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<channel>
	<title>Vermont food from a country kitchen - Carol Egbert &#187; bread</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.carolegbert.com/category/bread/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.carolegbert.com</link>
	<description>musing on Vermont food &#38; cooking from a vermont country kitchen</description>
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	<language>en</language>
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		<title>Bread &amp; Crackers &#8211; An eBook from Vermont Kitchen Books</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/bread-crackers-an-ebook-from-vermont-kitchen-books</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/bread-crackers-an-ebook-from-vermont-kitchen-books#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kindle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=4466</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-and-Crackers-ebook/dp/B006P5L5CG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325109071&amp;sr=1-1"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4467" title="cover 02 for blog" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/cover-02-for-blog.jpg" alt="cover 02 for blog Bread & Crackers   An eBook from Vermont Kitchen Books" width="288" height="461" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">My first eBook is finished. It&#8217;s called Bread and Crackers and it can purchased or borrowed from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-and-Crackers-ebook/dp/B006P5L5CG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1325109071&amp;sr=1-1">Kindle store</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">If you don&#8217;t have a Kindle, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_ipad_mkt_lnd?docId=1000493771">download free software here, so that you can read Bread &amp; Crackers on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android Phone.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Bread &amp; Crackers is a collection of my bread and cracker recipes and illustrated with my watercolor paintings. The recipes are enriched with memories, food history and musings.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Classic New England Steamed Brown Bread</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/classic-new-england-steamed-brown-bread</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/classic-new-england-steamed-brown-bread#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:31:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[watercolor painting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[classic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New England]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=4391</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="hrecipe"><span class="published"><span class="value-title" title="2011-11-30"></span></span><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/flour-c-egbert.jpg"><img class="photo alignleft size-full wp-image-4392" title="flour c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/flour-c-egbert.jpg" alt="flour c egbert Classic New England Steamed Brown Bread " width="360" height="360" /></a>Making sour dough bread from scratch is a long process. Gathering wild yeast and cultivating a sour dough starter takes a week and then it takes another twenty-four hours to make the bread. Active dry yeast from the grocery store reduces the time to a more manageable three to four hours plus the extra half hour it takes to cleanup after kneading the dough and forming the loaves. Breads leavened with baking soda or baking powder, are quicker, but baking bread in the oven requires that I not stray far from the kitchen so that the bread can be taken out of the oven at precisely the right moment. If all these facts make you unwilling to make bread at home, consider the ease and freedom of steamed brown bread.<span id="more-4391"></span></p>
<p>Steamed brown bread is leavened with baking soda and baking powder so there’s no wild yeast to gather. The soft dough, simply made in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, is poured it into greased containers, covered and steamed. Steaming, a more gentle way of cooking, rather than baking has a more flexible cooking time. Brown bread steamed in a slow cooker is the least demanding bread I’ve ever made. Here’s how I did it:</p>
<div class="easyrecipe">
<table class="ERHDTable" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span class="item ERName"><span class="fn">Classic New England Steamed Brown Bread </span></span></td>
<td align="center" valign="top">
</td>
<td class="ERHDPrint" valign="top">
<div class="btnERPrint">Print<a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/classic-new-england-steamed-brown-bread?erprint"></a>
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</td>
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</table>
<div class="ERHead">Recipe type: <span class="tag">Bread</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Author: <span class="author">Carol Egbert</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Prep time: <span class="preptime">10 mins<span class="value-title" title=""> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Cook time: <span class="cooktime">2 hours<span class="value-title" title="2H"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Total time: <span class="duration">2 hours 10 mins<span class="value-title" title="2H10M"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Serves: <span class="yield">2 small loaves</span>
</div>
<div class="ERSummary"><span class="summary">Flavored with molasses, spices and orange rind, this batter bread is lovely smeared with cream cheese or butter. It can be served with a pot of tea for breakfast or with a bowl of chowder for supper.</span></div>
<div class="ERIngredientsHeader">Ingredients</div>
<ul class="ingredients">
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup whole wheat flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup rye flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup cornmeal</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon ground allspice</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon ground ginger</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup currants</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup molasses</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup milk</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup yogurt</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon orange zest</li>
</ul>
<div class="ERInstructionsHeader">Instructions</div>
<div class="instructions">
<ol>
<li class="instruction">Whisk together whole wheat flour, rye flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, ginger and currants.</li>
<li class="instruction">Add molasses, milk, yogurt, vanilla and orange zest. Stir until well combined.</li>
<li class="instruction">Divide batter between prepared jars. Cover each jar tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.</li>
<li class="instruction">Put jars into slow cooker, add hot water to surround jars to a depth of 2 inches.</li>
<li class="instruction">Cover slow cooker, steam bread on high for 2 to 3 hours. Bread is cooked when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.</li>
<li class="instruction">Cool bread for 15 minutes before removing from jars. Cool completely before cutting.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<div class="ERNotesHeader">Notes</div>
<div class="ERNotes">
<p>2 straight-sided, 1 pint canning jars sprayed with nonstick spray or greased with soften butter. Brown bread can also be cooked in tin cans, loaf pans or other molds set on a rack, in large pot with two inches of water. The molds should be well greased with either butter or non-stick spray and filled two-thirds full.<br />
The bread can be steamed in a slow cooker large enough to accomodate jars or a large stock pot with a rack.<br />
Chopped dates or dried apricots can be used in place of the raisins and the spices can be adjusted to suit your palate.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="endeasyrecipe" style="display: none;">2.1.7</div>
</div>
<p>After I rinsed out the batter bowl, Charles and I took Gracie for a walk in the meadow. We met Susan who was walking with her dogs Emma and Mousse. We were enjoying walking, chatting and laughing, as the dogs tumbled and tussled over balls and sticks, and I forgot about the bread steaming in the slow cooker. When we got home, the timer was beeping. I removed the aluminum foil, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf came out clean. It was perfectly cooked even though it had been steaming for an extra half hour. I cooled the bread for ten minutes before unmolding it, then cooled the bread completely on a wire rack before slicing and toasting it. I served it with a smear of cream cheese.</p>
<p>Steamed brown bread is a true American creation often served with baked beans for the Sunday meal. In the 17<sup>th</sup> century white flour was considered fancy and rye, whole wheat and cornmeal were plentiful and inexpensive. Steaming was an effective way to make bread without an oven. It can also be cooked in tin cans, loaf pans or other molds set on a rack, in large pot with two inches of water. The molds should be well greased with either butter or non-stick spray and filled two-thirds full. Chopped dates or dried apricots can be used in place of the raisins and the spices can be adjusted to suit your palate.</p>
<p>I think of this recipe as a ‘half recipe’, I leave it to you to figure out why.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"><em> </em></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter">Click here to receive an email notification of my next post and to subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen.</a></em></h3>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><br />
</em></h4>
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		<title>Thanksgiving Leftovers Make Sweet Potato Rolls &amp; Turkey Gumbo Soup</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/thanksgiving-leftovers-make-sweet-potato-rolls-turkey-gumbo-soup</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/thanksgiving-leftovers-make-sweet-potato-rolls-turkey-gumbo-soup#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:44:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[main dish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Print Recipe & Ingredients List]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gumbo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[left over turkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sandwich rolls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sweet potato]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turkey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=3358</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="hrecipe"><span class="published"><span class="value-title" title="2011-11-25"></span></span>Last November, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I opened the fridge to get a slice of lemon for my morning cup of tea and was overwhelmed by bowls, containers and aluminum foil wrapped packets of leftovers. Charles had been in charge of clean up the night before and, with the help of a couple of other non-cooks, had done a splendid job but the overstuffed fridge needed immediate attention.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Stock-Pot-c-egbert.jpg"><img class="photo aligncenter size-full wp-image-3359" title="Stock Pot c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Stock-Pot-c-egbert.jpg" alt="Stock Pot c egbert Thanksgiving Leftovers Make Sweet Potato Rolls & Turkey Gumbo Soup" width="324" height="262" /></a></p>
<p>The turkey carcass was precariously perched on a jug of gravy and a bowl half filled with roasted cranberry sauce. Mashed sweet potatoes flavored with chipotle peppers and mashed white potatoes rested side by side in one container and a forlorn slice of pumpkin pie wrapped in plastic sat on a small bowl of gingered whipped cream. After I found the lemon for my tea, I began to deal with the wealth of leftovers by topping the piece of pie with the whipped cream and eating it.</p>
<p>I made run-of-the-mill turkey sandwiches dinner-worthy by making sandwich rolls with the leftover sweet potatoes. These yeast rolls are not difficult to make but need to rise twice before baking so I got started as soon as I’d read the paper and emptied the dishwasher. Here’s how I made them:[/donotprint]<span id="more-3358"></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Sweet Potato Rolls</h3>
<p>I dissolved one package, about two and a quarter teaspoons, of active dry yeast and two tablespoons of sugar in three quarters of a cup of warm milk in a medium mixing bowl. I covered the bowl with a towel and waited for the yeast to make the milk foamy. It took about ten minutes. Then I added one cup of room temperature mashed sweet potatoes, three tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, one egg to the milk mixture and three cups of all-purpose flour and beat the dough with a wooden spoon. When it was well combined, I stirred in enough flour, about a cup more, to form a soft dough. I turned the dough out onto a floured board and kneaded it for about five minutes, until it was smooth and elastic. I put the dough into a bowl that had been smeared with butter, covered the bowl and put it in a warm place to rise. In about an hour and half, the dough had doubled in size. I gently folded it in on itself to deflate it, (I’m not one who punches anything), and then formed the dough into twelve balls. I put the balls of dough into a buttered, nine-inch square pan, covered them and put the pan in a warm place for about forty-five minutes, until the dough had risen a second time. I baked the rolls in a preheated 375º oven until they were golden brown, about twenty-two minutes.</p>
<p>The sweet potatoes I used were seasoned with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and had a bit of a chili zing. If the leftover sweet potatoes in your fridge are topped with marshmallows or sweetened with maple sugar, reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe or omit it.</p>
<p>I made turkey noodle soup for Saturday night supper but wished that I had made the turkey gumbo soup that my friend and fellow painter, Kathy described to me over coffee on Sunday morning. Here’s the recipe she shared:</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Turkey Gumbo Soup</h3>
<p>Boil a turkey carcass in eight cups of water for one hour. Remove the carcass from the pot and pick the meat from the bones. Drain and reserve six cups of broth. Combine four tablespoons of flour and four tablespoons of bacon grease in the bottom of the soup pot and cook over medium heat until the mixture is a rich dark brown. Add one cup of chopped scallions, one cup of chopped celery and four tablespoons of chopped parsley to the pot and saute for five minutes. Add the broth slowly to the vegetable mixture, stirring until well combined. Add three bay leaves, half a teaspoon of thyme, one cup of chopped, smoked, hot sausage and three cups of leftover turkey meat. Simmer over low heat for one and a half hours. One pint of oysters can be added for the last five minutes of cooking. To finish the soup, add one tablespoon of file powder just before serving. Soup should not boil once the file has been added. Remove bay leaves and serve gumbo in a large, shallow soup bowl over a generous mound of white rice.</p>
<p>This year we are having dinner at the Bartletts. I’m making cranberry relish, sweet potatoes and dessert and looking forward to being with friends. I’ve made extra sweet potatoes, pre-holiday leftovers, and I’m pretty certain that our hosts will send us home with turkey for sandwiches. I don’t think it would be polite to ask for the turkey carcass, but I’m planning to make turkey gumbo even if I have to cut Kathy’s recipe in half and make it with a roasted chicken from the grocery store. I’ll let you know how it turns out.</p>
<div class="easyrecipe">
<table class="ERHDTable" border="0">
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<tr>
<td><span class="item ERName"><span class="fn"> Sweet Potato Rolls </span></span></td>
<td align="center" valign="top">
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</tr>
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<div class="ERClear"></div>
<div class="ERHead">Recipe type: <span class="tag">Bread</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Author: <span class="author">Carol Egbert</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Prep time: <span class="preptime">10 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT10M"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Cook time: <span class="cooktime">22 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT22M"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Total time: <span class="duration">32 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT32M"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Serves: <span class="yield">12 rolls</span>
</div>
<div class="ERSummary"><span class="summary">Golden, yeast raised dinner rolls made mashed sweet potatoes. Perfect use of leftovers.</span></div>
<div class="ERIngredientsHeader">Ingredients</div>
<ul class="ingredients">
<li class="ingredient">1 package active dry yeast</li>
<li class="ingredient">2 Tablespoons granulated sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient">3/4 cup milk, heated to 105ºF</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup mashed sweet potatoes</li>
<li class="ingredient">3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon kosher salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 whole egg</li>
<li class="ingredient">4 cups all-purpose flour &#8211; divided</li>
</ul>
<div class="ERInstructionsHeader">Instructions</div>
<div class="instructions">
<ol>
<li class="instruction">Combine yeast, sugar and milk in a medium mixing bowl, stir until dissolved. Cover bowl and set aside, in a warm place, for 10 minutes, until mixture is foamy.</li>
<li class="instruction">Add sweet potatoes, butter, salt, egg and 3 cups flour to milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.</li>
<li class="instruction">Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead in enough flour, about 1 cup, to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.</li>
<li class="instruction">Put dough into a bowl that has been smeared with butter, cover bowl and put in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.</li>
<li class="instruction">Deflate dough, form dough into 12 balls, put balls into a buttered 9&#8243; square baking pan, cover and let rise until dough has doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.</li>
<li class="instruction">Bake in a preheated, 375º oven for 22 minutes or until rolls are golden.</li>
<li class="instruction">Serve warm with butter.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="nutrition"></div>
<div>
<div class="ERNotesHeader">Notes</div>
<div class="ERNotes">
<p>The dough has to rise twice so the overall prep time total is 3 hours.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="endeasyrecipe" style="display: none;">2.1.7</div>
</div>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><em>To receive occasional emails from me,  click <a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> </strong>and subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen.</em></span></p>
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		<title>Welsh Cakes from a Vermont Kitchen</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/welsh-cakes-from-a-vermont-kitchen</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/welsh-cakes-from-a-vermont-kitchen#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:06:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breakfast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Print Recipe & Ingredients List]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[watercolor painting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=4310</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/welsh-cakes.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-4311" title="welsh cakes" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/welsh-cakes.jpg" alt="welsh cakes Welsh Cakes from a Vermont Kitchen" width="360" height="360" /></a>When I returned on Thursday, from visiting my son in England, the trees were wearing white. I had missed most of the reds and golds of the fall foliage and was looking forward to getting back to Charles, Gracie and my friends. The only shopping I did in Brighton was at small, medium and large grocery stores and at a weekly farmers’ market in the center of the university campus. Welsh cakes, from the Marks &amp; Spencer market in the Brighton train station, along with a bowl of stewed red plums and a pot of Earl Grey tea was my standard breakfast in England.<span id="more-4310"></span></p>
<p>Aside from two packages of chocolate covered ginger cookies, two packages of Welsh cakes were the only souvenirs I brought home. After Charles and I had breakfast on Saturday there were only two Welsh cakes left.<br />
My closest source of Welsh cakes involved a two-hour bus ride, a seven-hour plane ride, another two-hour bus ride and a five-minute taxi ride; I had to figure out how to make them. I began with the label. It listed wheat flour, sugar, currants, free range eggs, milk and baking powder. I did a bit of research, in cookbooks and on the Internet, and learned that traditional Welsh cakes are cooked on a griddle rather than baked in the oven. Here’s my recipe for ‘No Travel Necessary’ (Vermont) Welsh Cakes.</p>
<p><strong>Welsh Cakes</strong></p>
<p>I used a whisk to mix together two cups of all-purpose flour, one-third of a cup of granulated sugar, two and a half teaspoons of baking powder and one-quarter of a teaspoon of kosher salt. I grated one stick, half a cup, of unsalted cold butter into the flour mixture using the largest holes on a box grater. I used two knives to blend the shreds of butter with the flour mixture. When the mixture looked like coarse crumbs, I stirred in half a cup of currants and a quarter of a cup of minced dry cherries.</p>
<p>I used a fork to combine one whole egg and two tablespoons of whole milk in a small cup and then added it to the flour mixture. I had to add nearly two more tablespoons of milk to the mixture in order to create a dough. I kneaded the dough gently on a lightly floured board and then rolled it to a thickness of a quarter of an inch.</p>
<p>I used a two and a half inch round biscuit cutter and made fifteen cakes. I heated the griddle over low heat for ten minutes, added a generous teaspoon of butter and cooked the Welsh cakes, over medium low heat, for five minutes on each side, until they were golden brown but still soft in the center. I removed them from the griddle and immediately sprinkled them with vanilla sugar.</p>
<p>Charles and I had a second, smallish, breakfast of still-warm-from-the-griddle Welsh cakes and a cup of tea before we cleaned up the flour-dusted kitchen. Welsh cakes can be served warm or at room temperature, slathered with soft butter, spread with jam, accompanied with whipped cream and stewed plums or out of hand on the train that takes you from the station to the university.</p>
<p>I used a box grater because the butter was frozen and I didn’t want to use a food processor. If you prefer to use a food processor, start by whizzing all of the dry ingredients together, cut the butter into eight chunks and add it to the flour mixture and pulse it five times or until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add the egg and then add milk slowly, while machine is running until dough begins to form a mass. It’s best to err on the side of too little rather than too much milk. Tip dough out onto a floured surface, add currants and cherries or dried fruit of your choice and knead it all together. Roll dough and cook the cut rounds on a griddle or place rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 350º oven for about eight minutes, or until set, then turn them over and bake for eight minutes more.</p>
<p>Baked Welsh cakes will not be as brown as those cooked on a buttered griddle. Homemade Welsh cakes have a much lower carbon footprint than the ones from Marks &amp; Spencer and are absolutely smashing with a steamy pot of tea. I’m planning on making them when Matthew comes to visit in December.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Welsh-Cakes.pdf">Click here to download and print an ingredients list and recipe.</a></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em> <a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><strong>Click here to receive an email notification of my next post and to subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen. </strong></a></em></p>
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		<title>Parsnip in Halloween Disguise</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/parsnip-in-halloween-disguise</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[halloween]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[muffin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parsnip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=1147</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Halloween is a holiday when imagination runs wild. Whether you are going to a party or a parade, this is the holiday to join the masquerade. The possibilities are endless – you can present yourself as a superhero or a world leader, a puppy or a princess, a vampire or a bunny rabbit.Halloween treats are [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Halloween is a holiday when imagination runs wild. Whether you are going to a party or a parade, this is the holiday to join the masquerade.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1139" title="lynda oval 1" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/lynda-oval-1.jpg" alt="lynda oval 1 Parsnip in Halloween Disguise " width="294" height="240" /></p>
<p>The possibilities are endless – you can present yourself as a superhero or a world leader, a puppy or a princess, a vampire or a bunny rabbit.Halloween treats are everywhere, free when you call out “Trick or Treat” at the home of a friendly neighbor.<span id="more-1147"></span>Thoughts of Halloween disguises and Halloween treats got me to wondering. Could I disguise an often overlooked and sometimes disparaged vegetable, rich in vitamins and minerals and low in calories, in a Halloween treat?</p>
<p>I was thinking about parsnips. To be honest, I have never been a parsnip fan; I’ve cooked them, served them and composted them, generally in that order. My past attempts have been dry, woody, insipid or simply uninspiring.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: normal;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1141" title="egg beater 01" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/egg-beater-01.jpg" alt="egg beater 01 Parsnip in Halloween Disguise " width="107" height="284" />Time to let my imagination run wild, time to dress up a parsnip as a sweet treat. Grated parsnip, combined with nuts, dried fruit, and sugar, held together with flour and egg, fluffed up with baking powder and oil, disguised in a silver fluted skirt – Say Boo! The costumed parsnip was on its way to the Halloween party. Here’s how I did it:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;">Parsnip Muffins</span></p>
<p>I began by preheating the oven to 350 F/175 C and placing foil liners in 18 muffin cups.</p>
<p>I used the largest holes on a box grater to grate two large parsnips to make 2 cups/180 g and one large apple to make 1 cup/100 g. I whisked together 2 cups/200 g of flour, 3/4 cup/100 g of sugar, three-quarters of a teaspoon of baking soda, one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of dry ginger, and half a teaspoon ground nutmeg in a mixing bowl.</p>
<p>I whisked together two eggs, 3/4 cup/180 ml of oil, 1/2 cup/120 ml of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla in a separate bowl. I combined the egg mixture and the flour mixture, added 1 cup/100 g of chopped almonds, 1/2 cup/100 g of chopped dried peaches, the parsnip and apple.</p>
<p>The batter was divided among the muffin cups and baked for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin came out clean. Removed from the pan, the muffins cooled on a wire rack.</p>
<p>With a basket of muffins in hand and a paper asking, “What&#8217;s disguised in these muffins?” I set off for a gathering or friends who were putting the church garden to bed for the winter.Fifteen friends sampled the muffins. Their guesses included: coconut, orange, banana, carrots, lemon zest, zucchini, guava, cauliflower, pistachio and my favorite – ground-up donuts. No one guessed parsnips – a perfect disguise!</p>
<p>Perhaps this is the beginning of a new Halloween tradition – Masquerading Vegetables on Parade.</p>
<p>With newfound respect for parsnips I’m looking for other ways to use them. Any thoughts?</p>
<p><strong>Say Boo!</strong> A perfect Halloween book, written by my friend Lynda Graham-Barber, along with the parsnips from her garden were the inspiration for is post. Lynda lives in the Northeast Kingdom where she writes, gardens and cooks.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Parsnip-Muffins.pdf">Click here to download and print an ingredients list and recipe.</a></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"><em> <a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><strong>Click here to receive an email notification of my next post and to subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen. </strong></a></em></span></p>
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		<title>Concord Grape Focaccia</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/concord-grape-focaccia</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/concord-grape-focaccia#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:50:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[appetizer]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=4222</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I found concord grapes in the market last weekend and they transported me back to my childhood and Ruby’s grape arbor. Ruby was a gardener and a cook who lived next door.</p>
<div id="attachment_4226" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 370px"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/concord-grapes-co.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-4226" title="concord grapes co" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/concord-grapes-co.jpg" alt="concord grapes co Concord Grape Focaccia" width="360" height="360" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Concord Grapes Carol Egbert</p></div>
<p>She showed me how to use small clippers to harvest the bunches of fragrant, purple-black grapes. We sat on her back porch and watched birds feasting on grapes as we separated the ripe grapes from the stems, leaves and spider webs. Ruby always used the grapes we gathered to make enough grape jelly for a winter’s worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.<span id="more-4222"></span></p>
<p>My pantry is filled with jelly so I decided to use the grapes from the market to make a focaccia studded with grapes and pine nuts and seasoned with rosemary and olive oil. I wanted to try this classic Italian bread that is made in Tuscany during the wine grape harvest. Here’s how I made it:<!--more--></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Concord Grape Focaccia</strong></p>
<p>I combined one package of active dry yeast with three-quarters of a cup of lukewarm water in a large bowl. I added two tablespoons of honey and stirred until the yeast and honey had dissolved. I set it aside for ten minutes, until the yeast had begun to grow and make the mixture foamy.</p>
<p>I added a quarter of a cup of olive oil, one and two-thirds cups of all-purpose flour, two-thirds of a cup of fine cornmeal and one and a half teaspoons of kosher salt to the yeast mixture, and stirred it with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough.</p>
<p>I turned the dough out onto a floured board and kneaded it until it was smooth and elastic. I added enough flour to the board, about a third of a cup, as I kneaded, to keep it from sticking to my fingers and the board but not so much flour as to make the dough dry.</p>
<p>I oiled a large bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, put the dough into the bowl and rolled it around until it was coated with oil. I covered the bowl with a cloth napkin and put it on the counter near the oven that was preheating to 400º to rise.</p>
<p>It took me nearly an hour to rinse, halve and remove the seeds from two cups of concord grapes. When I had finished, the dough had doubled in bulk and it was time to assemble the focaccia. I oiled a twelve by seventeen inch baking sheet with olive oil. I gently deflated the dough, (I try never to punch anything in my kitchen), and put it onto the baking sheet sheet. I stretched it to form a disc that was half an inch thick. I used my finger tips to make dimples in the dough, scattered the prepared grapes, half a cup of pine nuts, one and a half teaspoons of minced fresh rosemary leaves, two tablespoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of flaky sea salt onto the dough. I drizzled the focaccia with two tablespoons of olive oil and put it into the oven.</p>
<p>In thirty minutes it was golden brown and dripping with juice the color of garnets. I served it with steamy carrot soup and a green salad. It was fun to pretend that we had spent the day working in a vineyard in Tuscany harvesting grapes.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Grape-Focaccia-.pdf">Down load a recipe for Focaccia with an ingredients list here.</a></em></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><em>To receive an email notification of my next post and t</em><em>o subscribe to occasional newsletters from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen click here.</em></a></span></p>
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		<title>Whole Grain Seedy Bread</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/whole-grain-seedy-bread</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/whole-grain-seedy-bread#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=4042</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’d been doing everything possible to avoid going to the grocery store. I didn’t want to sit in the car, get stuck in road construction traffic or push a grocery cart up and down the air conditioned aisles of the grocery store when I could be taking our puppy Gracie for a swim in the pond. But, we still had to eat and, to Charles, lunchtime is sandwich time and he hasn’t figured out a way to make a sandwich without bread. The time had come for Charles to learn how to make a loaf of bread.</p>
<div id="attachment_4044" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 298px"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/toaster-c-egbert.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-4044" title="toaster c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/toaster-c-egbert.jpg" alt="toaster c egbert Whole Grain Seedy Bread" width="288" height="288" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Toaster</p></div>
<p>Making bread can be a long and complicated process. Some dedicated bakers begin by hunting, capturing and nurturing the wild yeast floating in the air. Sour dough starters begin as a slurry of flour and water and with a little luck, a fair amount of patience and enough time, nearly a week, it is possible to make a loaf of yeast bread. Although Charles was willing, lunchtime was looming. We didn’t have three days we had less than three hours. Luckily we had active dry yeast in the pantry. Rather than making a loaf of slow rise, knead-before-you-bake bread we would make a quick loaf of hearty batter bread. Here’s how we did it:<span id="more-4042"></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Whole Grain Sunflower Seed Bread</h3>
<p>I sprinkled two teaspoons of active dry yeast, the equivalent of one package, into one and a quarter cups of warm water, about 110º, added one tablespoon of honey and stirred until the yeast had dissolved. I set the mixture aside while we went in search of a loaf pan. (It’s been a long time since I last made bread.) It took about five minutes of searching, and in that time the yeast had ‘bloomed’ and the mixture was foamy and beginning to swell.</p>
<p>Charles used a whisk to combine one cup of white flour, one cup of whole-wheat flour, one cup of rolled oats, half a cup of sunflower seeds and one and a half teaspoons of kosher salt in a large mixing bowl.</p>
<p>I smeared the eight-cup loaf pan with a generous coating of soft butter. Charles poured the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stirred with a wooden spoon until the batter was completely combined. He turned the dough into the buttered pan, covered it with a slightly damp cloth napkin and set it on the counter near the oven that was being preheated to 350º. In half an hour, the oven was at temperature, the dough had risen and was ready to bake. After baking for thirty-five minutes the bread had begun to pull away from the sides of the pan and my instant read, digital thermometer read 185º when I poked it into the center of the loaf. I used a knife to loosen the loaf and tipped the steamy hot bread on to a wire rack to cool.</p>
<p>Charles waited as long as he could, about fifteen minutes, and then he used a serrated knife to slice the still warm bread. The aroma of the freshly baked bread was so tempting that he ate two slices slathered with butter before he made his standard Swiss and turkey sandwich with mayo and sliced cucumbers.</p>
<p>Dinner that evening was unconventional but colorful and delicious &#8211; avocado with vinaigrette, thinly sliced watermelon and the rest of the bread, thickly sliced and properly buttered.</p>
<p>The next morning, I made a second loaf and added half a cup of dried cranberries to the flour mixture and topped the dough with a hearty layer of poppy seeds. That loaf lasted two days. Yesterday, not only were we out of bread, we were also out of yeast. I had two choices – it would take half an hour to drive the grocery story or six days to harvest and nurture wild yeast for our next loaf of bread.  Hmmm – lunchtime would be rolling around in three hours, what to do?</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/whole-grain-seedy-bread.pdf">Download and print bread recipe with an ingredients list here.</a></em></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><em>To receive an email notification of my next post and t</em><em>o subscribe to occasional newsletters from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen click here.</em></a></h3>
<h4><em><br />
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		<title>Blueberry Muffins</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/blueberry-muffins</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/blueberry-muffins#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Blueberries are ripe for the picking, and last Sunday was a perfect day to find a pick-your-own blueberry patch. I parked my car, followed the crowd to the table to get a pail and headed through the gate and down the hill. The process is simple, find a spot, pick until the pail is full, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Blueberries are ripe for the picking, and last Sunday was a perfect day to find a pick-your-own blueberry patch.</p>
<p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371648935835990370" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 222px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Nz64KxA11E/SovuPzab-WI/AAAAAAAAAd4/vdVaSGELRvU/s400/Vermont+Field.jpg" alt="Vermont+Field Blueberry Muffins" border="0" title="Blueberry Muffins" /></p>
<div>I parked my car, followed the crowd to the table to get a pail and headed through the gate and down the hill. The process is simple, find a spot, pick until the pail is full, have the pail weighed, and pay the farmer.<span id="more-653"></span> Children shouting, “I found some!” and the pings of blueberries hitting the bottoms of empty pails reminded me of Robert McCloskey’s classic children’s book Blueberries for Sal.</div>
<div>
<p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371652632749083890" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 278px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Nz64KxA11E/Sovxm_fNDPI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/Il09Jq_a7Sg/s400/Blueberry+Branch.jpg" alt="Blueberry+Branch Blueberry Muffins" border="0" title="Blueberry Muffins" /></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">Blueberries, the fruit of a shrub that belongs to the heath family, are related to cranberry, bilberry, azalea, mountain laurel and rhododendron. When ripe, they range in color from blue to maroon to dark purple.</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Picking was easy &#8211; high bush berries mean stand-up picking &#8211; and I was able to gently rake ripe berries into the pail and leave the green ones behind to ripen. With no pesky insects or thorns to deal with, I picked six pounds of blueberries in less than an hour.</p>
<p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371724166923867730" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Nz64KxA11E/Sowyq1Dg1lI/AAAAAAAAAeY/QRkfEIS2x90/s400/blueberries+in+basket.jpg" alt="blueberries+in+basket Blueberry Muffins" border="0" title="Blueberry Muffins" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At home, as I separated the leaves, stems and occasional mushy berry from the juicy, tart, berries, I considered blueberry possibilities. So many choices &#8211; freshly picked, with yogurt, in pancakes, mixed into muffins, cakes, crisps or buckles, whirled into smoothies, frozen in ice cream, preserved as jam or chutney, or in a pie topped with ice cream.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A blueberry snob may try to convince you that tiny, wild, Maine blueberries, gathered while one is on hands and knees while black flies feast on your neck, are the only blueberries worth eating. Ignore them, or if they come bearing baskets of berries, humor them, in either case know that whether you have wild or cultivated, high or low bush blueberries you are in for a tasty treat with the added health benefits of eating local, fresh fruit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I put a large bowl of berries into the refrigerator and filled plastic bags with the remaining unwashed berries and froze them. The protective gray-white ‘bloom’ protects the berries so I don’t wash them until I am ready to serve or cook them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With our friends Annie and Andy coming for a two-day visit I decided to make muffins to greet them when they arrived at mid-night.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here&#8217;s how I made them.<!--more--></p>
<p><span style="font-family: monospace;"><br />
</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371648929016087618" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 281px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Nz64KxA11E/SovuPaAchEI/AAAAAAAAAdw/8NghbqQufFg/s400/blueberry+muffin+batter.jpg" alt="blueberry+muffin+batter Blueberry Muffins" border="0" title="Blueberry Muffins" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Blueberry Muffins</h3>
</div>
<div>I began by pre-heating the oven to four hundred degrees. In a mixing bowl, I used a wire whisk to combine one and three quarter cups of unbleached flour, half a teaspoon of kosher salt, half a cup of sugar, and two teaspoons of baking powder.</div>
<div>In a separate bowl I combined a quarter of a cup of melted butter, two eggs, and a quarter of a cup of milk. With as few strokes as possible I combined the wet and dry ingredients. Half way through this process I added half a cup of chopped, crystallized ginger and a generous cup of washed and drained blueberries.</div>
<div>
<p>I filled twelve muffin cups two thirds full of batter and baked them for thirty minutes until the muffins were golden, and a toothpick poked into the center came out clean. Crystallized ginger is optional, I added it because it gives the muffins a bit of a zing and more importantly because Annie loves it and I love Annie. You might choose to add nuts, grated orange rind, cinnamon or cardamom to please the ones you love.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Conversation paused as we enjoyed the sun, the flowers, the food and our friendship.</p>
<p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371648921756447202" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 375px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Nz64KxA11E/SovuO-9nMeI/AAAAAAAAAdo/x30Ai8IoiXA/s400/Blueberry+Muffin+01.jpg" alt="Blueberry+Muffin+01 Blueberry Muffins" border="0" title="Blueberry Muffins" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Google ‘pick your own’ to find a farm near you.</p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/Blueberry-Muffin-R-.pdf">Download and print a recipe with an ingredients list here.</a></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><em>To receive an email notification of my next post and t</em><em>o subscribe to occasional newsletters from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen click here.</em></a></h3>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><em><br />
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		<title>Yeast Raised Donuts</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/yeast-raised-donuts</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/yeast-raised-donuts#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:42:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[sweet]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=3522</guid>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="hrecipe"><span class="published"><span class="value-title" title="2011-02-09"></span></span><code></code>Donut<em> </em>is one of those words that brings smiles.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/coffe-pot-c-egbert.jpg"><img class="photo alignleft size-full wp-image-3523" title="coffe pot c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/coffe-pot-c-egbert.jpg" alt="coffe pot c egbert Yeast Raised Donuts" width="360" height="360" /></a>The promise of a twist of dough, a disc of dough or an iconic donut shaped piece of dough, fried and filled or dusted was tempting enough to pull twenty-five people from their cozy warm beds to an early morning meeting. Last Saturday was the second breakfast meeting at our church for slow conversations to talk about how we engage with one another and the wider community.</p>
<p>We arrived early to help get breakfast ready so that the meeting could begin at eight. Charles suggested that the tables be put together to form a square donut.  Perhaps it was the bowl of donut dough we had brought that had inspired the table arrangement. We covered the tables with an assortment of table cloths including a couple that had been embroidered by my Nana and then went to work on the promised donuts.</p>
<p>I had put the donut dough together the night before so that the yeast would have enough time to grow and make the donuts rise. Here’s how I did it:<span id="more-3522"></span></p>
<p><strong>Yeast Raised Donuts</strong></p>
<p>I used a stand mixer and a dough hook to make the dough. I began by combining one package of active dry yeast, (about two and a half teaspoons), one teaspoon of sugar and two tablespoons of warm water, about 110º, in a small bowl.  When the sugar and yeast had dissolved, I covered the bowl and let it stand for about five minutes until the mixture became foamy – proof that the yeast was alive and willing to work.</p>
<p>I zapped one cup of whole milk in a large measuring cup for thirty seconds to warm it up and then added half a stick of unsalted butter, two large eggs and the yeast mixture. I put three and a half cups of all-purpose flour, one and a half teaspoons of kosher salt, two tablespoons of sugar and the yeast-milk mixture into the mixer bowl. After beating for about four minutes at low speed, a very soft dough had formed. I increased the mixer speed to medium and beat the dough for three more minutes.  The dough was much softer and stickier than bread dough. I used a stiff spatula to scrape the dough into a large ceramic bowl, lightly dusted the dough with flour, covered the bowl with a kitchen towel and put it into the fridge to rise over night.</p>
<p>In the morning, while others were putting out yogurt, dried fruits, nuts, jams, toast, tea and coffee, I began to work on the donuts. I dusted two large cutting boards with flour, divided the dough in half, dusted the dough with more flour and rolled the dough until it was about half an inch thick. Charles improvised with a two inch biscuit cutter to make discs of dough and a piece of one inch diameter copper tubing to cut the donut holes.</p>
<p>When Joanna, an expert on children’s literature, came into the kitchen, she showed us how Almanzo’s mother in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book <em>Farmer Boy</em> made donuts.  Joanna rolled the dough into thin ‘snakes’, about a quarter of an inch in diameter and four inches long, folded the dough in half, twisted each strip like a corkscrew and pinched the ends together. Charles continued cutting, Joanna rolled and twisted and Kathy arranged the still raw donuts on boards and covered them with kitchen towels so that the dough could rise a second time.</p>
<p>After rising for twenty minutes, in the warm kitchen, the donuts were ready to be fried in three inches of canola oil in a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan. I clipped a deep frying thermometer on the pan and kept the oil at 350º. I fried the donuts in small batches and used a wire mesh skimmer to turn and transfer them from the hot oil onto paper towels to drain after they had cooked for about two minutes and become golden brown.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3525" title="mug sm c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/mug-sm-c-egbert.jpg" alt="mug sm c egbert Yeast Raised Donuts" width="144" height="144" /></p>
<p>Kathy, a painter who uses color rather than quantity, had brought a bag of cinnamon sugar she had made by “combining four scoops of sugar and enough cinnamon to make it brown.”  I had combined a cup of confectioners’ sugar with a couple of teaspoons of milk to make a sugary glaze. Charles was in charge of the finishing touches and decided which topping was best for each donut.  The finished donuts, donut holes and twists were mindfully, kindly and generously passed around and around the donut shaped table and disappeared quickly. Kathy and I have decided to make a double batch for next Saturday’s meeting, the last in the series.</p>
<div class="easyrecipe">
<table class="ERHDTable" border="0">
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<td><span class="item ERName"><span class="fn">Yeast Raised Donuts</span></span></td>
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<div class="ERHead">Recipe type: <span class="tag">Breakfast Bread</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Author: <span class="author">Carol Egbert</span>
</div>
<div class="ERHead">Prep time: <span class="preptime">30 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT30M"> </span></span>
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<div class="ERHead">Cook time: <span class="cooktime">4 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT4M"> </span></span>
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<div class="ERHead">Total time: <span class="duration">34 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT34M"> </span></span>
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<div class="ERHead">Serves: <span class="yield">8</span>
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<div class="ERSummary"><span class="summary">A twist of dough, deep fried, dusted with cinnamon sugar or a sugary glaze &#8211; perfection!</span></div>
<div class="ERIngredientsHeader">Ingredients</div>
<ul class="ingredients">
<li class="ingredient">1 package active dry yeast</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient">2 Tablespoons warm water, 110º F</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup whole milk</li>
<li class="ingredient">4 Tablespoons unsalted butter</li>
<li class="ingredient">2 large eggs</li>
<li class="ingredient">3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">2 Tablespoons sugar</li>
</ul>
<div class="ERInstructionsHeader">Instructions</div>
<div class="instructions">
<ol>
<li class="instruction">Combine yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and warm water in a small bowl, stir until dissolved, cover bowl, let stand for five minutes, in a warm place, until mixture becomes foamy.</li>
<li class="instruction">Zap milk for 30 seconds in microwave, add butter, eggs and yeast mixture.</li>
<li class="instruction">Put flour, salt, 2 Tablespoons sugar and yeast/milk mixture into mixer bowl. Beat for 4 minutes on low, until a soft dough has formed. Increase speed to medium and beat 3 more minutes.</li>
<li class="instruction">Transfer dough to large bowl, lightly dust dough with flour, cover bowl and put in fridge overnight. Dough will double in bulk.</li>
<li class="instruction">Tip dough out onto a floured surface and roll dough with a rolling pin to form a 1/2&#8243; thick rectangle.</li>
<li class="instruction">Use a floured donut cutter to form donuts or form crullers by rolling dough into 1/4&#8243; diameter rope, cutting 4&#8243; lengths, folding each piece in half, then twisting and pinching the ends together. (Actually easier to do than to describe and its quicker than rolling and using a donut cutter.)</li>
<li class="instruction">Cover uncooked donuts and let rise until double in bulk, about 20 minutes.</li>
<li class="instruction">Fry donuts, in small batches, in vegetable oil pre-heated to 350º, two minutes on each side, until golden.</li>
<li class="instruction">Transfer donuts to paper towel to drain, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or dip into a glaze made by combining 1 cup of confectioners sugar with enough milk to make a glaze.</li>
</ol>
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<div class="nutrition"></div>
<div>
<div class="ERNotesHeader">Notes</div>
<div class="ERNotes">
<p>The dough can be set in a warm place to rise, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, instead of being refrigerated overnight.</p>
<p>A deep fat thermometer is essential for keeping the oil at the correct temperature.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="endeasyrecipe" style="display: none;">2.1.7</div>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;"><em>To receive occasional emails from me,  click <a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> </strong>and subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen.</em></h4>
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		<title>Super Snacks for Super Bowl</title>
		<link>http://www.carolegbert.com/super-snacks-for-super-bowl</link>
		<comments>http://www.carolegbert.com/super-snacks-for-super-bowl#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:40:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Carol</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[appetizer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gluten free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[side dish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegetarian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[besan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chickpeas]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.carolegbert.com/?p=1909</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[   ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><code></code>Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, the day that many Americans have been anticipating since this time last year. For most Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is celebrated with an all day party and an unending spread of finger food.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/super-snacks-for-super-bowl/pd-football-c-egbert-02" rel="attachment wp-att-1910"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1910" title="pd Football c egbert 02" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/pd-Football-c-egbert-02-.jpg" alt="pd Football c egbert 02  Super Snacks for Super Bowl" width="288" height="784" /></a>Pre-game activities begin after lunch, the game, liberally dotted with commercials, starts at six, is interrupted by the half-time show, then more of the game, and finally the wrap-up. It’s no wonder that most hotels offering Super Bowl packages have a four-day minimum stay &#8211; it must take at least two days to recover.</p>
<p>I’m not a football fan. My mind wanders with the interminable delays. I worry about mortal injuries to the referees and camera operators when I see enormous bodies, protected by even more enormous plastic helmets and shoulder pads flying through the air and landing in heaps. I’ve been told that the creative commercials that debut on Super Bowl Sunday are enough reason to watch but I’d rather be putting finishing touches on Super Bowls, Super Platters and Super Sweets to sustain Super Friends who are eating and drinking, cheering and booing in front of the television.</p>
<p>One Super Bowl party website suggested, “serve everyone&#8217;s favorite high fat, finger-licking snack foods. After all, your television set is the focal point, not the food.” (Those are fighting words to a cook.) Another site suggested serving “salami, pepperoni, cheese whiz, chips and dips, beer and hot sauce, zingers like salami &amp; cheese stuffed pepperochini.” (I wonder if beer and hot sauce is new mixed drink?) Tailgate classics like Buffalo wings, chili, and layered dips are all possibilities, but I want Super Food, healthy food that is not fussy to prepare and has enough flavor to be a bit of a distraction from the game.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/super-snacks-for-super-bowl/pt-megaphone-c-egbert" rel="attachment wp-att-1917"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1917" title="PT Megaphone c egbert" src="http://www.carolegbert.com/wp_01/wp-content/uploads/PT-Megaphone-c-egbert.jpg" alt="PT Megaphone c egbert Super Snacks for Super Bowl" width="288" height="288" /></a>Chickpeas and chickpea flour, also called besan and gram flour, are on the Super Food team I’m inviting to be part of my Super Bowl menu. They taste good and are an excellent source of protein, fiber, iron, potassium and B vitamins. It takes only a minute to make the batter for Besan flatbread that can be served either hot from the oven or at room temperature. It meets my requirements for a super finger food.</p>
<p>Hummus, a party regular at my house, is also a Super Snack. This blend of ancient ingredients &#8211; chickpeas, sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil is readily available at the market but when made at home it is absolutely fresh, with a minimum number of ingredients and is preservative free. When combined with warm pita bread, it is a complete protein that will build muscles so necessary for passing and blocking on the gridiron. (Not bad for a non-sports writer!) Best of all, homemade hummus costs half as much and is at least twice as good as store bought. I took a bowl of hummus, surrounded with carrot sticks to a potluck lunch last Sunday and it disappeared before the chocolate chip cookies.</p>
<p>Here’s how I made Besan Flat Bread and Hummus: <span id="more-1909"></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Besan Flat Bread</h3>
<p>I put one cup of besan and one teaspoon of salt into a bowl and stirred constantly with a whisk, as I slowly added water, about one and half cups, to make a slurry with the consistency of thin pancake batter. I made it in the morning, covered with a cloth and left on the counter to ‘rest’ for several hours. The batter can be baked immediately but the texture will be better and the bread will have a more complex flavor if the batter sits at room temperature for several hours before it is baked.</p>
<p>I set the oven at 450 degrees, peeled and thinly sliced two medium shallots and a handful of cauliflower florets. I put the shallots, cauliflower and three tablespoons of grape seed oil into a ten-inch cast iron skillet. After two minutes in the oven, I gave the vegetables a quick stir, poured the batter in and returned the skillet to the oven. In 30 minutes, the bread was brown and the crisp edge had pulled away from the pan. I used a spatula to lift it out onto a cutting board, sprinkled it with a pinch of sea salt, and let it cool for a couple of minutes before I cut it into twelve wedges. It disappeared in less time than it takes a football team to figure out the next play.</p>
<p>Onions, scallions or chives can be substituted for the shallots and olive or canola oil can replace the grape seed oil. I sometimes add either a tablespoon of fresh rosemary or a teaspoon of black mustard seeds or ground cumin along with the sliced vegetables to vary the flavor.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Hummus</h3>
<p>I drained one 19-ounce can of chickpeas and reserved the liquid. I used a food processor to chop one small garlic clove and then added the chickpeas and two tablespoons of tahini. When the mixture was coarsely chopped, I added the juice of one lemon and slowly added the reserved liquid until the mixture was creamy, about five tablespoons. I put the hummus into a shallow bowl and topped it with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.</p>
<p>If you want to add color, a pinch of paprika is all you need. You could present the hummus in grand style by putting the warmed pita bread into the Super Bowl XLIV Snack Helmet that I saw on the internet for a mere $64.99.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><em>To receive occasional emails from me,  click <a href="http://www.carolegbert.com/newsletter"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> </strong>and subscribe to the newsletter from Carol&#8217;s Kitchen.</em></h4>
<p><strong>Besan Flat Bread List</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1 c besan/chickpea flour</li>
<li>1 t salt</li>
<li>2 shallots</li>
<li>3/4 c cauliflower florets</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Hummus List</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1 19-ounce can chickpeas</li>
<li>1 small garlic clove</li>
<li>2 T tahini</li>
<li>1 lemon</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
</ul>
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