English Muffins

1 3/4 cups (397 grams) lukewarm milk

3 tablespoons (43 grams) softened butter

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste

2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten (or egg substitute)

4 1/2 cups (539 grams) unbleached bread flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

Semolina, for sprinkling the griddle or pan

Combine all ingredients except the semolina in the bowl of a stand mixer or bread machine.

This is a very soft dough, so you'll need to treat it a bit differently than most yeast doughs.  If using a stand mixer, beat the dough using the flat beater paddle until it starts coming away from the sides of the bowl and is satin-smooth and shiny; this will take about 5 minutes at medium-high speed.  When you lift up the beater, the dough will be very stretchy.  If using a bread machine, simply run the dough cycle.

Scrape the dough into a rough ball, and cover the bowl.  Let the dough rise until it is nice and puffy; this will take 1 to 2 hours or so.

Prepare your griddle(s). Using  two griddles allows you to cook all the muffins at once, but otherwise cook the muffins in shifts.  Whatever you use — an electric griddle, stovetop griddle, frying pan, electric frying pan — sprinkle it heavily with semolina.  If using a griddle or frying pan that's not well-seasoned (or non-stick), spray it with non-stick vegetable oil spray first, before adding the semolina.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 16 pieces.  Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten the balls until they're about 3" to 3 1/2" in diameter.

The easiest way to handle and cook these muffins is to lay them right onto the cold surface you'll be frying them on.  That way, you don't have to move them once they're risen, and they won't mind cooking very slowly as you fire the griddle up to its desired heat.  If you don't have enough griddle space to do this, sprinkle a baking sheet heavily with semolina and place the muffins on the sheet; they can be fairly close together. Either way, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with additional semolina.

Cover the muffins (a piece of parchment works well), and let them rest for 20 minutes.  They won't rise like crazy, but will puff a bit.

Cook the muffins over low heat for 7 to 15 minutes per side, until their crust is golden brown and their interior is cooked through.  When done, the center of a muffin should register about 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.  If you find the muffins have browned before they're cooked all the way through, no worries; simply pop them into a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes or so, or until they're thoroughly cooked.

Remove the muffins from the griddle (or oven), and let them cool thoroughly before enjoying.  Remember: use a fork to split, not a knife to cut.  Fork-split muffins will have wonderful nooks and crannies; knife-cut ones won't.

Makes 16 large (3" to 3 1/2") English muffins.

From King Arthur Flour website

Smitten Kitchen’s 3 Steps to Easier Cookies

You can skip softening your butter.  Whether you make cookie dough in a stand mixer, with a hand-mixer or (my favorite) in a food processor, you can save time by cutting your cold butter into chunks and letting the machine bang it together with the sugar until soft.  It will be bumpy at first and you’ll need to scrape a few times to make sure no nubby cold bits remain but, within a minute or two, the butter is just right for the rest of the ingredients.  It doesn’t just save time, it makes for a cooler, firmer dough that’s going to take less time to chill.  You can skip the refrigerator chill.  And…

You can skip flouring your counter.  As soon as my cookie dough is made, I roll it out between two large sheets of parchment paper to the desired thickness and it’s a total breeze.  No flouring (which can toughen the dough). No pre-chilling (which takes so much more time).  No fighting the cold dough flat (which makes us grumpy).  Then, I slide this onto a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes (or a day, or a week, or months until needed), until firm and cut the cookies in clean, sharp shapes from this.  I then use these parchment sheets to line my baking sheets.  (No waste!)  Extra dough scraps can be easily rerolled and re-chilled the same way, with no erosion in dough quality because it doesn’t absorb extra flour. Bonus: No floury mess to clean up.

A couple extra tips: As you roll your dough between parchment sheets, some creases will form; pull the sheet loose so they don’t etch into the dough. When you remove your “board” of dough from the freezer, gently loosen/peel the sheet that will be the underside of the dough before placing the dough back on it. This bit of air ensures that your cookies, once cut, will come right off with no “peeling” needed. (Although even if peeling is needed, it too is a cinch with cold dough on parchment.)

Taken word-for-word from the wonderful Smitten Kitchen blog

Sour Cream Dough / Pie Crust / Turnover Shells

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1/4 teaspoon salt if using salted butter)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 1/4 cup) butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed

Heat the oven to 425° F if baking the pie shell or turnovers.

Place the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl or in the bowl of a food processor - cut the butter into the flour, by hand or machine, until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  The pieces will be a bit irregular and will vary in size.  Add the sour cream and mix with a fork, or process again quickly in the machine.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon milk over the dough and again stir lightly with a fork, or process.  Gather the dough together in your hand - it will be very smooth.  If it holds together without crumbling, it is ready to be rolled out.  If the dough does not hold together when pressed, add a few drops of milk and stir to distribute.  The dough should be quite soft but not sticky.  

For pie crust:
Form the dough into a cake about 1 inch thick.  Dust your rolling surface very generously with flour.  Roll the dough into a thin circle, about 1/8-1/16 inch thick, that is at least 2 inches larger in diameter than the inverted pie pan.  Transfer the dough to the pie pan, trim and flute the edges, and the pie shell is ready to be filled for baking or to be partially baked or fully baked.  

To bake the pie crust - prick all over with a fork at 1/2-inch intervals.  Press a 12-inch square of heavy duty foil snugly into the pie crust and bake for 6 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking for 4 more minutes for a partially baked pie shell, or 8 to 10 minutes for a fully baked shell.  Check the pie crust once or twice during baking and, if it puffs or swells out of shape, poke it gently with the tines of a fork.

For turnover shells:
Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick.  With a round cutter about 4 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out as many pieces as you can.  Gather up the scraps, press them together, and re-roll to cut the remaining rounds.  

To bake the turnovers - place about 2 tablespoons filling on each round.  With your fingertips, moisten the edges of the dough with water and fold each round over to form a half-moon shape.  Press the edges gently together with your fingers, then press them together with the tines of a fork.  Brush the turnovers with cream, and sprinkle with sugar if filling is sweet.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a baking sheet that has been lightly greased and floured), leaving at least 1 inch between.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.  

Makes enough for one 9-inch pie shell, or about 8+ 4-inch turnovers

From The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham

Buttermilk Ice Cream

250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
150 grams (5 ounces) sugar
6 egg yolks
250 ml (1 cup) buttermilk

Combine the cream and half the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat and bring to a simmer.

Whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in an electric stand mixer until the sugar has dissolved.  With the motor running, slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until well-combined.  Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan.  Cook over a low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Strain into a bowl and allow to cool.  When cool, stir in the buttermilk and refrigerate until cold.

Churn the cold custard in an ice-cream machine.  Transfer to a plastic container and freeze for up to 3 days.

From Saraban by Greg and Lucy Malouf

Sticky Ginger and Honey Cake

170 grams golden syrup
50 grams honey
170 grams sour cream
110 grams brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
280 grams butter
130 grams plain flour
130 grams self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Heat the oven to 350° F.  Grease an 8-inch springform pan, and wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil to prevent leaks.

Whisk together the golden syrup, honey, sour cream, brown sugar, eggs, and lemon zest.

Melt the butter and whisk it into the mixture.  Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, and ginger powder.  Fold flour mixture into the warm batter, whisking gently if necessary to break down any lumps of flour.  The batter will be fairly runny.

Pour batter into the prepared springform pan.  Bake in the center of the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

From Arabesque by Greg and Lucy Malouf, with minor changes

Rhubarb Sharbat

500 grams (1 pound) rhubarb, roughly chopped

400 grams (a little over 3/4 pound) sugar

250 ml (1 cup) water

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons rose- or violet-water (optional)

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a large, heavy-based saucepan and leave to macerate for 1 1/2 hours.  

Add the water and bring to a boil over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Increase the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Strain through a piece of cheesecloth or muslin, then return the strained juice to the pan.  Add the lime juice.  Boil as needed to thicken the syrup.  Remove from heat.  When cool, add rose- or violet-water if using.

To serve, mix 1 part syrup with 3 parts chilled water or seltzer.

Makes 400 ml (1 2/3 cups).

From Saraban by Greg and Lucy Malouf

Note:  The leftover sugary rhubarb paste makes really wonderful rhubarb turnovers!  

Middle Eastern Lemonade

5 whole lemons (preferably organic and unwaxed)
1 cup sugar
800 ml (about 3 1/3 cups) water
Mint leaves
Orange blossom water

Wash the lemons very well, then cut them into eighths and place them in a large mixing bowl.  Pour the sugar over the top and massage it into the lemons.  The idea is to rub the sugar into the skins, as the abrasive action releases the lemon oils, and at the same time squeeze out as much juice as possible from the flesh.  After about 5 minutes, the sugar should have dissolved into a thick, sticky syrup.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or so.

Add the water and mint leaves and return the bowl to the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Strain and add orange blossom water to taste.

From Arabesque by Greg and Lucy Malouf

Squash and Paneer Biryani in Filo

Marinade for vegetables

150 grams plain yogurt

75 ml cream

2 jalapenos

1 onion

1/2 bunch fresh coriander, chopped

1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Puree all ingredients together.

Vegetables

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 onion, thinly sliced

Stir the vegetables into the marinade and marinate for about an hour.  Heat oven to 400° F.

Drain vegetables as much as possible, reserving the marinade.  Spread vegetables in an oiled baking pan and roast until softened and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Rice

1 cup basmati rice, washed well, then soaked for 20 to 30 minutes

4 cloves

4 green cardamom pods

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

Bring the drained rice and whole spices to a boil in salted water to cover by 1 ½ to 1 ½ inches.  Simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, until just done.  Drain the water, return the rice to the heat, allow excess moisture to evaporate for 10 seconds, then set aside. 

Paneer

Fry cubes of paneer until golden brown.  Boil water, add salt, and soak the fried paneer in the water immediately after frying.

Saffron milk

3 tablespoons whole milk

Pinch of saffron strands

Few drops kewra (optional)

Heat the milk and add the saffron, and kewra if using, then set aside.

Vegetable and paneer filling

1 onion, thinly sliced

Reserved marinade

Roasted vegetables

Fried, soaked paneer

Golden raisins, plumped in boiling water

Cook the onion slowly until golden brown.  Add the marinade liquid.  Cook for a few minutes.  Stir in the roasted vegetables, paneer, and raisins.

Assembly!

4+ sheets filo dough, thawed and kept under a damp dish cloth until use

Melted ghee

1 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes

Reduce oven heat to 350° F.

Oil a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.  Lay one sheet filo over the pan and work it down into the bottom, allowing the extra to hang over one side.  Brush it gently with a little melted ghee.  Lay the next sheet of filo just overlapping the first and covering a further bit of the pan, and oil the same way.  Repeat with remaining sheets of filo.

Spread half the rice across the filo-sheeted pan.  Season lightly and drizzle with saffron milk.  Spoon in the vegetables, then add the remaining rice.  Again season lightly and drizzle with saffron milk.  Evenly dot with cubes of butter.

Fold the overhanging filo over the middle and brush with ghee.  Wrap bottom of pan with tinfoil to prevent leaks.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until filo is browned.

Serves 8-10.

Recipe by me, scavenged from about 10 other recipes!

Masala Sweetcorn Kebabs

200 grams (7 ounces) sweetcorn kernels (from about 2 ears of corn), fresh or thawed

100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) paneer, grated

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 green chilies, finely chopped

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teasoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek powder

Oil for deep-frying

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, then set aside for 15 minutes.

Using wet hands, divide and shape the mixture into 10-12 equal balls, then cover and chill them for 20 minutes.

Heat enough oil for deep-­frying in a deep, heavy-based saucepan to 190°C/ 375°F.  Fry the corn kebabs for about 3–4 minutes, until they are crisp and golden. Drain well on paper towels.  

Serves 4.

From Cinnamon Kitchen by Vivek Singh

Spiced Sweetcorn Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

300 grams (or 10.5 ounces) sweetcorn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn), fresh or thawed

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 hot green chilies, slit lengthwise

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

400 ml (1 2/3 cups) light vegetable stock or water

100 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk

3 tablespoons cream

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 lemon, juiced

Heat the oil in a heavy­-based pan on a medium­-high heat, and add the cumin seeds.  When they crackle, add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.  Add the sweetcorn kernels, ginger, chilies, salt, and turmeric, and cook for a further 3–4 minutes.  Now add the vegetable stock and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.  

Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend, then strain back into the pan. Return the soup to the heat and add the milk and the cream.  Simmer on a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes.  Stir in the butter and lemon juice.  Adjust the seasoning to taste. 

Serves 2-4.

From Cinnamon Kitchen by Vivek Singh

Cloud Shortcakes

3 cups (541 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (106 grams) sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind (lemon zest)

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (85 grams/3 ounces) cold butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

Heat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment.

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Work the butter into the dry ingredients to make an unevenly crumbly mixture.

Stir the vanilla extract and lemon zest into the milk, then stir into the dry ingredients until everything is moistened.

Turn the soft dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and fold it over once or twice.  Pat it into a 1"-thick circle, about 7 1/2" in diameter and use a 2" biscuit cutter to cut out about 14 circles, re-rolling the dough scraps if necessary.

Place the shortcakes onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush the tops with milk or melted butter. Sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.

Bake the biscuits for 14 to 16 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack, or serve warm.  Serve with fruit and whipped cream.

Makes 14 shortcakes.

From King Arthur Flour website

Coconut Scones

2 cups (8 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1 7/8 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) cold unsalted butter
1 cup (4 ounces) unsweetened shredded coconut or sweetened shredded coconut
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk, well-stirred
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) chocolate chips or chunks (optional)
Milk, for brushing
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) sweetened, shredded coconut for sprinkling

Heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt, in a large bowl.  Using a fork or pastry blender, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles bread crumbs.  Stir in the coconut.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut milk, and extracts.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a fork just until the dough is evenly moistened.  Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks, if using.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead two or three times.  Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a circle about 1/2-inch thick and 6 inches in diameter.  Use a knife to divide each circle into 8 wedges, or pat the dough into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle and cut into smaller rectangles, then cut those in half diagonally.

Transfer the scones to a baking sheet.  Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with the sweetened coconut, pressing it in gently.  Bake until the scones are puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve warm.

Makes 16 scones.

From Whole Grain Baking by King Arthur Flour

Mango Curd

 1 15-ounce ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Puree mango, sugar, lime juice and salt in processor, scraping down sides of work bowl occasionally. Add yolks; puree 15 seconds longer. Strain through sieve set over large metal bowl, pressing on solids with back of spatula to release as much puree as possible. Discard solids in sieve.

Set metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); whisk puree until thickened and thermometer registers 170°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from over water. Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups

From Smitten Kitchen blog, adapted from Bon Appetit, June 1998

Blackberry-Violet Compote

2 3/4 cups blackberries, washed
4-5 tablespoons violet syrup (or other sweet syrup), to taste
Large handful of dried blueberries or raisins
Squeeze of orange juice, if needed

Place the blackberries in a pan with a splash of water and heat until they start to soften.  Add the syrup and dried fruit and cook for another minute, then remove from heat.  Add another splash of water if the fruit looks dry.  Taste and balance the flavors, adding more syrup or a squeeze of orange if needed to balance the sweetness.

Serve with ice cream, or with yogurt and granola.

From Indian Vegetarian Feast by Anjum Anand

Granola

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup mixed nuts and seeds (such as pistachios, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flakes or dry unsweetened coconut

Heat the oven to 275° F.  Mix together the oats, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. and mix well.  Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes or so.  Add the coconut and bake for 5 more minutes.  Remove from oven, allow to cool, and store in an airtight container.

Serves 4.

From Indian Vegetarian Feast by Anjum Anand, with minor changes