Simple For Recipe: February 2020

Crisp Sumac Spiced Nuts

Crisp walnuts and Brazil nuts glazed in spicy cayenne and citrusy, tangy sumac with coconut sugar make great party nibbles or as a topping for the salad, oatmeal or pancakes. Any mix of nuts (cashews, pecans, almonds) will work for this recipe—just be sure to allow them cool completely to ensure a crisp texture before serving or storing. Besides sumac, za'atar, a blend of herbs, salt, sesame seeds, cumin and sumac, would be another wonderful Middle Eastern condiment to spice up the nuts.

1 1/2 tsp Sumac

1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tbsp Coconut sugar

1/2 tsp Black salt

1 Large egg white

200 g Walnuts

100 g Brazil nuts

Preheat oven to 150C/300F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine sumac, coconut sugar and black salt in a bowl.

Beat egg white until very foamy. Stir in nuts, combining well. Add in sumac mixture until evenly coated. Spread coated nuts in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake nuts in middle of preheated oven, stirring at half time, until crisp and golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven, and let cool completely. Break up nut clusters. Store nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Labels: Dimsum and Snacks, Gluten Free, Nuts and Seeds

Blueberry Flaxseed Muffins

These lightly sweetened blueberry muffins are moist, fluffy and bursting with freshness and flavour. Made with spelt flour, crushed flaxseed and Quark (German fresh cheese), they make a great addition to any breakfast, brunch or coffee-break menu.

230 g Refined spelt flour
©angiesrecipes
20 g Flaxseeds, crushed
10 g Baking powder
2 g Baking soda
A large pinch of salt
80 g Raw sugar+1 tbsp for the topping
120 g Butter, melted and cooled
125 g Quark, full fat & at room-temperature
©angiesrecipes
2 Egg whites, at room-temperature
2 Eggs, at room-temperature
1 tsp Vanilla extract
150 g Fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 6-hole giant or a standard 12-hole muffin pan.
Combine spelt flour, crushed flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 80 grams of raw sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk butter, Quark, eggs, egg white, and vanilla in a jug. Pour into well. Add blueberries and gently fold until just combined.
Divide the batter into the muffin holes and sprinkle each with some raw sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes if using giant muffin pan and 15-18 minutes if using standard one until nicely golden brown.

Labels: Cheese, Fruit, muffins, Nuts and Seeds

Tomato Caramel Candy

A delicious soft caramel candy recipe made with just 3 ingredients that you can easily made at home. The fun ingredient here is salted tomato juice, but it can be replaced with water or other juices for different flavour.

Caramelization is the removal of water from a sugar, proceeding to isomerization and polymerization of the sugars into various high-weight compounds. Compounds such as difructose-anhydride may be created from the monosaccharides after water loss. Fragmentation reactions result in low-molecular-weight compounds which may be volatile and may contribute to flavor. Polymerization reactions lead to larger molecular weight compounds, which contribute to the dark brown color. Wikipedia

200 g Tomato juice, salted
400 g Caster sugar
60 g Kerrygold butter, diced

Line a loaf pan with tin foil and generously grease the bottom and sides with corn oil. Set aside.
Place sugar and tomato juice in a saucepan. Cook the mixture over the medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Stop stirring. Continue to cook the mixture over medium heat until it reaches 120C/240F.
Turn the heat off, then stir in the butter until well incorporated. Turn the heat back on, continue to cook over medium heat until the thermometer reads 125C/250F, the firm ball stage. Remove from heat immediately and set the pot aside to cool for a few minutes.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan and cool until set. Cut into rectangles and wrap with baking paper. Store the caramels in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Labels: Candy and Confections

Rosemary, Black Olive and Cheddar Scones

These savoury scones, fresh out of the oven, are perfect for afternoon tea, or breakfast and are bursting with a rich, sharp Cheddar and fresh rosemary and black olives that add a pop of colour, texture and flavour. The leftover make a wonderful accompaniment to soups or casseroles for a cozy and comforting dinner.

300 g Refined spelt flour
70 g Hazelnuts, ground
10 g Baking powder
5 g Baking soda
1/2 tsp Black salt
100 g Ghee
1-2 tbsp Fresh rosemary, chopped
150 g Black olives, chopped
50 g Cheddar, grated
160 ml Cream plus extra for the topping

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Whisk together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and black salt in a bowl. Rub in ghee until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in chopped rosemary, olives and Cheddar. Gently mix together.
Pour in cream and mix with a fork until it can be gathered into a soft ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll dough out until 2cm-thick. Using a 6cm heart-shaped cutter, cut out scones. Press leftover dough together. Repeat to make 12 scones.
Place them on prepared tray. Brush with cream and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Serve scones with homemade jam or butter.

Labels: Cheese, Herbs Spices and Seasonings, Nuts and Seeds, Pastries and Pies, Spelt

Two New Maida Heatter Books Out in April

Voracious Publishers (an imprint of Little, Brown & Co.) will publish two new books by Maida Heatter on April 7, 2020. Thanks to NetGalley, I was given the opportunity to review digital copies. Like last year's Happiness Is Baking, both books are compilations of her most popular recipes.

The first is Cookies Are Magic: Classic Cookies, Brownies, Bars, and More. The recipes in this book have been assembled from Maida Heatter’s previously published books, including Happiness Is Baking, Maida Heatter's Cakes, Maida Heatter's Cookies, Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts, Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts, Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts.

There are chapters on Drop Cookies, Bar Cookies, Icebox Cookies, Rolled Cookies and Hand-Formed Cookies. A More! chapter includes recipes for macaroons, crackers, marshmallows and other items that don't necessarily fit into any of the previous categories.

The book includes some of the recipes that I have tried and shared on the blog here, such as Palm Beach Brownies, Pennies From Heaven, Pinwheels, and Positively the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. The large majority, however, are recipes that I haven't tried so I have my work cut out for me. Some of the ones that I need to try are Mrs. L.B.J's Moonrocks, Norman Rockwell's Oatmeal Wafers, Johnny Appleseed Squares, Lebkuchen, Vienesse Marzipan Bars, Maxines and the list goes on.

The book contains a foreward by Deb Perelman which was unavailable on the galley. The colorful illustrations are by Alice Oehr, who also did the ones for Happiness is Baking. Maida Heatter's notes on equipment, ingredients and how-to's are included in the preface.

The book appears to be designed exactly like Happiness Is Baking, which has a very attractive layout. My only gripe with it was that it is impossible to keep the book open so you have to use a weight to hold the pages down.

Chocolate Is Forever: Classic Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, Puddings, Candies, Confections, and More follows the same format and features Maida's chocolate delicacies. The recipes in this book are compiled from the same titles listed above.

Chapters include Simple Cakes, Special Occasion Cakes, Cookies & Bars, Pastries, Pies, Puddings & More and Candy, Fudge and Chocolate Drinks. I have made many of these recipes and they include some of my all-time favorites, such as 86-Proof Chocolate Cake, St. Louis Chocolate Layer Cake, Country Fair Chocolate Cake, Frozen Chocolate Mousse and Rocky Roads. But there are also a number that I haven't tried, chief among them are the September 7th Cake, Robert Redford Cake, Queen Mother's Cake, Hungarian Seven Layer Cake, Mocha Velvet, Chocolate Bread and a host of others. Just seeing the list of contents reminds me, that despite blogging her recipes for the past decade, I still have tons of recipes to go!

GF, DF Poppy Seed Meringue Cookies

The addition of ground poppy seeds to the meringue adds not only an irresistible nutty flavour, but also gives these cookies a chewy consistency. You can replace poppy seeds with hazelnuts or walnuts. They are easy to make, naturally gluten free and just need 4 ingredients.

90 g Egg whites
1 tsp Vanilla paste
150 g Raw sugar
200 g Ground poppy seeds
Almond sticks for coating, optional

Beat the egg whites and vanilla paste to soft peaks. Slowly beat in the raw sugar in 3-4 additions until the meringue looks light, shiny and fluffy.
Gently fold in the ground poppy seeds until the mixture is well combined and forms a relatively firm paste.
Shape the mixture into balls, about 28-30 balls, and roll in the almond sticks. Place them onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Gently flatten them a little.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned. Let rest on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.