EMMA LAKE SUMMERS … Beach Breakfast and Lemon Pancakes

Summer at the lake.

When you say these words  you conjure up memories of sunny days that last forever.

Floating

Weightless in the water.

Sand scrubbed bodies

stretched out to the sun.

Long, delicious summers beside a small, quiet lake.  Emma Lake.

Beach combing (a very young me and my older siblings) found an injured falcon.   Our father made a  splint and  bandaged the wing.   We fed him raw meat. He   became very tame while the wing was healing.     Then one day he was just gone.  On the beach we found bits of the bandage and a few feathers.  Our falcon was flying free high above us.

We had a tiny cottage on the lake.  A low bench of sand and birch trees shielded us from the  winds off the water.  Against the bench of sand our Father made his outdoor kitchen, a few steps from the cottage.  He cooked on an old black kitchen stove.  A wooden table scrubbed white was both a prep counter and a place to eat.

On the weekends our Father would drive up to the cottage –   the car filled with fresh produce, groceries and most important baking he had done during the week.  Our favorite treat was Royal Bread Pudding.  It was  creamy,  cinnamon flavoured, raisin filled,  bread pudding topped with a layer of pastry and then vanilla icing.

Breakfast was cooked and eaten outside.  Dad would scour the top of the stove clean, then build a roaring fire.  He would use the entire surface of the stove to cook light, delicate brown rounds of  “flap jacks”.  These he would spread  thick with butter, sprinkle with sugar and then a  squeeze  of lemon.    Stacked  high, kept warm in the oven  he continued to flip pancake after pancake.  Warming in the oven the butter melted into the sugar and lemon and drizzled into sweet pools around the pancakes.  Ah, sweet heavenly delights.

LEMON SUGAR PANCAKES

Whisk together in a large bowl:   1 1/2 ups flour, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt

Whisk together in another bow; 1 1/2 cups milk, 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 2 large eggs room temperature, 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined.  Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto a heated griddle nudging the batter into rounds.  Cook until the top of each pancake is speckled with bubbles  and some bubbles have opened, then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned.  Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200°F oven.

To make Lemon pancakes, butter each pancake with soft butter, sprinkle generously with sugar, squeeze lemon juice over and top with another pancake.  You can make several small stacks or one large cake.  Just be sure to make lots.  Enjoy!

PS:  Emma Lake was internationally know for it’s Art School.  Artists from around the world would spend their summer at the EMMA LAKE ART SCHOOL.

SPICY CORNBREAD MUFFINS

Today I made cornmeal muffins to accompany tonight’s dinner of smoking hot chili.  It’s that kind of day here in the lower mainland.  The wind has been roaring across the delta, the skies are gray and I felt the need to punch it up a little.  The best part about this easy recipe is that not only is it delicious, moist and tender, but it freezes beautifully.  It compliments the one-dish chili and turns supper into an occasion.

ZUCCHINI LOAF … a light, tender quick bread.

Every morning I check my vegetable garden.  Every morning I am rewarded with zucchini.  I  lift the large leaves to find these green treasures. I like to pick zucchini when they are very small and tender.    I wanted to make zucchini loaf, but  to take it up a notch.   I salted the zucchini to draw out the moisture.    The results -  a spectacularly light loaf, and well worth this extra step.

ZUCCHINI LOAF  (makes 2 loaves)

3  zucchinis grated (about 4 cups)

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tbs ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups white sugar

l cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup golden raisins

Soak raisins in warm water for 30 minutes.  Drain thoroughly in a colander or strainer;  set aside.

Clean the zucchini and trim the ends. Do not peel.  Shred with a medium sized shredder.  You should have about 4 cups when finished.  Sprinkle the zucchini with l tsp of salt and place in a large bowl. Mix it with your hands to evenly distribute the salt.  Place a heavy plate on top of the zucchini and weigh down with food cans.   Allow it to sit for 20 minutes to purge itself of liquid.  Empty the zucchini into a colander and squeeze to release the juices.  Dump the grated zucchini onto a tea towel that has been folded in half, roll up and give it another good squeeze to remove even more liquid.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175degrees C).  Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans and set aside.

Set aside 2 tbsp of the flour.  Sift together the remaining flour, soda , spices and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Don’t be tempted to omit this step.  The sifting makes for a lighter loaf.

Beat eggs on medium speed(using the  whisk) for about 5 minutes.  Add the sugar, a little at a time and beat for a good 45 minutes.  The mixture should be light in color and thick.  While beating, slowly pour in the oil.

Change to your K blade.  Add the vanilla to the eggs and then add the zucchini.  Add  the dry ingredients, a little at a time and mix just until the dry ingredients are mixed in.  Do not over mix.

Combine the remaining 2 tbs flour, nuts and drained raisins in a small bowl, mix  together to coat.  Fold into the batter.  Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees f (175 c) for about l hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove to a rack to cool for ten minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on a rack completely.

Dust with a little powdered sugar if desired.    Make yourself a cup of Earl Gray Tea and enjoy.   You deserve it.

SODA BREAD WITH CURRENTS … so easy to make it’s magic.

Not everyone has the time, the skill,  or the ambition to bake their own bread.  This recipe is amazing.   It is unbelievably quick and easy. YOU CAN MAKE IT IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES!    It is unbelievably delicious.  Just try and eat one slice.  It is so good I urge you to make it  and then share the recipe with everyone you know.  If you have children old enough to take a hot pan out of the oven teach them this recipe.

CURRENT SODA NO-KNEAD BREAD

2 cups unbleached flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup currents

Easy Peasy Method:

Preheat oven to 450F.

In a large mixing bowl place flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and currents.  Mix thoroughly.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add your buttermilk.  Mix gently .

Turn the dough out onto a generously flowered work surface.  Use a bench scraper or spatula and roll the dough around just until it looses its stickiness.  The dough will be extremely slack and the bench(dough) scraper will help you form the dough into a round loaf.

Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  Score an X on the top to allow steam to escape and bake for  15 minutes at 450F then reduce the heat to 425F and continue baking  or until it as dark and crusty as you like.  Remove from pan;  let cool on a wire rack.  (if you can)

I sliced it while the bread was still warm, slathered it with butter, and enjoyed the pleasure of  bread fresh from the oven.

VARIATIONS:

You can make this bread plain by leaving out the cinnamon and currents.

Or you can add  a generous tablespoon of lemon or orange zest and coarsely chopped walnuts.

Olives, what about adding Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped and coarsely ground black pepper and serve this bread with goat cheese.

You get the picture.  You can be wonderfully creative with this recipe. Stock up the refrigerator with buttermilk and start baking.  Bon Appetit.

THE PERFECT SOFT POLENTA

When I was growing up dishes made with cornmeal were “winter dishes”.  The wood-burning stove crackled.  The kettle always steamed.  Out of the oven came “toad-in-the-hole” – plump little sausages baked in cornmeal bread,   johnny cake – cornbread squares  smothered in butter and lavished with Canadian maple syrup, and cornbread spiced with red peppers.   I  love cooking and baking with cornmeal!!

For supper last night I made one of my favorite “go to” chicken dish, Chicken Provencal (recipe to the right).    It’s such an easy dish to whip up, and the flavours are addictive.  I had made a generous amount of the sauce and felt it required something other than the ubiquitous pasta.  Polenta , a creamy, soft polenta.  This recipe does not require standing over the polenta pot stirring, stirring, stirring, until it is done.  It does take around 45 minutes so time it to hit your plates and the dinner table.  Polenta waits for no man – or woman.

SOFT CREAMY POLENTA (for two hungry souls)

2  1/4 cups flavor filled chicken stock,    1/2 cup cornmeal,      salt and  white  pepper,   1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 or 2 tablespoons butter.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil.   Add a little salt to taste.  Gradually whisk in the cornmeal.  Continue whisking for a minute or so.  Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.  Set your timer for 11 minutes.   Whisk again for about one minute.  Recover.  Set timer for another 11 minutes.  Do this four times for a total of 44-45 minutes.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan when whisking  as polenta as a tendency to cling there.   Now whisk in the butter and cheese.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt, and freshly ground white pepper.  Spoon a generous amount onto your plate and top with the chicken and sauce.

If you have left over polenta spoon it into a flat baking dish.  It  will set almost immediately.  Refrigerate.   Left over polenta is delicious grilled.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT BAKING POWDER BISCUITS

Baking power biscuits so light and flaky they drift off the plate and into your mouth.  To have a good biscuit hand is to have a light touch and restraint – a biscuit dough is so soft that it invites poking and prodding when it should be just barely worked.  The golden rule with biscuits is to stop doing whatever you’re doing to them two beats before you have to.  So when you rubbing flour and shortening together STOP when they are still some chubby chunks.  When you’re tossing the flour-and-butter mixture with the milk and the dough looks only just moistened – STOP.  And when you turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it just to work it into a mass, count each knead, get to ten, and STOP.

PERFECT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 cups flour (all-purpose)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp soda

1 tbsp.  sugar

3 1/2 ounces butter or solid vegetable shortening  cut into small pieces

2/3 to 1 cup buttermilk

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450
F.   Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and soda,  salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Add the shortening and rub the flour and shortening together with the tips of your fingers, making little crumbs and letting the crumbs fall back into the bowl.  Keep rubbing the flour and shortening together  until most of the shortening is mixed with the flour.  Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork to moisten the flour.  Don’t worry about getting everything thoroughly or evenly mixed.  You’ll have a sticky mass of dough.

Lightly flour a work surface and scoop the dough out of the bowl onto the counter.  Knead the dough ten times-no more , even if it tempts you.  Pat the dough into a circle about 9 inches across and, using a 2 inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits.  You can press the scraps together into a 1/4 inch thick circle and cut out additional biscuits.

Transfer the biscuits to the baking pan, allowing them to touch each other if you want biscuits with soft sides, and placing them apart if you want crisper sides.  (The biscuits can be brushed with melted butter before baking, an optional but nice touch.

Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden on top.  Serve them warm.

Biscuits are best just out of the oven, but they can be kept covered at room temperature for a few hours and warmed about 5 minutes in a 350F oven.

Like pie crusts, biscuits are a measure of a baker’s talents and a pastry in which bakers take particular pride.  Make them often and you’ll be rewarded with rich, delicate, flaky biscuits.  Make them tonight and you’ll family will be  very happy.  Any biscuits left over spread lavishly with home-made jam.  Biscuit heaven.

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST BREAD … PANETTONE

I have been making this Panettone recipe every Christmas for more than thirty years.  Our son,  Callum,  would not consider it Christmas unless this gorgeous bread appeared on the breakfast table December 25th.   Terry’s chocolate orange in his stocking is the other most have.  One year when I thought perhaps he had grown too old for this tradition I omitted it.  That will NEVER happen again.

If you have a stand mixer this bread is not difficult.  You must allow yourself time so start it early in the day.  Otherwise you’ll end up baking it at midnight, as did one year.  It did fill our home with a lovely fragrance on Christmas eve.

PANETTONE.  Make one very large loaf.

Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature

1/2 cup milk warmed

l envelope or 2   1/2 tsp yeast

3 2/3 cups flour

4 oz soft butter

1/2 tsp salt,

1/3 cup sugar

1 generous tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbs rum (optional)

3 whole eggs at room temperature

3 egg yolks at room temperature

1 cup diced candied orange and lime peel

A generous 1/2 cup dark raisins

A generous 1/2 cup of light raisins

Now the fun begins.  This is  bread that is not kneaded.  It’s all done in your mixing bowl of the stand mixer.

l.  Heat milk just to warm it.  Sprinkle in a little sugar then whisk in the yeast.  Let sit for around ten minutes until the yeast starts to foam.  Now add 2/3 cup of flour (from the 3 2/3 cups amount).  Stir well and cover tightly with plastic wrap and let raise at room temperature until almost tripled.  That’s around l hour.  The sponge may fall toward the end but don’t worry.

2.  About 15 minutes before your sponge is ready place the butter in your mixer with the paddle.  Beat until light, add the salt, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and rum .  Continue to beat until fluffy , about five minutes.

The generous amount of vanilla colours the mixture.  Don’t worry this is how it should be.

3.  In a separate bowl whisk your eggs.  Beat 1/3 of the eggs into the butter mixture until smooth.   Important,  Use your lowest speed from now on because you’ll be assimilating the flour.  Beat in about l cup flour until fully incorporated.  Scrape bowl and paddle.  Repeat with the remaining eggs and flour in two batches beating well after each addition.

4. Now add the sponge and beat until dough is smooth and elastic (around 5 minutes).

5.  Finally beat in the candied peel and raisins.

6.  Scrape the dough into a buttered bowl (around 3 qt in size) and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Let this lovely dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size.  About 2 hours.

6.  Meanwhile butter and flour a 9″ by 3″ spring-form pan.  Fold a very long strip of tin foil in half and butter and flour this.  Edge the spring-form pan with this collar of tinfoil to raise the sides of your pan.

7.  When your dough has doubled in size scrape it into your pan and cover loosely with a buttered plastic wrap.  Le rise about 1 hour or until your dough reaches the top edge of the pan.  Meanwhile preheat your oven to 375F.

8.  Discard the plastic wrap and bake your magnificent panettone in the middle of the oven for about twenty minutes or until well risen and deeply coloured.  Then cover loosely with tinfoil to prevent browning too much, and bake for almost 20-30 minutes longer, or until a thin knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

9.  transfer to a rack and cool 5 minutes.  Then remove the side of the pan and slide off unto a rack.

Voila!  You are finished!  And you have just made the most delicious, delicate, fresh loaf of Panettone.  Now that was not difficult,  was it!

Merry Christmas and Merry Eating.

BANANA BREAD … BANANA LOAF

Which is it?    It’s a good question that came up in a discussion about baking this past week-end.   Both  banana bread and banana loaf come under the “quick bread” category.  By definition a quick bread is a type of bread which is leavened with chemical leaveners such as baking powder, sodium bicarbonate, or cream of tartar.  Hence the term “quick bread”.

I dug out all my baking cookbooks and in both Joy of Cooking and Fannie Farmer 12th edition banana bread came under the section of quick tea breads.  Several other baking books listed banana bread under “quick breads”.

Next I Googled Cooks.com.  Indeed they had hundreds of recipes for Banana loaf but when you read them they were variations on banana bread.  Googling Banana bread gave the same results.   Where the confusion comes in is simply this,  Banana bread is baked in a loaf pan, and is sometimes called banana loaf.  Just as a one-dish meal cooked in a casserole becomes a “casserole”.

I have a new recipe for Banana Bread (loaf) from Joy of Cooking baking as I write.  I’ve changed the recipe slightly, adding double the walnuts and omitting dried apricots.    The recipe  I  have been using for years has a little more flour (makes for a drier loaf).  I like it because I spread my slices of banana bread with cream cheese.  But I really think this is the best Banana Bread I’ve made!

BANANA BREAD WITH LEMON

Have all ingredients at room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350degrees F.
SIFT TOGETHER:  1 3/34 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.  Set aside.

In your stand mixer blend together until creamy: 1/3 cup shortening (use butter or good quality margarine (not softened margarine),   2/3 cup white sugar and 3/4 tsp grated lemon rind.

In a separate bowl whisk two eggs then add around 1 1/34 cups ripe banana pulp(around 3 bananas).  The riper your bananas the sweeter and moister your bread will be.  Add this mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.

Add the sifted ingredients in about 3 parts to the sugar mixture.  Beat the batter after each addition until smooth.  Do not over beat.

Now fold in a generous cup of coarsely chopped walnuts.

Place the batter in a well-greased  bread pan.  Bake the bread about one hour or so until done.  Cool before slicing.

IN MY KITCHEN …. BUTTERMILK BISCUITS AND SOUL

I warm my soul  in my kitchen.     Cooking replenishes my soul  when the events of my world leave me feeling sad,  exhausted and drained.   I cook and bake when I’m happy.   It is pleasure to  cook for my family and friends.    My kitchen is the heart and soul of our  home.    We prepare food because we must eat.   True.   When we bake  we  add more to the table.   More of ourselves,  more soul.   We fill our home with the fragrance of baking.   Making luscious cakes, rich brownies, flaky pies we indulge our selves, and we indulge  those we cook for.

My  grandchildren, Kate and Andrew,  indulge their family and friends  when they bake biscuits, served with honey, to accompany a roast chicken.  A lovely idea I have taken to heart.  Golden, crisp roast chicken served with mounds of delicate, flaky biscuits and sweet honey.  A delicious alternative to the ubiquitous bakery baguette.

I recommend you make these frequently.   Repetition will make you a better cook, and it is so very, very good for the soul.    It should take just twenty minutes or so from start to finish to make biscuits.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour,     1 tsp salt,     4 tsp baking powder,     1 tsp baking soda,      3/4 cup cold butter or good quality hard margarine,     1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450degrees F  Makes about 16 biscuits

Mix your dry ingredients then cut in the butter or margarine.  You may use a food processor for this.   Don’t over process you want some tiny lumps of butter to remain.  This makes your biscuits flaky.

Dump the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl, and make a hole in the middle of the flour.  Add the buttermilk and mix using the handle end of a wooden spoon.  This little trick stops you from over mixing your dough.  Mix just until  the flour mixture starts to come together. Then still in the bowl knead it lightly six or seven times gathering it into a large rough ball as you do this.   Put this rough mixture onto a lightly floured board and pat the dough to the thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet about one inch apart.   Gather the left over scraps together to form rough biscuits.  Don’t press or kneads these pieces, it will toughen them.   These rough biscuits my husband chooses first.   Bake 15 minutes.

Serve immediately!   Slather on butter and honey and indulge with your lovely roast chicken.

Chefs notes:  You can do some prep ahead of time.  Mix the flour mixture and butter and store  in the fridge until needed.  Then all you have to do is just add the buttermilk and bake.

 

CRANBERRY MUFFINS … a Christmas morning treat

This is a lovely treat for Christmas morning.   Not too sweet but with a lovely burst of cranberry flavour.  The muffins would be delicious with ham, bacon or sausages.   Muffins freeze well so do some baking ahead and enjoy while you’re opening your Christmas stockings.

Makes l8 small muffins – or 12 large

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.  Lightly grease your muffin tins with butter and use  paper liners to make it easier to remove these  delicate and light muffins.

Have all your ingredients at room temperature.

Scant 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour,     2 tsp baking powder,     1/2 tsp salt,     1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp(2 oz) unsalted butter, melted,     2 eggs lightly beaten,     3/4 cup milk,     1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries (thawed if frozen) ,     and to finish 1 /34 oz/50 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated .

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.  Stir in the sugar.  Combine the butter, eggs, and milk in a separate bowl, then pour into the bowl of dry ingredients.  Stir just until all of the ingredients are evenly combined, then stir in the cranberries.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared  muffin cups.  Sprinkle the finely grated Parmesan cheese over the top.  bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until risen and golden.

Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool slightly in the pans.  Put the muffins on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Cook’s Note:  For a sweeter alternative, replace the Parmesan cheese with brown sugar.

This recipe can be easily doubled.  Why not!!!