Bagels

I had always wanted to try making bagels at home for a while but did not start until a while ago, and I have been making them since but I have not been good to take photos and write. I finally did today so I decided to post and share. 

When I decided to try making bagels at home, I looked around and tried some recipes. The one I ended up using is a combination of a few, and the result has been satisfying. 

Ingredients:

For the bagels:

260g + 240g all purpose flour*

3g dry active yeast

260g water

10g salt

10g sugar

10g malt powder/syrup**

1 egg white + 1 Tsp water to make an egg wash

For the water bath:

2 quarts water

2 Tsp malt powder

2 Tsp sugar

*Bread flour produces denser and more chewy bagels but you need to play around with the amount of water.

**I use King Arthur Flour's diastatic malt powder

Method:

Combine the 260g of flour together with the water and yeast in a large bowl. Mix well. Cover the bowl with a (wet) towel and let the yeast work its magic at room temperature for 4-10 hours. 

Once the dough has fermented, add the salt, sugar, and malt to the dough and mix thoroughly. Then, add the remaining flour and knead for about 8-10 minutes. Form a round ball and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. 

Divide the ball into 7 equal portions and form them into round balls. Let the ball rest for another 5 minutes until they puff up a little. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. Put water, sugar, and malt in a pan that is at least about 2.5in deep. Heat the water bath until the water simmers but does not boil.

Flatten each ball into a flat disc, poke a hole in the middle of the disc and twirl the ball around your finger to form it into a ring. I find it quite quick and easy to do it this way but some people just turn each ball into a rod and paste the two ends together. 

Let the rings rest for about 5-7 minutes, flip them half way through. Once the rings are ready, place enough into the pan without overcrowding it. The bagels should float to the surface in a few seconds. Boil the bagels for about a minute, flip them over and boil for another minute. I find that it is easiest to use a pair of chopsticks to flip the bagels. 

Once the bagels are boiled, use a slotted spoon or a small strainer to remove the bagels and placed them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each bagel with the egg wash and add sesame/poppy seeds or coarse salt or whatever toppings you prefer. 

Place the bagels in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the bagels are brown. I over-baked this batch a bit this time :D 

I hope you enjoy making bagels at home!

Gluten Free Samosas

I'm super excited about this! I have been wanting to try making these for a while now but got sidetracked by other "projects" until today. It's probably because I went to dinner at India House with a bunch of friends on Friday and was reminded how much I like Indian food and should try making more of that at home. These taste a little different from regular samosas but that is the case with trying to make anything that traditionally contains wheat. But they are really really good and easy to make. I was too excited to get to the end that I didn't take pictures of the process. I will update this post with more pictures when I make these next time. For now, here's a picture of the finished products.

Look good, don't they? If you feel like giving these a try, here's how.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium yukon potatos

1 small onion, diced

3/4 cup peas

Madras curry powder

Cumin seeds

Salt

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup sorghum/millet flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup milk (or an alternative dairy-free milk that is of similar consistency)

METHOD:

For the filling: 

Peel and cut the potatoes into small pieces. Cook in salted water until just tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute to soften. Meanwhile, cook the onion in some olive oil until tender. Drain the cooked potatoes and peas into a large bowl. Break the potatoes into small pieces using a pastry cutter or a fork. Add the cooked onion and the spices. The amount of spices depend on your taste. Set aside.

For the dough: 

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk until they are well-mixed. Add the wet ingredients and mix well using a spoon. Yes, it is that easy. The dough should be sticky and is not quite kneadable but that is okay. This dough should also work for other cooked fillings too.

To make the samosas:
I first made them in the traditional triangular shape and then I tried making them in the half "circle" shape so I'm going to post how to make them both ways and you can take your pick.

Spoon some dough, about the size of an apricot, onto a piece of plastic wrap, cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll the dough until you get something about less than 1/8 of an inch in thickness and is somewhat round. Pack some of the filling and place it closer to one side of the rolled dough. Use the bottom plastic wrap to fold the other half of the dough over, fold the side over and smooth out. If you feel like doing a bit extra work, use a fork to make pattern along the side. Repeat until you are out of the filling or dough. The recipe should make about 15 large somosas or 18-20 regular sized ones.

To make "triangles": spoon about the same amount of dough and roll into an oval shape with one side being more straight. Spoon the packed filling in the middle (it would be easier to shape the filling in the shape you want for the samosas but it's not necessary), use the bottom piece of plastic to fold the less straight edge over, then fold the straight edge over the other. Finally, fold the bottom up a little bit to close the pastry. 

Heat about half an inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet until it is hot enough to fry, about 325F. Cook the samosas until they are golden brown. Turn them once. Don't worry if they brown too quickly since the filling is already cooked. Serve with mint cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney. Bon appetit!

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

It's summer! It's hot out! Well, not today but it was hot out for a while. This year, summer in Chicago has been weird. It didn't get hot until about early July, which is unusual. And it was only really hot and humid for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining. I could definitely do with no summer as long as I get 2 falls a year. 

Anyway, those hot days were perfect for popsicles and I decided to try out a few different recipes. I wanted to make ice cream but I don't seem to ever find enough space in my freezer to chill the ice cream maker. (I need to work on that you don't need to know that.) I don't know about you but strawberry + lemonade = wonderful summer. The only thing that could make it any better is to have those two things frozen. So there you go, strawberry lemonade popsicles.

I think popsicles are super easy to make. Typically you blend some cool stuff together and pour it into molds. The freezer does the rest of the job for you. So without further ado, here is the list of ingredients to make that yummy-looking popsicle.

INGREDIENTS:
For the lemonade layer:
1 1/3 cups yogurt, plain or vanilla*
1/4 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice
5-6 Tsp sugar*

For the strawberry layer:
1/2 lb strawberries, cored and quartered
2 Tsp water
1/4 cup sugar*
1.5 Tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup yogurt*

You might need to change the amount of sugar depending on whether the yogurt you use is sweetened.

METHOD:
For the lemonade layer: Warm the lemon juice in a small sauce pan or in the microwave. Mix in the sugar and stir to dissolve. Pour the lemon juice sugar mixture into the yogurt, mix well and chill.

For the strawberry layer: Combine the sugar, strawberries and water in a small sauce pan, simmer for about 5 minute until the strawberries are soft. Put the strawberry mixture together with the lemon juice and blend. Mix together with the cup of yogurt and chill.

Gently pour the mixture into molds, forming alternate layers. If you want more sourness, use more of the lemonade part. If you prefer to have more sweetness, use more of the strawberry part. Or if you want, make separate popsicles. That being said, the alternate layers provide both a change in tastes and aesthetic effect. You could certainly replace the strawberries by the raspberries or other tart fruits. I am somewhat partial to the white/red contrast though.

Freeze, unmold, and enjoy!

Muhammara

Muhammara is a Middle Eastern spread that tastes amazing on anything bread-y. Yeah, I did just say that :). I was first "introduced" to this when I randomly picked a vegetarian panini from a neighborhood cafe called Z&H. I think I had consumed so much meat the few days before that I decided to skip meat that day. And since then, it's what I always order when I eat at that cafe. I could tell what the ingredients on the panini were except for that red tasty paste which I later learned was muhammara. And so I put "make muhammara" on my to-do list but of course I didn't get around to it until much much later on. It turned out to be really easy to make. Well, I guess I have to travel to the source of the cuisine to know if this is authentic but it sure tastes good!! No, better than good! So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, may I introduce you to the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large red bell peppers

1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

~2/3 cup (gluten free) breadcrumbs 

3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 heaping tsp ground cumin

2 large garlic cloves

2 tsp pomegranate molasses*

~1/3 cup olive oil

*Pomegranate molasses is called for and is available at some grocery or specialty store. If you can't find it, use maple syrup.

METHOD:

Turn on the broil function of your oven, place the peppers on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Broil the peppers until they blister on all sides, turn them a quarter around every time, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the peppers and place them in a bowl, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel for about 20 minutes. Peel the skin off and seed them.

Mince the garlic and then mashed them into a paste with the salt using the back of a spoon or a mortar.  

In a food processor, place all the ingredients except the olive oil and puree them into a smooth paste. With the motor still running, add the olive oil. If you plan to serve the spread immediately, use 2 Tsp. If you want to chill it, add more olive oil. I usually add about 1.5 Tsp to the spread and then pour olive oil on top to keep the spread in the fridge/freezer. This recipe makes about 1.5 cups of this very yummy stuff.

You can serve this as a spread with toasted pita triangles or as part of sandwiches. For some ideas, consider roasted eggplants or zucchini or portobello mushrooms, paired with caramelized onions and mild melting cheese, like this

 

The possibilities are almost endless so have fun trying different combinations! Bon appetit! 

Chocolate Buckwheat Cake

A while ago a friend of mine sent me a link to David Lebovitz's blog post on chocolate buckwheat cake when she knew I had started on experimenting with gluten free baking. I quickly read the post but decided that it could wait for another occasion. Then I was invited to my usual quarterly dinner and was charged with the task of bringing dessert. Ha! Perfect opportunity to test a new recipe. I have to put it out there that these people are always willing to be taste testers for me. I am not sure if that is a wise choice on their parts but it works great for me.

DL said on his post that this is a modification from a recipe he found in a cookbook by the blogger at Canelle et Vanille. I am not sure what kind of modifications he made since I don't own a copy of said cookbook. But I followed his recipe and it turned out wonderfully, don't you agree?

I happen to think that this cake is great whether your guests are celiacs or not. I know people can be skeptical. Why would you want to bake something gluten free if you don't have to? Well, I guess DL is right is saying that the fact that it has buckwheat is good enough a reason for you to try this recipe at least once. So if I have not managed to convince you to go try it, the short list of ingredients should, right? I promise it is very very simple.

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar in the raw*
1/3 cup whole milk yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup hazelnut (or almond) flour**
1/4 cup buckwheat flour***
Extra hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

*Sugar in the raw enhances the flavor of chocolate. (Yeah, I just learned that too! After learning about that, I used sugar in the raw in my hot chocolate and it did taste better too :) ) But if you don't have it, regular sugar works too.
**I did not have any hazelnut flour on hand so I ground 1 cup of hazelnuts together with the buckwheat flour in a food processor until the mixture looked like nut meal. You could use the nuts as are or if you prefer, toast them for about 10 minutes and the skin will peal off.
***Buckwheat flour should be available at decent size grocery stores or at any health store.

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch cake pan and then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Or you could use a cake ring and place in on top of a piece of aluminum foil on a very flat baking sheet. Pull the extra foil up the side of the ring to prevent any possible leakage as the batter will be quite runny.

In a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients set over but not touching simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl,  whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and salt. Then whisk them into the melted chocolate. Stir in the nut meal and buckwheat flour.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually whip in the remaining sugar until firm peaks form. Mix one third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it and then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Scrape the batter into the pan, level the top, then bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the cake is still soft but the cake is relatively set. Don't overbake as you want a soft cake. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 10 minutes then remove from the pan.

Serve the cake with some good ice cream or your favorite chocolate sauce, or both. If you don't yet have one, consider trying the following recipe.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

4.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup creme fraiche or heavy whipping cream*
1/3 cup sugar

*The sauce is much better with creme fraiche. It's usually very expensive to get at a grocery store but you can make it at home but putting 1 cup of whipping cream in a clean glass jar, add a tablespoon of buttermilk. Cover with a lid and shake well. Leave it out on a counter for 12-24 hours until it thickens. It is now ready to be used or kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in the refrigerator until needed. Reheat the sauce in a bowl over simmering water to warm it before serving.