and a vodka that’s fine in our bloody Mary’s.

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There’s really nothing to creating your own vanilla extract. We had 15 long beans which we cut in half, split down the middle, and placed in old-fashioned bottles with tight seals.

Whether the subject is sherry for cooking or bourbon for vanilla extract, an oft-repeated axiom is “Don’t use anything you wouldn’t drink.” That’s good advice, on par with adding seasonings “to taste” in recipes. On one hand, this isn’t the place to use the finest bourbon one might drink; on the other hand, in our own experience we noticed a marked improvement in our sauces and sautés when we moved away from lower end sherries and upgraded to more drinkable varieties.

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bourbon pouring into bottle_new

Once the vanilla beans and alcohol have been combined and sealed tight, it’s helpful to give the bottle a gentle shake from time to time to ensure mixing and full extraction. For the richest, most flavorful extract, allow six months to go by before opening.

For this batch, that means we’ll be able to break the seal for Christmastime chocolate orange meringue pie, pecan pralines and extra rich vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Vanilla Biscotti (with Ports, Sherries, Muscat and Roasted Grouse)

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fortified wine_n

Light, crunchy and mildly sweet, Lemon Vanilla Biscotti (see recipe below) was the perfect accompaniment to an evening of sampling Port Wines, Sherries, Madeira and Muscat.

Lesson 8 in the wine appreciation course we’ve been taking this summer focused on fortified wines – ruby Port, tawny Port, fino Sherry, Amontillado, Madeira and Muscat. We wanted something sweet but not overly so to finish an evening that began with roasted wild grouse, squash risotto, Brussels sprouts and the sweet wines.

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Baked three times, biscotti has a satisfying crunch. This lemon vanilla version could be drizzled with icing, but we enjoyed ours unadorned. 

Although served on a warm Alaskan June evening, the meal took us to visions of late fall evenings and Autumn-colored forests where wild grouse thrive. The grouse and the squash risotto (one of the best we’ve ever enjoyed) were courtesy of our friends Bix and Krystin at Alaskagraphy.

Lemon Vanilla Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1  1/2 tsp lemon zest

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Whisk eggs, vanilla and zest in a medium bowl.
  5. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and stir until combined.
  6. Scrape dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
  7. With floured hands, shape dough into a flat rectangle (about 10 in. x 5 in.).
  8. Bake for 50 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
  10. Slice into 1/2 inch long pieces with a serrated knife.
  11. Lay the slices on their side and bake again for 15 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven and flip the biscotti to the opposite side and bake for 15 more minutes.
  13. Cookies should be lightly golden and crunchy on each side.

Cloudberry Cheesecake Cookie Bars

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oat wheat aqpik bars_n

Make these! Really, we couldn’t believe how good these jam-and-cream-cheese bars came out. You’ll have to patiently wait while they chill in the refrigerator to get the most flavor. 

The end of our school year provides us with an education on amounts over or under-ordered in our annual shopping. We ended up a little short on all-purpose flour and a little heavy on whole wheat. The challenge with 100% whole wheat is the heaviness and denseness it lends to baked goods. Mixing finely chopped nuts into the whole wheat crust and layering lighter flavors on top solved the problem in a delicious way.

This recipe would work with any jam. Of course, we love cloudberries and as long as we’re in the Arctic these delicious, rare berries will be our fruit of choice.

Cloudberry Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Crust

  • 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake layer

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Top layers

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups cloudberry jam

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Butter 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish. Set aside.
  3. Mix crust ingredients until coarse meal forms.
  4. Press crust mixture into bottom of glass baking dish.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
  6. Prepare cheesecake layer while crust is baking.
  7. Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
  8. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over baked crust.
  9. Return baking dish to oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until layer sets.
  10. Mix the remaining ingredients for top layer (except jam) until crumbly.
  11. Evenly and gently spread jam over cream cheese layer taking care not to disturb the cheese layer.
  12. Sprinkle crumble on top of jam.
  13. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until top begins to turn golden brown and jam bubbles.
  14. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
  15. For best results, chill pan in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight before cutting.

Cloudberries, also called aqpik in the Eskimo language of Inupiaq, are a sublimely sweet, berry that grow in the extreme north. Read more about them in these articles:

Cloudberry Country

Cloudberry Syrup

Cloudberry Cake

Cloudberry Sorbet

Coconut Aqpik Thumbprints

The Year-End Pantry: Applesauce Caramel Cookies

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Applesauce carmel cookies_n

Wrapping up another year in the Arctic before we go to our summer home in Seward, these caramel-topped applesauce cookies were a terrific way to work through the last of our supply of applesauce. 

A few lonely jars, bottles and boxes remain atop the cabinetry that lines the walls off our kitchen. Over five meters (sixteen-and-a-half feet) of uninterrupted shelf space that in August was packed tight to the ceiling with everything from chocolate to olives to nuts to jarred jalapenos is now mostly space. The remaining jars of salsa, soy sauce, sun dried tomatoes, Cholula and assorted other items stand like lonely sentinels overlooking our kitchen. It is the same throughout our house as freezers and pantries that had once been packed and piled with nine months worth of food are now nearly empty. And while our spice racks look full, it’s a deception. Many of the bottles are empty or nearly so. Our bulk order for next year went in to Penzeys Spices last week.

Applesauce is a healthful moistening agent in a number of baking recipes. It’s also terrific in oatmeal, as a blintz topping and in pancake batter, and makes for a light snack on its own. When we lived within driving distance of Northern California’s Apple Hill and the numerous orchards there, we made our own applesauce. Up here, we annually purchase a couple of cases of Tree Top Organic from Costco. The cookies in this recipe feature the fall flavor of applesauce in a light, soft cookie. The crunchy carmel-flavored topping adds another layer of sweetness and texture.

Applesauce Caramel Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground mace
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • caramel topping (see below)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and mace.  Set aside.
  3. Cream sugar and butter together.
  4. Add eggs and applesauce and mix well.
  5. Add in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
  6. Drop tablespoons of batter onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 – 2 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until edges of cookies begin to become golden brown.
  8. While cookies are cooling, prepare topping.

Caramel Topping

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, heavy cream, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
  2. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture just begins to boil and the sugars are melted.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Stir in vanilla.
  5. Scoop caramel mixture from pan with a teaspoon and drip onto cookies.
  6. Let caramel topped cookies fully cool before enjoying them.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from Chef In Training

Easy Wheat Bread with Complex Flavors of Coffee, Cocoa and Honey

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brown wheat_n

Tasty wheat bread with subtle flavors of coffee and chocolate goes well with both savory and sweet accompaniments.

While the all-purpose flour stores in our pantry are diminishing, we still have an abundance of wheat flour. The exceptional wheat bread we made earlier this year was fabulous, but it is time and labor intensive. This weekend called for a loaf with more “auto-pilot” in the directions – and more of the work being done by our trusty Zojirushi bread machine. We found a well-reviewed recipe that included wheat flour. After sampling a slice of the finished product with butter and honey, we both agreed it was a delicious addition to our bread rotation.

Infused Wheat Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp coffee extract
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp yeast

Directions

  1. Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer and select regular bread setting.
  2. Start machine and relax while the machine does the work!

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Moist Mocha Cake with Chocolate Drizzle (and a Powdered Sugar Experiment)

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mocha cake_n

Both the chocolate cake batter and the frosting have an essence of coffee which adds an element of complexity. Eggs and buttermilk make this cake moist and rich. 

The frosting for this decadent cake included an experimental element inspired by the fact that we’d run out of powdered sugar. Based on Internet research, I found  that powdered sugar could be created by putting granulated sugar and a little cornstarch in a blender for 15 minutes. We employ an immersion blender with a nut grinder attachment for these kinds of jobs. After about seven minutes, I decided the sugar looked powdered. The flavor of the frosting was spot on, but the slight graininess proved otherwise. Next time, I’ll muscle through the whole 15 minutes – or ship up enough powdered sugar to last the whole season in the bush.

Mocha Cake

Ingredients

  • Butter for greasing the pans
  • 1  3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cups dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp coffee extract
  • Mocha Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line two 9-inch springform pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour pans. Set aside.
  3. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
  4. Mix on low speed until combined.
  5. In a second bowl, mix together buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla and coffee extract.
  6. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour wet ingredients in with dry.
  7. Pour batter into two pans, evenly divided.
  8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
  9. Cool cakes in pans for 30 minutes.
  10. Finish cooling completely on wire racks.
  11. Place one cake, flat side up, on a cake pedestal or flat plate.
  12. Spread top of cake with frosting.
  13. Place second cake, flat side down, on first frosted cake.
  14. Spread remaining frosting evenly on top and sides of cake.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 sticks (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1  1/4 sifted confectioner’s sugar
  • 3 tsp coffee extract

Directions

  1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.
  2. Cream the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Continue beating for about 3 minutes.
  4. Turn the mixer to low and gradually stir in confectioner’s sugar.
  5. Beat until smooth and creamy.
  6. Mix in melted chocolate.
  7. Add coffee extract and mix until smooth.
  8. Spread immediately on cooled cake.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Apricot Pecan Rugelach

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rugelach_n

The tang of apricot, the crunch of pecan and the richness of cream cheese come together in this delightful, satisfying cookie.

This time of year puts our creativity to the test as our pantry begins to empty. Dwindling food stores bring to mind cooking shows where random ingredients are selected and presented to the contestants with the challenge to create something magnificent. My challenge ingredients were a bag of dried apricots, a bag of pecans and a desire to nosh on something sweet. I made the dough in the evening and let it rest overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, the cookies were quick and easy to make. A quick batch was ready for an after-lunch dessert with mugs of freshly steeped tea.

Apricot Pecan Rugelach

Ingredients

  • 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 tsp cinnamon mixed with 3 tbsp granulated sugar for topping

Directions

  1. Cream the cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
  2. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix well.
  3. Mix in flour on low speed. Mix until just incorporated.
  4. Divide the dough into two parts. Quickly roll into balls and flatten.
  5. Wrap each flattened ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  6. To make filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, apricots and pecans. Mix well.
  7. On a well-floured surface, roll each flattened ball of dough into a 9-inch circle.
  8. Spread half of the filling evenly on each 9-inch circle of dough.
  9. Press the filling into dough slightly, so it will roll easier.
  10. Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges. First cut each circle in half. Cut those halves in half. Cut all the quarters into three even wedges.
  11. Starting with outside edge, roll wedge toward middle, forming a crescent-type shape.
  12. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, point side down.
  13. Brush cookies with beaten egg. Sprinkle cookies with a little of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  14. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Cookies will be lightly browned.
  15. Let cool on a wire rack.

Mocha Toffee Bites

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mocha toffee_n

A coffee lover’s must! These coffee-infused chocolate cookies have a wonderful chewy texture with a surprise toffee crunch. Serve with a hot beverage or a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert.

After a very successful try at coffee-flavored ice cream, I had wanted to use coffee in other desserts, but to achieve a really rich coffee flavor, I learned that I had to steep a lot of beans. The problem is we had shipped up just enough beans for our required morning brew. So, coffee flavors were put on hold until a recent trip to Anchorage where I had an opportunity to pick up some organic coffee extract. I was hoping it would provide the same rich flavor as steeped beans. It did! Just one and a half teaspoons of extract turned really good cookies into great cookies. The addition of the toffee crunch sent the confection over the top. These cookies could be gussied up with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of melted chocolate. But those additions are unnecessary in an already perfect recipe.

Mocha Toffee Bites

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 tsp coffee extract
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1  1/2 tsp coffee extract
  • 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp dutch processed cocoa
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup English toffee bits

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together sugars and egg. Beat until smooth.
  4. Add vanilla and coffee extracts. Beat until well mixed.
  5. Add cocoa powder and salt, beat until well mixed.
  6. Mix in chocolate-butter mixture from double boiler.
  7. Mix in flour and baking powder.
  8. Stir in toffee bits.
  9. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined sheet, at least an inch apart.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes.
  11. Let cool for a couple of minutes on sheet. Then transfer to wire rack to completely cool.

Yield: about 15 cookies

Smoked Anchovy and Salmon Pizza

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Smoked Anchovy & Sage-Seared Salmon Pizza_n

Salmon seasoned with sage and briefly seared, smoked anchovies, shitake mushrooms and mozzarella cheese top a whole wheat crust brushed with garlic-infused olive oil.

The base for this elegant, satisfying pizza is a baked crust brushed with olive oil. This year, we’ve been experimenting with whole wheat crusts, and in this particular recipe it is perfect. Baked on a pizza stone, the whole wheat comes out light and crisp. The sage adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to this dish. This would be a great pizza to cook on a charcoal grill or in a cast iron frying pan with a lid in camp.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pizza crust, pre-baked
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 pound salmon fillet, skin on or off, cook’s choice. We prefer skin on.
  • 1 tin (2 oz) smoked anchovy fillets, oil drained and fillets separated
  • 2 tbsp tbsp pine nuts
  • garlic cloves. Small cloves can be left whole, large cloves cut into smaller pieces to make about 20 pieces of garlic.
  • two or three shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ground pepper
  • 3 very thin onion slices, cut in half
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, preferably infused with garlic, but plain olive oil is fine
  • 1/2 tsp powdered garlic
  • additional Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:

  1. Place a pizza stone on oven’s center rack and preheat to 400 degrees F.
  2. Ensure all bones are removed from salmon fillet. Rub sage into skinless side of fillet and set aside.
  3. In a medium-sized frying pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, shitake slices, 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning and ground pepper and briefly sauté. Onions should still be slightly crisp. Remove mixture to a plate to stop cooking.
  4. Return pan to medium heat and add garlic cloves and pine nuts. Sauté until garlic just turns soft and edges are light brown. Remove mixture to a plate to cool.
  5. Return pan to medium heat. Place salmon fillet sage side down and sear for 30 seconds. Use your hand or a spatula to apply light pressure to the fillet to ensure that it is evenly seared. Turn fillet over and sear the other side for 30 seconds. Remove to a cutting board to cool.
  6. Place 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1/2 tsp powdered garlic in a small bowl and mix together. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil onto the pizza crust.
  7. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the crust.
  8. Evenly sprinkle the mushrooms and onions atop the cheese.
  9. Arrange the anchovy fillets in a pinwheel on the pizza.
  10. Use very sharp knife to cut/separate the salmon along the grain of the fillet. Pieces should be 1 or 2 inches long. Arrange these pieces on the pizza.
  11. Add the pine nuts and garlic, and finish with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning.
  12. Bake for 10 minutes. Crust should be browned and the bottom should be crisp. Rest pizza for a few minutes before slicing to allow toppings to set.

Enjoy this pizza with a lightly-chilled Chardonnay or a cold Amber Ale.