Sweet Potato Pancakes

Not too long ago, hubby and I discovered a local restaurant, called T-Coons, that has super delicious Cajun food.  On our first visit, we were lucky enough to arrive as they were still serving breakfast and I knew I had to have their sweet potato pancake the moment I spied it on the menu.  It was  one of the best breakfast items I have ever had; it was sweet and hearty and very fluffy, considering it had sweet potato.  It was the absolute perfect texture and amazingly delicious.  I've dreamed of it since and have considered trying to make it before.  This morning, I decided it was time. 

 I used my usual pancake recipe as a basis.  It took a couple practice pancakes and adding more ingredients until I got something I was satisfied with.   The recipe still needs some modification, but I think it's a darn good start!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1  cup sugar
• 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (I'll probably puree this next time)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.


In a separate bowl, beat eggs into mashed sweet potatoes, then mix in the melted butter and vanilla.  Slowly whisk in the milk.


Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking as you go.  The batter will be very thick. 


Heat a tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.   Spoon a third of a cup of batter into the skillet, then use a metal spoon to spread it out by slowly circling the back of the spoon on the surface of the batter.  


Cook for a few minutes until the surface of the pancake looks stiff and dull.  There will not be nearly as many air bubbles as there are with regular pancakes.   Flip, then cook an additional few minutes.  


Serve with Steen's Cane Syrup if you've got. 

February 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Tiramisu

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. 

I can't exactly remember, but I'm pretty sure I squealed with delight when I learned the challenge for this month was tiramisu.  It's a dessert I love, yet never have.  I kept considering attempting to make it, but most of my eaters don't do coffee.. And then this challenge came along! I made it as the dessert to complement the homemade pasta Courtney and I made.  Yum yum!

 The recipe was definitely a challenge in that it required two to three days to make all of the components and get it together.  The first part of the challenge was to make homemade mascarpone cheese (a super soft, creamy cheese), which required straining in the fridge over night.  I next made a vanilla pastry cream (YUM) and zabaglione (a thick custard made with wine).   Then, the lady fingers (savoiardi biscuits) had to be baked.  Finally, the dish could be assembled, then chilled over night before serving.

I made two sizeable mistakes: most obviously, my sifter wasn't as fine as I remembered, resulting in a too-thick cocoa dusting on top.  Secondly, my lady fingers were quite dry and did not absorb much of anything.  I probably overmixed the batter. 

If I ever need to really impress someone, I'd probably pull this recipe up and give it another go! The creamy mixture is just so damn good.

Homemade Ravioli

A couple  of weeks ago, my friend Courtney came over and we made king cakes.  As the cakes rose and baked, we looked through  my cookbooks and discussed things we'd like to try cooking.  We both really wanted to try our hands at making pasta, so we decided to make homemade ravioli.  We filled some with a spinach and cheese mixture and others with meat (because boys are silly).  

(sorry my photos aren't very good, it's a bit embarrassing to make company wait to eat so I can snap pictures!)

 

We used a pasta recipe from my awesome Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and I just sort of created the spinach cheese mixture.  

 

Courtney made the meat mixture before coming over, following Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe.  I'll find that recipe sooner or later and actually try it.  From the ravioli, it seems super tasty!

 

Homemade Pasta

(Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, page 414)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup flour

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, salt, and dried basil.  Create a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Mix in water and oil.  Pour into the well in the flour, and gently stir to combine.  It is okay if all of the flour does not fully incorporate; you're going to knead it next.

On a lightly floured surface, using the remaining 1/3 cup flour, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Cover and let sit 10 minutes.  

Divide the dough into quarters.   Roll each piece into a 12" by 12" square, or until it's about 1/16" thick.  (You can roll it too thin, and then you're have ravioli that look like brains!)  Let sit 20 minutes, uncovered.

Using a cookie cutter, pasta cutter, or glass, cut as many circles as you can.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the circles, then dip your finger in water and run it around the outer edge of the pasta circle.   Place another circle of dough on top and seal shut. 

In a large pot, bring water with a generous splash of olive oil to a boil.  Boil 4-5 ravioli at a time, making sure not to crowd them, for 7-9  minutes.

Spinach and Cheese filling

• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 tbsp mascarpone
• 7 oz ricotta
• 1/4 cup mozzarella 
• 1/8 cup shredded parmesan 
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add spinach and boil 30 seconds.  Drain immediately and run cold water over the spinach to stop the cooking.  Press the spinach to remove as much water as possible.  Finely chop and pat away excess liquid.  Combine in a bowl with the other ingredients.

Corn Maque Choux

(If you're unsure, it's pronounced "mock shoe")

A couple days ago, I had the strangest desire to make some corn maque choux, which is weird because I've only had it a few times before and it was never my favorite dish.  But for some reason, I craved the creamy, spicy, sweetness that makes this dish.   I glanced at a couple recipes then decided to swing it.   Hubby thought I made it too sweet, but it's a personal preference.  Start with a little sugar and add it to your liking.  Using Rotel canned tomatoes and chilies adds the perfect amount of heat.

Corn Maque Choux

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can sweet kernel corn
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
• 1 can cream style corn
• 1-2 tsp sugar (I used a full 2 tsp)
• 2 tsp cream
• salt to taste

In a large skillet, melt the butter.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft.  Stir in sweet corn and let cook for a minute or two.  Stir in the Rotel, then gently stir in the creamed corn.   Sprinkle the sugar over the surface and stir in.  Slowly stir in cream.  Bring  to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.

The February 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Mezze Table

The 2010 February Daring COOKs challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

Oh my, this challenge was so fun!! A mezze table is a style of meal that involves multiple small dishes from which everyone takes a little.  It can be a full meal or an appetizer or whatever you want.  The exciting part of this challenge is that it required making homemade pita bread and hummus.  I've been wanting to try my hand at hummus for a while and this finally made me do it!  There were a few optional recipes to do, so I also made cucumber raita and falafel.  We had feta in the fridge so I set some of that out too. 

 The hummus did not come out quite right, which was totally my fault.  It was a bit dry and my brain seemed to forget what hummus should taste like every time I tried mine.  Next time I make hummus, I'll be sure to add more liquid and I'll tweak the ingredients more.    

The Falafel was amazing! It was seriously the best falafel I've ever had.  I was so impressed with it and myself because I've always imagined falafel was really difficult to make.  

The pita was good and also fun to make as it puffs up in the oven.  

The raita was a bit too tangy; next time I might do half Greek yogurt and half whole-milk yogurt.

I do plan on posting the recipes at some point, but hubby and I are going to New Orleans for the Bacchus Mardi Gras parade and we must leave now. 

Hard Cider Bread

When making the chocolate chili, I decided to give beer bread a try.   Except, hubby and I don't drink beer.  I do have some hard cider left over from Thanksgiving (bought for the delicious turkey) and thought that could make for some mighty interesting bread.  Good thing for me, I was right.   The cider gave it a nice apple scent and slight sweetness while also having a bit of a kick.  The bread had an excellent, crisp crust.

 Hard Cider Bread
(recipe adapted from Bell's Best, beer bread recipe, page  74)

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 12 oz room temperature hard cider

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a bread pan.


Whisk together dry ingredients then slowly stir in the hard cider.  Be careful because it will froth up.  Stir until combined, though it will most likely be very thick and a bit chunky.   The recipe says 25 strokes should do.  I didn't count.


Pour/spoon/glop into prepared pan and bake 60-75 minutes.  

A Different Take on Chili

When it's cold, who doesn't want a nice bowl of chili to warm them up?  It's such a hearty dish.  All of the chili I've ever had has been quite the same, beef and beans in a rich tomato sauce, seasoned simply with chili powder and salt.  But I've heard whispers of a different chili, an exotic one.. one with chocolate.  I decided yesterday that it was time to try this chocolate chili and satisfy my curiosity.   I looked around at a couple of recipes and used this one as a guide.  I also made a beer bread, which I'll post next.

 Overall, I enjoyed this chili; it was both familiar and new.   The tomato is toned down  and the spices bring a richness, a darkness almost, to the dish.  Hubby asked that I tone down the spices, but dad and I liked it as it was. 

Chili 

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, coarsely diced
• 1  tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 can beans (I used kidney beans but pinto or black would work as well)

In a large pot, brown the ground beef, stirring frequently to break it up into small pieces.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until the onions start to soften.  Add the cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, red pepper, and salt and stir well.  Let cook for a few minutes before adding beef broth and sauce.   Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.  Halfway through, add the beans and vinegar.  


Serve with plenty of cheese, though I did not because I did not have any. 

Guacamole

Well, it's Superbowl Sunday and I must say this is the first year I plan to watch the Superbowl.  I'm not big into watching sports, especially not on tv.  That being said, I have grown up with the Saints and their epically horrible playing.  They've been a joke all my life and to see them playing so well is amazing and exciting.  So perhaps I'm a fair-weather fan, but I'm excited to see the game.   That being said, hubby and I plan on a quiet viewing at home.  We don't really have any Superbowl feast in the works, but I did make my mom's awesome guacamole. 

 It is fairly easy to make, though perfecting it requires a discriminating tongue.   


Chunky Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1/8 cup salsa
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Cut the avocados into large chunks; they will break down into smaller pieces as you mix everything together.   Stir in the salsa, Worcestershire, and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.   If the guacamole seems a little bland, try sprinkling in a little more Worcestershire; it's adds both a saltiness and a kick of tang.  Make sure when salting to take into account the saltiness of the chips you'll be serving with it.