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Bengali 5-Spice Roasted Nuts

13 Sep

Roasted, toasted, salted, sugared, and spiced. Pecans, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts. Ajowain, cumin, mustard seed, kalunji, and methy. A 5-spice blend of 5 different types of nuts. Oh heavens, what have I done?!

I walked into a specialty food store and spice shop in New York City called Kalustyan’s and I walked out with bags of special seeds that I toasted in the oven and ground up in my coffee grinder to create my very own Bengali 5-spice blend. Oh, and if you get confused like I did, “methy” is another name for fenugreek and “kalunji” is another name for caraway.

Buying all of these great spices and seeds inspired me to semi-organize my spices. Well, it really started with A Cozy Kitchen. She did a great job organizing her spices and took the time to be creative with her labeling. I decided to put my new seeds and spices into labeled air-tight containers. Then I decided to move all of my spices from the cupboard up high to a pull-out drawer in the kitchen. Ok, so everything is still kind of a mess, but an organized mess nonetheless. At least I can see everything now. Short little me was having a tough time getting on my tip toes trying to see which spice was behind the last in the high shelves.

I really like the little blurb on the ajowain seeds:

Oh gee…

To toast your spices, heat the oven to about 350 degrees F, throw your spices onto a baking sheet, and toast for about 3-5 minutes. It goes very quickly. Remove them from the oven and immediately put them into a room temperature bowl. They will continue to toast slightly once they come out of the oven just because of all the heat.

Bengali 5-Spice Blend

recipe from Print Restaurant, makes about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of spice blend

2/3 cup cumin seeds

1/3 cup ajowain

1/4 cup mustard seeds

3 tablespoons kalunji seeds (I used black caraway)

2 tablespoons methy seeds (aka fenugreek)

Preheat the oven to about 350 degrees F. Place all of you seeds onto a baking sheet. Toast in the hot oven for about 3-5 minutes. Immediately remove and pour the seeds into a room temperature bowl and let them cool.

Once cool, grind the seeds in your coffee grinder.

(To clean your coffee grinder, throw some plain rice into it, grind, dump out the rice, and wipe with a paper towel)

Bengali 5-Spice Roasted Nuts

also from Print Restaurant

1 or 2 egg whites

5 cups of mixed UNSALTED nuts

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I used smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon Bengali 5-spice

Preheat oven to about 350 degrees F.

Whisk your egg whites so they are just getting foamy but are still clear. Add the nuts and make sure they are coated.

Combine all of your spices, salt, and sugar. Add to the nuts and stir or use your  hands to make sure everything is coated.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, lay out your nuts in a single even layer. Bake for about 5-7 minutes, take the nuts out and stir/separate them with a spatula (the egg whites and sugar tend to make the nuts want to stick together). Put the nuts back in for another 5-7 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Stir again and then let cool. Once cool, the nuts will regain their hardness.

I’ve Got A Special on Bananas: Bananas Foster Bread

20 May


I had a special on bananas.

A banana bread bake-off thus ensued.

Alongside my go-to Peanut Butter Banana Bread, my fellow baker friend Amy and I also decided to try out Cooking Light Magazine’s Bananas Foster Bread.

I think the consensus was that we both have a new go-to favorite banana bread recipe. Let’s just say that if it includes rum in the recipe, it is already a winner 😉

Bubbly Bananas, Dark Rum, Butter, and Brown Sugar Goodness

This Bananas Foster Bread is packed with good-for-you ingredients like nonfat plain yogurt, ground flaxseed, bananas, and cinnamon and allspice. There is an appropriate balance of butter and brown sugar to tenderize and sweeten the bread just the right amount. And the smell of the warm rum mixture is simply to die for.

Oh yes, and after baking, an easy glaze of more rum, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon of butter is poured over the warm bread.

Amy and I have decided that we loved the edges of the bread because they taste just like French Toast soaked in a boozy batter. Ooo yeah baby!

I’ve had such a great day hiking, eating lunch from my favorite sandwich shop at the top of Mt. Tam, and baking my now two favorite banana bread recipes with my good friend Amy.

Left: Bananas Foster Bread Right: Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Bananas Foster Bread

makes 1 loaf

From Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
  • 1/4 cup cognac or dark rum, divided
  • 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons cognac in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

4. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon cognac, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2010

Nutrition Information:

Serving (1/16th of a loaf=1 slice)

  • Calories: 194
  • Fat: 5.8g
  • Saturated fat: 3g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 1.5g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g
  • Protein: 2.9g
  • Carbohydrate: 31.1g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Cholesterol: 34mg
  • Iron: 1.1mg
  • Sodium: 181mg
  • Calcium: 32mg



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Steph’s Granola: Everything Mus(t) Go!

4 May

Yesterday:
Sipped on day-old coffee as I filtered through my closet. I have a large pile of clothes and old ballet attire to give away. Come n’ get it.

Today:
Started to read a book for fun. Made a space on my tiny porch for a towel and my body. Sunshine. Loving it.

Relaxing (-ish) sun-filled days complete with evenings entailing dinner + drinks + friends.

Can I tell you the truth? I’m not very good at this whole “relaxing” thing. But, I’m trying, and trying feels nice. Champagne helps. Champagne feels nice. Things in jars help, too.

Granola is the name of the game right now. Why are there so many “Mom’s Granola” recipes out there? Sure, Mother’s day is coming up. Sure, I love my mom. My mom has never made me granola before. “Mom’s Grilled Cheese” suits her better than granola.

Today I give you “Steph’s Granola.” Sometimes, it is all about me. Well, actually, sometimes it is all about using up the random accumulated food in your pantry/fridge before you move across the country. And thus “Steph’s Granola” was born.

Steph’s Granola was born out of multiple recipes and attempts of granola (and granola bars) as well as too many things that need to get used up before I move out of my apartment.

Things I used up:
-leftover trail mix from Trader Joe’s in which I picked out and ate all of the dried cherries, cranberries, and pineapple, and was left with cashew and almonds
-more almonds
-about half of a cup of leftover salty mixed nuts which I only left the brazil nuts and about 6 hazelnuts
-wheat germ (I have SO much left, gah help me)
-raw quinoa (adds a lovely crunch. I also recommend sesame seeds)
-a small pack (about 1/4 cup) of applesauce (helps with the “wet” ingredients and to add less sugar)
-the end of my cinnamon jar
-some almond extract
-used up about 1/2 cup of banana chips and 1/2 cup of choco chips that have been sitting in the pantry for about 7 months

More ideas that you may have to use up in your pantry:
-chopped candied ginger
-peanut butter
-pretzels, chopped
-mashed banana


Steph’s Granola

adapted from multiple recipes, today from Food & Wine’s annual cookbook 2010

Makes 7 cups

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups of nuts (see above for what I used)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup raw quinoa
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted nuts)
1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon agave (I think I used some random maple syrup made with agave?)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup or one of those small individual packs applesauce
a few shakes of cinnamon
a few drops of almond extract

add-ins after baking:
golden raisins, banana chips, choco chips (yes! I used up the little bit that was left of all of these)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a bowl, toss the oats, nuts, wheat germ, and quinoa. In a separate small bowl, whisk the water, salt (if using), honey/agave, vegetable oil, and apple sauce. Stir the liquid into the nuts to coat thoroughly, then spread on a large rimmed baking sheet.

2. Bake for 40 minutes in the center of the oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until nearly dry. Turn off the oven and prop the door open halfway; let the granola cool in the oven, stirring (I only did this for a few minutes because it was too hot to leave the oven open). Toss the granola with the raisins, banana chips, and choco chips. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Want more granola recipes?
–Extreme Granola
–Homemade Granola Bars

>Drool-Worthy: Alice Medrich’s Best Ever Cocoa Brownies

21 Apr

>
So I am going to describe something and you are going to drool. Ready?

Browned butter cocoa brownies with walnuts, pecans, and chocolate chips mixed in, sprinkled with flaky sea salt, and baked until a cracked in all-the-right-places top develops. Fudgey, moist, rich perfection. The sinfully sweet balance of gooey and chewy, of salty savory dark and sweet. Oh, and this is a one-pot recipe. And you don’t have to clean the baking pan after baking.


How’d I do?

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter
Adapted from The Cilantropist, originally from Bon Appetit, February 2011, recipe by Alice Medrich

***My adaptions are in bold


 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter (10 tbsps) cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 teaspoons water
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans (I used a mix of pecans and walnuts), chopped
~1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Extra sea salt for sprinkling


Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line the inside of an 8×8 square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving 2-inch overhangs and pressing the foil tightly to the sides of the pan. (If you like spray the aluminum foil with non-stick cooking spray, though I didn’t find this necessary.)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring often. The butter will first melt, then foam, then form more clear bubbles. Once the butter has only bubbles (and no foam) and there are browned bits at the bottom of the pan, remove the butter from the heat. Stir in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and 2 teaspoons water. Let the mixture sit for about 4-5 minutes to cool, then mix in the eggs one at a time, beating quickly after each addition. Once the chocolate mixture looks relatively smooth, mix in the flour, and then beat well for a few minutes. Mix in the chopped nuts, and transfer to the prepared pan, smoothing the top before baking.


Bake for about 30 minutes or more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean – if there is still a tiny bit of moist batter at the very bottom that is ok. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a cooling rack. Once cool, remove the brownies from the pan using the aluminum foil overhangs; then pull the aluminum foil away from the brownies and cut them into 16 square pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Homemade Granola Bars

10 Feb

I am a snacker, a big time snacker. My snack of choice is almost always something carb-y, and I am always looking for new snacks to add to my repertoire.

Lately I have been into Annie’s Honey Bunny Grahams. I can eat a lot of them, they are slightly sweet, and they hit the spot during my afternoon slump.

A homemade snack always feels good goin’ down, and these homemade granola bars are full of golden raisins, walnuts, pecans, sour cherries, dates, peanut butter, wheat germ, and a few chocolate chips. They are indeed thick and chewy and they sort of fall apart in this wonderful way.

Next time, however, I would definitely chop up my fruit/nut mix a bit and I would use quick-cooking oats or process my old-fashioned oats in a blender for a few pulses. This would probably make the bars hold together more cohesively.

I highly recommend scavenging through the bulk section at your grocery store. I can find all sorts of grains and nuts and goodies in the bulk section, and I can take as much as I need. I had been wanting to make something with wheat germ before and voila, these bars have wheat germ! Expect some more wheat germ recipes in the near future (oh, and store your wheat germ in the refrigerator please and thank you).

A homemade granola bar is a great post-workout snack, a great on-the-go breakfast item, and a great afternoon pick-me-up. Eat up!

Homemade Granola Bars

Thank you, again SmittenKitchen

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats, if using old-fashioned oats, give them a quick pulse in the blender/processor to break them up a bit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oats, processed until finely ground in a food processor or blender
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners, water, and peanut butter. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops, too. They will still seem soft and almost under-baked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they will set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. ***If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans, 4 dates chopped, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I recommend pulsing your mixture in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.

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